Right! Wrote just about this whole chapter but didn't quite know how to finish it. Sorry for the wait. x.x

And yes, I'm lame. You'll understand when you finish reading it.

Generic disclaimer. If I owned any of these characters/the game, Lucien would've lived.


Vicente growled as he leaned across her, his warm breath gusting across her neck and Elymi laughed, pushing him back. The Cheydinhal sanctuary had been given a two-day break from contracts and were currently sitting around the dining room table, enjoying the alcoholic beverages and stories. Not murders, not all of them but just stories, to pass the time.

Gogron gro-Bolmog, the resident Orc sat opposite her, Ocheeva next to him, M'raaj-Dar, a Khajiit, next to her, Teinaava across from him and next to Vicente, the vampire who loved to set Elymi on edge by getting close to her neck, Antoinetta Marie, Breton, sat the end of the table and Telaendril, Bosmer, sat at the head of the table. Schemer, the rat lay under the table, curled up and half asleep while waiting for food to fall.

"And so I said to him, 'Mother has been waiting for you.' and he broke down crying, begging for mercy." Antoinetta leaned forward, eyes gleefully violent. "And did you give it to him?" Gogron bellowed a laugh, holding his stomach. "No, dear Sister. I hacked his head off and left."

Elymi chuckled and sipped her wine, watching the table change from stories to arguments to friendly joking and fights, as the alcohol set in. M'raaj-Dar scowled as Teinaava and Ocheeva danced, Antoinetta talking with Telaendril about something that Elymi didn't care for and was too preoccupied with stopping Vicente from trying the beef pie that she knew Antoinetta had cooked and put garlic in.

Gogron, who watched the dancing and had consumed so much mead and wine that he had stained his steel armour, looked at the dunmer and slammed his goblet onto the table. "Elymi, Sister, what was your first kill?" The table went silent and her blood ran cold.

"Glash, who is your big brother?" "Gogron gro-Bolmog."

The vampire sitting next to her sniffed her curiously and raised an eyebrow. "Elymi, who was the kill that lead you to us?" Running her nails gently up and down her goblet, Elymi swallowed past the lump in her throat and spoke softly. "Glash Khagra."

Gogron furrowed his brow, Vicente heard it plain as day but the others hadn't and sat down or leaned on the table to get closer to hear the tale. The orc's voice, oddly calm and sober, pierced the silence. "Sister, please repeat that." Elymi looked up and into his eyes, holding steady and gathered her courage.

"Glash Khagra. A vampire child who attacked her and she killed her in self-defence." Antoinetta perked up and bounced over to the dark shadow in the doorway, hugging his arm, clinging to him as if he were her Assassin in black armour.

Gogron stayed silent, staring at Elymi who shrunk back into her chair. Help help help help help. Orc about to go berserk. "What did you do with her after you killed her?" The question stunned the room, not into silence as it already was silent but no one expected the reaction.

Elymi gulped and wrung her hands roughly. "I burned her. Outside my house. On a pyre." She looked at the orc who contemplated this then he stood, Vicente frowned and stood, his hand on his sword and Ocheeva stepped to him, her hand on his arm. "Gogron, she gave a respectful service, there is no need for-"

Gogron's hand gently thumped her shoulder. "Thank you." And he turned and left, presumably to the training room, the doors opposite the living quarters, where he was normally located.

The dark shadow in the doorway moved to the side, letting the orc through and Antoinetta looked at the dunmer, a dark shine to her eye and a scowl on her face but it was stunned as the person she clung to moved forward and stood by the table, so near Elymi that she could feel the heat radiating from him with a cold chill.

"Speaker, what is the occasion?" Teinaava glanced anxiously between Elymi and Lucien, who spoke, but it did nothing to the dunmer's rattled nerves this time. "Business, I am afraid. Your... downtime, has come to an end." The room sighed and Ocheeva and Vicente collected the contracts and left to sort out what was for who.

Teinaava groaned and held his stomach then head. "If you will excuse me." He left, quickly, looking as if he was going to be sick. Telaendril laughed and waved him off. "I must be off on my duties. I think I'll go to the inn and spend the rest of my night there." She stood, gathered her supplies and left the room, leaving Antoinetta, M'raaj-Dar, Lucien and Elymi.

Antoinetta grinned, grabbed some of the beef pie and bounded over to Lucien. "Speaker, I would like you to try some of my pie." He just raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head. "No, thank you, Slayer." The blonde woman pouted but placed the pie back onto the table. Taking the chance, Lucien gently leant down and spoke softly to Elymi.

"Murderer, I shall wait for you in Ocheeva's quarters. Be there in ten minutes. Do not be late." He walked to the doorway and as Antoinetta turned to him, he picked up his speed to a brisk walk, almost faster than Elymi could blink.

M'raaj-Dar snorted at the blonde's dejected look then hissed at Elymi who stood and walked past him, hissing out, "Smelly ape." and went back to his wine and ham.

Teinaava stood near the barrels of the food stores, looking a sickly pale green. "Brother?" The dunmer tilted her head, looking at the young male. A rasping wheeze came over his shoulder. "Just... too much food and drink." He coughed and waved his hand at her dismissively. "I... will be... fine."

Elymi raised an eyebrow and gently patted his shoulder then continued onwards. The sound of a soft weeping stopped the woman, she turned and peeked into the training room, stilling and willing herself to blend with the shadows, her instinct to step light and slow taking over.

Gogron?Crying? As silent as a mouse, Elymi stepped into the room and peered around the columns for the source of the sound. Indeed, Gogron's large form was huddled over next to the training dummy, his axe in hand, head down and shoulders shaking, his free hand attempting to hide his sounds of despair.

Dear child. He has lost a Sister. "Gogron. I'm sorry." He stilled and waved a hand at her, his only movement. He did not raise his head, or let go of his axe. "Don't be. You are not at fault." She walked over and knelt down, her hand on his shoulder. "I killed your friend, your sister. I am at-"

Elymi recoiled, heart pounding and itching to reach for her bow but settled on the dagger at her hip, the Blade of Woe, as it had been called, as Gogron swatted her hand away and stood, gripping his axe tightly.

"You did not kill her! You killed a feral monster!" He had tears streaming down his cheeks, eyes read and puffy, lips angry and quivering. He's trying to convince himself, not me. "Gogron, I killed a little girl." "In self-defence." He sat down on one of the chairs, taking deep slow breaths. "Yes, you did. You killed a little vampire girl."

He stands and Elymi had to look up to meet his sad eyes. Why are orcs so tall? "I must confess, Sister, that I knew about her vampirism." He looks at her, hands her his axe and gestures to the dummy.

Heavy heavy heavy heavy heavy. Why am I holding an axe? Elymi looked at the huge orc then the axe, paled further and attempted to lift it higher than her shoulders. "When did you start suspecting?" He patted her shoulders and waist, his feet nudging hers into a stronger balance. "Use your back, waist to turn, arms are good for that further amount of power as well as lift."

Elymi groaned and lifted the axe, whimpering softly. I'm used to a bow, getting used to a dagger and he wants me to lift an axe? She tried again and failed, panting softly. Gogron laughed and she smiled, glad to see him happy. "You will get it someday." He easily took the axe away from her and Elymi decided that only the burdens of the world would feel quit so similar.

Gogron placed the axe onto the weapons shelf. "I started to suspect when I met her father. I won't tell you who he is but he had discovered his own father was a vampire by a traveller. A traveller who killed himself when he found out he too had contracted vampirism."

Ruby eyes blinked, watching and listening, intently. The orc continued. "He was devastated, told his lover, who was not known to the public, and she fell into turmoil." Gogron seemed hesitant so Elymi titled her head, angling it to the right to get more of the story.

"She decided that a vampire child was a disgrace to her name and attempted to clear out a mine full of bandits." "But, you haven't mentioned she was a warrior." "She wasn't. It brought honour to her name." Elymi stayed quiet and Gogron placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I will be fine. I must find a way to tell my friend." She nodded and smiled, looked at his hand and nearly fell over. It was nearly the size of her head.

He noticed her reaction and laughed, gently pushing her towards Ocheeva's room. "The Speaker has been waiting for you. Go, go. He is angry when made to wait." I'm certain I'll find out just how angry.

The door to Ocheeva's room was heavy, very heavy but Elymi opened it and stepped into the candle lit room. Plain, simple, kind of what the dunmer expected to be in her room. A bed, table, chairs and a chest of drawers. Lucien sat in one of the chairs, looking over a letter. "Close the door, Murderer."

Elymi did and blinked her ruby eyes at her superior, determined to get through this without feeling like she was going to melt. "What is it you need of me, Speaker?" He sighed softly, leaned back in his chair, dropping the letter and pulled his hood down. He ran his hand through his brown hair, messing it from it's slicked and tied back position.

"I am here to inform you that you will be ordered to complete contracts for the Black Hand." Black Hand, Speakers, Listener. Elymi nodded and set her shoulders back then opened her mouth to speak but Lucien raised a hand, stopping her. "Silence, only listen. The contracts we will give you, from time-to-time, must not be made known to the rest of the Sanctuary. You completed your first contract of the noble in the Imperial City easily. Now, you must complete this."

Lucien withdrew a sealed letter from his robe and Elymi accepted it, holding it carefully, looking at it as if it might provide the answers to all her questions. "Walk always." In the Shadow of Sithis.

"Oh! Speaker, when will I get promoted?" Lucien looked up from his own letter and gave a thoughtful glance to her letter then looked at his own, almost dismissing her presence. "After you successfully complete that contract. Go, your target is waiting."

She nodded and took a breath and turned to leave. "Sithis guide you, Sister." She closed the door, a cold chill running down her back, up again and settling in her chest.

Sister? I've been sisterzoned. Wait, where did that come from? That was terrible.