Sam Guevenne was standing outside the inn as Leola drew near it. The sun shone down on the town and the blonde's eyes went wide at the sight of the drunk. For a drunk, he knew a great deal about her mother and the Daedric princes, and she knew that she had to ask him for more information. He was an elusive man, so when she saw him there, she knew that this was her only chance.

She stood back, watching quietly. He stood there with a bottle in hand, taking large, dramatic swigs. It looked as if he was waiting for someone, and she patiently waited for him to move.

After several minutes, he finally moved. He began to walk away from the inn, making his way towards the Gray Quarter, and she sneakily followed. She kept herself tucked behind buildings, moving as quietly as she could from building to building so that he wouldn't see her. She followed him into the Gray Quarter, receiving a couple of odd looks from a pair of passing dark elves before watching him open the door of a house and enter. It had to have been where he lived.

She walked up to the house, taking a deep breath before lifting one hand. As her knuckles came into contact with the door, however, it was pushed open a crack. Sam must not have closed the door fully.

Leola was hesitant, rapping gently against the door to see if he would come and answer. There was silence from inside, though. She paused, thinking deeply, and finally, she gave the door a gentle push and opened it.

She slipped inside, closing the door fully behind her before looking around. It was a small house, a single room with a door off to one side. She began to move towards the door, not seeing him anywhere in the room with her.

"Leola."

The Nord jumped slightly, whirling around and seeing Sam behind her. Her hand came to her heart and she let out a relieved sigh.

"You startled me," she said.

"You still haven't had your special drink," he said disappointedly, and Leola gave him a small smile.

"No, I've been busy," she replied. "Look…can we talk?"

A smirk came to Sam's lips and he gave her a nod, motioning towards the table. "Certainly, but you have to have a drink with me."

Leola sighed softly, moving to sit in the chair. "Fine, but just one drink, and nothing special. I'm here to talk business."

"There's no fun in that," Sam said as he walked over to a shelf. Leola watched him closely as he examined all the bottles. He settled on one, taking it from the shelf and carrying it back to the table with him.

"I'm not here to be fun," she said with a small smile as he picked up a cup. He tipped the bottle down so that the neck was angled downwards, but of course, nothing came out – he hadn't yet taken off the lid. He waited a moment, as if wondering why it wasn't coming out.

"Hmm," he murmured.

"You didn't open it, Sam," she said gently.

"Ah," he replied, taking off the lid quickly before attempting to fill the cup. Sure enough, out poured a strong-smelling concoction that had Leola wincing.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Liquid magic," Sam answered, pushing the cup towards her before filling another one that was sitting on its side nearby. "On three?"

"Sure," she replied with a smile.

"One," said Sam.

"Two," Leola replied with a giggle.

Together, they both said "Three," and brought the cups to their lips, downing the drink. Leola cringed, feeling a burning sensation in her throat and a tingle in her head. She waited a moment until the burning went away before opening her eyes, looking towards Sam. There was a smirk on his lips.

"You apparently don't handle that well," he said.

"I don't," she agreed with a giggle. "Now, I've had a drink. Will you answer my questions?"

"Certainly!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands. "A promise is a promise, my dear princess."

Leola bit her lip slightly. What had her questions been again? Something about the Daedric princes…

"What do you know about the Daedric princes?" she asked him softly.

"Everything," Sam replied with a wink. "Anything you need to know, I can tell you. But only if you deserve it, of course."

"How do I find the shards of my mother's soul?" she asked softly.

"Well," said Sam slowly, beginning to fumble around in the pockets of his robe, "I happen to have one right here."

Leola quirked an eyebrow doubtfully, but her expression quickly changed as he pulled out a shattered piece of soul gem from the pockets of his robe. He held it out and she hesitantly took it, examining it closely and turning it over in her hands. The edges were jagged and rough, and instead of her own reflection in the smoothest parts, she saw her mother's.

"How did you get this?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Oh," he said suddenly, pausing. A voidlike swirl of violet and black suddenly appeared, engulfing the Breton mage and causing Leola to lean back nervously. As the magic faded, she saw that where Sam had once stood, there was now a tall, demonic being with black skin, spiked armour, and horns. Her blue eyes went wide.

"W-what are you?" she exclaimed, quickly rising to her feet.

"Sanguine! The Daedric prince of debauchery!" he said with a cheeky grin. Despite his chilling new appearance, his slurring, drunken voice remained, almost giving Leola a sense of comfort.

"This whole time?" she asked nervously, and he nodded.

"Absolutely," he replied. "You're not nearly as fun as your mother was, though."

Leola frowned, her brow furrowing as she tried to make sense of it. "Why did you come here?" she asked softly.

"I knew you were looking for me," he replied with a shrug. "I didn't know what I was going to say, but at least I got you to do something fun."

"I had one drink," she said with a frown. "I don't feel drunk."

"You're not," he replied. "Shame, really. I think you'd be fun if you let loose. We could go out and spread merriment across Skyrim like your mother and I did."

"Why are you giving me this?" Leola asked, looking down at the fragment of the soul gem in her palm.

"I have no use for it," he replied. "Your mother isn't coming back. I don't need her soul, and I'd rather you have it than it get to the others. I hate to think what they'd use it for – they don't quite know the meaning of joy the way she and I do."

"Can you tell me where to find any others?" Leola asked softly, hopeful that he would.

Sanguine was silent for a minute, thinking. "Methinks I'll be visiting my old friend Sheogorath soon. His plane of Oblivion – fun, but terrifying, all at once. No use in sending you there. I think he's the only one of us who isn't concerned with your well-being," he said, laughing drunkenly. "Even Molag, and Dagon – he can't wait to meet you."

Leola bit her lip slightly. "So…you're going to get Sheogorath's piece for me?" she asked softly, and Sanguine nodded.

"I'll do that," he said. "But you're going to have to come and get it from me yourself, and I won't give it to you as easily as I gave you mine."

Leola nodded slightly. She knew that he was going to expect her to give him a fun night, and for her mother's sake, she would do it. "Alright," she said. "Where do you want me to go to meet you once you have it?"

"I'll make sure you know," he said with a wink. "If you don't hear from me in a week or two, drink your special drink. It will lead you straight to me."

Leola gave him a firm nod. "Deal," she said, smiling. "Thank you, Sanguine."

Sanguine smirked slightly, nodding. "Promise me you'll try to have fun from time to time?" he asked, and Leola laughed softly.

"I'll try," she replied with a nod and a smile. She was sure that there was something Sanguine wasn't telling her, but as long as he was agreeing to help her for now, she frankly didn't care.