The rain showed no sign of letting up even after dawn. Issana had hardly slept, too cold and wet and wary to for her eyes to close. As the sun's rays began to glow in the eastern sky, she brushed her dripping hair from her eyes and got up. Her stomach growled.

She wasn't quite sure where she was going, but her feet led her absent-mindedly through the streets. Not many people were out at this hour, let alone in this weather, and the few that were seemed to glare at her out of dark alleys. She glanced down at the rain-flooded ground and kept walking.

Her foot caught something wooden and she went sprawling. "Hey!" someone shouted. "Watch where you're going!"

Issana stood upright, wiping her hands on her dress. She winced at the scratches the road had inflicted on her palms. "I'm sorry," she said, turning around. She saw an angry-looking dark elf woman, red-eyed and grey-skinned, glowering down at her with folded arms. The wooden object she'd tripped over was the wheel of a cart, on top of which sat a pile of vegetables. The dunmer stood beneath an attached awning, doing her best to stay dry.

"Be careful," the elf said.

"I will. I'm sorry." Issana looked the vegetables up and down and her stomach growled again. "I-" she began hesitantly. "I don't have any money. Do you-"

The elf shook her head. "I don't do handouts. Sorry."

Issana swallowed hard. "I… I understand." She turned and walked away.

She looked around and saw she was in Riften's central marketplace, normally a cacophony of noise and colour on an island in the city's canals. Today, however, the rain seemed to have kept many of the merchants indoors. There were a few laying out their wares as the sun rose higher, as well as several beggars, but the market was mostly deserted.

"Spare a coin?"

Issana glanced around for the source of the voice and saw an old, balding man sitting on a rotting wooden box. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't have anything."

The man snorted. "Sure, sure. I'm a dirty beggar. Why would you-"

"No," Issana interrupted. "I really don't. I… I just got kicked out of Honorhall."

"What, the orphanage?" said the man. "Old Grelod losing her kind heart?"

Issana laughed bitterly. "Right."

"Well, then," said the old man. "Let me welcome you to the real Riften. All the rich piles of dung walking past us like we're not there, pretending we don't exist. That's what you've got to look forward to. Enjoy."

Issana wiped something from her eye and she wasn't entirely sure if it was a drop of rain.

"Ah," said the beggar. "Come here. Come sit by old Snilf."

Issana shook her head slightly.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Rough night?"

She nodded.

"Who?"

"I don't know. He tried to give me skooma. Got dragged off by someone named Mjoll."

Snilf laughed and clapped his hands together. "Serves him right. She's all right, that Mjoll. Thinks she can fix this place, so maybe not all right in the head, but she looks out for us beggars, and that's enough for me."

Issana took a timid step towards him. Snilf shifted over to allow her space on his box. "Hungry?" he said.

"Starving."

"Not yet you're not," said Snilf. "But I'll tell you what, that dark elf over there with the vegetable cart, I can't get near it. She's caught me trying to pinch carrots out of there too many times. But if I distract her, you could grab enough for both of us."

"Steal?" said Issana.

"Eat," Snilf replied flatly. "You want to eat, don't you?"

Issana nodded.

"Then you'll have to get used to taking what you can. Besides, haven't you had a hard enough life already? Don't you think the world owes you, just a little bit?"

Issana was quiet for a moment as rain poured down on them. "Maybe."

Snilf smiled. "Good. I'll wander over there and old Marise will come right after me. All you have to do is grab something when she's not looking."

"I can do that."

Snilf rose and offered his hand to pull Issana upright. "Good luck." He sauntered off into full view of the dark elf. "Ho there, Marise!" he said.

"Off with you, Snilf, or I'll call the guards." Marise took a step towards him.

Issana walked in a wide circle, coming up beside the building Marise had set her cart beside. As the elf pointed Snilf away, Issana reached into the cart and grabbed a handful of carrots and a cabbage. Snilf caught her eye and raised his hands defensively at Marise. "All right, all right," he said. "I'm going." Issana walked quickly out of sight around the building and Snilf caught up with her shortly after. "Well done," he said. "My share?" He held out his hand.

Issana passed him a carrot and the cabbage.

"Ugh," he said. "Raw cabbage. You have the cabbage. I'll have two carrots."

Issana passed him a carrot instead. "What's a good place to eat?"

"Eh, stay in one place too long and the guards get fussy. Walking is best." He bit off an end of a carrot. "You'll do fine, girl. Once you get used to being a little hungry when you go to sleep, you'll-"

Three men stepped out from an alley, blocking the road. Their clothes were tattered and they were just as gaunt as Snilf. Snilf froze.

"Whatcha got there, Snilf?" said one of the men. "Fresh vegetables? Been pestering old Marise again?"

"Leave me alone," Snilf said. "I gotta eat too, you know. If I die of starvation, who'll you have to push around?"

"And who's this?" said another man, pointing at Issana. Issana could smell the alcohol on his breath from where she stood. "Gotcher self a ladyfriend? Mebbe you wanna share?"

Issana took a step backwards. Snilf whispered out the side of his mouth, "Run."

Issana needed no second urging. She spun and took off down the road. She turned at the first corner, then turned again, and again, and before she'd gone a minute she realized she had no idea where she was.

Snilf rounded a corner just after her and nearly ran her over. He bent low, hands on his knees, gasping. "I think… I think we lost them. Say, can I… Can I have your carrot? I threw mine at one of them."

Issana sank against the rain-slicked wall, chest heaving from the sudden sprint. She handed Snilf the carrot. Snilf smiled appreciatively and took a bite. "Sorry to leave you with the cabbage," he said.

Issana shrugged. "Better than nothing." She brushed some muddy water off the vegetable and bit deep. It was bitter, but it still wasn't as bad as some of the slop they'd been served at Honorhall. And at least it was food. "So this is life here?" she said. "Stealing food and getting chased?"

Snilf opened his arms and let the rain splash over him. "Welcome to Riften."