Veria's slept longer than usual, but rest eluded her as she was barraged with unsettling dreams. Despite their painful vibrancy there was only one that she remembered after waking. At first it was Vex; her touch, her scent, the delicate color of her skin, and the bite of her tongue. Steam rose around their bodies, wrapping them in its hot embrace, and for a moment Veria thought she had found an enjoyable dream reliving the pleasurable transaction from a few hours prior.

But then the water shifted, and Veria opened her eyes to see Tulian standing in the water just out of reach. Their eyes met, and he looked on sadly as Vex worked her lips down Veria's neck. Veria immediately pushed her away, but her arms passed through her body and suddenly Vex was a Wispmother. Her gentle face fractured into a terrifying visage of sharp teeth and ghostly eyes. Her screech filled the air and pierced into Veria's mind so violently her eyesight blurred and darkened. She clutched her head as if to keep it from splitting in two. Tulian vanished from her sight, and in the instant before she woke she heard a whisper. It was so quiet it should not have been heard above the shrieking Wispmother, but it echoed in Veria's ears all the same.
In a soft, gentle tone, it said, "Wake," and Veria rose from her sleep with a start.

Thrynn, a hardened bandit-turned-thief was sitting nearby and was startled by Veria's sudden movement. He nodded her way and asked, "Bad dream?"
Veria simply sat up and grumbled in reply, expertly concealing her trembling bones. Thrynn, only mildly interested, turned back to sharpening his blade on the grindstone. Veria scowled at him, recognizing the grinding shriek of the metal on the stone.

Not willing to dwell it any longer, she rose from her bed drank in the sight of the Cistern. The light streaming from the well opening in the ceiling was tinged with pink and swimming with mist; morning. She headed for the Ragged Flagon in search of something to eat.
When she entered, she was greeted with a barrage of yelling. She stopped short in reflex and took in the situation.

Delvin was livid. It seemed so out of character for him to be so excited that Veria had to stare at him a few extra seconds to make sure it was him. He was conversing with Mercer, who much better composed. He had just come back from a journey on the road, as evidenced by the dust on his leathers. Veria approached a table and plucked a loaf of bread from an abandoned plate. Mercer and Delvin glanced toward her, a brief pause in their conversation.

Veria tore the bread in half and asked, "What's happened?"
"We've been bloody cheated, that's what!" Delvin snarled.
"Delvin, please," Mercer said. "Calm down."
Delvin ran a hand over his head and tried to compose himself. "He cut us out."

Veria swallowed a mouthful of bread as Mercer's expression deepened into a scowl.
Mercer said, "I went to the contact like planned. We agreed half payment before the heist, half after. But when I arrived he had already commissioned another thief to pull the heist."
"Who?" Delvin asked.
"I don't know. I had half a mind to beat the name out of that fool, but he was smart. We were in a public place and there were too many eyes on me."
"What of Chillrend itself?" Delvin said hopefully. "Can we beat him to it?"
"I had the same thought, but the guards were in a frenzy when I arrived there. It was already gone."
"Damn..."

Veria swallowed another bit of bread and asked, "Chillrend?"
"It's an enchanted glass sword," Delvin explained. "Godlike craftsmanship; very valuable. We were supposed to lift it from the estate where it was being held and fence it for the client."
"But someone swooped in and cut us out of the deal?"
"Exactly," Mercer said.
"What do we do?"

Mercer sighed, apparently fatigued. "Not much we can do except ask around about this thief. Maybe we can identify him. And put that fool on our blacklist, Delvin. Refuse to do business with him again." He eased away from the group and headed for the Cistern.
"Yessir," Delvin grumbled. The door swung closed and he sighed heavily.
"This is serious, huh?" Veria asked.
Delvin nodded. "Afraid so, love. Not only did we lose a sizable commission, but our reputation was damaged as well. Just the fact that the contact thought it was a small thing to pull out of a deal with the Thieves Guild is a big problem."
"The Guild isn't doing so well, is it?"

Delvin sighed heavily. "We'll turn it around. Just a round of bad luck, is all. Soon this place will be just as lively as it was in the old days." He motioned to the other side of the cavern, to the empty nooks in the walls. "See those spaces over there? Used to be full of merchants and shops. Thieves and clients from across Tamriel came here for our little black market."
"What's your plan to bring them back?"
Delvin chuckled. "One step at a time, love. I'll have more jobs for you soon enough."
So in other words, Veria thought, he had no idea what to do about it.

Veria finished her bread and bid Delvin goodbye. She was bored, and wanted work. She ducked back into the Cistern and located Vex near the training area.
"Look who it is," Vex said in a neutral tone. "Looking for something to do, Wraith?"
"What to you have for me, Vex?"
Vex crossed her arms and got to business. "I've got a few burglary jobs lined up. I'll start you off on something easy."
"Ha!" Veria planted fist on her hip. "Don't insult me, Vex. I want your toughest job."
Vex shrugged. "If you say so. Don't blame me if it proves too much for you."

She fished a small stack of notes from her pocket and sifted through them, finally plucking one free and holding it out to Veria. "Here are the details," she said. "If you find anything else of value while your out, don't hesitate to snatch it up for us."
Veria was just about to close her fingers around it when suddenly a voice slithered between them, "Already looking for more action, lass?"

Veria rolled her eyes as Brynjolf clamped an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "Good for you! Where are you sending her, Vex?"
Veria already had the note open and answered for her, "The Praxem estate, in Markarth..."
At this Brynjolf released her shoulder and touched his chin thoughtfully. "That so?" He sounded a little surprised. "You wouldn't even give Cynric that job when he asked for it, Vex."
"Wraith demanded that I give her something challenging. Plus would you give Cynric the Praxem job? After losing the dagger?"
Brynjolf looked as if he understood her point, but didn't care to admit it. Veria didn't want to waste any more time, and started towards the door. "I'll be on my way, then," she said. "I'll be back within the week."
"Hey, lass-" She turned the corner and left the training room behind before he had a chance to finish.

But her victory was short lived. When she approached the Riften stables in search of a mount, he was already there waiting.
She groaned loudly with annoyance. "Brynolf. What are you doing here?"
He flashed a playful smile as he led two horses from the stable. "Isn't it obvious?" He said. "I'm tagging along."
Veria frowned. "Doesn't Mercer trust me yet? I can do this job on my own."

Brynjolf pushed a pair of reins into her hands and said, "Mercer's got nothing to do with it, lass. I want to see your skills for myself, and there's still plenty about the Guild you don't know yet." He quickly mounted his horse and flashed another smile. "It's a long way to Markarth, too. You could use an escort."
Veria mounted her horse and immediately tore down the road, calling, "We'll see who's escorting who," as she passed him.
She heard him laugh and call, "Lead the way, Wisp!"

Veria gritted her teeth and felt her grip around the reins tighten. What a pest, she thought.