The Pink Haired Pirate: An Old Norse Saying
Rated: M for language, future mature themes, violence, gore
Warnings: Spoiler alert for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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Sakura has left Falkreath the first thing in the morning. She has slept soundlessly, for more than a few good hours, for the first time in weeks. Naari woke her up, let her freshen up and have a quick breakfast before she took Chilly and headed right for Riften. They only took a few short breaks for Chilly to have some water, before they galloped right away.
When she was close enough to the Riften Stables, she got off, and lead the stallion gently by his reins, spotting Shadr cleaning one of the stables, seeming a little too deeply focused on his work. She took the basket and its contents out of the satchel tied to the saddle.
"Hello, Mr. Shadr!"
The man jumped a little, before turning around. "Oh, Sakura!" He put a hand over his chest. "You scared me, no joke."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Shadr." She rubbed the back of her neck, apologetically.
He waved his hand, dismissing her apology. "Don't worry. I should have heard you, or at least your horse." He looked up to Chilly, who shook his head.
"How can I help you?"
Sakura petted Chilly. "I was wondering if you could host Chilly for a while. I will be gone for some time and I can not take him with me. I can pay for his expenses when I get back."
Shadr took Chilly's reins. "Of course. That potion was nowhere near enough for liberating me from my debt. If there's something I can do to help you, I will. It's the least I can do."
Sakura beamed. "Thank you, I know he'll be in good hands. She gave him one last apple and a nuzzle, before grabbing her basket and heading to the Gates.
After going through the whole episode of helping the citizens of Riften, she was greeted more than once on her way to the cemetery. And at that point... Sakura felt loved. In a way. She felt accepted, and nothing could get her off her high horse at that point. It was a nice feeling to be appreciated. She climbed down the ladder, after the coffin uncovered the tunnel, and headed towards the Flagon.
The Thieves were having drinks - which explained why the Cistern was so empty, and Vekel seemed to be having a field day cleaning the tankards and filling them up to the brim with mead. Her presence was first noticed by Rune, who put down his drink and walked over, with open arms.
"There she is!" He draped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze.
"Well... I'm home." She smiled as they cheered.
"Welcome home, lass." Brynjolf handed her a drink, as soon as Sakura occupied a table, with him, Vex and Mr. Mallory.
"So how did everything go?"
"You mean the key.. or everything else?"
"The key too. Karliah has briefly described what has happened." He took a good swig.
"The key has been returned. I guess that we are in Nocturnal's good graces, so far. But my mission is not over, yet. There's been something about a cowl..."
"I knew it was a curse. But you lot didn't listen to me." Delvin commented. "So what's about this cowl?"
"Do you know anything about the Cowl of Nocturnal, Mr. Mallory?"
He scratched his beard. "Call me Delvin, kid. Let me see... have you ever heard about the Gray Fox?"
"The Gray Fox?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, as she took a sip from her own drink. She recalled hearing about it... somewhere... but nothing concrete.
"From the beginning, then," Delvin concluded. "The Gray Fox is the leader of the Thieves Guild in Cyrodiil. All the Cyrodiil Guildmasters are named 'Gray Fox', so it's mostly a title than anything. The cowl is passed down, as a symbol of office, marking their position. Because the mask is passed down to different people, there have been rumors about the citizens thinking that Gray Fox is immortal."
"Oh, I see. So it's most likely I'll find this mask in Cyrodiil, then?
"I think so. I met up with their Guildmaster a few years ago, and the cowl has not changed, nor has the tradition. A young lad, but he seemed to be doing his job very well. The Guild has boomed since he took the reins. But from what has Brynjolf told me... you will be doing the same too."
Sakura took Gallus' advice to the heart, back in the Sepulcher. "But I'm not ready to be put in charge. If something happens..."
"Me and Karliah have talked about this before you got here." Brynjolf butted in. "She has told me about how distraught you were by the whole idea, so we decided to mentor you. I will be grooming you to take the position of Guildmaster when you return with the Cowl. You will be prepared to lead us in a way that not even Gallus did. Deal?"
Sakura paused for a moment. "Deal. But I have almost forgotten something. Mr. Mal- " She held her tongue for a moment. "Mr. Delvin, you said you've been looking for these." She excused herself, before heading towards her basket, which laid right next to the untouched sack of goods brought from Riftweald Manor.
Ship Model.
Dwemer Puzzle Cube.
Bust of the Gray Fox.
Left Eye of the Falmer.
She had them all, but she paled the moment she has gotten hold of the small model ship, and the mast broke down. She gulped.
"What are you doing over there, Sakura?"
"One moment!" She called out, as she unsealed the Eye, grabbed the bust from the sack, and held the gigantic gemstone under her arm. The Dwemer cube she has swiped from Calcemo's laboratory was there too, in her hand, trying her best not to drop it.
"Here you go, Mr. Delvin. These are all the rest of the larceny targets I found."
His eyes fell onto the eye. "By the Eight, you actually got your hands on it."
Sakura set them down on the table, before sitting down as well.
"You know, this eye is worth more gold than some thieves make in a lifetime, I'll tell you that." He checked the bust and the puzzle cube as well, before reaching out to give her the gold. Which was not only more than enough, but maybe a little too much to carry? She will have to seal it later.
"Well done. Now listen here closely." Delvin took the bust. "If you're heading for the cowl, this is what are you looking for." He pointed at the head. Indeed, the piece looked like a burlap mask, with a set of strange characters running down in the middle of the face.
"But taking the cowl won't be easy. You'd be returning it to the 'rightful owner' if you will, but at the same time, the cowl is a badge of office. It's possible that Gray Fox won't give it up, and it would be hazardous to ruin the relations between our Guilds."
Sakura listened and nodded. "I see. I will try. If not... then I'll just stick to the pact. You won't mind me sketching it, before you put it away, right?"
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Sakura went through her findings in Riftweald Manor with Tonilia. She gave away the books she already owned, other potions and trinkets, but she has kept a few things, sealing them away, along with most of the coin. Besides all the gemstones, there was the Statue of Dibella she decided to keep and the really strange sword which seemed to be made of ice. It was a glass sword, but unlike Grimsever, it was a light blue instead of green, and the blade emitted ice vapors every time she unsheathed it.
It seemed like a nice prize. And with all the gems and jewelry, she was more than ready to go look for the Cowl. She could even fund a whole Tamriel expedition, she could bet.
Chihiro was waiting for her on her bed when Sakura finally showed her face at Bee and Barb. She has paid the amount of money she owed Keevara from the upkeeping of her room and headed right inside.
"Took you a while."
"Chihiro, where have you been? I tried to summon you, you know?" Sakura put her hands on her hips.
The cat shrugged. "Ah, well, you see, I've been busy. But, I'm here now. Ponytail has been looking for you."
"Ponytail?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, as she started to remove and seal all the personal belongings from the room. If she had to leave, she couldn't have Keevara and Talen-Jei keep her room reserved. They would lose money by denying a room for a possible client.
She spotted Dravin's bow, which has been delivered by Sapphire days ago, and the ingredients for Ingun Black-Briar. She had to hand them out soon.
"Yeah, Ponytail. Marcurio. He's been looking for you."
Sakura made a handseal, and a clone appeared in a cloud of smoke. Handing it the ingredients and the bow, it saluted and vanished.
"Did you know what has he wanted?"
"Something about going to Cyrodiil. He's been wondering if you wanted to join him." Chihiro hopped on the empty bed and stretched.
Sakura froze in her place, as she finished packing and sealing everything away. All she had to do was wait for the clones to come back.
"Did you say... Cyrodiil?"
"Mm. That's what I said, why?"
Sakura couldn't believe her luck. She knew he'd be sending a letter and maybe going to Cyrodiil soon, but she didn't know he would be willing to take her with him. She has voiced her wonder about other countries more often than not, so maybe he picked that as a hint.
Still, it was perfect. The Gray Fox was in Cyrodiil, so she was one step closer to get the Cowl.
"I always wanted to go Cyrodiil. It came as a nice surprise, honestly. I have to find him when the clones come back."
Chihiro nodded. "Well... either way, I must let you know that I hate the carriages here, so if you need me, I'm a summon away."
"You won't be coming with me?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Not really. I may hang around here to listen a to gossip or two, but you'll find me at the Cat Manor. Again, just a summon away." She grinned slightly.
Sakura shook her head. "Alright then, Chihiro. I think you can brag with the longest time without being dispelled record."
That alone seemed to have tickled her ego. "Damn right." She disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
Sakura sat on her bed, counting her coins, so she would know how much should she spend and on what. It did not take long for two figures to pop back into her room.
It was her clone, and Kurosuke, the black-footed cat.
The clone left behind some clones, and a small sack of a few gemstones, before disappearing.
"I found what you requested, boss. Black-Briar files. But I only took a few, so they would think they have been lost, not stolen. Getting everything would have been suspicious." Kurosuke reported in their native tongue, as he dropped a thin stack of papers on her lap. He awaited a few pats.
Sakura patted his head gently, between his ears, as she looked through the letters, addressed from Maven to Brynjolf, or more often addressed from Mercer Frey to Maven and vice-versa.
There it was, the order to get Brand-Shei shaken up. The Goldenglow infiltration request. Something else which had to do with Whiterun... A lot of the requests had nothing to do with actual thievery. Maven exploited the fact that her outfit has been doing really bad, to hire them as her personal thugs.
Sakura snorted. When SHE will become Guildmaster... everything will change. Everything. No more petty thievery. No more Black-Briar.
She looked down at the papers and smiled. She had something to hold over Maven's head. It would be ashamed if they were dropped on the Jarl's lap anonymously, the moment the old woman stepped wrong, wouldn't it?
She also pulled the eagle quill out from her pouch. She twirled it, giving it a good look, before holding it tight in her hands. The feather caught on fire, burning to ashes.
No more fancy quill either.
Sakura sealed every piece of wealth she had and grabbed her basket, after dismissing Kurosuke. She had to find that Ponytail. She stopped and chuckled for a moment. Ponytail. Oh, Chihiro...
But it wasn't long until Marcurio returned to Riften either. And finally, he has caught her. Finally. She just walked inside Bee and Barb, and followed her immediately, inside.
"Hello, stranger."
"Why do you look so banged up?" Sakura asked, taking in his appearance for a moment, as they both headed for Bee and Barb. Sakura has taken one last look around the city, to fill up her basket with traveling supplies.
"The correct answer is 'Hello, how are you, how have you been, thanks for taking me to Cyrodiil'." He sassed her as they both sat on the stools in front of the bar. Keevara had yet to turn around and notice them.
"Thanks for letting me tag along to Cyrodiil." She smiled, making him turn away from her face.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't mention it."
"So... why are you all banged up?" She asked again.
Grateful because she has changed the subject, he decided to humor her. "It was the last job, in Hammerfell. Dragonstar is a mining town, and my employer has spoken of a lost relic. We managed to recover it, eventually."
Sakura listened in wonder, before smiling. "Let me get you a drink then."
Marcurio couldn't really complain about that, could he?
Keevara set down two tankards of mead. "So I take it you two will be leaving for a while?"
"Yes, here's the money for the room." Marcurio pulled out a rather large coin purse from his bag. It was worth his usual wage, which meant the room would stay rented for at least a month.
"I see." Keevara put the coin purse under the table, on a shelf. "Safe travel, then." She smiled, as she turned around to clean the rest of the dirty tankards.
"Do you need time to pack?" Marcurio asked as he sipped from his own drink.
"I already did; everything's sealed in scrolls. What about you?"
Marcurio nodded. "You will have to give me one moment. I have already gotten ready to leave, I just need to pack the rest." He got up.
"Take your time, don't hurry up." She finished her drink, holding the basket close on her lap.
Marcurio headed upstairs for his room and started packing. Tora has gone with him through the steps of sealing and unsealing stuff from scrolls, and he had to admit, they were really useful. A handful were more than enough to store his things, along with the presents for the twins.
He picked the scrolls up when he went to look for a weapon for Alessio. He found a rather interesting three-pronged knife, he could bet he would like it.
He had to be careful and had to break everything to Sakura gently. They had to steal her summoning scroll, and who knows how would she react? He'd tell her the truth... eventually.
"Ready to go?"
Sakura got off from her seat and nodded, taking her basket. "Yep, I'm ready!"
"Good. Come on then."
The both of them bid goodbye to Keevara and Talen-Jei, as they headed outside and right for the Riften Gates. Sigaar was waiting for them.
"Good day to you both. Ready to head to Bruma? Hop on then."
They climbed in the back, taking their seat on the wooden bench, as Marcurio started to explain about his country.
"Bruma is one of the main nine major counties in Cyrodiil. It's rather close to the border with Skyrim, so you won't feel that much of a difference in temperature, mainly. It's like a home away from home, for Nords. They even had a chapel to worship Talos, but it was sacked during the Great War. After they signed the White-Gold Concordat, it was outlawed to start the reconstruction of the temple." He quickly supplied.
"Really? A Temple of Talos?"
"Talos has been apart of the Imperial Pantheon the moment Tiber Septim ascended to godhood. It's been speculated whether he was born in Atmora or High Rock but he's a God in his own right."
"But the Concordat..."
"Was signed so nobody would be hurt and because the war brought great losses over the Empire. That's why I dislike the Nordic mindset. There's no point in losing your loved ones for a prayer." He sighed.
Sakura wanted to say something, but she decided against it. It was wrong to outlaw worship in your own country... but at the same time, he kind of had a point.
"Anyways. We'll stop and get the carriage from Jerral View Inn. Afterward, we'll follow the Silver Road all the way to the Imperial City, at the capital."
Sigaar sometimes made different remarks about their sceneries, the closer they got to the border. It started to get colder and colder when they headed for the serpentine roads in the Jerral Mountains. Much to their luck, the way was clear and no fights or natural disasters obstructed their path.
Sakura couldn't overcome the feeling of excitement when they officially crossed the border with Cyrodiil, and they soon headed arrived in Bruma. It was cold, very cold, but she couldn't help but look around the city, as Marcurio rented their carriage.
He had to go find her. And luckily, he did, crouched beside the glass window of a bookshop, counting all the titles she has never even heard about.
But she was even more excited to see the Imperial City, so she made a beeline towards the carriage. When she has found a comfortable spot to sit in, she unsealed her coat and draped it over her shoulders, as Marcurio climbed after her.
The new coachman snapped the reins and headed on the Silver Road as the freezing wind became biting. With a shy lift of her coat, Sakura invited him to share the warmth.
The harsh winds hid the intensified colors of their cheeks. Marcurio scooted over, letting the shorter woman cover his shoulders. He wrapped an arm around the small of her waist, pulling her closer. They had to make the most of that damn cloak, after all.
It didn't take long for Sakura to fall asleep either, with her head leaned against his shoulder. He was tired too, but he had to stay awake, to make sure they arrived on time. But that didn't mean he hasn't leaned his head on top of hers, from time to time.
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A/N: This was shorter than usual. But do you guys know what does this mean?
Cyrodiil! * Finally. The Cyrodiil arc officially start the next chapter and I already have a few fragments written on it.
Now, I'm using Online and Oblivion to guide me through places and stuff, but shit was bound to change after the war, so bear with me. I will try to be as accurate as possible.
Also, some really tiny barely-there MarcuSaku fluff at the end. Just a tiny little bit.
For whoever has wondered abo it what happened to the Ship Model... it's broken. For now.
The quill Sakura has destroyed is the Quill of Gemination. It's a magic quill that can copy handwritings and signatures. A shit which should not fall in Maven's hands, so Sakura has destroyed it, despite not being aware of its real power.
Kurosuke is a black-footed cat, one of the smallest wild cats ever. They are not only adorable, but they also have a high hit rate for prey its size.
I was so excited to start the arc that I may have rushed the chapter for a bit. But it's not that bad, I guess. I re-read it a few times and it just seems a little shorter. If you guys remember my old stories, my chapters usually had over 1k words, at max 2k.
I think that's all. I'm wondering if I should make Chillrend her main sword, instead of Gallus' blade. I'm really curious. I got a cool suggestion for aetherium gauntlets and I totally love it, but that will be postponed as a filler chapter.
Well...
Cheers!