An illustrated Skyrim story beyond the fall of the Dark Brotherhood~
After a surreal event, Cicero is inexplicably thrown back into a clear state of mind and his memories from his life prior to his madness return. We begin to learn who he really is...
Even though the scaring of the guards went over well, Cicero decided it would be best to keep a low profile once he got through the gates. Word spread very quickly around Riften and it was only a matter of time before the influential Black-Briar family got wind of the "crazy man" threatening authorities. The Dark Brotherhood may have been in bed with both the Thieves Guild and the Black-Briars when it came to the hierarchy of crime and protection, but he didn't want to push his limits and create an unnecessary rift between the factions. Mother would be quite upset.
Behind the two-story Black-Briar estate, there was a small graveyard tucked away near the outer wall. It didn't seem that many people visited the graves anymore. The grass and weeds were overgrown and several of the stones were damaged. The site seemed all but forgotten. This was a good thing though, for this was the hidden entrance to the Thieves Guild.
Where the unkept yard ran along the local temple of Mara, there stood a sole mausoleum. It housed a stone coffin that, when a small emblem was pressed, pulled back to reveal a hidden staircase. It was already open. As Cicero rounded the corner, he saw Jade leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Only her eyes lifted to greet him.
Cicero bowed gracefully, "We shouldn't have any more problems, my lady."
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"Hey," Jade pushed herself off of the wall, her tone soft, contradicting her stern expression, "When we get down there just let me do the talking, okay?"
"Of course," Cicero tried to sound confident in her but he was worried. Jade had proven herself unreliable at keeping situations simple by allowing her ego and need for attention to get in the way. He was no hypocrite, though. Cicero knew he had been careless with his own over-emotional knee-jerk reactions in the past. It was why he knew what to watch for.
Jade sighed, "I may have been elected as the leader of the Thieves Guild, but there really is no leader. It's just an honorary title," She explained, "I've tried to distance myself from the guild as much as possible since I have family ties in it... as you know."
Cicero bit his lips together and nodded.
"I'm just going to ask for information on random members to find the target's location without arousing suspicion," she paused for a long moment while staring him in the eye, "...are you okay?"
He grinned, "Yes, Miss Jade. I am as well as well can be." His peppy tone reflected his joy at being asked that. It was rare for someone to ask if he was alright in a genuine way. Even though he was mentally and emotionally pulled to the limit, he smiled warmly.
"Was that an act?" Jade asked.
"Was what an act?"
"That craziness outside the gates just now..."
"Of course!" Cicero chuckled, "Like a scene for a play where the jester distracts the guards so the princess may flee the kingdom safely-"
