I was awakened by Antoinetta nuzzling my chin. The sunlight was poking through the window and shining right on her eyes which she held tightly shut. I looked down with tired eyes to admire her just before she turned her face away from the light. As she did so her hair started to droop over the opposite side of her face.
"Good morning, pouty lips." I whispered to her with a little tired smile.
She looked up at me and finally opened her eyes a little while returning with the smile.
"Good morning, squinty eyes." She murmured right back. Something in the way she called me that was so cute.
"That's Miss Squinty Eyes to you right now." I chuckled as I stroked her hair.
She chuckled with a grin, noting that her eyes were just as narrow as mine while it was still morning. I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
"You're not a dream are you?" She asked.
Either you're still trying to flatter me, or you're in some sort of shock.
"You just woke up from one." I answered. "Welcome back to reality."
"Aw, why thank you!" She said just before leaning up and softly kissing me on the lips.
Before she could pull away I wrapped both arms around her to keep her close and make our kiss last even longer. I wanted to take a few minutes to not think about the day ahead and just enjoy our time together. When we finally let our lips part she looked at me dreamily with a sigh. Her eyes swept over my face as if she were trying to take in every single detail.
"Dairou..." She said out loud.
"Yes?"
"Nothing, I just like your name." She muttered to me as she let her fingers start to run through my hair. "Dai...rou. I like the way it rolls off the tongue. Dai...rou" (be sure to roll your 'r' if you really want to pronounce it correctly)
"Well, Antoinetta is a beautiful name, very fitting for you." I laughed a little, making her face turn a bit red with a smile. "You're so cute when you blush."
"No I'm not..."
"Oh yes you are! Now don't tell me any different because it's my opinion that matters right about now." I laughed.
"Well..." She pressed her forehead against mine. "...alright, you win."
"Good." I kissed her on the nose just before changing the subject. "Today, we have two things to take care of. I need your help with one of them."
"Oh really? What would that be." She asked as she rested her head on my chest.
"You're going to help me pick out your weapon." I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
"A weapon for me? But isn't this your contract?" She questioned as she started to fumble the ties on the front of my shirt.
"Yes, but you still need a tool of some sort, can't leave you defenseless." I explained as I ran my hand up and down the back of her neck.
"That's true," She studied the intricate knot the held my shirt in place. "So what's the other thing then?"
I opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling. "The legwork, searching for my mark, and learning what I can about him."
She stayed quiet for a few seconds to take in what I said before speaking up again.
"So...when do we start."
"Midday" I answered quickly. "For now, let's just enjoy the morning."
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I can't believe it, he does want me! Last night, I started to confess my feelings for him, but I broke down and made myself look like a fool. He held me close, and let my cry on his shoulder. In his arms, I found a safe place to dry my tears, and he told me that I could cry on him anytime I wanted. If I was able to fall in love with him any more then I am already, then that would have been the moment. I didn't really know what else to say to him, or how to tell him how I felt, so I did the only thing I could think of...I kissed him. My first real kiss, with someone I loved, someone who really did care about me, someone who stands up for me and keeps me safe. I could almost feel my body floating as our lips met for the first time. It was amazing, I can't describe the feeling with words alone. But I feel like I'm in heaven.
Mara, Dibella, thank you so very much. For all the years that I suffered, starved, hurt, and cried, if this is my reward for enduring it all, then it was all worth it. I can only think of him right now, it's as if nothing else in the world matters now. He is everything to me, and I need nothing else now.
It's time for me to close this entry now, we have to go to the Market District to pick out my weapon. Though with him protecting me, I doubt I'll ever have to use it.
--Antoinetta
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Vicente was alone in his quarters, writing out the log for the months activities in the Cheydinhal sanctuary. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of being alone, he couldn't quite recall the years when he would have rather been out at the taverns and brothels, despite the fact that it was how he spent his life before his unlife. The silence was golden, and he felt truly at peace.
After several minutes of writing out the extensive log, he folded it in half, stamped it with a wax seal, and put it away to be picked up near the end of that week. He stood up from his desk and made his way toward a bookshelf on a wall when there was a knock at the door to his private quarters.
"Come in." He called out, knowing full well who it was. No one else in the sanctuary at the time would have a reason for visiting him in his chambers.
Ocheeva quietly closed the door behind her, and when she was sure it was shut tight, sat down at his desk with a sigh.
"Something on your mind?" Vicente asked while pulling a book from the shelf.
"I don't know where to start." Ocheeva replied while rubbing her forhead.
"Let me guess," The vampire smiled at her as he sat down in his reading chair. "Dairou?"
His intuition was dead on.
"Yes," Ocheeva closed her eyes while massaging her temples. "Telendril has a crush on him, and Gogron is jealous because of it, M'raaj-Dar is mumbling something about killing him in his sleep, and I know that Galador is going to hate him when he gets back. The only one who doesn't seem have anything to say about him is Teinaava."
"Well, it looks like the sanctuary has gotten a bit lively since he came here." Vicente chucked a little as he crossed his feet.
"Yes it has..." Ocheeva nodded, then looked up at him. "Say, have you seen Antoinetta? I can't seem to find her anywhere."
"That's because I sent her with Dairou on his first contract." He sat the book he was going to read down on the stand next to him.
"Oh? Why?" The Argonian asked with a puzzled look on her face. It wasn't unusual for dark brotherhood members to go on a contract in groups, but it was almost always out of favor to each other, rarely was a contract given to more then one assassin at a time.
"Many reasons." Vicente had all the reasons picked out in his mind, for he knew that he would be asked this question sooner or later. "To start off, I want Dairou to learn to get along with his new brothers and sisters as soon as possible..."
Ocheeva put a hand on her chin and nodded slightly to show that she understood.
"I'm sure you've noticed that he's been on edge ever since he first arrived here, with good reason. After all, the boy was brought up in a ways that the traditions of the Brotherhood contradict. So in order to ease his tension, I decided to send him out with a pretty girl his age." Vicente explained. "That should help brighten the day for any young man in his situation, or most young single men for that matter."
"I see what you mean, but what if they come back holding hands?" Ocheeva asked him as if he were her superior, even though she actually outranked him. She knew full well that his wisdom was invaluable, and constantly looked to him for advice. He was several centuries old, and she knew that even though vampires are generally immortal, very few survived as long as he did and that there were reasons why. He had witnessed enough history to ultimately know the ways of the world, and to understand the winds of change. Most importantly, he knew how to move with those winds.
"Then you should be delighted, because that would mean that Dairou has found something to live for." Vicente stood up and turned toward the painting that hung on his wall. "The boy's been through quite a bit; finding his father dead, committing his first murder, his first love being killed right in front of him..."
Vicente looked at Ocheeva with a serious face before continuing on.
"...on top of that, he was disowned by his former master. Joining the Dark Brotherhood wasn't something he truly wanted to do, and thus, it was a dangerous thing for Lucien to bring him here."
"Dangerous?" Ocheeva tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that Dairou is one of the deadliest warriors ever to have found a place here on Nirn, and in a torn down and broken emotional state, he would have nothing to lose if he snapped. Thus the sanctuary would become a tomb, especially considering the fact that most of the Dark Brotherhood's traditions go against the principals he was raised with." Vicente's tone was almost ominous.
"Hmm," Ocheeva found it hard to believe that one man could be that much of a threat, but trusted in Valtieri's wisdom. "So if he did fall for Antoinetta, he would have something to lose then...I get it, you're taming the lion."
Vicente smiled and nodded.
"Precisely, but the word 'Tiger' is more like it." He acknowledged.
"Tiger?"
"Yes, you see, Dikata means 'Tiger' in the old Kamikage(Kaa-Mi-Ka-Gay) dialect." Vicente explained again.
"Kamikage?" Ocheeva thought for a moment. "So that explains why his eyes look the way they do..."
Normally, Vicente would never have told her so much, but whenever she came to him for any kind of advice or wisdom, she did it in the confidence of his quarters, and it was an unspoken oath that anything said in that room when the door was closed would never leave those walls.
After nearly a minute of silence as Ocheeva took everything in, she finally spoke up one more time.
"There's something else..."
"Oh, and what's that?" the vampire asked as he sat back down in his reading chair.
"Lucien's silencer, Jyhorral has not been picking up the money and logs. He's been missing for weeks, do you have any idea why?" The student asked the master.
"That's because he's been killed." Vicente started to pick up his book, hinting that he wanted to get to reading it. "Lucien is definitely looking to replace him, and you see why he's so quick to recruit Dairou."
"Hmm, I see," Ocheeva scratched her chin.
"He was getting too old anyway, senility would have claimed him if he lived much longer."
"Well, that confirms what I was guessing anyway." She stood up and turned toward the door. Before leaving she looked over to Lucien. "You'll probably be seeing more of me when Dairou gets back."
"That's quite alright." He replied while opening his book up as she left. When the door latched from being shut, he finally said under his breath. "That boy is going to bring about quite a bit of change...and soon..."
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Eno Hlaalu sat in Fudoza no Kamae in his mediation chamber, his mind was filled with the current events that were starting to take shape in Vvardenfell. Things were changing...a lot. He wasn't so sure if the city of Vivec would be a safe place to stay anymore considering that the Ordinators were thinking of cracking down on any and all possibility of what they considered herisey to be taking place in the city. If they kept it up, they would most likely find the Arena's sanctuary, and therefore compromise the entire guild's safety. The Ordinator's themselves would be proud to say they were able to find the Morag Tong's central hideout just to strike fear into any dissident priests who were in hiding. The reaction from the Great Houses would be hard to predict, and that was dangerous. But Eno wasn't worried about the Great Houses, no, it was something far worse.
The Dark Brotherhood seemed to be gaining confidence in it's humble foothold in Vvardenfell, and what was worse was that it was already aiming to take over Mournhold completely. Not that the Morag Tong had any much influence there, but if they took control there, that meant that their next target would be Ebonheart, which was right at his doorstep.
Eno sighed and stood up in frustration. A clear and concentrated mind was something that he regretted taking for granted for the last 30 years. Rubbing his forehead he made his way to his quarters and sat down at his desk to look over the most recent requests for writs on his desk. These were nearly all House Wars contracts between the three great houses of Morrowind. He tried his best to concentrate on reading them all, but his mind was too clouded.
Unlike the Dark Brotherhood, the Morag Tong didn't accept every request for a contract that was given to them, in fact, they were known to turn down nearly half of all of them. This was because the delicate balance of power that kept the Great Houses in check was something that had to be taken into consideration. If one house became too powerful, it could easily send Vvardenfell into disarray from such a monopoly of power. Not to mention that if all were fulfilled, then there would hardly be any politicians left alive, much less clients.
A set of footsteps could be heard making their way down the hall toward Eno's quarters. He knew exactly who it was by the soft nature of each step, and the gentle whisper of the loose clothing. It was his personal bodyguard and assassin.
"Come on in, Dio." Eno called out before he had the chance to knock on the door.
The door opened and in stepped a striking young man of medium stature in his mid 20's. His long hair was black as ebony, and his narrow eyes were a bright grayish blue. On his left side he wore a Daito set consisting of a Katana and a Wakazashi of which he casually rested one hand on.
"Master, the Ordinators have started searching the Foreign Quarter Canton on rumors of a hideout for dissident priests." Dio spoke up. "Two people were arrested, though I'm sure the charges are false."
The Dunmer didn't look up from his desk, instead he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Have you heard news about the Neravarine?" He asked.
"Not anything public, but our brothers in the Telvanni district say that she's been visiting the Ashlander camps there. She's growing more determined by the day it seems." Dio answered.
"Really?" Eno opened his eyes and looked up at him. "North or south?"
"North."
"I see, this one's moving pretty fast." The aging grandmaster stood up from his desk, and made his way to a large table on the opposite side of the room that was covered by a map of Vvardenfell that was dotted with tiny little wooden figures. They came in various shapes and sizes, each one representing a town, a person of significant power, a shrine, or a well known landmark. He picked up one on the northeastern coast that was shaped like a hut, and brought it back to his desk. "At this rate, she'll be well on her way to appealing to the Great Houses by the end of the month."
"It would appear so, but I don't think that the Great Houses would be able to trust her as easily as the Ashlanders have. Especially with the Commona Tong's plans to kill her as soon as she makes any appeal to House Hlaalu." Dio replied while watching his master dip the top of the tiny figurine in an ink container, staining its roof.
"That may be, but she'll most likely make her move on the Telvanni first, seeing as how they are conveniently close by when she finally wins over the Ebronhaseim tribe. They won't be so easy, but they also won't have as much of an agenda as Redoran or Hlaalu, especially with their tendency to be neutral on most any issue thrown at them." Eno explained as he returned the now ink-stained figure to it's place on the map. "Besides, it's the Redoran who will be hardest to appeal to, they're the real snobs."
"Oh? So you think she'll be able to win all the support of House Hlaalu?" Dio asked.
"Of couse, in fact, that's where you come in." Eno smiled at him.
"Me?" Dio raised an eyebrow and waited for an explaination.
"I need you to deliver a message to her for me, it will be written of course, so you're going to be doing a bit of tracking." The Grandmaster pulled a blank scroll from one of the drawers in his desk and sat it onto the workspace with a quill next to it. "The message will be me telling her that she already has my support when she makes her appeal to House Hlaalu, but to make sure that she still makes a public request so as to make it look genuine to the other retainers."
"I see." The bodyguard scratched his chin. "But Master, if she's the reason the Ordinators have been causing a ruckus in the city, wouldn't it make sense to assassinate her instead, just to calm them down and bring back order?"
"That it would," Eno nodded and looked toward a painting on his wall. "After all, they are most likely going to search the entire city soon. All over the dissident priests which they won't find at all, and they will be embarrassed."
"But that means they'll find this place and when they do they'll use it's discovery as proof that nothing in this city escapes their eyes, just to try and strike fear into those who are far away and in hiding." There was worry in the young man's voice, which was a rare thing. Dio was used to facing death anytime he went out on a mission for his master. But this was the first time that the life of his master was in danger.
They both knew that if the Ordinators did discover the Morag Tong's hideout, they would most definitely go public with Eno Hlaalu's true identity as the master of the Guild and House sanctioned assassins of Morrowind. If that were to happen, then the rest of House Hlaalu would likely turn on him for allowing contracts that went against them to be carried out, that's if they didn't try to suddenly claim that the Morag Tong are now their personal assassins. Not only that, but the open guildhalls in the Redoran and Telvanni territories would also be in grave danger of vengeance from the respective houses sudden turn.
"That is true, and so we'll be forced to leave Vivec for the first time in many generations. But at least that's an option we have." Eno turned toward Dio and looked him in the eyes.
"Yes, but where will we go? The public guildhalls are too dangerous to seek refuge in." Asked the young man.
"We won't need them, after all, each and every one of us has a life that is separate from the Guild, return to that life until it is safe again. Besides, I'm sure that you have someone who you won't mind spending more time with." Eno smiled at his apprentice, as he know that he understood perfectly what he meant.
Dio's best kept secret was a young Bosmer woman who worked at the Halfway Tavern in Fort Pelegaid. They had spent the last six years of their lives in love with each other. Eno Hlaalu was the only one who knew about the couple, and even he wanted that to stay a secret. For any sign of emotion that could be pointed out as a weakness was something that could be used against even the greatest of assassins.
"Maybe, but Ulmesi's reaction is something I fear would cause us quite a bit of trouble if she were to get word of such a thing." Dio pointed out.
"Which is why I'm only going to use that option as a last resort. Since we're not truly sure if the Temple will allow the Ordinators to raid the city. But I'm planning on finding out personally if the Hall of Justice will protect the secret of the sanctuary. Though if they knew that we are going to be helping the Neraverine, they would probably attempt to execute us themselves." Eno sat back down at his desk and started to write out the letter to the Neraverine.
"I see what you mean.." Dio looked down and rubbed his chin for a moment. "...the Temple's days are coming to a close aren't they?"
"They are..." His mentor replied without a pause in writing. One talent that set him apart from anyone else who could have been a leader was his ability to multi task with things that required complex thought and dire concentration. It was how he was able to quickly rise to rank in the guild. "...and they will fight this change to the bitter end, so there's really no telling what they'll do to try and stay in power, or who they'll turn against."
"Tribunal corruption at it's finest." Dio stated. It was never out of the ordinary for the temple to do things that were unethical for the sake of it's own interests, it was due to the fact that it was run by a mixed bag of religious fanatics and greedy politicians. "Master, all these years that Vivec has ruled the Vvardenfell district, I've never seen even the slightest hint of rebellion short of the Ashlander tribes. Why hasn't there been some sort of uprising?"
"It's because here in Vvardenfell, everyone has been divided, and if everyone is at each other's throats, then they never will fight their true enemy. Every farm, shop, or town has some sort of favor by one of the three houses, and they are always at odds with each other. The Tribunal Temple has done things under the table to maintain that conflict."
"Thus the temple would suddenly be in trouble if the great houses were unified, even for a moment." Dio added.
"Precisely." Eno turned to Dio and smiled as he finished the letter.
His subordinate put his hand on his chin in deep thought.
"Master, since we are the personal assassins of the great houses, we maintain the war between each of them. We are a tool of the Temple, but only on the condition that they give us sanctuary. With the way things are changing, what do you think is most likely to happen?"
Hlaalu rolled up the message and stamped it with the rose shaped seal of the guild. Before speaking again, he stood up and gave Dio a very serious look.
"Right now, we are going to shift our priorities. I can't predict what will take place in this sea of change, but I am going to use this opportunity to restore the traditions of the Morag Tong that have been broken over the last century. I can't tell you any more then that right now. But I need you to trust me." Eno held out the scroll to Dio.
"I understand." Dio said with little hesitation. He respected the wishes of his master, and never felt any need to question them.
"Good, now after you deliver your message to the Neraverine I want you to go and stay with your other half and wait for word from me, you've more then earned your rest." Eno smiled.
Dio smiled back for the first time as he accepted the message, now he was looking forward to seeing Samia for the first time in a week. Hlaalu knew very well that he visited her anyway during each and every mission he sent him out on, but this would be the first time in which he would get the chance to spend more then just a few hours with her.
"Aregate gousaimasta." He replied just before leaving tone.
Eno was glad to see a little bit of enthusiasm out of Dio again. He sat down at his desk and discovered that he was finally able to think clearly. Dio was going to make for a fine leader someday.
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It didn't take long for Antoinetta and I to reach the Waterfront District, which was connected to the harbor itself. We had left the weapon shop no more then an hour ago, where I helped her choose her blade. Just as Vicente(and I would have) suggested, she picked out a small double edged silver dagger. It fit her small hand perfectly, and it was small enough for her to conceal easily so as not to attract the same attention that a bigger weapon would have. She was looking it over with fascination in her eyes, from my guess it was the first weapon she had ever owned. We were planning on stopping at the bloated float to begin the search.
"Dairou..." She spoke up while running her fingers over it's sheathe.
"Yes?"
"How are you so good at fighting?" Her question was not one that I was expecting, but it was valid.
"It's because I've trained all of my life." I smiled at her.
"All your life? As in...ever since you could walk?" She asked.
"Every day without fail, yes. Where most kids would play pranks and read books, I was constantly outside, sneaking up on my father, and fighting him in stick duels." I laughed a little at some of the fond memories of my father and I, though a small part of me didn't want to think about the past, especially when I was still in morning, so I tried to change the subject a little. "To me, stealth and combat are as natural to me as walking and running."
"I noticed..." She referenced the bandit attack that I pulled us through earlier. "...but either way, you're an amazing fighter."
"Why thank you, but I'm not that great." I blushed a little.
"Yes you are, you were like a blur in motion!" She exclaimed as she jumped in front of me.
"A blur in motion?"
"Uh huh! You were so fast, that I didn't even see how you took down the first guy, I'll bet he didn't even know that you broke his arm till he hit the ground." She threw a few punches and kicks, trying to imitate the way I was fighting. "The Khajiit didn't even get in a hit, and the Nord was already scared out of his wits! You're just too quick to be hurt."
"If only that were true." I laughed as I watched her pretend to fight. She looked so cute in the sloppy little dance she was showing off. She looked up at me with a pleased look in her eyes, I guessed that it was her goal to get me laughing. I rewarded her with a pat on the head, and ran my fingers through her dark blond hair.
"But it is, you're so deadly, yet humble. That's something that I've never seen before in someone who can fight." She put her hand on mine, affectionately stroking it while looking up at me with her sparkling green eyes.
"What's being deadly have to do with my demeanor?" I asked with a little smile.
"Well, most people who can kill as well as you tend to be very cold-hearted, and cruel. But, you're different." She murmured softly as she started to nuzzle my hand a little.
That statement struck a nerve in me. Lucien complemented me on how well I could kill, and that was almost an insult to me. But when Antoinetta said it, it didn't seem to give that same feeling. I was open to being told that I was well versed in combat, but to be told that I can kill so well was a completely different thing. But something about the way she looked at me, the twinkle in her eyes, the softness of her face, made it into something that I could bear to hear.
"You're an amazing woman, Antoinetta." I finally replied after coming out of my thought.
"Thank you." She smiled dreamily. "No one's ever said anything like that to me before."
I embraced the thought that my words were reaching deep into her. In some way, I wanted this mission to last forever, never truly reaching my target. I thanked Vicente in my mind again.
"You deserve it." I gently brushed my hand across her face and kissed her forehead. "We should keep moving, the sooner we get word of my target, the sooner I can track him."
A few minutes later, we were sitting at a table within the Bloated Float's lobby. Antoinetta was having a drink of the local spirit and I was having water. The barkeep had given me a funny look when I had ordered it but when he saw that I was acquainted with someone who's drink actually cost money, he didn't seem to have any qualms.
I was looking around at the patrons trying to guess their occupations by their faces. Though I did see a few off duty guards, I didn't feel any tension due to the fact that I left my katana back at the inn. Thankfully so because through the conversations that Antoinetta and I were eavesdropping on I learned that word of the murder I committed had spread pretty far, and that the only description that the guards truly had on me was that I carried an Akaviri warblade on my side "upside down".
I had to snicker to myself. Little did anyone know the right way to carry or use a katana. It was supposed to be tightly slipped through a belt in it's sheathe with the blade side pointed up. Not carelessly dangling down at someone's side like a halfway severed limb.
"I heard he's so fast that he took down an entire unit of guards by himself before any of them could draw their swords." One of the guards said.
"I doubt that none of them couldn't draw their weapons, because from the reports that were handed in, there appeared to be a bloody fight. So that must not be true, though there were no witnesses left alive."
"But what about that Mordus fellow who wrote the reports, he tried to have the nearby innkeeper arrested for harboring a criminal? You know that something must be up if the individual testimonies don't add up the same. I doubt his story about actually wounding the runaway is true either, from what I hear, the innkeeper was so mad about Mordus starting a fight on his land and that he was the one who broke his jaw, and not the Dikata boy."
"Well, I guess we'll never know since we weren't there. Not our problem anyway."
I laughed to myself. Master Jauffre had told me about the way rumors would change from person to person. It was clear to me that the words that were spread about me no longer had any true validity, and that I doubted that I was in any real danger of being spotted by any guards at that point. Save for the universal fact that my katana would probably be the first and only thing that would give me away. That however was somewhat of a problem to me though.
Though I had confidence in my skills with nearly any other weapon I could hold, or my hands if needed, I felt naked without my weapon of choice. After all, I had spent the better part of my teenage years learning how to use it and so it felt like a part of me. I hoped that I wouldn't have to use it anytime soon, except for when it counted.
"What are you thinking about?" Antoinetta interrupted my thoughts with an innocent smile of curiosity on her face.
"Oh, nothing, just listening to the stray conversations. I guess the best place to start for any information on our man is by asking around." I smiled back at her as we made eye contact once again.
"Well then, how about the barkeep, they usually hear things first." She suggested.
"You're right," I laughed a little at the fact that my own mental distractions kept me from thinking of such a simple step. "in fact, wait right here, I'll go ask him right now."
I stood up and softly pat her shoulder, giving her a smile of approval just before I made my way to the bar. Since it was mostly crowded, the bartenders were busy trying to serve as many drinks as they could to a growing number of customers. So I simply stood at the counter and waited patiently for one of them to get a free moment.
After just a minute or so of waiting, the empty space next to me was suddenly filled by a smiling Dunmer woman who was wearing a shirt that showed quite a bit of her chest.
"I don't think I've seen you here before, are you new here?" She asked.
"Actually, yes, I am." I politely smiled right back, though I didn't really feel like talking due to the fact that her attire and her body language betrayed an intention I didn't like.
"Oh, are you from the countryside then?" She started to scoot a bit closer to me.
"Sort of." I replied to her. "Why do you ask?"
"It's in your accent, you're a cute country bumpkin."
At that I blushed a little. I was in some way not used to the flattery of a woman, and that was another reminder of my true inexperience. I took a quick look in the direction of the bartenders who seemed to show no signs of being able to take a break. Then it hit me that it was a bad day to try and get any searching done. I turned to look at the Dark Elf who had moved a lot closer while I was distracted, and was now starting to run her hand up my arm.
"So, what's your name?" She asked.
It was obvious that I had to get out of there as quickly as possible, so I gently put my hand on hers to pull it away as I started to speak.
"Miss, I'm sorry, but right now I can't--"
"Dairou?" My stomach jumped when I heard Antoinetta's voice behind me, I knew that there was no way that the placement of my hand was going to help the story that I was no doubt going to have to explain. Both the Dumner and I turned around to see Antoinetta looking up at me with wide eyes. "What's going on?"
Right then she made eye contact with the woman beside me who in turn smiled at her. Antoinetta turned pale white.
"Dairou..." She asked softly while maintaining eye contact with the Dark Elf. "C...can we leave now?"
"Yes we can." I said in a haste, normally I would have wanted to know exactly what was going on, but at that point, I didn't feel like questioning the perfect opportunity to get out of that place. "In fact, I think now is the perfect time to go."
I pushed the woman's hand away and stepped up to Antoinetta. Reaching one hand under her chin, I lifted her face slightly and gave her a big kiss on the lips to break her trance and to show the Dark Elf that I was taken.
After breaking from the kiss I took my true lover by the hand and led her out of the bar, not looking back to see if my message was made clear.
When we were a good distance from the tavern, I finally stopped and turned to Antoinetta with no idea what to expect. I was prepared to answer every question that she could have had for me, or to be slapped in the face, but instead she just stood still, with her hands together and her head held low. For a few seconds I was stunned that she wasn't even looking up at me.
"Antoinetta? It...it wasn't what it looked like, I..." I stopped and tried to rethink what I should have been saying, then realized that there was no other way to explain myself. Rubbing my forehead I started to wonder if I had made a mistake.
When she didn't react to even that, I started to become a bit worried.
"Dairou," She finally spoke up, which brought some sort of relief to my mind.
"Yes?" I answered her as she took a step toward me to where her nose was just under my chin, though she didn't look directly into my eyes.
"What is the name of the person you're here to assassinate?" Her voice was now a mere whisper.
It hit me that all this time I had not actually told her anything about my mark other then that he was a pirate. I took a deep breath before finally answering.
"A pirate captain by the name of Gaston Tussuad." I gave her the answer she was looking for with the same tone of voice.
There was an awkward silence that followed for almost a minute. Finally she slid her arms around my waist and held me tight.
"Can I wait at our room for today?" She asked with a slight tremble in her voice. My heart started to sink at the thought of what I was assuming. If she knew Tussuad at all, then there was only one way she could have known him. My mind went back to the moment when she told me that her parents had sold her because they wanted a boy. Taking a deep breath I put my arms around her as well. It hurt me deep inside to see her usual cheerful manner be cut down by whatever was on her mind.
"Yes, you may." I tilted my head down and whispered in her ear. "I'll come with you."
I kissed her on the forehead and in silence we walked back to the Tiber Septim Hotel. We held hands the entire way.
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Somewhere, there was a place that is hidden far away from prying eyes, marked on only a handful of maps. It's existence was a closely guarded secret, one of the best ever kept by men and mer. In a retreat hidden deep in a vast summit that few would ever happen to find, sat an old bearded man in white robes deep in what can only be described as deep meditation. His eyes, which he has no use for, were covered by a white blindfold, and despite the freezing cold, felt that the day is a bit warm. A young woman blond haired woman dressed in similar garb made her way to his side and sat down in the exact same manner.
She closed her bright blue eyes and went into a trance with the old man. After several minutes she finally spoke up.
"At least he has found comfort for now. But will he be alright?"
The old man cracked a smile, that she could see without looking.
"You care about him don't you?" He replied in a slight teasing manner.
"Deeply, in ways that only you can understand." She answered his question, and waited for him to return the favor.
"He will be just fine, as long as he stays hidden for a while." The old man assured her.
"Thank you."
After a few more minutes of mediation, the old man broke the silence.
"Aren't you jealous?" He jokingly inquired.
"No, as long as he is happy, that's all that matters to me." She was honest and began to smile as well. "No matter who it's with."
"So you are in love with him then." He chuckled.
The girl's smile grew wider.
"Yes, very much so." She admitted. "It's hard not to be, especially when his heart is a reflection of what he is really intended."
"I see." The man nodded. "Your heart is in the right place. You can rest assured that he is safe for the time being."