The moment I stepped into Haelga's Bunkhouse, I felt like I needed to go take a bath. And it wasn't just because the place smelled worse than the Ratway.

The honey-blonde woman standing behind the counter—I guessed she was Haelga—glared at me the moment I walked in. "If you're looking for a room, try the Bee and Barb," she said, harsh words dripping off her plump red lips like poison. "This is a place for the working men."

"I have a message from Brynjolf," I said, meandering around the main room. I turned a corner and spotted the statue of Dibella sitting right where Bryn said it would be. "He says it's time to pay up."

"I already explained to him that you can't get blood from a stone."

I looked over my shoulder before swiping the statue—which weighed a ton—off the dresser. "Oh, look at this," I said, holding it in the crook of my arm. "Quite a lovely statue."

"No! Not Lady Dibella!"

I walked back to the counter and dropped the statue in front of Haelga. "Shall I drop this statue down the well, or are you going to pay up?"

"Please! She's the only thing of value I have left! I can't lose her! I get the message. Here." She slid a fat coin purse to me. "Here's your gold. I hope you choke on it."

I winked, pocketed the coin purse, then tipped the statue towards her, making it fall into her desperate hands. "The Guild thanks you." And with that, I sauntered out of the Bunkhouse. I could feel Haelga's death glare burning into the back of my head, but I was too thrilled to care.

Gods, that place is filthy. I never want to set foot in there again.

Next, I decided to hit up the Pawned Prawn. Figured that Bersi might be a tough customer. Bryn said he might be, but all I had to do was smash a Dwemer urn that he kept in the front of his shop, and the fool would shower me with gold.

I opened the door to the shop, spotting Bersi right away. He seemed like the kind to get into dig himself into deep trouble and have no plan for getting back out.

"Welcome to the Pawned Prawn, traveler!" he said, friendly enough. "How can I help you?"

"By listening." I leaned against the wall next to the hideous Dwemer urn. How did he love that thing?

"Listening?"

"Message from Brynjolf."

"Wha... what? Oh, it's one of you people." His face soured. "So Brynjolf doesn't even bother to show up himself anymore, eh? What's this message?"

"You know what it is." I cracked my fists.

"Petty threats and fist waving are not going to sway me. You people are all talk, and everyone knows it! Pay you to protect me? You can't even protect yourselves!"

"Fine. Have it your way." With one swift motion, I grabbed the urn and held it over my head. Bersi, and a woman standing close by, both cried in protest. Begged me not to smash their "precious" urn.

I only grinned like a cat as I threw the urn to the floor. It cracked and broke into several large gray pieces, one of which I stomped into smithereens.

"No! That urn was priceless!" Bersi cried, while the woman put her hands over her mouth and moaned.

I kept grinning. Intimidating others was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. "Want me to break anything else?"

"All right! I get it. I'll pay on time from now on. Just don't smash anything else. Here, take your gold and leave me in peace." He slid me a coin purse, which I put next to the first one.

I kicked a piece of the urn away as I walked out, still grinning. Now for the last debt.

"Look, everything was all just a misunderstanding," Keerava said as I stepped into the inn. She must have heard about what I did to the others. "I didn't mean to tell Brynjolf to go jump off the pier. You'll tell him I said sorry, yes? Take this. Every single coin I owe is there, I swear it."

I collected the gold and returned to the Ratway, getting through it much faster than the first time.

"Well?" Bryn asked as soon as I stepped into the lighted area of the Flagon. "How'd it go?"

I handed him the satchel full of septims with a smile. "They all paid."

"So, job's done and you even brought the gold. Best of all you did it clean." He chuckled, a small smile brightening his whole face. "I like that. Dumping bodies and keeping the guards quiet can be expensive. Well done." He even clapped me on the shoulder. "And it would seem I owe you something in return. Here you go, I think you'll find these quite useful."

He handed me a few potions and a poison. Even if I didn't use them, I could sell them for something. Wouldn't be too hard. "Thanks."

"Judging from how well you handled those shopkeepers, I'd say you've done more than simply prove yourself. We need people like you in our outfit."

"Well, if there's more gold involved, I'm interested."

He laughed, which made me laugh, too. "That's the spirit! Larceny's in your blood... the telltale sign of a practiced thief. I think you'll do more than just fit in around here."

I smiled. "There's just one thing..."

"Yes, lass?"

"Is it true that the Guild is in dire straits? Bersi said something about us not even being able to protect ourselves, much less those who pay for protection."

Bryn scoffed. "We've run into a rough patch lately, but it's nothing to be concerned about. Tell you what. You keep making us coin and I'll worry about everything else. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough."

"Now if there are no more questions, how about following me and I'll show you what we're all about?"

I nodded, just mildly excited about finally seeing the rest of the Guild.

"Well, then, follow me, lass."

"Can't you just call me Femke? Just once?"

He led me through a small, dome-ceilinged hallway. "That's hard to say, lass. Not a Nord's name."

"I told you, I'm not a Nord. Well, not full Nord."

"Then what are you?"

I pulled my hair away from my ears. "I'm Bosmeri, too."

He didn't seem too surprised. He was staring at my right ear. He flicked the chain that dangled from my ear. "What's this, then?"

"The last gift my father gave to me before he disappeared."

"I've never seen anything like it."

"My father was a jewelry craftsman back in Valenwood. He would sometimes practice his trade here in Skyrim, for the right person at the right price. He made me this for my birthday, not long after my mother died. And then he just... took off."

"Really?"

I frowned and dropped my brow. "No, he left my mother and me to go chase the skirt of some Breton bar wench. And I wear this earring as a reminder. Come on, man! I just poured out my heart and soul to you, and the only thing you can say is, 'Really?'"

"Sorry, lass. I meant nothing by that." He smirked a little, touching the cuff that hooked the chain to my upper ear. "That gem a real emerald, then?"

"Yes, it is. Chain's real silver, too." I touched the part that went through my lobe as a piercing. It was in the design of a leaf, with a smaller emerald set in the stem. "Nothing but the finest materials. My father worked with nothing else." I dropped my hair, letting it fall back over my ears. "So, you couldn't tell I was part elf just by looking at me?"

"Suppose I wasn't really looking, lass. I just saw the makings of a real thief. And your appearance doesn't matter. Not down here."

My cheeks flamed. I shouldn't care, but after being called hideous and a monster all my life—which was a lot longer than most people thought—it was hard to let passing comments like that go.

"Lass?" Bryn asked, his big hand resting on my small shoulder.

I shook my head, thankful the light was so dim, he couldn't have seen the angry blush. "Sorry. Lost in thought. You were saying?"

"I think it's time you met the rest of us." He had his hand on a door, and a grin on his handsome face. "Ready?"

I nodded. "As ready as ever."

And with that, he pushed the door open.

-------

A/N: Just a little update: I published the first part to the third and final book in my Honor and Glory series, Victory or Sovngarde! If you loved the first two books, then I hope you'll go check out this one, too. I hope you like it!
As always, thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed the read!
~WG 💙