I was so long not updating and now I've hit both my stories in one day. I think I'm earning my way back into the good graces of my readership. Please enjoy this next edition.

Sharah sighed as she entered her shack. Another return from another whirlwind of adventure. When she flopped down on her bed, a light layer of dust leapt into the air and set Sharah coughing. Damn, how long had she been away? Sharah stood up, shoving her pack aside with her foot and tossed the door open to get some fresh air. She was greeted with the sight she'd witnessed on entering the Waterfront: a mass of guards running hither and thither, and to and fro. They were moving between the shacks, peeking into little hidey-holes, and were just about everywhere. It seemed like half the city's Watch was out on the Waterfront, and all of them asking the same question of anyone they met: "Where is Armand Christophe?"

Sharah had seen them at his house already so she didn't think she was going against the Thieves Guild by telling them he lived next door to her. Of course that little bit of information was followed by a flurry of questions about when she'd last seen him and where he was hiding. The answer to which was an honest 'not for months' and 'I have no idea'.

And now she had a dusty bed to deal with. Sharah gathered her blanket up, trying to keep as much dust contained as possible, and went outside to shake it. That probably meant her dishware would have to be cleaned as well. Good thing she'd thought to store most of it upside-down. But the table and chairs called for a brisk wipe-down before she went about sitting on anything. Even leather pants would show a dusty-butt.

Once shaken clean, Sharah brought it back in, closed out the running of the guards, and went to work cleaning up her absense. While she did it, Sharah tried to account for what she'd been doing since being here last. Hm…goblin hunting in Skingrad, that little run-in with the daedric Prince Meridia, the gang of sirens in Anvil, finally some hand-to-hand training in Bravil, and that freaky wakeful dream at the Bravil Mages Guild. Hm…had she forgotten anything? Maybe she should start keeping a journal.

Oh, and of course, her first real heist. Sharah giggled just recalling it. She couldn't believe she'd actually done it. If Meridia hadn't been generous with her gift Sharah wouldn't have dared. But since the daedra had, Sharah did. The woman giggled again. Oh, the look on that man's face. Priceless. And well worth it even if she never got around to picking up and fencing that loot. Hm, so she might actually have a use for the Thieves Guild fences.

Her fond recollection was interrupted by a sound from the corner of her house. Sharah froze. Then, slow and steady as she could manage, Sharah pulled her dagger out and eased toward the noise. Something was definitely shifting, too big to be a rat. And under the floor. And since most of that was stone, only the small section of wood along the west wall could possibly hide whatever was there.

Sharah eased closer, careful not to make a sound, and scrutinized the entire floor. Had something gotten under her house? Now that she was looking, there seemed almost to be a seam within the wood. Sharah lowered down, following the seam with her eyes and realizing it was more than just random. Reaching forward soundlessly, she slipped a finger into a knot in the wood. Then she yanked the trap-door open. Someone below let out a sound and Sharah threw herself into the hole, catching whomever it was off guard where they had been hiding. They went tumbling to the ground, struggling with one another until Sharah came out on top brandishing her weapon against the intruder. Methredhel cried out as she was pinned to the ground under a blade.

"Methredhel? What in Oblivion are you doing here?"

The Bosmer groaned at Sharah's weight on her chest. "I needed a place to hide. This wasn't my first choice, believe me. Get off me already!"

Sharah got up, already taking more interest in the room than her apparent house guest. It seemed her shack had another level. A basement. It was nearly the size of her house up above, built sturdy beneath the apparent stone floor. It was dark, stacked with crates and boxes. There was a small table, space for a bedroll against the wall. The small wooden section of floor in the house above provided an entrance that was almost perfectly concealed upon it being shut. And there was what looked like a door up out of the back of her house. How had she not known about this?

Methredhel snorted as she noticed Sharah looking around, answering the confusion in Sharah's mind. "This was once a thief's house. There's always a back entrance."

Sharah looked closer at said entrance. Maybe there was a way to lock it, or put a spell on it. Sharah wasn't so sure she wanted fugitives dropping in here all the time to hide out. Although this did look the place to do that sort of thing.

She turned back to Methredhel. "Why do you need a place to hide?"

The mer looked at her as though she were looking at a half-wit. "Didn't you see those search teams? I can't be seen out there right now. No one can."

"But they're looking for Armand. What does that have to do with you?"

Methredhel replied, "They're only looking for him because they think he stole a bust."

"What bust?" Sharah asked

"The bust of Llathasa Indarys," she answered irritably.

"Hm," Sharah mused, "I didn't think Doyens did jobs. And I would have figured he'd be more careful."

Methredhel snapped, "He didn't steal the bust. I did!"

And she pulled a well sized stone head from her pack on the floor and slammed it down on the table. Methredhel rubbed her forehead anxiously, the Guild beads she'd woven into her hair swinging freely. She spoke mostly to herself, "My first big job for the Guild and I end up putting the whole Waterfront in Lex's vice. By the time I got back, they were already looking for Armand. And I found out there wasn't even a client for this. Armand just used me to flush out an informant that was in the Thieves Guild."

"Informant? Who?"

Methredhel looked up angrily. "Myvryna Arano. She's been reporting to Captain Lex on the Guild's activities. Giving him ammunition against us. Now Armand is in hiding, the whole Waterfront is shut down, and I can't show my face outside with this bust. Everyone's probably going to blame me for this."

Even if she didn't particularly like Methredhel, Sharah still pitied the woman. She'd apparently put a lot of work into getting into the Thieves Guild and now her first job was turning out horribly. Well, Sharah was a member of the Thieves Guild. Perhaps she should do something to fix this…

"Where does this Myvryna Arano live?"

"A few houses down the lane. The one with the daisies out front," Methredhel said offhand, doubtless trying to think of a way to salvage this.

Sharah came over to the table. "Give me the bust."

The mer's eyes flashed. "Why?"

"You may not be able to show your face outside, but I can. So give me the bust."

Methredhel snapped, "I don't need anyone to save my ass. Especially not you."

Sharah replied, "I'm not saving your ass, I'm saving the Guild's. So are you going to let me, or do I get to tell the soldiers there's a strange elf hiding under my house."

Methredhel scowled while Sharah smirked. But the bust landed in her hand a moment later. As Sharah went for the ladder up to the trap door, Methredhel asked, "So what are you going to do, anyway?"

Sharah looked back. "Kill two birds with one stone head."

Upstairs, Sharah tucked the bust into the bottom of her day pack. She left the shack and dodged the regular flow of searching guards. She was stopped less seriously this time, displayed her Fighters Guild patch and was permitted to continue uninterrupted. She bought some fish at the dock, as well as some produce that had just come up the river. Then she headed home through the center archway of the stone Waterfront spine.

She walked through the Waterfront shacks, fingering a ring in her pocket. It was a simple move to disappear really. Stepping through one of the narrow passages between shacks where there was no vantage point from which to see her, Sharah slipped on the Ring of Khajiiti and came out the other side almost completely invisible. And right by the house of the Thieves Guild mole.

The Skeleton Key of the Daedric Prince Nocturnal made an appearance here. Rather than fiddle with lock-picks, Sharah inserted the daedric artifact. The mechanism had a life of its own in its little picks and metal prongs. She felt it whirling and clicking as it explored the lock and until the mechanism opened. A swift movement to open and slip inside and Sharah was able to enter without anyone taking note.

Myvryna Arano did not live alone it seemed, but the feminine touches pointed to which side of the building was hers. Sharah dug the bust out of her bag, wrapped it in a cloth from Myvryna's drawer and tucked it back into her cabinet behind the dishware and cookery. Sharah slipped out the door again between passing patrols and used the same move as before—removing the Ring of Khajiiti while between buildings—to reappear in the public eye. She didn't dare call that the easy part, but this next bit might prove tricky.

She hitched her bag up on her shoulder, now considerably lighter thanks to the bust's removal, and walked homeward while looking for the man in charge. Sure enough, Captain Hieronymus Lex was right in the middle of it all, directing the searches from on site. Of course he was. He wouldn't trust anyone else to direct the searches, and didn't seem the type to sit back in his office and wait for word.

When Sharah made to approach, one of his Lieutenants stopped her. "Halt. State your business."

Sharah leaned around him and pointed. "I'm here to talk to him."

Captain Lex dismissed the man and stepped toward her. "It is good to see you again. But we're in the middle of a situation."

She replied, "Well, you told me to come talk to you if I saw anything suspicious."

"And?"

"Well, I heard you were looking for someone who stole a bust. I think I might have seen someone with it," she offered.

The Captain perked up. "Who? Where did you see him?"

"Not a him. It was a womer. And she took it into a house down the street," Sharah said, pointing down the direction she'd come.

"Show me," Captain Lex insisted. Sharah nodded and led him down the path with a few of his guards, who had heard the conversation, falling into formation behind him.

When they were in sight of the house, Sharah pointed it out. "She took it in that one there."

Captain Lex looked carefully at the house, then at her. "Are you sure?"

"The bust was about this big, right?" and she cupped her hands around as though carrying the stone head again. "And it looked pretty heavy, like stone. But I did see her take it in there. I don't know though, it could have been a helmet or something. Have you looked in there yet?"

One of the guards answered, "No, we haven't searched that house yet."

Captain Lex glared the man into silence, then persisted, "Are you absolutely certain?"

Sharah shook her head. "Not really. She had it wrapped up. But she was being…sneaky about it. Trying to keep it hidden and looking a little edgy. That's what caught my attention. I'm just telling you what I saw, like you asked. If it's not worth it to check out, that's your call."

The Captain couldn't afford to overlook a lead like this in front of his men, even if it directed him toward his informant's house. "Alright, we'll check it out. But you'd better come, too. For…identification purposes."

Sharah looked uncertainly at her bag, then back down the street toward home, apparently weighing the options. Then she sighed and hooked her bag more securely over her shoulder so she could better reach the hilt of her sword, which her hand then dropped to automatically. Captain Lex eyed the gesture and Sharah quickly let go. "Sorry. Force of habit. Lead on."

Captain Lex led the guards and Sharah to the house and forced the door open wide. They filed in and began searching the premises. Sharah followed them inside, but tried to stay out of the way.

In the middle of their inspection, a Dunmer appeared in the doorway. "What are you doing!?"

Sharah saw a flash of recognition when Captain Lex turned to her, but he hid it well. "You are accused of hiding the stolen bust of Llathasa Indarys."

"That's ridiculous. I would never—"

"Captain!"

Lex walked over to the guard who had been searching the cabinet. He looked in and then back at Sharah. "Can you remember what the object looked like when you saw it?"

Sharah nodded. "The size I showed. And it was wrapped in a dingy blue cloth. Or something like it."

Lex pulled out the wrapped bust and drew away the cloth she'd concealed it in to reveal the prize. Immediately, the guards had Myvryna by the arms.

She shrieked, "What? Unhand me!"

Captain Lex held the bust out. "You have been hiding the bust of Llathasa Indarys. I have sufficient evidence here to arrest you for the theft."

She jerked against the hold of her captors. "That's ridiculous. I've never seen that before in my life!"

Captain Lex indicated Sharah. "This citizen saw you bring the bust into your home. What more proof do I need?"

Myvryna glared at the woman. "You fool! She's a member of the Thieves Guild. She's got to be. You're just exposing me."

Captain Lex said, "Unless you have proof of your accusation, I'll hear nothing further. Take her away."

The guards removed the struggling Dunmer from the home while she screamed, "You can't do this! I've been loyal. Loyal!" She continued shrieking all the way down the street.

Sharah watched her go but noticed Captain Lex looking at her intently. She folded her arms. "You've got that 'Captain Jerk' look about you again."

He averted his eyes. "My apologies. This was an unfortunate turn of events."

"Why? You found the bust," Sharah pointed out.

The Captain nodded. "But…she was my informant here on the Waterfront."

"Oh," Sharah said sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

He shook his head. "Don't be. I knew I couldn't trust a thief for long. You've been of great help."

He patted her on the back and Sharah flinched away, dropping her bag in the process. She waved him off when Lex tried to apologize. "Not your fault. A few of my bruises are still a little tender. There's a hand-to-hand teacher in my guild in Bravil. And she doesn't pull her punches. I'll be fine in another week or so." Sharah did let him help return her foodstuffs to the bag. "Again, sorry about your informant gone crooked."

Captain Lex handed her bag to her. "You couldn't have known. I'm glad there's at least one person down here I can depend on."

They parted on amiable terms and Sharah headed home again, noticing that the number of guards on the street had already decreased. Once inside, she locked the door before going to open the trap one to her newfound downstairs.

Methredhel stood quickly. "So? What did you do?"

Sharah replied as she came down the ladder. "I framed Myvryna for your theft and got her arrested. Things should be back to normal around here before too long."

Methredhel was some level of astonished. Either that Sharah had pulled it off or that she'd actually done it at all. Her face twisted and she avoided looking at Sharah. "Thanks." The word must have tasted bitter on her tongue because she rounded on the fighter and said, "But don't think this means I owe you or anything. And don't think this makes us friends."

Sharah tossed up her hands in surrender. "Of course not. In that case, I'd appreciate you hiding somewhere else next time. Or I might go screaming into the street about the giant squirrel hiding out in my basement." She wouldn't, of course. But it was amusing to see that distaste on Methredhel's face anyway.

Update accomplished!