I spent a great deal of the next day sleeping. I slept until midday and it felt more natural than getting up early in the morning; really, I was always a night person. I loved the smell of the night air and the feeling of silence and peace. There was no stress at night. Now, getting up with still a bit of a headache, I wished I could just stay in bed. Sadly, I felt a need to get up and start figuring out some new skills. Vex had agreed to show me some lockpicking skills; I believe Brynjolf said something to her that convinced her. I didn't want to think about that. Once I found her, she gave me a ring of lockpicks and showed me the basics, more or less. She wasn't a very kind teacher, nor was she very kind to me in general. She thought I was a waste of resources, maybe. She stayed with me for a little while, showing me how to pick the most basic lock in the training room until I successfully did it without any help. We spent a few hours there.

Vex gave no indication to if I was doing well or not, but I thought I was learning fairly easily. Generally, I pick things up fast. It was a technical skill, and I was a bit better with numbers and words, but it still wasn't overly complicated. It did take me a lot of tries. Once I managed to grasp the concept and pick the simple lock, Vex left me to practice on my own. She didn't say a whole lot to me during that time, besides specific instructions. I wondered if she would ever warm up to me.

"Damn it," I swore as the pick broke in the lock. I was seated on the floor in the training room in front of an apprentice locked chest. It was actually much more of a pain when a pick snapped in the lock than you might have expected. You have to pry it out afterwords or the lock is fucked. It was also rarer to actually break a pick, I found. It happened to me, of course, but I found that you really just had to be gentle with the locks. Obviously, picks didn't break automatically on my third try. I pinched the piece of metal lodged in the lock and pulled it out with a bit of effort. It was difficult to grab onto if it broke too closely.

I only left the training room around supper time. I left to find something to eat, and as I hadn't really tried to cook yet, I didn't feel like starting. I didn't have any food and would have to purchase some before I attempted the kitchen. Instead, I went above ground into the Bee and Barb to order a drink and a meal.

I sat down by myself at first, just intending to eat and leave before returning to my practice. I had to be capable of lockpicking. Fighting would be nice, if only because of the world I now found myself living in. Though, generally, it would be interesting. I've always wanted to be able to shoot a bow. Brynjolf happened to come in, so he sat down and joined me while he ordered himself a drink.

"How was training going?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I think all right, though I couldn't really tell if I was doing well. I think it's okay. I'll get it," I assured him.

"You don't have to convince me, lass."

I was already halfway through my meal when he sat down, and I generally ate quickly, but I stayed there for a few minutes after I finished up to sit with him.

"I need to be good at it," I said quietly. "I was going to go back to training after I ate." I really wanted to put all my energy into it. I found that in the past, I'd been a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none type. I never liked it. I had a lot of interests, so I never focused on any one thing, and just took them as they came to me. Nothing ever had my full dedication, but I really wanted to give it to these skills. "Brynjolf?"

"Yeah, lass?"

"You do know how to fight?"

"Of course."

"Could you show me?" I asked. I hoped he wasn't busy. I wanted to jump in with as many of the basics as I could, so that I could practice on my own without bothering anyone. I always preferred to learn by myself. I found it much more enjoyable and less stressful, but when I didn't know where to start, there was nothing to be done about it. There was no Youtube here.

"All right. You want to start now? I don't mind, lass, I was up here because I didn't have much to do."

"I'm glad to hear," I said.

Back in the training room, Brynjolf started out showing me some basics with a dagger. I knew I needed to practice more with a sword if I was ever going to be able to even lift one, considering I didn't have much muscle on me. Archery would be a task as well. I need to do exercise daily, I realized. I wasn't really in shape to the standards. I was healthy, with strong legs from horseback riding, but my arms were lacking.

He showed me how to hold it, and swing it, and a bit of blocking. It was basics. I doubted I would be able to sufficiently defend myself for at least a year of consistent practice, and I doubted I would have the courage to ask people to spar with me. That was the major reason I hoped archery would suit me better. It still wouldn't necessarily help me at close range, but maybe some hand-to-hand could help. I had practiced a bit of kickboxing before. I could throw a punch or a kick properly, and I knew how to dodge but I didn't have any of the reflexes for it.

Practice with Brynjolf was exhausting. We stayed up late doing it; I assumed he had also slept in a little bit after we stayed up so late playing cards. Eventually, though, he left me to head off to bed. I remained in the practice room. I knew it was late at night, and the only thing I wished was that I could practice above ground in the night air. I considered going up for a walk, but wondered if it would be safe or not. I really had no idea.

After Brynjolf left, I eased my sore body down onto the floor in front of the apprentice chest. My arms protested a bit, but I went about practicing my other skills.

The next day went similarly. I stayed up nearly all night, so I slept till midday and started practicing as soon as I woke up. I skipped supper entirely as I was engrossed with picking the locks. It was getting easier, but after many hours of practice, I realized I needed a break or I was going to wear myself out. I had been trying to cram my 500 hours to master the skill, but I felt my hands starting to shake while doing the precise work. I decided exercise would be a good way to go, but didn't want anyone walking in on me while I did so. It would be embarrassing – what if they didn't have push ups or crunches here? They'd look at me like I had two heads. Regardless, I knew it would help me. I left the lockpicks out at the chest so I could pretend to be doing that should anyone come in, however I knew that few of the thieves here needed to practice. Most got enough use out of their practiced skills going out on jobs, I'd say. I, on the other hand, didn't dare take a job that may involve lockpicking until I knew I could.

The cobblestone flooring dug into my hands while I worked away. I was sweating after about half an hour of exercise, and my arms were still sore from the day before. I finished the set and went over to sit on the chest I had been practicing on earlier. I was breathing heavily and it suddenly hit me that I hadn't had anything to eat all day. Hunger clawed at my stomach, and I knew if I waited a minute it would pass, but I figured I may as well have a snack if I was going to physically work out.

I wandered out into the middle of the cistern, heading for the kitchen to grab some fruit or bread. I wasn't wearing a whole lot, considering I wasn't going to exercise fully dressed, so as I exited the room, I did a quick scan of the room. I didn't expect to see many people as it was rather late at night, but I noticed that Mercer was at his desk in the corner of the room. I pointedly avoided looking in that direction, my thoughts taking quite a turn. I took a seat at the tables, unluckily they were in sight of Mercer's desk. I sat with my back to that section of the room as I picked at a roll and an apple. It would be enough food for the day, I supposed. Some days were like that; there was no reason to go out seeking any more food. Though, I couldn't do it every day in a row, as I had found out from recent experience.

I couldn't really help the directions my thoughts took while I was sitting there eating. I had no idea if Mercer Frey looked at me, but it felt as though the man's eyes were boring a hole in my back. I really just couldn't help imagining myself pushed up against a wall, wrists behind my back. Being thrown over top of that desk, naked, ledgers and books shoved to the side. I felt my cheeks heat up as I considered what it was I was thinking about. I imagined being shoved to my knees. I finished the food, and kept sitting there for a few moments with an apple core in front of me on the table.

I sat there in a bit of a stupor before I shook myself to alertness. I rubbed a hand over my face and wished for some cold water. I stood up and decided to go focus on swinging a one-handed sword around, so I'd be strong enough to spar with one in the future. As I turned around from my seat, I noticed that Mercer wasn't at his desk anymore. I hadn't heard him move, though that didn't indicate much about people's whereabouts in this nest of thieves. It gave me pause, but I kept moving towards the training room.

I didn't find a sword to use there. It was mostly barren, so I left the room and headed back towards the kitchen. I realized that I was actually getting quite tired, likely from the mixture of exercise and little food, so I thought I might just get a snack and turn in.

As I rounded the turn into the kitchen area, I noticed that someone was in there. The figure turned away from the counter, an apple in his hand. Mercer fucking Frey looked over at me for a second and I shivered. The second I saw the man, I blushed. I really just couldn't help it. Filthy thoughts filled my head right away. I hoped he couldn't tell, but sadly I think he could that time. It was pretty bright in the kitchen, even in the middle of the night. I wondered if he was going to say anything to me. It had rather halted me in my tracks, considering he was in between me and the fruit bowl.

"Hi," I muttered. I figured leaving it at silence would've been even more awkward, though I thought being alone with him and sober had me very on edge. I had a number of reason to be embarrassed around him at this point, the least of which was being drunk off my ass the other day. The most of which was probably the fact that I wanted him to rail me. He took the basket of fruit off the counter and held it out so I could take a piece. It seemed initially an odd action for such a man, but he was still a person. The other Guild members did know his as a person, some of them, like Brynjolf, probably thought he was a friend. I doubted he was considered a close one, though. I reached out and took an apple. It was the most common fruit around Riften. "Thank you." I took a step back with the apple. Was he going to start talking with me? I had no idea. I took a bite of the fruit. I might be getting a bit tired of them, but they were excellent quality apples.

"Were you in the training room all night?" he finally said. The silence had been slightly uncomfortable as he had replaced the basket on the counter and turned back to me. His gruff voice sounded strange when asking such a benign question.

"I need to learn to pick locks," I admitted. It took me a second to say it, as I wasn't sure if he knew that I didn't know. He didn't say anything for a moment, but did raise an eyebrow at me. He didn't seem angry, though his face was unreadable generally. He just looked unimpressed, which was reasonable considering I had done nothing to impress him. He pursed his lips slightly.

The Guildmaster took a few steps towards the exit, which happened to mean passing right by me. He stopped next to me on his way out and turned to look down his nose at me. I shrugged my shoulder a little instinctively and turned to look at him. My eyes fell somewhere around his chest, as I found myself unable to meet his eyes. My face was likely beet red at this point, and he could see that.

"Maybe you should've stayed in your previous line of work." And he was gone.