Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and my female character.
The unassociated couple found their way to one of the upstairs bedrooms. The woman entered with her key and set her belongings on the ground as the older man sat down at the corner table. She then sat down on the bed and continued their conversation from downstairs, "So, mister Brynjolf..."
"No need for the formalities lass, makes me feel old," he said charmingly. "Perhaps I could interest you in some dinner?" Brynjolf had noticed she was rather skinny, perhaps even starved.
"No thanks, I'm not hungry," she stated. "What's so important that we couldn't discuss it in the morning?"
"Ah, straight to business then? I have a few questions for you, as well as a proposition."
"I should warn you, I'm not really one for commitments. But, go ahead." Brynjolf nodded, and made his voice more gentle,
"First, I just want you to know that I'm here on peaceful terms, I'm not here to fight..." The woman acknowledged it with a nod. "And with that, I'd like to know what you did to my friends."
"The ones from this morning?" The dark haired woman confirmed.
"Yes. You, um," The silver-tongued thief paused trying to find a better word than escape. "You managed to evade them. That doesn't happen very often."
"I just did a calming spell. Nothing permanent, it should have worn off after I got outside. Oh, and the skeever? It was just a conjuration, also short lived." She reassured unaffected by his selective wording.
"Your familiar is a skeever?" Brynjolf asked trying not to sound insulting.
"No. I can conjure up random animals, but a skeever seemed to suit the atmosphere the best." She aimed a glowing hand at the ground, and released a mudcrab. Brynjolf just stared at it, he'd never seen something like that before. The woman waved her hand, and the crab dissipated.
"Alright, one last question. How did you outrun Vipir?"
"Is he supposed to be really fast or something?"
"He does call himself the Fleet."
"Although I fancy myself a runner too, I just walked away." She shrugged.
"Er, what?" Brynjolf let his confusion surface. The woman smiled and revealed her secret: she brought her hands together to form an indigo energy and in a blink of an eye...disappeared. The master thief grinned, he knew his gut feeling had been right all long.
"Lass, are you still there?"
"Indeed." She reappeared in front of him as she waved the spell off.
"That's great. I think with those talents you could be quite useful to my organization." The man tried his appeal.
"Eh. No thanks," the woman declined, "I'm actually on my way out of here. I just have to do a few things before I leave."
"Aw, like what?" Brynjolf pouted as he returned to his despairing tone. She gave him a small smile.
"It's stupid really, and I don't even know why I bother..."
"Would you mind telling me? Perhaps I can be of assistance?" He asked as helplessly as he could.
"Hmm, you're oddly nice for a stranger. Anyway, I lost this family heirloom and for some reason beyond me, I don't want to leave Skyrim without it."
"What is it?" The seasoned thief genuinely inquired.
"It's a dagger. It has these hatch marks on the blade, but other than that, it's pretty plain." She explained with a shrug. Brynjolf kept any type of surprise from showing up on his face as he heard the description. He then decided to fish some information out of his mark,
"Do you know how you lost it?"
"Uh, that whole night was sort of a blur. I was busy drowning my sorrows when I ran into some old friends, and then it all goes black from there. And then I woke up in the sewer system, not a good way to end your night, I tell you..." She sheepishly answered. The gears in Brynjolf's head hadn't stopped cranking from the minute he arrived at the inn. He was trying too find the perfect excuse to hook her, and he couldn't help but grin when he thought of it.
"Well lass, I think I can be of service. My co-workers and I happen to be very good at finding things, you just have to hire us."
"Thieves, I presume?" She didn't sound stunned in the least.
"Or people that acquire items of interest."
"Mmhmm. I thought the I heard the guards mention a Guild...So, what do you want from me besides money?"
"I'd like you to help me with something I've been working on." Brynjolf vaguely countered. He actually did have something huge planned, but figured it'd be best not to overwhelm her. She made a face and rejected the Nord's offer.
"Besides mining, I don't really have any real valuable skills."
"Nonsense, invisibility and distractions are quite useful. And I noticed as we were walking up the stairs, you move rather quietly."
"I learned to how to be quiet, it's not really anything important." She hand waved his revelation.
"I beg to differ. So, here's my offer: you help me, and I'll help you find your dagger. Free of charge." Brynjolf stated, seeing that he was losing her interest.
"I'm still not sure, being a thief is pretty risky. And I really would prefer not to go prison."
"I understand, but if you're trying to get out of Skyrim, surely you could use some coin once you cross borders. You can only get so far with those ores." The man pointed out.
"That's true. But if I join you, you better not use me as some scapegoat and get me arrested." The stranger stated.
"Of course not. Once you're one of us, you're family." Brynjolf confirmed.
"Hmm...Deal. But once I get it my dagger back, I want out." The woman set her rules.
"Of course. I'm glad we could come to an agreement. When you're ready, make your way down to the Ratway and find the Ragged Flagon. I'll be waiting for you." Brynjolf clearly instructed.
"Why can't I just come in through the graveyard?" The woman's comment caught the usually prepared thief off guard, but he rapidly regained his normal demeanor.
"Oh, that's right. I forgot you've seen the Cistern already. Um, you can. Just make sure no one sees you use it, alright? Oh, and please do not arrive drunk. Mercer won't take me or you seriously." She just nodded and walked back to the bed.
"Well, I'm tired, I've had a really long day. So I'm retiring for the night, but I'll hire you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan. Would you like me to stay? In case your friends return?" Brynjolf offered, after hearing what Vipir said he was sure her 'friends' weren't actually friends at all. Jun just hand waved his kindness.
"Oh, pssh. They're probably back home by now. But you can stay if you like, since you did pay for the room."
"What would you like? Oh-lass! What are you doing!?" Brynjolf glanced over at her, but quickly looked away when he saw begin to strip off her armor.
"Don't be such a prude. It's just undergarments." She made a face as she climbed into bed.
"I wasn't sure, some women are very sensitive about who sees them in the position." The flustered Nord man said defensively, rearranging himself in the chair.
"Not me. Maybe you should go if I'm making you uncomfortable." The woman suggested as she closed her eyes.
"Actually, I'd prefer to stay and talk with you. Maybe get to know you a little better?"
"You sure like to talk a lot."
"I'm interested in you. The way we met was very unforgettable."
"Hmm. True." The woman agreed, still not opening her eyes, "Okay, if I tell you some things about me, will you return the favor with some of yours?" Brynjolf gave a sigh of relief, he was finally getting her to open up.
"Aye. Can we start with your name? It's not really Mora is it?
"Does it really matter?" The woman inquired.
"Your name holds no weight on how I perceive you. But I am curious to know your name, since we are like business partners now."
"It's Jun, like as in Juniper." She lazily replied.
"That's a nice name." Brynjolf didn't believe her, but he figured he could try getting her real name once she trusted him more. He smoothly moved onto a new subject that intrigued him,
"Would it be safe to assume you're a gold miner, or once were?"
"Nope. I specialize in silver. I can sniff out a silver vein like no other."
"Really? But you were trying to barter with gold ores."
"Yeah, that's because she wouldn't accept the silver ones earlier. Look in my bag, hand me a silver ore." Brynjolf did as the woman asked and set it in her palm. Jun was still resting her eyes, but she closed her fist and enveloped the silver ore in a strange green force. When she opened her hand, a gold ore lay in her palm.
"Here. A gift," she announced sounding very bored. The man smiled and pocketed the ore and continued with his list of questions.
"You're a woman of many surprises. Where did you learn all of your magic skills?"
"My mother. She would have preferred that I went down the destructive path, but in the end, she taught me 'the lesser' ways."
"I see. Are you still a miner too?"
"No. My father, my brother and I have all had a turn in the mines. But not anymore." She eagerly brushed off.
"You don't sound to happy about that." Brynjolf commented gently. He was wanted to get as much information out of her as he could.
"I never felt it was the right thing for me. I didn't mind it at first, but after doing that for so long, I figured there is something better out there for me...So I left, and haven't looked back since."
"Ah fair enough. Are you happy with your decision?"
"Not yet. But it was necessary to leave, so I'm trying to accept that...um, but what about you? Got any family here?" She asked as she shifted around on the bed. Brynjolf paused for a second to figure out which story would work best on her and then continued,
"My birth family are long gone. But it's my current family that keeps me going anyway. I would do anything for them."
"Hmm, that must be nice." The woman's remark made the thief wonder what her family situation must be like.
"It is. Sure, we may squabble over ridiculous things, but at the end of the night, we are all we have. It's a lot easier to survive when you know someone has your back. Skyrim can be a harsh place to it's inhabitants." Brynjolf explained while subtly trying to promote the Guild.
"That it is. Which is why I'd like to leave." Jun agreed, but not in the way the Nord wanted.
"Yeah? You don't want to stay?"
"There's nothing here for me, and nothing good will come out of it if I stay." She wearily admitted.
"And why's that?"
"Eh, a story for some other time..." She yawned, "I'm going to bed now, you may do what you want though."
"Alright, I appreciate you opening up to me. It means a lot." Brynjolf nodded as he stood up.
"My mother says I'm too trusting. I think she may be right," Jun turned on her side. "Good night." She added before retiring for the evening.
"Night, lass." The older thief then quietly snuck out of her room and returned to his home as the sky began to sprinkle. There was one last thing on his list he had to do in order for his whole plan to work, and that was to convince Mercer to let her into the Guild. A daunting task to say the least, even for someone as persuasive as Brynjolf.
Luckily for the Guild Master, he was immune to any and all of Brynjolf's 'charm'. But Mercer still had to sit at his desk and listen to Brynjolf's unsuccessful attempts to convince him to let in this 'exceptionally talented girl' amongst their ranks.
"Come on Mercer, she could be the one that helps us get back on our feet. Oh, and don't worry about trying to get her to accept because, er, technically she owes us for rescuing her." Brynjolf presented. Mercer was not impressed or convinced,
"You are getting worse at lying. I do not want her here. We have enough troubles as it is."
"Yeah, but she's the one that can help me with my guild saving plan."
"Brynjolf, you are going to drive me insane. That plan is never going to work, there are too many inconsistencies, and the risks outweigh the profits by a landslide. And if none of your fellow veteran thieves cannot assist you with it, what makes you think this random street girl can?"
"I know she has what it takes to be one of us. I can feel it." The Nord simply replied. Brynjolf wasn't sure if revealing Jun's magical talents this early would be a good idea or not.
"You said that about the last three fledglings. They all gave you that 'gut feeling' too." The Breton grumbled.
"They did." The lesser thief confirmed. Mercer furrowed his brows, and began to count off on his fingers just how bad the last recruits were,
"The first was jailed indefinitely, the second managed to get his hand stuck in a bear trap, and the last one tried to pickpocket me while he was standing in front of me... I am beginning to think you are not the proper choice for a recruiter."
"You might be right, but you should at least let me have this one last try with her. If it doesn't work out, I'll stop trying to save my family for good." The red-head replied seriously.
"No. There are other ways of impressing this random woman besides offering her a membership into our society." Mercer said flatly. Brynjolf swallowed and pulled out his last ploy, he just hoped the Guild Master wouldn't stab him right then and there.
"Well...I say you owe me. That favor? I want to use it on her." Brynjolf was referring to that time he had to fill in for Mercer, and deal with the vile woman, Maven. Mercer in return had absentmindedly offered him a future favor, and now he was definitely regretting it.
The Guild Master looked understandably pissed but gave an alarmingly calm response,
"If she turns on us. I will, have. Your. Head. Understood?" Brynjolf slightly nodded and countered,
"Yes. And I'll be sure to steal a plaque so you'll have a place to put it."
"She does not get the official armor until I say so." Mercer ordered, reinstating his authority.
"You don't want her representing us?"
"I find it highly unlikely that she will make it past the first week." The shorter man wisely speculated.
"Aw, you should be more supportive. It wouldn't hurt, you know."
"Brynjolf, I suggest you leave me alone for the next several hours, unless you want me to hurt you." Mercer coolly responded.
The Nord gave a thankful nod and walked off before he disturbed his leader even more. He quietly gave himself a pat on the back as he wandered into the Ragged Flagon to spend the rest of his evening. Everything was falling into place. Perhaps saving the Guild wasn't as impossible as he once thought.
Spells used: Conjure Familiar, Transmute
A/N: Thanks again to all you readers out there, and of course, my beta. I'll see you in a week. Have a nice week until then. :)
