[center][h3]A Profitable Misadventure[/h3]
By Greenie and Stormy[/center]
[hr]
[i]5th Midyear - Morning
Salosoix Hawkford’s Residence[/i]

Meg stood outside the Hawkford residence, feeling slightly out of her depth. It wasn't as if she'd never visited a wealthy person's house in the prospect of a job, but in those days that seemed so long ago, she'd had a partner who could speak much more eloquently than she could. J'raij had always had something of a silver tongue that charmed others, where Meg's words simply told tales of how she was a country bumpkin. She had at least made sure that her clothes were clean and wrinkle free, and she'd actually combed her hair back, hoping to make a favourable impression. Goodness knew she needed the coin. She had to admit she wasn't expecting to be approached by Raelynn, but the thought of delving into familiar territory was much too tempting to refuse. With Zahir's knowledge of the city and a little help from those passing by, she had found her way easily enough.

Taking a deep breath, Meg counted to three before knocking on the door. And then, she waited.

The door was opened by Zhaib, the imposing Redguard bodyguard of Salosoix. His eyes fell down upon the young girl in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow - he had started to get rather arrogant the longer that he worked with Sal. 

“Who is it?” came the voice of Salosoix himself - who was sitting at his desk, as always, with a quill in one hand, and a glass of water in the other, he gazed out as far as he could see. His spectacles were sitting on the tip of his nose and he narrowed his eyes as if it would help him to focus.

“Some girl,” said Zhaib, very matter-of-factly. “Well, bring her in Zhaib. She’s here for a reason, don’t make the girl wait for you to size her up!” He sighed and shook his head with a laugh of disbelief. The Redguard sidestepped to let the girl in, before closing the door behind her. 

Meg entered the house, relieved that she wouldn't be deliberated about while standing about awkwardly in the heat. She was tempted to look around at her surroundings, but she remembered being told that it was always best to seem impartial when taking a job. So, she rested her eyes on the man with the spectacles instead. "Yer-" she paused before attempting to speak in a clearer fashion "- You are Salosoix, righ'? Raelynn sent me yer way. She said that y'might have a job for me. I'm Megana Corvus, one've her companions from Cyrodiil."

“Ahh, my Raelynn did? Well then - you can be my [i]esteemed[/i] guest this morning, in that case!” He said with a genuine smile, a tension unwinding from his posture as he nodded in her direction. “Forgive me, Megana, but I’m not sure of your skillset you see - I have a number of things that I could have someone take care of…. But I’m not sure where to start you.” He shrugged as he spoke and waited for her to share something about herself. At first glance, she didn’t appear to be much - but it was often the small and unassuming women could get into all kinds of trouble. The kind of trouble that paid well. There was an instant spark behind the eyes of this Nord too, that Salosoix detected immediately as perseverance and a desire to do good.

Meg had honestly expected a stuffy man, and perhaps even a scary man, truth be told. Seeing Salosoix's friendly and open demeanor put her a little at ease as well- the knots in her stomach that she hadn't even realized were there began to unravel as a smile found its way on her face.

"Well," she started, "I'm somethin' of a treasure hunter, y'could say." Yes, that most definitely sounded better than a thief. "Before comin' 'round here, for the most part I'd be headin' down into ruins and findin' artefacts to sell." She thought a little more. "'Sides that, I'm pretty good with a sword an' bow, used t'go bounty huntin' before decidin' to go after treasure instead." Waiting for a reaction, she hoped she hadn't overselled herself, or worse, the opposite.

Salosoix smiled at her story and nodded along as she spoke, his guard down - she was not a threat to him. In fact, he was largely enjoying her company, indicated by the fact he had not broken eye contact, and was smiling so much that the crows feet around his eyes were joyfully prominent. “Ahh, you're a girl after my own heart - when I was a lad I dreamed of being a treasure hunter. Alas, I never did master combat, only diplomacy and so I settled to trade in antiquities instead. Still, I got a few rare opportunities here and there to see some action.” He sighed and gazed off into the distance before his brought himself back to the moment, his smile fading and a colder exterior presented itself. 

“There is actually something I'm wanting to get my hands on, it's a sword… A small sword, in fact it would be perfect for the dainty hands of a woman…” He stood from his seat and moved over to a chest of drawers in the corner of the room, taking from the top drawer a fine shortsword, which he held in his two hands. “It's much like this, in fact I believe it to be the…. Twin sister of this blade, I'd very much like to add it to my collection but it seems as though another pesky merchant has already gotten their hands on it, and that hardly seems fair, don't you think?” Salosoix carefully placed the blade down in front of Megana, waving his hand across it's length. “Wouldn't you agree the swords should be together?” 

Meg looked down at the blade, admiring its beauty. It was certainly better than her own sword, though she wouldn't trade hers for the world as it had been her mother's; she took care of that blade as if it was the highest quality ebony blade that gold could buy. 

As for Salosoix's words, despite the fact the fact the he was eloquent and almost pleasant to hear -Meg was reminded of J'raij's silver words for a moment- she wasn't quite sure if she agreed with that sentiment. One blade was enough for a person who did not even engage in combat. However, her opinion on the matter was neither here nor there; he was going to pay her for her services and that was what mattered.

"This merchant," she started, looking away from the sword and up at Salosoix instead, "I'm assumin' the sword's with him? So you'll be wantin' me to take it from him." 

The elderly Breton narrowed his eyes and gazed off into the distance, thinking about it. A long sigh followed. “I suppose that is what I'm asking, yes,” he responded with a smile. “I believe that it will be moving soon, as cargo on a caravan heading deeper into Hammerfell. I really don't want that caravan to leave with my sword.” He spoke with such confidence that the sword was already his, and once again smiled, but this time it was a half-smile. “I don't really need to know how you plan to get it, but if you can somehow bring it to me - there are one hundred septims with your name on them. What say you, Megana Corvus?” A glimmer of mischief appeared in his eyes, and he relaxed into his chair - the half smile growing into a smirk.

A hundred septims? Surely the job was worth more than that. Meg's eyes followed the older man as he sat down in his chair, though her mind was occupied with thinking the proposition. J'raij had always managed to haggle his way to getting a better price or pay. On the other hand, a hundred septims were better than the near none she had right now. If she made a fuss, it could very well be that he'd simply tell her he didn't need her services anymore. Right now, she was the one in  need, not him.

Maybe if she got this job done, he'd find even more lucrative avenues for her to pursue?

She finally nodded, making her decision. "Alrigh' then," she finally replied. " I'll take the job. I'll be needin' some details though, his name, how he looks if ya know it, that sorta thing."

“He looks like a merchant, of course!” laughed Sal, almost mockingly - before thinking better of himself, she was only young. “He's a Redguard, older fellow, has a bit of a crooked walk and uses a cane.” He hoped the description was enough, knowing that there weren't many limping merchants in Gilane. “He's an easy target probably, but that means you might have to use your smarts over a sword… Sound good?” he asked with a friendly smile, even if behind it he was masking a whirlwind of turmoil at that moment. His patience for the girl in the room was growing thinner. “I’ll trust your judgement, just bring me that blade, Megana. There might be more than a handful of coin in it for you.”

He had judged a disappointment on her face, and thought better than to be cheap with a woman. He had jewels aplenty he could pay her in, afterall.

Mentally noting down all he was offering as a description, Meg gave the older man a nod. "Soun's good," she replied. "I'll get to findin' that sword for you then." If she needed a little extra help, she figured she could retain help from her young street savvy friend Zahir; surely he would be familiar with an older, limping merchant, right? "I'll be takin' my leave then."

[hr]
The small reprieve from the heat was lost as Meg exited the Hawkford Estate. Waving a hand before her face, she didn’t waste time in seeking out the shade of the buildings and stalls of the marketplace where she had asked Zahir to wait for her, hoping he hadn't wandered away too far that she would have to wait for for him. The last thing she wanted was for the caravan to have already started its journey. The idea of stealing from the man was up for debate as well, but the pay was worth a little risk. It wasn't as if she hadn't done anything dangerous or questionable lately…

Trying to ignore the tinge of guilt that still accompanied her for not listening to Jaraleet the previous night, Meg searched through those passing by, looking for the familiar face of Zahir so they could finally head off. Her breath was quick and she could feel her heart beating quickly. Nervousness? It would make sense, she hadn’t been on a venture like this in over a year. [i]Calm down,[/i] she ordered herself, sounding rather stern in her own mind. [i]Y’know what t’do, done it many times b’fore.[/i]

There was a tug on her arm, causing Meg to look down. “There you are,” she grumbled. “Talos knows how long I’ve been waitin’ here for ya.” It was indeed Zahir who was busy munching on an apple, seeming rather relaxed and not too worried about the Nord’s weak ire.

“It was boring just waiting in one place,” he explained. “I got us some apples!” He reached into his pocket and pulled one out for her.

There was still a grumble to Meg’s words, but she forgave him nonetheless; food was a pretty legitimate excuse in her eyes to wander off. “Fine. Thanks.” She deposited it in the satchel hanging to her side before snapping her fingers. “Now, ‘nough of that. We have stuff t’do, Zahir.”

“The rich man gave you a job?” The boy looked at her curiously, perhaps almost hopefully.

"Aye," Meg replied, "an' I'll be needin' your help to find the mark before he ends up givin' us the slip. Let's see if ya really know as much as y'think y'do." She promptly described the merchant in the same words Salosoix had used, hoping for some reaction from Zahir. At the outset there was nothing, until she mentioned the crooked walk and the cane.

"Oh, oh!" Zahir tugged at her arm, ignoring the annoyed looked Meg cast his way. "I think I know who that man is. Zunair At Tushr, my father used to take the fruit cart past one of his shops almost every day. It was quite large- That shop sold carpets I think."

"Shops, huh?" Meg's forehead creased a tad bit as she thought that over. "A'ight, take me t'his shop. I don' think he'll be there, but we can maybe find out where he is a’ least." She was wishing she had kept her bow on her now, just in case. There weren’t supposed to be any casualties, but if push came to shove, it was obviously better to have a ranged weapon on a stealth required mission. Well, there was no way she was heading back to the Three Crowns Hotel now.

The first of Zunair's shops did not yield much information as to the merchant's location. In fact, it seemed to her that perhaps Zahir would get in trouble by asking too many questions. Managing to summon him back to her before matters could turn a little too shady, Meg was then lead to an inn and tavern that proved much more profitable. Drunken men had loose lips, and it wasn't hard to gain information of the merchant's residence. 

It was precisely what she expected from a rich old merchant's house, a large house with at least three stories, elaborately carved archways that lead the way into the house, beautiful fountains decorating the courtyard and surrounded by gardens of tall trees and exotic flowers of different shapes and colours, all of which was protected from outsiders by a large wall that ran the expanse of the manor, the gates of which were guarded by a couple of large men in armour. They didn't seem to be Redguard, so Meg was assuming they were mercenaries hired to keep away people like her.

"Go back to the market now," she whispered to Zahir. They were both huddled in a side street that wasn't exactly the safest place to hide from alert mercenaries. "I'mma meet you by the barber's."

"You can't just go by yourself-"

"Don' be an idiot," she snapped at him under her breath. "You'll jus' get in m'way, an’ I don' wanna see you gettin' hurt. Now [I]go[/I]."
 
A look of indignation was followed by one of worry as the boy eyed Meg, not quite expecting the harsh or caring words. A few terse moments passed before he finally nodded. "Fine, but... you better come back quick!" Meg returned a confident smirk in his direction before giving him a nod. He lingered for only a couple of more seconds before hurrying away from the nord in the general direction of the market where he hope he would meet up with her once more.

[hr]
Once he was finally out of her line of sight, Meg looked back to the manor, or rather the walls surrounding it. She knew she wouldn't be able to deceive the guards into letting her in, so she needed another way to get into the walled area. Fortunately for her, her time in Riften was a well of resources for all sorts of shifty, shady business. It took a little while, but her slow and steady creeping finally lead her to realize she had already seen her way in.

Hiring mercenaries was well and good, but if climbing up a tree was all it took to evade them, then Meg didn't believe they deserved whatever coin they were receiving for their service. Or perhaps it was the merchant's own fault for not taking into account that greenery grew and if someone very well wished it, they could easily climb a tree and drop onto his properly. Even so, Meg had to be very careful as she made the climb- a single glance her way and she could be visible-

[i]Shit![/i] She had nearly made it up to where the foliage would finally cover her when her foot got caught on a stray branch, causing her to nearly slip. Snapping her hand forward she grabbed onto the branch she had been meaning to climb to and pulled herself up, heart beating wildly at nearly giving her position away. Holding on tightly, she forced herself to remain still, as if she was merely part of the branch itself. In the distance she could hear footsteps and curious voices.

"I thought I heard somethin’..." Only her eyes moved as the Nord woman tried to make out the position of the man approaching. If she could stop her heart from beating, she probably would have, just as she forced herself to breath slowly and almost noiseless.

"Get back here Drevin! We don't have time to waste behind every little leaf you hear falling to the ground." The man grumbled under his breath before continuing. "Probably just the wind. Come on. Zunair's already itching to leave as soon as possible."

"[i]Fine,[/i]" the man named Drevin replied. "But one day you'll all regret not listening to me. Just you wait..."

It felt like a lifetime before the men were finally out of Meg's sight and hearing. She was still a little shaky over her mishap as well as a little upset with herself at being so clumsy. Thankfully the men were idiots and hadn't thought of actually investigating the sound, but she couldn't assume everyone would be like that. Well, at least one thing was for sure- the caravan hadn't left yet so the sword still had to be here.

Carefully lowering herself down from the tree onto the wall, she looked down, taking note of the shrubs and various flowering bushes that she could easily hide herself among. After another quick glance, she jumped off the wall, landing on her hands and feet. Ignoring the sting of sharp grit against her palms, Meg followed in the direction the two men has walked off in, and it was to no surprise that they were heading for the merchant's house, where the garden she was traipsing through gave way to a dusty forked pathway, one leading to the doors of the house whilst the other lead out to the gates.

There before the gates stood three large, covered wagons, each of them holding quite a few chests as well as other items of interests including barrels of wine, carpets and sacks filled with... well, Meg couldn't tell from here. What she did know was that her prize was sitting cozy in one of those chests, and if she didn't hurry, she would end up failing her mission.

As soon as the man named Drevin and his doubtful companion entered the house and the doors closed behind them, Meg made a quick dash for the nearest wagon. With no one else there save the horses, she could only assume that those very two were the only ones who were loading the wagons. [i]Dumb luck,[/i] she thought to herself, allowing a small breath of relief before looking to the two chests that were sitting among the barrels of wine. Her forehead creased; who would they be so stupid as to keep a prized sword, even protected in a chest, among wine? Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she tiptoed to the edge of the wagon and peeked out. There was still no one there. [i]Good.[/i] Meg hopped off back and quickly stepped closer to the next vehicle, peering into the back. This too had mostly food and wines, and it took only a second for her to mentally shun it and rush towards the last wagon, which she know realized was also the largest one.

[i]Yer a fool, Megana Corvus.[/i] Even as she leaped in, she could pretty much guarantee this was the wagon she should have approached first. It had three chests and quite a few rolls of carpet that looked very pricey indeed. [i]Righ', let's get this done an' over with-[/i] The thought had barely formed when she heard footsteps once more, and this time more than just a couple of sets. There were at least four to five men, with one talking particularly loudly, as if he was the most important person in the world.

Of course, Meg had no time to process this as she realized she was as trapped in this wagon as a skeever in a well. Before panic could set in, she hid behind the closest roll of carpet, barely hiding in time as two men stepped in, carrying in yet another chest.

"Careful with that!" she heard the loud man call out as the chest was set down on the floor. Even though she couldn't see him, she could heard the sound of something wooden hitting that ground in time with the footsteps as he came closer. [I]This must be the merchant then.[/I] 

"You would not believe the trouble I had in procuring that sword." A heavy chuckle left the merchant. The wagon shook momentarily and Meg could hear somebody settling down on the bench in the front; as he continued to speak, she realized it was the merchant who had climbed up. "I managed to buy it from right under Salosoix's nose." He sounded quite thrilled with himself.

"What use do men who don't even use swords have for them?" muttered one of the men who had carried the last chest in as he and his partner stepped off the wagon.

"I heard that," Zunair called out. "It isn't always about having a use for something. But what would an imbecile like you know?  Now then, it is time for me to leave. I expect my house to be in order when I return or you all shall know the taste of my cane." Meg could hear the same cane being thumped against the footrest at the front of the wagon. "Until then."

There was a lurch as the wagon started moving; Meg had to hold on to the roll of carpet so that she wouldn't topple over and give herself away. After cursing multiple times in her mind, she finally decided this was probably for the better, she wouldn't have to deal with most of the mercenary goons nor the servants.

[I]Nocturnal, I know I don' call on ya much, like say Talos an' Mara, but I could [/I] really [I]use some've yer luck right 'bout now.[/I] She opened the eyes she'd scrunched closed for those few seconds of supplication and looked at the last chest that had been brought in. [I] Righ' then, y'ready t'tell me yer secrets?[/I] Very carefully, she left the safety of her hiding space and moved to the chest, kneeling down before it as she pulled out her lockpicking set. 

It wasn't a surprise to her when the first two picks broke, but she was still fairly irritated with herself. She hadn't been fully concentrating, trying to remember the directions and turns the wagon was taking as she worked. Finally giving up on that, she focused her full attention on the task at hand. Slowly but surely she had the pick in the right place- the steady clicking sound was like music to her ears. After stowing away the rest of her lockpicks, Meg then quietly grabbed onto the lid of the chest and opened it. 

Relief and excitement flooded her when she saw, among other weapons, a long and thin cloth sack laying snug in the bed of hay lain within to keep the items of value safe. It was clear to the eye that this particular sack contained a sword, but there was no way she was going to take a chance. Reaching in, she took hold of the sack and pulled it away to reveal a sword in a scabbard. Still paranoid, she took hold of the scabbard and the hilt and pulled them apart, at last revealing the sister blade to the one Salosoix had.

Meg let herself grin, but only for a moment. She had found her prize, but now she needed to escape. Casting a glance near the front of the wagon, she could barely see the back of the Redguard merchant's turbaned head. Without any further delay, she pushed the sword back into its scabbard and pulled up the sack to cover it once more. With that done, Meg stuffed it under her belt. Her prize acquired, she remained on her hands and knees, crawling to the back and peeking outside. Blinking against the light, she could see they had certainly left the busy city and were, as Salosoix had mentioned, heading further into Hammerfell.

[i]Where I bloody don' wanna go.[/i] There was literally only one option for her if she didn't wish to leave Gilane, and that was to jump off the wagon. The only problem with that was that Zunair was sure to have guards accompanying him along with those who were leading the other wagons. The wagon travelling right behind the current one was being handled by a large man who she was quite sure was a Nord, judging by his light complexion, fair hair and the rather large ax resting next to him. 

[i]Shit. What t'do, what to...[/i] Her eyes widened and she turned around once more, heading back for the chest, opening it and looking inside. Her lips twitched to a smile when she saw a bow, an elven one if she was correct. She wasn't surprised, seeing the merchant had a penchant for expensive weapons he'd never use. As luck would have it, there was a quiver with arrows as well. [i]Good.[/i] She snatched it and quickly slung it over her shoulder. It wasn't long before she crawled to the back of the wagon again, this time armed and ready.

It took two shots to end the man. Meg was lucky that the speed of the wagons wasn't so fast that she had a hard time aiming. Her first arrow hit his throat, followed by a second arrow that hit the man in the chest. Her third arrow was aimed near the horse, hitting the ground by its hooves. The horse reared in panic- a second arrow was sure to have it run out of formation, so Meg finally let the fourth arrow fly and hit the ground near the horse’s back legs.

Shouts could be heard as the poor animal bolted away from the rest of the caravan, pulling the wagon behind it, the dead Norse mercenary still seated on the bench in the front. "After it!" she heard Zunair yell. "Somebody calm that damn horse before my merchandise suffers!"

Distraction in hand, Meg waited for the wagon she was in to start after the wayward horse before she jumped off. Wasting no time, she ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction, not stopping until she came upon a small lone well that had probably seen better days. Slumping down against it, she wiped the sweat off her dripping forehead in vain, panting as she tried to catch her breath.

"I did it... Talos, I did it!" A strangled laugh escaped her as she leaned back against the dusty stones. She had to get back to Zahir and then Salosoix... but first she needed a rest.

[hr]
By the time Meg reached the Hawkford’s residence, the sun was making its daily decent to the horizon. She hadn't thought she would reach before curfew came in, so she was rather glad to be proven wrong. Unlike her first arrival here, her clothes were now rather dusty and her whole countenance seemed rather worn out. Still, a look of pride practically radiated from her, and unlike the nervousness she had felt when she first came here, she was now brimming with confidence.

Salosoix had been pacing the room, fraught with worry over other things when Megana had arrived back at his front door. As had happened earlier, Zhaib let the girl in. On his desk was a pouch of coin for her, but he was too busy moving around the room, a glass of wine in one hand, and his free hand running through his hair. He hadn’t noticed the girl’s arrival just yet.

"Good evenin' sir," Meg greeted as she was ushered into the room. She could see he was restless and decided not to waste any time in giving him the good news. "I got your sword here." She pulled the cloth sack from beneath her belt and presented it to the man so he could take a look.

Her voice roused him from his thoughts, and just like that he changed his demeanour and posture - smiling outwardly at the girl, he cast his eyes over the blade, before motioning for Zhaib to take it from her and store it. “Well done,” he said, his eyes showed his excitement. “This will be a marvelous addition to my collection. I hope you did not go to too much trouble to obtain it?”

[i]Trouble?[/i] "Not any more'n usual," Meg replied easily. She only had to kill the one man- normally it was hordes of draugr, though she had to admit she actually preferred the undead. "Oh-" She pulled the bow and quiver of arrows from her back, showing them to Salosoix. "I had'ta borrow these- dunno if you'll be wantin' to keep these too?"

As Zhaib placed the sword away, Salosoix motioned towards a Spell Scroll sat on the desk too, a quick motion of his eyes communicated to Zhaib that it must also be put away out of site. “Ah, my dear. I have no use for arrows and quivers. Keep it - do with it as you please.” He moved to grab the coin purse for her, and as he picked it up he tossed it in the air just enough so that she would hear the weight of it, and know that it was as promised. “I added in some extra for your time, Megana…” His voice was suddenly low with an eerie undertone, “and for your silence, I hope you understand…” He placed the bag in her hand, holding onto it with his own as he shot a powerful and imposing stare down at her, waiting for her acknowledgement and understanding before he let go. 

Meg looked up at the man; the look in his eyes was enough to make her nod. She wasn't intimidated per say, but even she knew that some things were better kept under the wraps rather than announced to others. "Aye, I understan'," she replied, giving him a nod. She hadn't been planning on telling anyone even if the amount of coin was exactly as he had mentioned earlier, but the added gold was certainly appreciated. "It'll be somethin' only I'll know about. Thanks for yer generosity." 

Salosoix smiled and pulled away, “and thank you for your time. You have no idea how much it means to me…” He made his way back to his desk before residing back in his seat as Zhaib opened the front door. An air of impatience lingered, “now - go enjoy the beautiful evening Megana. You’ve deserved it.” Something in his tone was almost patronising, perhaps not intended - his mood was tense, as evidenced by the force in which he was gripping his wine glass with. “Until next time…” he said with a long sigh.

"Aye, an' a good evenin' to you as well." Meg gave Salosoix a polite nod before heading out of the door. Once she was out and the door closed behind her, carefully put her bow and quiver back on her person before stuffing the pouch of money in her pocket. She would enjoy the evening indeed, perhaps buy some of those dripping with syrup cakes for herself and Zahir, and then head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

[i]And a bath. Definitely a bath.[/i]