Author's Note: Woah. this was a hard chapter to write.

Not much to say. Amusingly, on the playthrough I'm currently doing on the 360, this actually played out as: Talaendril got pissed off at me for pickpocketing her and continuously refused my yields, so I led her to shoot down everybody else. Bit anticlimactic and bad AI is kinda bad. Ahem. Anyway.

Don't own, don't sue, have some cake.

Nobody Important

Chapter Fifteen: Death in the Family

In which more dialogue occurs.

By: N3k0

She couldn't think about what she was doing.

Antoinetta and Gogron died in their sleep, throats opened. So much blood wasted, the feral part of her lamented as the orc gurgled his last breaths. She'd left her pet behind, to wait for her. If she had to face Vicente … well, the human wouldn't be much of a distraction. She just had to hope Vicente was otherwise occupied.

He'd be reading.

M'raaj-Dar would be in the training room. He was an accomplished spellcaster, and spent almost all of his free time practicing his craft. Lyssi had learned much of magic from him, on Ocheeva's orders.

Of course, he also had to eat. Lyssi was opening the door to the living area when she encountered the cat, and an awkward silence passed between them. She'd been meticulous, and her weapon was hidden, for the moment. He sniffed the air, staring at her, and offered a quiet snarl, muttering something about 'bloodsuckers' as he passed. She followed him, quietly. When he sat at the table to eat, she sat across from him, palming a vial of poison.

She didn't want to fight him directly. His spells would negate her slim advantages.

"I don't like you," he said, dropping a slab of meat onto his plate. "I do not know why you followed me. I think I have made it clear enough that I do not want to be your friend. I'd rather have nothing to do with you!" He glared across the table at her, and poured some wine into his cup.

"Why?" She kept her voice quiet, gently reaching out with her magic to calm him.

He stood, slamming his hands down on the table. "Because of that!"

A little more magic to the spell – and – "Because of what?" She steadied the cups – he'd practically tipped the table over with his outburst.

Keep him distracted …

"Everything comes easily to you! Years of study! Years! I spent years training to be a mage. It is my life's work! Gogron spends every day training with weapons. Even Antoinetta tries to better herself, but you!

"You waltz in, already favored by Lachance, and effortlessly you breeze through contracts. Every skill comes naturally to you, and who are you anyway?" He took a sip of his wine, the worst of his fury dimming. "An outsider. What right do you have to pretend to be worthy of licking the scum off my paws, much less call yourself a Dark Sister? You bungle simple tasks, then stumble through important contracts on blind luck. One day your luck – "

M'raaj-Dar looked around, a bit confused. "One day your luck will run … " He looked down at his cup. "... You poisoned me?"

Lyssi nodded.

He laughed, hysterically. "The traitor. Ah, now I see. Aha … ahaha … "

The cat fell face-first into his food, dead. She felt a bit sad.

He'd had a point.

She had to move on. Ocheeva would still be asleep, then she'd confront Vicente. She was surprised she hadn't already encountered him.

He'd be reading still.

Ocheeva died quietly, and Lyssi allowed herself to gorge here. She'd need every edge she could get against Vicente, and the blood would give her strength. It didn't hurt; it never hurt. She was careful with her fangs.

She steeled herself to face the elder vampire, expecting a grand confrontation, perhaps. Maybe they would fight. Maybe he would understand.

Maybe he would kill her, and she wouldn't have to live with what she'd done.

She hadn't expected his strong hands to grab her from behind. She hadn't expected the cold steel pressed to her throat. He held her to his chest with the blade of the sword.

"Ah, my Daughter. So good to see you again."

She froze.

"Nothing to say? I had hoped at least for a greeting – perhaps an explanation? I think one is in order. Don't you?" He kept the civil veneer thin. He was angry. So angry …

Of course he knew. He was Vicente. He knew everything.

"Lucien."

She could hear the smile in his voice, and the malice it failed to mask. "See, that wasn't so hard, mm? So – " He dug the blade in, just enough to draw blood. "Why did Lucien order this?"

He didn't have to hurt her, some childish voice whined. He was Vicente. She would have done anything he asked, and gladly.

"Traitor." Her voice came out sullenly.

An amused note entered his voice. "I beg your pardon?"

"There is a traitor."

He laughed, and it was a hard sound. "Everyone knew that, or at least suspected. The murders … unless … "

"A Purification." For the first time in years – since before Mother left, even – she felt tears well up. The sensation was strange, at first, and she found it hard to breathe, harder to speak. "The – the traitor. Was … was from here. This Sanctuary."

"Ah, Lucien … Lucien." Vicente seemed to be musing aloud to himself. "I would have gladly assisted you in this, and you order my death. Such a pity it should come to this. No matter."

He shifted, subtly, his attention returning to her, and she would swear she felt herself shrink in size. "As for you, my dearest Daughter. You should be proud. Few assassins are skilled enough to eliminate so many of their Brethren, especially within the comfort and safety of their own Sanctuary." He paused, and she had nothing to say – for a moment there was silence between them.

Lyssi gathered her will, swallowed, and closed her eyes. He was going to kill her. Vicente was going to kill her.

She hadn't really expected to fail.

M'raaj-Dar was right.

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to kill me."

He dragged the blade across her throat.

Fire blossomed around them, and all she knew was pain.

((I ran out of letters! So now I'm picking out relevant parts of in-game books. Fooor … Foreshadowing. Sure! This one's from Manifesto Cyrodiil Vampyrum, a Deepscorn Hollow book.))

… Above all, reveal thyself and our Order to no other, for discretion is the greatest of our virtues. Do not feed where you may be found out, or on those who may not suspect your passing. Avoid daylight by lifestyle; dispel common belief in our kind, and maintain supple appearance through satisfaction of the thirst ….