Remel was still awake late that night when the others stumbled home from a long night of revelry. None of them seemed to notice that she had slipped out early; no one so much as glanced toward her corner of the cistern. She was glad of that, because she didn't want to have an awkward conversation with one of her drunk brothers-in-crime. She finally drifted off to sleep a few hours before dawn.

Brynjolf's return a little after sunrise roused her from an uneasy sleep. Always a light sleeper, Remel heard him talking quietly with Rune a little ways off and shook herself awake, padding over to meet them on bare feet, her cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

"What's going on?"

Brynjolf greeted her with a nod. "From what I could tell, those three Reavers are here in Riften looking to pursue a partnership with Maven Black-Briar. Black-Briar mead goes for a good price in Solstheim, and—apparently—your old friends are looking for a more...lawful way to obtain gold these days."

Remel frowned, but didn't comment as Rune went on. "We're trying to hatch a plan to get Dorei alone. He's quieter and less involved than the other two. We could draw him away with a bribe, but..."

"Send one of the little ones," Remel advised. "He won't hesitate."

Brynjolf nodded and Rune jogged away, no doubt to "borrow" one of Grelod's orphans for the day. Remel's young, fresh face worked wonders most of the time, but sometimes a smaller child was needed. Besides, at the rate the kids were adopted, most of them were likely to join the Guild when they were turned out on their eighteenth birthdays anyway.

"Have something to eat," Brynjolf advised. "Vekel made a special batch of tea for the revelers last night. It should be still hot."

Remel smiled at him gratefully and headed out toward the Flagon, not bothering to put on shoes or her guild jacket over the light shirt and comfy linen pants she'd slept in. The Flagon was practically deserted at this hour; Vekel mopped the floor, Tonilia sat near her wares doing figures, and Dirge rested by the faded wooden sign, eyes closed, though Remel knew he was very much alert.

"Tea's hot," Vekel said by way of greeting. Remel thanked him and poured some for herself from the kettle resting by the fire, then hopped up onto one of the bar stools and stared into the fire.

When she'd arrived in Riften and made her way down to the Ragged Flagon for the first time, Remel had forcibly thrown memories of her childhood and Solstheim out of her mind. It had taken two weeks, but finally she'd closed the vault door on that chapter of her life and locked it behind her.

Then three of her old Reaver companions smashed it open from the inside, laying bare all that she was to her new family.

Remel sighed and took another sip of her tea. Her hands were trembling and her heart was beating faster than usual. She stood up and waved goodbye to Vekel, then headed back to the cistern and over to the alchemy table.

When she moved in and expressed a talent in brewing potions, Brynjolf had showed her the old alchemy table. It was dusty and rusted with disuse at the time, but with a little cleaning and a few fresh parts, the table was ready to use. Since Remel was the only one who ever went near the thing, she had taken the liberty of organizing it and the cupboard beside it with her own system. She opened the cupboard and groaned with frustration when she saw that her "calm" section was completely empty. Rune must have brought her the last one yesterday.

Grumbling under her breath, Remel set her flagon of tea to the side and set to work finding, sorting, chopping, boiling, and distilling the correct ingredients. She lost herself in the work for a few hours as the city awoke above her and thieves awoke around her. Thrynn and Niruin both greeted her as they headed into the Flagon, but she was so caught up in her work that she didn't notice. Only when she had exhausted her supply of lavender did Remel bottle and label her potions and wipe down the alchemy table. She set two of the calming tonics aside and stored the rest, labeled in charcoal with a distinct happy face that Remel easily distinguished from her other rudimentary sketches.

She was rinsing herself off in the cistern when Rune reappeared and beckoned her towards him.

Quickly, Remel slipped on a clean outfit, her soft old boots, and her too-big Guild jacket and followed him out through the crypt and into the busy street. Brynjolf and Runa, the little blond nord from the orphanage, waited for them in a dim alley behind the inn.

"Everything is ready," Rune said, his soft voice made softer with empathy. "Just point out which one is Dorei, and Runa will take care of the rest."

Remel nodded, but her stomach turned over, and she found herself wishing she'd taken Brynjolf's advice to eat something. Instead she knelt beside the little girl and watched the marketplace. After a moment, Rokath and the third Dunmer, Lundras, ambled into view. Dorei trailed along behind them, poorly concealed melancholy on his face.

"The last one," she whispered. Dorei was tall for a Dunmer; he had always towered over her tiny Bosmer frame. His skin was the color of wet ash, his face all angles, red-rimmed eyes glowering beneath a sharp brow. He wore his night-dark hair short and spiked up in the front. Remel remembered it long and soft, and realized she knew exactly when and why he'd cut it off. He looked thin under his bonemold armor. Remel suspected that he, like her, had trouble eating and sleeping these days.

Runa scampered out into the marketplace and bumped into Dorei, attempting to pick his pocket with much enthusiasm and no skill. Dorei caught her hand and, instead of shouting, bent down to speak to her, as Remel knew he would. Rune took Remel's arm. "This way," he whispered. "We 'borrowed' Honeyside for the afternoon."

She nodded and allowed him to lead her towards the empty house. Her heart sped up as she imagined Dorei's face when he saw her, alive and whole.

As soon as they got inside, she pulled one of her brews out of her pocket and downed half of it.

"Hey," Rune said, pulling her into a gentle side-hug. It was exactly what she needed without being too much, and he knew it. "I'll be right here the whole time. Same with Brynjolf. Everything will be fine."

Remel nodded and drew a deep, shuddery breath.

Then the door opened and her past walked in.