THIEF

encounters

Swiftly, I swing around, ready to punch whoever's behind me. I don't recognize the voice but that doesn't have to mean anything. My foe has many spies in his command. 

The male standing behind me is clothed in brown leather armor and his face is hidden beneath a hood. I glare at what I think are his eyes, fists still raised, and my body tense.

"Woah, slow down there.", he chuckles at my defensiveness and raises his hands, slowly taking a few steps back. 
"I'm not here to hurt you, calm down." 

His accent is unusual for Riften and so I stay on guard, even as I slowly relax my body. 

"What do you want?", I ask rudely, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
I raise a brow as my eyes rake over his body, examining whether he has any weapons. If he does, I'll try my best to move into the town more. Serves me right for spending my time at the one place in Riften where no guard ever patrols. Even Nura has left the statue which means we're completely and utterly alone. 

"I just want to talk to you, nothing more.", he replies. Due to his hood, I can't see his lips but somehow, I hear a smirk in the way he says it. 

"Make it quick then.", I respond, eyes not leaving his body for a second. As soon as he'd do a wrong move, I'd run in the direction of a marketplace. That is the only way of possibly surviving this. 

"Word in town is, you've been sticking your nose into business that isn't yours.", he states and walks a step closer but stops when I visibly tense. 

"Not a very smart move, lass." he adds, and this time I can see his teeth flashing under the bright sunlight.

I can't help but scoff. Who does this idiot think he is?
"I don't have to answer myself to you.", glaring at him, I spit the words in his direction. 

"Wrong.", he voices with a certainty that would've confused me, if I wasn't dead focused on the movements he made. 
"You have to answer yourself to me because this business you've been creeping around in, is partially my business.", he follows my earlier example and crosses his arms. 

"So...", he drawls, leaning against one of the wooden pillars beneath the building, "What do you want from the face sculptor?" 

I bite my lip and stare at the floor, contemplating my next move. He won't let me leave without an answer, that much was clear. Choosing to keep playing my ignorant role, I raise my gaze again and stare at him. 

"I'm sure I'm not the only woman looking for someone who will make her more attractive.", I declare but realize that my voice sounds unsure, even to me. 

The man in front of me laughs lowly at my answer. 
"Lass, forgive me, but you don't look like that's what you're after."

Stunned, I clench my hands into fists.

"Even if it were true, how would you possibly know that?", I ask with a heated stare, contemplating whether he might've watched me. 

"Sweetheart, you've been in this city for a month and you've never taken this hood off. You can't be that horrendous beneath that, believe me.", he stands upright again and suddenly his voice loses all humor while his old stare makes me shiver, "No. You're running from something, aren't you?"

So he did watch me. Even though I try to control it, my face turns whiter than a sheet and I take a few steps back, ready to flee. I need to get away. 

Apparently, he senses my sudden shift in mood and changes his strategy, his muscles relaxing once again. His hands move forward as if he's trying to calm a frightened animal. 

"I can show you, you know?", he says, voice now calm and reassuring, "I can show you where to find her. The face shaper."

"Why would I trust you?", I ask defeatedly, my voice broken. I just want him to stop, to leave me alone. 

"I don't want to hurt you, I really don't.", he states and his eyes show something like sincerity. 

"Listen. I'll let you decide. In the following two days, you think about my offer and when you decide that you want me to do this for you, you put a white piece of parchment on the windowsill of your room. That'll let me know that you want this and further information will be sent to you."

I listen to his proposal quietly, observing the way his voice gets more reassuring the longer he talks. 

"Do we have a deal?", the man extends a hand.

I stare at him, considering his option, weighing my possibilities. In the end, my naive trust wins, and I slowly bring my fingers to engulf his, gently shaking his gloved hand. 

At this moment, nothing matters. I don't care that he's been following me, I don't care that he's been watching me. I don't care that I'm being hunted. I don't care that my life's a mess. All I want is to go to the inn, walk up the stairs to my room, and hide beneath the blankets of my bed. 

The man lets go of my hand and steps back. 
"You've made the right decision. You'll see.", he states and walks away without another comment. 

I watch him leave the graveyard and suddenly realize how tired I am. My muscles are protesting against every movement I could possibly do. The fear and panic I just felt were enough to make my body collapse and sluggishly, I turn around to leave as well. 

My head keeps repeating the scene I've just witnessed over and over. Have I ever seen him watching me? Not that I know of. But an accent like his would've easily awoken my attention right? 

Absentmindedly, I walk past the marketplace again, playing with the amulet around my neck. 

Did I even make the right choice? What if his whole goal is just to kill me? What if, tonight, he'll creep through my window and slit my throat? But he could've already done that a month ago, couldn't he?

I am biting my lip worriedly as I finally reach the Bee and Barb. Today, the lively atmosphere of the inn doesn't cheer me up, it just heightens the paranoia I'm experiencing. 

Nonetheless, I haven't eaten anything today and my stomach is screaming at me to finally consume something. 

I ask Keerava, the innkeeper, for a bottle of mead and some stew before I make my way to my room. If she took notice of my disheveled state, she didn't show it and I was glad for that.

Emptily, I creep up the staircase and into my room. Like in a trance I wait for the Argonian to bring my food. When she finally arrives, she puts the tablet on the dresser. 
She keeps hovering in my room for a few more seconds, obviously curious about my mood but I stay silent, and finally, she leaves and closes the door behind her. 

As soon as I'm alone, my shoulders sack forward and I throw myself into one of the chairs. 

It took one mention. One mention of my past and I become frightened like a little girl. I am an adult, by the gods. This shouldn't happen.  

Tears burn at the back of my eyes and I push them away, quickly grabbing my food and devouring it. My appetite couldn't be lower but my body is thanking me for the nutrition and after I've finished the meal, I already feel better. 

I've made the right choice. I want to see that face shifter. And he can bring me to her. 

Taking a deep breath, I grab my pouch with the Nightshade. I desperately need a distraction. 

For the next few hours until dawn, I spend my time making poison and tinctures to sell. I haven't figured out how to sell them without actually selling them myself yet but I'll find a way. I'm sure some poor soul will buy them from me to make their own coin.

The conversation from earlier, while still ghosting around my consciousness, has been pushed to the back of my mind so when I finish my work, I am calm and collected again. 

But then my eyes meet the white parchment on my desk and everything comes back to me. He said I have two days. 

Pondering, I stare at the paper until I make my decision. Nodding in what I think is a brave way, I take the white parchment and march to my window. I'd take this chance. And even if I get killed, I'd have at least tried. I can still take it away and choose differently. 

While pressing the paper between the window and windowsill, I gaze over the city. It's dark and it's slowly getting quieter. Gulping, I move back and face my bed. 

We'll see if that was the right decision.