Other Fan Fiction ❯ A Trip to Tamriel ❯ Thieving and Lusting ( Chapter 5 )

More wasting of space, because nobody actually reads this.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(The Chapter no one but me is reading)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

It was getting late, and Jess needed time to think on everything. Especially the part about robbing someone, that she'd need to consider a little longer before jumping into it. Today was a giant blur; when she tried to focus on something it all smudged, and when she wasn't thinking she felt like it was all so clear. Since she wasn't an actual member yet, they wouldn't allow her to sleep in the den, but Amusei did offer her a spare pillow and blanket to borrow. She'd have to sleep in the streets tonight, but before she left the Redgaurd at the door warned her to not sleep near the homeless people, because she might catch fleas.

At first she thought he had been joking, but after finding a decent place to hunker down she became acutely aware of how someone a few feet away was scratching himself every minute it seemed. Unable to take the noise or the idea that she'd catch it, too, she moved herself to a different alley. It wasn't comfortable, sleeping on the ground, but that was alright. She didn't need sleep yet, she needed to be awake and to think. It was incredibly unlike herself to go along with anything before asking an exhausting number of questions on the matter, so why were things so different now? Even a normal person would have asked something… She tried to recall in more detail what had gone on today. At first things were fine, she came here, was extremely excited, and she met that Breton woman. Somehow the next thing she knew she was going to need to work for her, then that changed in a heartbeat. Next she found Othrelos, and caught him about to steal, so she was lead into the sewers and learned about the thieves' guild.

After that, she met- saw, Tanendrall. Her mind was wrapped around her memory of what he looked like, what he sounded like… She just couldn't think. Try as she might, her mind just wandered off to la-la land. Feeling annoyed at herself, Jess just tried to go to sleep. It wasn't easy, even though it was summer the night still had it's drawbacks. Bugs, was one of them. Small animals were snooping around for edible garbage, and a cool breeze blew. The blanket helped, but she still felt cold. Eventually she managed to fall asleep, but it was far from a resting experience.

She had a very peculiar dream, but in fact she was very certain is was no dream, and instead was a vision, or a message. She found herself wandering around on a path, and when she went to go investigate something she saw, Jess felt a tugging on her neck. To her astonishment there was suddenly a collar there, and a leash pulling her down the path. Try as she might, she could do nothing but go along with where she was being dragged. Then she heard a voice; at first it sounded sinister, but as she continued to listen it changed and sounded like the angel who brought her to Tamriel. The leash disappeared, and the path narrowed. The way behind her was closed, and in front of her was the angel. His face was still hidden, as before, but she felt like he was smiling at her.

“What's going on?” she couldn't help but ask. He stayed where he was and answered, “It's about time you were filled in on a few things. Remember how I said you'd be here for a year, but that you could extend your time? Well, I'm about to tell you how you can go about that. Also, you may have noticed a… Difference in how you've reacted to things.

To begin with, when you asked me to alter your vision so that you could see clearly, I also changed a few other things about you. You haven't seen a mirror yet, but when you do you'll know what happened. You'll find the change to your liking, but in return for these things I've set you on a path that you cannot change. Fate so rarely takes such direct action in setting the course for a mortal, but I'm curious as to what happens when it becomes so blatant-“

“Wait! What's this big thing I'm being dragged too?”

Angrily he responded, “Silence! The nerve… You really need to learn some manners. I'm no mortal, no demon, I'm an angel. A holy being who will last for eternity, show some respect!” Jess cast her eyes to the floor, and waited for his anger to recede. The heat she felt around her went away, and in a calmer voice he continued, “As I was saying… You're fate shall remain hidden to you. It may be good, it may be bad. But the things that happened today were things that I simply had to influence, because without me you would be far more lost than you are now. Had you questioned the Breton on what she wanted in exchange, you would not have gotten clothing to fit in, and when you saw Othrelos you would not have been able to sneak up on him because he would have noticed your presence within moments. Also, if you questioned Othrelos about where he was taking you, you would have refused. You only agreed to try and get in because of the Altmer.” Jess was about to protest, but stopped herself just in time. He raised a hand for silence, and after being sure she wouldn't interrupt he went on. “Weather you believe it or not, it's true, and without all of that you wouldn't know about the currency, you would have no place to sleep, no friends, nothing. Do you see now why I needed to do that?” Jess nodded wordlessly, feeling ashamed at herself for feeling any ill-will towards him. He was an angel, after all; why would he do anything bad?

“Now, though, about your time limit… As you may or may not recall, you can do something to extend your time here. There is a cave located near a place called Shadeleaf Copse. Some residing in the city called Skingrad will be able to tell you where it is. Inside of that cave is a necromancer, and he has a jar with the ashes of a vampire inside it. The ashes really do nothing more than act as a conversation peace, but in order to increase your time here by one month you need to get that jar and place it on the alter of any church or shrine. It does not matter what religion or cult the alter belongs to, any will do. The names of these locations have no meaning to you now, but tomorrow just find a proper map and you will locate it easily enough.”

Jess didn't have a chance to ask him anything. He simply vanished, and everything went dark. A pinpoint of light appeared, and despite its size it was ridiculously intense. Within moments she was engulfed, and she awoke. Startled she looked all around her. She was still in the alley, by herself, and it was still night. She felt a little wet from dew, and because of that she felt colder than she normally would have. Pulling the blanket closer to herself, she gazed up at the sky. A few stars twinkled at her, but most were obscured by clouds. The clouds, she noticed, were very, very dark and thick. It would most likely rain soon, and out in the open was not where she wanted to be. Before heading off to find a better place, she nearly forgot to grab her sack. She had been carrying it so long she had forgotten to use it, or to write on her notepad… But that could wait until later, like when she was somewhere comfortable.

As she walked about to find a better place, she noticed that the beggars had also changed where they were. Basically everywhere was taken up, but it didn't matter to her right now. She no longer felt sleepy anyway, so instead she decided now was as good a time as any to ask one of them where Amanitas Allectius lived. If she was going to rob someone, she had best get it done on a miserable night where no one would want to do anything but sleep it away. That and she really wanted to get into the guild as soon as possible. Sleeping in the sewers may not be glamorous, but neither was sleeping out in the open like a bum. At least this way she'd have some company, and maybe Tanendrall…- She shook her head vigorously. Now that the angel had pointed it out, she didn't want to admit to herself that her biggest reason for joining was to see him. Sure, he was nice, but there were so many other perks… Perks that she realized she wouldn't have allowed to get in the way of her natural love of the law. Order was a deep love of hers, and she hated the idea that a pretty face was getting attention over that.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there, distracted, but when she snapped out of it she forced herself to just go and wake someone up. She gently shook an old man on the shoulder, and he awoke with a start.

“Huh- wha-?” he snorted and sneezed, then coughed profusely. Jess flinched back, in case he had something contagious. He didn't seem at all offended by her behavior, and just asked, “What is it? Can't an old man get some sleep?” Jess couldn't believe how awful his breath was, but regardless she answered, “I'm sorry, but could you tell me where Amanitas Allectius lives? I-“

“Oh! A hopeful member of the guild? Sure, sure I know where he is… But, uh, my pockets are a little empty; if you catch my meaning.” Typical, she thought. Out loud, though, she said, “I don't actually have any money with me… Is there anything else I could give you?” The old man sighed, and glanced her over. “No, no… Fine, I guess I can just tell you. But after you get into the guild, remember me and maybe toss me a coin or some food!” Jess agreed, and he gave her a few nice set of instructions on where to find his home. Most homes had a plaque on it with the resident's last name, especially the higher class districts.

It took quite some time, but in about a half an hour of wandering and praying she wasn't lost she managed to find her way to Allectius' house. Along the way, though, she made sure to stay out of sight from guards who might have questioned her on what she was doing out so late. Luckily things were dark enough, and the night miserable enough, that no one was too attentive. Now that she was actually there, she took the time to take things in and decide where it would be best to enter from. The entrance was located in a narrow alley along the city's outer wall. There were no other doors to come in from, and there was only one window she felt like she could possibly get in through. Creeping over to it she peered inside and waited for her eyes to adjust. It wasn't as dark as she thought, and there seemed to be no one around. If she entered now, she may be interrupted before she could get anything. However, if he came downstairs then she could probably get through the window before he got a clear enough view of her.

Deciding that the odds were decent enough, Jess tested the window to see if it would open. Luckily for her he had forgotten to lock it, so she slipped inside, closed it behind her, and gazed about the place. It looked like a small apartment or something. A part of her thought of a trailer home built upwards. The room she stood in acted as a pantry, dinning room, and living room. There was a door leading to what she assumed to be a kitchen, and a steep set of stairs. Despite it's size the place was well furnished. A decorative tapestry hung on the wall, and a few ornaments stood on a shelf among some books. Off in the corner she noticed a very small desk. It wasn't like a modern desk, though. It was one of those desks that you'd see in a painting of colonial kids at school; a giant triangle-shaped piece on a mini table, with one of the sides being liftable. On the dinning table were some dishes, and if she wasn't mistaken they were accompanied by some actual silver silverware. She remembered Armand saying that all she needed to do was steal anything from this guy, but she also wanted to get something neat… She snatched up the silverware and stuffed it into her bag. There wasn't much room left, what with her other junk inside, but she wanted to get something else for the guild. She wanted to make sure that she made a good first impression, and fine utensils wouldn't cut it (for her at least). She would have liked to take the tapestry, but it would have looked odd if she went walking about at night with something so bulky. Instead she nabbed a fancy bookend. It was shaped like a griffon, and made of some kind of polished wood. Along the wings were slivers of silver, and the beak and claws were gold. She riffled through the desk a moment, but there was nothing much besides the man's journal and some records.

Not wanting to press her luck, she went to the door. Before daring to leave, she glanced through the window for any sign of a guard or someone else coming, but there was no torchlight. Jess held her breath as she left the house, shut the door, and scampered off as quickly as her feet would carry her down to the place where the sewer entrance was. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she only now realized how terrified she was at the moment. The idea of someone stopping her, asking her where she was going, what was in her bag… No one would believe she just `happened' to be going around at night with a bunch of silverware and a bookend. Jail was not the sort of place that she wanted to be in, especially since this world was very similar to medieval times. From the best of her memory, jails and prisons in that time were incredibly unsafe for a young lady; especially one who was even decent for appearance.

She managed to remember which alley it was in thanks to the presence of the same homeless person who was nearby when Othrelos brought her by here. Trying her best to keep quiet she lifted the lid and slid it aside. Jess climbed down into the stinking place and tried to remember where the hideout was. It was just as dark as it was last time, so once her eyes adjusted she was able to recognize things well enough. She made her way to the old door, and knocked on it. On the other side she heard the familiar voice of the young Redgaurd asking, “What's the password?” Jess smiled and replied, “Chicken butt.” With a satisfied laugh the Redgaurd opened the door and greeted her. “Hello again! I take it you need to see Armand?”

She nodded and looked over where he pointed to. Armand was seated at a table, different from the one he had been playing cards at. In front of him were a few small objects and some money, along with a list of names and numbers next to them. She guessed that it was a list of who brought how much money in or something. Something occurred to her, though. Why were they still up and awake? By now it was probably some morning hour, so shouldn't they be asleep? Jess decided to ask later, so for now she approached Armand and fished what she had stolen from her bag.

“Did I do good?” she asked. Armand looked over what she had briefly. He picked the bookend up to inspect it closer, and set it down again. “Not bad, not bad… Could have been better, but you did good for a first run. What was your name again?” Jess answered with her full name, and Armand mulled it over a little. “Okay, you're in. I'm a little busy right now, but you seem to get along with Amusei, so just tell him you in and he'll break things down for you. He's the Argonian sleeping just over there, in the corner. Poor guy hasn't caught much sleep yet, but if he looks upset when you wake him just tell him I said to do it. Got that?” Jess nodded and did her best to keep the information in her head.

Jess made her way over to Amusei, half skipping as she did so. The joy bubbling inside of her currently was similar to what she felt when she first came to Cyrodiil. With a wide smile on her face, she shook his shoulder gently. He grumbled, but didn't so much as budge. She tried shaking him again, but still nothing, so she shook him more and more violently until,

“Alright! What, what is it? I'm trying to sleep, and you-“ Amusei stopped short when he saw that it was Jess. “Oh, it's you… I guess its okay this time. What is it?”

“I made it into the guild! And Armand told me talk to you about it because he's busy.” Amusei glanced over at Armand, and with a sigh sat himself up. Jess wasn't too sure about what signs show how tired an Argonian is since they have scales, but the scales around his eyes did look a little off. Scratching his neck, Amusei let out a yawn and then rambled off a few things, “For starters, now that you're a part of the guild you'll get to live in the local hideout. We have a few havens in some of the more prestigious cities, but in less populated places and towns you'll be on your own. It may be hard at first for you to recognize another guild member, and I can't really explain properly how to tell. It'll come to you, though, if you listen and hang out with some of us here in the city enough.” he paused a moment to take a drink from a flask he had next to his pillow, then continued, “There are some rules that we have. For starters, don't steal from another member. It's okay to not like another member, but don't do anything to take it out on them or someone may try to get you kicked out. If you do get booted out, then you can try and plead your case to whoever's in charge of the city you're at. Around here, that would be Armand. The main purpose of the guild is to provide places for people to fence their stolen goods. There are a few fences around Cyrodiil. This city's too tight to allow us to fence anything off, but up in Bruma, and down south in Leyawin and Bravil there's a fence. There's another one on the west coast in Anvil. If you don't feel like traveling, though, you can hand your things to the local guild head. You'll be charged an extra fee for the hassle someone else will need to go through to get the things where they need to go, though. Let's see, what else…” Amusei rubbed his eyes, and tried to focus. It took him a moment, but he managed to remember, “Right then. Since these fences are guild maintained, a portion of the worth of your stolen property will come out when you're being paid and that amount will go to the guild heads evenly to be used on improvements for the hideouts and anything else that's needed.”

“Like what?” Jess couldn't help but ask.

“Like special jobs. High stakes things that require quite a bit of gold to accomplish. Sometimes some nobleman or a bloke with a lot of gold will get the idea to tick off, frame, or otherwise screw over someone else. To do the job, we're hired. Then the best the guild has will be offered the job, but can refuse it. It pays pretty damn well, but most find gold not worth the possible punishment.” At her quizzical face he added, “In most cases the general penalty is death.” Jess' eyes went wide with astonishment. Would anyone really take such a job? Maybe, if someone was in love with danger and the adrenalin. Or if they weren't thinking.

Amusei went on to explain some of the more mundane details, but Jess wasn't listening. Tanendrall had come by to drop a few things off with Armand and they were deep in a conversation. Jess was looking past Amusei and simply watching Tanendrall. Right now he was wearing an open vest, exposing his chest. She felt her face grow warm, as well as another, more unusual feeling. The very well known feeling of embarrassment overcame her, though, when she noticed Amusei waving a hand in front of her face.

“You still there?” Jess snapped her head back a little, and closed her mouth. She hadn't noticed she was in such a state. Amusei laughed at her when her cheeks flushed, “You really need to pay more attention! You'd think you've never seen a male High Elf before…” Jess stammered a little in her sentence, “I, I have, but-, it's just-…”

“Eh, don't bother. I know what you're going through. A young girl, lusting after a man…” Amusei was certainly not helping her comfort levels. In a high pitched voice she loudly said, “I am not!” it almost sounded like a shriek. Amusei laughed again heartily, “Relax! Relax; I'm only messing with you. You really need to calm down some.”

Before Jess had a chance to apologize, Tanendrall came over with a wave and a charming smile. Jess froze, and could do nothing more but watch as Amusei and Tanendrall shared pleasantries. Tanendrall then set his attention on Jess and said, “And it's wonderful to see you as well! I heard that you got into the guild, wonderful! I'll be looking forward to seeing more of you later.” With her current state of mind Jess couldn't help but dwell on the possible interpretation of his last sentence. With a face flushed bright red she attempted to speak, but no words would form. All that came out was a very, very quiet noise that almost seemed like a word, but it wasn't anything at all. Tanendrall laughed, and the sound sent shivers down her spine. Even his laugh was wonderful to her…

“Khajiit got your tongue? Ah well, don't worry about it. I'll tell you what, since you're new to the city, how about I show you around?” Jess nodded, her mouth slightly open again. Amusei had, by now, gotten up and went to go get himself breakfast at his favorite tavern. Tanendrall bent down and placed his hand gently under her chin, and closed her mouth.

It was at this point that Jess simply fainted.