"I don't do favors without getting something in return. What will you do for me in return for an answer to your questions?" The dark-hair female said, her face stern as she looked between us before turning her focus to Mercer as he stood to the side.

"Don't look at me. I simply agreed to bring them to a meeting with you. Their questions are strictly their own business," the man said, holding up his hands as he made it clear that we were not anything more than acquaintances.

"Pity. I was hoping they... well, at least the girl, were new members of the guild. She knows how to get a job done, something you need in the ranks again. She also seems to know when to hold her tongue," she said, her arms crossed over her chest as she glanced between Mercer and I.

"That's simply because she's a mute. Trust me, when she wants to, she has plenty to 'say' about things," the man said with a frown. "Well, I'll leave this to you and them. I have work to do."

With that, Mercer walked over to a chair and sat down, bringing out a book that he began taking notes in as he read from the papers he pulled from his satchel. Shaking my head at his easy dismissal, I turned to the female Nord and nodded politely to her.

We are searching for our Lost Sister, Astrid. We have reason to believe that you might know of her whereabouts. If you have such information, we are willing to trade for it if that is what you require. Simply tell us what you desire and we can work out an agreement from there, I am sure.

Once Cicero spoke aloud what I had said, the woman gave a grin that had me feeling like I had just looked in the jaws of a slaughterfish. A rather large slaughterfish that knew how to wait and plan out its attack.

"Oh, I'm sure that we can come to an arrangement that is... agreeable to all parties involved."

--------

"Cicero thinks that Faith was a bit... foolish to agree to that woman's demands," my Cicero whispered as he walked beside me, the fingers of one gloved hand tightening slightly as he gripped my own hand.

She knows something about Astrid, whether it is her location or something else. We can't afford to let this chance slip from our grasp. It might be the only lead we ever get to our Sister's location. I can't just ignore it and hope for another chance somewhere else, so what would you have me do, my Cicero? We are lucky she was willing to agree to only this much of her original demands. She refused to accept anything less than this. I'm just glad that it is as simple as sabotage and not something more dangerous than that.

"Such a job is beneath you, my Faith. If it was an assassination, then it would be in line with the work our Family does. But sabotage? What would Mother say?" My Jester Assassin said with a scoff, seemingly forgetting that I had been a thief long before I joined the Family he belonged to.

Mother would likely say to do whatever was needed to reunite her Family, to strengthen our ranks so that we could spread our influence across all of Tamriel once again. But beyond that, I would ask that you trust me to do this for our Family. After all, I would do even more than this if it was you who was lost.

I had stopped at this point and stood facing my Cicero, one hand raising to rest gently against his cheek as his gold-flecked eyes stared into my own. With a shuddering sigh, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine before whispering softly to me.

"Cicero trusts his heart to do what she must. He just asks that she is careful. Cicero can't afford to lose her, not again. He's not sure if he can keep going if something happens to her. After all, last time, Cicero nearly broke apart. He's not sure if he can hold himself together if there was no chance of her being there for him afterward. Please, don't take any chances and if the choice comes down to it, do whatever you must to survive and come back to me."

I will always return to you, my Cicero, even if I must send every soul between us into the Void to find you again. I love you and nothing will change that, no matter how bloody my hands must become to stay by your side.

May our Father have mercy upon me, for I have a feeling that no other deity out there will by the time my life comes to an end.

--------

Cicero, have I mentioned to you how much I loath spiders?

"Then Cicero shall simply have to kill them all for his sweetness!" His cackling laughter filled the echoing chamber we had stepped into after following the tunnel, his smile growing as he looked viciously at the spiders that lowered themselves from the web-covered ceiling above us. "Oh, what fun shall be had!"

Not even hiding my shudder as I watched their legs twitch as they reached for the dancing Jester Assassin, I turned toward one of the monstrously large skeevers that also seemed to populate the tunnels. What a horrid mix of creatures to have infesting the maze of tunnels and chambers hidden beneath the Honningbrew Meadery. At least there were fewer spiders than skeevers, but the skeevers here were not exactly the usual breed of rodents I'd dealt with in the past.

I just hoped the handful of Cure Disease potions I had picked up would be enough, thankful that the shopkeep hadn't noticed me snagging a couple more than I had actually paid for. It was always a good way to avoid suspicion since few would believe that a paying customer was a thief.

"Die, die, die!" I heard him shouting as he plunged his dagger into the spiders' bodies over and over again.

Such dreadful creatures, spiders. For once, I was more than happy to see my beloved putting his dagger to work without feeling regret for the deaths it brought.