Author's Note: Would the April Fool's joke be pretending the story ISN'T over?

Meh. Life happened, not much to say past that.

Disclaimer: Do we even need to go into the things I'm not owning here? Oblivion. Though I bought it for the 360, too! I figure I'll be able to do more of the main quests if I'm not so distracted by user-generated content. Ahem.

Nobody Important

Chapter Ten: Dismissed

In which vampires are people too.

By: N3k0

This day's horror was little more than the hunger. Sleeping, she couldn't push it back, distract herself from it. It felt like acid, eating away at her from the inside and the outside, her injuries only helping to fuel her pain. Interlaced with the starvation, the pain, came the sound of inhuman whimpers - almost shrieks.

And then ...

Warm, coppery liquid dripped onto her tongue, a couple drops, then a stream. She swallowed hungrily. Some part of her rebelled. The taste should be abhorrent to her, but it wasn't. It was sweet, delicious, even. A moment, two, was all it took. She settled into a somewhat more peaceful rest.

Then, she felt herself walking. She was still engulfed by darkness, still surrounded by it. She felt that she was in a forest, the moon high overhead. How long had it been since she'd truly fed? She wasn't certain. She could smell it, calling to her, drawing her inexorably toward the scent. A lake of it! Blood, everywhere. If she wanted, she could swim in it. She could even see steam rolling off the lake. The cold of the forest - she hadn't noticed before, but she was cold, so cold. She knelt, dipping both hands into the lake. She needed to feed, to drink. To live.

But her lips. When she opened her mouth to feed, she realized her lips had been sewn shut.

Cold, white hands gripped Lyssi's upper arms. She tried to scream, but before she could, she was pulled under.

She was going to drown.

Lyssi woke at dusk, shaken by whatever torment the day had brought her, though she couldn't now remember what had happened.

She was shaking, cold, and she smelled the coppery scent of blood on the air. Looking down at her pillow, she saw some stains of it. Looking down at her injury, she saw she'd bled through the bandaging. The wound felt all right, though; she'd probably be fine. There was a little tug whenever she moved wrong, but she was on the mend. She pressed her palm to her stomach, a quiet healing cantrip on her lips. She was a dealer of death, and it didn't seem right to her that she was becoming so good at this opposite talent.

She looked up and around. She saw a note on the stand by the bed, so she took it, carefully.

Lyssi -

Please speak with me when you awaken.

- Jauffre

She shook her head. What had she done now? Was she too horrible a monster to keep around? Fine, she was planning on leaving this night regardless. She had work, she needed to be with her Family. They understood. They didn't judge her on what she was ...

She walked down the stairs to the main floor of the house, looking around. One of the priors, who had been sleeping when she arrived, approached her. "Jauffre is upstairs, miss." She shook her head. He smiled agreeably. "Not in the sleeping loft. Surely you didn't miss the second staircase? It leads to his study." Lyssi blushed, embarrassed. She had, actually. She'd been nearly incoherent with pain and hunger....

She felt much better after a good day's rest, she decided.

"… Right, then. He would like to see you as soon as possible." Lyssi nodded. It would be polite to tell him she was going, she thought. Wouldn't it?

She walked up the stairs, making little noise. She wasn't deliberately trying to scare him. It was simply a force of habit, to approach unheard.

The monk noticed her before she could speak. "Ah, there you are. You were quite distressed, this morning. I didn't want to wake you; I wasn't certain how you would react." She decided it was time to inspect the floorboards, so she did. "However, I did take the liberty of feeding you, and ... " He stopped speaking momentarily. Possibly, he'd decided to take his chance to be fascinated by the fact that her skin, which was already pale enough, had managed to become a shade or two lighter still. She covered her mouth with one hand.

"... Are you so uncomfortable with your condition, then?" He shook his head. "It isn't any wonder you entertain nightmares. After you were fed, you slept more soundly ... for a while, anyway." He shrugged. Lyssi thought perhaps he realized it wasn't really his business anyway. She was glad.

"How is your wound?" She looked down. It was healing well – barely a scratch, now. She shrugged, and he nodded. "What we spoke of last night – you must not tell anyone. At the moment we do not know if our adversaries realize that they have not yet won, and it is imperative that they do not realize how much we need Martin until it is too late for them to snatch him away. You understand?" She nodded. Of course she did. "Well then. I will not keep you any longer. Trust in the Blades. We'll take care of everything."

Like they'd taken care of the Emperor?

She nodded, anyway. It wasn't her business. She wasn't some hero, out to save the world. She was an assassin, and she had contracts, and a Family, to return to.

Even assassins can be loyal to the Empire, my daughter.

Walking out of the priory, she decided to ignore that little voice in her head. She'd done what the Emperor wanted … hadn't she?

((And back to the letters! Hoo, boy. This one's the follow up, because I felt it needed a follow-up, even though Lyssi doesn't keep copies of her own letters.))

To Whom It May Concern:

You tried to kill me. I took your mind until I could be rid of you. I don't know how your Khajiit found me. The next one you send dies.

Stop writing.

- A