In all honesty, he did try to look the other way and get some sleep, but his encounter with that man kept him up. In the middle of the night, he simply laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. He thought about his pendant, the newly formed knot pinched between his scales and the bedframe. With a sigh, he caved in. He rushed out of bed and lit the previously-extinguished candle that sat on his nightstand. He then donned his leather gear. With each belt and buckle, he felt more determined. Not only would this send the much needed message, but it would also leave himself and his father in a better financial state. He then grabbed a few potion bottles as well as his dagger, which he fastened to his chest. With his gear sorted, he finally turned to a small makeshift shrine built for Nocturnal.
The main centerpiece wasn't carved from the same ebony as was typical, but still consisted of her signature raven. It was instead carved from wood by a friend of his father's. The remainder of the shrine consisted of valuables to serve as tribute to Nocturnal.
He knelt down in front of the shrine and lit the surrounding candles. He then pulled out a bag of coin and grabbed a small handful. He then carefully placed the coins in front of the raven statue and closed his eyes.
"Nocturnal, Lady of Luck, Mistress of the Night… I offer you a portion of my hard day's work in exchange for your guidance and protection. I ask that my ventures be fruitful and prosperous. That I right the wrongs created by wealth society. May your Nightingales watch over me."
He then opened his eyes and extinguished the candles, as well as the one by his bed, shrouding the room in darkness. He left his room and proceeded to leave the farmhouse when he heard a voice call to him.
"It's true what they say," his father spoke, catching his attention before he could walk out the door, "The night never sleeps."
"I'm sorry… but I have to do this."
"I know…" he said with a nod.
Taking that as approval, Ciaus left the house, the door shutting tight behind him. He then mounted his horse and rode towards town. As he always did, he left his horse tied to a tree deep within the woods and continued on-foot. The town itself was easy to navigate. Years of selling produce to the town engraved its layout in Ciaus' mind, and nights of thieving allowed him to memorize the patrol routes of the towns-guard. He often stuck to the dark alleyways and used their cover to hide himself as he made his way to the man's home. Within minutes, the building was in view.
Its architecture was the same as all the other towns he's visited. Judging by its size, Ciaus guessed the man was a lesser noble or possibly a middle-classman. Suddenly, one of his father's rules repeated in his head: steal only from those wealthier than yourself. However, the more the rule made itself known to him, the more another phrase came to mind: don't judge a book by its cover. Using that as his catalyst, Ciaus approached the door. Knowing the night was still relatively young, Ciaus put his head up to the door and listened. He listened for any signs that he, or whoever else may be present, was still up and about.
A minute or so later, Ciaus deemed it safe to enter. He picked the lock, only breaking one pick this time, and slowly entered the door. Candles lit the hallway he walked into and highlighted paintings and plaques that were strewn about on the walls. Just beyond that, the dining area stood. He walked down the hall and quietly pocketed coins that were sitting on a small table. He moved onward, knowing that can be spotted at any second. He reached the dining area and some more coin that was strewn about. His main target though was the bedroom. A quiet moan drew his attention towards a door. He quietly stepped up to it and listened closely.
"Wait, wait… stop," a female voice spoke.
"Why? What's the matter?" spoke the man from the market.
"I'm… not too sure about this. What if my father finds out?"
"I promise you. He'll never know."
"But, what if—"
"Shhhh. Just… enjoy this…"
"No I… I can't," she replied after a moment of silence.
He then heard the shuffling of the bed, signaling her getting up.
"You're not going anywhere," he told, taking a firm hold of her hand.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!"
"You agreed to come over! You're here now, so let me fuck you!"
"No! Stop!"
"Stop squirming!"
It was at this point Ciaus found himself forcing the door open, leaving the two of them to look onward at the intruder. The man let go his grip and the woman clutched the blanket to her chest and screamed.
"Thief!" the man cried, "Pervert!"
"You're one to talk!" Ciaus snapped. The man then tilted his head slightly.
"Wait a minute… that voice… you're the lizard from the market."
"I don't know who you're talking about," Ciaus replied while drawing his knife.
"You think I'm scared of a lizard with a butter knife?"
"Call me a lizard one more time and you'll regret it," he said while taking a step forward.
He chuckled.
"You," Ciaus addressed the woman, "Get dressed and go home."
"She's not going anywhere!"
"It's clear she doesn't wish to be here."
She started to get up but he grabbed her once again, causing her to stay where she sat. Ciaus then walked up and put the knife up to his neck. He scoffed again and let her go. She then promptly dashed out of bed and got dressed. All the while, Ciaus still pushed the blade of his dagger against his neck. Moments later, she left the room and the house. As soon as the door closed behind her, Ciaus let off the pressure and the man made his move.
He made an uppercut and hit the bottom of Ciaus' jaw. He fell backwards, dropping the dagger in the process. The man then stood up out of bed in his underwear and stood over Ciaus. Ciaus looked up at him just in time to get another fist in his face. The man reeled back, his hand bleeding slightly from the Argonian's scales.
"You think you can come into my home?" he said with another punch.
"You think you can take my belongings, my woman?" he asked with another punch.
"She wasn't your woman," Ciaus explained.
That elicited another punch from the man. He then took several steps back and walked over to pick up Ciaus' dagger. The thief took this chance to stand up, using one hand to massage his jaw. When the man turned around, he took a long look at his intruder.
"You are the lizard from the market. It's a shame," he began while examining the dagger, "that there aren't any guards to save you this time."
He swung at Ciaus and he sidestepped to avoid it. Ciaus made a jab for the man's face, but the gagger kept his fists at bay. It was clear that this wasn't this man's first fight. However, he had one trick up his sleeve, one that his father taught him. Ciaus waited for an opening, specifically after a swing that left his legs open. When such an opportunity came to him, Ciaus ducked out of the way and shoved his knee upwards towards the man's groin. He yelped in pain and fell to his knees, dropping the dagger to leave his hands gripping his privates.
"You bastard!"
Ciaus quickly grabbed the weapon and pointed it at the man. Seeing as he was, one way or another, incapacitated, Ciaus rummaged through the bedroom. He grabbed every single septim and piece of jewelry he could find. He also found a statue of Dibella. He took a second to examine the item before looking back to the man on the ground. He grabbed the statue and began to leave.
"I'll have you killed for this!"
Ciaus turned around.
"I know what you look like! You'll be running for the rest of your miserable life!"
"I'd be grateful if I were you. I'm only taking your belongings when I could be taking your life!"
"Heh… you don't have the guts!"
With a final scowl, Ciaus left the man to moan in pain and made a dash for his horse. Once mounted, his horse galloped towards his home. Knowing that his identity has been revealed, he threw out all forms of precaution to rush home and warn his father. He got home in record time and ran inside, not even bothering to tie up the horse.
"Father! I need to—"
He was interrupted by the sight of his father sitting in his chair. However, he appeared to be frozen in place, and his hands and expression suggested he was attempting to stop something, or someone.
"Father? Father! What's wrong with you?"
"He's paralyzed."
Ciaus turned and watched as a hooded figure erupted from the darkness.
"Who are you?!" Ciaus shouted, drawing his dagger.
"Forgive me, I never formally introduced myself," he said while removing his hood and revealing the old man from the market who handed him his pendant, "My name is Jalix. I'm an associate of your adoptive father's."
"Jalix… you led the group of bandits the night my father found me."
"And some father he turned out to be. To think… you had to grow up in this… filth," he spoke while examining his surroundings."
"Better this than to be dead in a cradle."
"Dead in a cradle? Bold accusations."
"My father told me everything."
"Is that so? What of your pendant?"
"What of it?" he asked, gripping the jewelry through his armor.
"I think we both know it doesn't translate to hope."
"Am I supposed to assume you know what it is?"
The man chuckled.
"It's not a… mystic rune or symbol. It's a family crest… a sign of nobility."
"Nobility?"
"Hmm, it seems your father didn't tell you everything."
Ciaus felt a lump form in his throat and found it difficult to speak. While he mustered up something to say, Jalix moved over to stand by the paralyzed Cedric.
"He's been a thorn in my side for so long… always questioning my judgment in face of my men. I had to keep him though… for all that he is… he is still one of the greatest infiltrators I've ever seen."
He then walked away from Cedric and towards Ciaus.
"So when I heard he ran away with an infant cradled in his arms, I didn't know what to think. But now I do."
He was now within inches of Ciaus. With a single jab, Ciaus could easily strike the man, yet he chose not to."
"Have you ever used that before?" Jalix asked, motioning towards the knife, "It seems fairly clean."
"I use it only when I have to."
Jalix snickered before walking back towards Cedric.
"You really are your father's son aren't you? He's twisted your mind… planting in it a false sense of morality. He's no father… especially for one of noble blood. That's why I'm here."
"Why?"
"To take you home," he said while casting a sleep spell.
