Author's Note:
So, this is the longest chapter published yet. I don't know why this one. For the most of it, it's a respite chapter in the middle of the plotline, of sorts, but… it just happened and now it's the longest one :D Sometimes it just gets away from me. So I hope that you'll enjoy this, even with the somewhat eased pace (as the title suggests, after all). And I hope you're excited for the rest of the plotline too :)
Oh, and shout-out to Rainpebble3 on this chapter. She knows why ;) :D And I highly recommend to those of you who haven't already read her fics on AO3 to do so. They are absolutely amazing :3
Chapter XC – When the Dust Settles
Brynjolf sure loved to make speeches.
Granted, he was good at it too. And it was no easy task to convince everyone to lay down their arms after that mess in the cistern. There were grudges, bad blood, friends betrayed, people lost, yet the man managed to keep the aftermath… civil.
Along with the four mercenaries, ten thieves died in the battle and six more were wounded. And even though Aeyrin did her best to heal the rogues that she could, no matter their previous actions against her or anyone else, tensions were still all too high and everyone was on edge. Some were still angry about Mercer's death, some were angry about the Guild being undermined by Karliah's network and some were angry that Karliah got to get off scot-free from that stunt. So many have died because of her brash actions. So many more could have died.
But somehow, Brynjolf managed to talk everyone down. Mercer's own horrid deeds have certainly helped the man's case. Especially after everyone leant what happened to Thrynn and what really happened to Raven, all without anyone else's knowledge. Aside from a few of Mercer's loyal men who were now dead. Those were the first ones to attack after all.
Still, there was nothing easy about moving on for many of them. Despite the atrocities done in the Guild's name and done to their own brethren, they have lost much. And it wasn't only Mercer's most loyal who died in the battle.
The next few days were spent in somber mourning and recuperation.
Brynjolf was determined to mend bridges no matter what. And after a long private discussion with Karliah, which nobody else witnessed, he wanted what was best for the Guild. In his eyes, nothing could hurt them more now than remaining enemies with Karliah. A lot of the rogues protested, but in the end, they all conceded. It was for the best. No more threats to their businesses and certainly no more threats to their lives.
Nobody took Mercer's place as the Guildmaster, but it became clear soon enough what the plan was.
A lot of new members came to the Guild, drawn from the pools of Karliah's small operations all over Skyrim. Maven's support was secured once more with Mercer dead and Karliah volunteered to venture into Mercer's mansion to find the Eyes of the Falmer and give them to the Guild. The goal was clear – the Guild would prosper under Karliah's network. It would have probably been harder to stomach for most of the rogues if the prospects weren't so profitable. Karliah had plenty of groups under her thumb already and most of the decimated empire of Frey had already been rebuilt in her name instead. And now all of that was theirs – the Guild was on the precipice of its former glory and whatever Mercer stole from them would be gained back after the treasure was sold.
Despite their mourning and their losses, the Guild was looking at a bright future at last.
Karliah and Brynjolf were coordinating a lot of the efforts. Brynjolf often deferred to her for organization and decisions – the thieves may not have been too thrilled about that, but most of the operations were under her direction already, it only made sense.
Although from time to time, it didn't look like she was in charge. Sometimes it looked like she was just going out of her way to impress Brynjolf and prove to him how capable of a leader she would be. Nobody was certain why she wanted to prove herself to him so adamantly when she didn't try nearly as hard with the other Guild members.
In fact, Karliah hardly ever spoke to anyone else at the cistern, save from her old allies. Perhaps she was wary. The anger of the rogues didn't wane entirely yet.
Aeyrin, Bishop and Raven, on the other hand, did the exact opposite. It wasn't really their idea. The atmosphere right after the battle was… dangerous. They wanted nothing more than to leave and prevent any other incidents like that, perhaps to hide inside Honeyside for a while and see what their little housecarl spy had to say for herself. And Raven looked ready to follow them anywhere if only he could escape the cistern.
But Brynjolf insisted. He asked them all, surprisingly pleadingly, to stay in the cistern for the time being. He didn't want anything to go awry and he was convinced that stuffing everyone in the same room and forcing them to get along was the key to preventing any future mishaps.
The first step towards that was getting officially rid of the bounty on Aeyrin's head. Now that the price was gone and the talk of revenge was actively culled, there was no reason for animosity towards her from the thieves. Besides, most of them were already too wary of what the world would come to if she would have been harmed. The word was sent to all remaining allies of Mercer, which were very few. But the notice was sent to the Silver-Bloods, along with a decent number of Maven's mercenaries to guards their mines as a gesture of good-will. And another was sent along to Windhelm to the Shatter-Shield family. The only remaining allies of his were allegedly the drug lord Tilmuril, who had survived Aeyrin's decimation of Fort Fellhammer, and the rest of Thorn's clans in the Lost Knife caverns. Nobody knew where the Altmer was now, apparently, but Karliah had great interest in finding him for some reason. More so than Aeyrin did. And as for the bandits, telling them that even Mercer was dead may not have been the best idea. But officially, the bounty was history. And nobody in the Guild had any reasons to go after her anymore. Not that any of them wanted to before. They've lost enough to the dragons already, it appeared.
Surprisingly enough, Bishop and Raven's presence was accepted in the cistern even more easily. There was… history there. A time ago, both of them were part of the Guild. And the thieves were quite shocked to find out what Mercer had done to Raven and they never forgot Bishop's punishment for their mutiny years ago either – both of them had paid enough for their respective 'treasons', it was established, and nobody was surprised that they sought Mercer's downfall in return.
It was an uncomfortable stay at first. There was too much suspicion, too much grudge between Karliah's allies and the Guild, but eventually, after many of those speeches from Brynjolf, the mistrust waned and everyone began to accept the new truth. They were all allies now.
It was uncertain how long they would be all staying in the sewers. There was always more to do, the thieves and Karliah's allies often got roped into one task or another to help the coordination along. They all had to ensure that Mercer's associates wouldn't abandon them and that the new factions played nicely together. The dynamic with the people of Riften also needed to be… adjusted. Neither Karliah nor Brynjolf were willing to do business based on constant threats and fear anymore.
It was a lot of work and all through that, everyone had to make sure to get along and prevent the tensions from rising again in the cistern.
Though that was much easier than they had feared.
Nobody wanted to fight anymore.
…
"Hey, you nitwit fuckers. Hope you missed me."
A familiar voice interrupted the group of people playing cards by a long table in the cistern. Bishop, Garthar, Vex, Tonilia and Rune had been gambling away their money for the better part of the afternoon already. It was five days after the battle in the cistern and the atmosphere was considerably lighter by now. Especially since most of the coordination efforts were almost done by now and everyone in the Guild found themselves with more free time on their hands at last.
They all turned their attention to the source of the voice until their eyes fell on the dark-haired woman standing nearby with her arms folded across her chest. Karliah had mentioned that Sapphire was called to return to the Guild but it took her quite a while. Even if she was at the other end of Skyrim.
"Damn, Sapphire," Vex smirked at her and she got up from her seat for a spell to approach and pat her on the shoulder amicably. "I never thought I'd see your ass back here. Bryn said you were supposed to be here days ago."
"Yeah… well…" Sapphire returned her amicable gesture, but her face bore an oddly bitter uncertainty. "Got a letter to come to the cistern, I got kinda fucking suspicious." She scrunched up her face at them.
"Didn't Karliah send you the letter?" Bishop smirked at her. Sure, it would have been really suspicious if Brynjolf or someone else tried to lure her in here, but wasn't she used to instructions from Karliah by now?
"Yeah, well, still could've been a fucking fake or a trap or some shit. What the fuck do I know?" she shrugged.
"Why did you come then?" Rune raised his brow at her curiously. She had a point about being wary. Mercer had pulled too much shit on everyone already. But it was surprising that she moved past her suspicions.
"I don't know, I was just fucking tired of hiding. I couldn't even go anywhere. If it was a trap… I don't know… I would have…" she rolled her eyes as if she was annoyed by merely having to explain.
"Ended up like Thrynn?" Bishop scoffed at her. Mercer would have either captured her outright or offered her the same deal that he had to Thrynn… and then he would capture her and torture her and kill her.
"As if," Sapphire scoffed. "As if I'd ever listen to Mercer's shit ever again. I still can't believe Thrynn fell for that load of fucking crap from that skeever-fucking, muck-guzzling…"
"Hey!" Garthar interrupted her promptly with a low growl. Bishop had only met this guy now after the battle at the cistern. He was one of the more recent members of the Guild. He hadn't seen nearly as much shit as the rest and it was obvious that he was somewhat loyal to Mercer before the battle. But Brynjolf was right. What was the point in it now? There was no going back and Garthar apparently decided that it was better to adapt to the new leadership. Still, he wasn't exactly thrilled by Sapphire's colorful words. "The man's dead for fuck's sake. Give it a rest."
"Whatever," Sapphire rolled her eyes again and let out an exasperated puff of breath, sending some of the stray strands of her dark hair flying from her face. Her annoyed expression faltered a second later though and it got replaced by strange… reverence. "I can't believe he's actually… Fuck. Can I see the corpse?" she looked hopefully at Vex.
Bishop only smirked at that reaction. It was hardly surprising from Sapphire. She reacted with similar wonder to Thorn's death. Not that he could blame her.
"What the fuck's the matter with you?" Garthar's face twisted in disdain.
"What? I just like making sure," Sapphire grinned at him meanly. This conversation wasn't going to lead anywhere good though and, as weird as Bishop felt for obeying those stupidly naïve notions of keeping up the peace, he was just so fucking tired of fighting with the Guild and Mercer, he was more than willing to jump through hoops for Brynjolf's tactics.
"Sit your ass down and forget about Mercer already," he inclined his head towards the table.
Sapphire sighed briefly, but she did nudge Vex and they both joined them by the table within a second. Sapphire looked around the splayed cards there, the mugs of ale and pouches of gold in the center of the table, before she raised her brow at everyone present.
"That how it is then? We're all a happy little family again?" she scoffed.
"Do you still wanna fight?" Bishop scowled at her. "I'm pretty fucking tired of this shit. Not like I don't have plenty of other enemies anyway," he grumbled.
"No…" Sapphire frowned at him in response. She almost looked like she was pouting before she looked at the others around the table. "I just don't trust it, is all. You were all after me a few days ago."
"Sapphire!" Vex gave her almost an accusing look. "No, we weren't. We didn't know where you disappeared to. You just vanished one day. We didn't know about Thrynn either. Well… probably just Cynric and Niruin did. And the rest of Mercer's bandit thugs."
Sapphire gave her a surprised and shockingly genuine smile, but she quickly shook her head as if she was trying to get rid of that expression. "Right. Yeah. Shit, and Ravyn, right?" She promptly drew the attention back to Mercer's allies as she looked at Bishop. "That fucking creep. I heard what happened to you. That asshole should have fucking died a long time ago, that shit-eating…"
"Seriously?" Garthar interrupted her again with an angry scowl. Bishop wasn't sure if he had been close with Ravyn too. How could anyone ever defend that creep? But it probably didn't matter. This discussion was as dangerous and pointless as the previous one. It's been too much work keeping the tensions low.
"Let's just…" he inclined his head towards the cards. It would be better to get back to that. And besides, he was determined to get his money back at last. He was losing abysmally up until now and he was down over a hundred septims already. He wasn't sure why he even agreed to play with these guys. He had done so twice before, back when he was with the Guild along with Jules. He promptly stopped gambling with them after the second time, no matter how sorely he wanted to come out on top at least once. He needed the money for Jules's healing back then. Now he was determined to win his money back. Though the odds weren't looking great with the current hand he had been dealt. He had nothing. Again. But he still bet enough to make it look like the opposite. They've all raised the stakes a few times already and there was quite a lot of money in play by now.
"Fine, fine," Sapphire sighed again. "Happy family. I get it. Get me an ale and give me some cards. How much did you all put in already?"
Eager to get the uncomfortable topics behind them, Rune quickly grabbed another ale and a mug from a cabinet behind his back and passed them to Sapphire while Garthar handed her a few cards, still with a somewhat morose expression.
But while Sapphire began to count some coins from her money pouch to match the pool, their game got interrupted once again when Aeyrin approached, fresh from the baths already for the second time that day.
She couldn't help it. The rogues were often fun company and she was fine with staying in the cistern to mend bridges, but… staying in the sewer was… not ideal. She couldn't help but feel filthy all too often and there was plenty of time during the days to disappear into the baths. But… she tried not to do that too often when she could stop herself. The Guild members certainly never forgot to make comments.
"Hey, princess!" Both Rune and Vex grinned at her as they greeted her in unison. She should have known. It only took one time for Bishop to call her that in front of the thieves before everyone started to use that nickname with a mocking undertone. It wasn't exactly malicious, she knew that it was just good-natured teasing, but it still made her insecure about how much more uncomfortable she was in these surroundings than the rest of them.
Bishop threw them a glare promptly, but it was not like they would ever mind that. He didn't like anyone else calling her that, even if it was just for fun.
"Oh. Hey, you," Sapphire looked at her presence there in surprise, but oddly enough, the greeting was accompanied by a strangely understanding smile. "I haven't seen you since the meadery. How are you doing, girl?" Her brows creased slightly in concern and Aeyrin had to wonder why she would look at her like that. But the woman made it somewhat clear promptly when she noticed Aeyrin's confusion. "You know… after…"
She didn't say it, but it was obvious enough what she was referring to.
Aeyrin's eyes went wide at her in shock and a faint incoherent stammer left her lips. Did she seriously just ask her about Falkreath? Why would she bring that up in front of everyone there?
Rationally, Aeyrin knew that the Guild members were aware of the fact that she got captured by Thorn. Even if they didn't know the details, they surely got the general picture. She wasn't sure at first, but she overheard a few of the thieves whispering when they were trying to piece together everything that happened on Karliah's side of the conflict. She was uncomfortable enough knowing that they all probably knew, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that she wasn't the only one in this situation. So was everyone who ever came to the Guild in order to escape Thorn. Including Sapphire. So why in the Void would she ask about that so openly?
"For fuck's sake, Sapphire!" Bishop snapped at her with a scowl before Aeyrin could answer. Not that she was capable of answering anyway, as uncomfortable and caught off guard as she was.
"Phew. So many forbidden topics here, suddenly," Sapphire scowled right back.
"'Suddenly'?" Tonilia piped up with a derisive scoff. "You were always the only one to talk about Thorn in front of everybody. Thrynn always ran out of the room when you did that, so that he didn't have to deal with that shit."
"So what?" Sapphire threw her arms up in indignation. "People need to know what kind of a fucking freak that shithead Mercer was dealing with!"
It was… true… to some measure. Aeyrin kind of admired her for it. To speak so openly about the tortures she had to go through, just so that nobody had any illusions about Mercer. But the man was dead now. Both of them were. And Aeyrin really didn't feel like thinking about what they had done to her when there was no point in it. Everyone knew what kind of monsters they were already. She really wanted to change the subject, but she didn't feel like she could speak at that moment.
Fortunately, she wasn't the only one who didn't see the point in this discussion.
"So, princess," Rune grinned at her again and she braced herself right away for whatever would follow that nickname. It was kind of sweet, in a way. He definitely knew that it would distract her from the unpleasant topic. "How's sewer life treatin' you?" he smirked at her.
This again?
Surprisingly enough, Aeyrin found her voice again rather quickly in her annoyance.
"I'm fine," she groaned. "Stop that already." They all kept teasing her about her discomforts there, whenever she scrunched up her nose at skeever meat on her plate or whenever she felt the need to take another bath to wash away the unpleasant feeling of being dirty. She was kind of used to ignoring that in dungeons and wilderness, but it was much harder when she knew that she has the time and opportunity to bathe here.
"Come on, let us have our fun," Rune chuckled. "It's not often we get people down here who get prissy about our filth. Maven doesn't come to visit, you know?"
"It's not the filth, I'm used to filth," she sighed. How could she not be, with the way she was living her life? It was not as if she would be wary of touching anything there or wading through the cistern water to make a shortcut. It was something else in the sewers that made her feel like that.
"You'd have to be," Vex chuckled at her as she inclined her head towards Bishop. "Walking around with him and his mangy dog everywhere."
"Fuck off," Bishop rolled his eyes with a slight smirk. "And Karnwyr's not mangy and not a dog." He was probably running around the cemetery right now, giving the stray skeevers a chase. He never did like the sewers and so Bishop and Aeyrin let him have his fun in the city. They visited him from time to time, but he was gone a lot. He knew enough to wait for someone to pass through the gate to the docks so that he could slip in and enjoy the freedom of the Rift out of the confines of the walled city.
"Yeah, yeah," Vex smirked back at him before she turned her attention to Aeyrin again. She was just trying to rile him up.
"It's just…" Aeyrin continued to explain with a slight sigh. "It's the smell," she scrunched up her nose. It was ever-present in the sewer, of course, but it wasn't even that it was unpleasant. Anyone would get used to that in a while. Yet she just couldn't help but be constantly reminded about the first time she was here when she and Bishop got locked inside those warrens and had to perform according to Mercer's demands. She still remembered how terrified she was in this place all the time. It wasn't easy to forget, it wasn't easy not to feel a little uncomfortable, walking through this place. Spending time with the thieves and with Bishop and Raven helped and she could always distract herself from the surroundings. But not from the smell. It was a constant reminder. She didn't want to explain that to anyone though. She did tell Bishop, when they were alone, but she certainly wasn't eager to share that with anyone else here. They were all part of it back then, even Raven, all of them willing to imprison the two of them for Mercer's amusement and games. She didn't exactly blame them anymore, but talking about it would only stir the barely calm waters.
Bishop reached out to her and wrapped his arm around her waist comfortingly, nudging her to press against his side as she stood by his seat. He didn't say anything. He knew why it was upsetting to her, but he didn't want to talk about that either. It was not as if he wasn't reminded of his time here a lot as well – Jules, the mutiny, and then what happened when he and Aeyrin were here. There was no point in this anymore though. They were supposed to be moving on. They were supposed to be free of Mercer and his schemes.
He merely pressed Aeyrin closer and nudged her to sit down on his lap instead. Luckily, the rogues didn't notice their somberness as they continued the teasing while Aeyrin settled herself down on Bishop's thigh comfortably.
"Hold on. Are you saying that our sewer… smells?" Tonilia smirked at her with mock indignation in her voice. "The audacity!"
Aeyrin only giggled in response as she hid her face into the crook of Bishop's neck. That definitely made her feel much more at ease every time, without a fault.
"Alright, let's get back to the game already," Bishop nodded at Tonilia a few seconds later. "I want my money back."
A round of chuckles echoed around the table at him. He had yet to win a hand. Though so did Rune and Garthar. Vex and Tonilia were the worst. They won all the time.
Aeyrin stayed nestled in Bishop's embrace while she watched them all pick up the cards splayed on the table. She recognized the game they were playing soon enough. One of the initiates at the chapel in Chorrol had taught this game to her and Azshan a long time ago. Treats were a rare thing at the temple, but every now and then, the initiates got a simple sweet dessert with their dinner. They all used to play the game for these sometimes, although Aeyrin didn't like to gamble with her sweets very often.
She didn't want to think back on that just then though. Her childhood memories now always carried a tinge of sadness when she thought about Azshan. Instead, she focused on the game and peered at Bishop's cards curiously. He was holding them carefully so that no one else could see, but there was no way he could hide them from her when she was nestled in his lap like that, even if he wanted to.
Wow. His cards were bad. He didn't seem to have much luck for them – he had mentioned that he wanted to win his money back.
"Ten more," Garthar tossed ten more septims into the pile in the middle of the table and everyone followed suit instantly with stony expressions, before Garthar added one more upturned card on the table. That one didn't make Bishop's situation much better either.
"Hey, I think I know this game," Aeyrin beamed as she watched them all contemplate the cards with the new one there. Bishop was clearly not giving up. "Those are really good, right?" she pointed towards the cards in his hand.
Everyone looked at her with palpable shock. Especially Bishop. She knew that people always tried not to show any reactions during this game, but what was the fun in that? They always tried to trick each other back in the temple instead. It was much more amusing, even if it wasn't very effective once everyone knew each other's tactics and ruses. But nobody knew hers here. Maybe this would work, right? No one was aware that she actually knew that game more than she let on. Playing dumb seemed like a good idea to her. And as unsubtle and bad at lying she usually was, that fortunately wasn't the case when it was just for fun like this with no dire risks involved.
Bishop caught on surprisingly quickly and he smacked his free hand on his face with an exasperated sigh, as if she had just revealed his secret. Or maybe he actually believed her and was sighing because she didn't understand the game at all. She wasn't sure which one it was, but it had the same results regardless.
The thieves around the table all roared in laughter at him. It took a while for the merriment to turn into only sparse chuckles. Their bright smiles were still present, but some of them grumbled a bit nonetheless as they all began placing their cards on the table again, upturned.
"I'm out," Tonilia sighed.
"Me too," Rune followed and so did the rest after him. No one had a hand good enough to challenge whatever they thought that Bishop had, but in reality, they all had cards that were at least a little better than his.
When they all finally folded their cards, Bishop's exasperated expression instantly turned into a smug smirk as he reached out for the funds in the middle of the table. He would have never won even this much with the shit he had been dealt. He probably got his money back. He wasn't sure anymore.
He threw his cards on the table for everyone to see with a victorious laugh and he promptly squeezed Aeyrin tightly in his embrace with palpable affection. That was so fucking cute. And what's more, it actually worked.
"What?! Are you serious?" Tonilia scoffed when she saw Bishop's cards. He didn't answer though. He still couldn't get rid of the wide grin on his face, but that didn't stop him from pressing his lips against Aeyrin's in an enthusiastic kiss.
"Fuck, how did I not see through that?" Sapphire groaned.
"That was outright vicious, princess," Rune snorted at her, but it only elicited a scowl from Bishop again.
"Stop calling her that already," he growled. "It's my thing."
Aeyrin let out a small chuckle before she pressed an affectionate kiss on his temple too. She did like it much more when it was just him calling her that. It was much more special.
The rogues laughed in response instantly.
"How can we, when you react like that?" Rune snickered at him. "And while we're at the subject…" his grin turned somewhat malicious right away as he turned his gaze onto Tonilia. "Tonc."
"Stop fucking calling me that!" the Redguard snarled instantly.
"See how fun it is?" Rune laughed at that, promptly followed by the rest of the people around the table.
"What is with that nickname anyway?" Aeyrin mused idly, looking at Tonilia with curiosity, when the rogues calmed down in their laughing fits a little. She remembered that Bishop told her that everyone only called Tonilia that because they overheard her man say it to her once and that it made her very angry when anyone else called her that after.
"It's not a fucking nickname and I'm not telling," Tonilia growled in response. It only got more intriguing because of that.
"Come on, Tonc," Vex chuckled at her. "It's been years. Just tell us."
"No. And stop already," the Redguard growled again.
"How about we play you for it?" Bishop smirked at her. He was kind of planning to get out of the game while he was on top – maybe disappear somewhere more private with Aeyrin to 'celebrate' the victory. They always made a good team. But that could wait.
"Pfft, yeah right," Tonilia rolled her eyes at him.
"Come on, Tonc!" Rune grinned at her. "You beat us practically all the time. Now you're getting afraid?"
"Yeah, come on!" Vex poked her in the bicep teasingly with a somewhat mean smile. "You know that the more you resist, the more often everyone's gonna call you 'Tonc', Tonc."
Tonilia only groaned in response but everyone continued to goad her with constant 'come on's and encouragements. In the end, she merely let out a defeated sigh.
"Fine. But if I win, you're all forbidden to use that name."
"Eh, that's fine," Rune shrugged with a sly smirk. "It's not like everyone else won't still use it."
"Whatever, just deal the cards," the Redguard scoffed before her eyes narrowed dangerously and she fastened her gaze on Aeyrin. "And I'm watching you."
"I'm not doing anything!" Aeyrin pouted back at her, but she had no intention of leaving the comfort of Bishop's embrace. Besides, that 'playing ignorant' trick only ever really worked once. That was the problem with such tactics.
With a few more sparse chuckles, they began another game. Bishop had been dealt a better hand this time, but not good enough to jeopardize too much of the money he gained back, so he withdrew rather soon, along with Rune. Garthar followed suit soon enough and so did Sapphire.
Only Vex persevered against Tonilia. And after a lot of tense moments where both of them just kept raising the stakes, finally Vex was revealed to be the victor.
Everyone around the table erupted in loud cheers when Vex showed her cards. Everyone except Tonilia, of course. She let out a long resigned sigh, but the scowl of concentration on her face turned into one of deep annoyance.
She didn't say a word and they all had to start nudging her and goading her again before she finally piped up.
"Alright, alright," she groaned. "Buncha annoying fuckers you are."
They all merely chuckled at her and waited eagerly for her to continue.
"There was this story. From Hammerfell, a children's book. My parents loved it. It was called Tonc and Tonilia. They read it to me all the time and they even named me after the main character," she rolled her eyes a bit at that. "When my sister was born, they named her after that pet camel from the book. Tonc."
"Wait… what the fuck's a camel?" Sapphire interrupted her with a deep crease between her brows.
"It's an animal. Like a mammoth I guess, just… not so fat and hairy. And it has a hump on the back. Or maybe more like a horse that's weird to sit on. It doesn't matter," Tonilia shook her head.
"So it's your sister's name?" Vex looked at her in confusion. "Why would Vekel call you that?"
"Because…" Tonilia spoke through gritted teeth now. "He and her used to… I kinda stole him from her, alright? Before I brought him over to the Guild. And then, one fucking time, he called me by her name on accident. And of course everyone fucking heard and started all this shit. So now you're all just reminding me of the sister that hates me and of the worst fight I ever had with Vekel," she threw her arms up in exasperation.
Everyone remained quiet for a while after that. Why did they expect some amusing story or something equally entertaining?
"Tonilia, why didn't you say something?" Vex gaped at her incredulously.
"I told you all not to fucking call me that!" the Redguard fumed. Granted, she did complain about that, but it somehow seemed like it was all in good fun.
"Fuck… I don't think I can call you that again," Rune mumbled morosely. "I thought it was something embarrassing or some weird sex thing between you two, the way you protested. This is just fucking sad."
"Yeah, it's fucking weird," Sapphire nodded in accord.
"You're kidding, right?" Tonilia scoffed at them. "That's all it fucking took? This stupid story for you to stop?"
"Heh," Garthar chuckled at her in response. "Shoulda told us sooner, huh?"
"I'll fucking say," Tonilia scoffed. "Didn't think you'd give up that easy after all these years."
A few of the thieves chuckled at her, likely also in an effort to lighten up the mood, but none of them said anything more on the subject. Instead, after a moment of silence, Aeyrin tried her luck with them and interrupted the quiet.
"So… are you going to stop with the 'princess' too?" She really wanted Bishop to be the only one to call her that. It just didn't feel right from anyone else. Largely probably also because of that mocking tone of theirs.
"Depends," Vex smirked at her. "You got a depressing story for us too?"
"No…" Aeyrin pouted. She wasn't sure why she even tried.
"Then not likely, princess." Rune grinned at her cheekily.
Aeyrin could only let out a resigned sigh at that. And if Tonilia's experience was anything to go by, this would drag on for a long time yet. If they ever saw any of these people again after they left the Guild. Aeyrin certainly wasn't looking to get overly involved with the underworld again and she really hoped that neither did Bishop.
The group got interrupted once more after a little while, this time by one of the new Guild members brought in by Karliah. Nobody knew his name yet. Surprisingly enough, Karliah's people were… distant. Even though they spent all their time in the cistern. There was still palpable schism between the old thieves and the new ones.
The man approached the table with a stony expression and, without even as much as acknowledging anyone else, he turned his attention towards Bishop and gave him a resolute nod. "They need you in the Guildmaster's chambers."
He didn't wait for an answer. He turned on his heel and left them all alone again, but his departure was accompanied by Bishop's loud groan of annoyance.
Again? Seriously?
He was beginning to feel like a fucking errand boy. Karliah called on him for every little thing. She called on others too, mostly Raven though. Maybe she didn't feel comfortable asking anything of the Guild members yet – some of them still held a grudge after all. Brynjolf was usually the one to keep them occupied.
But still, this felt… pointless. They were fucking done, weren't they? They were allies for the sake of Mercer's demise and… he did consider her kind of a friend. He trusted her instincts more than anyone, save for Aeyrin and Karnwyr of course. But she had to know that he wanted out, that he didn't want to work for the Guild anymore. He was willing to help her gain stability here, if only to prevent another 'uprising' and another shitstorm, but it was starting to feel like he was just running Guild errands like he used to for Mercer.
Then again, Karliah didn't treat people like Mercer had. And she never asked him to do anything he would actually mind doing.
With another sigh, he nudged the reluctant elf away from his lap. Hopefully this would be fast.
"Again?" Vex smirked at him. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you're our new Guildmaster's right hand."
"She's not the Guildmaster," Garthar snarled at Vex with disdain in his eyes. Yeah, he was still pissed. But everyone could see that Karliah was in charge in all but name by now.
Bishop decided to ignore Garthar as he stood up from his chair and shook his head at Vex instead. "More like her new favorite errand boy," he scoffed. It wasn't as if he hadn't done this kind of shit voluntarily for her in the past. That was back when he and Aeyrin were apart and he just needed anything to keep busy. Now he would much rather stay here in the cistern where he could have a somewhat enjoyable time with the thieves and, of course, a lot of opportunities to find a shadowy corner somewhere with Aeyrin.
"Well, chop, chop, then," Tonilia snapped her fingers to punctuate the point. "Guild needs to get up on its feet and apparently you're the one for the job."
Did she sound bitter? It must have felt kind of crappy for someone who had only worked for them years ago, and only briefly, to be relied on by those in charge now. It wasn't as if he had asked for it though. Not much he could do about it.
Hopefully things would turn around when he and Aeyrin could finally leave this place and leave all this Guild business behind for good.
…
Surprisingly enough, Karliah wasn't waiting for Bishop in the Guildmaster's chambers – it was only Brynjolf there.
The room looked very familiar. Not that Bishop had ever been there before their current stay, but it had been familiar even the first time he stepped inside, back when Karliah called on him for the first of many errands.
And it was all only because of the new 'decorations'. The room was littered with papers, all over the walls, around the floor, on the ridiculously huge and lavish bed and the grand desk by the side of the rooms. The familiar large circled numbers were everywhere, all in triple digits. Karliah had advanced a lot in her plans. It was pretty impressive that she even had the aftermath of Mercer's death pinned down to the last detail.
"There you are, lad," Brynjolf barely looked up from a small notebook he had been peering into. "Karliah needed to go talk to Maven, but she wanted your help with something."
Bishop only waited expectantly. Whatever it was, it was going to be some boring menial task again.
"Don't expect anything new and exciting, we're still trying to re-establish everything with our associates," Brynjolf continued to peer into his notebook while he spoke. He seemed more and more strained each day ever since the battle. "Mercer made a lot of… enemies culled into submission, I guess," a tired sigh escaped his lips as he continued. "And now we need to establish a… different relationship with them. More cooperative."
"Isn't this kind of shit more Raven's thing?" Bishop raised his brow at Brynjolf. Why would anyone ask him of all people for something like that? Raven was used to charming his way into people's good graces, even without his tongue. He was good at that. Bishop was not. So far, his tasks in the last five days consisted mostly of bringing secure reports to other people around the city and the outskirts or delivering bribes. Karliah said she wasn't sure who to trust around the Guild just yet and it probably wasn't just Bishop doing this stuff either. But cajoling amicable and cooperative reactions was really not his strong suit.
"It is, but he's with Karliah at Maven's," Brynjolf shrugged. "It's fine, Karliah said to ask you instead before they left and this will be easy. I'm sure Haelga will be glad to come to a… different arrangement with us. She wasn't exactly fond of the previous one. Just go unarmed and unarmored so that she knows we don't mean harm."
Oh shit.
"'Haelga'?" Bishop scowled. He couldn't go to Haelga after he had threatened her. Well… it's been years since then, but what if she remembered him? This was a job better suited for anyone else. Why was everything up to him and Karliah's other allies? Why were the thieves not doing shit like this? "Why the fuck would you think I'm the one for the job? Why me?"
"Look, lad, does it matter? Shit's still complicated. Can you just go talk to Haelga? I'll tell you what to say," Brynjolf sighed in exasperation.
What? That wasn't a reason! Bishop was starting to get really fucking frustrated with this. He didn't wanna see Haelga. Maybe she didn't remember him, maybe she was used to that kind of treatment, but why risk it and ruin their alliance or whatever? There was a cistern full of fucking thieves that could handle this.
"I'm not good at this shit, Bryn. You should know that by now, I sure as fuck couldn't sway anyone of you with words back then," Bishop scoffed bitterly. "Why the fuck would you ask me of all people?"
"Lad, why are you getting weird about this?" Brynjolf finally tore his attention away from the notebook and, when he saw the persistent scowl on Bishop's face, he let out another sigh. "Look, Karliah is… she's trying to convince me that she and all her people are trustworthy. We can't afford shit to go wrong anymore. But I don't trust the people I don't know with the more important shit. Not yet. And… Karliah still stalls with some… explanations. So, yeah, we might be asking you and Raven for shit a bit more often. Probably Sapphire now too. We both know who we're dealing with that way. Raven's gone now and I need this handled soon, before Haelga finds out that we're making new deals around town and gets pissed that we're neglecting her."
Fine. That made sense. Kinda. It explained why he was called on so often by Karliah, especially with the more substantial bribes and more secure reports and shit.
But he still didn't want to go.
"Ask Sapphire then," Bishop snorted. She was right there in the cistern.
"Are you serious, lad?" Brynjolf scoffed at him with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Have you heard Sapphire talk? Have you seen her deal with people?"
"Have you seen me?" Bishop growled in response. He wasn't sure if he was that much better at this shit.
"I have. Believe it or not, you're the better option," the Nord smirked at him. "Come on, you're just delivering a message and you've been here long enough to calm down after all that shit with Mercer and the slaughter, unlike Sapphire. Just get to Haelga's and you'll be back in half an hour."
Bishop didn't move though. Should he tell Brynjolf about what happened? Maybe it was normal. Maybe Mercer had everyone deal with Haelga like this. It was definitely possible, right?
"What is it, lad?" Brynjolf interrupted him in his silent contemplative stare. "Are you worried your lass is gonna Shout you to pieces for going to a brothel?" he chuckled.
Huh.
He could just blame this on Aeyrin. He knew that she wouldn't be upset as long as he was just going there for Guild business, but it was a pretty good excuse, right? Then again, Brynjolf might tell someone and then Aeyrin would find out that he did this and the thieves would likely make fun of her for being uptight or something too. He didn't want her to have to deal with that.
"No," he sighed in defeat. "It's not that. I just… I've been there before to ask for the protection money. Haelga might not exactly be thrilled to see me."
"Lad, it's been years. We've been asking her for protection money every month for over ten years. I think you're fine," Brynjolf laughed at him.
Alright. He had a point. Probably. Bishop had been pretty aggressive during that encounter and Mercer may not have exactly asked him to be that… forceful, but that was the kind of shit that Mercer usually wanted him to do, so why wouldn't Bishop assume?
But Brynjolf was probably right. Bishop wasn't even sure why he remembered the encounter with Haelga among the many others. Maybe because that whole day kind of… stuck with him. Though he remembered most of them anyway. Hopefully she really didn't.
"Fine," Bishop grumbled morosely.
At least he knew that Brynjolf wouldn't ask him to do anything like he already had to that woman.
…
Bishop tapped his fingers impatiently on the counter. He just wanted to get this shit over with.
After Brynjolf instructed him on what to say, he merely told Aeyrin that he was going to be gone for like an hour – she was used to his errands by now, though it was clear that she herself was getting restless with nothing to do in the sewers. Hopefully they would be out of there soon. How much longer could this 'stabilizing' of everything take?
He headed out straight away and he only paced in front of the Bunkhouse in nervous paranoia for like five minutes. Not bad. Now he was waiting for someone to actually notice him inside. It was evening already and all the workers were done with their various tasks for the day, so the place was bustling. He had been standing by the front counter for what felt like ages now while the common room reverberated in rowdy songs and laughter.
It took a while longer, as he watched the giggling servers drag their patrons upstairs in a merry mood, before he finally got addressed.
"Sir, if you want company, go to the common room," a young woman in a rather revealing dress and with a broom in her hand let out an exasperated sigh at him. "We don't rent rooms for resting to travelers – those are reserved for the workers."
"Not here for either," Bishop shook his head at her. "I'm here to see Haelga."
The young woman looked him up and down somewhat critically with creased brows. She didn't seem very thrilled about Bishop being here to talk to Haelga, for whatever reason.
"Another one?" she scoffed disdainfully. "Ugh, why doesn't she just strip naked and prance around here, offering herself outright?"
"Can you just get her?" Bishop growled. He didn't give a shit about what Haelga was doing or who she was fucking. And he gave even less shit about what this girl thought about… anything really.
The girl only rolled her eyes at him and turned on her heel. Hopefully she would get Haelga instead of just ignoring him. Although he was still a bit anxious about that meeting. But it was best to get this shit over with.
He waited for a while longer, watching the giddy merriment in the common room while he continued to tap on the counter impatiently. He wasn't even sure why he was looking in that direction, but he wasn't sure where else to look while he waited. It was weirder to be staring at the front door. The patrons all laughed, drank heavily and a few of them had a girl or a guy always nearby to grope or pull into their laps. This place hasn't changed in all those years. Then again, why would it?
"You?!"
Shit.
That did not sound good. It was enough to hear that outraged exclamation across the room, but it was only worse when Bishop turned towards the source of the sound, only to find the middle-aged blond Nord's fiercely scowling face there.
So… it looked like she remembered him.
Fuck, he needed to fix this. It was just a stupid message he was supposed to deliver. It wasn't as if he was there to threaten her again.
"Just… calm down, I'm just…" he made a soothing gesture at her with his hands, but it didn't seem to do him any good.
"'Calm down'?!" she gasped in indignation. "How dare you even come back here?! I thought I made it clear that I never want to see your face here again."
Bishop let out a sigh. He should have trusted his instincts. He knew this would be bad but he let Brynjolf convince him that it wasn't a big deal. And he did believe it. So he threatened her back then. A little violently. He'd done much worse to people before. And surely the other thieves coming here for protection money weren't exactly friendly either.
"Look, I'm sorry I threatened you, but I need to…" he tried to talk calmly again, but he was promptly interrupted once more. Maybe he shouldn't have rolled his eyes while he said that. It seemed to make her angrier.
"'Threatened'? You nearly slit my throat," Haelga spat at him as she folded her arms across her chest. That was a bit of an exaggeration. He never actually intended to slit her throat. "You broke my statuette and then you tried to slit my throat with what was left of it! You think I don't remember?"
"I wasn't really gonna slit your throat. And it was just a fucking statue…" Bishop was starting to feel defensive, especially when he noticed the room behind his back quieting a bit – some patrons likely decided to watch their exchange instead. She really was overreacting, wasn't she? She had been dealing with Mercer's people for a long time now, she must have been used to shit like this. Besides, from what Brynjolf had insinuated, her relationship with the Guild was strained at best. She must have had people threaten her before.
"'Just a statue'?!" She snarled. "It was a priceless statuette made out of High Rock stained glass. I've been trying to get my hands on one for years and it cost a fortune! All for that stupid 'protection' scam of yours! I want you out!"
He didn't know that about that statue shit. It just looked like a small glass Dibella. What the fuck was so special about it? Haelga probably got scammed buying something cheap for so much money. People so obsessed with the Divines usually got stupidly naïve about shit like that. It was good that Aeyrin wasn't so stupid about her religion.
Bishop did consider actually leaving after those words. Couldn't they just wait until Raven comes back?
But… he just needed to tell her about her new deals and that was it.
"Look, I'm not even here for protection money…" he sighed again tensely, but Haelga wouldn't let him speak.
"Don't lie to me! I know you Guild types. Always after these scams!"
"I'm not even with the Guild anymore!" Bishop threw his arms up defensively. He couldn't help it, her yelling just forced him to argue.
"Oh really?! Why are you here then?" she huffed at him in anger.
Fuck. Why the fuck did he just tell her that he's not with the Guild? It was true, but he was working for them right now. Fuck, she would get even angrier. This was bad.
"Uuuh…" he let out an uncertain sound, but just as it looked like Haelga was about to mimic that sound mockingly, he quickly let the words out. Or as many of them as he could. "Brynjolf wanted to…"
"What?!"
He didn't manage to say much. Her yell definitely drew all the attention around. "A fucking thug and a liar!" she snarled at him and she promptly stepped closer, only to shove him away. He didn't resist and took a step back towards the wall. It was not as if she could hurt him – and if it made her feel better and maybe let her calm down a bit, he wasn't complaining.
"Right, I know people from the Guild have been threatening you for a long time but…" he tried to talk calmly again, but it never worked.
"Of course they have, they shake their fists at me and spew their shit, but none of them actually destroyed my property or brandished anything sharp at me!" she scoffed at him indignantly.
"Really? And that worked on you?" Without even thinking, Bishop gave her a doubtful look. In his experience, shaking one's fist at someone wasn't enough. Maybe this whole play was just for show though. Maybe he misunderstood the dynamic. What the fuck did Mercer expect from him though? He knew where Bishop came from!
"That's it!" Haelga growled. His comment seemed to rile her up even more. She was fuming. "You do not get to come here again after what you did to me and act like I'm overreacting," she shoved him again, making him take another step back. His eyes went towards the common room involuntarily where everyone was sitting in dead silence, watching the scene with palpable amusement on their faces.
"You do not get to treat me like this!"
Bishop was shoved again, but this time, with much more force than he had anticipated. He staggered backwards until he collided with something lightly. He felt a pressure on his back for a brief moment before it eased – he collided with a door and forced it open in the momentum.
Before he could react, all he noted was the smug smirk on Haelga's face in front of him before she shoved him again. He still didn't want to fight her. He just wanted her to calm down so that he could finish this shit. Or at least get out of here. He even listened to Brynjolf before and he came unarmed and unarmored. Well… except for the knife in his boot and any other necessities in his belt pouches.
He stepped back once more, this time more to avoid her assault than anything else. The door opened even more until he pressed himself back against something that was probably a closet. He didn't even manage to look around. Haelga snorted at him with the same smug expression on his face before she reached out for the door and slammed it shut, leaving him alone in the room near the counter that he had involuntarily entered. And before he could even realize what happened, he heard the tell-tale noise of her locking the door.
"Nobody treats me like that!" her voice was muffled as it yelled at him from behind the door.
Did she just lock him in? What the fuck was the plan here? What would she do that for? Didn't she want him gone? Or did she intend for this to be some kind revenge?
This… went poorly.
With an exasperated sigh, he decided to finally look around the room. He could just unlock the door with his lockpicks, but it was for the best to let her calm down or leave the vicinity first at least, right?
He just wanted to see if there was a window or something, but his attention got fully captured instead by the contents of the small room.
What. The. Fuck?
The room was certainly… uniquely decorated. Aside from the vivid red candles burning everywhere, there were other much more concerning things, given the fact that he had found himself here involuntarily. There was a large bed with a canopy by one of the walls and cabinets and shelves filled with various oils, salves and potions. There was also a very large and very explicit painting of two people entwined on the wall. Clearly one of the rooms used for the usual Bunkhouse activities.
Not that that was concerning or unexpected.
The more worrisome part came upon closer inspection.
There were four chains, each fastened to one bedpost and each with clamps at the end. There were also items scattered around the room that didn't make him feel any more optimistic about his situation – like the cat-o-nine-tails peeking from under the bed or the whip propped up against one of the cupboards.
Why did he get a feeling like this was Haelga's personal room?
Fuck. He was just locked here because it was the closest room, right? It had nothing to do with the… equipment in here, right? He was just gonna be locked inside for a while as a punishment or…
Was that a fucking horker tusk on the shelf?! Why was there a… ugh… he really shouldn't think about that too much.
It was here just for the people that asked for these… treatments, right?
And even if he didn't have Aeyrin, something like this was not a tempting prospect for him. He never really liked relinquishing all control.
But there was no point in thinking about that, right? She just locked him here to spite him. None of these… things should concern him.
Still… he was kind of feeling a little… panicky and paranoid. Maybe he should just get out of here right now. That would be for the best.
He went back towards the door and fished around his belt pouches for his lockpicks. At least he never went anywhere without those. He kind of wished that he hadn't listened to Brynjolf about coming here unarmed – maybe Haelga would have thought twice about shoving him then. But… maybe not. Apparently she was full of surprises.
He knelt down by the door and began fiddling with the lock. He heard the first successful click in a little while, but before he could hear the second one, something pushed out his lockpick forcefully.
He didn't manage to react with how quickly it all happened. The door clicked again and then it opened. Fast. And forcefully. Bishop didn't have the time to move away.
The edge of the door collided with his face roughly and he quickly staggered back as the sharp pain spread across his nose and forehead. Fuck that hurt! He didn't think anyone would be coming back here for a while. He found himself once more with his back pressed against the closet opposite the door, but this time, he was on the ground, trying to collect himself while he clutched his aching nose in his palm.
Today was just not going his way.
He didn't manage to collect himself before two sets of strong arms grabbed him by the elbows and yanked him forcefully up on his feet. He could barely make sense of the situation. Haelga was standing in front of him, with a permanent scowl on her face, while two armored men held him firmly in their grip.
"I have friends too," Haelga scoffed at him and, without any more words, she nodded at one of the men meaningfully.
Bishop was promptly tugged and shoved again. He tried to fight back, but the men had a strong grip on him and they were far from easily overpowered.
"What the fuck are you…" He never got to finish yet another sentence. It swiftly earned him a harsh punch in the face from one of the thugs before the man gripped his arm again with both hands. They dragged him forcefully towards the bed and when they finally managed to get the squirming and wriggling Nord towards it, they both shoved him back onto the mattress with all their might.
His hands were pinned back and, before he could even collect himself properly, he felt cold metal on each of his wrists. What the fuck was this? All for some stupid fucking statue and a few seconds spent with a sharp object to her throat? Haelga was just insane.
The chain cuffs were fastened around his wrists promptly and he was trapped on the bed. The thugs didn't bother chaining his legs, but they didn't exactly need to. He yanked the chains as hard as he could, but they wouldn't budge. He didn't give up though, he tried once more, eager to dislodge the bedposts or something, but his second attempt was met with even worse results. He earned another harsh punch in his face and he was glad that he was already lying down as the pain left his head spinning.
Fuck! Why did he ever listen to Brynjolf? He knew this was a bad idea.
"Leave us," Haelga's harsh tone reverberated through the room, followed by armored footsteps.
Bishop slowly opened his eyes again to look at her. He dedicated all his mind processes to not thinking about whatever she was thinking about doing and he shook his head at her vehemently.
"Fuck, just listen to me for one second. I'm not here to…"
"Shut up!" Haelga snarled at him. "I will show you what happens to scum like you."
Fuck. That did not sound good. He still tried hard not to think about what that meant. He needed to get out of there. He could yell. Everyone would hear him. But then again, everyone saw him being dragged here and none of them seemed to mind or be concerned. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he was imagining it to be. Maybe nobody was concerned so he shouldn't be either. But he would rather be concerned than caught off-guard. He needed to do something.
"Haelga!" A familiar muffled voice echoed from behind the door again – it was likely that young girl calling out for Haelga once more. Maybe she would go away. "There's another one!" the girl called out again, through palpably gritted teeth with a hint of disdain in her voice.
Haelga sighed, but she did throw Bishop another hateful look before she answered. "Prep the other room! This one is… occupied," she snorted as she called out to the girl.
Haelga watched him try to yank at his bonds once more before she smirked at him maliciously. "I'll be back later. Maybe that will give you some time to think about how to treat a lady," she scoffed.
'Lady'. Right. But that was good. She turned on her heel and left, locking the door behind her, but at least it gave him time.
He had to figure out how to get out of here.
…
Aeyrin sat up on the bed with a sigh and headed out of the small room they were sharing with Raven and now Sapphire as well. It used to belong to some other Guild members, but those were dead now, after the battle.
It was just a small chamber with barely anything in it but a few closets, chests, a small table and three beds. When it had been decided that everyone would be staying in the cistern after the battle, Vex offered them this room after she cleaned up the possessions of the previous occupants. It was odd, sharing a room with someone other than just Bishop, and it always got uncomfortable when Bishop and Raven were in the same room, sniping at each other, but Aeyrin couldn't really do much about that.
Now she was here alone for a change. The cistern was getting very rowdy, but she preferred a moment of peace. It had been rowdy each evening for days and they've all had their fill of celebrations.
But soon enough, she got restless in that quiet empty room. She tried to rest on her and Bishop's small bed, but she just couldn't. Bishop had been gone for quite a while. Around two hours. He never mentioned that it would take that long. She didn't even know where he was.
They were always roping him into some missions lately. It was silly. She spent time with him every day, but she still felt like she saw less and less of him. She was probably too used to his constant presence.
It was kind of worrisome how much she missed him. But then again, she was probably just feeling restless here in the sewer after so many days. She just wanted to get back to their travels, but that would still have to wait.
But there was no reason for her to lie and mope around, right? She still had an important thing to do.
She just hoped that Brynjolf would finally listen to her. She couldn't fathom why he would be so unreasonable about this.
She pulled up her boots again and hopped off the bed at last.
The sounds of merriment echoed through the entire cistern, but she ignored them all, even those that called out to her to join them in their drinks or gambling games. She marched through the circular hall and towards the Guildmaster's chambers adamantly.
She really hoped that she could get Brynjolf alone this time. Karliah always chased her away with her concerns, saying that things like that could wait.
Maybe she had a point, but… Aeyrin surely knew better. There was no telling what this thing could cause.
She finally reached the room and knocked on the door tentatively. Brynjolf's voice called out to her to come in and she didn't hesitate before she slipped inside.
She had never been here before, but she couldn't stop her eyes from roaming around Karliah's 'decorations' there. All those papers, all those phases. She was really hard at work.
But the woman herself was nowhere around.
Perfect.
"Hey, Brynjolf. Do you have a minute?" Aeyrin gave him a small smile. She should keep this calm and amicable. Last time, she got a little carried away. But she really worried about this thing!
"Aye, lass. What do you need?" Brynjolf nodded at her and he placed the parchments he had been reading through on a grand desk nearby.
"I… uh…" Aeyrin fidgeted on the spot nervously. "I wanted to talk about the Key again."
"Lass," the Nord let out an exasperated sigh at her and pressed his fingers in between his brows with a scowl. She knew he would react like that.
"I know," she sighed as well. "I know that it's useful, Brynjolf, but… it's so dangerous. It's a Daedric artifact! I don't get why you can't just give it to the Vigilants. They know what to do with this stuff."
"They will lock it in some vault of theirs so that nobody can use it," Brynjolf scoffed at her.
"And that's bad?" Aeyrin shook her head. It was best if this thing was hidden forever. "You were all so worried about your 'bad luck' or that you're 'cursed'. But it was Mercer with the Key. Someone else will try to take it again, Brynjolf, or it will tempt you the same way it did Mercer. That's what these things do. It's why they're so useful and powerful. Don't you want to avoid that? Don't you think that the Guild deserves at least some respite from this mess?"
"Lass, I know you mean well," Brynjolf gave her a small smile, but he still shook his head. "But this thing could help us get back on our feet. And believe me, it wasn't some artifact that made Mercer into who he was." A mournful sigh left the man's lips.
"You can get up on your feet without it, Brynjolf," Aeyrin scowled at him. Nobody needed these things in their life. "And some of your people know about it already. It will only lead to more schisms among them. They'll want it for themselves."
"I… I've thought about that," Brynjolf nodded at her somberly. "Listen, lass. This is not the time to send the Key away. I promise you, I am considering getting rid of it. I'm not sure how yet. Because, lass, the day I trust a paladin is the day I want you to shoot a bolt through my skull," he smirked.
Aeyrin huffed, clearly dissatisfied. She didn't know why it would be so strange to trust the Vigilants of all people with a damn Daedric artifact. They were the experts on them in Skyrim, right? And she did understand that Brynjolf had other things on his mind as well, but why was he so adamant about not dealing with the Key now? One would think that her pestering would get annoying already and he would just give her an answer once and for all.
"Why is it not the time? I know you're busy with everything, but I can arrange…" she tried, but she was promptly interrupted.
"Lass, enough," Brynjolf raised his hand to stop her. "You're not the only one who wants it, alright? I need to consider all this."
Someone else already asked Brynjolf for the Key? Who? She could definitely already imagine that it was someone set on robbing the vault and taking the Eyes stored there for now.
"Who?" She couldn't help it, but instead of denying her the answer, as Aeyrin had expected, Brynjolf gave her a strange smirk. As if his answer was going to shut her up at last.
"It was the first thing she did when Mercer fell. She ignored the battle and went for the Key."
He didn't have to say the name. Aeyrin knew instantly. She didn't see what happened back then very well. She only saw Brynjolf holding a knife under Karliah's throat as she knelt by Mercer's corpse, and Aeyrin knew that he took something from her in the end. It was hard to see among the crowds of thieves though.
But why did she go for the Key? Aeyrin had assumed that she wanted to take over everything in the Guild, everything of Mercer's, but why would she go for the Key so fast? What did she want it for so desperately to disregard hers and her allies' lives at that moment? What was she planning?
"Why?" Aeyrin almost whispered. She got a bad feeling about this. Nothing good could come from messing with Daedric artifacts.
"That's what I wanna know, lass," Brynjolf nodded at her. "Give it time. I was promised answers and I will decide what to do with the Key after I have them."
Aeyrin nodded as well, without a word. She understood. It was odd, it filled her with dread, but it was Karliah. She must have had a reason; she must have had a plan. And she had earned the right to explain herself. Hopefully Brynjolf would be reasonable about whatever it was in the end.
Aeyrin shuffled her feet nervously. She didn't really want to think about the Key anymore. It just made her anxious.
"Anything else, lass?" Brynjolf interrupted her contemplations after a bit.
Well… she might as well distract herself. And that was hard to do when she was alone and didn't want to spend another night drinking with the rogues. And Raven was gone too.
"Where's Bishop?"
"The Bunkhouse, I sent him to talk to Haelga," Brynjolf gave her a strange look. She didn't know how to decipher it, so she decided not to worry about it. Bishop was at the Bunkhouse? Probably delivering another message or a bribe. It had been over two hours though.
"Do you know when he'll be back?" she prodded further.
"He should have been back a long time ago," Brynjolf sighed before he gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, lass."
'Sorry'? What was he sorry about?
"Why?" Aeyrin gave him a surprised look.
"Everyone stays there for a while to enjoy the place. Sorry. What are you gonna do, huh?" he shrugged noncommittally.
Did he really just imply that Bishop was…? No… he wouldn't! Why would he do that? He had said it himself – encounters like these held no interest for him. And he had her. Why would he ever need to do that now?
Why did it make her feel anxious regardless?
She didn't know what to say. She turned on her heel and left the room with haste.
She trusted Bishop. Why did it make her feel insecure? There was surely a reasonable explanation for this. She still felt the familiar unpleasant feeling of jealousy envelop her despite the reasoning though.
Maybe she should go to the Bunkhouse. Just to make sure. If he was there meeting someone for business, she could just leave, right? He was surely there for a meeting.
But… there was no harm in checking. He wouldn't blame her for getting a little insecure, right? He got like that too. If it was her in there, he would be at her heel practically instantly, she was sure of it.
Yeah. She would only check then she would leave him to his dealings.
Surely she was worried over nothing.
…
Aeyrin waited by the counter, watching the happenings in the common room anxiously.
Bishop was nowhere to be seen. There were only the patrons and the servers scurrying around. She couldn't help but get more and more worried by the minute. She just needed to see him. Just to make sure.
Gods, why couldn't she help herself?
She fidgeted in place nervously as she contemplated going upstairs. She didn't know what she would find there. Probably some things she never wanted to see. But… she was getting more and more insecure. Could that be true? Maybe Bishop really did want to stay with some girl there. Aeyrin wasn't very experienced with all this stuff after all. She had never worried about that before – Bishop never seemed to mind, but… maybe he just didn't want to hurt her feelings. Maybe he secretly missed being with someone less… sheltered.
Before she could make up her mind about going to explore more though, she finally noticed someone coming up to talk to her. It was a Nord woman with long blonde hair and very dark makeup. She had a tight crimson corset on, accentuating her buxom figure and a long flowing skirt. Even from a first glance, the woman oozed confidence and authority. Was that Haelga?
She was readjusting her clothes and practically stuffing her breasts back into her corset as she approached. Still, she gave Aeyrin a nonchalant smile as she stepped behind the counter.
"What can I do for you, sweetie?" she beamed at her. "If you'd like some company, get yourself a seat in the common room and someone will be right with you."
"N-no," Aeyrin shook her head quickly as she felt her cheeks burn a bit with a blush. "I'm just looking for someone. He came to talk to you earlier. Nord. Short brown hair, about this tall," she indicated with her hand.
The woman suddenly scowled at her, but her expression turned more sympathetic in a minute.
"He's probably upstairs. Sorry," she gave her a brief shrug.
No. He wasn't. He wouldn't be, right? Aeyrin was starting to feel the familiar burning at the back of her neck, but this woman didn't know. She probably never saw him here. Maybe. But… Bishop did come to talk to her.
"H-he's not upstairs. He wouldn't…" Aeyrin shook her head desperately, but the woman only interrupted her with a sigh.
"They all say they wouldn't, honey, but then they do. Sorry."
"No!" Aeyrin didn't even realize how much she raised her voice. Some of the patrons in the common room even quieted for a second, but it didn't last long. "No… please, just tell me if you saw him or…"
But before the woman could dismiss her again, suddenly, a very muffled voice echoed from somewhere behind her.
"Princess! Here!"
Bishop!
Aeyrin's eyes went wide as they fastened on the door near the counter. It must have come from there! What? What was he doing in there?
But he called for her. He must have heard her when she raised her voice. Surely he wouldn't call for her if he was doing something he shouldn't in there.
Her mouth opened but no words came out. She really didn't know what to say and she merely pointed towards the door with her mouth ajar and a shocked expression directed at the woman.
"Dammit," the blonde woman huffed. "Sweetie, just go. I have some business to finish with him." Her scowl suddenly turned very piercing.
"What? No!" Aeyrin shook her head. Whatever business this woman had with her man in a private room, she would not get to 'finish'. Aeyrin could feel the rage bubble in her, even though she didn't know what she should be angry about yet. But Bishop called out for her. Whatever it was, he clearly didn't want to be there. "Open that door!"
"Please, don't make a scene. This doesn't concern you," the woman, Haelga for sure, scowled at her again.
"It certainly does concern me!" Aeyrin huffed at her angrily. "Open that door! Now! Or I'll break it down."
Haelga let out another exasperated sigh before she took something from below the counter and finally moved towards the door. "This shit isn't worth it," she mumbled to herself.
She unlocked the door at last and Aeyrin practically shoved her out of the way as she rushed inside.
Her eyes went wide at the sight. Gods, this room was… definitely only meant for one thing. But the worst of all was that Bishop was there, chained to the bed.
What in Oblivion was going in here?!
At least he was fully dressed. That was a little comforting. But he had welts on his face and blood under his nose and on his lip.
"Fuck. Finally," Bishop groaned in palpable frustration. "Get me out of here," he yanked on the chains to accentuate his point, rattling them loudly.
Aeyrin quickly turned her involuntarily burning face towards the Nord woman behind her and she gave her an indignant expression. With another sigh, Haelga pointedly took hold of a different key on the small key ring she had been holding before she passed it over to Aeyrin.
Aeyrin didn't hesitate before she rushed towards Bishop's cuffs with the key, but she still turned her head to look at Haelga with indignation. "What in the Void is the matter with you?!" What was this woman planning on doing to him exactly?! And how was she looking so casual about all this? It was despicable.
"Oh relax," Haelga rolled her eyes at her. "I was just gonna give him a few lashes. You really think I would give him anything else? My craft is expensive."
'Just a few lashes'?!
That was bad enough. This woman was messed up, doing this to someone who hadn't asked for it. How long had she kept him here? And he was already hurt!
"Why?!" Aeyrin huffed again as she fumbled with the keys in her hands to free Bishop at last.
"He knows why," Haelga growled angrily instead of answering.
"Fuck. Off." Bishop snarled at her. Well… apparently he did know, but that wasn't important. Aeyrin just wanted to get them both out of this place and out of that room.
When Bishop was finally free of the cuffs he quickly got up from the bed and rubbed his wrists a bit. Those fucking chains were tight. He must have been there for more than an hour. Fucking Haelga. He was done with this shit.
Without another word, he grabbed Aeyrin by the hand and began dragging her away. He didn't know why she was at the Bunkhouse, she was likely looking for him, but that wasn't important. He just wanted to get out of there. He didn't care about Brynjolf's fucking deal anymore either.
Raven could deal with that shit whenever.
As long as Bishop never had to step foot in here ever again.
…
"You got everything?" Bishop asked with some concern as he tentatively touched his nose and under his eyes.
It was surprising – it was probably the very first time he had ever asked Aeyrin for healing even before she could offer. He was very concerned about hiding everything about the assault right away when they stopped just outside of the Bunkhouse.
He told her what happened. Even if he had been unnecessarily harsh to Haelga back then, this was a very disturbing way of settling scores. Aeyrin was suddenly really glad for her insecurity when it prevented that woman from doing anything more to him, even if it was 'just lashes', according to her. Aeyrin knew that that was bad enough, not to mention the feeling of helplessness that accompanied these things.
She patted his cheek gently and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Thanks, sweetness," he let out a long sigh in response. "So… that was fucking humiliating," he huffed. He really let Haelga and those thugs of hers get the better of him. "I'm just glad it was you who came. Don't say anything to anyone, alright?" The last thing he needed was those idiots at the cistern mocking him incessantly for this. He was sure that there would be a lot of mocking involved.
Aeyrin scowled, likely at the ideas about how anyone would react to this story, but she nodded nonetheless. She was oddly quiet.
"Why did you? Come for me, I mean," Bishop raised his brow at her. He had been gone for a long time, but she was mostly used to that on his missions recently.
"I was just… wondering where you were," she looked at the ground bashfully. "And Brynjolf told me and then he said you should have been back by now and I… I don't know…"
Bishop chuckled at her affectionately. She didn't need to even say it. Honestly, if he was in her position, he would have been panicking in a bout of uncontrollable jealousy a long time ago. It may not have been rational, but so what? It was apparently very natural if she was in the same place.
He leaned towards her and planted an affectionate kiss on the top of her head.
He was always happy to see her jealous. He wasn't sure why – maybe because it made him feel better about his own jealousy, or maybe because he just liked to see her flustered, or he just liked how much she cared. But this time, he was extra happy for that. Hopefully Haelga wasn't lying about 'only lashing' him, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't want to think about that.
"Come on, let's go back. I'm done with this shit," he wrapped his arm around her waist and nudged her towards the town square again.
He was really getting sick of these errands. Especially after this.