Gweneith sat in the sanctuary in an empty bed she did her best to make her own. It had been terribly lonely for her in the last month. She had gotten time with the guild, yes but now she was regulated to the sanctuary while Mercer and Brynjolf look into the bill of sale. She was asked for by Maven, yet Brynjolf was keeping her name hidden from the woman. There was a part of her that found his desire to protect her dashing. The other part wanted to yell at him and a final part wanted to sulk in her sorrow in the corner.
She felt like that last bit of her won, through no fault of her own. Iszara had become a decent friend, during this last month taking her out on kills now and then and sometimes even to just explore a dungeon. As much as she complained about it, she quite liked that part. Aside from the redguard giving her 'advice'. Iszara had a way of attracting attention, she got it from her fool and usually those in love with it to be spread for all around them. Astrid tried to speak to her about it, but the woman was like a cannonball. She would keep going no matter the quality of stone placed in front.
She thought they were a strange match as well. The jester and her. They were quite a sight to see around, pining after one another. The thought had crossed her mind that quite a few people likely also thought this about poor Brynjolf. He bared his soul to her and confessed love. It made her insides twist and turn in pain. He was wasting his time, she felt she was indeed hopeless. But Iszara and Cicero... That matter to her was another story. The pair happened to be cute together at the dinner table. Each tale of harrowing bloodshed and triumph in the face of overwhelmingly horrid odds they shared brought them closer together.
Of course Astrid didn't see it that way. She said it was a bad omen. So she set into motion a plan to use Iszara to see what he was really up to, in that room, talking to someone. She was only singled out of this witch hunt for a traitor because Astrid heard him talking to someone while Gwen was passing and Iszara was out of the home. Astrid walked to her now, touching her foot and the woman looked up from a book, with a raised brow. "Good. You're here and not off with your boy toy."
"I have no boy toy, Astrid." She earmarked the book, sliding it onto the nightstand before sitting up.
"I was only joking, Gweneith. I know. He would do well to drop it. After what you've delt with I would feel the same as you." She sat down beside her. "Look, I am not too close with Iszara and in spite of your rocky start, you've redoubled your efforts to get to know her and it worked. I need you. Tell her to spy on him."
"Well, that is harsh even for you." She shook her head. "I mean, don't get me wrong. You saved me in more ways than one and I would do anything you ask, I'm just questioning the logic behind this. Wouldn't she be the worst one to send? If he was doing something..."
"If he was, Gwen, he would be kicked out or put to death. She would put a stop to that and she is also the only one that I am confident will not be harmed if found out." Gwen rolled her eyes, knowing that she is the most likely one to be found out as well. Even still, Astrid had a point. "You just know how to connect with her better than I do."
"Meaning she follows orders but dislikes them so you have asked me to ask a favor." Astrid nodded as Gwen stood up out of her bed. "That is fine." The women exchange a vastly different smile and then go about their day.
Iszara had come home late into the afternoon, to Gwen sitting at the map table, writing in a journal. The woman looked up to the armor clad assassin. "Hey. You look... Surprisingly well."
"Sure do Gwen!" She was chipper. It had become increasingly harder for Gwen to not feel something around the woman. "I got some rabbit on the way home."
"Nice. They will cook up in a stew real nice and it has been slightly cold."
"Oh, Gwen. It is only cold when you refuse to embrace what you have."
"I think I've embraced it." She held a hand up, chucking. "I love you guys. My family, my home. Something I would do anything to protect. I need to be comfortable with myself again. As comfortable with myself as I am with you guys. That will not change the weather."
"It will let you ignore it." She set the rabbits down, looking to her. "So... What can I do for you. Ya never wait up here for me, I usually have to come find you."
"Am I that predictable?"
"Yeah."
Gwen rolled her eyes like a petulant teenager. "Alright. So here is the deal. I know how you feel but we do need something from you. Cicero... He has been talking to someone in the room with the Nightmother."
She was silent, Gwen looking on at for for a long time. Iszara looked up to her then averted her eyes. "Look... I get it. I do. But Astrid is worried and so am I... Really. He is here, we don't know why and the man could be trying to take over the brotherhood. Our family. Iszara, please." Gwen placed her hand on her arm. "I can't lose this family. I simply can't. If he is threatening that..."
"He's not." They pair locked eyes. Her voice broke though she didn't hesitate.
"Then prove it to me and yourself. Spy on him." She stomped her toe down. "Iszara. I heard your voice break. You aren't confident..."
She mumbled for a moment then looked up to Gwen. "Yeah... Okay. Cicero is apart of our family though..."
"I agree." Gwen shook her head. "But... He might try to change this entirely. I like my situation, finally."
There was a pause then a lopsided smile. She wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "So... What do I do? You're the expert..."
"I..." She laughed a little. "Would just hide in the shadows but he seems to notice you no matter what. You are larger than life... If I were you I would hide in the coffin." She watched a face be made and laughed. "I know... But what else is there to do? Iszara you are grand in the best ways. With that comes certain responsibilities. You're not invisible like me."
"You're not invisible. One man always sees you." She smirked and Gwen shrank down a little blushing.
"I..." She shook her head. "Don't make this about me." They walked towards the stairs. "Thank you for doing this... I know how..." She exhaled. "I know how this feels. To not trust someone you really like. So clear his name."
"You believe in him?"
"Honestly? No. But who do I trust? If you want to trust him who am I to stop you? So clear his name." She looked into Iszara's eyes. The women broke and Iszara slinked off. Astrid walked from beyond the shadows at the bottom of the stairs.
"Good job." Astrid looked to Gwen with a smile. "Clearing his name... Huh?"
"It is all I wish I could have done when I was still in denial." She looked down. Astrid cleared her throat.
"He was... Just a dick." Astrid shook her head. "You are better off without him."
"Yeah. I know." She looked to Astrid. "But I'm still scared of life without him."
Astrid sighed. "Yeah? We are all scared of change. You are just like everyone else. You do not fear a life without him. You just fear life. Which means you don't fear death. That's what you need to be in our family." Astrid looked to the stairs. "I admire you, Gweneith." She raised her brow looking to the boss. "You've adjusted well. You work hard and I see that spark of life in you again."
"And if I'm faking it?"
"You're not." She clamped her hand down on her shoulder. "I've seen faking it before. It looks nothing like this." Gwen looked to the ground, vague smile on her face and the air between them was still. She was proud of herself in her thoughts. She had come such a long way and worked hard. She was better than anyone in her situation aught to be. She meditated with Gabriella, went running in the morning by herself and even started cooking again. There was even the occasional hunting, which she took great pride in. Lost in her thoughts she was only pulled back into reality be a loud crashing sound near the stained glass window. Both women looked to one another before bursting into a full on run, each choosing a different path to the same point.
Astrid got there first, huffing as she looked at the scene. She had heard Gwen tell her to hide in the coffin but not even that would prepare her for seeing it opened with Iszara half in it.
Gwen ran in from the other way shortly after, to see a knife pulled on Iszara, something she never thought she would ever witness. He has, in his crazed haze slashed at her even. The woman was barely cut on her hand, having held it out to try and stop him. She hissed a little. "Dammit, Cicero! That's going to sting for an entire week at least." The woman shook her hand, trying to push the pain away and merely managed to spread droplets of thick ruby blood around. Gwen shook her head quickly and wiped at least three small ones from her cheeks. "If you would just listen to me!"
Astrid looked to Gwen and both nodded before rushing forward and grasping at the jester's arms forcing the stained blade from his hand. Gwen groaned and felt him wiggle, grazing her body with his in a far more intimate way than she would ever like. She felt the heat from her cheeks and wrenched down on his arm, helping to keep his overly grabby hand from her core. "You've defiled the mother! Listen to you? After that?" He pulled against the grasp he was in.
"Would that my husband were here..." Astrid grumbled.
Gwen shook her head, pulling harder on the clown. "We don't need him. Werewolf strength or not he is but a man." She grunted until Cicero bucked his shoulder against her. Gwen grit her teeth, then growled. "That's it." She exhaled with speed as her muscles ripped Cicero from Astrid, burying the man into the ground with her knee planted in his chest. "For the love of Sithis you stupid man will you stop ranting and raving? Nothing is wrong. No one was desecrated. It is you that brought this chain of events into existence. If you had just talked to us like a family instead of skulking around like you aren't apart of this everything would have been just fine. You could have killed her, you know."
He seemed to calm down a little, looking up to her and she pushed a little harder with her knee into his chest. His breath was thin for a moment, catching it as she let up. Iszara was holding her palm and Astrid walked to her with concern but mostly with one question. "Who was it? Who was he talking to?"
She grunted while looking to Astrid. "No one..."
"Are you covering for him? Iszara... He cut you." Her hateful disdain was spilling from her lips and Iszara shook her head.
"No I'm not covering for him. I like the man but he went crazy when I spoke. I just... Said I heard..." Her voice trailed off.
"She is a liar!" Cicero pushed up against Gwen, the woman hopping up but stepping on his chest to pin him back down with a thud. "Listen she says. Cicero knows tricks when he hears them. There is no listener, if there was one it would be the keeper."
"Wait... What? Listener?" She pulled her foot off of Cicero, looking to Iszara. "You heard... What? Cicero was talking, so what did you hear."
Iszara was wrapping her wound with torn cloth from her cape. She looked to Gwen with her brows furrowed. "Her." Gwen's eyes widened for a moment then Astrid looked to the redguard.
"Her. Iszara, you mean the Nightmother? But... That's impossible." She shook her head, looked to Gwen then Cicero.
"It... It's really not." Gwen looked to Astrid her brows shaped into an upwards swoop. "Look at the world we live in, Astrid. God's, daedric princes, wars fought over men that have ascended to godhood. We face the realities of stuff more fantastical than this, daily. Astrid I swear I love you more than you know. I know where I stand with you and my life is grand. Yet... Is this an impossibility or is it you, scared of change."
The women met eyes, Gwen not backing down and Astrid twisted her strong lips enough to dip her chin and break first. There was a tiny sigh. "You are right... Gwen you have wisdom beyond your visage."
"It is all about the company you keep. You taught me that. I would not have been able to perform a fraction of this were it a year ago." She shook her head. "Now we need to help her. This can't be easy. Honestly, it would freak me out. She needs support and love, acceptance, Cicero. Not a brandished knife." She extended a hand to him, the man took it and she pulled him up. She pulled him closer, narrowing her eyes at him. "Now, you were worked up so I'm going to let it slide but if you ever get that close to my personal space again I will see that my arrow tip finds a mark that will not be pleasant for either of us."
The man seemed frightened, his teeth chattered for a moment then he cleared his throat and stretched his hand that she had squeezed hard once she let him go. He sheepishly looked to Iszara, hesitant but after Gwen gave him a forceful slap on the back he stumbled forward and the redguard nearly had to catch him. "I... Cicero is sorry. I... May have been slightly jealous." Iszara's eyes eased finally, looking to the pitiful man and she took a deep breath.
Before she was able to utter a word however, Astrid finally snapped out of her stupor. "Iszara... What did she say?"
"We... Have a contract. Seek out Amaund Motierre. That was all." She looked confused herself, but nodded firmly, looking to Astrid.
"A contract..." She placed a hand on her lips, thinking. "I will have to... Think this over long and hard. Iszara... I... I'm sorry. For now we will operate as normal. Nazir has more contracts for you. See him when he returns." Astrid turned and started to walk away.
Gwen raised a single brow, watching Astrid walk away hesitantly and with a bit of a stumble. Her world was chipped. She recalled that feeling from a few flags in her own life. There was a worry in her stomach that she was trying to ignore. It was harder to see Iszara wordlessly fawning over Cicero. She glanced to them for a moment then groaned. "Can you at least wait until I take my leave? I don't need this."
Cicero flushed, looking down with a shyness Gwen hadn't seen and Iszara cleared her throat. "S... Sorry Gweneith. I know you don't like this kind of stuff."
"What?" She nearly barked, looking to the two.
"I mean... Romance. I know you... Hate it. Probably for good reason. The others told me not to ask, really. I just shouldn't flaunt anything before you."
Gwen sighs. "You two aren't flaunting anything in front of me. I don't hate romance it's just not... I mean..." She turned to the two. After a moment her shoulders slumped. "I actually like sickeningly sweet romance. The intrigue, the rush... Even the words. I am bitter. I am massively bitter, Iszara. I thought I had it. I tricked myself into thinking I had it. Because of how I am. Don't worry about offending me, I just... I know how most of this ends. Take care of yourself first, but each other as well." She nodded and bowed, backing up from them and turning.
"Gwen..." She stopped as Cicero spoke. "Oh yes, Gweneith. You deserve love and support too."
She smiled a little and looked over her shoulder. "Thank you for saying that. I will be just fine. Because I will love myself, which isn't the easiest thing to do all the time. Talk to her. Work this out. Solve it like adults. Don't let your attraction get in the way. Don't let titles or roles get in the way." She shook her head, then left before they had a chance to respond.
Iszara looked to him with a soft smile. "That was nice... I didn't expect people to be nice in the brotherhood."
"We are a family. Some of us need that more than others." He looked to her, pushing his hat off and tilting his head, toying with the fabric as his arms fell clasped together before him. "Did old Cicero hurt you?"
"Yeah..." She looked to her hand. "But... I will live." She chuckled softly. "She is right... You know? I didn't expect you to freak out like that."
"I didn't like it... Saw you with the Nightmother." He looked to her, his eyes shining a little. "Cicero was jealous. I want to be the listener. I want to be close to her."
She puffed her chest out a little, taking his hands and hat with her own. "Then... Be close to me." She leaned in a little, pressing her forehead to his. After a moment the two shared a soft, sweet kiss. He caressed her cheek as they parted their lips, looking into her eyes. "We have time before Nazir comes back I'd wager. I have much to talk with you about. Including why I did it. Come eat with me, Okay?" He nodded slowly and she smiled brightly.