Tricks of the trade (Isabelle B.)

Abigail and I move quickly through the shadows, with Olivia struggling to keep up. While she is the smallest of the three of us, she's not the best at moving unheard, or unseen. We stop waiting in the shadows at corner of a building. Olivia doesn't notice and continues a few more paces before Abigail darts out and grabs her. Placing a hand over her mouth as she drags her back. “You make a sound and it's game over, okay? Remember that.” She whispers and Olivia nods. “I'm going to release you now make sure you stay quiet.” She nods and Abbie withdraws the hand over her mouth, still holding Olivia against her for a second. A guard begins to turn the corner and I pull him into the shadows slitting his throat easily. “See Livvy, you gotta learn stuff like that.” Abigail jokes gesturing to me as I wipe the blade and search the fallen guard. “Honestly I'd advise against that. Stick with magic, Olivia. You're better at that. Though maybe learn a few simple things with a dagger or a sword besides basic stuff?” Olivia crosses her arms and gives us both a less than pleased look “Fine. But if I have to learn to be an assassin and a thief you two have to learn magic.” Abbie claps her hands slightly out of excitement “Oh yay we’ll be summoning Daedra in no time!” Liv struggles to hide her amusement, as she always does around Abbie. “Alright, let's keep going.” I urge them on towards the gate of the city and we sneak out easily enough, quickly finding our things stashed on the outskirts of Riften. “Now where do we go?” Abbie asks gathering her things. “Well, I have to go back to Nazir in Falkreath and tell him the contract is done. You two can come with me if you want.” Olivia interjects saying she has to stop in Winterhold quickly and we plan a route. Going North to Winterhold first before turning Southwest through Windhelm and the ruins of Helgan before going finally to Falkreath. “Please tell me we’re taking the horses.” Abigail says wearily after hearing the plan. “I don't wanna walk all that way.” Securing my things and climbing up onto my horse I look at her “Of course we’re taking the horses. Now let's go.” The other two quickly climb on and we begin to ride for Winterhold. Time to learn some magic I guess.

“Liv! Why's this place so cold!!” Abbie yells ahead as we ride into the crumbling city. “It's northern Skyrim and on the sea of ghosts. That's why!” She yells back leading her horse to the stable and climbing off, tethering it to a post. We dismount, Abbie rather clumsy, balance was never her strongest skill. She clutches her jacket closer to her shivering and out of sympathy I wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her close, walking up the few steps and into the Inn behind Olivia. “Stupid snow. Stupid cold weather. Stupid everything.” Abbie grumbles to herself and takes a seat by the fire. Olivia sits next to her and orders our food while I go check in. “Room for three please.” I tell the innkeeper and place the money on the counter. He counts it and being satisfied tells me the rooms downstairs. Returning to my friends I relay the information, and it seems I sat down at the perfect time, the foods here. We sit in front of the fire, watching the flames as we eat making conversation every so often. Olivia explains what she has to do while we’re here and what Abbie and I should do in the meantime. After taking our time finishing out meals we go to sleep. Or at least the other two do, I stay up for a while sharpening my daggers.

“Alright, so just stay with me, don't do anything stupid, and try not to get yourselves blown up. Also don't volunteer for any experiments. Abbie I'm mostly talking to you. And don't steal anything from the library either of you unless as the librarian says ‘you want to be torn apart by angry atronachs’ because he's not kidding.” Olivia says as we cross the bridge to the college of Winterhold. “You could kill someone with a bridge with this many cracks how's it not break?! Isn't this a safety hazard!” Abbie narrowly dodges a crumbling part of the bridge. “That's probably the point. Should anyone ever attack all they'd really need to is destroy the bridge or at least push the attackers off of it down into the chasm beneath us.” I explain as we finish crossing, Abigail gives me a slightly scared look. “Don't worry about it.” I say patting her head lightheartedly, a feat that only scares her more. “Both of you keep up!” Olivia scolds and we run to catch up as she crosses the courtyard and into the main lecture hall. “This is my class. The professor already knows you're coming. So just follow me.” Silently we watch for a moment before the professor dismisses the other students to finish their independent studies and comes over to us. Along with help from Olivia, Abbie and I are soon casting simple spells. Being Breton makes it easier than it would be others wise though we both have a bit of trouble controlling things. But with practice and focus I'm sure it could be mastered. Olivia, Abigail, and I stay in Winterhold for a few days before heading off to our next location, Windhelm.

The city of Windhelm is not a pleasant one though it's a better place than Riften in my opinion only it's colder. “Okay Olivia, I want you to go steal something from that market.” Abigail says as we stand off to the side looking into the square from behind a stone wall. “What do I steal?” She asks and Abbie gives her a look “The most expensive thing you could fit in your pocket or food. Obviously. Now go!” She pushes her into the square and grabs me to go hide somewhere we can watch but don't look suspicious, and so we head for the rooftops. The top of the blacksmith building is fairly flat and so we sit up there watching as Olivia makes her way through the market, settling upon a series of stalls owned by an altmer merchant who sells a variety of wares. The merchant turns and walks away for a moment to talk to another nearby merchant selling food. Olivia checks for guards and slips something too small for us to see into her pockets, and continues to go about her business. “Alright good job Livvy!” Abbie quietly cheers and claps  next to me. I find it rather surprising that she was not caught by the guards. Olivia makes her way over to us after Abbie and I climbed down from the rooftop and reveals the stolen items. An apple and a diamond and sapphire bracelet, impressive for a new thief. Abbie takes the bracelet for “safe-keeping” and stashes it in her bag, leading us toward the Grey Quarter and introduces us to her fence in the region who gives us a good deal on a few needed items before we head south for our last destination and task, assassinations in Falkreath.

“Nazir I'm back!!” I yell entering the sanctuary. “And I brought my friends if that's alright!” We find him in his usual spot by the fire looking over recent contracts. “Oh, Hi.” Nazir says giving Abbie and Liv no more than a glance before handing me a pile of papers “These are for you. The quicker you do them the faster you get paid and the more we get.” I look over the contracts, nothing too bad. “What's that?” Olivia asks looking at the paper curiously “It's a contract. It has the name of the  person who's been marked for death and where to find them. As well as the amount of payment.” Olivia makes a less than pleased face “If I had to pick between theft and assassinations I think I'd pick thief.” I shrug “To each their own. Now let's go murder some people. Follow me.” Gathering my needed materials I lead them out of the sanctuary.

“Falkreath is a gloomy town.” Abigail remarks as we wander through it looking for a wandering noble traveling through these parts. Continuing along the road we find him, hiding in between the trees to avoid being seen. “Alright Livvy here's the trick, you take out the guard first.” I explain pointing to the imperial guard walking in front of the noble who instead rides. “Then you get that guy before he rides off. Simple enough right?” Olivia nods “What do I use though?” She asks and I think for a moment “Well there's no one around so you could use magic if you wanted to. Perhaps a frenzy spell as long as we remain undetected or a bow and arrow if you're a good shot at all. I know Abigail is decent at least.” I pause for a moment “In fact I've got a better idea. Abbie you kill the guard and LIv you kill the noble.” Abigail grins slightly “Is that just because I'm better at this sort of thing?” I shake my head “Not completely no but I want both of you to get experience in case it saves you in the long run. Because you won't always have easy to get out of jobs and Olivia might just summon something less than ideal. As you said earlier, or I believe it was you Abbie, tricks of the trade. Now c'mon go murder them we haven't got all day.” I push them toward the edge of our cover and give Abigail a bow and arrow. Liv waits off to the side and is a bit surprised at Abbie's good shot, the arrow went straight through his head. The noble of course begins to freak out though Olivia works quickly, a simple sparks spell is all it really takes and a matter of seconds. “Well done you two. I'll give you my payment to split since you both helped.” Olivia yawns “Can we go home now? All this learning about different things is making me tired.” She asks stretching and swinging her arms around. “Like someone said, tricks of the trade.” Abbie laughs “But I agree it is tiring.” She says getting up from searching the guard and the noble. “Yes we can go home now.” I say with a sigh as we walk along the road south following the setting sun. Tricks of each trade prove harder than meets the eye.