Seranni was pleased to hear that she had made the rank of Footpad in the guild after she turned over the tax papers on the Waterfront district. She was told to keep the gold that she had taken aswell, making her glad to have a meal for the night. She was sitting in the Bloated Float Inn, drinking her cup of ale when Methredel came in, sitting down at the table with her.

"How are you?" she asked, leaning back in her chair.

Seranni liked that the guild didn't descriminate against each other. They were accepted by every member, respected as equals once you were among their ranks. She smiled at the Bosmer, enjoying her company.

"I am well." Seranni replied. "You?"
"I am good. I hear you have gotten a promotion."
"A small rank, but yes."
"A rank is a rank."

Seranni nodded, watching Ormil pour Methredel a cup of ale now, her smile thanking him as he did so.

"We are aloud to talk about this in here?"
"Ormil does not mind our presence, although he is not one of us. The rules of the guild apply to him as well as other members."

Seranni watched the Altmer walk back over to the counter, talking with an Orc that leaned against it with a cup of ale in hand. Seranni looked back to Methredel, who was watching her intently.

"What is your rank?"
"I am a Bandit. One above you."
"We'll see if that is permanent or not." Seranni smiled, challenging the Bosmer.

Methredel simply laughed, enjoying Seranni's offer.

"I am a better thief than you think." she said.
"I could say the same."
"I fear you have the wrong idea about the guild. We do not compete with each other."
"I know that. You are a family, I would never disrupt that."

Methredel nodded, agreeing with her statement.

"So you are challenging me in a friendly manner?"
"I am."
"We shall climb the ranks together then." Methredel said, shaking Seranni's hand.

Seranni raised her glass to her, clinking the cups together. They drank together, Seranni enjoying the night she had with a new friend.

"Your next job consists of stealing a statuette made in memory of the recently deceased Lady Llathasa Indarys of Cheydinhal. You will need to ask around to see where it lies, but I trust you have enough skills to do so. Bring it back to me when you have it, Footpad." Armand told Seranni.
"Anything else?" she asked.
"Be safe. Shadow hide you."

Seranni turned to leave, seeing Methredel and Amusei coming into the garden. They greeted her happily.

"I will miss you, friends." Seranni said, knowing her journey would take a few days' time.
"Where are you going?" Methredel asked.
"Cheydinhal."
"Do be safe on your journey." she replied.
"Shadow hide you." Amusei said.
"Shadow hide you, my friends."

Seranni shook both of their hands, leaving them alone in the garden with Armand.

It was a lonely journey, traveling all the way up to Cheydinhal without anyone to keep her company. True, she had grown up alone. She was used to silence and only herself for a friend, but she had grown fond of the people on the Waterfront that she had befriended so quickly. She thought of them, wondering if Amusei had made any new ranks since she'd been gone. She smiled at this, knowing he was not that good at being a thief. What if Methredel had been promoted in Seranni's absence? She thought of her, not understanding what about the Bosmer that Seranni admired so much. She was a good friend though, and Seranni appreciated it.

As Seranni approached the doors to Cheydinhal's walls, she could feel someone watching her. She looked around, knowing they were following her, knowing that it was only a matter of time before they either killed her or sent her a letter. The Dark Brotherhood was skilled, although they had many different forms of assassins, they knew how to disguise themselves and stay a secret. She kept walking, not wanting to pay much attention to it for long. The guards let her in, revealing the town's buildings to her eyes. She smiled at it, loving the scenery of another place. She had never been to Cheydinhal. It was hard enough gathering money and supplies enough to travel around for fun, let alone for a job she was assigned.

She walked around for a small while, stopping only to talk to a beggar that grabbed her attention.

"Please, spare a coin?" he asked.
"I will give you coin if you tell me where the statuette is."
"I don't know what you are talking about." Seranni sighed, pulling out her coinpurse and giving him five septims. "Thank you! Now that I think about it, there is a statuette, kept in the Undercroft of the Chapel."
"Thank you." Seranni replied, leaving him to admire the gold she'd given him.

She found her way to the Chapel, hearing the prayers of the priests as she went through the doors. She was greeted immediately, the priest asking if she wanted a blessing from the nine devines.

"I am here to mourn." Seranni said, hanging her head. She was gifted in coercion, a skilled actress. She didn't know where it came from, but she knew she had acted different ways to get what she wanted since she was a little girl.

"I shall leave you in peace." the priest said, leading her to a door. "The undercroft is down the stairs. Take your time."
"Thank you." Seranni said, walking through the door as the priest held it open for her. She walked down them, raising her hand and casting a candlelight spell. She reached the bottom of the staircase, looking around at everything. So many things she could take, so many riches left for the dead that resided there. She looked around, not taking too long to find the little statuette that Armand sent her to steal.

Feeling the breeze of cold air as she reached for it, she recalled upon the stories she'd heard of dead rising in Undercrofts such as these. What would Armand say though, if she went back to him with nothing because she had been scared of ghost stories? She shook her head, grabbing the bust and putting it in her bag. She turned to leave, hearing a cry as she did so. She looked back, seeing a silhouette of a woman reaching out for her. Seranni's heart quickened, knowing she wasn't skilled enough to fight the enemy. She screamed, running up the stairs she had come down, not bothering to take anything else.

When she burst out of the door, priests were alerted and turned to her. She gained her composure quickly, shutting the door behind her as she caught her breath. She slowly walked to the door of the Chapel, not knowing if the spirit would follow her up the stairs. She didn't want to stay around to find out though, and kept walking towards the walls of Cheydinhal in her attempts to get away. She looked back, noticing someone in black tailing her, causing her to bolt towards the doors that the guards stood doing their duties at.

"Trouble?" the soldier asked.
"Um, no. I am just a little lost." she replied, turning to point in the direction of the person following her. "Is the Inn that way?"
"The Inn?" the guard repeated. "It is this other way here."

He pointed in another direction as she watched the hooded figure hide, out of the guard's view. They didn't want to be caught, Seranni realized.

"And what way is the palace?"
"It is North, m'am."
"Thank you." she said, stalling as long as she could. "Have you been a soldier long?"
"Yes, m'am, I have." he replied, looking irritated now. "Is that all?"
"Yes it is."
"Good day." he said, opening the doors for her to leave.

She did so, not looking back to see if the person was still following her. She took a moment once she was outside the walls to calm herself down. She was shaky, her nerves running mad at the image of the ghostly woman in the Undercroft. She rubbed her face, forgetting she had left her cowl in her bag to give herself a softer look as she went to "mourn". She slipped it back on, wishing to be hidden from the world once again.

She heard it then, the snap of a twig, and she knew the person was watching her again. How was that possible? The doors hadn't opened after she left, how did they get out of the town's walls? She looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of them, but saw nothing. She tried shaking it off, walking down the path now to go home. For a while, it was silent. So silent, in fact, she only heard her own breathing as she walked. No wind, no birds. It was almost eerie. Then, she heard the strain of a bow, the creaking as it was pulled back. She ducked as she heard the flick of the arrow being shot, knowing the pursuer was trying to hit her. She turned, crouched on the ground, pulling her own bow off her back. She stretched the string back, shooting an arrow back at the assailant, hitting them in the shoulder. They fell, groaning in pain. She put her bow back, quickly walking over to the hooded figure.

They put a hand in the air, as if to surrender, then held their shoulder in pain. Seranni put a foot on their chest, lowering herself down to them.

"Who sent you?" she asked.
"You know who." they said, Seranni hearing a man's voice from under the hood.
"Who paid them to have you kill me?"
"No one. They said it was a test, I'm just the messenger."
"I don't believe you." Seranni said, reaching down and pulling the cowl off of the man's face.

He was an Argonian, looking up at her angrily for revealing his identity.

"Let me go." he said.
"You think I'm stupid, they will just send others."
"I told you, it was a test."
"Tell them if they wish to speak with me, they can send my father."
"They won't send him-"
"Then consider yourself dead-"
"Wait!" he said, putting his hand up again. "I can give you names."
"Names?"
"I can give you the name of the person who sent me."
"You would sell out your guild for me to spare your life?" Seranni said, feeling disgust rise in her stomach. "You would betray your family?"
"I can offer an end to the assassins that bother you."
"Obviously they are nothing I can't handle."
"They are sending the Black Hand."

Seranni saw the truth in his eyes, knowing that they would eventually send higher trained assassins if the others couldn't kill her.

"Go and tell them you have failed." she spat at him. "If I see your face again I will kill you."

She let the Argonian up, watching him as he staggered on his feet, holding his shoulder.

"You would be good in our ranks."
"I am not a murderer."

He smiled, laughing as he walked away from her. She watched him for a few moments, making sure he was truly going to yield. She thought of what would happen if the Black Hand were to come and find her. What if they did anything they could to get to her, including hurting her guild of thieves? She grew anxious, wishing she could be home now. Her feet carried her quickly, heading back to the Imperial City.