Time was once more flowing like a rapid river. She was comfortable in spite of every last one of them saying she was still too fresh to carry out Astrid's plans. Irksome. She just wanted to prove herself. There was a looming problem in her mind however. If she'd gotten into any trouble, not even Gweneith thought she could dig herself out of it. Getting caught was a threat. The prospect both excited her and set in an anxiety that might be the very death of her. She looked to her left arm where the band covered her shame. Never had she been so happy to have a reminder of the weakness she felt after the ordeal. She could do it. She did do it. So she stood near her bed in the sanctuary, trying to get herself to march out there and demand a contract. She had to take the leap or all the trust and bonding she'd done with each of them in her own way meant nothing. She would always be able to recon, Nazir taught her well and she was of value to them in that way but there was always the fear that Astrid would drop her had she not been able to carry out her will.
Gathering every ounce of courage she held, the woman started towards the entrance, only to be stopped by Astrid herself. "There you are." She offered a comforting smile. "I found a contract for you, Gweneith." She pulled out a small booklet, handing it over. "Nazir did recon on them already. We both agree this is a good place to start. It is in Riften."
Her face was aglow, before Riften was mentioned that is. She took the booklet, looking into Astrid's eyes. The woman saw the fear and hurt in the red orbs. Her mouth was dry and she noticeably shook. "The... Rift?"
"Yes. Is that a problem?"
Her mouth opened, looking at Astrid. Her thoughts were on everything she knew about the woman up to this point. She closed her mouth and shook her head, determined to do as told. "No." Astrid seemed to be testing her again. She longed to make the woman proud. No matter if she were a real mother to her or not, or using her or not, Astrid had in some ways saved her. She was apart of this family now and what was good for the family was good for her. It was a small contract, she hadn't even had to talk to the contractor, it would all be handled by Nazir. All she had to do was kill the person. "Of course not. I will go prepare." She gave a curt nod and walked past Astrid, head held high. More confident than their first meeting but not as confident as she could be, Gweneith opened the book to the beautiful script of Nazir. It was a joy to read his embellishments. She learned a lot from him in that regard. She stopped by the door, just before emerging into Falkreath woods. Her eyes scanned the short entries only to find nothing. Nothing at all that made this woman worth the trouble of killing let alone deserving of it. Her heart bottomed out as she rereads it once more and no amount of feelings or thoughts Nazir left her in the book made her feel any better about this.
She had to do it though. She was resolved. As she slipped out the door, Nazir looked up the stairs at her fading shadow. "Astrid... Are you certain?"
"She can do it. Do you not think so?"
"Do I think she can handle her fear and go to the rift? Yes. Do I think she can kill people? Yes. Do I think she has it in her to kill someone she thinks is innocent? Not yet."
"She will." Astrid looked to him with a calm smile. "We are her family now, you made sure of it. She will do it." Nazir gave an uncommitted shrug, both of them now going their own way.
The icy chill tickling her skin was not from the cold. In fact it was a rather warm day. Being anywhere in this hold gave her the jitters now. The woman hugged herself close, still getting used to donning the red and black of the brotherhood. At least it was not far off from her skins, and Babette was good with sewing. She of course helped, spending time with someone so old but forever young was good for her own soul. It was slightly too tight in the chest area, forcing her breath to be just a hair more labored that she wanted, but how could she complain? It was made with love and she would wear it with a certain reverence.
'She is going to be at the fishery.' Her thoughts were extremely focused on the task at hand. Anything to take it off the lands that haunt her waking moments. She hadn't wanted to even go into Riften, there were some vague memories there. Bringing him up would have one of two outcomes. She would run for the hills away from her past, or she would embrace her former actions and once more fall into a calm state of cold blood, destroying everything in her path. at least she was alone. She would be able to feel any one of them tailing her after spending so long with each of them her 'unique skill'.
It was still mid day as she got to the side of the city. The docks creak under the weight of more than just her. Gweneith shrinks down, feeling that people were overlooking her as always, which was now a blessing. She steadied her breathing through the difficulty of doing so in this armor. Festus had enchanted the boots and gloves, which seemed to work better than just her normal act. Finding the woman was not hard. Beggars were always prone to being loud and drawing attention to themselves. Something she is used to hating within others. As a person passed she had pulled to the side railing of the dock, able to catch the planks behind her. She had to briefly dip into the water to access this part, leaving behind a trail of wet footprints. Her eyes rolled slowly. Veezara did warn her that she would make some mistakes, no matter how good everyone thought she was. His words were not to worry about it but the woman doubted any of them did something like this. It was a story perhaps they could laugh at later, or it was one she might be berated over. Either way, it already happened and there were no instantly apparent reason for her to fret over it.
Her nerves were plucked as if she were a new lute housed at the bard's college. Any one of the others would see this as a light exercise and not even a job. As the person finished passing without glancing her way, she wondered exactly how much this was helping the family. Her wandering mind needled the contact payment amount as well as what kind of person would pay to have a beggar killed. They aren't long for this world in the first place, so what was the point? Her mind focused on business, forsaking all interpersonal conflict visa via the question of why. She continued on, noting that the person who passed didn't notice her, at least not in any way that drew their actual attentions.
Finding the beggar after the soul searching on the docks of Riften was not easy. She was distracted at say the least, still shaking at times due wholly to the setting. She did find the woman, sitting off the side and kicking her feet lazily. Crouching as she backed up into the shadows of the fishery house, in one smooth motion she pulled her bow and notched an arrow. The excitement and anxiety swallowed her like a blanket. She had to steady her breath so much that she held the bow drawn far too long. Her muscle ached all the way up her arm in near shooting pain. Everything swooped down on her all at once as Gweneith was watching her target. That voice deep inside her soul questioned things she wasn't meant to question. No matter what she thought, Astrid needed this done. She was counting on her to help provide for the family, no matter how little it was. Astrid was clearly using her, but the woman also introduced her to her family. An actual family. The blanket was swept away, her eyes refocused and she exhaled slowly. The dock creaked behind Gweneith and without her agency her body let the arrow fly. Her eyes widened, looking back to her without even confirming the kill, skin jumping in the spike of fear someone approaching had given her.
The arrow was true, Gabriella made sure they sharpened each other's aim. When the woman fell into the railing, iron arrow in her heart from the back the man approaching stopped in his tacks. She stared at him, covering her mouth to stuff the surprised sound back into her gullet. Her brows were both lifted pretty high, watching as the man was putting it together. Worst of all, she found he was a guard. Her vision blurred in the quick tears that came. She instantly thought back to Reyda and Fenrald. 'I... was just lucky. No. Not lucky, I was quite literally not myself when it happened. Astrid was wrong, there is no use for me.' In her current state it was entirely impossible for her to keep as still as she needed. Her hand slipped and a whimper escaped. The guard looked into the shadows, right at her. She was pinned. He was staring directly into her instead of through her. "Hey!" His voice boomed enough to rattle her shoulders and in the split seconds that seemed to move them into slow motion. One piece of advice stuck out more than the others within her family. No matter how fucked you think you are, run. Arnbjorn didn't seem to care much for her. He was upfront about it but the man gave her the best advice he could and she would thank him for it, in her own way later in life, somehow. She dropped the bow and turned on her heel, pushing off with the ball of her foot. "Stop!"
She shook her head when time seemed to resume normal pace for her, wondering if that ever worked. Riften had a reputation for being corrupt so she wondered how many people did stop for that. His shout however did call attention to the two guards in the direction she was running, the city itself. Before they knew what was going on, she was able to slip through them and peel through the door someone just passed through moments before. She paused to take a labored breath, then continued past the blacksmith. Jostling herself before the guards had managed to fully follow her. She wasn't bringing a lot of attention to herself, as most of the busy bodies heard the commotion outside and headed towards the gate. She would be seen by them as an uninterested party, or more preferably not seen at all. "Where did she go?!" She heard the call out behind her before hitting the railing near Honorhall. Her body cried in every possible way, leaning and gripping the railing just to catch her breath. It was then that she felt another pain in her arm. Her body whined as it was yanked by that arm.
She hit a softer surface than she thought would have happened after being caught and a heat spread through her body as a strangely great smell, that of vanilla and floral notes enveloped her. Her eyes opened and she noticed first the comfort of the shadows around her, then the craftsmanship of the coat now draping her shoulders. Before her was a man, holding her close to his body but the details were missed when he pushed her head into his chest in an embrace. He had backed up to the side of the building with her. She was uneasy and clearly unsure, sounds of such moving from her mouth before the man lifted a hand between them and placed his finger on her lips. She nodded as slowly as she could, able now to look up to the man. His hair was a rust color and cut in a cleaner way than one might expect, sweeping off to one side. His eyes were scanning behind her but Gweneith wouldn't even hear the commotion behind her as she studied him. His clear blue eyes looked down to her, the bit of dirt on his face fell off as he gave her a comforting smile. His finger finally moved off her lips and back around her, just under the coat he slipped over her.
Footsteps got closer and her heart raced, pushing her face back into his chest. It felt so natural for the man to lean in, his head moving to the top of hers, nestled into her hair was his lips. She could not contain herself, reminiscing about a time where this was her reality. It was a fleeting feeling that she missed and she would savor it. Until she remembered that she was never going to let something like this get to her again. Instinctively she tried to pull away only to have him lean into her ear. "Whoa there, Lass. You'll give yourself away." A freezing jolt cracked through every bone in her body and she was still once more. Whether it was his hot voice in her ear or it was the thrill of the guard behind her walking past to check things out she didn't know, but there was a suspicion. She begged her body to stop being affected by him, which was hard when he pressed her body so agonizing tightly to his. He had been a minute since she was this close to a man that didn't consider her a sister. "They will give up in a bit." She gave a small nod and settled into him perhaps a little more than she should have.
"Thank you..." Her voice was broken, mirroring her own thoughts about herself. She was letting a man save her, again. Just as she thought Fenrald was doing. No matter her resolve the tingles in her chest and her swiftly beating heart betrayed those principals within her. She looked back up to him, feeling the heat of his breath as onlookers saw something far more amorous. Her eyes scanned his face again and her own added to the heat between them. She felt her lips open slightly, looking on at him. Her mouth was once more dry and she cursed her biology. Something about Nords, no matter how pig headed or just pain hateful had seemed to attract her. The thought made her squirm a little. He smiled in the feeling of her accidentally rubbing herself on him. Perhaps it was nefarious of him but he held onto her for moments longer than they were looking for her. He was tempted to lean in a little and close the gap. Dismissing it as the situation, he took in a deep breath, finally letting her go. She moved from his arms, but into the shadows right next to him. The pair looked at one another, in a longing way that perhaps put one card each on the table that neither meant to show. He noticed her softer face, brightening up the sliver of darkness they shared. He leaned on the building, taking back the jacket she held out. "I gotta go."
"Wait." He lowered the garment, his fingers picking at the collar. Watching her brow raising but noticing that she didn't just run off at the first possible moment seemed to worm it's way into his heart. "They will still be looking. You need to lay low for a while."
She gave a sigh, knowing that this encounter had to be over sooner or later not matter how unreal it seemed. It was a perfect little bubble that he was threatening to burst. "Yeah. I know. I'm not an idiot. You might as well have told me water makes you wet." Her words triggered something within herself. She looked down with her lids edged open further, for the first time realizing what she did wrong and why she got caught. At first the man was amused by her sarcasm, but seeing that face darken with self loathing and shock forced him to adjust himself quickly.
"Lass, whatever it is you're running from, I feel like you need to be less hard on yourself."
"What?" She looked up at breakneck speed.
"I just see a lot of myself in you. I've had that look on my own face more than once."
"I don't need your pity."
"Good, because I wasn't giving it to you."
"Look, I'm not going to sleep with you because you think you saved me." She scoffed.
"I never asked you to."
She looked on at him as if he were a puzzle but it didn't make her body react to him any less than it was. It was clearly seen in her eyes as he was staring into them. "Then what do you want?"
"Someone doesn't have to want anything. Helping you out of the bind cost me nothing."
"Everyone wants something. It's the way the world works." She watched him blink then pull into a deeply satisfied smile.
"Ah, so I don't have to sugar coat something for you. You seem to already know how the world works and you're fairly comfortable in the shadows."
"I'm more than comfortable in the shadows. I make my home here." She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head as the town near them finally went back to their day, save for the few guards who were cleaning up her mess now. "Why did you feel the need to sugar coat something for me?"
"Well, look at you. Light armor, soft face, running from something for what looks like the first time. Only a handful of gold on you, far away from anything that is comfortable for you. Eyes and cheeks dotted with tears. You're innocent and lost, in need of more coin and care than life afforded you."
She chuckled lightly and the sound was musical to him. He longed to hear that sound far more often than this brief moment. Perhaps that was painting his outlook and influencing his sell to almost desperate. "Innocence is an illusion. No one save for a babe is clear."
"So you deny my observations? That's a first."
"Oh, no." She held up a hand, still amused. He looked into her eyes. "You've pegged me pretty well past that. Almost uncanny. How much of that is a valid profile is debatable. I was running from the law, of course I was in trouble. I am a Bosmer, so of course I feel out of place here. I'm surrounded by people who hate us. At least a quarter of your profile for me was drawn out by my race and setting alone. It is impressive you claim to know how much gold I have on me. As well as the fact that this is the first time I am running. Well- from guards anyway."
"Lass, I make gold my business." He chuckled. "But I thought you said no one was innocent. This is your first time running...?"
"Yes, that is true. But this is the first time I was caught as well. You're witnessing a lot of firsts for me." Her voice fluctuated a little, their banter was far more engaging and fun than she thought it could be. She spent the last six months going from no one understanding her, to only her family could to this man before her not knowing her from a hole in the wall but still pinning her down. "So... you think people can be innocent, gold is your business, you admit that the world is transactional and you clearly are no exception but you don't want one night with me in spite of that being the exact amount of time you were going to suggest I needed to 'lay low'. All whist heavily flirting with me? Don't think I didn't notice your hand trembling the second time you held me. You nearly brushed my backside. You thought about cupping it. In spite of what I feel is likely a manipulation, that of which I am very used to, you do seem genuine in your dismissal of that mistaken idea of payment I just put forth. Which I suspect is really you're meaning when you say people can be innocent in the first place. You meant naive, which is a common misconception." She realized she had been talking far too much. It was as if something turned a knob within her and she couldn't shut off the words spilling out of her lips.
"Well... I can see I was wrong about you being innocent in either case." He raised a brow, still amused by this situation but intrigued. "I was going to suggest you spend the night in the bee and barb, but it seems that your own mind keeps focusing on something more personally intimate than that. With a man who supposedly hates your kind and the name of which you don't even know." His words brought a color to her cheeks, yet it was so pleasant that she didn't even care about the sliver of embarrassment turning the tables on her brought. "For the record. I did think about cupping your butt. How could I not? Beauty like that demands to be pampered. But anyone spending more than two seconds with you likely will see you are far more interesting not reduced to your prowess in a bed."
She leaned on Honorhall herself, arms clasped behind her back just under her butt. Her eyes looked down, never knowing she could be flattered by someone like this. Fenrald was not a very sweet talker she had come to learn, just any attention at all had her intrigued. Attraction aside, he was putting more stock into who she was than what and it felt entirely different than when she met Fenrald. She lost the script to adhere to during the span of five minutes with this man. She had to recenter herself. They both fell silent, a comfortable one before their eyes met, both flushed with a desire little more than surface deep. "Gweneith."
He looked her over for a moment, then eased. "Gwen... I'm Brynjolf of the-"
"Thieves guild. I know."
He chuckled again, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well... I'm not used to others doing that to me lass. Figuring out who I am..."
"Then we are even."
"How so?"
"I'm not used to others seeing me at all. I'm usually the observer. You turned that on it's head. Moreover, it was more than surface deep."
"No, Lass. I would say what I did to you is surface. There is a much deeper story to you. I am intrigued as hell." She looked forward again, feeling that welling up of feelings. She had to get out of here soon before she let herself fall completely into flirting with him, only deluding herself into the scenario that it hadn't already happened. "So help me with one little thing. I'll even give you enough gold to stay at the inn."
"What do I have to do?"
"Well, no discussion on how this is wrong and you can't do it?"
"Right and wrong are relative terms and no one is innocent, remember?" She watched him nod, thoughtfully. "To get along, Brynjolf, you more often than not have to go along. Besides, I can't be in your debt now can I? Then there is the mere fact that while you've misjudged my gold horde by a hair and I could afford to stay at the inn, I also need to get another bow or going home will be hell. So what do I have to do?"
He leaned over to her for a moment. "Pragmatic of you."
"So much so that all this flirting is not laying a foundation." She crinkled her nose playfully before he pulled her off the wall, curiously being careful of her arm. He was observant as well, it seemed.
"So... what I need you to do is while I distract the people, break into..." He pointed to a stall. "That safebox under the counter then plant a ring onto the elf at the one across the way. Do you have a problem with that?"
She twisted her lips just a hair then shook her head. "No. I can do that. Frame a man? Sure."
"I expected nothing less of a member of the dark brotherhood." She stopped in her tracks, eyes staring at him. He turned to see her with a softness. In spite of her swearing not to want anything to do with love anymore, this small flirtatious nature gave her a taste of what she was missing without diving right into it. This was simply not something she wanted him to know right now. "You are not the only one armed with knowledge. I knew from the beginning."
"And you still helped me?"
"Transactional world, remember? You were just more interesting than I could anticipate as well. We'll call that an added bonus for me."
"You called me innocent."
"I still think you are." He laughed lowly.
"You're surprisingly idealistic for your line of work." She shook her head.
"And you're no different. There is a reason you flirted back."
"Protection."
"No, Gwen. You only started when the danger was gone. I'm sensing something deeper than that but I'm not one to pry."
"You literally wanted to explain every moment of our first meeting... This was just flirting, pure and simple, innocent flirting " She started walking past him, the man splitting off from her. Her use of the term innocent would suggest that it was more than that. The broken tone that sank as she spoke and her adopted ideology that nothing is entirely innocent would betray her.
"Yeah... But if I thought you could see me as an individual rather than the man that hurt you, I might have been more keen to not stop at surface level stuff." He whispered more to himself before heading to a small arch in the circle of booths, clearing his throat to set into motion the job, which he was now entirely struggling to focus on.