Thindril was trying the dress she would be wearing to the party. It fitted her perfectly. The dress was red, contrasting with her ash-colored skin and matching her eyes and hair. The Dunmer grabbed a small golden necklace that she was able to afford with the money she recently made. Thindril used to have loads of jewels and for the first time she missed them. She hadn't been in a party in ages.
"You look wonderful." A deep voice said.
"Lucien! I didn't hear you coming in." She smiled while walking to him. "You were still asleep when I woke up and I decided to try my new dress and check how I looked."
"You are going to wear that dress for me one day, those guests better be killed or I will do it for you." He hissed, wrapping his arm around her waist. "When will you be going?"
"This afternoon." She answered while leaning on his chest. "I need to be there tomorrow morning."
"May Sithis be with you, my love." Lucien kissed her softly.
Thindril kissed him back, cupping his cheeks. "Promise me you're going to visit me soon."
"You will start seeing me much more often, I can promise you that." He replied before giving her quick kiss. "Goodbye, sister."
"Goodbye." Thindril uttered, he was already gone when she finished saying the word.
-T-
"So, Lachance, did you enjoy your holidays?" Bellamount asked.
"I was not on holiday, Mathieu. What sort of question is that?" Lucien narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, brother." He smiled. "I am actually glad to see you well and alive." Bellamont said with a short nod.
Lucien remained still, not breaking eye contact with Mathieu. Something wasn't right. He wasn't sure if it was the way he spoke, his tone or the way he looked at him.
"Well, I must take my leave now. I must deliver these contracts to Anvil's Sanctuary, walk always in the shadow of Sithis, brother!" Mathieu continued before turning around and disappearing.
"Yes, yes, brother, I'm glad you're alive. Mother and I have planned a terrible way for you to go, far more terrible than ending up in the plains of Oblivion."
-T-
Skingrad was so beautiful in this time of the year.
Thindril walked into the city, wearing her red dress and a black cloak over it. It soon started to rain, making her raise her hood. Some people who were walking on the street started to run to their homes or to the closest shop as if the rain burned their skin. Thindril didn't mind it at all. She raised her look when the first sounds of thunder echoed the city. It was time.
She saw a Nord standing in front of Summitmist Manor. He was large, pale and was richly dressed. He grinned when he saw her.
"So the last guest finally arrives." Fafnir greeted her. "I'll tell you what I told all the others. You go in. I lock the door. You don't come out until it's over." He paused. "Now I'll tell you what I didn't tell the rest." He smirked. "We have the same mother, you and I. And she wants you to have this." Fafnir handed her a small key. "It's the key to the house." He explained.
Thindril smiled.
"I guess somebody else already told you the other details. Kill all the guests, then leave, right? Well, you better get in there! Time to mingle!" He laughed.
"Thank you, Fafnir." She winked before getting in.
When Thindril got in, she removed her hood and faced an old woman, a Breton, she thought.
"The sixth guest has finally arrived! Well it's about time." The woman greeted with a smile. "Ahh, a Dunmer... We have another guest who comes from Morrowind as well." The Breton said, something in her tone made Thindril think she was a bit of racist.
"Really? I can't wait to meet her, I can't wait to meet everyone, actually!" Thindril smiled.
"Oh yes, you will! Whoever invited us here must at least know us, don't you think?" She paused. "In any event, we are all stuck in here together, so we might as well get acquainted." The Breton grabbed Thindril's shoulder and started to walk to the stairs. "The rest of us have already traded introductions. I'm Matilde Petit. The others are Nels the Naughty, Neville, Dovesi Dran and Primo Antonius." Matilde said. "Now who might you be? Please, tell me a little about yourself."
"I am Ralsa." Thindril said with a nod. Ralsa would be her undercover name for every mission now until someone found that Ralsa and Thindril were the same person. "I came here because my baby is sick and dying. We are so poor, my neighbor lent me this dress to come here." Thindril decided to throw the pity card.
"Oh, you poor dear!" Matilde was actually moved with her lie. "Well, this does make things difficult for me. I want to find the gold as much as anyone, but you need it so much more than I do."
"Oh, don't mind it." Thindril told her with a faint smile. "So tell me about Dovesi."
"Oh, the little dark elf? She seems nice enough she has a huge crush in Primos Antonius. He's quite wealthy, I don't even know what he's doing here." Matilde mumbled.
Thindril narrowed her crimson eyes. "And what about you? I swear I heard your last name before."
"That's right!" She grinned. "It's a Breton name. I'll have you know the Petits are one of High Rock's oldest and most respect noble families."
"And this Neville? Is he a Redguard? A Breton? His name is misleading."
Matilde continued to grin. "Oh, he's a Redguard! If I can be perfectly honest with you, I find Neville quite attractive. Redguards are so... exotic, don't you think?" Matilde chuckled.
Thindril chuckled with her. "Yes, I do. I will steer clear from him then."
"Oh, Ralsa." Matilde smiled. "I have this feeling that you are much different from Dovesi, perhaps you and I will be great friends!"
A Dunmer walked down the stairs, it was probably Dovesi. Thindril nodded to her and smiled. "Hello there, I'm Ralsa. It's nice to meet you." She greeted her.
"Well, I better start looking!" Matilde said hurriedly and left the entrance. Both Dunmeri looked at her with distrust before looking back at each other.
"I'm Dovesi Dran." The Mer said. "I'm very pleased to meet you." She smiled. "Let me just tell you one thing, don't trust Matilde. I don't think she likes Dark elves. I heard her say something to Neville, and it wasn't very nice." Dovesi whispered.
"Yes, I noticed that too. She wasn't very nice and seemed to be a little fake." Thindril whispered back.
"Yes, I just wanted to warn you about her. You are a fellow Dunmer after all! Oh and Neville used to be a soldier in the Legion which means he cannot be trusted, I suppose you too suffered when the Legion stole our lands..." Dovesi sneered. "But nevermind that now! Since you're here now, we can all start looking!"
"I'm glad you all waited for me to arrive. That is so nice from you." Thindril told her. "She spoke to me about this Neville, but she hasn't said a word about the other men. There was this Nels..."
"Nels the Naughty, yes." Dovesi smiled lightly. "Every now and then he looks over at me and smiles. I think he's sweet on me. If Nels finds the gold, maybe he'll want some company." Dovesi whispered again.
"But do you like him?" Thindril asked.
"Oh, no!" She giggled. "There is also Primo... Oh well, he comes from a noble family. I don't think he would be interested in a girl like me." Dovesi paused, it was clear that she was interested in him despite her effort to hide it. "But now we must go, we shouldn't waste any more time. I have a good idea where that gold is and I'm going to start looking now."
Hah, fool.
"Good luck! You'll need it." Thindril said with a wink. When Dovesi was gone, Thindril climbed the stairs. She decided that she was going to get familiar with the house before killing anyone. The best part was that it would look like she was trying to find the treasure, so no one would suspect.
"Oh, you're finally here." A male voice uttered. His voice was snobbish. "It's about time, people of my station are not accustomed to waiting."
"You must be Primo Antonius." Thindril noted, ignoring his words. He was blond and a bit fat, but not bad looking.
"How do you know?"
"Dovesi told me about you." Thindril smiled.
"Did she now?" Great. She had his attention. "What did she say?"
"Oh, I shouldn't..." Thindril whispered with a sigh. "Well, I think she is interested in you."
"Hmm, maybe you could do me a favor?" He murmured while stepping closer to Thindril. "If you speak to her, put in a good word for me, would you? I would be forever in your debt."
"Surely." Thindril nodded and smiled slightly.
It didn't take her long enough to notice that the manor was huge and labyrinthine. Thindril go lost twice when she was trying to orient herself in the last floor. She made a mental note of simple things such as portraits or jars in order to know her way around the house. She ended up finding Neville in the last room of one of the corridors.
"I suppose you're the sixth guest? I am Neville, it's nice to make your acquaintance." The Redguard introduced himself.
"I am Ralsa. It's nice to meet you too." Thindril replied. "Dovesi told me you were a soldier in the Legion that you've been to Morrowind?"
"That's true. I have a great respect for your kind. You are strong and noble, and generally understand the importance of law and discipline." Neville answered.
"Oh, that's good to hear!" Thindril said with a smile. She hadn't seen Nels, but until now Neville was the only one that could win in a fight against her. It was not only his size, but it was also the fact that he had military training. Fortunately, he wasn't young at all. Thindril had a plan.
"I'm glad you think so. Unfortunately Dovesi doesn't seem to like me very much. I don't blame her. The young ones tend to have problems with authority figures."
"Yes, with time she will understand that men like you are much needed." Thindril agreed. "So the only one that I haven't met is Nels the Naughty. How is he?"
Neville sneered. "Know what I think? I think that barbarian will do anything to get his hands on the chest of gold. His kind are greedy and vicious, all of them." He asserted. "Trust me, I know." The Redguard sighed. "I was stationed at Fort Frostmoth for a few years, on the isle of Solstheim. Those Nords are a bunch of animal-worshipping savages."
"Why do you say that?" Thindril blinked.
"Because, Ralsa, they are simply all the same." Neville said, full of prejudice. "We lost a lot of good men up there. A lot of good men." He sat down on the couch, facing the window and looking at the rain hitting its cold glass.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Thindril said. "So I guess that you're a pretty strong man? Strong enough to handle this Tamika Vintage wine?" The elf asked while grabbing two silver cups and pouring the red, sweet liquid into them. She also poured discreetly a deadly poison that Vicente once gave him into one of them.
"Ahh, not so much anymore." He smiled.
"Oh, come on. I bet you can still throw a good punch." Thindril replied while handing the poisoned wine.
"Thanks." He nodded. "Yes, I can say I can still handle myself." Neville nodded. "Some things just stay with you and never leave."
"Indeed." Thindril nodded, watching him drink her special treat. "I admire your work, but I wouldn't like to be a soldier. Too much blood for me."
"You get used to it." Neville shrugged and coughed a little.
"Well, but I am not a man, therefore I prefer more... subtle methods." The elf smirked.
Neville coughed again, he seemed to start having trouble breathing. "Such as?"
Thindril watched him cough for a while longer, enjoying the view. She shrugged before leaning closer to him and whisper.
"Poison."
His eyes went big and he was leaning his head and fading away.
The big soldier guy was gone. Now it was time to find Nels.