Her destiny was certainly a big one. The biggest in all of Tamriel, if Delphine and Esbern were to be believed. Big enough that a part of her just wanted to escape it for awhile, which was just what she did by joining the Guild in Riften. That had been no easy task either; the Guild Master had ended up betraying all of them, and trying to kill Aerelin twice. While she had thought her and Brynjolf, another thief, had been getting close, that seemed to change with Karliah's arrival. The two other Nightingales were always with each other after the fight with Mercer, and it got to the point that Aerelin was the one tasked with returning the Skeleton Key. A vain part of her hoped this would find her more in Nocturnal's favor. It was when she returned to Riften that the first letter came.

"Ah, there you are." The friendly voice behind her had come as a surprise, and Aerelin had nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning, she eyed the man curiously. He had a large smile and a bag that seemed to be filled with missives. "Got some things for you." He rummaged through and finally handed her two letters. "Well, that's it." The courier turned and wandered back towards the inn, leaving Aerelin to wonder about his faculties. The first letter was a note from Whiterun, asking her assistance with some problem or another and a promise of gold. The second was the true surprise; a letter from Cicero the Jester. Pushing a lock of dark hair from her face, she opened it quickly and scanned the contents. It seemed Cicero had found a home after all for him and his mother in Dawnstar, and had wanted to thank her once again. It brought a smile to hear of his adventures on his way there, and she was happy he'd made it safely.

"Well, what's got you in such a pleasant mood?" Brynjolf's voice made her jump, and she was quick to stuff the note in her pocket. Aerelin found herself grateful that the Nightingale armor she wore had so many of them. He arched a brow at her movements, and she kept her hand over the pocket lest he attempt to swipe it off her.

"Just someone asking for help. Likely gonna pay pretty well too." She gave a confident smile even as she backed away. She would leave for Whiterun immediately and send a reply letter from there. As she went to buy supplies from the Bee and Barb, Aerelin felt a small thrill of excitement at possibly making a new friend in Cicero.

The Jarl in Whiterun had simply wanted her assistance taking care of some bandits nearby, and it didn't take nearly as long as she originally figured. To make everything better, she also came away several hundred gold richer, and that was before the Jarl paid her. It was with a big smile she purchased a parcel of land in the hold, and had a few men hired to build her a home. Not wanting to go back to Riften just yet and face her fellow Nightingales, she hired a room at the Bannered Mare to wait out the construction of her home. She took the time to write out her reply to Cicero, wanting it to be just right. done, she found a courier in the inn and asked him to deliver it to Dawnstar. It took a portion of what was left of her savings, but it was definitely worth it in the end. Besides, she could always find a nearby cave or ruin to loot for more gold. It took all of a week for a reply to arrive at the inn, and Aerelin couldn't help the thrill of excitement as she opened it on the way to her room. Cicero mentioned visits and her bringing sweet rolls, which she made a mental note to do someday. She drafted her reply before going to bed that night, dreams of jesters and sweet rolls dancing in her mind.