A week had passed since the Dark Brotherhood's Sanctuary had fallen at the hands of Commander Maro, the leader of The Emperor's security force. The surviving members: Nazir, Cicero, Virieti and Babette had moved to their new base at the Dawnstar Sanctuary. They used some of the money within the Brotherhood's till to furnish and clean up the sanctuary, making it a proper home for any new or returning members who chose to stay there.

Cicero pinned Virieti to the wall, a wicked grin on his face. "Last time Virieti pleased Cicero, making him tumble and toil from the inside out. But now, Cicero needs to take care of his Listener" he whispered, his hot breath caressing Virieti's face. He began to slip his gloved hand down Virieti's pants and rub her warmth. Cicero was no longer wearing his Chitin Armor and instead was wearing his usual Jester outfit. He lifted his hand and licked his fingers, enjoying her taste before pressing his lips against hers.

"Must you really do that here?" Babette said as she came into the doorway, sounding annoyed. Babette was a child-like vampire who worked as an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood. She has peach colored skin with brown hair and wears a burgundy dress. Despite her appearance, she was actually the oldest out of all the other members. Virieti blushed and stammered heavily "B-Babette! Shouldn't you be working at the alchemy t-table?" They were in the living courters they had furnished in case of future recruits. "Nazir told me to find you two, he has another contract." Babette said turning her back towards the door. "Sorry to interrupt, though try to have some decency and don't get the bed's dirty, we are expecting some new initiates."

Virieti sighed and pushed Cicero off of her. "Come on, let's go talk to Nazir." Cicero followed her; a disappointed look plastered on his face. Nazir looked up from his papers as he felt Cicero's and Virieti's shadows approach. "Good afternoon you two, I take it you had a good sleep?" He said in a cheerful tone. Nazir lifted his hand which held a small piece of parchment between two fingers. "We have a new contract available for you to work on, I think you might enjoy this one. It's located at a festival in Windhelm. There will be entertainers from all over coming to participate!" He said, handing the paper to Virieti. She opened up the letter Nazir handed to her, revealing a sketch and written description of a thin Imperial man with shoulder-length hair. "You are to assassinate a man named Calixto Corrium, he is suspected of murdering several young women in Windhelm and he will probably use this festival as an advantage. From what I have gathered there will be a Firework show starting between 6:00 to 8:00 PM which will likely distract most of the townspeople for an extended period of time. It'll be a perfect moment to commit a murder." Nazir stated. Virieti looked at Nazir and laughed "I thought we were Assassins! Why are we worrying about some rogue murderer?"

"We aren't killing him because he is a criminal, we are killing him because someone wants him dead for his crimes. the Dark Brotherhood doesn't ask why, we simply follow instructions. Plus, Cicero should fit right in with the crowd of performers; I figured it might be an excuse for you two to spend some alone time together." He said with a smile, causing Virieti's face turned pink. It was obvious to everyone the two had something going on between them. They were constantly by each other's side for the past week since the original sanctuary collapsed. Virieti had tried to be there for Cicero, she wasn't sure if perhaps the fall of the Dark Brotherhood's Sanctuary would possibly bring back memories of when the Buma Sanctuary was ruined. "You guys better get a move on; I'll take care of things here. Have fun love birds!" Nazir said teasingly. Virieti laughed nervously and headed out the door, Cicero following her.

On the way there, Cicero was in a particularly chipper mood. He was humming, singing, and even cracking jokes. "So, he says to the man, 'That's not a horker, that's my wife!'" Cicero said, giggling with amusement. They had been walking several miles at the point and Cicero still was telling jokes. Virieti looked at him and cracked a smile "Cicero that's the dumbest joke I have ever heard!" Cicero's expression changed to one of sadness and remorse. "I wasn't implying anything about you, Virieti. Cicero would never insult his dear Listener! Not unless she wanted it.. of course." Virieti blushed at Cicero's last statement. What exactly was he implying? "Ci-cicero it's okay, I wasn't actually o-offended! I just mean't your joke was si-silly, it's okay to be silly sometimes!" She said attempting to clarify herself and comfort him. "Cicero silly? Oh, Virieti that's a good one, well done!" Cicero said, letting out a hearty laugh. "Cicero should be the one calling you silly for letting Babette stop us earlier." He shot her a devilish smile. He still was yearning for some of her 'attention'. "Well I don't want to have to hurry when I'm having my way with my Keeper!" She flirted. Cicero smiled and let out a chuckle. "Oho, have your way with me?! Now you really are being silly!"

Suddenly, the two stopped walking. They arrived at Windhelm, the sky had begun to dim and multi-colored lanterns lit up the city as Virieti had never seen before. Windhelm was a snowy region, sparkly icicles lined the gutters of each building. "Whoa!" She said in awe. She got closer and grabbed Cicero's sleeve. "It's been forever since I went to something like this!" Cicero looked into the entrance of the town, seeing townspeople and performers walking around within. It reminded him of a more peaceful time. Virieti grabbed his hand and pulled, leading him onward. "Well c'mon!" The two walked into the town, voices and laughter filled the air. Bards played music on their lute and sang. "Our hero, our hero. Claims a warrior's heart. I tell you, I tell you the Dragonborn comes" one bard hummed. Kids ran about streets with wooden swords, hitting each other back and forth. As they continued to make their way to the Town Square, a child stopped at Cicero's feet. "Look, it's a clown!" The child said in excitement. Cicero looked over at Virieti, hoping for some guidance on how to handle this situation. He never had much experience with children. She smiled and mouthed to him "Play along!" Cicero sighed and put on a gentle smile "Ah yes, hello little one! Would you like for Cicero to tell you a joke?" He said kneeling down to meet the child face to face. "Cicero, that's a funny name; yes please!" The child replied. Cicero thought for a moment, trying to think of something he could tell a child. "What happened when the dog went to the flea circus?" He asked the child. The child shook their head not knowing the answer. "He stole the show!" Cicero let out a laugh as he said the punchline. The child smiled then looked behind him to see a small group of children congregating a few feet behind him, whispering and laughing towards each other. "I'll have to tell my friends that one, thanks mister!" The child waved and run towards his friends. Cicero got up and looked at Virieti, seemingly wanting confirmation he had done well. Virieti couldn't help but grin, despite being a twisted assassin Cicero could be quite sweet. "You did well." She said, kissing his cheek. The two continued to walk and finally made it to the main area of the town. It was a small clearing surrounded by buildings with a castle-like structure behind. Several merchants had set up stands around the edge of the clearing; selling food, clothes, jewelry and many other categories of wares. Virieti excitedly walked over to one of the merchants and looked over his products. The merchant was a poor looking dark elf, his greasy hair up in a bun. "Hello there dear, would a pretty lady like a pretty necklace?" He said picking up a silver necklace whose heart-shaped pendant was laced with some rubies. "Did you make these yourself?" Virieti asked in awe of the craftsmanship displayed in the jewelry. "Yes, I did. I live in the ghetto far off of town, you may have noticed but my kind is not taken to kindly here." He whispered. "I sell jewelry in order to make ends meet. It's not the most rewarding job but it gives me a warm bed at night. Tell me, you don't look like you are from around here, are you here to see the fireworks?" he asked, trying to make conversation. Virieti's eyes bolted wide open. She had completely forgotten about her assignment! "Fireworks!? That's likely when Calixto will try to get his next victim!" She thought. She knew that the fireworks would likely distract most of townspeople, it would be the perfect moment for someone to commit a crime. "Sir, I'm sorry, have you heard of a man called Calixto Corrium?" She asked the merchant abruptly. The merchant began to think. "Calixto runs a shop in town called 'Calixto's House of Curiosities'. He is actually the person who appraises my jewelry! If you are interested in his work I would recommend you coming back once the festival is over, most shops are closed until then." Out of the corner of his eye, the merchant spotted a city guard walking into the center of the square. "Looks like it's about time!" The merchant said, a small smile came across his face. Virieti turned her head to watch. The guard cupped their hands around their mouth and instructed everyone to come to the square to view the fireworks. "Come on everyone, firework time! We don't want anyone getting in trouble!"

Virieti gasped, it was that time already!? She grabbed a few Septims quickly from her pocket and passed them to the merchant "Thank you, I have to go now! Here are some coins to make up for your time!" The merchant gave her a confused look as Virieti ran out of the square, Cicero following her. She knew Calixto would be planning to strike in a place that wasn't as populated, thus the town square was out of the question. "There!" Cicero whispered, pointing to a shadow quickly disappearing through the entrance of an alleyway. They sneaked down the alleyway, hiding behind some boxes placed on the ground. "I don't see anyone." Virieti whispered. "Stay here, I am going to peak around the corner to the other side of this Alley." As she crept down, she could hear the popping of fireworks coming from the distance. It was time. She hurried over to the corner of the wall and brushed her face over the side. Over the side was a ransacked looking alley with several shambled buildings lining the wall. "Is this where the merchant lived?" she asked herself. Her train of thought was ceased when she spotted the man she was looking for. She could see a man who matched Calixto's description looking closely as a knife. The man began clutched his knife tightly and creep out of the ghetto through the other side. Virieti got up and ran after him, withdrawing her ax. "Get ready to die, coward!" she yelled, raising her ax. The man stopped and turned to look at her.

"Hu-" the man was silenced by an arrow plummeting diagonally through his head and out of his lower cheek. "What the fuck?" Virieti said dropping her weapon. She followed the direction of the arrow and saw the shadowy figure of someone among one of the roofs in town.