Skyrim One Shot

"I hope our mutual friend was right about you." Astrid leant next to the flickering candle sconce, eyeing you up and down trying to figure out your worth to her. "Did you even bring any weapons? Any decent gear at all?" She circled you carefully, checking you out from every angle.

You drew a rusty dagger from out of your belt and held it out in front of her on your open palm, the dagger that had helped you through countless situations where without it, you wouldn't be alive.

"Is this it?" She picked the dagger up and held it close to her face, her eyes tracking the chipped, rusted and cracked edge. "I mean, it looks sharp, but you were advertised to me as some master head hunter yet I've seen children running around with nicer butter knifes." She gave it back to you before pulling out her own weapon of choice and holding its pristine edge up to the torch light.

"If I may interject." She secured the dagger back into its sheath. "It isn't all about how... exotic a blade appears to be. With enough tenacity, vigour and skill, something as small as the wasp can bring down a mammoth."

"I didn't realise that we were getting philosopher as well as a sell-sword?"

"Astrid, I'm a simple person-"

"Aren't we all." She interrupted with a coy smile.

"I get my instructions, do my job and get paid. As far as I can tell, you're looking for people to keep quiet and run your contracts, I'm the person for you."

"You're certainly good at selling yourself, ever thought of being a merchant instead?" She started walking further into the sanctuary, gesturing for you to follow into the underbelly of Falkreath.

"I tried it, it just got a bit difficult when I realised how easy it was to kill people that pissed me off." She laughed and brushed off your comment, after all it was how every member of her organisation paid the taxes and earned their bread.

"I know that you can kill without mercy, how are you with the more... subtle aspect of our work? It is no good fulfilling a contract if you bring half of Tamriel back here with you!"

"I haven't found my head on the executioner's block yet, so I must have some kind of affinity for it."

"Cockiness is the first step on the path to your death, recruit."

"I thought I was the philosopher here?"

~*~

Written by Aaron.