A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Life kind of went nuts for a while there. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 24

Over the next several days, Aria thought often about Vicente's offer. She had long ago accepted Vicente's vampirism, but she just couldn't come to terms with becoming one herself. Whenever she felt overwhelmed by the thought, she reminded herself of Antionetta's words.

Vicente didn't push for an answer. He continued to be the charming friend and lover that Aria had come to know. He didn't say anything more about marriage, but the more time Aria spent with him, the more the idea started to appeal to her.

Despite her relationship worries, Aria soon grew restless. After watching her pace the living quarters several times in one evening, Vicente suggested she ask Ocheeva for a new contract to curb her boredom. Aria agreed and sought out the Argonian. She found her in her quarters, reading through a batch of parchments.

"Ah, greetings, dear Sister," Ocheeva said. "How can I help you?"

Aria leaned on the table. "I'm bored. Are there any contracts I can take on?"

Ocheeva chuckled and shuffled through the papers. "I have been waiting for you to ask. As Vicente surely told you, your time of working with him has come to an end. From now on, you will receive all assignments directly from me." She pulled a paper out of the stack. "In fact, your next contract is available now."

Aria took the paper and looked it over. "A High Elf in the Imperial City? I accept."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist," Ocheeva said. "Your target is a High Elf named Faelian. However, finding him may prove...challenging. We know he lives somewhere in the Imperial City and fancies long walks. Unfortunately, that's all we know. We don't know which district he calls home, which establishments he frequents, or anything about his schedule."

"We don't know anything else?" Aria asked. Ocheeva shook her head. "So what do I do?"

"I suggest you speak to your fellow Brothers and Sisters and see if they can offer any advice."

Aria nodded and was about to leave, but turned back when Ocheeva spoke again. "Ah, yes, there is one more thing. The Imperial City is also home to an Imperial Legion captain named Adamus Phillida. Do you know who that is?"

Aria thought for a minute. "The name sounds familiar."

"Phillida has dedicated his life to eradicating the Dark Brotherhood, and he becomes rather irate when our duties take us to the Imperial City. When that happens, he tends to make our lives uncomfortable. Let's not give the good captain any reason to go poking around in our affairs, hmm? If possible, do away with Faelian someplace out of the way. Definitely indoors, with no other people around."

"A secure location with no witnesses would make it seem more like assassination than a simple murder," Aria pointed out.

"True, but I have faith in your skills. However you do it, Phillida should be none the wiser. If so, then you will receive a nice bonus. Any questions?"

Aria looked over the parchment again and considered the contract. "Do we have any kind of description of Faelian so I know who I'm looking for?"

Ocheeva shook her head. "Everything we know is on that paper. Our contact didn't give us any more information than that."

Aria nodded. "Well, this should be fun." She rolled up the parchment. "I think that's it. I'll leave in the morning."

Ocheeva stood up and gave her a hug. "Alright. May Sithis go with you, dear Sister."

Aria left the room and went back to the living quarters, where she showed Vicente the contract. He looked it over and handed it back. "That sounds like an interesting one. I hope you've brushed up on your investigative skills."

Aria read the paper again as she sat beside him. "The first thing I need to do is figure out how to find him. Any suggestions?"

Vicente stretched out his legs. "The Elves of the Imperial City have always been a fairly close-knit community. I would start there. If that doesn't work, you could try asking a guard or a beggar. The Imperial City is big, but someone is bound to know him."

"And how do you think I should deal with him? Ocheeva says it should be somewhere private, with no witnesses. But if I don't want to attract the attention of this Captain Phillida, I need to be careful about how I do it."

Vicente considered that. "Well, if you simply slit his throat in an alley, you leave an obvious murder victim. Not exactly the inconspicuous death I believe you're looking for."

"I could try poison. You know, make it seem like he died in his sleep or something." Aria laid her head on his shoulder. "I guess it really depends on the circumstances when I find him. I might have to get creative."

"You're good at that. Remember how you dealt with Dreth?"

Aria smiled and kissed his cheek. "Yeah, that was pretty fun. Maybe I can do something similar with Faelian." She got up and picked up a book from her dresser. "Without more information on him, I don't think there's much more planning I can do tonight, so I may as well relax for the rest of the evening."

Vicente put his arm around her as she sat down again. "That sounds like an excellent idea, dear one."