The house felt eerily empty
Two more days have passed after that unfortunate incident at the Bunkhouse and they were all the same – filled with errands and lazing around the cistern. After all that, Bishop and Aeyrin were asked for something different at last. Still boring, but different. Today, Karliah had asked them to go back to Honeyside and make sure that everything was ready for her takeover. They had to get rid of Iona somehow and to ensure that the house was fit to be turned into an inconspicuous smuggling route – whatever that meant.
The two of them had spent the better part of the afternoon discussing how to deal with the pesky spy. They still wanted to mess with Ulfric somehow, but that was kind of hard to do now that he knew that they knew everything about Iona.
But when they arrived in the evening at last, all that discussion turned moot.
Iona wasn't there. In fact, her room was completely empty and all her things were gone. Apparently, the Jarl decided to fold her cards and not to bother with a made spy anymore.
Whatever happened to Iona was probably no longer important. At least they didn't have to be wary in that place anymore.
After inspecting the basement thoroughly for any remaining possessions of the housecarl, they moved back upstairs.
What did it even mean to prepare this house? What was supposed to be done? It was just a house.
Aeyrin kept looking around, pondering, but Bishop had already dismissed that task. Karliah would get what she needed here herself. He didn't know what to do with this place. But it was still theirs right now.
For the last time.
Aeyrin looked at the door leading onto the back porch critically. Were they supposed to prepare the little dock there somehow or something? She had no idea what any of this entailed.
But before she could ponder on it any further, she suddenly felt Bishop's hands on her waist and she was quickly lifted off her feet. She didn't manage to react before she was tossed right onto the nearby bed, colliding with the soft mattress with a loud yelp.
He was on top of her within a second, pressing her body into the blanket firmly and trapping her under his weight.
"Hey, princess," he grinned at her blushing face before he dipped his head down and nibbled on his favorite spot on her neck eagerly.
Aeyrin let out a soft groan as her hands strained a bit under his grasp. Just the feel of his stubbly jaw on her sensitive skin sent shivers down her spine.
"I think," Bishop smirked against her neck before he traced a slow line down towards her collar with his tongue. "That we're long overdue," another nip on her flesh followed, "for actually fucking somewhere besides that smelly sewer for a change."
Aeyrin let out a giggle, but it quickly turned into a low moan as Bishop shifted his weight a bit and moved his thigh to press in between her legs, rubbing it against her slowly.
"Well I…" she gasped when his teeth pinched her skin again. "I can't argue with that."
"Good," Bishop chuckled. "Cause that's an argument you'd lose."
He let go of her hands momentarily and pushed himself off her to sit up until he straddled her leg.
"Besides, we still haven't tested this bed properly. And we need to make sure that everything's in order in this house, right?" he smirked before he moved himself off the bed entirely.
She couldn't argue with that either. They never really got the opportunity to enjoy this house to the fullest and now it was almost out of their hands entirely. It was the perfect time to have some fun here. It was not as if Karliah needed them back right now. She had asked for this long ago today and never rushed them. She could surely even wait for tomorrow as well. It was pretty late already.
Bishop reached out to her again as he stood by the bed and he yanked her closer by her hips, sliding her across the soft blanket until her legs dangled down from the bed. He knelt down on the floor and promptly began to take off her boots.
Aeyrin didn't waste a second before she started to drape her shirt over her head. She barely managed to get it off her before Bishop was done with both her boots with surprising speed and he quickly hooked his fingers under the hems of her trousers.
She lodged her heels into the side of the bed and raised her bottom up to help him out as he slid her trousers down quickly, leaving her only in her undergarments. She returned to that same position right after her pants were gone but he didn't continue undressing her after that and her thighs started aching in the strain after a short while. She was forced to slump back down against the bed, eliciting a chuckle from Bishop, and she gave up on trying to help him with the process. He was just going to frustrate her anyway – she already knew that smirk of his all too well.
Bishop's hands slowly slid from her knees up to her thighs and he positioned himself closer between her legs. His head lowered promptly to languidly kiss her exposed stomach while his hands kneaded her thighs softly.
Aeyrin instinctively moved her hands to his head and raked them in his hair. How was it still soft even after a week living in the sewer in those conditions? It wasn't exactly bad there, but she still never felt as clean as she did after a nice bath at an inn or outside in the crisp chilly water.
Bishop's teasing kisses moved down to her thighs while his hands snuck higher instead. He began to nip at the flesh of her thighs, so close to her crotch that it sent tingles through her body at every second, while one of his hands began to play with the hem of her underwear and the other started to slowly stroke over her still clothed folds.
She squirmed under his teasing touches. His kisses, his fingers, everything was so light. Almost infuriatingly so. Her whole body shivered in anticipation and she couldn't stop imagining him just grabbing her already and having his way with her right then and there. She felt him press the dampness of the soft cloth of her undergarments against her as his fingers strained it even more tightly on her skin.
Bishop's hot breath constantly tickled her, teased her, as he relentlessly kept on nibbling at the flesh of her inner thighs, but the touch of his fingers was still frustratingly soft. She needed more.
"Bishop, please," she whined a bit as her grip on his hair tightened. Dammit, she could already feel him smirking against her. She really needed more. One of her hands left his hair and she promptly tried to snake it down her undergarments.
He stopped her abruptly. Of course he did, she should have seen that coming. But she still had to try.
"Oh fine," Bishop chuckled at her as he stopped kissing her skin for a second. "So fucking impatient." He let go of her hand, but she didn't have the time to continue in her previous exploits. Bishop quickly grabbed the hems of her underwear and yanked it down, leaving her barely enough time to raise her buttocks to let it happen. He disposed of the cloth promptly and without any more teasing and frustration, he lowered his head down towards her and pressed his lips against her slit.
Suddenly it all started to get fast and overwhelming. Aeyrin closed her eyes and arched her back, unable to decide what sensation to concentrate on more – Bishop's fingers plunging into her opening almost roughly or his lips sucking on her clit with overwhelming intensity. Her loud gasps and moans echoed through the house as he played with her and her hands returned to his hair as if it would help her steady herself. His tongue teased her clit at times, at others it slid inside her, writhing around before it got replaced by his two fingers again, filling her, curling against her walls and leaving her panting for release. It felt like she was constantly on the verge of exploding.
She wasn't sure if she should beg him to never stop that treatment or tell him to just take her already. Either option sounded like paradise just then. He showed no intention of interrupting the ministrations though as he continued to overwhelm her with his touches and deep kisses.
Finally the knot in her core threatened to unravel and her whole body began to shake perceptibly. She was so close.
Bishop loved how he could always tell when she was getting so close. Her voice got a bit more high-pitched as she moaned and gasped continuously and the grip of her fists got so tight. It was kind of painful as she pulled on his hair, but he couldn't care less at the moment. Her walls started to squeeze his fingers tightly and he plunged them as deep inside her as he could, enjoying the sensation. He continued sucking on her clit and teasing it with his tongue, making sure to keep the treatment up while she rode her climax, but he was much more concentrated on the pleasant shivers of her body against his and the lustful sounds she was letting out. Fuck, he loved that so much. He looked up at her, her head thrown back, body arched and her perfect tits poised like that. That sight always got him even more riled up.
Aeyrin's body finally slumped down after her release, but Bishop kept teasing her a bit longer, watching as she tried to calm down her breathing tentatively, trying to adjust to the pleasure building up in her body again. When he felt her muscles tense a bit again, he finally gave her a moment of respite, though a very brief one.
He really needed to be inside her already. His cock was straining against his clothes so uncomfortably.
He straightened up and yanked his shirt off, promptly followed by his frantic removal of his boots and trousers. In the meantime, Aeyrin readjusted herself on the bed, scooting back a bit so she could lie there fully, leaving room for him to join her. He had spent enough time on the floor already.
When he was finally done undressing, he climbed onto the bed towards her, positioning himself between her thighs. Aeyrin raised herself up a bit towards him with an eager sigh escaping her lips and Bishop didn't wait any longer before sliding his cock into her welcoming warmth. Fuck, she always felt so fucking good. Even after all this time, she was so fucking tight around him. He lowered his head to her chest as his cock slid deeper inside her and he began eagerly nipping on her flesh there.
Aeyrin's fingers raked across his back, making him tense up. It always made pleasant shivers run down his spine and, the more firmly she pressed her nails into him, the better it felt. He began thrusting into her eagerly, his panting and groaning mixing with her moans as he set a hard and rather quick pace.
It felt like watching her face through that was getting him closer to the edge a little too fast for his liking. She was biting her lower lip, pressing the back of her head into the mattress firmly and a deep flush was all over her nose and cheeks. Fuck, she looked so irresistible. And the sounds she was making… he couldn't keep that up for long like this, so absorbed in her writhing under him.
After a few more deep thrusts, he withdrew from her fully. Aeyrin's eyes snapped open and she let out a, likely involuntary, whine of protest.
So fucking cute.
With a smirk, he sat up and grabbed her by her sides firmly. Her eyes only widened at him before she was quickly flipped over onto her stomach and pressed back against the mattress once more. It wasn't that much better for his self-control. Looking at her arched back and that perfect ass was just as distracting as her face, but he was far beyond caring. He entered her again in that position. It felt like he could get even deeper like this and the sound she made at the contact almost made him lose control right then and there.
Aeyrin arched her back even more, giving him more access to her as she clutched the blanket in her fists tightly. He began moving in and out of her instantly with loud groans accompanying the motions. It wouldn't take long for either of them now to come over the edge.
He felt her first – the telltale clenching, the shiver, the moan muffled by her face pressing into the mattress. Fuck, just watching her like that was exhilarating. It only took a few more thrusts before he couldn't hold back anymore and with a last deep plunge inside her, he finally found his own release.
He stayed inside her for a while, but he tried to pull himself off her a bit to give her a chance to breathe. She looked kind of suffocated, pinned down to the bed like that, though she never really gave any indication of minding that.
After a few long moments, the panting sounds in the room finally eased a bit and he slipped out of the warmth, rolling himself off her fully. Aeyrin didn't look eager to move just then, but she did shift a little to at least lay her head on his outstretched arm with a content smile on her face.
At least now this house actually got properly used.
It was almost not worth it until now.
…
They came back to the cistern too late. Most of the thieves were asleep and neither of them bothered to check whether Karliah was too.
She would get her house in the morning – it was not as if she needed it right now.
They made their way back into their designated room, but surprisingly enough, it stood empty as well. Neither Sapphire nor Raven were there just then.
That was probably for the best. They spent the better part of the evening entangled with each other and the mood hadn't waned in the slightest with the fresh memories and especially with Bishop's constant wandering hands on the way back through the mostly-empty moonlit city.
They headed straight to their small bed and even though they weren't exactly planning on repeating their ministrations in this place, they were still both reluctant to keep their hands off each other.
Bishop stretched himself out on the bed, gesturing invitingly on his lap and Aeyrin didn't need to be told twice. She eagerly straddled his hips and placed her hands on his chest, stroking over the fabric of his shirt lazily.
Bishop promptly sat up and placed his hands on her thighs, stroking over them gently. He leaned in for a kiss right after, but what started as a brief brush of his lips, ended up as a deep hungry exchange when Aeyrin eagerly twined her tongue with his.
It was nice in that house. And as exciting as it had been to look for secret shadowy corners around the cistern for a bit of respite, it could never compare to the times when they were all alone and just able to be with each other without a concern in the world.
Aeyrin's hands slid from his chest to his back soon enough while Bishop continued to prolong the kiss. And, in turn, he slid his palms to her buttocks, squeezing her tightly. They weren't really planning on doing anything more right there, but it was still annoying when a loud clearing on someone's throat interrupted them.
With a growl, Bishop dislodged himself from Aeyrin's kiss and looked towards the intruder while she as well turned her head and peered behind her shoulder.
It was Raven, standing in the open doorframe with a morose expression on his face. This was probably not very pleasant for him to walk in on, but Bishop certainly didn't care about his comfort.
In fact…
With a mean smirk, he squeezed Aeyrin's backside again pointedly and pressed her closer into his embrace.
She squirmed right away and quickly disentangled herself, but he expected that. That was fine, the expression on Raven's face was definitely worth it. That jackass looked really peeved.
He stepped closer to them when they were finally apart and with an annoyed huff, he presented Bishop with a scrap of paper with his usual scribbles on it.
Karliah's expecting you. Armed and armored.
What?
"Now?!" Bishop scoffed. It was like one in the morning! And 'armed and armored'? What the fuck was this about?
Aeyrin instantly gave him a concerned look, but there was not much to do but to talk to Karliah. Raven only shrugged at Bishop in response after all. He was just a messenger right now.
Bishop let out an exasperated groan, but he got off the bed. He would do this shit, but he was determined to talk to Karliah after. He was done. He had done enough. It was time for him and Aeyrin to leave this place and get on with their lives. No more stupid errands.
While he rummaged around his pack for his armor, Raven went towards his own bed to locate one of his notebooks. He sat down and started to slowly write in it, as if he was waiting for Bishop to finish dressing.
"You don't know what this is about?" Aeyrin asked him after a while of silence, but Raven only shook his head in response. Well… so much for that.
Bishop was in his armor pretty quickly and he promptly threw his pack onto his back.
"I'll come by to tell you how long it'll probably take," he gave Aeyrin a reassuring smile and leaned down for another brief kiss. After what happened at Haelga's the least he always did was tell her that much, even if he didn't know what he was delivering or if it could go wrong. That way she knew when to start worrying and looking for him. They had to watch each other's backs after all.
Aeyrin nodded, but the pout on her face didn't leave him guessing how she felt about this.
She didn't really relish spending the night worrying about him and in their empty bed here. She didn't like sleeping here without him, although sometimes she had to already in the past. The smells of this place still bothered her and unpleasant memories were the last thing she wanted as she tried to get some rest.
But there was nothing to do about that. Bishop had told her that he was planning on having them leave soon and she couldn't be more excited about that prospect. She liked the thieves, but it was rare for them to spend so much time among so many people with little to no privacy and it was starting to get a little… grating.
Before Bishop could leave, Raven cleared his throat once more, getting their attention. When they both looked at him, he almost proudly presented his new scribbles.
Don't worry, I'll keep her company.
"Fuck off, Raven," Bishop growled in response while Aeyrin just let out an exasperated sigh. It was like they just couldn't help themselves around each other.
Luckily, that was the extent of it this time and Bishop left the room right after.
Well, Raven wasn't wrong though. She was glad for the company at least, even if she would have preferred Bishop's.
But having someone there, even on a different bed, was still a comfort.
…
Bishop slogged through the thick bramble and crunching fallen leaves on the ground, following almost blindly.
The Rift could always get… eerie in the middle of the night.
What was happening? Why were they here in the middle of nowhere?
He couldn't even tell Aeyrin where exactly he was going or what he was going to be doing there – he didn't know it himself. He could only tell her that he was going somewhere south of the city and that he wouldn't be back until the morning. Predictably enough, she wasn't very thrilled about that, but then again, neither was he.
The only thing Karliah asked of him was to follow her and Brynjolf. He didn't know where and he didn't know why, but she promised explanations and she promised that he wasn't going to regret this. Well… he would be the judge of that eventually. But regardless of any of it, he was determined – this was the last mission. He would get Aeyrin in the morning and they would leave the Guild to their own devices.
It was for the best. They had other concerns, other battles to fight and Aeyrin wasn't exactly a good fit in the Guild and Bishop had gotten too used to living for himself without anyone ordering him around. He had almost forgotten how much he hated that. It was different when it was once in a while and for a common goal, or when it was serving him as a distraction while he and Aeyrin were apart, but now… now it just made him frustrated. Granted, it may not have been technically much different from their adventuring, but… it felt different. At least then they could decide together what they would do and where they would go. And they could do things their way, without anyone barking instructions at them. This was just annoying – he was told where to go, the bare minimum of what to do, and he was expected to just wait around in the sewers for more tasks. He had put that life behind before and he was eager to do it again.
But he was still willing to do this one last thing, whatever it was. He owed Karliah that much.
The uncertainty, however, made him very uneasy.
"You're not gonna tell me what this is about either?" he murmured at Brynjolf when he caught up with him. Karliah was a few paces ahead, leading them through the forest.
"Would if I could, lad," Brynjolf sighed. Great, more secrecy.
"I'm gonna find out in a while anyway," Bishop scoffed. Was it really necessary to make him nervous needlessly? He was still going along with them, wasn't he?
"Not what I meant," Brynjolf shook his head. "I don't know either."
Oh. That was different. Brynjolf was in the dark? So this was just Karliah being secretive? What was she planning? What could it possibly be that she wouldn't tell them?
"You don't know anything?" Bishop scowled. He assumed that Karliah told him much more than the others – they've been working on rebuilding the Guild together after all, but… maybe that wasn't the case.
"She owes me many explanations," Brynjolf muttered under his breath. "She owes them to all of us. And she said that she will provide them now. And that it will be… beneficial to us."
Bishop shrugged. Beneficial was good. And Karliah was never stingy with the rewards. That was probably it then. Brynjolf would get some speech, justifying Karliah's actions against Mercer – she would probably tell him what that fucker intended to do with the money from the Eyes and stuff like that – and Bishop would get some reward for helping all along. Probably.
He wasn't sure why they had to even leave the cistern for this though.
Silence reigned among the three of them again as they continued through the dark woods. Not even Karnwyr sniffed them out – he was probably back in the city, snoozing somewhere in a shadowy corner. Bishop kinda wanted to trade places with him. He was getting tired. The journey had already taken at least an hour. Maybe more.
He wasn't sure if it was the anticipation that kept everyone from talking, or if it was the late hour and the tiredness, but he didn't really care. He didn't feel like talking all that much either. There was nothing to talk about until he actually found out where they were going since Karliah was determined to be insufferably vague.
After some more time of silent walking though, it seemed like they finally arrived.
Karliah stopped in front of a stone outcropping, almost entirely covered by thorny bushes and bramble.
"We're here," her voice came out almost reverent and Bishop and Brynjolf only shared an uncertain look. They were where?
Karliah stepped towards the outcropping and she reached out for the fragile branches of the bushes. After some fumbling and a few sounds of snapping wood, her hands finally revealed something – a stone door embedded in the rock with a strange symbol carved into it. It was a bird with its wings spread wide and nestled in a thin circle. It looked like an emblem. What was this place?
"Come," Karliah inclined her head invitingly towards the door. "Do not worry, this place is empty. There is nothing to fear inside." She didn't wait for answers nor for the predictable questions before she fished around her belt for a key and unlocked the stone door. She was inside within seconds.
With another confused look shared, Bishop and Brynjolf followed after her with barely contained anticipation. She was always somewhat cryptic and secretive, but this was getting a little concerning.
Still, they'd both been cooperating with Karliah for some time – they knew her goals and her methods. What was there to worry about?
They entered the strange cavern and followed after her through a narrow corridor for a while.
Soon enough, a chamber spread out in front of them – a surprising one at that. It had stone walls, paved floors and actual beds and furniture around. Everything was very old, decrepit and dusty, but it was still standing. Torn and faded banners with the familiar bird with spread wings were plastered all over the walls.
"What is this place?" Bishop scowled as his eyes roamed around the surroundings.
"An old… base, of sorts," Karliah's response echoed through the empty hall. There were corridors leading further back – who knew how large this place was deeper in?
"You want to expand the operations here?" Brynjolf asked curiously as he stepped towards one of the cupboards and opened it to see if anything remained inside. It looked like he came up empty though.
"Ah… imagine that," Karliah sighed wistfully as an unusually dreamy smile spread on her face. "Perhaps one day, aye."
"It is a good location," Brynjolf nodded at her. "Well hidden, near a trade route. We don't have the men to fill it now, but… one day."
"This is not why I brought you here tonight of course," Karliah gestured for them to follow as she stepped into the corridor and continued onwards.
"I brought you here to thank you for your loyalty and for… for doing the right thing when it was necessary. And I brought you here because I owed you explanations for my actions," Karliah's voice still echoed somewhat eerily as they continued onwards. They passed various other small chambers – some looked like training rooms, some like empty armories or storages. "This place holds secrets, treasures and… ancient ways that I think would benefit us and the whole Guild. All our endeavors."
"So we are here to be placated?" Brynjolf scoffed at her a bit as he followed behind her. Soon they all stopped in a small chamber with three stone slabs by the wall, each with the same symbol of the bird engraved in it.
"Isn't that what you want?" Karliah raised her brow at him. "You wanted me to explain and I will. I will tell you everything. And I will show you that I'm doing what's right and that allying yourself with me can be a very… fortunate choice."
"Why am I here?" Bishop cocked his head at her. She kept reassuring Brynjolf about her explanations, but Bishop already knew why she killed Mercer, why she rushed to action. He didn't get why he got called to come here with them.
"I have… an offer for you. For the both of you," Karliah spoke slowly, as if she was weighing each word. "It is one that can only benefit you, I'm sure. This place, it used to be a base of an ancient order of… thieves, you might say. Their way may be obscure, but they are not forgotten. You are both very capable and you know what matters in our lives, in our line of work. I have chosen you to share their secrets with you."
"What kind of order?" Bishop raised his brows at her curiously but before she could answer him, Brynjolf followed with his own question almost simultaneously.
"What secrets?"
"You have been so patient with me for so long," Karliah smiled demurely. "Please, just a little bit longer. Everything will be made clear soon, but there are important steps to take first and… I am not the best one to explain."
Bishop and Brynjolf exchanged a brief look again. This was getting more and more cryptic. What could these secrets possibly be? Granted, skills benefitting thieves had various tactics and could always be improved, but why was this all so secretive?
Bishop was starting to get a bad feeling about this place. Surely Karliah only found something useful in her research and decided to utilize it but… the insignias everywhere and the whole 'order' talk. It didn't sit well with him for some reason.
"Let me show you," Karliah gave them an enigmatic smile before she stepped towards one of the stone slabs. She ran her hand over it slowly, but she turned toward Brynjolf after a second and reached out with her hand tentatively, as if she expected him to give her something. "Please, only for a moment."
Brynjolf nodded at her and he rummaged in his belt pouch. A second later, he pulled out an interesting object.
Bishop had never seen it before, but he recognized it instantly. It could be nothing other than the Skeleton Key. It looked like a very sinister lockpick. He was kind of curious about this thing though.
When she received it, Karliah cradled the Key in her hand as if it was the most precious treasure in the world. Perhaps it was. It could get anyone anywhere after all.
After a brief moment of silent admiration, she reached out to the slab again, Key in hand, and she inserted it into a prominent crack in the stone. Much to their surprise, the crack that went all the way around the top of the slab, made a strange shifting noise and it promptly started to move, revealing an opening. It was like an elaborate mechanical chest.
"Now, what would you have done without that thing, lass?" Brynjolf smirked at her, but his quip wasn't met with the same levity. Karliah gave him a surprisingly desperate look as she shook her head subtly.
"I don't even want to imagine," she whispered.
Brynjolf scowled at her words and he promptly reached out to indicate that he wanted the Key back. They had a… strange dynamic when it came to this thing. Bishop couldn't help but wonder whether they were arguing about who would get it. Couldn't they just share it or something? They were both in the Guild now, right?
"Luckily I only need it once," she sighed when she handed the Key back, but her enigmatic smile returned promptly. She reached into the opening of the slab and she pulled something out – black and shimmering.
She didn't even miss a beat before she utilized that thing. It was a glove. Sleek and made out chainmail, it looked like, but the rings were so tiny it was hard to tell. That kind of work must have taken ages. She quickly disposed of one of her leather gloves and pulled the new one on her hand. Oddly enough, it fit her perfectly, even if it looked a bit small before. It was as if the metal stretched to the shape of her hand. Odd.
She reached out, showing the glove to them, before she pointedly demonstrated its secret. She moved her thumb below her ring finger and pushed into the metal. At the tip of her digit, a small key-like protrusion appeared. A hidden key. Interesting. What else did that glove hide in the other fingers?
Karliah promptly moved towards another stone slab and opened it in the same manner as she had the first one, and then she followed with the third. When she was done, she reached into the one she got the glove from and she began gathering more black shimmering pieces of equipment into her arms.
When she was done, she gave them a sly smile and inclined her head towards the other slabs.
"Help yourselves, friends. One of the many gifts offered to the members of this order. I promise, you have never seen its like."
"There's only three? What kind of order is this?" Bishop scoffed at her. That word really made him uncomfortable. He couldn't help it. And how did she know the armor would fit her? How did she know it would fit the two Nords by her side, both almost twice her size?
"Three, aye," Karliah nodded. "For the Trinity. The chosen ones."
"'Chosen'? By who? For what?" Bishop's eyes went wide at her. That sounded weird.
"Chosen… by me," Karliah gave him a reassuring smile. "I told you, I chose you to share this with. The armor is one of many gifts. Try it on, see for yourself. You will find out more soon."
Brynjolf was already rummaging inside one of the slabs and Bishop stepped towards the other one. New armor was… good, probably. He couldn't force himself to be too thrilled about it – he loved his current one. It was from Aeyrin after all. But… maybe he could sell it. And there was no harm in seeing what the armor was actually like.
Karliah started to walk away, towards one of the previous chambers – likely to dress in privacy. Or to leave them to their privacy. Weird, they all had their clothes on under the armors right? What was there to hide?
But Bishop certainly couldn't complain about her absence. This thing had been nagging at him from the start.
"So…" he began talking quietly, careful not to be overheard as he began unbuckling his armor. "Have you ever heard of something that called itself 'order' and wasn't full of some crazy fanatics?" The only 'orders' he knew were the paladin jackasses and some Daedric cults he'd heard about here and there. And that stupid thing that his sister Kari was part of. That one may have left him with some prejudice regarding that word. Well… there were the Blades – they were an order. Then again, Delphine kind of made up for the 'crazy fanatic' part all on her own.
"No, lad, I haven't," Brynjolf sighed almost silently. "You think she stumbled upon something dangerous here?"
"I don't know," Bishop sighed as well. He kneaded the armor in his hands for a while – it was fabric lined with the little rings. Very flexible and sturdy at the same time. He had never seen anything like this. It was impressive. Maybe he was just paranoid needlessly. He hated people being cryptic like this, but… Karliah had earned his trust time and time again.
"Guess we'll find out," he nodded. For a second he thought that Karliah may not have done her research about this place, ignoring the dangers for the rewards, but… that didn't seem like her.
He shouldn't be this suspicious of the person who helped him get rid of the worst ghosts haunting his past and present.
He just didn't like this place. But maybe it did have its uses. Karliah never steered him wrong before. Not even when it came to the assault on the cistern. It could have gone better, but he had to admit that the end of the threat of Mercer and the whole Guild being after them was so… liberating.
Bishop was done removing his armor after a while and he stashed it into his pack promptly. He was curious about this one, even though he didn't want to replace Aeyrin's gift.
He began pulling on the greaves, the chest piece – everything adjusted to his body easily due to the flexible fabric. That was fucking impressive. He didn't really like the shimmer from the chain – it could give him out, but other than that, it was one quality armor.
"This is impressive," Brynjolf, already fully dressed, murmured almost to himself as he began playing with the hidden tools in the gloves – a lockpick extension, a tiny needle, that key and what looked like a very small blade. When he was done examining it, he turned towards the slab to retrieve the last items there – a hooded cloak and a face mask. He put the last items on tentatively, only leaving his eyes and a few stray strands of his red hair dangling from his forehead visible.
"Can you even breathe in that thing?" Bishop chuckled at him. He never liked the constrained feeling of masks and he didn't like cloaks much either – they got stuck in doors and on other stuff too easily.
"Like there was nothing at all, try it," Brynjolf nodded. His expression was obscured, but he was probably giving Bishop a pleased smirk.
Bishop took him up on that suggestion and put on the last pieces of the armor as well. It was really easy to breathe in. Strange. What was this thing made out of? No fabric he had ever seen was this light, not to mention one thick enough not to rip under all the chainmail rings.
"I see you two are ready," Karliah's voice interrupted them in their examinations of the new goods. She was standing there by the corridor in the same armor with full mask, fitted perfectly to her small, lithe form just as it was for the two larger Nords.
"The Trinity restored," she whispered quietly, again with an odd reverence in her voice. "Come, I will show you the rest of the gifts that await you. And it is time for some explanations as well, I think."
"I'll say," Brynjolf nodded just as she turned toward the next corridor leading further in.
Apparently explanations awaited the man at last. Bishop was more curious about explanations about this place, rather than Mercer though.
Hopefully Karliah would have both.