Author's Note:

Dear all,

do you still not have enough of Thieves Guild shenanigans? :D I didn't, apparently, so I wrote this side story. As always, I was unable to fit it into one chapter only, so this turned out to be a three-part one (or rather two parts with a shorter epilogue). I really hope you'll enjoy this one. It's a recounting of events from a character we don't see nearly enough in the main fic in my opinion (and for good reason, but that's not important :D )

Thank you for reading and enjoy :)

Mum's the Word

Part I – Just Between the Two of Us

The dim light of the torches made the damp stone walls of the sewer look oddly pretty. Almost glittering.

Sometimes he spent hours staring at the sight. There was not much to do here anyway. He wasn't getting any real work anymore. And even if somehow someone decided that he could help them with their jobs, Bishop would definitely hover around constantly, making sure that he was alright.

It was just one stupid thing. One stupid time when he got hurt. But of course, with him, getting hurt wasn't as simple as with anyone else. Loss of blood often left him bedridden for a week at least. And he did need special attention from healers. Nobody wanted to deal with that. Nobody wanted to pay for that. And Bishop was already sick enough with worry even when Jules was just here, in his room. Doing nothing.

He loved working for the Guild so much. It was exciting. Though he knew that it wasn't the case for everyone. Well… he knew that it wasn't the case for Bishop. He knew what kind of jobs his brother was getting. He always knew too much, even if people tried to prevent him from knowing anything.

He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

But either way, his days working for the Guild were over. Now he just… stayed here and watched his brother withdraw into himself more and more again, just like he had when Thorn took over their clan.

It was all the same. Mercer, Thorn… Torban. The names didn't matter. It all ended the same. They got hopeful, they got their new start, only to find themselves in the same situation again. Jules was stuck somewhere, presumed useless by everyone, while he could do nothing but watch as Bishop's chain got yanked in every direction possible, none pleasant.

But today, Jules didn't want to think about any of this.

Today he didn't have to just stare at the walls, drowning in his own thoughts. Today there was something much more interesting to concentrate on than the glittering damp sewer.

Raven had been visiting him in his room more and more often. At first, Jules thought that the spy was merely curious about him, back when he was still going outside on missions. Then, when he got hurt, Jules thought that Raven was just pitying him or being polite. Everyone thought that Jules got hurt more than he had, that it was really bad. They didn't know that it was barely a few scratches and that it was his condition that made it bad. Jules was so sure that Raven was just visiting out of sympathy.

But now he was pretty sure that there was more to it.

Not that he was complaining. His presence strangely enhanced the sewer environment.

Raven was an enigma, in a way. One that Jules found himself more and more intrigued by. He never had trouble reading people. When everyone he had ever known kept lying to him from the very start, thinking that he was too weak and fragile to know the truth, when everyone kept tiptoeing around him when they knew about his condition, it became pretty easy to spot the patterns, spot the lies, the secrets. He spent his entire life surrounded by people never saying what they were actually thinking. He was used to it.

But Raven was different. He wasn't sure why.

First, he was like everyone else in here. He talked a lot, but never about anything important. He nodded a lot when someone asked him to do something. He never complained about anything. It was a familiar façade. Everyone around the Guild seemed to wear it. Well… not Bishop. He never kept his morose expressions to himself. If he was pissed, everyone knew it. They never knew why, but they knew not to ask. Or they didn't care. He wasn't great at making friends.

Jules was. The people at the Guild seemed to accept him well enough. They were a fun bunch and none of them asked too many questions about Jules's 'injuries' or why he wasn't up on his feet and back at it again. It was a little eerie. Nobody ever questioned anything at the Guild. Like they were afraid to. It reminded Jules of him and all his siblings whenever Torban was in a mood. Just keep your mouth shut and pray he doesn't get offended by your face alone.

And Raven was all the same at first. That was before he began visiting. Sometimes, his confident and charming smile faltered for a moment and there was a strange… sincerity on his face. He looked troubled and wary and he spoke in vague snippets that meant nothing pleasant, yet they told no tales either.

Jules kept wondering about that. Was it another farce? Was it another front he was putting up or was he actually being sincere? Anyone with half a brain could see that the Guild was not the happy little family they pretended to be. Anyone could see that they were leashed by a tyrant. But Jules was used to being careful in these situations by now. Even faces that seemed sincere could have other motives behind them.

And that only made Jules more intrigued. More eager to spend time in Raven's company.

Luckily, he wasn't lacking that lately.

"So, what have you been up to today?" Jules mused as he lounged on his bed, resting his head on his hand with a tired sigh. "This room gets so fucking boring."

"Not much," Raven smirked while he toyed with the frayed fabric of Jules's blanket on the other side of the bed. "I just went to the Bunkhouse to get some information."

"You go there often," Jules chuckled. He felt like Raven mentioned that place a lot of times. Jules himself had never even been there.

"Don't knock it," Raven gave him a wry smile. "It's the best place to get information around here. The workers are surprisingly talkative when you know how to approach them."

"Uh-huh. And the rest is just an added bonus, right?" Jules laughed. He probably wouldn't mind being a spy for Mercer if it involved just going around brothels, 'gathering information'.

"Trust me, it's no 'bonus' so early in the morning," Raven scoffed.

He may have had a point about that. Still, Jules wanted to make some quip about it still being better than being stuck in a room alone, but their conversation soon got interrupted. The door swung open rather harshly and Bishop barged in. He didn't even knock. He never knocked. Jules couldn't help but think that his brother might eventually come to regret that choice sorely, especially if Raven continued to visit so often.

Bishop didn't even spare either of them a glance. He looked angry. No matter how used to it Jules had gotten over the years, he couldn't help but feel concerned every time. It was weird. Bishop sometimes just looked angry for no apparent reason, he should know by now that it didn't have to mean anything. But he still worried. It had gotten worse after Thorn. Jules couldn't help but wonder what he must have been forced to do whenever he saw Bishop in this mood. It was no better now when they were in the Guild.

Bishop marched straight towards Jules's cupboard and he began to rummage around, looking for something. Not a glance, not a word. Finally, after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Bishop found what he was looking for. Jules's coin purse. It wasn't a strange sight by now. Sometimes he had to come in and take something from Jules's stock, not that there was much. But Jules knew all too well that whatever Bishop needed money for, he was always the reason. His medicine, or some payments to Mercer to let Jules stay here without actually doing any work. Everything that Bishop did was for Jules. He fucking hated that. Even when Bishop got some drakes to spare, he gave them back to Jules. He didn't even have anything to spend it on right now, when he was just confined to this room, but Bishop still insisted on it stubbornly.

It just made Jules feel useless. Bishop never understood that. He never understood that Jules wanted to take care of his brother too, that he wanted them to help each other and watch each other's backs. He was always so intent on sacrificing everything and anything, just so that Jules could feel like he was living a normal life, free of the fear of his worsening condition.

It didn't work. He would feel much more 'normal' if he could actually do something to help himself.

"Hey, Bishop," Jules broke the silence. "What are you up to?" He always asked, even though he knew that it was pointless. Even if Raven wasn't here, Bishop wouldn't talk about what he was bothered by, what he needed to do this time.

Bishop turned his head to look at Jules at last, but only now it seemed that he actually noticed the spy sitting on his brother's bed too.

"Nothing," Bishop grumbled under his breath. What? Was he actually going to tell him if Raven wasn't here? Jules highly doubted that.

"You remember Raven?" Jules gave him a small smile. He wasn't even sure why he still tried to engage Bishop in any sort of conversation when he was in this mood, but he couldn't help it. It was like a reflex.

"Yeah," Bishop nodded, still with a morose expression on his face. Jules didn't even know if Bishop knew all the Guild members. If he ever really talked to them at all. But this conversation obviously didn't lead anywhere anyway.

Without any further remarks, Bishop turned on his heel and stormed off, out of the room, shutting the door behind him with a slam.

The silence in the chamber remained uncomfortable for a while. Jules only let out a defeated sigh and stretched on his bed again. He didn't really expect anything else.

After a few moments, Raven finally spoke.

"Why's your brother always so pissed?" he scowled.

"He doesn't have it easy," Jules shook his head regretfully. He had a lot of questions about Bishop's moods, but 'why' was never really one. He knew why all too well.

"What, like in general, or with you?" Raven chuckled at him teasingly.

"Nobody has it easy with me. You best remember that," Jules gave him a sly wink, although a pang of guilt shot through his chest when he uttered those words nonetheless. He didn't even want to think about how true that actually was.

Raven laughed at his response briefly, but then Jules noticed that shift again. He could suddenly look like such a different person. All that sly charm was gone, replaced by… concern and fear. His next words came out careful and worried.

"Is it because you're sick?"

Jules's eyes widened in surprise. No one was supposed to know about that. Bishop was careful not to make it too obvious, though it turned to be hard to pull off when he was hovering around Jules like mother hen when he got injured. But still, it was quite an assumption to make out of that. Jules was sure that only Bishop and Mercer knew. Maybe possibly Brynjolf, but Jules doubted that anyone else did.

He didn't get caught off guard very often. It was kind of impressive that Raven managed that.

"Well, well, look at the spy doing his job without even being asked," Jules smirked. "Who told you?" He didn't mean for that question to sound angry, but it kinda did nonetheless.

"No one," Raven shook his head. "I… overheard your brother asking Mercer for more money for some… healing for you." He looked a little guilty, but he didn't sound remorseful at all.

"Seems like you have ears everywhere," Jules sat up on his bed and leaned closer towards Raven, as if to put him under careful scrutiny. "Funny, you don't look it. But I guess that's part of the gimmick, right? Part of the charm?" he smirked. Raven really did look all too innocent at that moment. But Jules knew this game well. He played it often. Maybe he would make a good spy.

"'Charm'?" Raven gave him an uncertain, bashful expression. It was almost believable.

"Oh. Is playing coy part of it too?" Jules chuckled at him. "I wonder if you're fishing for information or just… fishing. Seeing what you can catch. Or who." The innocent, sincere looks – Jules had only ever played this game if he wanted something out of it. When he wanted to manipulate the target. The question was, what did Raven want? And there was this telltale burst of excitement building up in Jules's core when he thought about the fact that maybe it wasn't 'what' Raven wanted, but who he wanted.

But Raven's face fell, all of the sudden. There was a surprisingly believable look of disappointment palpable on it.

"Forget it," Raven let out a somber sigh. "I was just making conversation. Everyone gets guarded around me. I should be used to it by now."

Hmm… was that real? Was he really trying to be genuine? Maybe he wasn't playing any games. Maybe he was really just… concerned. Interested.

"Who says I'm guarded?" Jules huffed in defense promptly. If anything, this was… a pleasant change. He was never sure if he could ever trust someone here enough to be sincere. Maybe he couldn't. He thought the same of Raven. But maybe the spy did want someone who he could actually talk to without weighing each word carefully. Jules couldn't assume that. Not just yet. But still… the idea made him even more excited for some reason. "Maybe I'm just… intrigued," he smirked and leaned his face closer to Raven's again.

"Are you?" Raven sounded almost disbelieving as he whispered those words, letting a huff of breath tickle Jules's face. Now he was the one who actually looked caught off guard. He looked kind of adorable like that.

"We'll see," Jules chuckled. He retreated from him yet again and sprawled himself back onto the bed. "Go on then, make conversation," he smirked.

Let's see where this goes.

Raven looked hesitant for a second. It was strange, like neither of them actually knew if the other was playing games, trying to gouge some information out of the other. For what purpose was anyone's guess. Maybe it was just out of habit.

After what felt like a long while, Raven looked at Jules again. He did look interested. And concerned.

"Why is your brother always so pissed?"

"He's pissed about the jobs he's getting," Jules sighed. That was no secret at least. He knew that Bishop didn't pretend, not even in front of Mercer, how disgruntled he was about this development. He had so much hope for their escape into the Guild. He thought that he would never have to do the shitty things he used to for Thorn. He thought that things would be better. Jules wasn't sure if they were. Bishop never talked about the stuff he was forced to do now. But Jules just knew that it made Bishop angry. "He expected it to be different, but it seems like it's not."

"Different from… Thorn?" Raven gave him a careful look.

Even now, Jules still couldn't help but flinch every time someone uttered that name. It was fucking infuriating. It was infuriating that the man still had so much impact on their lives. They were supposed to be free of him here.

"Yeah…" Jules mumbled through gritted teeth. He was pretty sure that just then, he wasn't able to put up any façade to hide how he felt about the mere mention of him in any way.

"Tell me about him," Raven prodded in a second. It was a welcome change of subject and Jules instantly perked up at the opportunity to tease the spy.

"About my brother?" he smirked. "I might get the wrong impression here if you keep asking about him. I'm much better looking, I'll have you know," he chuckled. He was under no illusions that Raven would actually be interested in Bishop, not when they had only ever barely exchanged a few morose grunts in passing. But it was fun to tease Raven about it nonetheless.

Yet, unlike Jules, Raven's mood didn't seem lifted by that remark.

"No. About… Thorn."

There was that flinch again. And Raven didn't seem deterred by that in the slightest. It was time to end this line of conversation. Jules was in no mood for this.

"No," he growled resolutely. Why did he even ask?

"Why not?" Raven's brows were getting more and more creased by the second. If he was really so concerned about Jules's discomfort, why did he keep prodding?

"Because, my dear spy," Jules sat up once more and furrowed his brows. His tone was teasing, but his words were all too serious. Raven must have known that too. "Curiosity does not just kill cats. It kills half-cats and ravens too."

Raven looked uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything more. Jules did want to end this conversation, but it still bothered him that he didn't get the prodding. What was there to gain from this?

"Why do you even want to know?" he sighed.

"Because…" Raven looked down at the ground, still playing with Jules's blanket. "Because he's there. Always. And any one of us can end up there. I just… like to be prepared."

That was true enough. Mercer's deals with Thorn were all too well known around here. Jules often wondered why Thorn even ever let some of his bandits escape to the Guild. He must have let them. Jules was under no illusion that they somehow managed to outsmart and outrun all of Thorn's patrols in the south. And even if that was true, Mercer would surely just notify Thorn that his runaways were here. No. Thorn allowed them to be here. But for what reason?

Maybe it was simple. Maybe Thorn had enough of Bishop's reluctance and grumbling. Maybe he had enough of supporting Jules when he wasn't really capable of the more dangerous missions. This way, he still had access to them when it came down to it. He still had access to the bounty on Bishop's head in three Holds. And the entire Province too actually.

He understood why Raven thought that insight into Thorn would help him if push came to shove. But he was wrong. Nothing would help him if it came to that.

"You can't be prepared for that. For him," Jules scowled, but his face softened a bit when Raven shot him a startled look. Why was he even worrying about this? He was in no danger of that, right? He shouldn't even be thinking about this shit. "Best to keep your beauty rest without having the threat alone haunt your sleep," he smirked at Raven.

Raven remained suspiciously quiet. Was he really concerned about Thorn?

"Why are you worried?" Jules gave him a curious look. "You've been working for Mercer for years." It seemed like Mercer valued Raven. He entrusted him with all the secrets, all the information he spied out of people.

"Yeah…" Raven nodded absentmindedly. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Maybe there was more to this than appeared. Maybe Raven wasn't the loyal spy he looked to be. Did he actually have a reason to worry?

"You have nothing to be worried about, right?" Jules prodded subtly.

"Right."

The curt answers were quite telling.

"Mercer seems like a clever bastard," Jules pondered. "I don't think it would be easy to keep secrets from him. Or to go against him."

"True," Raven nodded. It was staggering how obviously nervous he looked. Where was his façade? Where was all that confidence, all that charm? Was this still a game or was this really him? The less Jules was certain, the more intrigued he got. By Raven as a person and, honestly, by the secrets he held as well. Jules hadn't realized until just now how desperate he was to spot some cracks in this front. In the whole Guild. He hadn't realized how much he wanted other people to feel the same under Mercer's thumb as he knew Bishop did. He wasn't sure why. It was kind of a vindication. It was also kind of… hopeful for some reason. Maybe misery did love company.

"It's weird," Jules smirked at Raven. "I was gonna say that if anyone could pull it off, it would be you. But now you sit here like an open book." Maybe he had a right to be scared if his pretenses fell so easily. "Or is that an act?"

It wasn't. Jules could tell only a second later when Raven shot him a palpably scared look. Maybe he didn't realize how obvious he was being. Maybe he just let his façade fall in front of Jules right now. For Raven's sake, Jules hoped that it was the case. It also made him feel kind of... warm inside. They didn't know each other that well yet. Raven was risking all manner of things by being this obvious. It must have been scary to realize that. And for some reason, Jules suddenly wanted nothing more than to reassure him.

"If… if it makes you feel any better, I can guarantee you that once you get to know Thorn the way we did, there will never be any loyalty to find to those who work with him and support him. Ever." If this was all really sincere, Raven needed to know that he was safe. As if Jules would ever willingly tell on him to Mercer. As if he would ever risk anyone getting sent to that freak in Falkreath.

Raven still looked uncertain. He looked half-ready to talk as he took a deep breath, but then he didn't. Jules could understand that. But now he was the one who couldn't help prodding.

"You just… you look like you might need to take off that mask for a moment. I can see it cracking." He poked Raven's cheek in a teasing gesture, but nothing would make the atmosphere any less serious just then.

"Why are you doing this?" Raven swatted his hand away promptly. "Did anyone tell you to do this?" he scowled. It was kind of heartbreaking and Jules couldn't stop himself from reaching out again.

"Do what? Raven, I like you," he put his hand on Raven's cheek fully now and briefly stroked over it. He wasn't capable of thinking about games and plots anymore. Now he just felt genuinely concerned. "I can see how hard you try to put up that front. You don't have to do that with me."

"I don't need to…" he almost looked like he would swat Jules's hand away again, but he couldn't really bring himself to do it. Instead, surprisingly enough, and subtly, he leaned into the touch. "It's just… it can get… stressful. Well… yeah, sometimes I need to talk. But I can't. Mercer always finds out and…"

"And he punishes you for it?" Jules looked at him uncertainly. Has this happened before? Had Raven shared too much with someone? Had he already gotten into trouble with Mercer? Had he already been threatened with being sent to Thorn?

"Not… not me…" Raven shook his head, letting Jules's hand slip from his face. "Not exactly." The meaningful look he gave Jules said it all. So he wasn't the one getting punished?

"Aww, are you worried about me?" Jules chuckled at him. "That's so sweet. I assure you, whatever he would want to do to me, I've been through worse." His tone carried a bit more bitterness than he had intended it to.

"He could send you back!" Raven almost exclaimed, as if Jules had been too stupid to have realized that. Unfortunately, that thought popped into Jules's head instantly without even thinking too much.

He swallowed audibly as he heard that said out loud, but a second later, he forced a smile. Going back to Thorn… it was always a threat. He… he was trying to learn to live with that.

"Then I guess it will just have to remain between the two of us," he smirked at Raven slyly.

Raven let out a weak chuckle, but he shook his head nonetheless. "I… I don't know…" he averted his eyes. It only made Jules want to be there for him more. Damn, even if Raven wasn't trying to be his usual charming self, he had this effect on Jules.

"You don't have to deal with shit on your own, Raven," he gave him a reassuring smile. "And come on, I'm bored out of my skull here, just lying in bed all day. And you saw how communicative my brother is," he laughed. "Come on, indulge me." He leaned in closer, close enough to breathe onto Raven's ear. The spy didn't even flinch, but he did seem struck with sudden paralysis, afraid to move.

"Tell me your secrets," Jules whispered into Raven's ear with a teasing tone.

"Not fair!" Raven swatted the air around him, but Jules had already retreated. It really was fun to tease him.

"I don't play fair," Jules winked at him. "Ask anyone."

…

Raven really was sincere when he said he needed to talk.

He talked a lot.

It was obvious that he had needed to confide in someone for a long time. He told Jules about his work, about why he is useful for Mercer. He told him that he knows secrets that Mercer doesn't want getting out. And he told him that it's the only reason he's still alive. He never went into specifics though.

Jules was quite surprised when Raven told him about his previous relationships. It was a disturbing pattern, to say the least. Raven would befriend someone, start to confide in them, take things further, and then the truth came out and Mercer was all too eager to take his anger out on Raven's lover, whoever that might have been at the time, because Raven was too valuable to him. His initial apprehension about confiding in Jules was quite understandable now. It wasn't always the same. Sometimes Raven got too close to a target, sometimes he got too close to a stranger, sometimes Mercer wasn't even involved at all. But every time, one way or another, they all died because of the secrets Raven shared.

But Jules was not going to be intimidated by that.

Patterns and rules were meant to be broken. And he liked Raven too much to let some past coincidences scare him. There weren't even that many of them, barely enough to warrant the term 'pattern'.

So he kept reassuring Raven. And he kept learning secrets. He didn't even really care about the secrets. They weren't really interesting to him. Some of them were just things that would be useful for the guard, but not for someone working on the shadier side of the road as well. And Raven never did go into much detail. Jules didn't care anyway. All he was interested in was Raven. He just wanted him to feel better, to have someone to talk to. And he wanted them to be closer.

The only things that Raven said that actually caught Jules's attention, were the things that Raven shared about the other Guild members. Often, Raven was asked to investigate discontent, forced to rat out his fellow Guild mates. It was why he had no one to talk to, why everyone was guarded around him. But Raven still knew everything. He overheard things or he actually convinced someone of his sincerity. Jules wasn't sure how much of it made its way back to Mercer, but it couldn't have been much. The Guild would be half-empty if it was.

To be honest, Jules wasn't even sure why the discontent of the Guild members intrigued him. Maybe it was because he had seen those masks from the start and now he got the vindication of being right. Maybe it was because it felt somehow good to know that people could see Mercer as the evil bastard he was too. Nobody dealing with the likes of Thorn could be a decent person after all. Maybe it was because it made him feel like a part of this new world more. He always kind of wanted that, to be a part of something. He always felt like he was shoved to the sidelines because of his condition or because he was too young. Or just because Bishop wanted to protect him from whatever was going on. This made him feel oddly included, even if nobody knew that he was privy to these secrets.

But more than anything else, Jules just enjoyed listening to Raven. Even if the spy was just venting endlessly, even if he was in a morose mood, Jules just liked having someone be so sincere with him. He never had that. Nobody was ever sincere with him. Even Bishop, the person closer to him than anyone, even he kept everything from Jules. This was as if a whole new world opened up to him. Jules was used to finding out secrets in unscrupulous ways, used to reading people very well, but Raven was something else. His stories were astounding. He could get anything out of anyone with barely any effort.

And when he was in a particularly bad mood, Jules loved nothing more than to tease him until he finally smiled or laughed. They had been spending more and more time together each day. Even when Jules felt better, no longer plagued by his frequent coughing and choking fits after the blood loss, when he was strong enough to stand on his feet for longer than a few minutes, when he was well enough to leave his room and spend time with the other members of the Guild again, even then Raven was never far from sight.

They became almost inseparable.

Which was why it was all the more frustrating that that was all there was to it for now.

Was Jules actually being too subtle with the teasing? He certainly felt like he was being all too obvious. And Raven gave as good as he got, but it never went any further than that.

That was certainly a new experience.

"I had to go to that place again today," Raven sighed as he toyed with Jules's blanket at the foot of his bed. It had become a habit of his quickly. Whenever he talked about something that made him nervous, he would grab onto that blanket and fiddle with it endlessly. It was kinda cute. Like a subconscious tick. Jules apparently had one too – Bishop had told him before that when he was pondering on something, he would scratch his jaw vigorously. 'Like a wild animal' Bishop mocked him. Jules had never noticed doing that.

"To that warehouse at the docks? Did you find out what's going on there?" Jules asked eagerly. Even Raven wasn't privy to everything. In fact, he seemed to be supplied with just enough information to do his job. The problem usually was how much his targets talked. And how much he could find out on his own. He had been to a random warehouse at the docks several times already, always supposed to lead his target there peacefully. That was one of his talents. He could talk anyone into anything.

"I'm… starting to have a theory," Raven cringed visibly. "I was supposed to find a freelancer. Some pickpocket girl. I was just supposed to convince her to go to that warehouse. Then… I almost walked in on Brynjolf and Mercer arguing. It sounded like Brynjolf was waiting for that girl, like he wanted her to join us, but… Mercer said she wasn't going to and he refused to tell him why." He hesitated for a while before he took his eyes off the blanket between his fingers and looked at Jules with concern. "They were all girls. Young, pretty. I know I only led in three so far, but… still. Do you think… Mercer could just... think that he would like them and have them sent to…"

"Wait, Brynjolf argued with Mercer?" Jules interrupted him promptly. There was really no point in Raven agonizing over this – over what kind of sick deals Mercer had with Thorn. That was one thing that could make Jules promptly change the subject. He didn't like thinking about it either.

"Uhm… well… yeah. It sounded like he thought the girl had potential," Raven nodded. It seemed like he wasn't sure whether to comply and not delve more into his theories more for his own sake or for Jules's. But the result was the same.

"I'm just stunned that anyone actually has the guts to argue with him," Jules smirked. "The way you talk, sounds like you're all culled into silence."

"Maybe Brynjolf hasn't had the chance to find out what he's capable of," Raven shook his head somberly in response.

"Or maybe Brynjolf's braver than he looks," Jules scratched over his stubbly cheek thoughtfully. "Maybe a lot of people are, in their own ways."

"Ah right. So I'm the only coward to be scared of him," Raven scowled. He looked like he was more convinced that everyone else was just naïve.

"Oh, are you now?" Jules chuckled. "I meant the opposite, actually. Aren't you one of them?" He scooted closer on the bed to poke Raven's arm. Not that he hadn't been sitting close enough already before. His hand never retreated from Raven though. After he poked him into his bicep, he laid it down on it with gentle movement. Raven looked at the hand briefly, but he didn't move away. In fact, for a while, he looked like he was afraid to move, lest it would make Jules stop. The air always felt oddly tense when they were this close.

"How?" Raven scoffed, but his subtle move didn't escape Jules's notice at all – he raised his free hand, as if he wanted to place it on top of Jules's, but he seemed to change his mind quickly.

"You're talking now, aren't you? About things you definitely shouldn't," Jules gave him a sly smile.

"I…" Raven scoffed again. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this." He looked kind of flustered. Good. He took it as the compliment it was meant to be. Jules never found anything impressive about keeping one's mouth shut and submitting to assholes.

And why was he still so apprehensive? Was he really still worried about all those previous experiences of his with opening up? That was so stupid. It was just a sad coincidence. And Jules wasn't going to tell anyone about the things Raven told him.

"I shouldn't be," Raven grumbled, as if he was chastising himself. Yet a moment later, he looked at Jules with that familiar sincerity again. "But… I don't know why I feel like I…"

He didn't get to finish that thought. Jules couldn't stand it anymore.

He squeezed Raven's arm and pulled him even closer, while he himself leaned in. Raven didn't even look surprised, he looked like he was expecting this. Well… it's been a long time to come. Jules pressed his lips against his with eagerness while he shuffled closer on the bed, pulling himself fully against his side.

Raven shifted himself to face Jules promptly and wrapped his arms around his waist. He enveloped him in a close hug that way as he responded to the kiss, brushing his lips against Jules's. The exchange was turning more and more passionate each second. Jules moved his hands to tangle into Raven's black hair, cascading down onto his shoulders. And the touch turned into a grip, tight and eager, when Raven's tongue started to tease his.

It felt like they were there a long time, kissing and touching anything they could. Like the tension in the room couldn't stand it anymore.

But then, suddenly, Raven pulled back.

He kept his arms around Jules loosely, but when Jules leaned in again, he flinched away. He almost looked startled.

"Wait," he shook his head regretfully. "I can't. This is a bad idea."

"What? You tease!" Jules chuckled and punched Raven playfully into his chest. He knew what this was about. What Raven was always so worried about. He just needed a little reassurance. It was adorable, really, the way he worried about Jules's part in this. "Are you still on about Mercer? That's kinda conceited. Or did he put a chastity belt on you? I doubt he cares about you to this extent." Really, was Mercer somehow on high alert every time Raven wanted to sleep with someone? He would have had to have that stupid Bunkhouse on constant watch then.

"It's not like that," Raven scowled. "Don't you get it? People will talk and he'll get suspicious about you. And once we… start… everyone ends up the same… I can't…"

"What, now you think you're cursed or something?" Jules still snickered at him. "Raven, for fuck's sake, are you really gonna let the fear of that asshole prevent you from this too?" It was ridiculous. If Mercer wanted to be suspicious about who Raven spent time with, why wouldn't he be already? They were together all the time, for all everyone knew, they had already been sleeping together for weeks, here in private. It just sounded like Raven was afraid that getting close to someone would doom them. Ridiculous.

"You don't know what he's capable of," Raven's frown still hasn't disappeared, but his tone was wavering a bit. He knew that Jules was right.

"I do know. You told me. A lot," Jules smirked. "And I know people who are capable of much worse too. I'm not used to giving in and accepting my crappy place, Raven. I never have. I was used to biding my time when necessary, but I'm done doing that too."

He leaned again, kissing Raven with fervor. He was a bit afraid that he would pull back once more, but he didn't. In fact, he seemed relieved. Relieved that Jules tried to convince him, tried to talk him down from those irrational fears of his.

At last, Raven wasn't the one to pull back. They continued for a long while and only when Jules felt the need to catch his breath, he pushed Raven away gently. Their lips stayed close, parted, breathing deeply in the aftermath as neither of them was willing to ease up their embrace.

Jules briefly moved his head and nipped at Raven's earlobe. He could feel him shiver at that. And Jules couldn't help but smirk to himself as he finally found the breath to finish his thought. He whispered those words, letting his breath tickle Raven's ear teasingly.

"Life's too short."

…

"That's it, I'm done," Rune stood up from his seat and threw his hands up in frustration. "I'm not playing with these two anymore."

"You have a really shoddy tell, Rune. Don't blame us," Jules laughed at him. A small group of the Guild members, Rune, Jules, Raven, Tonilia and Vekel, had been whiling away the hours by gambling their coin away in cards. And Rune hadn't been doing so well, especially not against Jules and Raven. Though, granted, he was really easy to read.

"What is it? Just tell me!" Rune groaned. He looked really sick of losing.

"What's the fun in that?" Jules chuckled back at him.

"Tell me then," Tonilia gave Jules a sly smirk and he didn't hesitate for a second. He leaned over to the Redguard sitting next to him and whispered into her ear. It was just funnier this way. Rune's expression was priceless.

"Seriously?!" he growled.

"Oh shit, he does do that!" Tonilia laughed when Jules let her in on the observation. She didn't waste any time either before she leaned towards Vekel and whispered into his ear in turn.

"Assholes. I'm out," Rune scoffed. They all knew he wasn't really angry, but he grabbed what little remained of his gold and prepared to leave anyway. He probably didn't feel like losing any more.

"Well, maybe now it will actually be challenging," Tonilia snickered as she started to shuffle the card deck again.

Jules's attention got momentarily captured by something else though. He spotted Bishop on the other side of the cistern, marching into the room he usually shared with a few of the rogues. Not many got the 'luxury' of a solitary room. Jules only got one because of his condition. Though, while it could get mind-numbingly boring, it did prove very useful once his relationship with Raven progressed.

Bishop looked angry. Well, that wasn't anything new, but no matter what, Jules could never help but feel concerned. His brother didn't even stop for a second, adamantly trying to get away from everyone gathered around the cistern.

Maybe Jules was feeling a little guilty too. He felt like he had barely seen Bishop lately. He was too preoccupied with Raven. He promised himself that no matter how much Bishop tried to shut himself off, he wouldn't give up, but being with Raven often tended to obliterate all other thoughts and concerns from his head mercilessly. He shouldn't allow that. Bishop was still struggling here, obviously.

"You know what, on second thought, I'm out too." Jules grabbed the hefty coin pouch he had won and turned away from the table as well.

He felt Raven briefly squeeze his arm – he wasn't sure if that was a gesture of support or if that meant to get him to stay, but he couldn't distract himself with this now.

He left the rest of them to play and followed Bishop from a distance. He knew where he was going anyway. Hopefully his room would be empty and they would get a chance to talk. Or Jules would talk and Bishop would grunt in response at best. Jules wasn't even expecting anything else when his brother was in this mood, but he still wanted to talk to him. At the least, to show that he was still there.

Bishop didn't look back for a second. He wound his way through the corridors until he reached his room. Jules only noticed that he was clutching something in his hand, something that kept glinting in the torchlight.

Bishop entered his room, fortunately empty now, and tried to slam the door behind him, but Jules stopped it from closing. That finally got his attention and he looked back.

"Hey," Jules gave him a sympathetic smile. It hardly even moved Bishop.

"Hmph," Bishop only grunted in response. He moved his hands to start unbuckling his armor and only then he seemed to have noticed the object that he was still holding in his hand. Jules still couldn't see it properly, but Bishop promptly tossed it on one of the cupboards in the room with a haphazard motion.

Jules moved to sit on Bishop's bed, right next to that cupboard, and he curiously examined the object. It was a sharp glass shard, colored into shades of light purple and gold. It looked kinda like the stained glass in the windows of Cyrodiilic chapels. There was some blood on the edge of it. Not enough of it to have been there from slitting someone's throat, but still, there was some.

Back at Lost Knife, Bishop once told him that he didn't even remember a day when he didn't draw any blood. It just looked like nothing's changed for him here.

"Are you alright?" Jules asked. It was a pointless question and he wasn't even sure why he still continued to ask it. Maybe it just made him feel better, like he was letting Bishop know that he was concerned at least.

"Fine," Bishop answered curtly while he continued to unclasp the buckles of his black armor.

Predictable. He was always 'fine'. Jules didn't even really need him to talk throughout the conversation, it felt like. He could just as well work with what he could read in between the lines if Bishop had been completely silent.

"It won't always be like this, you know," Jules let out a sigh as he continued to toy with the shard on the cupboard.

"What?" Surprisingly enough, that seemed to get Bishop's attention. Ordinarily he would have just nodded mindlessly at the empty platitude. "Where the fuck have you been?" he scoffed. "It will always be like this. It always is. Doesn't fucking matter where we are, it's always the same."

Jules nodded at him somberly. It wasn't the same for him. He was actually really happy here. For the most part. But he wasn't the one who had to do shit for Mercer. Bishop always tried to protect him from the worst of this. Jules never had to do the most dangerous jobs with the bandits, he never had to wait for healing after he got injured, he never had to go hungry for too long. Bishop had always taken this stuff on himself and, most of the time, Jules wasn't even sure about what it all meant. What he had to go through. He could never be really happy in this place when he knew that this was still going on. That Bishop was still going through this for him.

"Y-yeah," Jules stammered a bit. He knew that this place was different. It was for him. It could be different for Bishop too. It just… needed a little kick.

He never meant to do this. He never meant to break his promise. But this could help. He couldn't watch Bishop like this anymore. Through all that anger and frustration, Jules had never expected him to say something so… resigned. He was the one who had always pushed Jules not to accept submission. To always strive for survival and freedom. He was the one who gave him hope that one day they would escape Torban's abuse together. That they would be able to leave the bandit clans behind after Thorn's reign of terror began.

Jules owed it to him to do the same now.

"It… doesn't have to be," he continued, merely earning a derisive scoff from Bishop in response. "I've been talking with Raven a lot."

"'Talking'. Right," Bishop let out an unconvincing chuckle.

"Well… among other things," Jules couldn't help but crack a small smile, but that wasn't important just then. "He has a lot of interesting stuff to say."

"I wouldn't put much stake in anything Raven says. That guy is so fucking two-faced," Bishop grumbled, promptly dismissing the point that Jules hadn't even managed to make yet.

"He's a spy. It's his fucking job," Jules shook his head. "Besides, what does that even mean? Everyone is 'two-faced' here."

Bishop only threw him a disgruntled look, but he didn't say anything anymore. Did Jules actually expect a conversation? He probably shouldn't have.

"You are too," Jules gave him a challenging look. "Your second face is just pissed off instead of placated. Or… maybe you're not two-faced. The angry one seems to be your only face lately."

"Whatever," Bishop scoffed. "You have the worst taste in people regardless." Again he almost smirked. Really? He was picking on Jules's tastes?

"Uhm, should I remind you of Neeshka?" Jules burst out in a brief chuckle. "You had one girl for longer than a single night and she was an insane psychopath. I don't think you're in any position to judge someone's tastes."

"Yeah, yeah," Bishop rolled his eyes, but there was still a hint of smile underneath his annoyed expression. No matter what, Jules was glad that it still made him smile when they picked on each other. It clearly detracted them from Jules's original purpose though. He was going to force that fucking defeatist talk out of his brother no matter what.

"That wasn't the point anyway," Jules smiled weakly. "All I was saying is… maybe the others around here don't feel so differently from you. They can just hide it better. Maybe you're not alone in this."

"Yeah, great," Bishop scoffed. "I'm not in the mood to go frolicking around the sewers with these people."

He thought that Jules was suggesting that he made friends? Well… it couldn't hurt, but he had no illusions about that. Well… maybe it would be necessary to some extent, but one step at a time.

"That's not what I said," Jules shook his head. Bishop looked like he was hardly paying attention though, still fiddling with his armor. "Bishop," he called for his attention and finally, Bishop did look at him. He looked annoyed, but at least he was listening.

"You're not the only one fed up," Jules gave him a meaningful look. "I'm not sure what with, I'm not sure what Mercer does to anyone, not exactly. But Raven talks a lot. I know that they're fed up. Many of them are. Maybe enough to… do something about it. You understand?"

Bishop's annoyed look disappeared within an instant as the realization sat in. And now Jules saw something very familiar glint in his brother's eyes. He couldn't help the smirk creeping up onto his lips. This was what he needed. To see that glint, that will to fight, no matter what.

It was worth it. He didn't even feel bad for breaking his promise to Raven.

"See? You're not as dumb as you look," Jules chuckled. "I'm sure that you wouldn't mind some 'frolicking around the sewer' with some people if it got you… results."

Jules knew that this was a bone Bishop would never let go of, not until they were free. He was hopeful again that there was a way out of this endless loop of submission.

Raven would understand. This wasn't just about Bishop. This was for him too. It was for all of them. They could all finally live their lives free of this shit, whether it was Thorn or Mercer. It was going to end. Jules knew that Bishop would do whatever it took. He would never pass up this opportunity in a million Eras.

Bishop pondered for a while. Jules could almost see the various thoughts and scenarios running through his head before he finally spoke.

"Like who?"

Another Author's Note:

In case any of you wish to re-read the parts mentioning Jules's and Bishop's time at the Guild and the relationship between Raven and Jules, it's dealt with a lot throughout the story.

For the most part, probably in the first proper Thieves Guild plotline in the first book (chapters XXXIII – XXXIX, 33 – 39), chapters LXXIII and LXXIV (73 and 74) and somewhat throughout the Falkreath plotline finishing the first book (mostly the flashback chapter CXLVII, 147)

In book two, the relationship is briefly mentioned in chapter IV (4), but the most important parts can be found in chapters XXXIII and XCIII (33 and 93).

Well, clearly it's all over the place :D Thank you for reading :3 I hope you will enjoy the next part :)