Gulum-Ei
“I don’t like the look of the people here, my thane,” Lydia whispered to Sonin as she sipped her mead at the Flagon.
“Don’t worry Lydia,” Sonin assured her, “Most of them are good people and I’m not doing the robbing.”
“Still,” Lydia sighed, “As you will my thane.”
“Oh drop the titles Lydia,” Sonin rubbed the head of Vigilance, that has been in her lap for the past half hour.
“I can speak freely?” Lydia questioned.
“Always my friend,” Sonin replied.
“Then I think we should go home, to Whiterun. You need time to grieve properly and not get yourself into trouble with this...guild,” Lydia responded.
“I’m not going to Whiterun now. I-I can’t face Vilkas right now,” Sonin frowned.
“Screw him,” Lydia slammed a fist on the table and accidently gathered the attention of the entire room, “No companions. No confusing lovers. Just you and me, taking a break and talking about your feelings. Agris wouldn’t-”
“No!” Sonin tossed up an accusing finger, “Don’t you Argis me. I appreciate your thoughts and concerns, but don’t bring him up right now. What I need to do is throw myself into something temporarily to fight the worst of the feelings. A distraction. As soon as I get that, we can go back to Breezehome.”
“As you will,” Lydia sat back in her chair and drank from her tankard, “The mead here tastes like piss.”
“Wait till you find out what Vekel puts in it,” Brynjolf’s voice rang out from behind Sonin.
“I do not!” Vekel yelled out from behind the bar.
“He doesn’t,” Sonin put a reassuring hand on Lydia’s.
“You must be the housecarl,” Brynjolf spoke to the woman and held out a hand.
Lydia paused before shaking it, “And you must be her distraction.”
“A bit rough, your friend huh?” Brynjolf asked Sonin.
“There’s no one else I’d want watching my back,” Sonin smiled, “Be nice, please Lydia.”
“As you command my thane,” she grumbled and sipped her mead again.
Vigilance lifted his head from Sonin’s lap, sniffing the red-haired man that smelt vaguely of his master. Brynjolf pet his head, earning a happy bark and an aggressive tail wag.
“Aw, he likes you,” Sonin commented.
“Everyone likes me,” he smirked at Lydia and gave her a wink. Lydia groaned.
“Don’t egg her on Bryn,” Sonin scolded, “What’s the job?”
Brynjolf took a seat at their table and continued to pet Vigilance, “Mercer needs you to go to Solitude. A contact there knows who this buyer is and we must get the information out of him.”
“I won’t kill him for information,” Sonin stated sharply.
“You know killing isn’t our way, lass. Leave that to the Brotherhood. He’s a slimy bastard, Argonian. Goes by Gulum-Ei. You may have a difficult time getting answers from him. Tail him if you have to, we know he’s hiding something.”
“Alright,” Sonin sighed, “Looks like you’re getting part of your wish Lydia, we’re getting out of Riften.”
“So it seems,” Lydia finished her tankard, “Let’s get going then.”
“Aye,” Sonin leaned over and gave Brynjolf a kiss to the cheek, “I’ll be back in a week.”
“Come back safe to me lass,” Brynjolf spoke with a soft smile
…
“What do you want with that old lizard?” Sorex questions Sonin after she asked for his location.
“Important business I assure you, sir,” Sonin replied with a smile. Lydia had already spotted the argonian and put a guiding hand on her shoulder.
“Well, after you’re done with him why don’t you come back to my table and have a drink with me?” He asked before looking at an irritated Lydia, “Alone.”
“My that is quite the offer,” Sonin smiled awkwardly, “Another time perhaps.”
“A shame,” he winked and walked away.
“Gulum-Ei?” Sonin asked the dark green argonian. He looked slimy just as Brynjolf had suggested.
“Who's asking?” he nearly hissed at the two women.
“A mutual friend,” Sonin tossed the paperwork with his signature up on his small table, “Now you’re going to tell me everything you know.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. This isn’t my name,” he flared his teeth, “Silly girl. I don’t deal in property.”
Sonin smirked and folded her arms, “We both know that’s a lie.”
“Our business here is done,” he snapped before looking her over with his beady eyes, “Unless there is something else you had in mind?”
Lydia gasped at the suggestion. It was true, Sonin was out of her armor and guild clothes and wearing a simple traveling dress in order to fit in. With Lydia steel clad at her side they looked the part of bodyguard and charge.
“Alright, I’ll bite,” Sonin replied, “What do you want in order to remember the name of the buyer?”
“Spin in a circle,” his scaled lips turned up slightly at the sides, “Little Breton.”
“You will not address my th-”
“Shush Lydia,” Sonin whispered, “It’s his game for now.” Sonin tossed her arms up and spun slowly, letting the slimy bastard take in her soft form.
“But Sonin-”
“Enough,” the Argonian had both women stop, “You’re pretty enough, for a thief. I’ll give you two options. Steal the Firebrand Wine at the Blue Palace…”
“Or?” Sonin raised a brow.
“Drop the she-saber and meet me upstairs,” he concluded.
“You aren’t seriously considering this,” Lydia scoffed.
“Alright,” Sonin decided, “Where’s your room?”
“Sonin!” Lydia was flabbergasted that her Thane could even consider laying with an Argonian.
“It’ll be fine Lydia, just stay down here. Maybe keep Sorex company while I’m busy?” Sonin suggested as she followed Gulum-Ei to his quarters. Sorex watched with mouth agape as they ascended the stairs.
“A wise choice,” Gulum-Ei remarked as Sonin walked into the door he held open.
“Didn’t think you’d be into humans,” Sonin commented.
“Well I didn’t think you would want a taste of Argo-!”
Sonin snapped the door shut and tripped Gulum-Ei so that he caught himself on the wall. She drew a blade from under her tunic and placed it on his throat.
“Now listen here you lizard shit,” she seethed, “I’m not actually much of a thief, I’m a dragon hunter by trade and unless you want to be my next pair of scale armor you’ll tell me everything I want to hear and quickly.”
“You wouldn’t kill me- AH FUCK!” Sonin pressed the blade deep enough to cut, drawing dark blood down his neck, “Fine! Fine! I helped oversee the sell. A woman bought the estate, seemed real nervous. I didn’t get her name. We don’t deal with real names. She just gave me that symbol,” Sonin pressed harder, “THAT’S ALL. I PROMISE.”
Sonin withdrew her blade and body from him, “Good to hear. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Fithly cu-”
Sonin slammed the door behind her before she heard the rest. Lydia was racing up the stairs at the man’s yelling. Sonin held up a hand and put a finger to her lips, “We’re tailing him. He’s lying.”
“My thane-”
“No. I’m tailing him and you’re going to stay here or change out of that steel,” Sonin corrected herself.
“Is it wise to do this?” Lydia sighed.
“It’ll be fine, come on.”
…
“This is not fine,” Lydia shouted to Sonin over the rush of an axe swung at her head, “by any stretch of the imagination!”
“You love this!” Sonin giggled before jumping out of the shot of an arrow. She cast a firebolt that sent a mercenary flying, “You’ve been cooped up inside for months!”
“With your hound I might add!” Lydia ran through a man much larger than her own impressive frame.
“Exactly!” Sonin cast a ward to defend against an iron sword at her head, ducking low and swiping the man at the knees with her bound sword.
He swore as he crumbled to the ground. Lydia decapitated him in a grand show of ability as it was their last opponent. Ten men and women lay dead on the ground around them. Gulum-Ei stood staring in fear of what he witnessed, a near perfect dance of melee and magic.
Getting here had been a feat. Sonin had learned much about being stealthy and even sent a silent prayer to Nocturnal that she may become one with the shadows. Lydia on the other hand was a cumbersome mess, not accustomed to leather armor Sonin forced onto her. Her shield and sword raddled with every few steps, but there was no talking her into giving up either.
Now they had made it, to the furthest point in the fox den, and the scaly kit was cornered and scared. Sonin approached with weapons vanished, not worried that the Argonian had anything up his hypothetical sleeves. Lydia kept hers drawn, ready to protect her Thane.
“Now spill,” Sonin grumbled, “Your words or your blood, because I’ve had enough of this game Ei.”
“Mercer really sent someone outside of the guild for this. FINE. It’s not worth my life. Karliah. An old friend of Mercer. Now leave me be,” He spat.
“Thank you,” Sonin nodded and turned on her heel.
Lydia’s shield darted up and an iron dagger intended for Sonin’s back planted into it. Sonin turned with a fire in her eyes, “What was that, bootskin?”
“Forgive me,” Gulum-Ei dropped to the floor and pleaded.
“Lydia?” Sonin asked.
“He deserves no such thing,” Lydia nearly hissed as she darted toward the man, “Mercy is not deserved upon those who would harm my Thane. Thane of Whiterun. Dragon slayer.”
“Dragons?” Gulum- Ei gulped audibly.
“So no mercy…” Sonin stalked toward the coward, “But Bryn said no killing. Well, no killing him I mean. What to do?” Her eyes light up, her pupils blowing.
“Wait,” he begged, “I have gold! And dirt of Mercer! Even Maven!”
Sonin said nothing as she summoned a dagger to her hand. The Argonian watched with widened eyes as she cut off all his clothing, down to his small clothes.
“What is the meaning of this?” He stammered as she cut the string to his thong.
“My Thane?” Lydia blushed as the material fell to the ground.
“Now. Run back to the inn. Just like this,” Sonin smiled, “Oh, and I’ll be right behind you the whole way.”
….
“I have never seen an Argonian ass,” Sonin laughed to Lydia as the carriage took them back to Riften.
“I didn’t realize that their…” she blushed again and motioned toward her crotch, “retracted. Like a dragon or actual lizard.”
“It’s a story for your future childern Lydia!” Sonin paused her laughter, “Older. Older future childern.”