[Skyrim, Dawnstar] Do I Have to Keep It?

"Oh, just dealing with some troublesome being." K'vera smiled before standing up. "Well, K'ver thinks she has had enough for today. Hope you get out of town soon, child. Nightshade isn't coming back soon after all."

I'll have to get a bit more coin before I can even think about doing that...

Hiding this thought, Kestrel just smiled at K'vera. "I'll do my best to."

The cat wandered off, tipsy. Whatever grace and stealth she had before was gone now, suppressed by alcohol. She didn't even notice the people looking at her nervously.

Kestrel watched K'vera leave the tavern before making an excuse about checking on her horse and exiting it herself. Spotting her again, Kestrel followed.

Two years of hunting beasts that fled at the smallest sound. Two years of sneaking past the ones that could kill her mere seconds after noticing her.

Two years of creeping into homes at night stealing their food and some coin.

Kestrel knew how to move unnoticed, how to not make a sound. Tailing was a little more difficult, but her target was drunk enough where it might be possible for her not to notice that Kestrel was following her.

Sorry K'vera, but I prefer to see things for myself instead of trusting the word of others...

The feline walked through cold streets, passing no one by. At this time, people were either asleep in their homes or drunk at the tavern. It wasn't exactly difficult for her to be lost in a crowd. Occasionally, she would stop and take a look around, before walking off elsewhere.

Several minutes passed by, and soon, she was out of town and wandering down a hill. There, a dim red glow shined on the snow and a dark, chilling voice could be heard whispering something. K'vera stated a reply, before disappearing from view.

Kestel's eyes narrowed at the sight. Not quite bold enough to approach the door, Kestrel opted to explore the area a little bit before returning to the tavern. She made mental notes about the terrain, planning to hide and observe the door later, when she had enough supplies to properly camp out.

She did, however, manage to confirm that Nightshade was nearby, possibly in that cave. After all, why else would his horse be hidden where all the other horses were?

Determined to return and spy on the door later, Kestrel turned back towards town, intending to return to the tavern.

Inside the sanctuary, K'Vera instantly dropped the drunken act, stalking down the stairs into the gathering hall. Most of the brotherhood was around, save for a few tending to contracts. She certainly didn't see any of the higher ups around; perhaps they were trying to scout for another sanctuary, or out of the province trying to revive the Shadow Scales; Who knows.

Her eyes quickly landed on a dark elf, who was sitting at the dining table with several others. His abdomen was wrapped with bandages, and despite how pale he looked he had a grin on his face as he chatted with the others. K'Vera walked over to him and slapped him over the head.

"OW! Damn it, K'Vera!" Nightshade hissed as he put his hand over the doubly bruised injury.

"You idiot!" She hissed. "Your little friend, the one you left in the tavern, followed me back to the sanctuary!"

"W-Wait, what? How is that my-"

"Why haven't you recruited her yet?"

Unaware that she hadn't gone unnoticed after all, Kestrel made her way up the hill, her mind already forming a plan.

The tavern won't notice any missing food if I only take a little...better avoid the gold box though, that'll be watched closely. That coin purse under the counter can probably be skimmed a few pieces of gold though...

That should start me off, spend a day or two hunting some of the local wildlife for some extra food, sell some of it for some more coin. That way me camping a little ways off in the woods doesn't seem too off...

It seemed like a solid plan. If anyone question her, she could say she was raising money to hire a cart to a port town, and then buy passage to Cyrodil...yes, that could work well...

"Wait, what?" Nightshade looked confused as the table went silent. K'Vera smiled as she plopped down beside the dunmer and started to explain. She told how the little girl had tried to weedle information out of her, then followed her with skills that would've fooled most people. As she described her evening, the other siblings' interests grew, while Nightshade's frown deepened.

"I didn't want her to follow, K'Vera. she's just a child who followed me home. I would've expected her to run off sooner or later."

"Skills like hers would come very useful in this line of work, with a bit more training, she could be killing with the best of assassins."

"No." The Dunmer frowned as he stood up.

"Look." One of the other brothers, a redguard, spoke up. His eyes were cross and it made Nightshade pause. "Either you bring her into the brotherhood, or she is killed for discovering the sanctuary. Make your choice."

Nightshade paused for a few long moments before nodding sharply once. He picked up his heavy travelling cloak and started to leave the sanctuary. He stopped just before the black door. "...She'll need a lot more training before she can make a proper silent kill, though."

Kestrel made her way back to the tavern without incident. She made sure to check Tuff before entering the tavern again and going to bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

She was going to have to wake a few ours before dawn if she was going to steal from the kitchen without getting caught.

Nightshade headed to the tavern, arriving just as the evening crowd had cleared out. Most people were gone by now, even the bartender was nodding off. The dunmer with the cloak over his shoulders merely sat down and stayed awake, eyes open as he waited quietly for the sun to rise.

Nightshade didn't have to wait that long. Roughly two hours before sunrise, Kestrel was sneaking out of the room she had rented her eyes scanning the room to see if anyone had spotted her. She couldn't afford to be careless just because most people were asleep at this time.

Her gaze landed on Nightshade, and then she froze.

After half an hour, he had dozed off, but at the sound of movement, his eyes shot open and fixed onto Kestrel. He stood up, revealing his bandages, which were now tinted pink, for just a moment before he made his way over to Kestrel. "Kestrel. I...'m sorry for trying to ditch you." He frowned slightly, as if he wasn't sure how an apology was supposed to go.

Kestel wrapped her arms around Nightshade, being careful not to hurt his wound when she noticed the bandages. After a moment of silence, she finally said something, relief and gratitude in her voice. "I knew I could trust you..."

He twitched at the contact, but cautiously placed his hands on Kestrel's shoulders. That was sort of reciprocating, right? "Actually, I would've abandoned you, so don't be glad yet...

"K'Vera noticed you followed her back, and...I'm supposed to kill you."

Kestrel backed away, not looking up. There was a look that was recognizable in any creature that felt what she felt. Muscles sagging, staring at the ground, there was a word for such a look.

It was the look of someone who had just seen that any struggle would be pointless. Someone on the very edge of giving up. "I'm sorry, if I'd know she knew I was following her, I would have stopped..."

"I didn't survive on my own by underestimating people. I know you could kill me in the blink of an eye even if I was fully prepared to fight. I guess I should thank you for at least apologizing to me about trying to leave me behind..."

She finally looked up, face expressionless and unreadable. "I don't want you to get into anymore trouble with whoever you and K'Vera work for. Do whatever you have to do, just thank K'Vera for the ale on my behalf."

Surprisingly, Nightshade just sighed as he took a step back and sat back down in his chair. "...It's either kill you or recruit you, Kestrel. And this life isn't exactly for young little children who haven't purposely killed in their lives." He glanced up now, scanning their surroundings, before he continued.
"The Dark Brotherhood isn't called a guild of heartless murderers for nothing, after all."

Kestrel stood there in shock for a moment. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't that... He's an assassin?

Her face hardened once again, and her fists tightened at her sides. She spoke firmly, but quietly enough so she wouldn't be overheard, "For one thing, I'm sixteen, that's not exactly a child. For another, I have killed bandits that have attacked me, but I'm guessing that's another thing entirely for you."

"If you're giving me a choice between living the life of a killer, or being killed by your blade..." Kestrel paused and took a deep breath, "I think I can learn how to kill with my only reason being an order."

Oddly enough, his heart sank at the girl's answer. He would've...its not too late. "There is another option, Kestrel. You leave here; I'll pay for your passage to Cyrodill or wherever else. You can run and leave, and as long as you keep your silence about the Dawnstar Sanctuary, the Brotherhood will never look for you."

It was risky; if his superiors found out, no doubt he wouldn't just get off with a few simple lashes. It would be considered betraying the brotherhood's secrets; breaking one of the tenets. But at the same time...A deep frown set on his face. Why did it bother him so anyways? The alchemist in the guild was a vampire, forever a child. He knew that plenty of siblings joined in their youth. He certainly did.

Kestrel shook her head. "I think you know better than anyone what life would be like for me if I agreed to that. Always afraid of them finding out. That's hardly having my life at all."

"Besides, if the rumors I've heard about your Brotherhood are right..." She looked at the Dunmer in the eyes, "You'd be killed for letting me go. I..."

Kestrel hesitated for a moment before finishing, "I don't think I could live with myself if you died for my sake..."

A sigh escaped him, and slowly he nodded. "...Alright. Fine. You probably won't go on any contracts any time soon though. Your stealth needs some work, and we'll need to determine what weapons you are good at and how to improve on them." Nightshade slowly said as he stood up, a barely noticeable twitch in his face from shifting his injuries. He made his way towards the door and turned around.

"Grab your things and follow me. Usually, to join the Brotherhood, you need to kill someone to prove that you can, but I'll vouch for you; you did kill several guards after all."

Kestrel held up her bag, "This and what are in Tuff's saddle bags are really all I have. Ruff should stay in the area too..."

Kestrel started to follow Nightshade, "Should I get Tuff from the stable?"

"If you wish. You'll be subjected to training for a while, I believe, so you won't be able to come out and tend to your horse. The others can do that; we have a chores cycle and tending to the horses is one of the duties." The dunmer stated as he pushed the door open and walked out into the chilly street. They'd have to move fast if they didn't want people to notice them heading to the door.

"I'll be right back then." Kestrel quickly fetched Tuff from the Tavern's stable. The grey mare only made soft sounds in response to being awoken, and simply let herself be led away by her new master.

"Ruff should be able to hunt for herself, she might even drop a rabbit in front of the door once in a while when she figures out where I am..."

She looked at Nightshade. "Let's go."

The assassin merely nodded as he started to walk down the empty street, crimson eyes watching their surroundings as he pulled his cloak around him a bit tighter. Why anyone would willingly live here was beyond him, and he certainly couldn't understand how Nords could wander about half naked in this weather.

He really should've worn his armour out.

When they had reached the Black Door, Nightshade gestured to some inconspicuous foliage. "Our stables are hidden there, you can put your horse there."