I decided that I would introduce myself to the other family members, to try and get to know them. I also wanted some advice on my next contract; I needed all the help I could get. I left Vicente's room and started to climb up the steps. The Khajiit who I had saw on my way down was still there; I walked towards him, but rather warily, remembering his reaction when I walked by before.

"If it isn't the newest member of the family. Let's get one thing straight- the Tenets prevent me from killing you. But I don't have to like you. I'll sell you equipment, but only because Ocheeva is making me. This family doesn't need any…outsiders." He spit out these words, his little yellow eyes flashing with anger. He had a red headband, with tufts of hair sticking out at the sides. His nose was the common for a Khajiit; a very large muzzle, commanding your attention.

As I was trying to think up a response to this rather frank and rude remark, he turned on his heel and strode off; I distinctly heard him mutter under his breath "Foul smelling ape". Well, that didn't go to well, I thought to myself. Shaking my head, I resolutely decided I'd disregard the Khajiit and move on and meet the rest of the family. I climbed up the second flight of stairs and into large entry room. There another Argonian standing off to the left, so I headed in his direction.

"I wish to welcome you to this Sanctuary, my newest Sister. My name is Teinaava, and I welcome you to our family, and to this Sanctuary. May you find yourself at home here, in the loving embrace of our Lady the Night Mother," he said, smiling warmly while shaking my hand. He had a red face, with green stripes under his eyes.

"Thank you so much for being so kind; the sanctuary is amazing...and to think, people search for the Dark Brotherhood hideouts throughout all Cyrodiil, in the most remotest of places, and here is one of them, hidden right in the middle of a town!" I said, lifting my arms and gesturing around the room, smiling lightly.

"Actually, I've heard the Count of Cheydinhal knows about this Sanctuary. But he is offered much gold, as well as... other incentives, to keep his mouth shut," he said, leaning in conspiratively and grinning mischievously. I smiled widely back, giving a little chuckle.

"How long has the Sanctuary been here?" I asked.

"Vicente joined the Brotherhood 200 years ago, and according to him the Sanctuary was already here," said Teinaava, smiling as my eyebrows shot up.

"Two hundred…years!" I said incredulously.

"Have you not met him yet? You know that he is a vampire? Vampires live a long, long time," he said, nodding his head. "You should ask Vicente about it sometime, interesting stuff."

Teinaava smiled at me one more time, and said that regrettably, he must be going, but that we would speak later. He then strode off, heading for the exit. I thought about our conversation- it had been short, but already it felt so easy, so free, to talk to him. I hadn't faked any of it; it was all genuine. I had an enjoyable conversation for the first time since my aunt's death.

Smiling to myself, I stood and decided to find out what was behind the doors off to the right of the room. I was just about to push them open when a big Orc came barging out, nearly knocking me over. I stumbled back, but he stuck a big hand out and pulled me back steadily to my feet.

"There you are!" he boomed. "Welcome! Welcome to the family! I'm Gogron gro-Bolmog. I'd hug you, but Ocheeva told me not to!"

"Uhm, well, glad to meet you too," I said, rather alarmed by his over excessive welcome.

"Well, if you need anything, just ask!" he rumbled. He had a big green face, with small kind red eyes and laugh lines etched into his features. "I'm normally at the sanctuary, so just look around for me."

"You like the Sanctuary, then?" I said.

"Well, you know what they say- home is where you hang your enemies head!" And with that, he gave me a clap on the back and headed through the doors across the room. I shook my head amusedly, and headed through the thick doors he had just exited.
It led to a training room, with several targets and dummies set up for practice. There was a small Breton girl crouched down in the corner, whacking a wooden dummy with a dagger. I strode into the room, admiring it, when she turned and wiped her forehead of sweat. She had a round face with blonde hair and small green eyes; a rather pretty girl.

"Hi, I'm-"

"Oh, I know, I know- you're Adrienne! So good to finally meet you, dark sister. My name is Antoinetta Marie. I hope you're getting along all right. If you need anything, anything at all, you need only ask," she said, green eyes flashing.

"Thank you, it's so nice to meet everyone. The Sanctuary is fantastic, it already feels like home," I said, once again wondering what everyone had heard about me, surprised that she knew my name.

She was silent for a brief pause, and then said "I know what you mean. Have you ever lived on the streets, struggled to survive? This Sanctuary is my home. Here I have the safety and love I've searched for all my life."

"I understand," I said shortly, nodding my head. We were all so similar, I thought. It was almost alarming. She smiled thinly at me and strode off a little haughtily, leaving me in the room alone. I followed her, staying a bit behind though. I entered the doors across the hall and followed the passageway down to a room with a row of beds, and two tables with various foods and drink lying around. Sitting at the table next to Antoinetta was a square-faced Bosmer, with peach skin and green eyes. She had a small, pursed mouth and a large chin. She was wearing the hood that was the same as the one I had been given. When I approached she rose and shook my hand.

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance. Warmest welcome to you. I am Telaendril, Wood Elf and loyal daughter to Sithis. I hope you find our Sanctuary to your liking, dark sister."

"Its great- everyone's been so kind," I said.

"Well, we are a family," she replied. She glanced over my shoulder, and I turned to see what she was looking at- it was Ocheeva.

"I heard you've accepted the contract from Vicente- very good. With every life you take, Sithis grows stronger, and the Brotherhood flourishes." I smiled at her in answer, nodding my head once.

"Ocheeva, I have a question…" she nodded. "Everyone keeps calling me 'dark sister', but aren't we a brotherhood?"

"While the Brotherhood maintains its ancient name, membership is always open to skilled women. For can we not draw blood as well as any man?" she replied, smiling with an eyebrow raised. I laughed agreeably with her and Telaendril, while Gogron, who was sitting on his bed, grunted. We all smiled at his typical male reaction.

"So, your first contract," said Gogron, obviously trying to change the subject. "No chance for a bonus, huh? That's all right, you're better off! Who needs magic items when you've got raw skill? And the great thing about killing a target up close and personal is you can talk to 'em before you do it! You know, say something scary!" Telaendril shook her head wearily, and Antoinetta and Ocheeva exchanged exasperated, yet amused looks.

"For example, this one time, I had a contract to kill a little Nord girl at her birthday party. She asked me if I was the jester! So I said to her, "No, I am a messenger of death." You should have seen the look on her face! Ha ha ha ha! Anyway, she won't be seeing age six!"

All three of my companions laughed, and I sat there stunned for a second before joining in. They spoke of murder so casually, and of a child as well! I had never really been affected by tales of murder, whether about adults or children. However, I had always acted like I was horrified by them, as was customary. I guess I wouldn't have to here.

"So, what is your first contract?" asked Teinaava, who had just entered the room and came to stand by myself, Telaendril, Ocheeva and Antoinetta. It was around when everyone ate dinner, so family members were starting to congregate in the room. I thought of what Vicente had said about asking my family members for aid on my contracts, and thoroughly explained my orders to kill the Pirate Captain.

Teinaava nodded, and said "The Marie Elena, you say? I've seen that ship. There's a unique balcony at the stern. My guess is it leads to the captain's cabin. Could be useful."

"Thanks, Teinaava," I said gratefully. He nodded, and grabbed a loaf of bread and come cheese, and sat on a chair.

"I've traveled by prison ship. It was cramped and dark. There was little room to move around, but plenty of shadowy nooks to hide in. Remember that," said Antoinetta, but she didn't seem to happy to be helping me out. What was her problem? I wondered.
I smiled at Antoinetta, who shrugged indifferently back, and then asked a question I had been wondering about.

"So how does someone set a contract, anyways? I mean, how do people get in
contact with us if we're secret?" I asked the group.

"To employ the services of the Dark Brotherhood, one must perform a ritual to the Night Mother." It was Ocheeva who answered me. "Only then will she heed their prayers for murder. It is an ancient rite, this Black Sacrament. All across the Empire, every day, people beseech the Night Mother to take the lives of others. After a person performs the ritual, they are contacted by a Speaker. Gold is exchanged, and the details worked out. So it has always been."

I digested this, and then asked "How did the Dark Brotherhood begin?"

"Long ago, in an age now forgotten, Sithis came to the Night Mother and begat her five sons. So you see, his love gave birth to the Dark Brotherhood," said Telaendril.
Everyone else nodded in assent. Gogron rolled back into his bed, seeming to prepare to sleep. Ocheeva and Telaendril returned to their chairs, while Teinaava munched on his food. Antoinetta sat down next to Teinaava, across from me. We all started to eat whatever we could grab, indiscriminately.

"So, how did everyone else join the Brotherhood?" I said, chewing on an apple.

"Actually, Lucien did not try to recruit me. Not at first. He tried to kill me. My father wanted me dead, and he hired the Dark Brotherhood to do it." Her feature contorted slightly. "I escaped from Lucien, and paid my father back for his treachery. Lucien came to me again that night with an offer I just couldn't refuse," said Telaendril, her eyes looking far away, as (I supposed) she thought of her initiation.

I was interested to know more about Lucien, and was lucky that the others continued the path of conversation.

"Ocheeva and I have known Lucien since we were hatchlings," said Teinaava, gesturing to Ocheeva (who nodded) with a slab of cheese. "He is the one who trained us in the way of the Shadowscale, and is like a father to us."

"I once saw Lucien deal with an insubordinate Brother, someone who had broken the Tenets. It took me a week to get the blood off my boots," Gogron said gruffly from his bed in the corner. Everyone around the table (except for me) laughed and chuckled, recalling the incident.

"I will always think of Lucien Lachance as my savior. When he found me, I was living in a gutter, an inch away from death. I owe him everything." It was Antoinetta who said this, and the way she emphasized her last sentence that made me wonder what her relationship to Lucien Lachance really was. I felt a sharp stab of…jealously, for some reason. Suddenly I realized that I wished to talk to Lucien again; I wanted to ask him several questions, and first of all, I wanted to know what he had been telling everyone about me!

"Is Lucien here? I didn't notice him," I said carefully.

"Lucien isn't here very often. His duties with the Black Hand keep him very busy, so he trusts me to keep the Sanctuary in order," said Ocheeva.

"Oh," I said, rather dejectedly. I slumped back in my chair, disappointed. I hadn't realized how much I was looking forward to speaking with him again. Ocheeva seemed to pick up on my behavior, for she gave me an inquisitive look, but conversation was picked up again and she seemed to forget about it.

We continued eating, talking and laughing for another hour or so, until some had to say good night, and others headed out to attend to duties. I wasn't heading for the Imperial City till morning, so I just shuffled over to bed, extremely content. That first family dinner was one of the happiest times of my life. The feeling of companionship, of…fitting in somewhere. People may tell themselves that they don't need that feeling of belonging, that they're fine without it, but I think everyone needs to have their own place where they fit in. And I had finally found the place I belonged.