Ace

"You mean to tell me that the egg vault was placed on top of a cave full of draugur!" Yelled the imperial captain. The Lieutenant made a whimper, and then squeaked his apologies. "I'm sorry captain Ace, but how were we to-"

"How about you get some sense in that head of yours and scope the area you're about to put three dragon eggs in! there was a direct link to the floor of that vault! What do you think would have happened if there was a real break in!" The lieutenant mutter something intelligible.

"Speak up!"

"We found signs of a break-in in the cave"

The captain drew his dagger and stabbed it into the table, a mere inch from the Lieutenants hand. "Get out of my sight or else I will throw you to the very draugur that posed the problem!"

"Another things sir"

"You have thirty seconds."

"We lost three men to a giant draugur, or at least it appeared to be a draugur."

"Get rid of it, NOW!"

As the lieutenant fled from the captains growing wrath, Ace sat down to a flagon of Alto Wine, pondering what had happened. He had risen to this position, and the divines knew what he would do to anyone who tried to take it, but these were troubled times. With the rising interest in dragons, people would pay extraordinary amounts for three dragon eggs, even he knew that. That posed a problem

Jamie

He had been in Dragonreach for the past few hours, simply using invisibility for a while. He was concerned that Taylor or Zeera would be able to detect him, but she was distracted by Rose, and he remained unknown when she relaxed. Then, when Leon caused a commotion by accident, he slipped out and tried to deduce what all this meant. He started by researching why Dragonreach was empty, a thought that had been on his mind for a while.

He discovered that the Imperials made a call for all the most influential people in Whiterun, and the Jarl was encouraged to bring all his staff. While they were supposed to have locked up, Jamie took a different route, through the window, and after that the lock was picked by Rose. The call was suggested by an Imperial captain, but his name wasn't known by anyone he found on short notice. But then he decided to use his skills. He figured that everyone was supposed to come together, and he was to be the analysis of the group, so that's what he did. Analyse.

He deduced from everyones skill set that they, as a group, would be exactly what was needed to steal the eggs. Rose as a scout, and capable of unlocking any door in their path, Annie to heal and detect and defeat the draugur, Leon, Gen and Zeera to fight, and him to help fight and use the power of deduction and his mind. He then entered the room and declared his magical skill with the fire rune.

"Now, let's get down to business. Someone wants us to steal the Imperial dragon eggs."

At that moment everyone's attention was drawn. Rose looked up, excited to steal such a valuable item, Annie and Leon curious, but Gen and Taylor's faces were devoid of emotion.

"Jamie…" whispered Gen

"It wasn't of my doing. While the odds are in favour that someone here organised this meeting, I had nothing to do with it. I can't afford to go through what happened last time again, and neither can both of you."

They looked at him, then nodded and became completely absorbed in what he was saying. He spoke of how someone needed them, and how he deduced that, and how everyone was to be useful. He told them how dragonreach was empty. But then came the hardest part. Rose asked why it was such a sensitive topic between him Gen and Taylor, and he explained what happened, those two years ago, when he was only nineteen, and Gen and Taylor twenty each.

"And then the draugur came with a greatsword over him and-"his voice cracked and he broke off his sentence there

"You don't have to finish, we got the gist." Rose said comfortingly.

"Then we fought our way to create a column and dashed out. Draugur can be strong, but they aren't quick. We escaped. But we disbanded. Jamie to focus on his magic and to gain knowledge, he went to the College of Winterhold, were I assume he met you" Gen nodded at Annie. She nodded back. "I went to the companions, to hone my fighting, but soon they bored me, and I left to become a private sellsword, for Maven Black-Briar, and Taylor travelled the world, learning about nothing in particular, but she honed her fighting and her magic in that time. But none of us would arrange this again, meaning if one of us were to have organised it, it would be one of you." Gen crossed her arms when she finished, and gave a glare at them.

Then the sound of Rose's laughter filled the hall.

Bryony

She was running, having managed to sell all of her wares, and storing it in her home in Solitude. She was trying to find refuge. What she had done was stupid. She relied on the same techniques as the Kahjit, trading around through each city, and they often took the same trade routes. They were angry at her business excelling further than theirs, but now she had gone too far, and they will be angry, very, very angry. When you anger an opponent, that has connections, you are in trouble. She is new to the business, and has few contacts.

Sure, she is Imperial and is allowed in the cities, that was her primary advantage, beside the skills of persuasion and her praiseworthy abilities of seduction, but if she's lying in a ditch, cold, those abilities aren't going to be of much use, are they. She could run to her brother, a newly positioned Imperial captain, but she didn't know where he was. It was raining, which helped her hide the tears. But then a thought struck her. She turned on her heel and strode back into Solitude. She knew someone who she could blend in with, who the Kahjit wouldn't go near.

She decided to serve the Jarl of Whiterun.