"So this Ranger, he never told you his name?" Mirai was hanging on to her satchel as she walked, not really looking at him as they were walking through Markarth at the moment. Most of today, they had been discussing what had happened to him leading up to meeting her, more out of something to talk about.

"Nope. He was pretty quiet most of the time. But it would be nice to cross paths with him again. Reliable sort, ya know?" Max smirked at her, actually happy to have had someone to really talk to.

"Sounds like it! ever find out the story behind that half-Kajiit girl?"

"Nope. Just her name, M'rissi. I don't even know how Ranger got tangled up with her. Unlike Sophia and Jorge. The two of them would. Not. Shut. Up at the banquet we attended after slaying the dragon. You would have thought they had been adventuring with one another for years to be honest."

"Huh… sounds like Helgan turned out more positive than negative for you…"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that… It was still horrifying to be honest."

"I wish I could actually understand… that level of destruction is simply something else." She shrugged, the pair coming to a stop outside her house.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. I wish you luck in finding your parents! Was nice working with you!" Max held his hand out to her, smiling as warmly as he could manage.

"yeah… Am I supposed to have enjoyed delving into an ancient ruin and risking a bloody and brutal death?" she smiled right back, accepting his hand.

"I think it's alright if you didn't." Max couldn't stop a small chuckle from escaping him. "But, thanks. I don't think I would have made it through that ruin alone."

"No, don't sell yourself short. You would have been fine. Though I feel like it was a bit of an unequal trade." She crossed her arms at him, glaring.

"Yeah… I'd agree wi-"

"Mirai!? Who's this?" a male voice cut between them, the Breton from the other day marching up to them from down the street.

"Oh, Shin, you're back early… and this is Max. He helped me out the other day."

"We need to talk." The man glared at Max, visibly annoyed for some reason.

"About finding Mirai's parents?"

"You told him." he was glaring at Max, his arms crossed.

She huffed, still smirking as she shook her head. "Not exactly, but yes, you can talk in front of him."

"Alright… Junan… is unavailable."

"What do you mean, 'unavailable'"

"He's dead. Killed by Falkreath's guard."

"Dead!? Why!?"

"Don't know. Something about stealing something from the Jarl. Saw the execution myself Mirai."

Mirai's face fell, letting out a small huff. "So this is it then? We're out of ideas now…" she wasn't looking at either of them, her voice nearly silent.

"No. it's not. I'll talk to the Jarl of Whiterun. We can see what he can do. I'm sure he'd be happy to help me help you." Max smiled as brightly as he could, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"And what possible reason would a Jarl do a thing for you!?" Shin kept his hearty glare for Max, adding a scowl to it with his current statement.

"Could be that I'm one of his Thanes."

"I doubt it will get anything for us though…" she brushed his hand off her, still looking as down as before.

"I seriously doubt a cheap looking sell sword like yourself is a thane." Shin scoffed, shaking his head. "We should head inside and discuss this further Mirai. Without this boy."

"Shin. He is a thane of Whiterun. Above that, he's the Dragonborn rumors have been flying around about. I told you, talk freely in front of him. I trust him."

"Hah, I'll believe that when I see a giant riding a dog!"

"No, Shin…" She took a deep breath in, her eyes focusing on Max. "You really think the Jarl could help?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't he be able to? He's one of Skyrim's leaders. I'm sure getting some info on a person can't be too hard for him." Max smiled once more, returning her steely stare without hesitation.

"Then let's go." She nodded to Max before turning and striding back down the street.

"Wait! Mirai! Don't leave the city! This is where your mother said to wait for her!"

"Waiting for her hasn't worked. I'm not a child Shin. And I will find my family again." She only stopped to speak over her shoulder, marching off as soon as she finished.

"You, Max, or whatever. Stop her. she shouldn't leave the city!" Shin pointed a finger at Max like it was a lethal weapon.

"No. she want's to find her family. I'm inclined to help her." Max shrugged, tightening his ruck straps. "I promise, I'll keep her safe." He gave Shin a smile, despite being nothing but glared at by him. As disliking of Max as he seemed, Max could find that more than usual, only able to respect the man for clearly caring for Mirai.

Shin let out a small sigh, shaking his head. "I hope you can. I'll… wait here I guess. For if her mother comes back."

Max nodded once to him before he turned and trotted off to catch up to Mirai, letting out a long breath of his own. Now here's to hoping I can actually keep that promise…

William slipped through the door, letting M'rissi through before he quietly closed it. The room beyond was a large cistern in the Riften sewars, and was heralded by the sound of laughter and voices. Across the pool of water was a small deck, branching off over the water of the cistern with a few tables and chairs spread across it. At the back was a small bar, lined with casks of mead and beer. The room was the first they had crossed that was well lit, nor did it smell particularly bad, when compared to the rest of the sewars they had spent the morning exploring.

"Do you think this is the place, Rrrangerr?" M'rissi, bit her lip after she spoke, her tail swishing nervously behind her.

"Must be. I haven't seen another bar anywhere down here." Will shrugged, making his way around the room toward the bar. There were a few quiet patrons spread across the tables, most alone. The few that weren't were the sources of conversations. Of course, Will's objective was at the bar, recognizing Brynjolf even though he was no longer in a merchant's fineries, opting for a set of leather armor with several pouches sewn into it. He ignored everyone else, moving straight for him. Once there, he calmly leaned against the bar, mimicking the man's position wordlessly.

"Ah, so you made it, Ranger. Hope the sewars weren't any trouble?"

"Couple Skeevers."

"Hah, nothing a budding young Ranger like yourself can't handle, right?"

"Of course. But I didn't come down here for casual conversation." Will popped off the bar to glare at the larger man, his arms crossed. M'rissi had hopped onto one of the barstools, facing the two of them.

"Oh, but a bit of foreplay before business is polite! You wanted information?"

"That, and an appraisal of something. Not for value though."

"More information I'd wager?" The thief leaned onto the counter again, still facing Will.

"Yes. M'rissi?" he held his hand out to her, the girl digging in her bag to pull the ring she had out, dropping it into Ranger's hand. "This ring is all my friend here has of her past. Care to let us in on any secrets it has?" he held it out for Brynjolf, the man popping off the counter for a moment.

"Hmm. Looks like just a ring to me. But I'm not one knowledgeable about particular items. Tonilla?" he spoke toward the barkeep, smiling warmly to her.

She didn't even respond, just sighing as she set the mug she was cleaning down and strode over. Without any prompting, she suddenly leaned over the bar, scooping the ring from Will's hand faster than he could have closed it.

"Hey! That's M'rissi's, give it back, now!" M'rissi jumped up off her stool, her hand already dropping to her dagger.

"Calm down Kajiit." The woman boredly spoke, looking at the ring for several moments, turning it over in her hands.

"Looks like nothing special to me. Good value, I'd peg a fair price around a thousand septims, would give maybe four hundred to whomever nicked it. Can see some signs of Kajiit craftsmanship, and the gem is unusual. But not anything priceless or telling. Would wager it comes from some line of nobility, given the craftsmanship, but I could be wrong. It's not like everyday folk are incapable of making good things too. Try a Kajiit caravan. They would know more." She shrugged, plopping the ring down on the counter in front of M'rissi before slipping back to the mug she was cleaning.

"Well, that's the best I can do on that. Need something else before we settle up?" Brynjolf kept his calm smirk on, M'ri having already plucked the ring off the bar and slipped it away.

"Yes. Kyne's Rangers, I'm sure you know of us?"

"Not much. Go on?"

"I need to find the member here in the Rift."

"Holfgar? That man is… a difficult find."

"Well, I need to find him."

"Best I can do is an abandoned cabin I've heard he visits from time to time. Definitely doesn't live there, but he's been spotted there. We used to use it as a hide until we learned that."

"That would be enough. We have time."

"Ah, but you see, we need to come to an agreement first?"

"How much do you want?" Will boredly glared at the man, this being something he expected and couldn't care less for. They had amassed a fair bit of coin, Will only hoping it was sufficient.

"Well, that depends on what we work out. You see, we are always on the look out for those with… certain skills. While you are young, by your cloak and whom you're looking for, I'd wager you have some of the skills we want. Ply those skills for us, and I'd wager the price for your information will be a non-issue for you."

"I'm not a thief."

"Oh, but you could be spectacular at it! Think of it, just slip in, take an item a client requests, and slip back! No one gets hurt, no one gets injured. No one even knows. Easy money for a lad like you, I'm sure of it." he smiled broadly to Will, his words almost sickly sweet.

"I appreciate the offer. But I'm a Ranger. Not a thief. Payment is all you will get from me. And by your spiel, any amount will likely suffice for you, cause I'd bet the thieves' guild is in a bit of a rough patch, am I wrong?"

"Well… no. times are a bit rough."

"So I'll tell you my offer. I have sixty septims for you. That should easily cover a crappy appraisal and the location of a single, abandoned cabin. Not much, but for you, exceptionally easy money. Sound fair?"

Brynjolf let out a small sigh, turning back to the bar. "It does. Though I wish you would have reconsidered." He sounded defeated, almost sad in a way. And unlike his offer, the tones of his voice felt real, raw.

"Alright. I won't join you, but I will promise to be a reliable customer if this information turns out to be solid." He pulled his coin purse from one of his pouches, quickly counting out the handful of septims he would have left before dumping the contents in front of Brynjolf.

The man quietly counted out the coins, nodding once in confirmation. "Map please." It only took a moment to produce the item for him. he quickly compared it to his own map, finding a small mark on his and copying it to Will's map. "The cabin is a little hard to find. But if you follow this stream you will find it on the south bank. No roads to it either. Just out there in the woods." He handed the map back to Will as he spoke, nodding once respectfully.

"Thank you. We'll be leaving now. M'ri?" Will stuffed the map away, looking to his companion to make sure she was ready as well, but she was patiently waiting on him.

"Good luck to you kid. I do hope the information helps you." Brynjolf nodded respectfully once more, smiling.

Will quietly returned the gesture as he retraced his steps back to the door of the cistern, staying a little tense just in case. This was a thieves' den after all. He only relaxed a little once he closed the door behind them once more. "I'm sorry M'rissi… I hoped we would actually find out something for you…" he had been thinking that from the moment the appraisal of the ring came up, just hoping they found something else later.

"She expected as much. She's still grrrateful though…" she smiled warmly to Will, her hands clasped at her waistline. "Besides, she thinks she still learned something from it. we just need to find more Kajiit, and show them the ring! One is bound to know something about it!"

"Hah, well, I'm glad you can stay positive about it. it's unusual to see caravans this time of year though. Winter should be hitting pretty soon, they tend to stick to the south when that hits. Be a few months before they really come back up here. What do you say we go find this cabin and wait for the Rift Ranger? Nothing better to do, and it should be safe there."

"As long as there are lot's of fishies and her rran-errr and she is not there alone!" her tail suddenly started flicking as she looked away from Will.

"I promise to catch fish for ya, Fluffy." He grinned, knowing she was about to be livid with him. But, as always, it was cute to him.

"SHE IS NOT FLUFFY!" and, just as he expected, she smacked his arm, the only response given to her was a soft chuckle as the pair moved back through the sewars.

The wind rustled through the small clearing, it's chill air sending a shudder through M'rissi's body. But she tried to not let that bother her, bringing her new bow to a full draw as she steadied her aim. The motion felt so natural and normal for her it had becoming comforting to her. No matter who she had been before she lost her memory, she had used a bow, and regularly. She let her breath out slowly and smoothly, feeling her aim settle to exactly where she wanted it before she released the string, letting it slip from her grasp. The bow thrummed in her hand as the arrow leapt across the clearing, embedding itself into the makeshift target Ranger had made for her, just off of center.

Her shoulder's slumped at seeing the impact point, knowing Ranger could easily hit the center every time from even further away than she was now. And his bow had a much heavier draw weight than her own.

It had been several weeks since they had been in Riften, Will easily leading them to the cabin on their map. Just as the thief had said, it was clearly abandoned, with holes in the walls and a thorough mess inside. The past weeks had been spent mostly bringing the cabin back up to a fit state for living, M'rissi trying to help Ranger patch the walls and roof, cleaning out the inside, and creating a stockpile of firewood. Through all of that, Ranger had found the time to somehow make her a bow, a simple recurve bow to be precise. So, once the repairs on the cabin had been finished, she had taken to practicing with the weapon. Over the past week, with a little coaching from Ranger, she had gotten a little better, but not by much. She only continued to do so as the familiarity of archery was something she couldn't help but enjoy. It also had made for a decent way to pass the time.

"You're not controlling your release well enough." Ranger's voice startled M'rissi, seeming to sprout into being beside her.

"Don't scare her like that!" she glared at him, trying to get her heart to settle back down.

"Sorry, saw you practicing, just thought I'd comment." He shrugged from beside her, the hood of his cloak down for a change. His bow was behind him, leaning up against the side of the cabin alongside a fishing satchel.

"Well… she doesn't like it when you sneak up on her!" she defiantly focused back on the target, slipping another arrow onto the bowstring.

"So, when you release, you have to keep it smooth, controlled, and consistent. That consistency will tighten your grouping up. Go ahead and draw."

She did as he said, a little annoyed that he was talking to her while she was trying to focus. She quickly released her arrow, annoyed when it struck high and left this time, worse than before.

"Annnd you aren't controlling your breath either. Again."

She groaned, pulling another arrow out and bringing the bow to full draw. But he gently place a hand against her diaphragm, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

"Calm down. Focus. When you feel my hand leave you is when you should shoot. Now breath in…" she did as he said, taking a long deep breath in. when she let her breath out, she felt him remove his hand. "Feel that calm moment, right there, at the end of your breath? Release the arrow then, during that space before you take another breath. Keep it calm, slow. Eventually, you will even learn to monitor your heart, and shoot between beats. The slightest movement in your body can have an effect on your shot."

As he was speaking, she took in another breath, letting it out much the same as she did a moment ago only letting the string slip from her fingers in the lull, just as he said to. The arrow leapt away, slapping into the dummy nearly on top of her first arrow.

"If that's where you consistently hit, just adjust where you aim to compensate."

"Rrranger?" she lowered the bow, still staring at the target ahead of her. "Why are you still helping her? why did you not leave her when the Tal'mor hurt you?" it was a question that had been bothering her for a while now. He had no reason to help her. He had even used every septim of his to pay for information to help her, not that it did.

She finally looked to him, his own eyes on the trees. "It's… it's what my father would have done…" his shoulders dropped, a single tear slipping out.

"You nearly died though…"

"That's the life of a Ranger." He shrugged, quickly dashing his eyes.

"Is… so you are just following in your father's footsteps? Then… why would he be helping her?"

"No… i… it's…" he let out a quiet sigh, turning away from her. "It just feels like the right thing to do." He shrugged, just before moving toward the cabin.

"What happened to your father? It… You always seem sad when you mention him, or the other Rrrangerrs." She followed after him, coming abreast as she finished.

"He's dead." He wasn't looking at her still, several tears slipping out.

"She… she's sorry. She didn't mean to make you sad, she was-"

"You're fine. Just… still raw. Besides. Tears never helped anyone. No point in shedding them." He wiped the moisture from his cheeks again, leaving her standing alone in the clearing.

So he recently lost his father? She wonder's what happened… but she shouldn't pry… it's rude, and it always hurts him… she let out a small sigh, moving to the target and removing the arrows to resume her practicing.