Silly Little Thief ~a Cicero Short Story~

Silly Little Thief

Cicero hummed quietly to himself as he worked. He was almost finished oiling the night mother's corpse and after so would be done working for the evening. Cicero loved his duties as keeper, and always enjoyed his time with his dear mother. But this time was different. He worked as usual, sang as usual, but his mind kept drifting to the night when he met..Her..

~flashback~

Cicero's eyes darted left and right. Bandits were closing in on him from every direction. He was a trained assassin, ready and able to take down whatever crossed his path. But even he knew there were just too many for him to take alone. Suddenly an arrow zipped passed his ear and took out the bandit just behind him. The others froze and looked around trying to find where the shooter was positioned. Cicero quickly drew his dagger and stabbed the bandit in front of him. Soon with the combined wrath of Cicero and the mystery archer all the bandits were dead. Cicero waited for an arrow to find his heart but instead he felt a tap on the shoulder. He tried to spin around and stab whoever was behind him but they grabbed his wrist just before the blade pierced their armor.

"Hey, hey calm down. I'm not going to attack you." A calm, feminine, voice spoke as they let go of his wrist. "If I wanted you dead you would be." The figure removed their hood revealing an imperial woman. Cicero paused for a moment to assess his savior. A short, curvy woman dressed in the armor of the thieves guild with a black bow and quiver of dwarven arrows across her back. Her hair was matted and covered in blood but Cicero could tell it was naturally white. And her eyes, bright orange eyes that seemed to look straight through him as he though he weren't even there.

"Cicero is sorry I tried to attack you, Cicero is grateful. My mother is grateful! You helped poor Cicero with those stuuupid bandits." After a moment Cicero spoke, breaking the uneasy silence.

"Eyes open, walk with the shadows." The woman nodded and walked away into the shadows of the night.

"You're with the thieves guild?" Cicero asked but she had already disappeared. He checked his pocket and smirked when he found his coin purse missing. "Riften..." He muttered as he changed his course of direction. "Off I go!"

Riften-

A sadistic smirk danced across Cicero's lips as he entered to city gates. "Riften...cheats, ruffians, and cut throats abound...finally some fun." An eerie fog filled the empty streets. Cicero squinted as he walked trying to look out for people. Not that anyone was out to be tripped over as it was well passed midnight. A shadow streaked across the blanket of obscurity and disappeared into the shadows. Cicero followed, all too certain it was his mystery thief.

He chased the shadow all across the city to a grave yard behind the temple of Mara before it disappeared. He stood puzzled, scanning the darkness for a sign of movement. Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder. Cicero smiled and turned around expecting his mystery thief but was met with nothingness.

~~~~~~~

Acyline pressed the button on the tomb and ducked down the stairs of the secret entrance. She entered the cistern with a satisfied smile. Everyone greeted their guild master as she passed by them but she wasn't paying attention. Her mind was still on her recent plunder, the man in the forest. The man who had chased her to her home, and now stood outside waiting for her. Something about him was just so...strange. So unnerving yet captivating. Acyline shivered at the thought of him and put her spoils in her guild master chest. She sat at a near by table, her eyes beggining to droop as the exhaustion of the trip hit her.

"Lass..." Acyline shot up startled by the voice of her closest friend and right hand man Brynolf. "You have a visitor." Acyline could see the amusement in his eyes and smirked.

She sighed and walked across the cistern to the flagon, Brynolf close behind. Acyline could hear arguing coming from the flagon, she could make out Delvin but not the other person. She rounded the corner and cleared her throat making her presence known. Delvin immediately approached her.

"And what does the Dark Brotherhood want with you?" He asked concerned. Acyline simply shrugged and walked passed him. She froze, as her eyes met those of the man in the forest, Cicero.

"You're a long way from home." Acyline stated watching his every move carefully.

"I believe you took something of mine." He stepped towards her but Delvin, Vex, and Brynolf all drew their blades. Cicero giggled and did the same. They began to advance on him and Acyline sighed.

"Stop!" She yelled. "Let's talk somewhere else." Acyline suggested. Everyone, even the merchants outside the flagon, stared at her as if she just suggested dumping all their loot in the ocean. Cicero's face twisted into a wicked grin.

"Oh yes! Cicero and the thief all alone." He chuckled and walked away. Acyline followed him ignoring her friends protests. By the time she entered the ratway Cicero had disappeared. She frowned upset he had left and made her way to the garden in the center.

"And he said to the man...'That's not a horker...that's my wife!' hahahaha ahhh I love that one." Cicero's sing-songy voice echoed through the ratway. "Silly little thief, stealing from Cicero, now you have to give Cicero something in return."

"I saved your life, and collected your gold. Isn't that a fair exchange?" Acyline called back trying to figure out where Cicero was.

"Hmmm...No!" Acyline found herself drawn to him. She wanted to find him, not really to talk but just to be near him. To see him smile that murderous grin of his and hear him say sweet things to her.

"No." She said sternly. "I refuse to want this man I just met, besides he probably already has someone." Acyline sighed and stopped walking. Cicero laughed behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Silly little thief," Cicero whispered in her ear. "Cicero has no one. Not yet anyway." Acyline smiled wider than she had in a long time. No one ever snuck up on her, no one. She was the master of the Thieves Guild for gods sake. Her heart fluttered feeling his breath on her neck. She tried to pull away so she could see his face but he only pulled her closer. She didn't really mind.

"You said you wanted something in return," Acyline closed her eyes, his steady heartbeat lulling her to sleep. "What could I possibly give you other than your gold back?" Cicero smiled, a real smile. Not his usually psychotic grin or smirk but a true smile. He softly kissed her neck loving to effect he had on her.

"Your heart."

Acyline smiled and sighed slowly drifting from consciousness. Cicero waited for her to fall asleep before gently laying her down on the ground and slipping away silently into the shadows.

~End Flashback~

Cicero finished his work with the night mother and returned to his room at the Inn. He smiled at the memory of his little thief. Her body against his, the smell of her hair, the feel of her soft skin as he wrapped his hand around hers. The moment had ended all too soon when he pulled away and left without a word. Cicero cursed himself over his choice to leave but mother needed him...mother always needed him, he couldn't have distractions. But that was what she was. For that fleeting moment he had her heart, and she was his distraction.