Cat for Hire (Onrielle Callus)

[raziah]

The Bee and Barb was always a good place for meetings. The usual noise level in the main room made it difficult to be overheard, so it was where the Thieves' Guild loved to do business with new clients. Once they were an established client, they could usually leave a message with Keerava and she would ensure it got down to the Ragged Flagon.

Raziah sat in a shadowy corner, turning her iron dagger over in her hands. She was in her Guild armor, hood drawn up to hide the majority of her face. She had a good feeling about tonight. She hadn't had a major job in quite some time and was starting to get bored with the easy pickings around town.

Burglary was her main-stay. Being a Khajiit, she had a good knack for getting into places she didn't belong and taking things that weren't hers without getting caught. But her real talent lie in tomb raiding. The Nordic custom of burying grave-goods with their ancestors was a strange one for Raziah to understand, but certainly one that made her a very well-fed Khajiit. Tomb raiding was much easier because there were so many forgotten tombs and caches that no-one really cared about and many that held artifacts that people wanted because they were powerful.

Hopefully she'd find one of those people tonight...

[madilore]

A thief. Someone that could sneak in and out of the most difficult places unscathed. This was what Onrielle had whispered to the ears of the underbelly. She hadn't known the men's names, but their reputations preceded them. They were ears and mouths only, for skill she'd need to look elsewhere. The two had scurried off into the darkness two weeks ago, and Onrielle was sure she would never hear from them again.

She had been wrong.

A few days earlier she had opened her bedroom door to find a note wedged beneath. She had been renting a small room from a nameless inn located in the Rift, too inconsequential to be included on most maps and known only for their mediocre ale and abysmal mead.

Somehow they had found her there, despite her passing the message along in Whiterun. All that adorned the weathered paper were these words, "Cally, We've found a cat for hire. Riften. Bee and Barb. 7 PM". She flipped the paper around to check for a date but found nothing. With no idea what day this meeting was meant to occur, she set out immediately.

Now she regretted this rash action. When a man kicks you in the shin, one doesn't rush shin first into the altercation next time. The Necromancers meant what they had said, attacking them further would only exacerbate things.

Yet here she was, entering a dingy tavern that smelled damp and felt grimy no matter what you touched. It was practically filled and very cramped. A fight broke out to Onrielle's right and someone jostled into her slightly. She flinched, removed herself from the action, and searched for this mysterious person she was supposed to meet.

Cat meant Khajiit no doubt. The woman was uncomfortable around the beast races, as some called them. She had not known of their existence until her brief month of travel from Cyrodiil to Skyrim when she was 13. There faces were difficult to read, and they were born equipped with weaponry. Onrielle tried to count her blessings that it wasn't an Argonian.

That was when she saw her contact, a hooded Khajiit seated in the back. Beside her vicious claws, the creature had a dagger out on the table and was twirling it, perhaps menacingly. Onrielle approached her cautiously and sat down.

"I was told you could help me with a little problem. I was told to hand you this paper..." The second paper to come with the note had been illegible to her. Either a symbol, drawing, or language she couldn't understand. It had simply said 'To the Cat.' "Hopefully you will understand what it means." She paused a brief second before talking again.

"Let me stop the suspense now. I need to hire you. It's a very specific, dangerous, and important job. It is for this reason I need you to agree to it before I tell you what it is. However, I promise your reward will be great."

[raziah]

Raziah could pick out the newcomer easily, the young woman appeared timid and nervous as she entered the Inn, skirting around the brawl that had broken out. It was obvious she had not the confidence of someone used to dealing with the underground. There were those who's whole lives were wrapped up with the underground world of Skyrim - the shady traders and fences who helped thieves to turn a profit on their "liberated" goods, the hardened men and women who traded information, insuring it reached the proper ears in the underground (whether that meant the ears of the Thieves' Guild or the ears of the Dark Brotherhood), and all the rest.

In Raziah's mind the young woman was now stuck with the nickname of "mouse." Not just because Raziah was a Khajiit, but it was truly what this woman reminded Raziah of, a little mouse scampering into a home to gather whatever crumbs it could while still staying out of the way and out of sight.

Raziah managed the type of smile that only a Khajiit could as the girl got closer, slipping her dagger back into its sheath at her side, knowing from the young woman's body language that she posed absolutely no threat to her. Raziah remained in a relaxed slouch in her chair, hood hiding the majority of her face in shadow, accented by the low candle light in the Inn, as what she could assume to be her next client approached the table and sat down across from her.

"I was told to hand you this paper..." the young woman had said. Raziah perked up at that, sitting a bit straighter as she took the paper, giving it a glance before folding it into quarters and tucking it inside one of of her gauntlets. It was merely a sign that this young woman had been sent here by a respectable source and that she could be trusted. The Guild was very cautious as to who they allowed to approach members, especially those who could be considered high-ranking.

Raziah chuckled softly, hearing the statement this young woman made about the job. "You've caught my interest, little mouseling. I only do jobs that are.... interesting,," Raziah stated, adjusting her hood so they could look one another in the eye now. Her yellow eyes were full of mischievous mirth, as was her nature.

"The very way that you speak of this job perks my interest, dangling a great reward before this humble Khajiit. The promise of danger and reward are two requirements I seek, so I will take your job. What say you to an ale and we shall speak of further details, hm?"

Raziah's voice was low so that her client had to lean in slightly, but not so low that it couldn't be heard due to the noise the other patrons were making.

[madilore]

The woman seemed nice enough, Onrielle didn't think she meant her any harm, but every time she smiled it put the girl on edge. Her teeth flashed in the candle light of the tavern. Glinting and taunting her with their possible malice.

She shook the thought of the Khajiit woman mauling her out of her head. What was important was she was willing to take the job. Appearances didn't matter. In fact, the Khajiit probably saw her as hideous as well, pockmarked face and stringy hair... She nodded at the woman's idea of ale and waited for her to order it before getting down to business.

Onrielle had never really developed much of a taste for ale, but she downed it none the less. Her old masters would sometimes give her alcohol to dull the pain of beatings or other things. She never liked it though. Huli and Petra had been drunks even before she got there, Venya eventually succumbed to that as well. She halted her memories. It was time for business.

"This cave is nameless. I will take you there because otherwise it is very difficult to find. I will wait for you just inside the entrance to make sure you get what I need and don't run off with it. Inside you should find about three to four mages, I don't care if you kill them. There should also be five slaves. They don't have any allegiance to the mages so don't murder them if you can help it." Onrielle took a deep breath and another swig of ale. Under normal circumstances she would never have allowed the murder of innocent slaves, but she needed her to get into the treasury by any means.

"The first few rooms are storage, they are usually booby-trapped. Then it's the library, alchemical labs, kitchen, and slave quarters. The last three rooms are most important. The Dungeon is first. It is where the mages do their experiments, followed by the mages quarters. The last room is the one you need. It is the treasury and it is always locked. Inside you should find several gold ingots, perhaps a few gemstones, but the most valuable thing inside is the Black Diamond Circlet of N... Magicka"

Onrielle had to stop herself. Necromancy would turn most people away from quests usually. Something about possibly being brought back as someone's slave for eternity, or at least until your body decomposes, it was a bit off putting to be sure.

"Grab that and the leader Hadley's Journal. That is all I need." She took a final deep breath, waiting for the woman's response. Perhaps she'd walk out of the room and straight to whoever tried to murder Onrielle last week and managed to escape. She still bore the wounds from that encounter.

"So? Still interested?"

[raziah]

Raziah sipped slowly at her ale listening intently to Onrielle. One ear was swiveled towards her client, the other trained on the rest of the room, flicking this way and that randomly as the Khajiit registered various noises. It was a good habit for a Thief to have, to keep an ear on the rest of the world as they spoke with their client.

The Khajiit nodded as Onrielle spoke, grimacing lightly when the word "mages" cropped up in the conversation. Raziah abhorred mages. Very difficult to fight against if she was caught sneaking about their hideouts. She had also lost her favorite horse, Silly Shit, in a mage attack a few years back. The animal had literally been shot out from under her by an Ice Spike spell as she was attempting to make a quick get-away from a bungled job. That had not been a very good day...

Her mind was brought back to the present day and the task at hand when Onrielle said "I don't care if you kill them..." That admission perked Raziah's interest, both ears swiveling towards the young woman who sat before her.

"Now wait just a moment, mouseling. We of the Thieves' Guild believe in bloodless heists, which means I'm going to do my darnedest not to hurt anyone. If you want blood spilled then you'll have to employ someone from the Dark Brotherhood," Raziah said, a shudder working its way down her spine. Even those whose lives were totally devoted to the underground feared the Dark Brotherhood. The name was normally spoken in a whisper out of the fear that you could bring them down on your head by merely daring to speak their name aloud.

Raziah sipped at her ale after that, trying to keep composed, eyes glancing around the room in a customary sweep to ensure that no one was listening in. Even thought the Bee and Barb was noisy, you occasionally had nosy patrons or rivals listening in that you had to watch out for. Nosy patrons tended to squeal to the guards or targets, while rivals just stole the job from you. Not every thief was in the Guild and you had to watch out for those rouges because they tended to take your jobs from you, listening in long enough to get the details before rushing out to get to the target before you could, trumping you and making pure profit.

However, her attention returned fully to her client as Onrielle began describing the cave's layout and the location of the loot. The slight slip when speaking of the circlet did not go unnoticed by the Khajiit, who made a small noise of disappointment by slightly opening and snapping her jaw shut, the Khajiit equivalent of the human "tsk tsk" noise.

"Come now, mouseling, it is highly impolite to lie to a thief about their target items. What does this Circlet of Magicka really do? Hmm? If you're worried that knowing what it really is will make me attempt to keep it for myself or cause me to reject the job you shouldn't worry. I've given my word I will take on the job and I always honor my word," Raziah stated, taking another sip of her ale.

"So, the Circlet and the journal of Hadley for you, everything else in the treasury for me? If those are the terms I am more than interested." Raziah smiled a mischievous Khajiit smile.

[madilore]

No killing... the drunkard in Whiterun had led her astray. She had hoped that perhaps the woman could... No, it didn't matter. These slaves were strangers to her and their fate was not her concern. Onrielle felt for them, she knew their plight well, but she only had space enough in her heart to worry about her own family. Still, it was likely they'd be beaten, or killed, or worse. Perhaps she could liberate the poor bastards when all was said and done.

When Raziah caught her blunder, Onrielle knew she needed to come clean, or at least partially clean.

"Hadley is the leader of the group, so his journal will be well guarded. The Circlet is his, which is why the two will probably be in the same place." She looked down sadly at her cup of ale. Empty. The bitter taste would do wonders to get this bitter feeling out of her heart. Perhaps she was in over her head. "The Circlet... is a key to another mage hideout that I must enter. It enhances a mages conjuring ability, so it is practically useless to non mages." She left that last part as a hint that the woman shouldn't put the crown on. Onrielle doubted that it was necessary though. This woman seemed to be a professional.

"Now one more thing. These mages specialize in Necromancy. What you see in there... it can never be unseen. I just want to make certain you are prepared for the atrocities these monsters commit on a daily basis?" The Khajiit woman's ear kept swivling about. It made Onrielle nervous, but also at ease. They were less likely to be caught unaware when one had a skill like that. The brunette looked over the thief's face, her pointy fangs, mischievous eyes, and hoped she would not cause her death.

"I have enemies so I do not wish to give you my name but you can call me ...." She looked around at all the things in the bar. Two Imperial woman making out in the back, an Argonian chopping meat on a bloody counter, a Nord shining his shield in the corner.... "Shield... The Shield. You will be The Thief. And when this mission is over we can both part ways unscathed and richer."

[raziah]

The Circlet was the key to another locale? Necromancers? Raziah's ears were still fully focused on Onrielle, this job starting to become more interesting by the minute. This young woman reeked of adventure and secrets, two of the things Raziah loved above all others. It was true that most of the time she was just a humble Khajiit Thief, working with clients to "liberate" goods from their previous owners. But Raziah had come to Skyrim for more than just the thrill of the theft.

Of course, she loved how Onrielle thought she didn't have contacts in other factions. If it came down to it, Raziah had people who could appraise magical goods and then point her in the right direction to sell them off at massive profit. But, she wasn't that type of Thief and she would bring Onrielle the circlet without fuss. It was always better to keep a client who might just give you repeat business content and happy and only take what you were offered.

"My dear mouseling, you are speaking to a Khajiit that has been exploring Nord tombs full to the brim with Draugr and other creepy crawlies since the time she arrived in Skyrim at the age of 18. Necromancy lost it's horror for me long ago, now it is merely classified as an... occupational hazard, if you will," Raziah stated, leaning back in her chair as she sipped at her ale, starting to drain the last of it... until she heard the code names Onrielle picked. That caused her to snort her ale, coughing lightly from the stinging sensation in her nose as she tried to control a laugh.

"I think I prefer Mouseling," Raziah stated with a soft giggle, lightly wiping at her mouth as she set her now empty mug down on the table. "You can call me whatever you like. Cat. Thief. Silly Shit. I don't really care what you choose to refer to me as. Real names are something thieves and clients very rarely share, so I've had my fair share of... interesting names."

Raziah's tail flicked lazily as she pulled a few coins out of her pouch to set on the table to pay for their drinks, Talen-Jei approaching to take the coin and empty mugs away. She gave the male Argonian a playful wink, pulling a grimace from him. Ah, the old Khajiit-Argonian rivalry, it was a beautiful thing to play with.

However, her attention refocused on Onrielle as soon as Talen-Jei left, smiling her mischievous smile once more.

"So... how soon can we start?" She asked, eager to get to work.

[madilore]

Mouseling... she didnt' like the sound of that, especially coming from a cat. This one didn't seem too keen on eating her but her father always said you could never trust a Khajiit. Of course, Onrielle could never trust him, so maybe the opposite of his rules always applied to her.

"Fine..." She stood up, eager to get out of the hustle and bustle of the bar. The true tavern crowd were starting to flood the place and camaraderie might break out at any moment. Onrielle didn't' want to be a part of that. She shook her head at the names she had suggested. 'Thief' hardly allowed for secrecy. Perhaps she would need to call out to the Khajiit and call her a Thief in a crowded room. They would probably be thrown in a dark, dank, dungeon somewhere. The last thing she needed right now, was to be locked behind bars in a place so unfamiliar. "Cat then... I'll call you Cat." In the back of her mind she recognized that this was probably racist, but shook it from her thoughts.

There was silence between the two as an Argonian approached. Onrielle avoided eye contact completely, keeping her face trained completely on the Cat while the one gave the other coin. She was surprised that Raziah winked at the man, who grumbled in response. Perhaps there was some sort of story there. She was afraid to ask. Instead she waited for the lizardman to leave.

The Cat finally broke the tension, asking when they could start this project. It was a difficult thing to answer. What she really wanted was time. Lots of time to plan and plot and scheme. But the more time she had, the more time her enemies had. And there were more of them. More plans, plots and schemes she would find herself thrown against. Onrielle was quick-witted, her father saw to that, so she would just have to trust her first instincts were the right ones. She didn't have the luxury to second guess.

"As soon as possible. Today or tomorrow. Your choice."

[raziah]

Raziah chuckled softly at her companion's new choice of code name for her. It was better, but still not quite as imaginative as Raziah could have hoped. As previously stated, she had had her fair share of funky code names in her day, her favorites were still "Sweet(roll)" and "Honey (Nut Treat)" she had used on a job one time with another Khajiit.

"Trust me, little mouseling, there are far worse things to be called in this world than simply "cat," Raziah stated. The word had lost its derogatory status for her long ago. Cat was now simply a shorthand for Khajiit in her book, even if the person was attempting to be mean when they said it.

Raziah stood and stretched a cat-like full-body stretch, standing for a moment on the tips of her toes as she stretched out her spine, tail curling and uncurling a bit as she hummed, nodding towards the back exit to the tavern. It was a far less crowded route to escape out into the night air than the front door.

"We'll head out this way," Raziah stated as she walked nonchalantly towards those doors. She walked confidently and unafraid, and even though she stood at 5'2", much shorter than many of her kin and the other races of Skyrim, she walked like she was 10 ft tall, head held high and determined to get where she was going without trouble.

Stepping out into the night air, she took a deep breath, waiting for her new companion to join her before heading for the city gates.

[madilore]

It was intimidating to watch The Cat up and about, despite the fact that Onrielle was several inches taller. She held her head high, with purpose and confidence, while hers was cowed and eyes fixed on the ground. She hated looking others in the eyes unless it was absolutely necessary. So the two left the enclosed and claustrophobic comfort of the bar and entered the chilly night air of Riften.

A breeze caressed Onrielle's brunette locks as she walked. It was accompanied by the faint, but persistant scent of Riften's waterway that lingered just below their feet. If she concentrated, Onrielle could ear the slapping of water against stone. It was peaceful and the Breton made a note to perhaps come back to Riften when this was all over. Or maybe she could take her family to Anvil... anyplace with water nearby to lull them to sleep.

Despite feeling uneasy around the woman, Onrielle was really starting to respect her. She cared herself with such grace. Held her head with such confidence and strength. The Cat didnt' seem to be intimidated by anyone. The Riften Guards passed them on their way to the gate and the Khajiit didn't even bat an eyelash while Onrielle visibly flinched. She was simply not cut out for this lifestyle, yet it seemed determined to follow her everywhere she went.

They reached the gate and stood for a few moments before the Breton realized her Khajiit companion was waiting for instruction. She had forgotten for those brief steps that it was she who did the hiring.

"Right... I was going to secure us some horses but I believe setting out on foot will be better. It isn't that far, but it is not easy to get there. So.. should we meet back here tomorrow or would you prefer to leave now?" Her heart was beating so fast Onrielle Callus thought it would burst from her chest. Was she really ready to do this? To start a mission that could never be turned away from? But really her fate was never up to her.... nor the ending to this story?

[raziah]

Raziah breathed in the fresh, cool night air with a soft hum. It was only the nights in Skyrim that reminded her of her desert home, the same cool coming over the sands when the sun went down. She turned to Onrielle, her tail gently flicking back and forth as she offered a gentle smile as she observed her employer.

"A friendly word of advice, little Mouseling. Even if you aren't confident, walk and act like you are. Thieves and bandits rarely target someone who they perceive to be bigger and badder than themselves," she stated softly. It slightly pulled at her heartstrings and whatever few maternal instincts she had to see this young woman so frightened and unnerved by the world around her. Raziah had never been the shy, quiet one in her clan, it was how she had earned the name Raziah "the Fearless." Of course, in the Khajiit language the word "fearless" had the same root as the word "foolish." Make of that what you will.

"If it isn't far and the terrain hard to navigate, it would be much easier to go on foot. Horses, for their speed, do not have sure-footing and tend to make noise that will attract unwanted attention from targets. And unless you are in need of some sort of supplies, I would recommend setting out now. Thieves, and Khajiit for that matter, do their best work under the cover of darkness. Much to do with our Lady Nocturnal," Raziah stated with a light nod.

The Khajiit wasn't superstitious, per say, nor did she truly subscribe to any religion, but as a thief she had respect for Lady Nocturnal, paying her respects to the Daedric Lord when she felt the need to. The only other god she held any respect for was the Daedric Lord Sanguine, but that is a story for another time.

Raziah noted how nervous Onrielle looked, lightly placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder that could and would quickly be removed if it made the young woman more uncomfortable.

"Mouseling, you're trembling worse than a newborn kitten... if you're not ready to undertake this mission, it can be put off for another day. Nerves can and will get you killed. I've been at this long enough that nothing about my line of work frightens me, but it is easy to tell you are a new-comer to the underground. New-comers who are unsure of themselves do not last long, trust me," Raziah said in what she would hope was a soft and almost motherly tone. That had never really been her strong point, but she needed Onrielle to be calm and collected, otherwise she could get them both killed, which was very detrimental to Raziah's long-term plans.

[madilore]

The Khajiit thief laid a reassuring hand on Onrielle's shoulder. She was stunned by the kindness, and equally stunned that she was being so obvious about her fears. She thought she had a handle on the situation, but it wasn't looking that way. If a stranger of a different race could read her so well then she really needed to work on repressing her feelings.

"No, we need to do this now. Once we get moving I'll be fine. It's just us standing around that is the issue." She attempted a smile, but it came out more of a grimace. Onrielle patted the thief's furry paw and marched in front of her toward the gate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were at least an hour outside of Riften, but Onrielle had lost track of time. She was focusing on finding the landmarks she had memorized. When the woman bashed in the skull of her former master, she had found a map on him. Part of it was soaked with blood, but most was legible. This would lead her to Hadley's Cave. However, her memory was proving a bit problematic and the map had been burned when the Necromancers last discovered her whereabouts.

They trampled through briars, well away from the beaten path. A small stream on their right murmured as it ran by, fueling the glowing leaves of a nirnroot. The nirnroot was not important, but the stream said they were on the right track.

Not ten steps from the water, Onrielle found the final landmark. A dark, twisted, and decapitated metal statue. The plaque beneath it was completely worn away by the elements, so who ever the portly man portrayed in iron had been was a mystery. This was the last marker on the map before the cave. Onrielle turned to her companion.

"This is where we meet if anything goes wrong. The cave should be 100 meters in that direction. I will go with you but I am going to stay at the entrance. If you need any help then you can simply call for me." She nodded at The Cat, then began to turn away before remembering something else. "One more thing. I just want you to know how much I appreciate your help. I know it isn't free, but very few people would want to help on a quest like this." She smiled at the Thief again, this time kinder and much more genuine. Moonlight danced on both their faces, painting them beautifully in it's cold blue light. "Alright. Let's get going."

[raziah]

The walk hadn't really fazed Raziah in the least, even if she had kept on alert, ears swivelling to and fro, checking up on the noises that echoed in the night. The Khajiit had kept her prized hunting bow at the ready in case of trouble. Riften, despite being her home, had far too many bears for her liking and she would very much like to not encounter one tonight.

Memorizing the location of the statue, Raziah nodded at her companion, returning her genuine smile with one of her own. She hadn't known this little Mouseling long, but she was certainly starting to grow on her. Even though it was clear she had been through much in her life, Raziah could sense some sort of lingering innocence and hope that was very rare these days. It was extremely refreshing to someone who had been bathed in the darkness of the underground, even if Raziah still her good humor and carefree attitude.

"If I do my job right, little Mouseling, you won't have to worry about things going wrong," the Khajiit reassured her, smiling mischievously. "I will be in and out before you know it."

Raziah did sincerely believe that will all of her heart. Before setting off towards the cave, Raziah made sure to check her gear one last time, hooking her hunting bow back onto the quiver so she would be able to move easier. She knew she had 40 steel arrows in her quiver, 40 chances to get it right if someone decided to fight... but the quiver was also padded to make sure the arrows didn't shift and make noise as she moved, she gave it a light jostle to make sure that the padding was still doing it's job. The steel dagger at her hip was sharpened and well-cared for, just in case...

Taking in a steadying breath, she nodded to Onrielle, heading towards the cave. The Khajiit was mentally preparing, running over the layout of the cave that Onrielle had provided her with... trapped storage, library, lab, kitchen, slave quarters, dungeon, mage's quarters, treasure.

Five Slaves... Three/Four Mages... Nab the Circlet and the Journal for Mouseling, take the rest for herself and the guild. Easy.


When the cave came into sight, Raziah immediately dropped into a crouch, eyes and ears trained on the entrance to see if there was a guard posted. Her superior Khajiit night vision showed no one about, which was odd to the Khajiit, but she wasn't about to complain. That fact put her on edge, but she shook it off, one wanted to be cautious but not too terribly cautious. Creeping forward, she glanced at Onrielle, motioning her close to whisper.

"You hear anything unnatural, you run back to that statue. No heroics, I can take perfectly good care of myself. If I die, it's my own fault," she stated before slipping into the cave, not even waiting for confirmation that her words were understood.

[madilore]

Onrielle mimicked the Khajiit's movements as they moved toward the cave. She could learn alot from the woman. Though she knew a few things about stealth, it was nothing compared to the grace of the Cat. She watched as the thief stepped on a fragile branch but distributed her weight so perfectly that it did not snap. It was a sight to behold.

The mouth of the cave was mostly unremarkable. It didn't look dangerous but it didn't look interesting either. This was their way of warding off intruders. A cave mouth strewn with carcasses and blood might turn away an innocent villager, but it would look interesting to the many adventurers that roamed the land. This was an easier way to keep the real threats away.

Onrielle didn't nod at the Khajiit's statement. She wasn't interested in confronting the mages, and she certainly didn't want to botch the entire operation by bursting in and attacking, but if the Cat was in danger she wasn't about to let her die. Though innocent and naive, Onrielle was far from helpless. She had learned enough about swords and shields to serve her well in a fight. She gripped the pommel of her sword tightly as she thought of the last time she had been forced to use it. Not on a mage but a wild dog. It's snapping jaws had ceased instantly. She had gotten away without a scratch.

Though Onrielle wanted to offer words of encouragement to The Cat as she left, she knew the dangers associated with that. So as they entered the dark cave and approached the wooden door in the back, she said nothing at all. The darkness engulfed the Khajiit and she was gone.

Now for the waiting.

Onrielle stood with her back against the jutting black rock, straining to listen for the slightest noise. She thought she could make out a conversation but wasn't sure if it was just her imagination playing tricks. With her shield on her arm and sword in her hand, she would be ready for anything. If only she had decent armor, though only the most magical of garments could really protect against the mages. It could get into your soul, tear it out, and enslave it for eternity. Shackled forever, never seeing her family, never being at peace.

Oh how she wished The Cat would hurry up.

Oh, how she wished

[raziah]

Raziah wasn't one to fool around when there was a job a hand. Quickly picking the lock on the door, she opened it just enough to slip inside, letting it remain slightly ajar to lessen the noise of her entrance. Taking in a deep, steadying breath she began to move slowly and silently down the corridor. Her ears and eyes moving to and fro, taking in the natural sounds of the came and listening for the tell-tale noises of its inhabitants, be the human or inhuman.

Creeping ever slowly forward, Raziah let her natural Khajiit instincts and Thieves' Guild training take over. Every so often she would pause behind a good hiding spot and listen, following the sounds of quiet conversation deeper into the cave, making sure to avoid any traps placed in her way. Her ears twitched as she heard voices coming from what she assumed to be the library area, the door shut tight to the corridor. Creeping closer to that door, she stilled herself, listening to the conversation.

"Everything is in perfect alignment, the ritual must be done tonight," a voice hissed from within. Raziah blinked, wondering what ritual they could be plotting.

"But we've no fresh corpses... it has to be an extremely fresh corpse in order for the ritual to work properly," a second voice stated.

"We've slaves, just choose one and be done with it. The ritual doesn't state how they die, just that they are freshly dead," the first voice hissed again before the conversation turned to which slave was the most worthless. At that Raziah's eyes widened, the Khajiit moving a bit quicker to find these slaves.

In dingy quarters near the kitchens, she found them. Undernourished, dirty, and frightened, the four looked up at her with frightened eyes. The Khajiit placed a finger to her mouth, signaling for their silence before whispering. "If you lot want to live, I recommend you head for the exit now. The door is unlocked."

The group didn't need telling twice, immediately fleeing for the exit. It was perhaps the fact that they, too, seemed more frightened of what a Khajiit could do to them than what their masters could. Raziah was rather glad for it as she quickly headed to the treasury, intending now to get out of here as fast as possible. She purposefully ignored the scenes of gore and destruction she passed in the dungeons and labs, choosing not to think about the dark consequences of failure.

After only three broken picks, Raziah got the door open, slipping inside. She quickly located the circlet, smirking as she slipped it into a bag at the small of her back, pocketing any other small valuables she could as quickly as she could.

"Now... where is that damned journal..." She thought to herself, looking around the room. There were other books, tomes of dark magic and spells, such books were worthless to Raziah, who couldn't cast a spell to save her life... after a few moments of hurried searching, she finally found the journal. The texture of the leather was rather odd and put Raziah in the mind of human skin, but she didn't give it too much thought, slipping the journal into her jerkin.

"The Hell? Find them!" A loud, angry voice yelled.

"Oh hell...." Raziah thought to herself, hiding in a darkened corner of the room, drawing her bow and preparing for the inevitable fall out...