That was that. The clan had moved on yet again.
Their journey to the Imperial City was kind of in vain, even if it did give them another vague lead. Bishop still preferred to go to Cheydinhal and ask some random stranger where his family went than go back to Kari and wait there until someone forced their way into their caves to fetch her. And besides, staying with her cult would probably drive both him and Aeyrin insane. That was not an option.
But despite the unsuccessful chase, there was no reason for them not to enjoy the capital properly. Especially since they had a small fortune to spend on whatever they wanted here. There were so many opportunities open for that. Shopping, entertainment, good meals and sleep.
After they met up back at the King and Queen, the two of them enjoyed some lunch and headed into the streets. The first thing on the agenda was to go shopping. They had pre-paid before for three nights at the inn and they really didn't see a reason to leave sooner. The clan was not in Cheydinhal anyway and if they moved away from their next location, well, whatever. There was always a chance of that. They would not waste their accommodations or their time alone and safe here. It was refreshing after the mess in Kvatch and the strange dealings with the Count of Skingrad. Here, they were finally again just people in the crowd – nobody knew them and nobody cared about them.
They left the Elven Gardens and headed over to the Market District right away. They had an entire afternoon to enjoy what it had to offer, even though they didn't actually need anything. And they weren't exactly sure what to buy. Bishop did want to get some good food for the road, but they hardly needed much more than that. But that didn't mean that something couldn't catch their eye.
"So, where to first, princess?" Bishop mused idly as he looked around the busy streets. The City really didn't change at all ever since he'd been here last. And that was ages ago. Well, maybe it changed a little. It seemed much more… Imperial then it used to, for some reason. Those red banners with the Imperial dragon were hanging everywhere. He didn't remember there being so many.
But that wasn't really important. What was important was finding something neat to spend their money on.
"Food!" Aeyrin grinned at him. As if he had to even ask. She was looking forward to stocking up on all the Cyrodiilic delicacies she had missed for the last two years. Not that she hadn't been enjoying them fully since they came back here, but there were simply never enough opportunities for something like that.
"Should have seen that one coming," Bishop chuckled. "But… good choice. Let's go." With a smirk, he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her forth towards the open stalls in the district. They emitted thousands of pleasant smells into the air – whether it was baked goods or exotic seasonings.
Aeyrin instantly ran off towards the stall with sweet treats. They all smelled so good, she couldn't resist. Bishop, on the other hand, made his way first towards the stall selling various meats. He always preferred hunting for his own, but there were some pre-prepared things that he couldn't really do on the road. Like steamed mudcrab legs that one only needed to heat up on open fire for a bit. Or more ham. That was always a good choice.
His eyes went briefly towards Aeyrin as he pondered what else she might enjoy that they didn't have the opportunity to get on their own. She was currently being talked to by one of the vendors who had all these almost artistic shapes carved out of watermelons there.
"I'm not dragging a watermelon!" He called out to her with a small chuckle. He could already imagine it – she was definitely asking the guy how he made those things. And that was just one short step away from her trying it on her own.
"Fine!" She giggled. He had read her like a book. It was tempting to try and make something like that out of food, but then again, she would just feel sorry about eating it. She did feel bad about trying the vendor's sample too – a small melon rose. But refusing would be worse.
She would get a lot of fruit though. And some of those baked treats that could last at least a few days in their produce packs.
They spent some time there, buying meats, fruits, treats and some new seasonings, until it really felt like they'd spent a lot on food already. They didn't really need to put all that money into stuffing themselves on the road.
With that done and with their equipment and clothes practically brand new and in good quality, there was an interesting question hanging in the air. What else could they buy here?
They passed a few stores, only looking into the window displays, but finding nothing of interest, before they walked by a jewelry store. Aeyrin stopped instantly by the display to look at the glittering jewels. She never really even wanted any of them, but she still loved to admire the craftsmanship.
"You wanna go in?" Bishop nudged her.
"I don't need more of these," she chuckled at him. He had already given her plenty of pretty trinkets. And they were more meaningful than anything she could buy just because it was pretty.
"Nobody 'needs' these," Bishop smirked. "Let's just take a look." It wasn't as if they had anything more important to do anyway.
They entered the store promptly and began looking around. There were two other people browsing the goods there along with the merchant behind his counter and an assistant tailing the two people, trying to sell them something. The customers seemed more annoyed by her and tried to ignore her though, so as soon as she spotted Bishop and Aeyrin in the store, she hurried over to them.
Bishop kind of hated this weird Imperial custom. He didn't really go into fancy stores back when he used to live here – he had no idea that people would be this… pushy. In Skyrim, most people kind of looked like they just wanted you out of their store already. Well maybe except for Solitude.
When Aeyrin saw the assistant heading towards them, she quickly slipped by to pretend to take a look at some jewelry in one of the displays. She really didn't want to be pressured into buying anything here. She didn't need more trinkets, no matter how pretty – they were too impractical for the travels. Though granted, her necklaces and rings were hidden below her chain, they were still somewhat sturdy pieces. All these looked so… delicate. Like they would break in an instant.
Fortunately, the assistant was more focused on Bishop. But Aeyrin was sure that he could handle that. He always had a knack of getting rid of people.
"Welcome, sir," the woman beamed at Bishop immediately, ignoring his reluctant groan when she approached. "I know just the thing! Come here!"
Fuck, she was getting right to it. The woman grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him towards displays at the back of the store. He didn't even need to ask to know that those were the most expensive pieces in the place – the displays were all glittering with precious jewels of all colors.
"Are you perhaps looking for an engagement ring?" The woman gave him a sly wink. "We have an excellent selection right here," she pointed to a display filled with countless rings. Even more than the guy in Solitude had shown him back then. And they all had huge gems embedded in them. Mostly diamonds, looked like.
"She already has one," Bishop brushed her off. "We're just looking."
"Well, in that case, how about a pair of earrings? We have special ones for elves right here," she continued, undeterred, with that same bright smile on her face. She began proudly showing him a selection of earrings shaped to the elven ear – with silver and gold decorative outlines around the pointed tips.
Fuck, this one would be hard to get rid of.
Aeyrin only chuckled softly as Bishop was caught in the woman's clutches. She just hoped that he wouldn't let her talk him into buying something outrageously expensive, but that really didn't sound like him. Not for no reason.
Instead, Aeyrin walked towards the counter to look at the pieces there. She wasn't even looking for anything, but she really liked looking at the creations. She was pretty sure that the most impressive ones would be by the counter.
The merchant at the front didn't seem eager to bother her – that was what the assistant was there for, apparently.
She was right about the more elaborate pieces being there. They may not have been all beset by jewels, but it was very obvious that they were the most difficult to make – the bent metal ornaments were so delicate and detailed. She couldn't even imagine wearing something like this.
One set stood out from the rest there though. It was no less elaborate, but also something she didn't expect to see here.
There was a set of small silver earrings. Five of them – those that people often wore at the ridges of their ears. What struck her most about them were the carvings. They weren't ornamental shapes like the rest – they were like something she would actually find in Skyrim. They reminded her so much of the display of rings where she had found the ring with dragon's head for Bishop – the one that looked just like the one with wolf's head he had given her.
There were five heads on those earrings, just like on those rings. Except that they looked even more elaborately carved. Almost life-like. It was such an impressive bit of work. Someone really made sure to portray every detail. And just like with the rings, there were animals and monsters depicted on them.
One was clearly a minotaur – with its bull's head and large horns and ring in its nose. It even looked like the ring was movable in the small head. Another one was a troll. The carvings made the furry head look so real. Then there was a bear, with its jaws open in a menacing gesture. The next was… she thought it was a wolf. But on closer inspection, it actually looked like a werewolf. That one made her a little uncomfortable. And last, surprisingly enough, was a dragon. Well, maybe it wasn't so surprising. People probably took to the living legends quickly.
"Do you like them?" A voice startled her from her scrutiny of the earrings. She hadn't expected the merchant to address her, but she must have been admiring the pieces for a really long time. "A jeweler from Bruma brought them in a few months back. With a heart-breaking story," he sighed.
Was that a sales tactic? Eh, she didn't care. She wanted to hear the story.
"What was the story?" she asked with interest.
"His wife was a huntress. A very skilled one, apparently. She hunted the most dangerous prey for the challenge of it," the merchant smiled a little wistfully. "All those monsters on there, she managed to slay them."
"Even a dragon?" Aeyrin gasped in astonishment. Really? Alone? That was… she didn't think that was even possible.
"That's what the man said," the merchant nodded. "She was very proud of her accomplishments. And she always wanted to display her hunting trophies. But her husband really didn't want the heads of the monsters hanging on their walls. So… he came up with a compromise. An earring for each of her trophies."
That was a great idea. And Aeyrin was finding these earrings more and more fascinating. She did remember from time to time lately that Bishop's birthday was coming up. It was a shame that he didn't wear earrings. The ones at the side of the ear would actually look good on him.
"Wait, why was the story heart-breaking?" Aeyrin remembered. This sounded all so sweet.
"The huntress died recently and her husband hit some rough times without her income from the hunts. He… had to sell them lest he would lose their house," the merchant sighed. "I almost felt bad for buying them from him, but I did compensate him very generously, of course."
Aeyrin wasn't sure if the story was true. But if it was, it certainly was very heart-breaking. And it would be lovely if the 'trophies' could still fulfill their purpose…
She absentmindedly looked back at Bishop. She could barely see him behind the couple still browsing the store – he was all the way in the back, still talking to the assistant. But the merchant certainly noticed the direction of her stare.
"They would definitely suit him," he winked at her. He clearly saw what she was thinking.
"He… can't wear these," Aeyrin only gave him a wry smile back. They could only be put on through holes in one's ear. They couldn't be clipped on or screw-squeezed to the ear. And even if they had the different closing mechanism, those would be so easily lost. It was moot.
"What do you… oh!" The merchant snapped his fingers when he realized what she meant. "Oh, but that's very easy, my dear. All you need is some fire and some frost salts. You need to cool the skin with the salts and heat the needle that goes into the ear. It's a virtually painless process."
Well… that did sound like an easy thing. And she wouldn't even need frost salts – that was just for the Imperials with no other options. There was plenty of actual ice in Skyrim. Or the ice wraith teeth they had been lugging around to keep their produce fresh. But would Bishop even want something like this?
Then again… the trophy thing really intrigued her. He would like the challenge. And while they were still in Cyrodiil, she was sure that he would get a kick out of hunting down a minotaur. It was really starting to tempt her more and more.
Bishop couldn't hear her talking, right? She didn't really hear him talking to the assistant. The couple there was chatting constantly and they drowned mostly anything out. This would really be a lovely surprise. Though she had already been thinking about giving him something else for his birthday. But there was no reason why he couldn't get more gifts. Especially since their separation ruined his last birthday. And it would be his last birthday before he hit his thirties! That needed to be celebrated properly.
"How much are they?" Aeyrin consciously lowered her voice now that she had almost decided to buy them. She just needed to know that they weren't ridiculously overpriced.
"Eighty septims for one," the merchant nodded at her promptly.
Alright… that was… kind of steep. But she had almost forgotten that she was in Cyrodiil.
"But they're just from silver," she smiled wryly. Silver wasn't that expensive.
"But look at the craftsmanship, my lady," the man scowled. He wasn't too happy about her haggling, but he must have been used to this, surely.
"I know, but I've seen plenty of pieces like these sold up north for much less. See?" She grabbed the wolf's head ring around her neck to show it to him in demonstration. This one was really cheap. The five-fingers discount, even.
"Well… perhaps… are you going to buy the whole set?" the man sighed.
"Yes," she nodded vehemently. Especially the dragon one. Bishop would love having to 'hunt' a dragon for it. She wasn't sure if she should even offer her help or just watch him try when it came to it. But dragons were probably too dangerous to just let him struggle. Still, she knew that these earrings would be fun for him to 'earn'.
"Well… alright… sixty five each," the man relented.
"Deal," Aeyrin beamed. That was alright. She had the money, of course. It was still expensive, but he had a point about that craftsmanship. And she really hoped that if the story was true, he compensated the jeweler richly for these.
At least they would be worn in the spirit they were intended to be and not by some noble who just liked the novelty. A real hunter deserved these.
She wasn't sure about the werewolf one. That one still made her uncomfortable, but it was likely that one day they would come across a very hostile one that would attack them. She just hoped it wouldn't end up being her.
The merchant unlocked the display and he took the earrings out. He grabbed a leather pouch and he put them all inside carefully, waiting for her to pay before he would hand it to her. Aeyrin checked one more time to see if Bishop was watching, but he was still preoccupied with that woman, Gods bless her. Aeyrin could still keep this a surprise.
"Thank you, I hope they'll please your friend," the man smiled at her when they finished the transaction. She hoped so too, but she was almost entirely sure that they would. And along with the other present she had been planning, he was going to enjoy his day without a doubt. There was only one dark cloud looming over it – it was on the thirteenth. Another night of the full Secunda. But… that wasn't something that Bishop minded, apparently. Just her.
She turned around to go back to him just as the door opened and another person walked in. Her blood chilled when she spotted who it was though.
Not that she knew the woman. But then again, everyone knew the woman. It was all anyone needed to know when they saw the black and gold robes she wore. A Thalmor.
A strange atmosphere suddenly enveloped the store and everyone fell quiet. It was odd. She might have only been here to buy jewelry. Why else would she be here? But the couple that had been browsing the goods before quickly made their way past her and out of the store. And both the merchant and the assistant stopped talking instantly. What was going on?
The woman marched towards the counter on resolute feet. She was scowling the entire time as she stared at the merchant. She practically pushed past Aeyrin to get there.
"You. Call your assistant. Now," the Thalmor snarled. What was happening? Why did everything seem so hostile?
"Uhm… yes… come here, Illiana, please," the merchant called out to his assistant. She was still standing in the back with Bishop and before she took a step, Bishop noticed her throw a very wary glance towards one of the displays.
What was that about?
As the woman walked towards the counter, Bishop couldn't help but look at the display himself. She looked so fucking scared. Why?
"I have a report that you have been selling propaganda pieces," the Thalmor scowled at the merchant, watching the assistant all the while warily as if to prevent her from even moving.
'Propaganda pieces'? What?
Bishop's eyes ran over the rings in the display. They looked like signet rings. They had various emblems on them – mostly of Cyrodiil cities and also various portrayals of the Imperial Dragon. Why would the assistant look at the display like that? There was nothing… oh!
Then Bishop spotted it. There was a ring there with a familiar symbol on it. A bear's head. Was that a Stormcloak insignia? Here? That was… unexpected. Did people even know what it stood for, so far from Skyrim and the war?
Maybe they did. Maybe the war was much more of an interesting topic here than it would appear. Maybe living under Thalmor scrutiny made people eager to identify with the rebels in the north, despite them not knowing much about the situation at all.
This… felt shitty though. Bishop was kind of resentful of the Thalmor bullshit after everything that happened in Chorrol. They were getting so fucking uppity. They forced Therien to let himself be arrested with no fucking evidence, determined to get him to confess. And now they were being shitty to some merchants who were only taking advantage of people's whims? Was it even forbidden to show off Stormcloak insignia? It sure as fuck wasn't in Skyrim. Not even in the Imperial Holds. Probably. It wasn't as if it was a fucking Talos amulet.
"E-excuse me, but… I… have no idea what you're talking about," the merchant stammered nervously while the Thalmor looked around the displays in front of him. When the assistant took an uneasy step in one place though, the woman snarled at her in warning.
"Do not move. You are being questioned."
Shit, this was getting unpleasant. Bishop had half a mind to leave, but the other half was just getting more and more pissed off. The Thalmor were such fucking assholes. He would love nothing more than to see this woman leave here with her victory denied.
"Open this case for me," the Altmer pointed to one of the displays which clearly held some more tableaus filled with jewelry at the bottom. The merchant only reluctantly obeyed.
This was a good chance though.
Bishop quickly rummaged inside his pocket to locate his lockpicks. Fuck, he hoped he wouldn't be too loud. The jeweler was kind of making noise with his keys, but not enough. But that was when he noticed that Aeyrin saw him.
She gave him a subtle nod. She probably didn't really know what was going on, but she did see Bishop take out his lockpick. And given the situation, she was probably not thinking that he was going to just steal shit.
As the jeweler discarded one tableau to the side of the counter and pulled out the next for the Thalmor to look over, Aeyrin stepped towards the counter again and looked at the discarded one. It was all golden rings. Hopefully nothing that would break. She started to pick them out one by one, but then, as if by accident, her hand caught on the edge of the tableau and she sent it flying onto the ground, letting the rings clank all over the stone floor.
"Oh no!" The jeweler gasped and he ran around the counter to start picking them up. He had no idea what was happening. But surprisingly enough, the Thalmor joined in to help. As if she was worried that they were up to something down there. She never even considered the unscrupulous stuff happening at the other side of the store.
Bishop used the opportunity to open the locked case. The assistant noticed his actions instantly, but she only looked at him with pleading eyes. Maybe she was worried that he would rat her out, but why would he need to open the case to do that?
He quickly fished out the ring with the Stormcloak insignia along with a couple more – it couldn't be obvious that only one was missing after all.
Bishop closed the display promptly. He couldn't really lock it again, but hopefully the merchant would be able to pretend to unlock it when they got to it.
Now it was really time to bolt. Aeyrin, the Thalmor and the merchant finished picking up the rings and putting it all back onto the tableau. The woman quickly concentrated on the assistant again, checking whether she had moved, but seeing her standing in the same place seemed to placate her.
"You, don't interfere. You can shop later," the Thalmor snapped at Aeyrin before she turned back towards the merchant. "Another case. Come on."
The merchant obeyed with his hands shaking, but by that time, Bishop already approached the assistant.
"We're… gonna leave you to it. We've already bought more than enough," he sighed, making sure he sounded very uncomfortable with the situation. He reached out into his coin pouch and fished out three septims. He put them into his other hand – the one that had been holding the few rings – and he gestured to the assistant to take it all. Hopefully subtly. "Thanks for all the help."
"Thank you, sir, for your… patronage. Really, thank you," the assistant nodded vehemently. She touched Bishop's hand firmly to grab all the treasures without anyone suspecting anything but gold, and she put it all into her coin pouch quickly.
"Thank you," Aeyrin smiled a bit at the merchant. "And… sorry about…"
"Just leave!" The Thalmor growled at her before she concentrated on the tableaus again. "Another one. Hurry this up. You have so much crap here."
Bishop and Aeyrin didn't wait any longer before they turned on their heels and left the store. It was for the best. Hopefully the one ring with the insignia was the only 'propaganda' they were holding there, but the assistant really looked relieved. Who knew someone would actually be glad to see Bishop stealing from them. Even if he returned it all. He didn't wanna make trouble there, he just wanted to make sure that fucking Thalmor didn't get to harass people.
The second the door closed behind them, Aeyrin gave Bishop an eager look.
"What just happened?"
"That assistant, she looked at the display I was by when the Thalmor came. I saw a ring with a Stormcloak symbol on it there," Bishop explained.
"What? That's not illegal, is it?" Aeyrin cringed, equally confused by this as him.
"Maybe the people here are starting to romanticize the rebels," Bishop smirked. It did sound likely.
"Great," Aeyrin growled resentfully. "But… they shouldn't really be punished for something like that," she sighed. "You… you actually stole it? And gave it back?"
"I just wanted to piss off a Thalmor," Bishop laughed. It was really satisfying.
"Yeah… it… it was a good thing to do," she gave him an affectionate smile before her face twisted again in disdain. "I can't believe she would just march in and ransack his store for 'propaganda'. Can they be any more insecure about the people not liking them here? What do they expect when they act like this?" She scoffed. She was really starting to resent how this was making her feel. She was never alright with what the Thalmor were doing, but she had never been this… exposed to it. Like in Chorrol or now here. Or even that execution in Bruma. She had never seen such things when she was traveling around Cyrodiil, she just… heard stories about how ruthless the Thalmor could be. How ruthless they were during the Great War and how they continued to oppress people. But she had never actually seen it outside of Skyrim.
It was just making her more resentful of those that let their people be treated this way. Of the Empire. If only there was any other alternative than those racist assholes that Ulfric was leading. Well... there was an alternative starting to bear fruits with the secret chapel and their dissident endeavors, but if the Empire won the war, they would all just be constantly persecuted again.
Though Ulfric might just do the same if he knew what they were up to.
Ugh, this was making her head hurt. They escaped to Cyrodiil in large part to get away from the politics and all the mess up north. And it seemed it just never left them. The red banners all over the Imperial City suddenly looked much more menacing and she seemed to notice the presence of legionaries and Thalmor in the streets even more as they continued through the Market District. How did one small incident make the capitol suddenly feel so much more… oppressive? As if the proud red dragon was actually gripping the people with its claws in a tight prison.
She really didn't want to keep thinking about this. She'd had enough of Thalmor on their trip. She was almost starting to miss the Holds up north that were free of them.
Maybe they could still enjoy their time here though. The sun was beginning to set, making the red banners only seem much more prominent. But if they just went back to the King and Queen for some dinner, surely tomorrow would feel better. They still had a large amount of money to enjoy here and two more nights to have fun.
There was still so much that she wanted to do. But tonight, she didn't feel like she could forget the overbearing political presence all around for some reason. Maybe it would be best to leave the sunset walk through the Arboretum for tomorrow. And she was sure that they could find some other distractions for the days to come too.
Right now, the only thing that sounded good was to return to the inn.
After all, it probably wasn't fancy enough for any Thalmor to even step into. If they even stepped into inns at all. They probably had their lavish quarters at the White-Gold tower itself.
Ugh, stop thinking about the Thalmor.
"What do you say, call it a night?" She asked Bishop, earning only a nod.
It was for the best for now.
Tomorrow, they could continue to enjoy themselves.
And at least she didn't come up empty from that store.