[hr][hr][h3][center]G A V   |   ​1 6 T H   O F   S U N ' S   D A W N   |  I M P E R I A L   C I T Y[/center][/h3][hr][hr]
To hear the people of Tamriel speak of the Imperial City, you would think that was Aetherius come to Nirn once more. The Aleyid masterpiece, carved in marble, blessed by the Gods themselves and inhabited by a host of Kings and Emperors since time immemorial. But beneath those shining towers, outside those well ordered, well guarded walls of the inner districts, there is another city. 

This other city, it sprawls like a corpse washed up by the river on the shores of Lake Rumare, bloated beyond all recognition. It has swollen to take up every sandbar and rock above the tide line, squeezing itself up against the Imperial infrastructure that vainly attempts to keep it in check. In the wet season it floods, and the wooden shacks and shanties rot and decay. When the sun comes out to dry it, the city stinks like sewer skeever in heat. 

It is a shadow city. Languishing in the darkness that is cast from the glittering light of its better twin. 

It is here that you will find all those things that have no place in that other, better, city. The butchers and tanners that keep the good folk of the inner districts so well supplied in meat and soft supple leather. The beggars and paupers that they do not suffer to clutter up their neat and ordered streets. This is the city of the downtrodden, the dispossessed, the dirty and the dangerous. 

And the thieves, of course, this is the city of the thieves.

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The Bloated Float Inn was heaving with unwashed bodies that evening. The stale smell of split beer and salt water was partially covered by the stink of cheap perfume. It was Heart's Day, when the Legend of the Lovers was celebrated. The creaking ship turned bar was full on young lovers looking to have a good time, as well the unlucky and lonely desperately searching for someone to spend the night with. 

Lucilla was neither of those things. She worked the bar, pouring drinks for loved up and lovelorn alike. She hadn't worked at the Bloat long, and she didn't see herself staying. She knew she was destined for better things. But for now, it paid the bills, and she could save up a little on the side from the tips she got if she smiled coquettishly enough at the sailors as brought over their ale.

"You owe me a drink."

Her back was turned to the bar, so she hadn't seen him approach. If she had she would have gone to serve a gaggle of patrons at the other end. But he always seemed to just appear when without her noticing. Still, even though he seemed to have an uncanny ability to take her unawares, she had held firm against his advances. The other girls had warned her about him.

"Whatcha talking 'bout Gav? I don't have time for your games today."

The shit eating grin that the Dunmer wore only grew wider at her words. He liked playing games, she knew, conversations were never simple with him. He always wanted to banter before he actually ordered a drink. 

"Cos' I dropped mine the first time I laid eyes on you." 

She sighed audibly and rolled her eyes before turning away to deal with another set of patrons. When she looked back he was sat atop a bar stool, a coin running up and down his fingers by some strange exercise. His crimson eyes weren't following the septim's movement, they were trained on her instead. 

"So... Heart's Day is back around once again. You got anything special planned?"

"Knock it off Gav, I told you I ain't looking to sleep with you, I only shag men who aren't complete shit."

The words were hasher than she had intended. It had been a long day, and Gav had been far from the first to proposition her that night. But to her surprise he didn't seem to get angry, he just laughed. 

"Ha! Well, good thing I'm a mer then, eh?"

She hated when he caught her off guard like that, it made Lucilla feel foolish, like she was a little girl. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. She tried to bury it. It wasn't like she wasn't interested at all, he was handsome enough and could be funny and charming, despite being unsubtle and vulgar. But the other girls had warned her about him, warned her to stay well away. 

"Piss off Gav, I'm working."  

"Your shift is up soon. Come on, no one wants to be alone on Heart's Day. Especially not me."

"Piss off Gav."

There was flicker of annoyance his red eyes this time. That gave her pause, there was something dangerous about Gav when he wasn't playing games. Most of the other regulars either treated him with deference or gave him a wide berth... and there was that scar he had. The girls had warned her that he was not a good person.

But when he spoke again, the voice was still silky smooth and teasing. Gav wanted to play some more still it seemed. 

"Shame, I was about to buy a bottle of your boss's finest Cyrodilic Brandy for us to share and everything, looks like I'll have to drink it alone." 

"You kidding me? Where the hell did you get the money for proper Brandy like?"

He grinned, gold tooth flashing in the candlelight, and pulled out a leather pouch.  When he dropped it, it thudded heavily against the bar. She could hear the clink of Septims inside. She could probably count on two hands the number of times she had seen that much gold in one place, and he was tossing it around like it was nothing.

"You'd be surprised at the things I could get for you." Gav said with a wink.

She didn't say anything for a while. The sounds of bar swallowing up any silence that might have hung behind between them. 

"...I still think you're a piece of shit Gav."

"Funny that, cos I know I am, darling." 
 
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After they had made the beast with two backs (twice actually) and done a couple of other things that would make even Sanguine, Prince of Debauchery blush, he and... Lucia? Lucinda? Lu... The pretty new barmaid with good smile and a tight arse, had finally fallen exhausted into a well deserved rest. 

Gav had known that she would have given into his advances soon enough. They all did eventually. Even if it had taken a couple of weeks prodding and poking. Even if it had taken the best part of a bottle of good Cyrodilic Brandy and hours of listening to her blather on about her boring little life and her boring little 'hopes' and 'dreams'. Gods, it almost put him off of the chase entirely.

It had been worth in the end though at least, she had been one hell of lay, best he'd had all week in fact. 

Though he supposed she would go cold on him when she woke up in the morning again. Always went that way in the end, they got tired when you couldn't keep the promises that you make them. Still, if he kept every promise he made to every girl he danced with then he wouldn't ever dip his wick in another one. 

Besides its not like they didn't use him either. He had seen the way her eyes had lit up when he had dropped the gold he had gotten from his fence for those extra few trifles in had picked up in Kvatch. Still couldn't believe how easily that had fallen into his lap. If only the girls would do the same.

These were the thoughts that went through Gav's head as he drifted off into a contented sleep in the arms of his soon to be former lover. He looked forward to revisiting some of what they had just been doing in his dreams.

Unfortunately fate had another idea.

[b]You have been chosen... [/b]

[hr][hr][h3][center]G A V   |   ​1 S T   O F   L A S T   S E E D   |  K V A T C H[/center][/h3][hr][hr]
From amongst the gaiety of the bright and crowded streets of a festive Kvatch, a lone grey figure in dark leathers stared up at the spire of the Chapel of Akatosh that overlooked the main square. What the fuck was he doing here again? Returning to the scene of the crime? Everyone knows that's one of the dumbest things that a criminal could do. 

Still here he was.

All because those fucking dreams wouldn't stop.

The first time had been that night. Heart's Night, after he had flogged the silver that he had nicked from the chapel and used it to buy brandy and shag a barmaid. He had woke up sweating and screaming, and the bint had almost run off. After Gav had convinced himself it was nothing more than some latent repressed guilt about stealing from a temple manifesting itself in a dream, he had convinced her to stay. That should have been the end of it as far as he had been concerned.

But then the next night, after he had tried it on with a teller he'd had his eye on at the Imperial Trading Company, they had come again just like before. Visions of the Imperial City burning, monsters and dragons, and Kvatch. After that one he had needed a stiff drink. 

And so on and so on it went. Apocalyptic nightmares every single night somehow about the fucking place that he had robbed from a temple just a few days before. Couldn't be fucking coincidence now could it? 

It had cost him almost double what he had been given to get those candlesticks back, curse Fathis that moneygrubbing bastard. But he had had them now, as well as all the gold he had taken from the communion plate, and a hefty donation of his own to boot.

Now he just had to put it all back without anyone noticing and him and Akatosh would be all square, right?