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SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is largely based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it's inevitably a spoiler.
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previous day
4-201-10-09 09:39
The Bee and Barb, Bitchen, The Rift, Skyrim
After a bath, I go to the nearby marketplace. I meet that angsty warrior woman Mjoll again. She tells me a tale of woe about a greatsword Grimsever she lost in Dwemer ruins of Mzinchaleft between Dånstar and Morthal. She sounds pathetic, like a child who has dropped her candy into the mud. What Mjoll is really lacking is, IMHO, not a sword but a man. A real man.
Then I visit Haelga's Bunkhouse which I'm told is a dormitory for many people who work in the city and can't afford to rent anything better. There's a little shrine of Dibella from which you can get a blessing. I strike up a conversation with a shy serving girl Svana, the proprietress's relative. She tells me how disgusted she is by Haelga's slutty lifestyle, and lets me in to a little secret – Haelga has given Amulets of Dibella to her lovers. If I could get, like, three of those amulets from those men and confront Haelga with them, she would be deeply shocked and mend her ways. I promise Svana I'll do what I can. Walking out the door, I realize that by Svana's standards I would be a slut even worse than Haelga, and even though I keep more discreet about my love affairs, I'm totally not the one to cast the first stone at Haelga. Apart from which, the word about town is that Svana is in love with Sibbi Black-Briar, the son of the local oligarch Maven, and is keeping her virginity for him, not wanting to believe what a villain he actually is. So, all things considered, I will stay out of the conflict between Svana and Haelga. I may use my knowledge to put some pressure on Haelga's lovers, should it prove necessary, or simply to have a little fun scaring the pants off them, but I'm not going to mess up anything for Haelga.
Bitchen is really pretty – if only you can remember to stop and look at it.
Now I figure I should pay a visit to that formerly-horrible, currently-not-so-horrible Thieves' Guild reputed to reside in the sewers. So I summon my followers and we enter the Ratway. Four or five bandits attack us and they actually succeed in causing us some damage. Maybe they weren't really that strong, maybe I was just careless and failed to take them seriously.
The "guild" itself resides in a big cave where they have established an inn called The Ragged Flagon. The place doesn't lack a certain decadent beauty.
They are not aggressive, but not too friendly either. What I'm really happy about is an Argonian man Waits-In-Shadows who is selling a Canal House, one of those buildings carved into rock below the street level. It's not very expensive, so I buy it. Now the girls and I have a private place of our own.
Seeing that there is nothing more to do in the Ratway, we go out again and check out our new house. It's small but comfy. However, it absolutely needs more light.
This is much better.
Now it's past 3 in the afternoon. Not in the mood to start anything big, I think I'll give the girls the evening off and just walk around the city and talk to people, maybe find out something interesting, and maybe find myself a boyfriend. Maybe try out an Argonian?
The dragon, says Jenassa.
What dragon? Oh! Of course, the dragon! That bounty letter from yesterday! That's exactly what I need to get things going for me in the palace. Lost Tongue Overlook, was it? Gosh, thanks Jenassa for reminding me. We can just about reach the place in daylight if we hurry it up.
We run out the southern city gate. The weather is simply wonderful. We have almost reached the mountains when we notice two human(oid) figures. An Orc shouts to us not to come closer. Fine with me. We make a slight detour and approach a stone staircase going uphill. In a few minutes I see something that looks very much like a resting dragon. I begin to shoot at it. It's a dragon all right. A frost dragon this time. It flies over and lands practically on top of me. I keep shooting arrows into it and hit Lydia once by accident. Nevertheless, we all survive and kill the dragon. Only the soul is stolen by Miraak. Dammit, I'll have to return to Solstheim and kill the bastard after all.
The views are magnificent. I also get another dragon shout from a word wall on top of the mountain.
We can actually see Bitchen from here (on the right, beyond those high spruces).
There is something over there, but we're not going to explore it today.
Those round things are called Dragon Burial Mounds. There's nothing going on at them, just – possibly – a dead dragon underground.
On our way back to Bitchen, we kill a hostile mage. The rain begins just when we arrive in the city. I report to the steward Anuriel that we killed the dragon. I also take the opportunity to ask her about the situation in the city. She informs me that Maven Black-Briar is a highly honorable businesswoman, the Thieves' Guild is a minor gang that doesn't pose any threat, and all the rumors of corruption in the city administration are completely baseless.
I'll remember she said that.
It's half past 7. Brynjolf is still on the marketplace peddling his fake wonder elixirs. When we pass, he just can't do without another sleazy remark about the prettiest women in Tamriel. I decide to kill him today. I don't care about the consequences. The man is a vermin and should not be walking around among human beings.
We walk past pretending to not notice him. When out of sight, I explain my plan to the girls. Then I walk back to the marketplace alone. Brynjolf greets me with an oily smile and another make-sick line. (I mean, to call it a "pick-up line" would be lying.)
I am not at all sure if my acting is going to fool him, but I'll have to try my best. So I ask him:
"Would you like to see my new house?"
If he is surprised, he's not showing it. "How about your little friends? We'd be more private in a room at the inn." He points at the Bee & The Barb sign nearby.
"No!" I act indignant. "I don't want to be seen going into a room with you. I have my reputation to think about."
"Of course. I understand." Brynjolf sniggers. (I so feel like hitting him right now. He makes Mikael of Hviterun look like a nice guy.) "Do you suck?"
"Not a man who is undecided if he wants me or not." I turn to go. He shouts: "Hey!" and I continue to walk, not too fast. Fortunately, he runs after me and grabs my arm.
He makes it very clear he wants me after all. I show him the staircase under which I'll be waiting for him in a quarter of an hour.
When he arrives a few minutes late, he tries to come across as less offensive. As we start walking, he puts an arm around my shoulders, but accepts it when I gently shake it off. He sticks a hand into his inner pocket and takes out a small bottle.
"A special gift for you, my sweet, directly from the Temple of Dibella in Morpork. Guaranteed to give you better orgasms than you've ever imagined possible. I mean, of course, when certain other conditions are met as well, if you know what I mean." He chuckles like teenager.
"Are you crazy? Put that thing away. We can drink it once we're inside the house. Don't talk anymore. Just walk a couple of meters apart from me." It's already dark and no one seems to be seeing us, but I still don't want to take any chances.
I unlock the door and let Brynjolf in. Although the lights are out, he notices when my followers raise their bows. He stops confused, but he already has my dagger against his back. "Keep walking!" I order. Jenassa turns the light on as I close the door.
We order him to strip naked, tie his hands behind his back, blindfold him and stuff a gag into his mouth so he can't scream too loudly.
Now I unhurriedly kick him in several places, explaining it's for his treating me like some kind of a simple-minded nymphomaniac. Then I notice the bastard's nose is bleeding onto my floor. We'd better take him out before he suffocates and we'll have to carry him.
We help him up and walk him outside. After making sure there is no one about, I give Brynjolf one last kick I won't tell you where, and we push him into the water. Then we hurry back to the house to wash the floor.
This went quite well, but I'm still feeling very much on the edge. I'm going to need the comfort of a real man's arms (and everything else, naturally) – to convince myself I am not some kind of a cheap slut, silly as it may sound to you (as well as to myself tomorrow).
So I ask the girls to not return home until very late.
We walk to the (now empty) marketplace together and then go our separate ways. I stroll around, talking to the people here and there. To tell you the truth, I'd really fancy trying an Argonian, but the innkeeper Talen-Jei has not just a girlfriend, but a bride (they plan to get married) and the likeable trader Madesi is having a good time with his elven buddies at Haelga's bunkhouse.
No way I'll try anything here!
When I realize I have absent-mindedly sauntered to the harbor quarter, I really begin to feel like a streetwalker.
I decide to return to the Bee & The Barb inn and see if that sellsword Marcurio is still there. I just need a dick so bad I'm about to go crazy!
He is and he's very happy to see me. I let him hold my hand, not feeling embarrassed at all, and maybe I drag him along a little too eagerly. And finally we're on the bed upstairs, naked. Gods, I had no idea I needed it that badly. Marcurio comes twice and I really couldn't tell how many times I do. Afterwards, I'm actually a little ashamed of myself for having had such awesome physical pleasure with a man I didn't and still don't feel anything for.
Whatever. It's too confusing. I'll discuss it with the girls' committee tomorrow. But right now, both I and my new lover need some sleep.
next awakening
