A/N:
Hey everyone! So this chapter was a little tough to write because it felt like there were sooo many options. I think a lot of people were excited about the possibility of Thieves' Guild stuff, and hopefully this won't be disappointing! I found that in order to keep with my basic outline of the story I could not focus on that quest line too much. I kept that part purposely ambiguous so that I can come back to it later on. :)
Anyway, please read on and enjoy!
It was late in the afternoon when they finally made it to the city. Riften was—well, not one of the nicer towns Jackie had seen since coming to Skyrim. Right off the bat some guard had tried to shake them down for money. She had been incredulous when he tried to get them to pay a 'visitor's tax' (which was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard) but the crooked guard relented when Bradas called him out on it.
Things hadn't gotten much better once they were inside the gates. She couldn't believe that she'd thought Whiterun was dirty. Sure, she'd liked it there, but it had been hard to ignore its more… medieval qualities. Riften was all that and more, but with a lot more shady types thrown into the mix. Bradas, however, looked like he was right in his element. Surprise, surprise.
The tavern, of course, was the center of activity. Singing, drinking, and laughing filled the Bee and Barb, and Jackie stuck close to Bradas as he approached an Argonian barmaid and asked for a couple of rooms.
"Two rooms? You sure?" was the skeptical woman's gruff reply.
"That's what I said," Bradas confirmed, one eyebrow raised high.
"Sure thing," she said, obviously not caring one way or the other. She led the two of them to neighboring rooms and left them to it. Without a second thought Jackie trudged into the closest room and threw her stuff at the foot of the bed, just about ready to toss off her dirty clothes and crawl under the covers.
Bradas disappeared for a moment, presumably putting his things away as well. Jackie slumped down onto the stiff bed and sighed.
She was exhausted.
They'd started walking again early in the morning, and it had become abundantly clear after a few hours that Bradas hadn't slept at all the night before. She didn't blame him; a dragon attack was definitely enough to make anyone lose sleep. But she'd quickly discovered that 'early-morning Bradas' was not nearly as bad as 'sleep-deprived' Bradas. He'd been grumpy and snappy all day, and it had taken quite a bit of self-restraint not to snap back. After all, she hadn't wanted to go this way in the first place.
She quickly pushed down the resentment about their change of course. She'd already said what she had to say about it ages ago, and picking a fight with her companion wasn't going to help anything.
"I'd suggest placing your things in the chest by the bed." She looked up to see the cause of her exasperation leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed. "Bad types out there."
"Right," she agreed. "I'll do it in a second."
"Good. Tomorrow we'll go to the market and resupply."
"Cool. You going to bed now?"
He huffed a weary sigh, but the corner up his mouth was pulled into a tiny smirk. "Not quite yet."
"Why not?" she asked, not bothering to mask the suspicion in her voice. She'd gotten more sleep than he had last night and she was still beat.
"I'm going to buy a drink."
"Oh? Well, have fun," she said, kicking off her boots.
"You're not coming?"
"You're crazy," she laughed as she peeled off her armor to reveal the sweaty clothes underneath. "No. I'm taking a nap. You should, too, since you didn't even sleep last night."
He shook his head. "Suit yourself," he said, turning to leave her to her nap. He quickly shut the door to her room and looked behind him to see if anyone had seen her taking off her armor. People in towns like this weren't likely to ignore a girl—a very decent-looking girl, if Bradas was being honest—who was throwing off armor without a care. Nothing had been revealed, really, but the Dunmer was well aware of the shady types that hung around places like this. He'd have to watch her back while they stayed here.
He walked to the bar and ordered some ale, tired but still wanting to wind down a little before going to bed. The sun was still out, anyway—it was far too early for sleep. Sure, Jackie had gone to bed, but she slept at every opportunity. He'd never known a person who napped so aggressively. She'd probably be out until the morning, when she'd wake up and drag him out of sleep against his will.
For now, though, he'd enjoy his drink and listen to the crowd of bar-goers have their rowdy fun. He'd speak to the bartender and see if she knew of any work or rumors, and see if he could find a card game.
Also, it wouldn't hurt to get to know some people in the town… and perhaps see if Grelod the Kind, his whole reason for coming here, would be missed if he really did decide to kill her.
It was quiet when Jackie woke up, and for a moment she felt a strong sense of nostalgia for her old room in Whiterun. The mornings there were also peaceful when all the people who'd been partying in the bar below had finally gone home or passed out.
She got up and got ready for the day. Rather than wake Bradas up right away (he was probably deep asleep and hung over, anyway) she asked the barmaid for a bucket of hot water and gave herself the best bath she could within the confines of her small room.
She got dressed, slipped on her lightest leather armor, and delayed the waking of her companion by going for a walk outside. In the bright morning light, Riften looked almost peaceful. Few people were out and about except at the market stalls, and even then they were barely getting set up for the day. It made sense, she supposed, that people didn't really start their day here until a little later.
The off-worlder bought a slice of bread and some cheese for breakfast from a Dunmer woman operating a food stand. She was leaning over the edge of the marketplace and looking down at the lower level of the city, chewing on her food when a familiar presence leaned next to her.
"Mornin'," she said, not bothering to swallow before speaking.
"You're up early, as usual."
"There's nothing stopping you from sleeping in."
"Nothing but an early morning bar fight," Bradas groused. Jackie wrinkled her nose.
"It is a little early for all that."
"Not for Riften," he sighed. He held his hand out and she tore off a piece of bread for him.
"Want some cheese?"
"I couldn't possibly."
She rolled her eyes and broke off a piece of cheese.
"You're too kind."
Jackie grinned and watched him eat his stolen portion. "So what's the plan today?"
It turned out they were doing what they always did when they got into a new town. They hit every stall in the market place, buying and selling. She watched Bradas haggle through any means—persuasion, charm, slight intimidation… it was so tedious it almost made her miss the prices at home. Nice things were expensive, but at least you were in and out of the store within a reasonable time.
Bradas seemed perfectly comfortable, though, and she wondered how he'd fare at Macy's. The thought of her Dunmer friend arguing over prices at the mall brought a smile to her face.
Once they had some extra cash they stocked up on new armor and bought what Bradas called soul gems.
"Whoa. Pretty, but what do we need them for?" she asked. She held a particularly pretty one up before putting it away, watching it gleam and sparkle in the sun. It was a dark midnight purple color, and it reminded her a little bit of a geoid.
"Put that away before someone gets ideas," he deadpanned, obviously not as impressed by it as she was. "It's for enchanting. My goodness, I really do have to explain everything to you." She made a face at him and he grinned. "I'll show you later. I'm really quite good at it."
"Of course you are," she teased, grinning as she gave him the gems. She just hoped that it was a wise purchase. She really didn't know about buying jewelry instead of more food.
The pair began to stroll back to the Bee and Barb, their loads and moods lighter. Bradas, she could tell, was kind of excited about the enchanting thing.
"Perhaps that's where your magical talent lies," he pondered, his steps light beside hers. He stopped at the railing over a bridge and looked over at the lower level of the city. He took out one of the fresh apples they'd bought and cut in it half, handing her a portion before biting into his own.
"You seem pretty determined to get me into magic," she replied. At this point she had given up any hope of doing anything remotely supernatural. Nights spent meditating on fire had been useless so far, and she wasn't even sure how to begin studying something she'd once thought fictional.
"Of course I am," Bradas said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "To live without casting even one spell? Unbelievably strange."
"Hm, maybe for you," was her response. She took a bite of apple and turned to look around the marketplace, bored with the lower part of the city that her companion was so interested in. There were more people up here to watch—and people-watching was mostly what she did for entertainment these days. Sometimes she sorely wished that she could still play Temple Run on her smartphone.
Not long after resigning herself to people-watching did she notice the man at the stall closest to them watching them discreetly—at least trying to be discreet, anyway. She accidentally made eye contact and, feeling spectacularly awkward, tried to play it off like she'd just happened to be looking at the potions he was trying to sell.
Big mistake. He began to walk toward them.
"Um, Bradas," she whispered, trying to figure out a way to get out of what would surely be an uncomfortable social interaction. The Dunmer didn't look up in time and Jackie almost winced when she heard:
"Never done an honest day's work in your life for all that coin ya carry, eh, lad?"
"Pardon?" the Dunmer asked, standing up straight and regarding him with scrutinizing crimson eyes.
"I'm saying you've got the coin, but you didn't earn a septim of it yourself honestly. I can tell." He gave them an easy smile.
Jackie's eyebrows shot straight up into her hairline. Still gripping the last little bit of apple she had, she tried to do a quick mental inventory—did they, a mismatched pair of weary travelers, look particularly wealthy today?
"My wealth is none of your concern," Bradas said. Jackie frowned, disturbed partly because this guy was trying to get all up in their business, and partly because he was right. She and Bradas made almost all of their money stealing off corpses. Almost no legitimate work came their way since they were so transient.
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, lad. Wealth is my business. Maye you'd like a taste?"
"Thanks, but we're kind of busy," Jackie said, giving the Nord her signature 'nice-hairstylist' smile. She made to leave but Bradas wasn't seeming to get the hint—in fact, he actually looked kind of interested.
"Let's not be hasty, Jackie," he said, looking thoughtful. "Tell me more." She let out a long sigh, totally annoyed and totally not surprised. Even though it was obvious that this guy was bad news, Bradas' brain stopped working once someone mentioned money.
The stranger gave them a Cheshire smile. "My name is Brynjolf. I've got a bit of an errand to perform, but I need a pair of extra hands," he explained, "and in my line of work, extra hands are well-paid."
Jackie scoffed. His 'line of work?' Was this a bad mob movie? Bradas shot her a 'don't mess this up' look and she rolled her eyes.
"What would this extra pair of hands be doing?" he asked.
"Simple… I'm going to cause a distraction, and you're going to steal Madesi's silver ring from a strongbox under his stand," he pointed to a stand in the market. "Once you have it, I want you to place it in Brand-Shei's pocket without him noticing." His finger moved to gesture toward a Dunmer man standing another stall selling his wares.
Jackie gaped at the Nord standing in front of her. "Why would you do something like that?"
"There's someone who wants to see him put out of business permanently. That's all you need to know," Brynjolf dismissed, not put off at all by her skepticism. In fact, he barely seemed to acknowledge her presence—that seemed to be a common theme with the people who approached Bradas for favors.
Bradas was tempted by the offer, but he wanted more details, and by the way Jackie was gaping at his side, he imagined that it wouldn't go over so well. She was pretty queasy about crime despite the lifestyle she was now involved in. "Perhaps another time," he offered. Brynjolf grinned as if he had just agreed.
Unfortunately, the human at his side was not fooled, nor was she impressed. She looked up at him with a raised brow and crossed arms.
"Don't worry, Bradas, I'm getting out of here, anyway. If you need me, I'll be wherever the potions shop is," she declared, clearly washing her hands of the whole situation. He gave her a wide grin and she rolled her eyes, already walking away to leave him to it.
It was later in the evening when Jackie finally returned to the Bee and Barb carrying a rucksack full of different purchases. She'd grabbed books, food, and potions: ones for health, stamina, and magicka. "Do we have money for so many potions?" Bradas asked, not even sure if it was necessary to keep so many on hand.
"I didn't pay much for them," she replied. He watched as she shoved a couple of them into his bag for him. She tucked a few in her pockets as well. "I just bought the herbs and made them."
"You made them?" He could tell from the slight narrowing of her eyes that he'd asked the wrong question—at least in the wrong tone.
"I don't know, they could be poison. Only one way to find out," she chirped.
"I just didn't know you could make them," he defended, holding his hands up in surrender.
"Where did you think our potions were coming from?" she laughed.
"When did you have time to learn?"
"I didn't just do nothing while I was in Whiterun," she said with a smirk. "I gathered ingredients for Arcadia. She taught me a few things."
Bradas grinned. He knew that Jackie wasn't useless—but a lot of times she seemed like such a foreigner. Sometimes, however, she did things that left him pleasantly surprised. "Impressive. Perhaps I'll keep you around, after all," he teased.
"Only if I decide to keep you." She flashed her pearly white teeth and then flushed. "Ugh, I didn't mean it like that…" she said with a nervous laugh.
Bradas wasn't sure he understood what she meant, so moved on to more important topics. "Tonight I'm going to the orphanage," he informed her. As he predicted, she instantly sobered—her smile disappeared and her blush was gone.
"Okay. Are you sure?"
"I've asked a bit about Grelod the Kind. Most agree that her name is misleading," he said.
She sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, silently asking some kind of higher power to give her… something. Patience? Strength? She'd known that eventually Bradas would want to do something about the Grelod lady… but she'd been ignoring the topic for a while because it had made her so angry.
As much as she didn't want to be present, she wondered if it was possible to deescalate the situation somehow. They could see if Grelod was really that terrible, or if the young boy in Windhelm was just troubled. And if she really was that bad, perhaps there was a way to talk to her, or let some guards know… there had to be a solution that didn't mean killing her. And if she knew Bradas, that would be his first resort. "Let me go with you," she found herself saying.
"If you insist," he replied with a shrug. She didn't miss how his hand had wandered to the hilt of his dagger.
It was a short walk to the orphanage. The sky was darkening quickly and the air grew cold, as was common in Frostfall. Bradas walked ahead and had Jackie watch out to make sure no guards were following them—although he supposed that they needn't worry too much in a town like Riften.
Honorhall Orphanage was unlocked, and the pair looked around quickly to make sure that no one saw them entering. The door shut quietly behind them, and the Dunmer strained his ears to listen for people inside. He was not disappointed—a shrill, angry voice sounded from around the corner, and he felt Jackie jump a little behind him at the sudden noise.
"Those who shirk their duties will get an extra beating! Do I make myself clear?"
Bradas moved forward quietly and continued listening.
"Yes, Grelod," a chorus of young voices replied.
"And one more thing," the vicious woman declared. "I will hear no more talk of adoption. None of you riff-raff is getting adopted. Ever! Nobody needs you, nobody wants you. That, my darlings, is why you're here. Why you will always be here, until the day you come of age and get thrown out into that wide, horrible world. Now, what do you all say?"
"We love you Grelod," the children's voices sounded in monotone. "Thank you for you kindness."
Grelod was truly a monster, as the boy had told them, and the angry ball in the pit of his stomach told him that this trip was worth it. A shocked intake of breath sounded from behind him and he glanced at his companion, almost feeling vindicated.
The look on her face surprised him, though. She looked heartbroken and breathless, her empathy acting as a foil for his burning indignation.
"Come with me or stay behind," he said gently, observing her stricken features. Her dark eyes met his, brown on crimson red, and he could see exactly what she was thinking. She wished for another way… and realized that there was none.
Finally, she relented. "Go ahead," she murmured.
Jackie watched as he disappeared around the corner into a room unseen. She leaned against the door, feeling sick to her stomach. She was such an idiot. Had she really thought that her presence here would make a difference? Had she truly been foolish enough to believe that this problem could be solved any other way?
Listening to Grelod scream at the kids had made her realize that she was fooling herself. Everyone in town knew about this cruel woman, and no one had lifted a finger to change things. The authorities had done nothing. Jackie hated what Bradas was about to do, but… this wasn't Cedar Falls, Washington. This wasn't even planet Earth.
This was Skyrim, and this was how people solved things here.
A soft voice cut through her thoughts and she flinched. "You shouldn't be in here…" someone was saying. She didn't hear if Bradas replied or not.
"What do you want? You have no business being in here!" Grelod's harsh voice carried over to the foyer where Jackie stood, and she took a breath and shut her eyes.
She could hear the smile in Bradas' voice as he said, "Aventus Aretino says hello."
"Aretino! Why that little bastard! You tell him I'm coming for him! And that when I find him, it will be the beating of his miserable life!"
Not two seconds passed before the building erupted in horrified screams and sounds of rejoice.
A/N:
So, this chapter feels a little short. HOWEVER, the next chapter should be nice and long and full of action… plus there will be a little bit of backstory revealed for our Dragonborn and Jackie. :)
Thank you for reading!
