Chapter Nine: Maven Black-Briar (Fridas, 25th of Hearthfire; Tirdas, 29th of Hearthfire)
Nesta was set to meet Riften's most influential citizen at noon at the Bee and Barb. She thought it an odd place to meet, especially given the time. Though the tavern was certainly most busy in the evenings, there was a definite noontime rush, and it didn't seem to be the most private place for a conversation involving their manner of business.
The elf entered the inn a few minutes before noon and glanced around. She didn't see Maven anywhere. Although she hadn't been formerly introduced to her yet, she'd seen the middle-aged woman around town and was quite familiar with her appearance.
"Ah, Nesta," Talen-Jei stated, approaching her with a smile. "We've missed you around here. I thought, perhaps, you had left Riften for good. Where have you been staying?"
She sensed a bit of suspicion in his tone and wondered if he had begun to suspect her line of work. She was always careful to avoid being seen in her guild uniform within the city walls. "I've been out of town," she only partially lied, "visiting one of my sisters who has a home in Windhelm and collecting some bounties for the Jarl. I'm hoping to prove my loyalty and, perhaps, be granted some property in the city."
The lizard-man smiled, any suspicions he had held erased with her answer. "That's good, honorable work, and family is important," he commented. "Being new to Skyrim, I wasn't certain you had any."
"I have several sisters and one brother," Nesta replied. "We're all in Skyrim - arrived together and went our separate ways." She glanced toward the door when she heard it open, but it wasn't Maven.
"Are you looking for someone?" he wondered.
"Yes, Maven Black-Briar," she replied, much to the Argonian's surprise. "She requested a meeting with me here at noon."
"An important person in Riften," Talen-Jei commented, "but not a trustworthy one."
Nesta gave the man a warning look with her eyes but held onto her smile, not wanting to appear too harsh. She made her tone teasing when she replied, "Now, Talen, what have I told you? I can take care of myself. I've learned over the years its best to have friends in all circles, and if someone like Maven Black-Briar wishes to see me, for whatever reason, I'm not going to make an enemy by refusing her."
Talen-Jei nodded. "Will you need a room? I can have Keerava prepare one for you."
Nesta thought a moment. Having a room would certainly do a lot toward preserving her anonimity when it came to her involvement with the Thieves' Guild, and it would also give her a place to escape to when she felt the need to be alone and escape Mercer's presence until she had her own place. Finally, she nodded. "Yes, but only for a week," she replied. "I'm heading to Markarth next. Another of my sisters has set up residence there, and I wish to visit her before winter."
He smiled and accepted her payment before heading across the tavern toward Keerava. "Oh, Maven is upstairs," he called over his shoulder.
Nesta climbed the wooden stairs and approached the dark-haired woman who sat in a chair in the common area wearing a red dress suited for nobility.
"I presume you're disturbing me for a good reason?" she commented as the elf approached her.
"I'm Nesta," the elf replied. "I was told you wished to see me."
"So, you're the one," the woman answered with narrowed eyes. "Hmmm. You don't look so impressive."
"Looks can be deceiving," Nesta quipped.
Maven nodded and gestured to the chair across from her. After Nesta had sat down, she spoke again. "You're a firebrand, aren't you? It's about time Brynjolf sent me someone with business sense. I was beginning to think he was running some sort of beggar's guild over there."
"You don't sound like you have any faith in the guild," Nesta commented.
"Faith?" Maven questioned with a dry chuckle. "I don't have faith in anyone, child. All I care about is cause and effect. Did the job get done and was it done correctly? There is no gray area."
"I think you'll find my reputation speaks for me," Nesta replied. "I'm quite efficient and very thorough."
"I hope so," the older woman answered. "This is an important job. I have a competitor called Honningbrew Meadery that I want to put out of business. I also want to know how they managed to get the place up and running so quickly," she added. "Just a year ago, they were very small, doing business only in Whiterun Hold. They were no threat to my profit. Now, suddenly, their products are as widespread throughout Tamriel as mine, and it's cutting into my bottom line."
"I'm actually set to leave for Markarth next week," Nesta informed the Nord, "on the first of Frostfall. I could perform this job on my trip. Or would you like me to go sooner?"
"That should be fine. I'll set up a meeting with you with a contact there, Mallus Maccius. Look for him on the second of Frostfall at the Bannered Mare at seven o'clock in the evening," Maven instructed. "He'll fill you on the finer details of the job."
"Very well," Nesta replied, standing again.
"One more time in case I wasn't clear," Maven stated before she could walk away, "you butcher this job, and you'll be sorry."
The next several days passed in a blur for Nesta. Her mornings were spent resting in her room at the inn, her afternoons milling about the marketplace or making plans for their endeavors in Markarth with the Guild-Thirds at the Ragged Flagon. She spent some time at the inn most evenings for dinner, to keep up appearances, and she and Brynjolf snuck away for some alone time together whenever they could.
She took care of the bandits at the Dwemer ruin in just a few short hours one afternoon. Though the ruin was impressive, it was impenetrable thanks to a caved-in entrance, and the bandits were camped outside. There were less than a half-dozen of them. When she collected the bounty, the Jarl was present.
"I'm told this is your second success at wiping out a group of bandits for us," Jarl Laila commented. She was a middle-aged woman who was a bit overweight with brown hair and a tired face.
Nesta had already developed an opinion of the woman before ever meeting her. She supported Ulfric Stormcloak and basically let Maven Black-Briar do whatever she wanted, so, to Nesta at least, she didn't seem like the strongest of Jarls.
"I've actually been hoping to meet you, my Jarl," she replied with a slight bow, having learned how you are supposed to address Skyrim nobility. "I am concerned with the skooma problem in the city. Many good people are being hurt by it. I aided a fishery worker, helped her get the drug out of her system, and she told me where the root of the underground trade is. A man name Sarthis is conducting his business out of the warehouse on the docks."
Jarl Laila nodded, a sad expression on her face. "We are aware of Sarthis' dealings. Unfortunately, every time we attempt a raid on the warehouse, he's gone. It's as if he knew we were coming. I suspect someone within my guard is tipping him off. Are you bringing it up because you are interested in helping?"
Nesta nodded. "I think I've proven myself more than capable of defending myself against someone like him."
Laila thought a moment. "Perhaps having someone unaffiliated with the guard go in would give us the lead we are in desperate need of. I authorize this. Anuriel will give you a key to the warehouse. Come back to me with whatever you find. Getting Sarthis out of the way would obviously be useful, but information on where he is getting his skooma is also necessary. It would only be a matter of time before whoever is providing him with the drug realized he was out of business and sent someone else to take his place."
Nesta nodded and made her way back outside, descending the stone steps leading toward the marketplace.
Maul was outside the warehouse, leaning against a railing.
"Don't tell me you have something to do with this," she commented with a gesture toward the building.
"The skooma trade?" he asked. At her answering nod, he replied, "No way. I don't touch the stuff myself. I've seen it bring many a strong man to his knees. And Maven may have her hand is some less than honest dealings, but even she doesn't resort to drug trafficking. It's beneath her."
Nesta nodded and continued toward the door to the warehouse, pulling the key out of the coinpurse on her belt.
"You headed in there?" Maul asked.
She nodded. "The Jarl authorized me to clean it out," she explained. "Turns out whenever they try, some guard or someone alerts this Sarthis fellow, and they're nowhere to be found."
"Mind if I join?"
Nesta looked at the man in surprise. He didn't really seem like someone who offered to help just for the sake of helping.
"Look," he stated, explaining himself, "the thing is, my brother, Dirge, you've met him?"
Nesta nodded.
"He got in a real bad way with the stuff years back," Maul continued. "Damn near killed himself with it. I got him clean, but truth is, he hasn't been the same since. I'm pretty sure if someone walked up to him with a bottle of it he'd still take it, even all these years later. That's why I got him in with the guild. They don't allow the stuff down there. If they even suspect you're using it, you're thrown out on your ass. Delvin did me a favor and got him set up as the guard at the Flagon. He can't be trusted to go out and do jobs, not that he'd be much of a thief anyway. I'm not offering to help to be kind or to gain the honor," he finished, "I'd just like to know one more opportunity for Dirge to fall back into his old habits has been eliminated."
Nesta nodded, understanding.
Maul stood ready with his longsword drawn while Nesta unlocked the door and slowly opened it as quietly as possible.
Two male voices in the next room let them know they hadn't been detected.
Nesta took the first, a Dunmer, out with an arrow to his throat, and Maul clashed swords a bit with the burly orc who had accompanied him before driving his weapon through the orc's gut.
They searched the place, finally finding a locked room downstairs which Nesta easily infiltrated. It was full of skooma, moonsugar, and ledgers. Nesta grabbed all the paperwork she could find, including a letter that detailed where Sarthis would travel to receive his skooma shipments, said her goodbyes to Maul and returned to the Jarl.
Jarl Laila was pleased with her findings and promised Nesta if she took care of Sarthis' superiors at Cragslane Cavern to the north, there would a great deal of coin and possibly a title for her.
Nesta struck off to find Maul. She had another full day before she left for Whiterun. Perhaps, he'd like to help her bring down the rest of the organization as well.