The community spirit in even slummy areas can often be surprising to the people on the outside.
A shady Redguard hung around there that night, with an argonian. As I approached, a rather cute pink-eyed wood elf also headed for the clearing. She sized me up, frowned, but then put on an aloof and confident look.
"It's unusual to have three applicants... So instead of the usual test of skill and trustworthiness, I'm making this a contest."
"That's not fair!" the argonian exclaimed.
The redguard ignored him. "Whoever brings me the diary of Amantius Allectus -- without killing him -- will be admitted into the Guild..."
He turned to me with a meaningful look and added, "...and our contacts."
I noticed he was so far careful not to mention the Thieves Guild or the nature of his contacts -- probably fences. Possibly more.
"Hah! I'll have it before sunrise!" the bosmer exclaimed triumphantly, and with a big smile on her face dashed off purposefully.
"Hmm... Maybe he lives in the Elven Gardens..." the argonian mused.
I tried to follow the bosmer, but she was light and nimble as their kind typically are, and steadily extended her lead. She was clearly headed out of the Waterfront District and toward the gates into the city proper and the Temple District. She was one helluva sprinter.
I breathlessly followed her through the gates, but once past, couldn't see her anymore.
"Which way did she go?" I asked one of the bewildered nightwatch, who quickly became suspicious.
"Why? Is something the matter, citizen?"
"Uh... No! No..."
He gave me a piercing look and I slinked away, walking as casually as I could, and generally aimlessly.
Someone fell in beside me and I turned to see Simplicia. I hadn't initially recognized her in the dim lights of the city torches, especially as her gait had changed. Clearly the curatives I had given her were working.
"What did Armand want this time? He always has some silly mission or other for new Guild members. Gets them to do easy commissions."
"Armand Allectus. I'm supposed to get his diary."
"Oh, well he lives just over there," Simplicia pointed. "But Methredhel's a fast one, aye? And a sneaky one, too. She'll have beaten you to it... But I have an idea."
She took me by the hand and led me to a nice residence where I was very surprised to see her produce a key.
She winked at me. "Don't worry, luv, there'll be no trouble."
"Armand's busy tonight. He won't be back in the Garden till tomorrow night, which means Methredhel won't be able to turn in the book till then -- Armand never talks business during the day. Too hot to handle goods then."
"So...?"
"So, if you know where Methredhel lives, you could poke around her place and pick up the book."
"So where does Methredhel live?"
Simplicia closed the door and locked it behind us, then led me to the door leading into the basement.
"Here?" I asked.
I only just noticed that she'd cleaned up a lot. She had simple clothes, but freshly washed, and she, too, had bathed and washed her hair. I didn't imagine she did that often. Now that she wasn't bowed and wincing from helljoint, she stood up straight and the pain in her face was replaced by a not unhandsome woman.
"No. This is Dynari's place. She keeps late hours anyway, and she's letting me use it tonight... for something special."
"Like what?" I hesitated.
Simplicia gave me a disarming smile.
"Like expressing my gratitude to a kind sir who's cured my wretched disease. Never in a million years could I have bought a potion such as the one you gave me. And you gave me four! Oh, I still have them... well, most of them. I gave Dynari one for this favour, and these clean clothes she's given me, and the lovely bath I had today -- just for you."
"For me?"
She smiled tenderly and led me into the basement, where she'd already set up lanterns to give a cozy candlelight feel.
"It's been ever so long since I could move so freely -- free of the pain in my joints. And I owe it all to you. I don't have any money, of course, and you don't look like you'd need it anyway. But I do have information on Methredhel -- and I promise to give that to you, just as soon as I give you one other thing."
"What's that?"
Simplicia stepped out of her shoes, and she tugged the knots on the front of her blouse and at the waist of her skirt. Then, in one smooth, practiced move shimmied out of them, revealing a somewhat bony frame with surprisingly proud apple breasts.
"My body."
My throat went dry. I typically made it a policy not to sleep with street whores of dubious reputation, as there might be nasty and embarrassing consequences which even a good curative can take time to fix.
She smiled at my surprise and stepped closer, cupped my face in her hands, and gave me a loving kiss.
"I haven't done this in years. But I wasn't always known a Simplicia, you know."
With surprising confidence and skill she kissed me again, and rubbed her hands over me, roaming my back, then undressing me assertively, apparently not willing to take "no" for an answer.
In truth I was half terrified of getting something (though not having done it in years, she'd have definitely shown other signs by now if she did have a venereal disease), and half afraid of insulting her. Though she was just a lowly beggar, she had so far proved to be resourceful and influential, and I had no doubt that she could make trouble for me if she really wanted to.
But something about her warm manner quickly made me forget all that, and I was surprised to find her very skilled in many ways of lovemaking. Very pleasantly surprised.
*
Simplicia teased me for over a very pleasurable hour until finally she pulled me into her. By then a few fierce thrusts were all that was needed for me to violently climax into her. If she had learned how to fake an orgasm during her earlier life as an escort, she certainly deserved an award for the most genuine-looking look of gratification on her face.
We lay together in tender embrace for a long while.
"Dynari will be home soon," she said. "We'd best get a move on. Besides, you'll need to case Methredhel's shack at the Waterfront."
As we got dressed, she filled me in on the rest of the details: "She lives with Adanrel and Carwen. Except Adanrel, they keep late hours. Your best bet is to sneak in through a window after she leaves for work. The other two will probably still be sound asleep."
*
Sneaking about was certainly not second nature to me, but some potions of invisibility more than made up for it. I was literally hidden in plain sight when Methredhel abruptly got up in the late morning to go to the ladies' room, just when I had entered the building that way (via the window left ajar). That was a hairy moment when I had to hold my breath in case she could hear me breathing. I think Methredhel did sense something was amiss, but just at that moment she really needed to go, and in the interval I rifled under her pillow to grab the book and a bit clumsily exited the shack. By the time she had pulled up her pants and hurried out, I was long gone.
Armand congratulated me when I brought him the diary at midnight. The argonian, Amusei, had landed in jail after getting caught trying to break into a house in the Elven Gardens. Methredhel was one step behind with a big scowl on her face and murder in her eyes. She stormed off with fists clenched tight.
"Simplicia tells me you're looking for contacts," Armand said to me, "but I need to trust you first. Go see Ongar in Bruma. He's a... 'merchant'. When you've done enough business with him, we'll talk again."
So he wants me to get so deep in crime that I'd have to depend on the Thieves Guild to keep the authorities off my back, I guessed.
Well, I was headed in that direction anyway.
