A/N: Hello again! Here's chapter 23, hope you enjoy! A big thanks to you all for reading, as always!


Chapter 23: Accepted

Astrid dried herself, eyeing a black robe that was draped over an old chair. She glanced at her filthy clothes laying on the floor, before promptly deciding to go with the more sanitary option.

After dressing herself, she studied her surroundings, taking them in before sitting down. A mixture of thoughts and emotions spun inside her head like a whirlwind. Part of her wanted to smile and laugh, and a much smaller, quieter side simply wanted to cry without ceasing. Astrid firmly decided against the latter, for she had made a decision, and she didn't want any traces of regret lingering in her system. Her days of being a fearful, troubled little girl were over.

Swallowing back her fears and doubts, Astrid was alerted by a quiet knock on the door.

Astrid inhaled deeply, before standing and wiping away any traces of uncertainty from her features. She gently opened the door, as a small, hooded figure entered the room - quite small, Astrid noticed with a quirked brow.

"Who are you?" she asked, her face distorted in an expression of pure confusion. What type of creature was under that hood? That couldn't possibly be an adult human, mer, or anything else that she was used to seeing. Astrid wondered if it could possibly have been an imp - she'd heard of those, but not in Skyrim. She wasn't quite sure of their appearance, either, but she reasoned that this could possibly be one.

"Oh, forgive me, dear. I've been out in the sunlight. I must've forgotten to take this off again..." a tiny, child-like voice spoke, causing Astrid to unconsciously take a step back. The small person pulled the hood from her head, as her pale skin and dark, brunette locks were uncovered. She was a little girl, and she had the darkest eyes Astrid had ever encountered.

Astrid stood with her mouth slightly gaped, staring at the small child, who was currently digging through a satchel on her belt.

"Y-you're a child?" Astrid inquired, feeling completely dumbfounded.

The girl pulled out a small vile. "Was a child, dear - precisely two hundred and seventy years ago, give or take a few months." The child grinned darkly, her smile bearing sharp, pointed fangs. "Now, I'm something else altogether. When a horde of Vampires turn your parents into human cattle and decide to bestow the gift upon you, you take it and run. Luckily, Vampirism is a wonderful preservative, don't you think?" the small girl chuckled, causing Astrid to feel quite unsettled.

"Oh..." was all Astrid could bring herself to say.

"It takes a bit to get used to, wouldn't you say?" she smiled sweetly, handing Astrid the vile. "Don't you worry, dear. You and I are much more alike than you realize. In time you'll see that. Here, take this. It should help you feel a bit better."

Astrid gave her a leary glance. "What is it?"

"It's an antidote to the poison I mixed to sedate you. I apologize that it was so strong, but it was necessary. Don't worry, though, it wasn't enough to permanently damage anything. It was quite potent, however, and this will help any side effects you're experiencing." she spoke, taking a step closer to Astrid and reaching the vile toward her.

Astrid hesitantly grabbed it, and swallowed it down even more hesitantly. Instantly, the dull pain in her skull subsided along with the churning nausea she'd been experiencing since she'd awakened. "Thank you..." she sighed, handing the child the empty vile.

"Please, call me Babette." she said, stuffing the empty container back into her satchel before stepping into the doorway. "Follow me, Astrid. I'll show you to your living quarters." Babette instructed, leaving the room like a small, dark shadow.

Astrid followed behind her, her eyes tracing every inch of the twisting corridor. She looked on, watching the flames on the sconces writhe and dance, casting black figures wickedly across every surface. Dark banners hung from the ceilings, and blood encrusted weapons lay casually about on the floors. Her whole surroundings reeked of pain and death, and she couldn't help the urge to internally ask herself just how she'd ended up here so quickly.

Babette soon stopped in a room scattered with small beds and chests for personal belongings at the foot of each. She walked over to a bed, pointing to it. "You're in luck, dear. This is our last empty bed, and it's assigned to you. We're a close-knit bunch, really, so I certainly hope you won't mind our constant presence. Just think of us as a dysfunctional little family who happens to kill people for coin." Babette grinned slyly, before leading Astrid down another winding hallway that led to a dining area of some sort.

As Babette passed into the next room, Astrid noticed that a young male Redguard sat at the table along with a middle-aged male Breton, apparently in the middle of a heated conversation.

"So you're telling me that you actually boiled an old woman to death in her own bathtub?" the Redguard asked skeptically, crossing his arms over his chest. "How?"

"Oh, please! It's not like it was hard or anything! You're making it sound like some sort of gods-forsaken miracle! All it took was a little bludgeoning from a mace, me shooting a nice blaze of fire at the bottom of her tub, and ta-da! No different than making horker stew!" the Breton boasted, with a satisfied smile etching over his features.

The Redguard furrowed his brow, smirking. "I thought you found the Arcane arts far superior to weaponry." he scoffed.

The Breton scowled, "Damnit! That doesn't mean one can't improvise every now and then!"

Astrid felt a faint smirk forming on her lips in overhearing the two men bickering. Her attention, however, turned to Babette, who had abruptly cleared her throat, grabbing their attention.

"Astrid, I'd like you to meet Nazir and Festus." she introduced them, pointing to each and giving Astrid a face to each name. Babette then smiled, seating herself at the table among them. "Don't fret, dear. They aren't always this insufferable - that is, if you can keep them away from each other." Babette gave them both a scolding glare.

"Ah, so good to finally meet the woman that stabbed Arnbjorn repeatedly! I've been meaning to congratulate you. That overgrown meathead needed to be taken down a notch!" Festus cackled, gesturing for Astrid to join them.

"I thought you said you were a family..." Astrid looked to Babette, confused by the hateful comments Festus was making about another member.

"A dysfunctional family, dear. He doesn't mean anything by it. Festus is just a bit...contrary." Babette briefly reminded her of their previous conversation. This family certainly was different, Astrid noted. Of course, a strange sense of humor or an off-handed remark here or there was paradise compared to the family she once knew. Astrid figured she'd take that over her past any day.

"It's rather unfortunate we have yet another recruit that can't use one damned spell." Festus added, regretfully. "Of course, if you'd like to be different than this one..." He gestured to Nazir, with a scowl. "You're most welcome to learn from me. I once was a renowned teacher at the College of Winterhold, you know, before those bastards - "

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Before they kicked you out for being a wicked, murderous son of a bitch like the rest of us..." Nazir rolled his eyes. "And what's so wrong with using a weapon?"

"First of all, they didn't kick me out! I left, you buffoon! Secondly, any idiot can take a sharp piece of metal and stab something with it, but to learn the sacred art of the Arcane, takes a higher level of - "

"Ahem!" Babette interrupted the mage. "As much as I'd love to hear this debate all day, I really would like to hear more from our new sister, wouldn't you?" she inquired, her voice sweet, but her eyes cold.

"We hear you like to kill your relatives. An uncle, perhaps?" Babette continued, the question causing Astrid to instantly bristle. The last thing she wanted to think of - to remember, was him.

"Yes...It was..." Astrid answered slowly, trying to outwardly show no signs of fear or damage from the monster she'd slain. "I...slit his throat one night while he was drunk..."

"Bet he was a real bastard, wasn't he?" Nazir chimed in, leaning forward in interest. "I know my first kill sure was."

Babette smiled slyly. "Nazir has quite a history with murdering family members, too. Seems like you two have something in common already, dear."

"It's true. When I lived in Hammerfell, my father was the meanest, slimiest son of a bitch I'd ever laid eyes on. He beat my mother to death one night, and that same night I nearly sliced his head off his shoulders. Ah...good times..." Nazir sighed, reminiscing over his past deed.

Suddenly, the tense feeling inside of Astrid began to subside, washing her fears away like a calming spring rain. She felt her muscles begin to relax. "So...you had a horrible past, too?" she asked Nazir sincerely, feeling a chance for a true connection to another human.

He nodded, as Festus spoke up. "We all did, missy! We wouldn't all be in a blasted deathcult sending souls to the Void if we'd had one of those goody-goody, happy lives and all that mess!"

Babette grinned, placing her tiny chin on her fist. "Dear, I've been living in an undead child's body for nearly three centuries. You can't get much more disturbed than that. Like I told you, we are far more alike than you realize."

Astrid smirked, feeling not only relieved, but content inside. The cold isolation she'd suffered out there in the world of normalcy began to slowly melt. She then remembered the man she'd stabbed - they called him Arnbjorn. Suddenly, she began to grow curious.

"And what of this Arnbjorn?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you'll meet him soon enough. If you think we're strange, just wait until you see him." Nazir chuckled. "I'll never let him live this down! I can't believe he let himself get injured so badly by a rookie!"

"Can it, Nazir! You haven't been here so long yourself!" Festus scolded him, seemingly just for the fun of it.

Babette turned to Astrid. "He's out on a contract, dear. He'll be back in a few days, I'm sure. Just get settled in and make sure to rest up. It's only a matter of time until Zirath gives you your first contract. It'll be a win-win, really. Just think, dear, you'll get to murder someone and collect some profit. An assassin really is a dream job, if I must say so." she beamed.

At this point, Astrid finally allowed her guarded features to form into a full-blown smile. "It does sound nice, actually, now that you mention it..."