Skyrim: The Nightshade Assassin

Trust in the Chef?

"Refusing rejection, aren't you?" I scoff, and anger flashes in his eyes, but suppresses his aggravation with a charming personality. "She doesn't like you."

He laughs, dropping his lute to clap. "What was that? All I heard was jealousy."

After some silence, Mikael crosses his arms as if he defeated me. His smug look annoys me. "Was what I said true? Why so quiet, elf?"

"Nobody plans a murder out loud," I muse, and his egoistic smile transforms into a horrified stare. "Now, if you will, come with me. I have something special planned just for you."

He backs away, baffled with terror. "Um, as a matter of fact, I really don't like Carlotta anymore," he mumbles, clenching the lute to his chest. Mikael sweats under my gaze, and he watches me until I walk out of the inn. The art of scaring people, watch and learn.

I walk to Arcadia's Cauldron if she has any cinnamon, caramel, and flour. Hopefully I won't screw this up.

"Do you have these ingredients?" I ask Arcadia, who stops her alchemy experiment to look at me. She examines the paper, and nods without saying a word. Danica is sitting on a chair, sipping a tankard of water. Why is she here? She's one of the doctors at the temple.

Danica seems to notice my confusion, and laughs. "Arcadia drank a health potion that included a little mistake. It healed her wound, but damaged her voice, so she can't speak for a while."

I giggle. I did that to Arnbjorn before. Babette insisted to help me, and I thought I knew what I was doing. Well, I did, but apparently Nightshades are poisonous. I didn't know that before, but the mixture looked pretty with the flowers added!

Arcadia returns with all the ingredients this recipe requires, and now I need an elven dagger to cut the apples. Back to the merchant square. Fralia Gray-Mane waits for a customer, but sadly nobody visits on this busy day.

"What are you making this for?" Danica asks, switching to Arcadia's throat and then to myself. She tells the alchemist to say a few words, but only sounds like she's suffocating.

"Aaaaah. Aaaah. La. Lala," Arcadia whispers, and turns to a fit of coughing after her voice-check.

I stuff the supplies in my pockets before answering. "I'm just baking something for someone who I'm thanking."

"Oh! Who could that be? A friend? Loved one? Your partner?"

Why does she want to know?

"A friend," I answer, squeezing my fists into a ball, and walk out the shop.

After I exit, the marketplace is filled with people, but not overcrowded. An elven dagger is what I need to swiftly peel the apple. I spent a while in Arcadia's Cauldron, waiting for her to fetch the ingredients for me. Now the sky is bright blue, with no trace of any clouds.

People are like clouds. When they're gone, it's a beautiful day.

Carlotta is talking to someone, but I'm not sure who. She's fluttering her eyelashes and twisting allotments of her hair, giggling. Must be her admirer, as what she said.

But, as soon as he turns his head, I stop in my tracks, almost tripping on my feet.

Her lover is him?

I weave through a small crowd, keeping my eyes on the two without being noticed. Something sinks in my chest, but what is this feeling?

The man isn't laughing with her, as if he's not even interested in the subject they're talking about. A wave of disgust washes over me, just watching Carlotta trying to flirt with him.