I did my chores dutifully once I got back to Balmora. I gave Muzgob the skull and left her to write out a report for Caius and I. Ranis took Itermerel's notes in exchange for a few hundred coins, never once asking of his fate or welfare. Never before had blood money weighed on my conscience and the struggle to put it out of my mind was miserable. The only thing that made me happy was that Ajira was back. I found her mixing herbs and boiling test tubes. I watched her silently for a short while, unbeknownst to her. She hummed happily with that slight purr that Khajiit have and it put my mind at ease. It reminded me of my childhood years when mother would hold me and hum or sing after I'd suffered a nightmare.

Ajira noticed me shadow the doorway of her warm little alchemy lab and turned to me with a strange look. She eyed the hole in my shirt which was also soaking wet from the rain. "Han lu, what happened to you?"

I gave her a weak smile and shuffled close giving her a little hug. I wanted to let the dam of my emotions break, but I just said, "It's been a hard day."

She stiffened at the contact and slowly returned my hug, patting my back awkwardly. "Ajira is, um, sorry to hear that." She withdrew as soon as soon as she could without seeming rude and offered me a seat, politely ignoring the fact, I'd gotten her robe damp. "Ajira has good news for you though. Ajira has the ingredients and the mark and recall potions will be done soon."

I nodded tiredly. "Good. I guess it's almost time for me to find a smuggler then."

Ajira sat at her bench and concentrated on her work. I just watched without intruding, sinking into my seat. "I envy you, you know." The words slipped out of my mouth unchecked. Once again, she gave me that strange, disbelieving look.

"What does Ajira have to be envious of?" She asked curiously.

"A clear conscience," I replied. "You sit here mixing your potions without a care or worry. I wish I could do that. I always have something calling me back to the dark desperate acts that make me a living."

Ajira's ears laid back against her head while she pondered this. "It's not true that Ajira has no cares. Ajira has to concentrate on what she wants. Ranis wants Ajira to help in her plots. Before Ajira left home, her father wanted her to be an acolyte of Akatosh. Ajira does not care for these things. She only wants to understand the world around her. Actually, she envies you Han lu. You are strong enough to fight when people want you to do things for them. No one can tell you what to do."

I bowed my head. "I used to think that was true. The fact is, the stronger you get, the stronger people who want to control you. Maybe I should just take up a simple profession like you. Then all the overlords would lose interest. Better yet, I wouldn't have to kill."

Ajira shrugged. "Who is to say for sure. Ajira just can't imagine she would regret being stronger. That doesn't mean you have to use your strength all the time."

I watched as her beakers boiled a strange pink solution. "What will you do when you get home Ajira?"

"Ajira will continue her studies," she answered without delay. "Cyrodiil has a much greater appreciation for study and research than Vvardenfell. She will travel and continue to understand alchemy better. What about you Han lu? Will you continue your secret plots?"

I shook my head. "Once I find my mother, I'm going straight. We have plenty of hidden money to live on, so I won't need to worry about making a living. Maybe I'll just travel with you."

Ajira considered this. "It's not a bad plan. You are a good one to have around Han lu." I kept comfortable in my chair and my eyes began fluttering closed. "Perhaps you should get to bed. Ajira will have these ready for you tomorrow, ok?"

I nodded and lifted myself from the chair. The mages guild was quiet with most of the members bedding down for the night. I slipped out and went next door to find most of the fighters guild up carousing. Wayn waved me over when he saw me.

"Han lu, you missed the good news."

"Oh," I said tiredly, stretching while removing my bow from over my shoulder. "What's that?"

Eyedis held up an envelope. "Orvas Dren made a better offer. Some thief made off with a personal letter and he didn't have enough people to track them down. He sent a message for us to help and as you said, his offer was much better than before. All we have to do is give it to a courier tomorrow."

"Glad to hear it worked out," I said through my foggy mind. I was still sleepy from sitting in Ajira's cozy lab. "Oh, do me one favor. Leave me out of the Dren jobs."

Eyedis eyed me, confused. "We can talk about it later," she insisted, trying to avoid making a scene.

"Not if I can help it," I mumbled out of earshot, stumbling down toward the bunkrooms.

"Hey, aren't you going to come join us for a pint," someone called after me?

"Not tonight," I called back. I was not in the mood for celebration tonight. The only thing I wanted was sleep. As I laid my bag and weapons next to my bed and collapsed on the sheets, the last thought that crossed my mind was to remember to buy a new shirt.

I must have woken later on because I was aware when the others came to bed down. I drifted off again easily enough. However, I woke up again later, feeling feverish and sweaty. My eyes opened and I immediately realized what was wrong. I hadn't gotten any potions to fight infection. I threw my covers off groggily and stumbled upstairs to where we kept a water barrel. I grabbed a semi clean mug and drained it.

One candle was lit, sitting on the table. I moved it closer and tugged my shirt off over my head to examine my healing injuries. Thanks to my magic and Caius' potion, the skin was well on the way to mending, but it was turning an irritated red where the bone creature had poked me. Who knew what sort of diseases such a monster carried?

Thanks to my negligence, I was now coming down with a fever. I had to be sure to take care of myself tomorrow.

The candle flickered and went out and I noticed a cold evening breeze blowing through the guild hall. I slipped the ragged shirt over my head and found the front door hanging open. I approached it slowly, peeking out at the empty street before closing it.

"That's strange," I mumbled, turning back to the bunk room when I heard a chair fall over upstairs followed by a scuffle. I ran up to Eyedis' office to find her picking herself up off the floor, clutching a dagger in her shoulder. "What happened," I asked, scanning the room? A shot of adrenaline drove any memory of illness from my mind and I noticed her door hung open.

"Thief!" She grunted, pained, but no less determined. "Get after him, he stole the letter!"

I dashed for the door and into the rainy street in bare feet. I looked up and down the street for the thief and caught a glimpse of somebody running south to the market square. I gave chase, ignoring the flu-like aching in my muscles. The figure turned a corner, but I was just as fast. He tried losing me through an alley. We passed a handful of clay pots and I grabbed one of the heavy lids on a whim and chucked it at the thief. The clay sphere struck him in the back and threw him off balance.

He tripped and fell just long enough for me to jump on top of the wet cloaked mass. He struggled and tried to fight me off, but his hands were trapped in his wet cloak. I took the opportunity to wrap one arm around the struggling neck and push his head forward with the other. I squeezed just long enough for the thief to lose consciousness before releasing.

"I really am not in the mood for this," I groaned. "Now I've got to drag your carcass all the way back to the guild. Can't I catch a break?" I flipped the thief over and got quite the surprise. Not only was the thief female, I recognized her as none other than Safia Dren. I knelt down next to the unconscious girl. "Well that complicates matters." I shook my head before deciding on a course of action. I searched her, finding the letter and another dagger strapped to her wrist under her sleeve. I took both and dragged her under an awning. We were in the alley next to Ra'Virr's shop. I propped her up against the wall and waited, sitting on a crate.

She slowly came to her senses. I waited until she realized who I was and flashed the dagger at her. "You don't wear cloaks when you're sneaking indoors. They just get in the way. Maybe if there had been a crowd to blend into outside, it would have made sense. You have a lot to learn." She felt the pocket I'd taken the letter from. I happily waved it at her. "Now this is quite the conundrum. We retrieve a letter for your father and you try to steal it before we can give it back. I can't imagine why, but I get the feeling I know how he lost it in the first place."

She went to rise, but I pointed the dagger, warning her to stay put. "Look Han lu," she reasoned with wide eyes, "there's more at play here than you know. I need that letter."

"Well I figured that much out already," I said, almost in a taunt. "What I don't know is why I should care. If it were anyone but you, I'd have dragged them back to the guild and had the guards arrest them by now. The fact that it's you gives me pause. If I turned you in, it could sour my guilds relationship with your father. So rather than turn you in, I'm giving you the chance to explain yourself. The way I see it, there are two possibilities. Either he sent you to steal it so he either didn't have to pay us or could negotiate our prices back down, or you're trying to steal the letter to sabotage him, though I can't imagine why."

I heard voices in the market and dropped down next to Safia so I'd be concealed from the street by the crates, still holding the dagger close. "Which one is it Safia, because unless you talk to me, you're all out of bargaining chips."

She glanced at the dagger before meeting my eyes. Hesitantly, she spoke. "My dad is not the good nobleman he makes out to be. He may have the whole world fooled, but I know he does terrible things."

"Again, I figured as much," I countered, cutting her off. "Now tell me why this letter is so important." The flicker of torches illuminated the alleyway for a moment as someone briefly checked over it before moving on. In the brief light, I was able to make out a desperate expression on Safia's face and she no doubt made out the fatigue on mine.

Before answering she leaned forward, "Can you keep a secret?"

I cutely crossed my heart with the dagger and held up one hand as if making an oath.

"The truth is, my father runs a crime organization called the Camonna Tong. They smuggle moon sugar, skooma, and other contraband, including slaves. I'm part of an organization trying to combat them. That letter has the decryption to the codes he uses in his shipping manifests. If I can get that letter, we can find out what he's sending and where he's sending it to. It would be a major blow."

I nodded, considering. I fell back from my kneeling position and leaned against a crate. Safia pressed her case, tension obvious in her voice. "Han lu, I don't know how you feel about drugs and slavery, but I'm asking you to help me."

I sat in silent consideration, tapping the flat of the dagger against my knee and staring her in the face. I felt like every thought took longer than it should have. My tired side wanted me to just give her the letter, but if I returned it to the fighter's guild, Eyedis would definitely cut me in on the reward. Safia met my gaze with something next to fervor. My mind started to wander from my task and I noticed how her smooth bluish skin caught the moonlight. I had to shake myself back to task. I had an idea that could benefit us both, but it would require a lot of effort and a very long night for me.

"I can help you, but I want something in return." Her red eyes narrowed. "I don't care about this island, its politics, or its people one way or another. I intend to leave it as soon as possible. I'll give you the letter back on condition that you and your organization find me a smuggler who can get me back to the mainland. I assume you have a few contacts in that area." Safia nodded hopefully. "Okay, we'll make the exchange tomorrow morning. I'll meet you at the riverside diner at about nine." I stood to leave.

"Wait!" Safia demanded. "Can't you give me the letter now?"

I gave a long suffering sigh. "No, that would ruin everything. There's much to be done first." She stood, giving me a hard stare. "You'll thank me later, I promise. Now go."

She hesitated, but I still had the dagger at the ready. I could tell she was trying to decide whether she could take it by force. In response, I stood to my full height and met her gaze with a challenge. She backed down and backed away, disappearing around a corner.

When I was alone, standing barefoot in a cold dark alley, I let out a sigh. It would have been so much easier to let her have the letter and return to Eyedis empty handed. Now, I had a lot to do.