Under a clear blue sky, I knelt on the slated red roof of a building and watched my target, a man known as Wulf, as he made his way through the bustling Rimmen marketplace. I narrowed my eyes against the sunlight as I observed him closely, the afternoon breeze blowing gently against my chestnut hair. Wulf was a man of considerable wealth, so I, a Breton named Ximena, and my companion, a Khajiit named Yazhin, planned to rob him and take off to the coastal region of Senchal. I was sick of the desert and wanted a change of scenery. As soon as Wulf was distracted, I was to send a signal to Yazhin, who was hooded and trying to fly under the radar by fixing a broken boat in one of the stalls on the sidewalk. We were both known lifts, so we tried to keep out of sight as much as possible. Soon enough, Wulf began to speak to a merchant, and I saw my chance. I sent the signal to Yazhin who swiftly made his way over to Wulf. Within seconds he had relieved Wulf of his coin purse and disappeared into a dark alleyway. I softly laughed, amused by his skill and efficiency, something that never ceased to amaze me. I nimbly launched myself to the next rooftop, dropped onto the cloth roof of a stall, and landed on my feet before following Yazhin into the shadows of the alleyway.

"Ohh, how much is in there?" I asked Yazhin, trying to contain my excitement.

"Around 500 gold," Yazhin replied in his guileful manner, his sharp teeth gleaming in the low light.

"See?! I told you going after Wulf was a good idea!" I said, laughing and jumping as I clapped my hands. "We now have more than enough for passage to Senchal!"

"Shh, May! You'll get the attention of the guards. But yes, you were right, as always. Now it's just a matter of getting out of Rimmen without being apprehended."

I smiled at him and he looked at me fondly for a few seconds before one of his ears twitched, and I heard the commotion coming from the marketplace.

"Did you see where they went?" asked an assertive voice, most likely a guard.

"No, sir. I only just realized it was missing, I was on my way to the bank with it!"

"Hang on officer, I thought I saw two suspicious young people disappear into that alleyway," chimed in a gravelly voice, which sounded like it belonged to an Orc.

"Shit, let's rumble," growled Yazhin, and we turned tail and ran.

We cleared a corner and flew down a narrow alley as the guards gave chase. I saw the shadows of a group of men in the next passage over as they approached our location, and Yazhin grabbed my arm, pulling me through a gate and into one of the buildings. The room we had entered was dim, dank, and dusty, having all the hallmarks of a building long abandoned and left to the ravages of time. The windows were boarded shut and a rickety staircase led up to an unstable-looking second floor. The rooms were dark but for a beam of sunlight that poked through one of the boarded windows upstairs.

I felt uncertain as I stared at the staircase and what loomed beyond.

"Oh, come on," hissed Yazhin.

We cleared the stairs on swift feet and ran through a hallway into a secondary room, hiding inside a fireplace.

The guards could be heard on the street, floundering in confusion at our disappearance, their voices carrying in from outside.

"Where in Oblivion did they go?"

"Maybe that Orc was lying, it could've just as easily been him."

"I heard that! I'm about as subtle as a dragon in a glassware shop, I couldn't lift a purse to save my own life."

"Oh, for the love of Mara… hey wait, what about that side building over there? The door's open and it looks abandoned."

"Worth a try. Let's have a look."

I held my breath as the guards entered the building from downstairs.

"They're gonna find us," I whimpered softly, tears in my eyes.

"They won't," said Yazhin, angling his head up and studying the inside of the chimney shaft, his eyes seeing much more clearly in the dark than mine. "Hmm… it's wide enough I reckon. Okay, here's what we're gonna do. I'm going to hoist myself up and climb through the throat of the chimney, that part where it narrows in the center there. I'll knock that damper loose and then I'll help you up onto the smoke shelf, we'll be hidden from anyone looking up the shaft. We have to be quick though, come on."

In typical cat fashion, Yazhin made short work of the climb up the chimney, easily navigating through the throat and loosening a piece of metal from its place on the shaft. Once he reached the shelf, he then leaned down and stretched his arm out. Still struggling to see as my eyes adjusted, I jumped up and tried to grab his hand but wasn't tall enough, it felt like he was miles away. I began to panic and Yazhin gave me a worried expression, holding up both his hands in a bid to calm me down. By that point, the guards had finished searching the downstairs rooms and were making their way up the stairs.

"We're going to jail," I sobbed.

"We're not. Just listen to me, okay?" Yazhin pointed at the wall between us. "You see these nooks in the brickwork? Use them to climb up."

"They don't go up far enough."

"I know, just climb up as far as you can and then turn around carefully, use your legs and back to push against both walls. It'll be tough but keep moving. Once you're far enough for me to reach you, I can help you get up to me."

I froze for a second, unsure if I could make it without falling.

Yazhin looked at me reassuringly. "You'll be fine," he said. "I promise."

If he believed in me then so should I. I followed his instructions, disappearing from sight as the guards entered and started rummaging around the room. My core strength was rather pathetic, and I quickly became exhausted.

"These damn thieves are getting craftier by the day," I heard one of the guards complain. "Where the hell did they go?"

"They might not even be in here."

"They might not exist, either. Look at us, we're chasing ghosts. Let's just arrest that damn Orc and call it a day."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll just check that fireplace."

I looked up at Yazhin in fear. Yazhin gestured with his hand for me to hurry. I did my best to ignore my fatigue, forcing myself to hold my body in place and reach out to him. Yazhin took a firm hold of my arm and roughly pulled me up onto the shelf with him. Covered in soot and pressed up against Yazhin, we sat as far back as we could against the cold wall and waited. Below us, one of the guards stuck his head into the chimney and looked up the shaft.

"Well?" one of the others asked.

"I dunno," he replied, coughing. "It's pitch-black."

Two guards joined him on the hearth. "Look at how the soot's been disturbed. Someone's been here recently."

"Well, they're gone now."

"And look at that, the damper's been torn loose."

"What are you, the chimney expert? This decrepit place is falling apart and has been abandoned for decades, anyone could've done that at any time."

"Ziss!" spat another voice, one belonging to a female Khajiit. "While you're in here conducting a chimney inspection, the thief is making a swift getaway with that 500 gold. This one considers this chase a write-off. Let's just get out of here, all this dust is making Zuala itchy."

Grumbling, the guards gave up, turning around and walking away. Yazhin and I waited in silence for about two minutes before exhaling in relief, satisfied that we were safe. We looked at each other, giggling like children, the medley of our laughter carrying up the remainder of the chimney and out into the evening air like a pair of dancing birds.

Rimmen came alive in the evening, with the many colors of the marketplace and the sparkling shallow pools glistening in the golden twilight. The fragrant smell of spices, barbequed street food, and exotic perfumes flowed through the city, and the merry laughter of children watching the busking performers could be heard up and down the busy streets. The changing season carried on the cool evening breeze, the first promise of summer kissing my cheek gently. We had stolen a change of clothes from a vacant stall while the owner was away, and I ran my hands over the fine silk which now covered my pale skin, relishing the feeling. I glanced happily at Yazhin, who was smiling at me warmly.

"Do you think we should leave tonight? Or should we try tomorrow, less obvious?" I asked as I clasped my hands together nervously.

"Tonight. Don't worry, we'll be fine. Let's go join one of the caravans."

We arrived at the town gates to see it flooded with the presence of the city guard. We knelt around the corner behind a wall and watched the activities taking place. Several guards were posted at the main gate and the rest seemed to be inspecting the cargo and passengers of the caravans.

"What do you reckon, skooma crackdown?" I asked.

"Nah. I'd wager Wulf has forced the Rimmen Guard to hassle everyone leaving the city. Those Imperials and their gold, like they don't have more than enough of it anyway."

"What should we do?"

"Eh. We could jump the walls and walk to an outpost if you're willing to chance that, or we could just stay here tonight and try leaving again tomorrow morning."

I shuddered at the thought of wandering the Anequinan wilderness at night. Yazhin and I were intelligent, sure, but we weren't the best fighters.

"I want to stay here, I think."

"Probably for the best, let's go to a tavern and try to lay low. We'll be on our way to Senchal by mid-morning on the morrow."

We went to an inn on the edge of town, one considered to be a hidden gem by the locals. It had a pleasant ambiance, and the rooms were filled with intimate conversation, the bubbling of hookahs, and the sound of dishes clattering on wooden tables. I waited meekly in the corner as the more confident Yazhin made his way over to the bar staff. After a few minutes, I grew impatient with how long it was taking him and joined him at the bar. The barmaid, who was engrossed in her conversation with Yazhin, looked at me with slight annoyance. An awkward silence followed as my anger flared.

"Oh, sorry! Got a bit carried away chatting," Yazhin said with a laugh.

"He gets like that with everyone." I gave the barmaid a fake smile and leaned into Yazhin.

"And who's this?" asked the barmaid, a woman who could easily be related to Wulf despite not being an Imperial. It must've been the pinched and oddly angular face.

"Oh, this is my, ah, wife," answered Yazhin, reading my expression. "We're just passing through Rimmen on our way to Leyawiin."

"Leyawiin? Lovely there this time of year…. funny how you knew about this place though, most visitors stick to the more central inns and taverns. Only those who know better choose to come here." The barmaid's expression was a strange mixture of disappointment, suspicion, and genuine interest. "Who are you visiting, may I ask?"

"Family."

"I see," she said as she handed Yazhin the key, her fingers lingering on his. "Well, enjoy your stay. Let me know if you need anything else." She gave Yazhin a wink before turning away.

"Uh-huh, thanks."

After we reached our room and closed the door, I turned to Yazhin and gave him an angry look.

"What?" he asked, looking taken aback and slightly offended.

"By the Divines, must you flirt with every single floozy we come across?"

"I wasn't flirting with her! I don't even like Nords."

"Really? What was that wink she gave you then? Surely you did something to incite that."

"I don't know, but I sure as Oblivion didn't do anything to suggest I'm interested in her."

I crossed my arms stroppily and sat on the bed. "Well, anyway… what are we going to do about this sleeping situation?"

"You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor," said Yazhin, sighing and dumping the bag he held in the corner at the opposite end of the room.

Early the next morning, I woke to birdsong, the smell of coffee and baking bread, and the faint light of dawn gently touching my bed through the window. I stretched my legs and groaned sleepily. I was happy to be leaving Rimmen, but would indeed miss the life the city had. When I was young I traveled a lot with my father, who was a merchant. I'd been to every province in Tamriel except Valenwood and Summerset. I must say, Rimmen definitely had the most character to it out of all the cities I'd been to. I groggily looked over to where Yazhin was sleeping and became alarmed when I realized that he wasn't there. I sat up quickly just as the door opened.

"Hey, it's only me. I brought you some toast, Elsweyr coffee, and moon-sugar cereal. Your favorites." Yazhin gave me a meek smile and set the silver tray he was holding down on the table.

"Oh," I said, feeling guilty about my behavior toward him the night before. "Thank you. Yazhin, listen, I—"

"I'm sorry about yesterday," he said hastily. "I don't want there to be any negativity between us, Mayn."

"I should be the one apologizing. I suppose I get jealous sometimes. I guess… I don't want anyone to take you away from me. I'm nothing without you."

Yazhin gave me a wide grin before sitting down next to me. "You know that won't happen. Do you think Mother would approve of a Nordic barmaid? Imagine the look on her face. The likes of her are way too far beneath her precious son."

I smiled and nodded in agreement. Yazhin's parents were important people, and his mother was a clan mother, no less. Yazhin and I met when we were ten years old and had been almost inseparable ever since our friend group disbanded. We originally weren't that close, only knowing each other by association. Most of our friends, including humans, Argonians, and Khajiit alike, all moved on from the small Anequina village where we grew up. One day, Yazhin and I decided to hang out, just us two, since we were the only ones left. We were surprised by how much we had in common and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Yazhin was highly talented with a bow and a dagger, and being stealthy came as second nature to him like with most Khajiit. I wasn't as nimble due to my height, but, being a Breton girl, I had something just as good: gifts in the art of Illusion. The only drawback was how my magic didn't seem to work as well when I'm nervous. We eventually turned to thievery and crime, at first as a bit of fun but then as more of an occupation, much to the disappointment of Yazhin's mother. Since he was her only son, she had higher hopes for him. As much as I wanted her to like me, she saw me as a bad influence on her baby.

"You're right about your mother not allowing you to marry a barmaid. But then again, how many are there that she would approve of?" I purred.

"Perhaps the Emperor?" he said jokingly. "Or a Baandari priestess, she's always wanted ties to the Baandari."

"Ha." I laughed and slapped his shoulder. "You wouldn't mind ties to them either."

"True, but please do tell me more about how you'd be nothing without me." He grinned at me charmingly.

"Oh, shut up." I moved closer to him, playfully trying to climb onto his lap. He scoffed at me and pushed me away gently, pinning me onto the bed. I laughed as he held me down before kissing his arm softly, causing him to loosen his grip and allow me to push him off and roll on top of him.

"You know, I think the opposite is true," said Yazhin sultrily. "You'd be fine without me, and I'd fall apart if we were ever separated. You're everything to me."

"Oh, Yazhin, gods… you're so sweet." I shook my head before kissing him all over his face. His scent, which was familiar and tantalizing, drew me into him, making me want him all the more. I looked into his eyes and started to kiss him gently, slowly increasing the intensity. He kissed me back enthusiastically, our bodies falling into position against each other neatly as if it was the most natural thing in the world, but he soon broke away as my petting became more demanding.

"Xim, we can't," he said, panting and lowering his bright eyes to avoid any contact with mine.

"We can. Come on. We can do whatever we want, Yaz, no one's here to stop us."

"I know, but… we have to go soon. You know the patrols start to pick up at midday, we should leave well before then."

I felt disappointed but nodded in agreement as I felt the heat in my cheeks die down. I'd wanted him for so long, but I guess it had to wait.

We made our way through the streets, the air smelling clean and fresh. The city was bathed in the early morning sunlight, its surprising bite on my skin promising another blindingly hot Anequinan day, and making the glimmering shallow pools look irresistible. I decided to wade through them and splash some of the cool water on my face, knowing the arid air would dry it off soon enough.

As Yazhin predicted, the Rimmen patrols were light. A single guard patrolled the gates and we were free to leave the city.

"Wait here, I'll check out the caravans and decide which one we should take," said Yazhin, who looked at me and waited for a response,

I nodded at him, his intuition was normally dead on. I watched him as he went from caravan to caravan, asking them where they were headed. I grew bored and opted to gaze up at the soaring aqueduct as it stood in the rising sun. It went for miles and was so tall that sometimes it even touched the clouds. All of a sudden, someone put their hand on my shoulder roughly.

"Hey!" I yelled, turning around to see Wulf standing behind me.

"I know it was you," he growled. "I saw you on the rooftops watching me yesterday. Leaving town so soon, are we? With my money?"

I yelped and twisted fearfully, crying out for Yazhin.

"Not so fast, princess. You're coming with me to see the guards," said Wulf, before he realized that Yazhin was coming at him with a blade drawn above his head, a terrifying sight. "Wait, no, stop!"

"Let her go," Yazhin said protectively, baring his teeth.

As soon as Wulf released me, Yazhin took my hand and started running.

"Guards!" Wulf called from behind us. "Those kids have my money!"

We took off down the road, flying along the downhill slope, our feet as light and sure as any good thieves'. We could hear the guards yelling at us and each other before giving chase on their horses.

"We can't outrun them while they're on horseback," Yazhin said, slowing down as we turned a corner. "We need to hide."

I nodded in agreement. We climbed into a small natural alcove carved out of the rock. I twirled my hands and concentrated my will, using illusion magic to hide our physical forms and dim our auras.

A few seconds later, several horses charged around the corner.

"Woah, woah!" called out one of the Khajiiti guards before halting his horse, a gorgeous golden stallion, and making it rear up. The great horse whickered and shook its head as its rider scanned the landscape.

"What is it with those two? They materialize into nothing," one of the other guards growled, throwing his reins down in annoyance. "May Baan Dar choke, I'm sick of him protecting all these lowborns."

"Well, they're leaving town now. Good riddance to them. This one doubts they'd survive, thieves and bandits aren't long for this world."

"Indeed," said the first guard, massaging his forehead.

"What should we tell Wulf?"

"Gods. We'll tell him to take his arse back over to Cyrod if he wants to keep a hold of his gold. It ain't worth staying in Rimmen if you're worried about a few Septims going missing. Damned Imperials, it's no wonder the empire's going to shit. Come on, we better get back, let's just leave those two to their fate. We'll see how far Baan Dar's blessings get them out there in the wastes."

We waited until the guards had well and truly left before I lowered my ward. We decided to make our way along the road to the next outpost. I was glad we left early due to the intense heat of the Anequinan daytime and hoped that we'd be under shelter well before midday. Yazhin walked in front of me defensively, his sharp senses on high alert. The roads of Anequina weren't exactly dangerous when compared to its wilderness, but walking them still came with far more risks than the other provinces. The City Guard rarely patrolled the highways, so traveling with a caravan was highly recommended. The Baandari were numerous around these parts, and I was hoping we'd run into them in the first outpost we came across.

As the morning sun rose higher in the sky the heat became less and less bearable. Despite only wearing hide raiment, which clung to my body and allowed for freedom of movement, I was beginning to feel uncomfortably warm. I was about to ask Yazhin to stop for a break when he held his arm up.

"Wait," said Yazhin quietly, stopping in front of me.

"What is it?"

Yazhin tilted his head back, inhaling silently through his nose. "There's something not right here."

I held a hand up to shield my eyes from the sun and squinted as I gazed out at the red, sun-kissed badlands. The warm spring breeze moved gently through my hair as I listened intently. I couldn't see anything amiss, but I trusted Yazhin's instincts way more than my own. I cast a life-detection spell and looked around. Yazhin couldn't see what I was seeing, and he watched my face carefully, his handsome features riddled with worry. I sensed something from behind a huge rock wall, and I pointed to it. Yazhin nodded at me before crouching down and approaching the area I pointed out while I watched from afar. He waited a few seconds before running at it to gain momentum, effortlessly scaling the rock's jagged surface on his long legs and jumping upon whatever was behind it. I heard a trill of surprise and gasped as a jackal ran away from Yazhin, yelping as it disappeared into the desert. I heard a dull thudding sound and felt a sharp pain before the bright red of the landscape surrounding me faded to black.