The Assassin and her Ranger

by SinnamonEvelina

Summary:

So I'm super late to the Skyrim Romance V3 hype train, but I've finally arrived!

I do enjoy writing these types of stories but it's been a while, so I'm here to jump into the fray with my own character; Ava Ashcroft, a Breton from High Rock. Going into it she doesn't have a tragic past, but she's about to go through the wringer between what the Dark Brotherhood will do to her, the struggle of social balance, oh and nearly dying multiple times along-side her lover because dragons.

This will deviate from the original start and story just a bit, I hope yall don't mind. My favorite rule with RP and fanfics is to make it make sense (and attempt to keep immersion at least on a loose leash.)

Also may throw in an AU or two, simple chapters of how things could've or would've gone if certain events didn't happen just as planned. One off fics from time to time inspired from different games/stories, like mini What Ifs thrown in.

Notes:

Preface

Ava Ashcroft is a unique woman, but probably not for the best of reasons. After leaving High Rock to preserve her family's reputation, she sought out the Dark Brotherhood. It wasn't the thrill of the kill she was after as much as a vested interest in improving her necromancy. Ava wanted to find a way to reverse death itself and the humanity remain.

She had a fairly nomadic life when she first reached Skyrim a year and a half ago, mostly due to not having any specific destination or leads until they found her instead. The next year after joining she spent time doing contracts for the Dark Brotherhood, though slowly became disenchanted with the work and her goal, not to mention she has grown paranoid that someone there is conspiring against her. 

All of those events and a desire to get away for a bit brought Ava to her just finishing a small time contract as she waits for Vittoria Vicci's wedding. Unfortunately due to her poor navigation skills, especially without her map, she quickly became very lost.

P.s. I don't get bent on hair color because it's a magical world and this isn't what I'd consider a serious enough writing to warrant following lore to the T. If you don't want Ava to have blueberry-blue hair, think blue-black instead. I'll be describing it as simply "dark" either way.

Character sheet for those interested here, it is subject to change though as the story develops. 

Chapter 1: Looking for a Distraction.

For having plenty of time under her belt exploring the wilderness since leaving High Rock, Ava had managed to become completely lost, again. She'd blame it on being somewhat new to Skyrim compared to natives, but that excuse wouldn't work for her childhood and how many times she wound up lost in her own homeland.

She pushed the mist dampened dark fringe out of her face before looking to the stars, attempting to recall any sliver of information from the horology books she would sneak away from her mother's shop as a youth. "One, two, three palms and-..." a groan in frustration left her throat before remembering she was still in the wilderness, causing her to curse herself silently while glancing over the surroundings for potential threats that may have heard her.

It's uncertain how long she'd spent looking at the stars, but once her hazel eyes started crossing she gave up trying to remember constellations and time telling tricks. Not wanting to wait until sunrise to find her own backside, she instead chose to follow whichever cluster looked the most like a serpent to her, whether it was or not.

Some time passed in her aimless trek before a dim light of civilization broke through the darkness of night. Cautiously, Ava approached until she felt certain it was an actual town and not a bandit outpost. Last thing she needed while lost in the woods during the witching hour would be getting turned around by bandits... or worse. This time it seemed luck was on her side, as she soon recognized the banners and buildings; its Riverwood! 

The small town brought a wave of relief, her steps lighter as she hastened to the inn. She'd noticed a few drunk men outside, talking amongst themselves, but she had been too preoccupied by fantasies of a warm bed and mead to pay their chatter any mind.

As she started up the steps, one of the inebriated men grabbed Ava's wrist, not appreciating that she wasn't paying attention to them. "Aye, aren't ya listenin', witchy lass?" The bald man reaked of stale mead as he pulled at her wrist, squeezing tight enough to elicit an involuntary wince. "I said, I know you wanna lip wrestle with me," He held on tighter as she attempted to wrench her wrist free, pulling her away from the inn, nearly sandwiching her between him and his friend. "Maybe even sit on my lap tonight." As the bald drunkard spoke, she could see that his friend had a devious smile while undressing her with his eyes.

Ava felt herself start to panic, she would prefer not to use violence in public, but it was apparent that it would be the fastest method to get away from them. Casting a quick glance around, she couldn't see any guards around, but for some reason could have swore she felt a third set of eyes on her. Self preservation more important, she pulled a dagger on the man holding her, pushing the blade against his throat. "Unhand me now, or I'll take your life." Her words held venom, but she knew that she probably didn't look the most imposing being smaller than both nord men. Such is the life of most Breton women her size.

The man holding Ava let go,  putting his hands up by his head in a gesture of innocence, but she refused to break away now that he was stuck between her blade and the rock wall. "I give, I give! Was jus' trying to have a laugh!"

"This tramp has some bite, right Darian?" The friend who was watching teased. "How about you put that down before ya hurt someone, hmm?" He moved to grab the dagger from her, but she backed away a step before he could touch her, pretending to lower her guard. "That's a good girl."

Just as she had hoped, both men let their guard down enough to her feigned retreat that it left her the perfect opportunity to strike back. With a quick shove she pushed Darian hard enough to slam against the wall and fall back, then turned towards the taunting friend with her blade pressed against his crotch. "What's your name?" She demanded of the still standing nord while Darian began upchucking the days worth of mead after the fall left his head spinning.

"T-Thomas! It's Thomas!" He was on the verge of tears as the tip of the blade pressed into his pants. "We're sorry, miss, really!"

"You know, my father warned me about the men of Skyrim. Said that despite always thinking with their cocks, they tend to forget they aren't invincible." The sadist in her considered pressing the man harder, see if she could make him squeal to teach him and his friend a lesson; but going too far with altercations has been a problem of hers for as long as she could remember. It was better to restrain herself now before doing something regrettable, or before the patrolling guard returns. Putting her dagger away, she stepped further back as Thomas struggled to stand while his hands guarded his dick. "Consider this a warning, gents." Her parting words were cold as she continued backing towards the inn, not turning away from them until she reached the steps.

It's once she had turned towards the door that she found the third set of eyes from earlier, and with how camouflaged he was against the wall, she almost didn't notice him at all. "What are you staring at?" She attempted to hide that he startled her, but the crack in her voice betrayed her.

"You're obviously someone who doesn't like to lip wrestle, got it. Or you were looking for someone like them to kiss your boots. If it's the latter, I suggest asking elsewhere." The mysterious man evaded her question and gave no attempt to pleasantries. He didn't even care to hide that he witnessed the whole ordeal rather shamelessly without attempting to intervene. 

Heat rose in Ava's cheeks from increased frustration. Did Riverwood become overrun by a gang of jerks since she last visited? "I'm just here for a drink, and like those idiots," She motioned to Thomas and Darian who started drunkenly fighting, a bit further from the road now. "You're in my way." She placed a hand on the door, about ready to push past the man to get away. 

"Ah, well I think I'll join you, but there's something I want to know before you get too wasted to tell the difference between me and this wall." The mysterious man's smirk accompanying his words made her feel as though he knew that he had startled her by simply standing there, piling on to her ire. "Are you so used to those kinds of comments you turn up your nose to all of them like some damn noble? Or were you baiting them in hopes to beat up some pissards?"

Of course she made a spectacle of herself. For a moment she considered convincing him to not tell anyone what he saw, but something about the his intense gaze sent a chill through her, halting that idea. She didn't understand the feeling, nor did she want to, instead choosing the least argumentive answer. "I hardly noticed them, simply wanted a place to drink and rest." 

He cocked an eyebrow to her answer, appearing surprised. "Really? They weren't yelling at your back loud enough, huh? Maybe I should give them some tips, seeing as I'm the only one that's landed a conversation." He nodded in the direction of the drunkards now having a heated conversation in the language of drunk beyond comprehensive words. Only thing Ava caught was something about vomit boots. "They've been harassing every pair of legs that's crossed their path for days. Yesterday they got so drunk they even wolf whistled the blacksmith." He looked Ava over briefly, as if he didn't already get a good look of her mere moments ago. "You're the first they've been right to admire though.. anyway, I say just give them a wide berth. Brain rot gets all sots like them eventually."

The mental image of the fools making calls at the blacksmith did make her chuckle to herself, the first laugh she had in days. The amusement was dimmed to his followup comment though. "Heh, yeah... thanks, but why are you telling me all this?" It wasn't worth the effort to ask why he had been holding the wall in place for supposed days, and watching wasted asses sounded like decent enough entertainment. To avoid returning to the sanctuary so soon, she was half tempted to join him if Darian and Thomas were to do the same tomorrow. She still had roughly two weeks of free time before the wedding contract.

"Maybe I'm just a nice guy?" He huffed a laugh at his own answer, which only grew when he saw the face she pulled. "I need to get going, and I wanted to foil the drunks one last time." 

"Oh, leaving already?"

He crossed his arms to Ava's question, possibly debating if it was worth telling her more. "I was tracking my wolf, Karnwyr around here. We were separated while hunting a week ago. I've been hearing rumors lately of bandits holding pitfights somewhere on this side if Skyrim. He's all I've got, and that's the only lead. So I'm off to shut them down before something happens to him." 

This was the first time the whole conversation Ava felt like a human existed somewhere beneath his feature-defining armor and witty banter that would put her own sarcasm to shame. She considered wishing him well and walking on, but a part of her has been hoping for an excuse to postpone her return since there's been a strange tension at the sanctuary. It may be good to have an ally on the outside, or a scapegoat, whichever role the mystery man would've better fit into. Plus, having another person around would likely help with navigating the land. "I could help you get your wolf back!" She quickly offered.

"Enthusiasm like that could get a pretty girl like you in trouble." He sighed heavily, "I guess if they're running a ring there's going to be more than just a few bandits. If you want to come, I wouldn't complain about my odds. I could certainly do worse for company."

It felt odd hearing his reluctance. The man seemed like such a flirt before, but once he showed an ounce of humanity he sounded disconnected from companionship, not that she had much room to judge. "You sound like someone trying to land a one night stand." She knew poking fun at him wasn't necessary for the time being, but sometimes she can't resist making a light jest.

"Sounds like someone's hearing what she wants to hear. But that doesn't mean it can't be open for a discussion." His words took a second to dawn on her, but once they did her already present blush became more apparent. He took her reaction and silence as a victory then returned to the topic at hand, grave tone accompanying the subject. "I don't trust anyone, not even the man pouring my drink. The only two things I trust anymore are myself and my wolf, got it?"

She would've considered it harsh for him to say that to someone willing to help, but honestly, no one in their right mind would trust her if they knew her occupation. Instead she waved a hand dismissively, "I understand. We'll get your wolf back, then you can be done with me, promise." So much for an ally... may as well follow through though.

"Oh I have no doubts about finding him, I'm only concerned about how long it will take. He would've already done the same for me by now." The more he went on about the wolf, the more apparent it became that he was at least honest in only having Karnwyr as family. Ava felt a pang of jealousy, she hasn't heard from anyone in her family in almost two years, and with the unspoken friction at the Dark Brotherhood she's felt isolated since unwillingly becoming the listener. He had more than her currently. "And before you jump to any stupid assumptions or try to get him to lick your hand or something, Karnwyr is not a pet. That wolf and I have been together since I was seventeen. He's closer to me than... than a brother, got that?" His eyes searched hers after his stern speech, noticing her brief moment of sadness.

She nodded in agreement, pushing away her intrusive thoughts questioning how her family was doing. She chose to exile herself, so she gave up the right to miss them. "How did you lose him in the first place?" She quietly asked, thinking maybe it could lead to a clue.

Instead of divulging any useful information he quickly shut down the question, surprising Ava. "Private matters you have no business knowing."

"O-oh.. Alright." She stammered, unsure where to continue from there. All this practice she's had in keeping her cool in tense situations, but holding a conversation with someone was proving to be a challenge. "In that case, I'm going to get some ale and rest." She almost stepped inside ahead of him, but then realized that even though they've made an agreement to travel together, and had a helluva conversation, she didn't know his name. "By the way, the name is... Ava." Her name was almost drowned out by people talking inside the inn as she talked to the mysterious man, walking ahead of him to the bar. "Better than shouting 'hey you' at me when I almost wander off a cliff." It was an attempt at lightning the mood. 

"I could think of a few reasons to shout your name, and none of them involve cliffs." He pushed his point across with a wink.

Ava couldn't decide if she preferred his flirtatious or agro demeanor more, but this time his humor earned an eye roll as she sat on the stool next to his. "Two beds, and two ale." She requested before returning her attention to the mysterious man. "Keep dreaming. Would still like to at least know your name."

The bartender placed the ale down in front of them, but she grabbed them both before he could claim his. "Nah, ah, ah. Not until you tell me."

He moved to grab the bottle from her, but she kept moving just fast enough for him to miss each attempt, that or he was going easy on her. After a few attempts he feigned defeat, but the smirk he wore told Ava it was a joke to him. The short game of keep-away did elevate her mood though, so she wasn't going to complain, yet. He took the bottle from her and a painfully long swig to push her buttons just enough, finishing with a dramatic 'ahh' before finally answering. "Bishop."

"Bishop?" It was an unusual name, but it would've been a lie if she said she didn't like it. "Huh, thanks." She left a pouch of gold for the bartender, it must've been at least twice the amount as agreed upon. It had become customary between her and a few taverns that in turn for a hefty tip, they won't tell anyone she was there, striking her name from books. "Well I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough of drunk men today so I'm going to polish this off in my room. If I'm not up by half past dawn-" She shrugged, unsure how to finish the sentence. "I don't know, kick me or something." With that point made, she stepped away while taking a hefty swig of her ale, disappearing behind her rooms door before she can embarrass herself anymore. Talking with people was hard at times. Beyond seduction to get targets alone, she was only comfortable  talking with some of the Brotherhood members, a few thieves, and a kid. What had she gotten herself into?

                                                                                           

Ava felt so much regret when she was rudely woken up by a ranger-style hood and cloak being thrown onto her body, making her jolt out of bed and hit the floor. The biggest part of her regret though was saying they'd leave at the ass-crack of morning, she should've said noon. At least he didn't actually kick her though. One time she said similar to a caravanier she traveled with when she first left home, ended up waking the next morning to the pain of a few ribs breaking.

"Get up, Ladyship, I'm not making any progress with you sleeping like the dead." Bishop didn't bother to explain why he threw clothing at her of all things. After Ava rushed to put her armor on and stepped outside, the reason for the cloak assault was pretty obvious; that Skyrim weather nords love for some reason.

The rain was coming down violently, and with how cold it was, every drop felt as if they had a personal vendetta against everyone outside. Quickly she fixed the hood tight over her head, wrapping herself in the cloak while Bishop laughed at her expense. "Can't handle a little rain? This is nothing compared to scavenging in Winterhold during Evening Star."

"I have," She shot back while rubbing her eyes, still in the process of shaking off the sleep. "Never again."

"Uh-huh, sure." Bishop didn't attempt to hide his doubts that she's been that far north, considering she was shaking like a leaf from just rain. "Lets get a move on. Every minute wasted here, Karnwyr is being held against his will. And probably worse."

Ava didn't attempt to back up her claim, too much effort for this early in the day. "Fine, which way are we going?"

Chapter 2: Snacks and Frustrations

Notes:

So confession, I'm sort of nervous posting these. I haven't written fics since when Obey Me! first started being popular... so hope these don't totally suck.

"I give! I need a break!" Ava dramatically wailed, hardly a hint of seriousness in her voice. Her and Bishop had been on the road all day, and much as to be expected from Skyrim; they ran into opposition at almost every turn.

Take the mountains and you encounter wolves, saber cats, bears, etc. Follow the trails and bandits are threatening to rob you or worse before you can reconsider your route.

At least Bishob was perhaps the best archer she'd ever seen. With her preferred weapons being daggers and swords she complimented his efforts well, leaving to her those who would rather fight up close. A few times she considered reanimating a handful of corpses to surprise annoying bandits trying to pick her off, but she was scared to do that around Bishop. 

Once the enemies were dispatched and the camp lacked any living owners, the duo took a brief moment to search for anything useful. It wasn't a surprise the bandits didn't leave behind anything worth while other than a few unlabeled potions and maybe three septims. The lack of supplies coupled with how much they walked was what earned the dramatic display from Ava.

"Giving up already?" Bishop asked, sounding annoyed to her behavior, or at least until he saw her smile and silent giggling, showing she was joking around. His tone shifted in kind. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're pretending so you can get me alone." 

She held a hand to her chest, feigning shock. "How dare you! I am innocent!" She bust out laughing by the end, unable to keep the haughty mannerisms going.

They've only known each other for a day, but Ava was growing into enjoying her companion, no matter how gruff and brooding he could be at times. It made sense though, considering he didn't know anything about her, so she could hide the ugly parts from him such as the organization or why she left home. It was refreshing, but deep down she knew realistically it won't stay that way.

"As innocent as all of Riften combined." He answered in an incredulous tone, propping himself against a wall with his arms crossed as he looked her up and down.

The way he flipped on a septim nearly gave her mental whiplash. It wasn't the first time he had a sudden change in mood, but just as surprising as ever. (If irony was a paint, she'd be coated in it after that thought.)

She worried perhaps he knew of her involvement with Grelod's murder in Riften, but did her best not to let it show, instead looking to the ranger stonefaced. "I just think we should take a break. Long enough for a snack so we're not famished."

Bishop glared at the suggestion of taking longer, but couldn't deny that she had a good point. "Fine, I'll be back." It was easy to see he was growing impatient to find Karnwyr. 

"Hey, wait, where are you going?" Ava didn't expect Bishop to be so frustrated to her suggestion. He wasn't taking off because of that, was he?

"Well, Princess, can't eat air, can ya? Just sit tight, make a fire or something." He called back over his shoulder, not bothering to stop and waste more time on chit-chat.

Letting out a breath, Ava's shoulders slumped. She didn't really like being bossed around, but his actions in hindsight seemed so obvious that she felt somewhat bested by him.

At least it didn't take long to reignite the campfire the bandits were using, but upon seeing the smoke an unsettling thought crept up that perhaps some other bandits nearby may see it and investigate.

Unable to shake the feeling, she made sure the fire was secure enough before beginning a perimeter check.

It was perhaps the most uneventful scouting job Ava had been involved in so far. In her boredom a small part of her became curious where Bishop went. She had assumed at some point they would've crossed paths, but nope. Elusive as ever.

When she had finally returned, she came face to face with Bishop, who had already skinned a few rabbits and started cooking them over her fire. 

"That bored, huh?" Bishop asked in reference to her disappearance without looking up at her. Instead he continued sharpening his knife as he sat on the ground by the fire.

Ava out of trained cautiousness watched his skilled movements as she walked closer, taking a spot on the stump beside him. For once she was positioned slightly taller than him which she had an ounce of child-like amusement to. Curiously, he began doing what looked like working rust or dirt or something out of the sheath. 

"Well, if you leave a girl alone long enough, she may start finding different ways to entertain-" her words broke off as she realized Bishop was increasing the speed he moved the knife in and out of its sheath. She looked to Bishops face and noticed him suggestively smirking at her. "Herself..." She quietly finished her sentence. Her face burned as red as the flames, and she awkwardly turned away from Bishop. In an attempt to calm down she brushed her shoulder length hair back behind her ear while looking anywhere but his direction, bringing a cruel laugh of amusement from Bishop. "So, um, I scoped out the surroundings. We should be safe until sunset, I imagine." She took it all back. Being around someone with a clean slate was leaving her too unguarded for ridiculous shenanigans such as these. At least going solo was less uncomfortable. 

Done with tormenting Ava for the timebeing, Bishop put his knife away and gave a grunt in acknowledgement to her statement. 

As silence fell between them, all that could be heard was relaxing fire crackling, but Ava refused to let it lul her into a false sense of safety.

To remain vigilant she soon stood from the stump and did a long stretch before walking at a leisurely pace around the camp. From time to time she would glance over to Bishop, who was still by the fire, checking the rabbit haunches. She noticed that he couldn't seem to fully relax either as his eyes would dart around their surroundings, and a few times even looking at her, but as soon as she'd catch him he would look away again.

Seeing that their meal was almost done, Ava cut her idle roaming short, taking a spot across the fire from him. "Hey... Bishop?" She sat down on her knees, studying the features of his face. The flames highlighting his faded scars, making him appear more intimidating. "Mind if I ask you something?"

He had already looked to meet her gaze, but the curiosity in her eyes was strangely innocent, different than the lusty gaze and empty conversations from tavern wenches. "What do you want to ask?"

"Have you ever traveled outside of Skyrim before?" It wasn't what she originally had in mind, but she figured this would be an easier topic to get an answer from.

Bishop's gaze trailed away for a moment as he recalled a memory. "You know, I took a hunting trip to Morrowind. The cliff racers make for excellent sport. You could always tell when one was coming, by the racket it made."

This surprised Ava. It was the opposite side of Northern Tamriel to anywhere she's been, but even she knew cliff racers were a pain in the ass to travelers. "Seriously? Must've been an interesting experience... I can't say I've done anything that intense." An answer that was debatable, but some of the creatures in Skyrim could be close second.

Bishops ego took a small boost to her surprise but unfortunately it also meant more teasing. "I'd say go there yourself some day, but seeing how bad you are at navigating, you would march into Red Mountain and not even know it."

Ava huffed to his reaction, "I take one wrong turn, and you're never going to let it go, huh?"

"Sweetness it was definitely more than one wrong turn." He poked at the cooking meat, making sure they were ready before placing Ava's portion on one of the wooden plates the bandits left laying around. "Here. I'd like to put some distance from here before nightfall, so eat."

She looked at him quizzically before grabbing the plate. Something she definitely wasn't used to was being served, even in a selfish case as Bishops where he was simply trying to get back to his wolf. "Thanks.." She muttered before blowing off the meat and taking a bite.

It didn't taste amazing, but Bishop also wasn't one who cooked for taste as much as to sustain himself. Regardless, she appreciated the shrouded kindness he'd shown her, and she also definitely had worse during her nomadic stints.

The duo had made quick work of their snacks, then put out the flame before packing up the few things they had, then leaving the camp. They didn't talk much, more interested in getting away from the camp and reaching the Rift.

With luck, maybe they could reach a village with an inn before nightfall, or so Ava optimistically thought. Shor's Stone was close, but sunset was closer, and traveling at night increased their odds of pissing off the wrong nocturnal creatures. Long story short, they opted to find an area to set up camp just far enough from the road to avoid random travelers, and just close enough for wild animals to be weary.

Ava had a decent amount of experience with camping, but it always made her anxious trying to find a safe place. Bishop on the other hand seemed to have enough experience to be considered a master at roughing it in the woods. 

They set up a camp under the stars with a small fire, and even another hunted down meal from Bishop accompanied by berries and other edible flora Ava found. It was a surprisingly harmonious night, even with their witty banter and his occasional bursts of impatience. Bishop may have been wanting to reach their goal already, but Ava was glad to be distracted and run from her problems... a pattern she's started to recognize while alone with her thoughts.

Ava and Bishop sat side by side near the campfire, leaving a little space between them. Despite both having about the same amount of sleep the night before, Ava was much more exhausted. That or Bishop was doing a better job hiding it.

"No theatrics this time, I'm about to give up for the night." She had hugged her knees to her chest, nuzzling her face into her arms but still looking at the fire.

Bishop had been poking at the fire with a stick, but paused briefly to her words, casting a cautious glance around them. "Better rest now, Princess. Cragslane Cavern is a short hike from here, so come daybreak we'll hunt those bastards down and free Karnwyr."

Ava nodded absent-mindedly, not realizing that was perhaps the first time he's referred to the both of them as a team. "Hey, Bishop?" Her voice sounded small and lacking energy as her eyelids felt heavy. "When did you get Karnwyr?"

Bringing up Karnwyr didn't exactly irritate him, but it did bring back his impatience slightly. "I got my wolf, Karnwyr, when I was just a boy. We survive together. We hunted together. Some day we'll die together, and that suits me just fine." Again how Bishop spoke of him reminded Ava of someone talking about a loved one.

Ava suppressed a yawn the best she could, closing her eyes but still too stubborn to lay down. "That's nice that you two have each other."

It wasn't long before she had accidentally dozed off in that position, leaving Bishop to his own vices, not that he had many at his disposal. He'd considered turning in for the night himself, but before he could get up he felt something - or someone - press against his shoulder. His body went rigid in shock, looking down to what happened to be Ava now slumped against him.

Just who the hell was this girl and how could she be so reckless? Or was it trusting?

He remained there a little longer, being the only thing holding Ava up as she snoozed, but he couldn't keep entertaining this. No way he'd get any rest if he stayed in that position all night.

Chapter 3: Ragtag Team Tamriel isn't Ready for.

As the light of day broke through the calm night, Ava started shivering until eventually the cold began to wake her. A source of heat felt close though, practically in her grasp causing her to wrap her arms around the source without thinking about it. Slowly a thought crept through that whatever she was holding felt way too bulky for the hood and cloak Bishop let her use the morning prior, causing her hand to cautiously grab at the source until it landed on a familiar buckle of a certain ranger. "E-ehhhhhhh?!" She shrieked in shock, waking the source of heat who quickly shoved her backwards off of him, making her land on her back with an *oof*.

"What in Oblivion was that for?! Actually, why were you even touching me?!" She demanded answers, one of her hands searching for either of her daggers as she kept her eyes on him, but alas, it was packed away before she fell asleep.

Bishop growled in annoyance to what she was insinuating. "Touching you?! You're the one that fell asleep on me instead of simply laying down like a normal person!" 

"So you didn't think to maybe, I don't know, wake me up?" She still sounded upset, but noticeably less so. It was like when someone realizes they're on the wrong side of an argument but not ready to admit it just yet.

Bishop pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, not in the mood for this or her. "You're the one that got all touchy and holding on when I tried to move away."

The answer surprised Ava, but then she thought of how when she started waking up she was grabbing onto him for warmth, making her blush and puff out her cheeks in frustration. "I was just cold!"

They glowered at each other, neither one refusing to break for a minute or two, before Bishop finally groaned in annoyance and threw her bag to her. "Start getting ready, we're not far from Karnwyr now." He in turn started gathering what few supplies he did keep on his person. "And for your information, sweetness, nothing happened if thats what you were freaking out about. Stop flattering yourself."

Ava was checking through her supplies as he said that, making her cheeks glow even more. "I-I knew that!" She stammered.

Two days in a row so far of some form of rude awakening.

It was a quiet and tense hike farther east after their altercation, neither party saying anything until roughly an hour passed.

"If I remember correctly, it's just ahead up the hill." Ava claimed, though with her poor navigation skills, Bishop held some doubt.

A few wolves could be heard whimpering and howling as they approached, showing that she might have actually been right for once.

Ava held one of her daggers close, ready to dispose of the living, breathing, bipedal garbage guarding the entrance, but before she could get close enough Bishop let an arrow loose, skewering the bandits jugular.

The man no longer a threat, Ava approached two cages some wolves were in, sadened by how malnourished they were. There was no way she could free them without risking them attacking indiscriminately for a meal. Maybe if she knew a calming spell she could use it, but she never spent time practicing illusion spells, a new regret of hers. "Bishop?" Her voice cracked in sympathy for them.

The bandit in the background was making gurgling sounds, violently twitching as he lay on his back. "Shut up!" Bishop barked the order at the bandit before looking to the sorry state of the wolves. "Ladyship... they're beyond help..." he grit his teeth in anger, worried Karnwyr may be in a similar state. He took lead and delved into the cave, leaving an upset Ava behind, stunned to his rash action.

Ava soon ran after him, finding Bishop had taken care of the next guard and was checking his body for a key. "Dammit!" He grumbled.

Looking past the ranger just a bit deeper in the cave she spotted a wolf in another cage pawing hard at the lock, trying to push the cage open. It didn't seem ravenous though, nor on the verge of starving just yet. "Is.. is that Karnwyr?"

Bishop answered with a nod, taking his frustrations over the lack of keys out on the bandit by kicking his body.

She cautiously held a hand to Karnwyr, hoping he didn't see her as a threat. "I've got you, buddy." She whispered to the wolf before grabbing some sturdy lockpicks from her father, fumbling with the tumblers until she heard a click.

Before she could pull open the cage herself, Karnwyr barreled out to meet with his owner, and Ava for the second time that morning had found herself knocked on her ass... though this time she excused it.

"There you are you mutt! The hell were you thinking, getting trapped and making me track you all the way to this godsforsaken place!" Even though it sounded like Bishop was chiding the wolf, his smile for once seemed true, even chuckling as he fought off Karnwyr's assault of licks. The reunion seemed so soft that Ava even caught herself smiling. "There, there. What do you say we go play a little game for old times sake? I'll shoot an arrow into one of these bandit bastards knees, and you can go rip his face off?"

Karnwyr barked in approval to the idea.

Bishop looked to Ava next, "what do you say, let's make these sons of bitches pay!" 

"I'm in!" Ava agreed perhaps a bit too easily, but after the state she saw the wolves outside in, she was ready to destroy everyone that held a vested interest in this cruelty.

Following the shadows leading to the main chamber, she crouched low, almost disappearing in the shadows while approaching the small crowd. Everyone here appeared to be enjoying the pitfight, meaning everybody here was a target as far as she was concerned. She bound over the platform fence and came up behind the closest patron, wrapping an hand over his mouth while stabbing him in the back with two jabs. The next target she sliced his throat while pulling him back from the fires illuminating the area. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed an arrow zip past her from the platform to another person farther ahead who noticed her. Again Bishop started dropping those who were at a farther distance or a bigger threat, though with Karnwyr in the mix people were being removed from this realm even faster. Ava hoped their next life is being the prey in Hercines realm.

It came down to just them, the bartender, and someone nicknamed the butcher. Ava cornered the bartender in the backroom where more wolves were held. With the bloodsplatter across her face it was no wonder he ran from her menacing appearance. The bartenders attempt to flee didn't last long though as she kicked one of his ankles out from under him, dropping the terrified man to his knees. Executioner style she held both daggers to his throat, cutting across so deep that his head fell back with a thud. It was then that she realized she had let her guard down, and the butcher was within striking distance. She turned quickly in hopes of dodging his long sword, but Bishop shot the bandit in the back, dropping him before his swing could potentially connect.

Ava let out a sigh in relief, looking to Bishop and Karnwyr appearing from behind the giant man who fell like a tree. "Phew, thanks.."

Bishop looked to Ava's handiwork of the bartender and whistled in approval. "I'm impressed, knew you could hold your own, but I didn't think a woman like you had it in her. That guy must've really pissed you off."

She looked away briefly to the bartender, shoving down the feeling of self-hatred for losing control long enough for the butcher to almost injure her or worse. "I have many skills, Bishop." Unfortunately, keeping herself from going too far was not one of them.

"Well in that case, I've decided to join ya. Who knows what kind of trouble you and I can find ourselves in along the way." Bishop so easily decided to join her when she hadn't even asked yet, leaving her stunned. Was he that bored, did he know she was using him as a distraction, or was there some ulterior motive to his offer? 

Ava felt anxiety and excitement mix in her gut, distracting her from the loathing, or the bloodsplatter and sweat making her hair stick to her skin. Sure, a distraction was something she'd been looking for, but that also meant somehow continuing to hide parts of herself from him. Was she really ready to play a double life? She told herself it'll be worth the effort so to have an ally on the outside. "Yeah, I'm going to get you into all sorts of trouble." Which wasn't a lie. 

"Mmm I'm looking forward to it!" 

She rolled her eyes while smiling, dismissing his love of double entendre's. "Let me know if you still feel that way in a month or two."

After carefully luring out the remaining wolves with meat they found in the cavern, Bishop, Karnwyr, and Ava all started their trek into the fray. They were a ragtag group Tamriel was not ready for. The next destination was south, the city of thieves known as Riften.

"I seriously need to replenish supplies." Ava groaned indignantly as she stretched her hands above her head while walking, not caring that it caused her shirt and armor to lift high enough to reveal her midriff briefly. "Actually... if I got a bow, could you help me improve my archery? I've tried it before, but never had anyone instruct me." 

Bishop briefly looked her over mid stretch, out of curiosity. "Sure, I know a few secret spots out here where we can be alone to train, and maybe with no clothes." 

Ava crossed her arms, glaring her daggers through him. "I'm being serious, Bishop! Improving my archery could be useful!" 

"Who says I'm not being serious?" He almost went on a bullshitted speel about naked archery being a true test of skill, but he'd like to think he's not that much of a piece of shit... usually. "Fine, I'll help you, but there's got to be ale, and clothing is optional." 

"Deal, but if you start stripping I make no promises you won't be my next target." Of course she was mostly kidding. Though the concept of something close to drunken strip archery was suddenly burned in the back of her mind, and she couldn't decide whether she was disappointed in herself for it, or if it was a hilarious idea.

Notes:

Posting via phone is harder than I expected, but it's where I prefer to write fics, rp, etc. My laptop and pc are more for assignments and gaming.

So if the format seems wonky, I'm sorry.

Chapter 4: Sithis and Mara Don't Mix.

Notes:

I believe in the end notes of chapter 1 I mentioned making the occasional side pieces, this is the first. I had already finished chapter 4 and part of 5 when I decided I wanted to expand on the Riften shopping trip.

Raven fans, I have expanded on him, I hope you don't mind. In fact, him and Ava now have a brief history, making it a flirtatious friendship of sorts. (He may even return later ;))

A brief encounter

It was funny how much the Rift guards liked gossip, and as neither Ava or Bishop had the most favorable of reputations. Eventually they were both let in with light intimidation, but also watched like a hawk once through the gate.

They spent some time in the market buying necessities, a new map, and a hunting bow with an assortment of arrows. It was a fairly generic shopping trip.

Was.

Someone mentioned a lead for a job that could be found in the temple of Mara. Bishop almost instantly went rigid to the mention of the diety, but Ava was interested. If nothing else, she'd get to see what Marmal was preaching about.

It was such a different atmosphere that seemed like it would've been welcoming if Sithis didn't have her in a vice grip whether she liked it or not.

"I serve no gods!" Bishop started in such a dramatic tone it would've rivaled Ava. "Though there was this girl named Mara once. I'm still not sure who was worshipping who there."

Ava with an amused grin elbowed him lightly, "Wonder what the priests here would say if you told them that one."

He shrugged, before crossing his arms, noticeably hanging back by the door. "Probably try kicking me out, but not before telling them that those who worship her are fools. No diety can bring you happiness or love."

The way he spoke caused Ava's brow to furrow, a theory formulating that maybe he hated Mara and detested the idea of trusting people because a runaway love. "You know, if you aren't interested in hearing about the job, you can go wait outside or something."

Didn't need to tell him twice. He was quick to take the offer. "Yeah, not interested. Meet me at the Bee and Barb when you're done appeasing gods that couldn't give a damn." With those parting words he left the temple.

She didn't understand his frustrations, but also chose not to think on it too hard. Were it the other way around and she was pulled along to the temple, she probably would've gotten uncomfortable too.

The whole job turned out to be a waste of time, something about investigating a strange sound coming from the cemetery at night. She was given an amulet of Mara from one of the less talkative disciples as she left, but something about it felt unusual to her.

She chose to keep it on for the timebeing, thinking it'd make a good joke or charm. Some charm it turned out to be though, because just as she left the temple, a thief snuck up on her, pinning her to a wall just outside of view from anyone not in the temple's courtyard.

At first she attempted to scream out, but her mouth was covered by the mysterious figures hand.

"Alright traveler, give me all your money and... Oh no, no, no, why did it have to be you?!" The man's voice was smooth as satin, and sounded vaguely familiar, but when one is pinned to a wall and being robbed it's hard to think straight. The hooded figure removed his hand from her mouth, but his other arm pinning her refused to let up just yet.

For very obvious reasons Ava was angry, but also confused by his reaction. Did they know each other? "Excuse me? What in Oblivion are you talking about?!" The amulet she'd just put on began to feel warm against her skin, an eerie laughter could barely be heard in the back of her mind.

"Why did it have to be you?! The only goddess every bard in Skyrim should sing about?" The way his face lingered so close made bells of panic go off in Ava's head, but finally seeing him from under his hood brought her that much closer to recognizing him.

"I... I still don't-" squinting, she used her free hand to pull his hood down. "Raven?!"

The thing about Raven and Ava was that when she had to run an errand for Astrid, she almost became hopelessly lost trying to find Delvin in the Ragged Flagon. Raven was planning to rob Ava then, but she was so pitiful in her attempts to escape the ratway that he offered to help her, IF she in return helped him steal from Aerin by distracting Mjoll. Thievery or be a trapped rat. Considering Ava's allegiance with the Dark Brotherhood, thievery wasn't exactly beneath her. Raven made it no secret that he was smitten with her by the end of their short partnership, but Ava saw him as a puppy-love-struck boy... which was saying a lot with how childish she could be.

"Oh this hurts my heart so that you didn't stay with the thieves." He continued in a woes me tone. "I must ask for all the gold you are carrying on your very beautiful person, my queen."

This is a fever dream, right? It has to be. It felt like a feverish haze sat over the scene, like some sort of lewd fantasy trying to take place.

"Raven, I don't think you want to do that." She warned, but with how he held her dominant hand between her and the wall she couldn't reach any weapon to back her threat.

"Oh my love! I most certainly do not want to." He felt her struggle and in good faith stopped pressing his weight against her, his free hand tilting her chin up just a little more, "Perhaps, perhaps I can wait for another to come along... but now it's too late. I will only let you pass if you grace me with a single kiss?"

Ava blushed hard, eyes looking off to the temple behind Raven. She could attack him, since he let up on her, but the trouble that could cause wasn't worth it... and maybe he was cute, even kissable. Her senses taking leave, she chose to agree. "I suppose a little kiss wouldn't hurt.." wiggling her hand free, she took hold of his obvious thievery armor with both hands and pulled him closer for a forceful kiss. Their kiss lasted longer than necessary, but the veiled feeling was driving this desire and she was willingly following it.

There was almost a reluctance in letting go as the kiss ended, an uncharacteristic wish to defile Mara's holy ground was calling to her. "How I will savor the sweet taste of your lips."

Seeing the puppy-love-struck thief wasn't going to give her more trouble, she released her hold and started stepping away towards the marketplace while at least an ounce of her senses remained. "Bye Raven."

She attempted  to leave, but as they say about the signs of a subpar thief; they get greedy. Before Ava made it to the bridge towards the marketplace, Raven darted ahead of her, stopping her in her tracks. "My lady, I wish to have another!"

"Just once more, or I'll remind you why I'm not a part of your guild." The way she said one more was a reminder to herself as much as Raven, but it'd be a lie to say she wasn't getting pleasure out of this. It almost begs the question as to how they never hooked up when they worked together, but it couldn't be denied daedric magic had it's hand in what Ava, or perhaps both of them were feeling. Neither were fighting the pull much though.

Raven practically pounced on Ava to her acceptance, cupping her face in his hands as he kissed her deeply. Her ass pressed against the railing and she had no choice but to cling to Raven to feel secure, not wanting to topple backwards into the ravine. The action encouraged Raven to press harder, but as his tongue threatened to breach her lips, she regained enough control to instead harshly bite his bottom lip as a warning to stop. "Oh my sweet, sweet Ava. You have bewitched me. I feel your sorcery taking hold of my being. I shall let you go my beautiful siren, though it pains me to release you. I shall keep you no longer."

"Goodbye again, Raven." She began, before checking her person, knowing he's attempted to seduce people before in hopes to steal their money. "And give me my ring back!"

Raven sheepishly shrugged before tossing her the ring Muiri gave her. "I hope we meet again, I would revel in another chance to rob you."

Ava put the ring back on then glanced around for a moment in an attempt to regain a semblance of familiarity with the market, but the world was spinning.

Eventually she made it to the Bee and Barb, but it certainly took concentration, and a few failed attempts to wipe the look of a steamy makeout session off her face.

It wasn't even that wild! Surely it was just in her head that people were looking at her, and not because the PDA.

At least Bishob wasn't too hard to find inside the inn. He'd been moaning about wanting ale for a while, so it was no surprise he had taken a bar stool as he waited for her.

"And what brings a man like you to a place like this?" She joked as she sat down beside him, signaling to Kerava that she was ready to order. "I'll take a Velvet LeChance." 

Bishop turned enough to look at Ava, he first noticed the ridiculous amulet which made him role his eyes again, but as his gaze moved up he couldn't help but give a quick laugh to her flush face and slightly puffy lips. "You make a terrible convert. That or you've confused Mara with Dibella. Both are useless, but one is more enjoyable." He was enjoying watching her face twist through multiple emotions and stages of embarrassment due to his comment, taking it in as he took another swig of ale.

"What, not going to try finding out what I've learned? Or is it that you're interested in me?" Almost instantly she wanted to slap herself. What was intended to be a snarky comeback ended up sounding more like a pickup line.

His eyes narrowed to her reply, taking what she said exactly how she feared he would. "That s'pposed to be about the amulet of Mara? Don't go thinking I'm just going to fall head over heels for you just because of some necklace, princess."

Ava went stonefaced to his words, his rejection briefly shattering the her daedric fueled desire to mess with the sanctity of Mara. Noticeably, the warmth from the amulet was no longer present either. "It's just a question, Bishop. It's not like we're friends or anything." She looked to Kerava, the mostly innocent bystander that had to listen to them, "Do you have a room available?"

Kerava put down the tankard she'd been polishing in an attempt to appear busy. "If you've got the coin."

"Good, I'll take it." No longer was she paying any attention to Bishop, which he probably was happier that way for the timebeing. In a similar agreement to Orgnar in Riverwood, she left a pouch with some extra coin, and left with her drink to escape whatever in Oblivion she had just done.

In the much later hours of the night once everyone was asleep, Ava quietly preformed a ritual over the amulet and found it had been tainted. Whether it was Sithis himself or the quiet priest who did it was unknown to her though.

Before returning to sleep she shoved the amulet into the bottom of her bag, wrapped in a few rags. While most would consider it a horrible idea to keep such an item around, to her it seemed like an opportunity, an interesting bad luck charm she could give away some day.

Notes:

I know it may be a bit ummm... lore bending, but I figured Sithis, especially knowing how Ava feels about her role, taints influence of divines with less power.... which leaves opportunity for her, since Akatosh has more power than Sithis.

Who knows, maybe it wasn't even Sithis, but something else entirely.

Chapter 5: Lazy Fetch, and a Night in Whiterun.

"When you said you had little practice, you weren't kidding." Bishop criticized after watching Ava use a bow for ten or so minutes. Her skills were decent for a rookie, but there was no way he'd willingly fight alongside another archer as subpar as her.

"That bad?" Her disappointment could be heard, but also it wasn't a surprise. After all, neither of her parents used bows or had her take lessons, her mom hardly counted as a fighter as far as she knew, and her father was all about small weapons, potions, and subterfuge. It never ceased to be hilariously ironic how one was a stubborn, smooth talking, ambitious merchant, while the other was a high stakes thief and potion master.

"You're as stiff as a door, feet are not far enough apart, and do you even know which eye is your dominant?"

Ava paused again to look at Bishop, looking confused as if he were speaking a different language, then blinked hard and nodded to him. "Of course I know which eye is dominant!" And of course she skipped over mentioning the other points he made, as if somehow not acknowledging them would make them go away.

She attempted to keep in mind his critiques as she tried again. Her movements were slightly more fluid than before, but it didn't feel natural to her yet. Notching the arrow, taking aim, and letting the arrow go, it imbed itself in the tree trunk closer to the center than the previous attempts, bringing a premature cheer from her and jump in excitement. "Yes! I did it!"

Bishop, still in strict teacher mode shook his head to her. "What are you getting all excited for? Do it again."

It was slowly making Ava angry that he would ignore her small victories, but she tried to cage the building rage. At least he was trying to help her, his effort deserved respect. 

Bishop started circling behind Ava as she picked up another arrow from the nearby basket filled with them. She didn't expect, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt one of his legs from behind kick at the sides her feet to widen her stance. "Hey!" She protested, but it all but fell on deaf ears.

Still behind her, his husky voice commanded her to try again. She didn't expect it to make her heart flutter. Swallowing hard against the unusual feeling, and instead followed his instructions again, letting another arrow fly.

The accuracy was almost satisfactory to Bishop, for a beginner, but not quite where it wanted it. "Hmmm, I think I see your problem." He didn't give an explanation, and instead stood so close that her back was pressed flush against him, bringing a sharp squeak in surprise from Ava. "What do you think you're doing!" She yelped.

"Your center is off, too." He answered so matter of factly and cold, but the way she felt his groin against her lower back, and his breath against her ear nearly drowned out her senses. She could feel his hands straightening her hips then resting there before he told her to try again. 

An unexpected whimper caught in her throat, but with a subtle nod she tried again, this time hitting close enough to the center of her target to count as passable.

"Good enough, for a tavern wench." He gave her a backhanded praise before finally removing himself from her personal bubble. There's no way in Oblivion he was being all business, right? Or was she secretly a pervert for finding some pleasure in it?

Her head whipped around to find him, meeting with his wolfish grin.

Nope.

Definitely not just her.

The way Bishop looked at her like circling his next meal made her turn back to the target quickly to hide her face from him. She took a steadying breath in a desperate attempt to calm herself before taking another arrow from the basket, taking aim, and letting it go just as instructed.

It was a little shaky thanks to her nerves, but good enough. 

"Alright," Bishop did one loud clap to break the tense concentration she had been painstakingly trying to cling onto since his intrusion of her comfort zone.

Ava puffed a sigh in relief, letting her shoulders slump and stand in a way she considered more natural for herself. She turned more towards Bishop, her dark fringe falling in her face as she rubbed her shoulder. 

Karnwyr who had been watching them from the sideline yawned and stood from where he'd been resting. In perhaps the laziest game of fetch ever, he approached the tree she'd been pelting with arrows and started grabbing the ones on the ground.

"Decent enough, but don't think we're done just yet. If I tell you to shoot while we're traveling, you're going to. Got it?" Bishop being so commanding really felt unusual. Was it a side of him that Ava accidentally unlocked with her request?

"Wait, why is that?!" The memory of how close he was still lingering, her first thought was that happening again while out hunting, or even more embarrassing, public. Her mind was running a million miles in the wrong direction.

Her thoughts must've been displayed on her face, as Bishop chuckled before making a call back to something he told her a few days ago. "Stop flattering yourself, princess. If you haven't noticed trees don't move, live targets are the real sport... Unless you're planning on stunning them with your mewls." There was no way he was about to let it go earlier that she had whimpered under his touch.

Well, that did it, that really dug under Ava's skin as the last straw. "I think I see why you're not taken!" She hissed out before stomping off towards the tree to dislodge the arrows Karnwyr couldn't grab.

"What, haven't you noticed my trail of admirers? Start washing your eyes in the morning." 

Upon hearing his comeback Ava gripped the arrows she gathered tight enough to crack one. It was frustrating how he had this ability to bounce back so fast. Will she ever truly have the last word with him, and be satisfied about it? Chucking aside the one ruined arrow, she finally forced words past her lips. "Fine, have it your way."

For both Ava and Bishop being within the demographic of mature, they were anything but since the training session ended. Nose in her new map acquired in Riften, Ava was trying to find her way to Whiterun, but per their agreement, she had to practice with her bow at the drop of a septim any time Bishop decided; which often pulled her away from said map. At one point she considered aiming an arrow at him to knock the smug look off his face, but his ridiculous drills were actually leading to improvement... and blisters on her fingers. In return, Ava put some of her emotional barriers back up to the best of her abilities, and would instead show off her curves from time to time, or make suggestive comments that would make a priestess of Dibella blush. The shameless flirt act that would help lure her targets away just as Gabriella taught her.

In short, neither of them were playing fair, but somehow the rivalry made the two-day day trip to Whiterun fly by in a flash.

It had been a little while since Ava last visited the city, but she liked to stop by when she could for a personal reason.

"Whiterun isn't so bad," Bishop mused as he looked up at the stone walls surrounding the city. "As long as you have the money to live inside, haven't pissed off their animalistic cult of vigilantes or guards, and avoid the creep who brags about the cloud district, whatever in Oblivion that is."

Ava snorted a laugh to his apt description of the town. There'd been so many times she's wanted to punch Nazeem for his better-than-thou attitude for rubbing elbows (and maybe other parts) with the jarl. She'd be doing everyone a favor if she fed him to Gabriella's spider at the sanctuary. "I take it you've been here before."

Bishop shrugged as he followed her through the gate. "Haven't I told you I've been all over, sweetness? Should clean the cobwebs out of your ears more often."

She rolled her eyes to his comment, about to say she was just curious, but then she heard a young kid from up the road call to her. "Ava! You're back!" It was a blonde girl maybe the age of nine, her clothes had definitely seen better days, but she appeared excited to have Ava around. The girl held her hands behind her back innocently while grinning from ear to ear, "Could you spare a coin, please?"

Bishop and Karnwyr both watched the two girls in confused silence. Giving the apparent age, it wasn't likely Ava was the girls mother, but also they didn't look similar enough to be related either.

"Well if it isn't Lucy-loo (Lucia) of course I've got a coin for you, but what's the news around town?" Ava dug into her pocket, fishing out a small bag of coins.

Lucia thought hard for a moment. "Lets see... that guy who sings at the inn has been harassing Mila's mom again. I think Olfina and Jon are in love but their families hate each other, I've seen them sneak around together at night. Oh and Heimskir won't stop screaming now that he has his voice back."

"Good girl." Ava answered, ruffling the girls hair before plopping the pouch in her hands. "Don't let Braith take it from you, got it?"

Lucia nodded and ran off towards the market stalls.

Ava then walked off in the same direction, but her destination being Belethors shop.

Bishop soon caught up to her side, unable to hold off the curiosity. "What was that about?"

"What was what about?" Ava wasn't feigning ignorance, she didn't know what exactly Bishop was referring to.

"Not that I care, but you almost seemed down right motherly to the brat." 

Ava's nose scrunched up to the question, as if it were as disgusting as a giants toe. "I have my reasons, okay? And that brat has a name." Ava pushed open the door, ignoring the shady shop owner greeting them with a joke about selling a sister. "I feel bad for her, but I make her work for the extra money with rumors, even if they are useless to me." And that was as much as she was willing to talk about the subject with someone who claimed to not care. Plus, it was as guarded of a subject as her reasons for leaving High Rock.

Bishop wasn't completely heartless, but with how poorly Nirn had treated him, he couldn't help but worry it would cause harm by making Lucia too reliant on others. He did hold his tongue though as amidst his conflicting thoughts he also found himself admiring Ava, realizing she had more to her than her childish nature.

After selling a handful of useless items gathered since Riften and buying a few supplies such as soul gems, the trio left Belethors shop, his creepy "Do come back." Bouncing off their backsides as they exited.

The evening sky felt imposing, especially with the clouds threatening an impending storm, boding warning to stay inside the city. Ava also was in dire need of a break, not just because of training, but she needed time to think how she was going to handle her Dark Brotherhood life that's been on hold. In short, a rest for the night seemed in order. "How do you feel about resting here for the night?"

Bishop looked to the sky, perhaps also considering how the storm would treat them. "May as well, Whiterun is home to some of the best taverns in Skyrim. While we're at it, what say we open a few flasks and drown 'em in wine." With the mutual agreement Bishop took lead, bringing Ava along with Karnwyr on their heels to the Bannered Mare.

Notes:

Seeing this chapter on this app, I feel perhaps I chopped it up somewhat weirdly. Originally the archery training alone wasn't what I considered long enough on it's own, but I didn't want to have it too long either by putting together two whole chapters.

Maybe I'm just overthinking it though now that I'm trying to be brave enough to post in bulk.

Chapter 6: There's Desperate, Then There's Neeshka.

The atmosphere of the Bannered Mare would've been nice, but seeing as a handful of townsfolk had the same idea to relax there away from the storm, the place was stuffy. Ava wondered if she just didn't notice it on her last visit, or if there were more people present this time around.

They took a seat at a table near the door, the only one that seemed to not have some drunk patron using it as a prop. Karnwyr curled up at Bishops feet once he sat, and Ava briefly rested her head on the table, doing mental gymnastics.

A moment or so passed when a pair of legs that would've made Darian and Thomas fall over each other while sober approached. "Hey there handsome," a sultry voice somewhere above Ava's head began. "My name is Neeshka. Do you think I'm pretty?" 

Ava lifted her head, glaring at the source for interrupting her thoughts. She'd noticed the shapely woman one of her prior visits to Whiterun, but they never exchanged pleasantries. Neeshka was so stunning she could stop a charging mammoth by existing, it made her somewhat intimidating to most other women in town. It was understandable, with how everything about her seemed perfect, from how her light brown hair framed her face, to her boots that made her calves look even more toned than they already were. Truly a creature of Dibella, but her personality left much to be desired.

As for Bishop... well, it seemed Neeshka's breasts had a gravitational pull for many people in the tavern, but he looked just as bothered as Ava felt. "I think you're a pest." He'd crossed his arms while leaning back in his chair so to look past Neeshka towards the part-time bartender. "We need two rooms, bartender."

The blatant insult caused Ava to let out a hushed snort laugh, bringing a hmph from Neeshka who turned up her nose.

"I only have one room available." The bartender answered as he approached the table, but his presence did little to aid the simmering conflict.

"I think I can help you, big man." Neeshka offered with a wink, making everyone in the corner roll their eyes or groan... or in Bishops case, both.

"Go away, flea. Bartender, are you sure there's nothing else?"

Ava started thinking it may be a good idea to ask the bartender to remove his whore before someone snaps, she was already feeling her annoyance bubble at the interruption, and everything since then had only made it worse. Most people can tell when they're unwelcome, this must've been an exception. 

The bartender awkwardly fumbled with his hat in hand. He could serve up the tension on a platter with how thick it was thanks to Neeshka still lingering. "Well, let me see, hmm.. We have a small storage room attached to the bathing area, but it might be a bit uncomfortable with all the produce I've got stacked in there..."

"I'll take it, with a reduced price for the inconvenience, and the single room, both for the night. Can the single room be well secured?" Bishop's request caught Ava off guard. They've slept on the side of the road together a few times, even accidentally cuddled once if the time she fell asleep on him counted, but at the same time she understood wanting privacy... she needed some time alone with her thoughts anyways.

Daniel was quick to take the offer, "Oh yes! We had a problem a few months back, so I put some heavy duty locks on all the doors."

Bishop nodded in approval. "That's fine."

"You don't need to sleep in the storage room, handsome." The way Neeshka pounced at the opportunity to speak reminded Ava of a sabercat in heat; constantly making annoying sounds for a quick fuck.

Ava started counting Neeshka's blessings for her, which there weren't many, and the more times she opened her mouth the less she had. It was like a countdown to potential murder.

Bishop was surprisingly better at handling pests apparently, as he continued to treat her like she didn't exist. "Do you have a bath?"

"We sure do. Water's still warm, too, only been used twice." Daniel agreed while casting a warning glance to Neeshka. Both men were doing surprisingly well not feeding into Neeshka's behavior, but Ava instead began picking at the blisters on her fingers, trying to hold her tongue.

"You don't need her, big man. I can wash your back for you!" Neeshka was almost shrill as she cast a hand towards Ava in animosity. It was as if not being center of attention was practically killing her.

Four.

Bishop rolled his eyes to the whiner, "I already told you to get lost, flea. Maybe I should put you over my knee for being such a pest." But his words were so suggestive they were encouraging her to keep going.

The sulty wench purred to the threat, "Would you? I like it rough." 

Three.

Two.

One.

"You're testing my patience, flea." He warned, raising his voice at Neeshka.

Ava who was officially pissed off stood and unsheethed her dagger, holding it to Neeshka's cheek. "No, breasts-for-brains, you've finished testing my patience. Are you such a pampered whore that you never heard the word 'no' before? Back off or so help me I'll trap you in a soul gem and make sure you're used to enchant a crusty sock." Okay, so maybe she's been really stressed, and a two septim strumpet was doing her no favors. Not that Ava was ever going to be known for keeping her temper in check.

At least Neeshka understood then that she wasn't welcome as she shrieked and withdrew from the table. Bishop seemed to have a hint of a smile to the girls retreat, or perhaps it was to Ava finally snapping. Was he waiting for her to react?

Daniel cleared his throat to lessen the uncomfortable silence. "Ummm... okay then... let me show you to the baths.."  He led the trio to the bathing room, casting Neeshka - who was across the inn - a warning glance. "And here we are! Enjoy your bath, and your single bed is in the bathing room to your right. Enjoy!"

They entered the bathing room, Ava kept looking anywhere but Bishop, or any living being really. She felt embarrassed for flipping out as she did, her hot-headedness and lack of restraint were going to get her killed some day.

Bishop paid little mind to Ava beating herself up. Instead he started looking over his room and the bathing area, which was a blessing to Ava that he wasn't giving her more trouble for how she acted. "No one's getting in here, not without making a lot of racket and waking everyone up. I'd say it's safe enough." He finally turned around towards her, but his gaze remained out the door where everyone else in the inn was. "Grab your things. Let's get to that bath before the water gets cold. You can go first, I'll wait outside the door." He then retreated to the door, standing guard and making Ava even more confused by his hasty retreat. It's not that she expected or wanted to share a bath, but he seemed preoccupied, or put off. Maybe he actually was interested in Neeshka. If two-septim trolops were his taste she wasn't going to stop him, but it would be too soon to hear Neeshka again this lifetime.

At least that's what Ava convinced herself to believe rather easily.

Ava looked down to Karnwyr who remained in the room but was politely facing away, a loyal fluffy sentinel. "You're a good boy."

She started loosening the laces to her armor and let it drop, followed by removing her clothes and underwear. They all fell in a messy pile she'd worry about later, the warm water was calling to her like a siren.

She had submerged almost to her throat, and finally it felt like the knots ontop of the knots in her muscles were coming free. She let her eyes drift closed for a moment, taking in the comfort, but it was cut short by Bishop's voice outside the door sounding more agro than usual. "Get out, flea."

"Will you stop calling me flea? I'm a thief, not a flea." The sultry flea corrected him.

The distance and splashing water as Ava sat up both made it harder to hear what was going on, but to hear Neeshka STILL trying had passed annoying and was now comical in a sad way. Leaning over the edge, Ava watched Karnwyr's reactions since he had a better view of the ship wreck taking place outside the door.

"You're a parasite, attaching yourself to a body to make use of it for food, protection or whatever. Until you move on to another body. Or are caught and pinched to death." While the annoyance could be heard from Bishop, some of his threats seemed so weak or subtle. It was like he was inviting trouble to rear it's head so he could cut it off. 

"Okay, I get it. But you are what I desire in a man and I would be a fool if I didn't give it every effort." What sounded like accepting defeat almost had the eavesdroppers - Ava and Karnwyr - in the first half, except there's desperate, then there's Neeshka. 

It was around then Ava decided this was no conversation that would benefit her, and instead laid back in the tub again, this time dipping her head back until the water covered her ears so to drown out their voices in a more literal sense. Shame that if she had listened just a little longer she would've overheard Neeshka asking what made Ava so special, and Bishop answering that she just is. Probably better she didn't hear it though, would've only complicated things more for the assassin. 

The bath was refreshing, but Ava couldn't relax too long in case anyone else was interested. After mostly drying off she'd put on a tan dress similar to some others seen around town, but hers was much shorter due to altering after the wear and tear it took one time in the forest. It wasn't bad though in her opinion, even if it did at times earn wandering glances from men, and glares from older women.

Wow, legs, scandalous. Yet as a child she heard tales about Akaviri warriors of old fighting naked. No one had respect for the classics anymore.

Karnwyr peeked his head back to Ava as she stepped out from behind the privacy fence. She gave him a scratch behind the ears as she passed, and he playfully nipped at her hand before following. 

Bishop was still near the door, arms crossed and eyes surveying the tavern. His scowl was deeper than usual before acknowledging Ava. "It's free, if you still plan on taking a dip." She offered kindly, pretending she didn't overhear him earlier. It was something to lead up to, not jump right in.

"It's about time. Was starting to think you drowned with how long you were taking." Given the argument with Neeshka, he likely would've expected Ava to be drowned if he didn't stay nearby.

The ever dramatic Ava stomped once with her arms crossed, appearing in likeness to a kid throwing a fit. "H-hey! It wasn't that long!"

"I'd wager it's cold now too. Would've been better off joining you." His suggestive smile told a different tale, one that would've been considered dirtier than a communal bath.

"Bold of you to think I'd let you..." She looked off, towards the bar, trying to scope out where a certain pair of legs went. "Speaking of joining, though. Seems that Neeshka girl is quite taken with you."

"Must be my animal magnetism."

"I've noticed."

"Is that right?" He straightened his shoulders some to her comment. 

"I didn't mean it like that!" So much for keeping her cool, he was already making her regret bringing the topic of Neeshka up. "I'm just curious because I heard her come to talk with you while I was bathing."

"Yes, she did."

Not good enough, Ava cautiously probed for answers. "So... will you tell me what happened?"

"No."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No."

"Tell me."

He sighed in annoyance. "Being nosy isn't very ladylike."

"Bishop!"

"Wow! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were the jealous one." Ava was pushing his buttons, causing Bishop to deflect harder.

Seeing that familiar look of amusement in Bishops smirk was the final straw for her. "Get lost!"

Bishop stood closer, towering over Ava to remind her of her place. "Thanks for your permission." His words felt so cold that the warmth of the bath became a distant memory. 

"So stupid!" Ava groaned, slamming the door shut and locking it, not caring if Neeshka, Bishop, Hulda, or anyone else in the inn heard.

'I am not jealous!' she threw herself onto her bed, more frustrated than ever thanks to Bishop messing with her head. She was curious what was going on, and instead he turned it around on her, just so typical of the jerk. "He can't make anything simple can he!"

The young assassin fumed to herself for a few more minutes before finally collecting herself again, and quickly realized she preferred being angry at him over trying to focus on a plan to keep her double life in order. It was a concerning notion in itself, but she chalked it up to the fact she'd become an outcast amongst her more bloodsoaked peers.

She'd wrestled with her thoughts until the early hours of the morning, to which she considered making amends with Bishop then, but her body was too exhausted for the stairs. Handling it after some rest sounded much better.

Next morning Ava woke at her own pace, which felt nice after roughly a week of camping wherever. She stepped out of her room to it's small balcony over the taverns main hall, and noticed that most other patrons from the night before had left, leaving behind a mess Saadia was handling.

Once finished packing up her items Ava rushed downstairs to find Bishop, but instead came across Neeshka looking forlorn at a table. Date gone bad for the thief? Well she didn't care either way.

"You're lucky to have him! If I was you, I wouldn't let him slip through my fingers." Neeshka grumbled as Ava passed, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"What do you- it's not like-!" She sighed in resignation, Neeshka showed the night before that she hardly knew how to listen. "Do you know where he went?" Since you don't know how to stay off his dick?

Neeshka turned to glare at the wall, fists in her lap so tight that her knuckles were white. "Just leave me alone."

Didn't have to tell her twice, Ava left, seeing that Neeshka was going to be useless as usual.

Bishop had been playing with Karnwyr not far down the street connected from the market, some of the kids who were brave enough to meet the wolf - Braith and Lucia - joined in on a game that looked like keep-away, except even Karnwyr was throwing the doll at times. With the confusing feelings Ava had been struggling with for Bishop, and her sisterhood she'd developed with Lucia, the moment almost felt like a found family. 

Unfortunately, it was time to be put on hold, Vittoria's wedding was fast approaching.

"Bishop?" Ava sounded and appeared meek as she waved him over, an unusual persona for her to have, making Bishop hesitant to meet her.

"Play nice Karnwyr." He told the wolf, who gave a cheerful bark as a reply before trotting away with the doll in his mouth and the girls following. It was clear Karnwyr was enjoying the change of pace, as long as no one pulled his tail. "Is this about last night?" 

The question made Ava's face scrunch up. Of course he'd start there and make it hard for her. "W-what?! No, no! I'd rather forget that, but, I umm," she looked to her hands cupped in front of her, the glimmer from Muiru's ring helped in putting her back on track. "There's some business I need to handle, but it's better if I do on my own..." It wasn't nearly as awkward breaking off her partnership with Raven, but here she was struggling. "I want to work with you again though, so... maybe there's somewhere we could meet up, if you don't mind?"

At first he thought she was going to say hit the road, putting him on the defensive, but her request softened his stance. Literally, he even dropped his arms from being cross at her. "Fine, I was going to leave anyways. Riverwood doesn't seem too bad with their mead and lack of howling believers. Seriously, does that asshole ever shut up?" His rhetorical question made them both chuckle, and to Bishop for a moment Ava seemed even more beautiful than just her looks, more graceful than just her movements in a fight. He hated that she'd never be his, but he was going to give it a try before her Mr. Right comes around. "Meet me there, but don't keep me waiting for too long, princess." 

That wasn't a satisfactory parting though, not for Bishop. He raised his hand as though to cup her face, but before they connected, they both heard an ehem! come from just beside them. Both looking to the source they noticed Lucia watching with what remained of the doll Karnwyr ran off with in hand. "I think Wolfie McWolfFace ate the buttons."

Seeing an out before things could become more complicated, Ava quickly dismissed herself. "Right...! I must be going! I'll be around, always am!" She then left towards the city gate at a hastened pace before anything else could happen.

Chapter 7: Why Assassins Need Friends

Notes:

Here's my second side chapter, also a return of Raven.

This is set a few weeks after the last time Ava and Bishop had seen each other. Vittoria assassinated, using the bow Gabriella left for her. The younger Maro has met an early end in Markarth. The Gourmet was sunk in a frozen pond. Cicero is alive but only Ava knows. Biggest of all though; Ava grew more paranoid of Astrid and Arbjorn. Why send her on all these jobs when other much more worthy members existed, ones who have been there decades?

She's now expected to return to Solitude in a few days to pretend she's the Gourmet.

Ever start your day and know it is about to be very different from what you had planned? Ava hadn't felt it often, perhaps a dozen times in her twenty-four-ish years alive, and something about the energy of the morning as she woke had her hairs feeling electrified, ready to run the other way. Running a hand through her dark fringe and stretching as she got up from bed, she chose to mark up the feeling to nerves. After all, it's not everyday that you're given a high-profile job that would change the history of Tamriel.

Donning her usual black and red attire, she made her way down some nearby stairs to the dining room where a familiar Redguard sat. "Oi, Nazir!" Ava began, her mask of a cheeky grin on as she waved hello, knowing it may irk him since he wasn't nearly as cheerful a person as her. They lost the jester but kept the class clown. "Say, have any advice on my contract? Not saying I'm nervous but..." She dramatically collapsed into the rickety chair adjacent to him. "I'm nervous." Which wasn't a lie.

Nazir quirked an eyebrow to her admittance and display of exaggeration, bemused by the 'Oh so important Listener' seeking help. She came by most of her skills honestly, capable enough to handle most any contract; but she was nothing if not an unpredictable drama queen. This sometimes made it hard to tell if she really needed help, or was simply putting on a show. "Yes. You're killing the Emperor himself. The Dark Brotherhood will get one shot at this, and you've been given the honor. So don't screw up."

Ava nodded to his advice, hiding the fact he just piled more pressure on her. Between his comment and Astrid giving the honor of killing the emperor to her, that jarrin root in her pocket was starting to feel real heavy. "Would Astrid have chosen me if she didn't find me capable?" It was a rhetorical question, but a part of her hoped that if Nazir knew anything, he would react to her words in a way that could tell her something, anything. 

"So you do understand. Astrid's word is law, you know this, regardless of your post." He affirmed her words, but not a single muscle twitched to show that he was hiding something. Either he knew nothing, or there was no secret and she was being paranoid again.

Still, it made no sense for the newest member to be put on such a high profile job. Even her father would've been jealous just due to how lucrative it could be. 

"Of course, she took me in after all..." A silence fell between them, one more stifling to Ava than necessary thanks to paranoia. "I'll see you once this is all over. Drinks will be on me." She excused herself, knowing she should start making tracks soon.

"Looking forward to it... Listener." Nazir called out to her, following it with a short chuckle knowing Ava didn't like being addressed by her title. 

She packed away a few items; her cursed Mara amulet, a chefs tunic and hat, map, writ of passage, her two rings, a moonstone circlet she found on one of her recent travels, the necessities. Equipped a dagger but also mounted her bow - Firiniel's End - on her back just in case, and started for the exit. 

It wasn't even thirty minutes outside the sanctuary when Ava heard rustling of branches from behind, and footsteps too heavy for a rabbit approaching. With a quick twist she'd turned towards the source, bow in hand with a notched arrow ready for the kill.

A hooded figure that the steps belonged to stopped upon seeing her ready to shoot, hands up as he shook his head for the hood to fall. "Oh my lovely queen am I so glad to have found you in time! I know our last parting was unorthodox, but my sweet siren I ask that we talk, now." He continued to approach, jumping down from a small ledge.

Ava sighed, disarming and putting the bow over her shoulder. "Raven... what brings you here? Have you converted?" She attempted to joke, but it was stiff with how tense she'd been.

"My love, I'd convert to anything for you, but I'm here to save your beautiful life." He glanced around at their surroundings with urgency before wrapping an arm around her shoulders to lead her away, talking in a hushed tone. "You see, my sweet Ava, when I was handling a job in Haafingar, I witnessed something I shouldn't have. Your despicable mistress had met with a commander Maro, and knowing how much your guild hates him, and his feelings being mutual, I felt I must listen in, and be your ears." He glanced around again, clearly scared of anyone from the Dark Brotherhood, Penatus Oculatus, or even the Thieves guild being nearby. "I don't want to know what your current plans are, unless it's me on your lovely mind, but please reconsider whatever you're about to do. I'd hate to see such a sublime creature as yourself perish from an ambush."

There it was, just what Ava had feared since shortly after she became Listener, and Astrid grew noticeably guarded. The thing she kept trying to tell herself was nothing for weeks. 

She ducked out from Ravens arm, backing up for space until she bumped into a nearby tree. "I-... I knew it..." her eyes fell to the forest floor, frustrated that she had even attempted to convince herself different. "Son of a- ugh!" She kicked at the ground before looking back to Raven who in a milder tone shared the sentiment. "Are you certain? Wait, of course you are! What other reason would you have to come."

"I'd cross Skyrim again, but I can't rob the most magnificent lady in all the lands if she's nothing but bones discarded to the cruel sea..." The way he could still think about kissing in a time like this... Ava would kick him if he wasn't potentially going out of his way to save her life.

She quickly took hold of his hands, her eyes meeting his with a pleading gaze. "Please, Raven, I can't run from the Brotherhood. If I quit now they'll hunt me down. Come with me, help me finish this job. I'll join the thieves after if thats your condition for helping." Not who she had in mind for an ally and/or scapegoat, but he brought himself to her on a silver platter in a time of need. An unexpected ally, possibly.

He became noticeably more nervous to her request, pulling away from her desperate grasp on him. "My love, my sweet sweet siren, I'd go if I could, but I'm risking my life delivering this news. If your mistress were to find out, she may sever all bonds with the thieves to get revenge on me. I wish you had joined us when I asked, we could've even worshipped you as a reincarnation of Nocturnal herself." He was laying the flattery on thick at the end, but potentially, this could be their last meeting. 

Yeah... Ava knew it would've been too good to be true. She could feel tears of frustration threaten to appear, but she blinked hard in an attempt to stop them. "You're right. You should go before anyone sees you." She stepped closer to Raven, lifting his hood for him but keeping a hold on it as she leaned in for a brief kiss. "And I know you took my circlet... keep it."

Raven looked shocked by her kiss, but he wasn't about to question it. If this was how they were going to part, he wasn't going to complain. "As sharp as ever, my goddess. I will count the days until I get to rob you again." And with those parting words he took off, needing to put as much distance between him and the sanctuary as possible to save his own ass. 

As for Ava... she needed a seat to think, but also had little time to actually plan. Her next best bet in terms of saving her own hide was going to Riverwood. Bringing Bishop into this mess made her even more hesitant, no longer could she lie about herself, and she could be risking his life... but that's why she wanted allies on the outside, right? Now was the time to utilize them.

Notes:

Oh, also, this was originally where I first started writing the fic, but I kept the first few paragraphs as a draft when I realized that it'd likely be better to start the run in with Bishop earlier on.

This also was my excuse for Ava to team up with Bishop again for plot reasons.

Chapter 8: Practicing Honesty

"Don't think too hard on it, that'll just make this harder." Ava told herself as she approached Sleeping Giant Inn. If she's lucky, Bishop will be inside and she could get this over with quickly. If not, who knows how long she'll be waiting. Time was of the essence though, so sooner she left, hopefully with Bisbop in tow, the better.

"Keep talking to yourself like that and people will start thinking you're crazy!" Alvor the blacksmith called out to Ava.

"Whatever, stop holding down your work bench." She quickly retorted, not stopping to have any form of conversation.

Much to her surprise Daniel and Thomas gave her plenty of space, did they remember her threats or did her resting bitch face give a good enough warning to leave her be?

Unfortunately, inside the inn there were plenty of people, but none who were the one man she was looking for. Time to start questioning, she supposed.

She asked Sven, Orgnar, Embry, some brunette girl with braids and soft voice claiming to be waiting for someone, even a Dunmer from house Hlaalu. No Bishop.

About ready to give up and walk outside, Ava was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Seemed her luck was going from bad to worse as it was the owner whom she'd been dodging for months since she never officially set up her extra gold to remain anonymous deal, that was just an agreement between her and Orgnar. "You, I've seen you here before."

Ava nervously laughed as if on the verge of falling apart, she couldn't believe her luck. "I do travel a lot. May have stayed here a few times."

"And yet I've never seen a consistent name for you. There's been Shana, Nerissa, Lilith, Avani. Now you're pokin' around as if you own the place. Strange thing, that." The way she gripped Ava's shirt reminded her of a scolding parent holding onto her child's clothes to make sure they don't get away. "Why don't we go have a little chat." 

Ava weakly nodded, there were too many people around to start a fight, and something about this woman said she'd better not try a fight in private either.

Just as the owner started pushing Ava towards the a back room, a familiar deep voice from behind the ladies brought them to a screeching stop. "I got this one, Del. She's harmless."

Still steering Ava around, Delphine turned, pulling Ava along like a kitten held by a tuft of fur. Ava awkwardly waved to Bishop, a innocent grin on but it didn't match her tired eyes. "Bishop, where have you been? This girl has been harassing the patrons for the past hour asking about you."

Ava hated herself more by the second as Delphine continued, knowing Bishop wasn't going to let her live that one down. "I only asked a question!" 

"Orgnar asked me to hunt down fresh meat for the inn." He plopped a few pheasant on the bar in front of Orgnar before they could make a bigger mess on the floor. "But it appears I'm needed elsewhere, so I'll take Ava and my pay, and I'll remove her from your hair."

"Hey! Don't treat me like an annoying pet!"

"Deal." Delphine released Ava with a light shove towards Bishop before fetching the gold he was owed. "But if I see one more fake name here, we're going to have a problem."

Ava rubbed her shoulder and threw a glare Delphines way. "Yes ma'am." She begrudgingly answered before pushing past Bishop and Embry, stomping out of the inn.

Bishop and Karnwyr followed, one excited to see Ava, the other smirking like he'd just won the lottery.

"Wipe that grin off your face. I need help."

"You need more help? I'm pretty sure I just rescued you, ladyship."

"I'm serious!" 

"Oh, I can tell by that guilty look on your face when Delphine was about ready to flay you alive. So what did you do? Forget to return a chair to someone's memaw? Chased a thief all over Skyrim to return his hat? Piss off some some cult?"

Ava winced to his questions but continued marching ahead, he was so close on the last guess that he was technically right. "Shut up, please."

"Ahh, I'm right! So who was it? Some hags and Forsworn? Thieves? Companions? How about some vampires? There was this girl in Morthal that could suck the soul out of a man like a vampire." He was having way too much fun pushing her buttons.

"Bishop!" She pled, but he wasn't done just yet.

"Or was it the murderous cult that's been at large lately."

Ava's hands balled into fists, she couldn't take his constant probing, and she did want to answer, but she wanted to at least be away from town first. "Fine, you want to know what happened?!" Once the Riverwood rickety water wheel was well out of earshot she spun on her heels to face him, glowering. "I've been double crossed by the organization I work for, they have set up for the royal guard to have a price on my head, but if I run away now I'll likely be hunted down or worse. Is that good enough, or should I go further back than the events of this morning?"

He crossed his arms, but despite her attitude and vague information dump, his grin only grew tighter. It wasn't the type one wears of glee though, his eyes told her that he finally got her figured out. "So your little blood soaked cult wasn't what you thought it would be, and now they're after you. Why should I help you now, princess? I bet you were even planning to kill me at some point, am I right?"

"How did you- no, forget it. I don't care anymore about hiding from you." Ava's gaze fell, she couldn't meet his eyes by the time he was done berating her. "What I had planned in the past and what I felt after traveling together... they don't matter,  all that matters is now. I have no one, okay? If you don't want to help, there's nothing I can do. I won't beg, or anything. I just want to finish what I started then get out. Not just out of Solitude, out of the Dark Brotherhood. All I can do is hope you will trust me."

"Trust?" He mocked. "Didn't I tell you I don't trust anyone. Life is easier that way."

An arrow to the knee would hurt less than his words, but she couldn't deny that he had a point. "I can agree with that after, well, everything. Even understand why you wouldn't want to trust me." She was grasping for a way to convince him. "Look, I know you don't care for Mara, but if you don't trust anyone, do you have faith in any of the Divines?"

"I wouldn't waste your time on any of these worthless gods. Not even the one you serve."

With all she'd experienced as of late, even the decrepit old woman in her head was useless. "Agreed. After all that has happened I don't need any divine powers in my corner helping me." If only she sounded as powerful as intended, but a kitten would have been more intimidating. 

Bishop unconvinced stepped closer, his menacing presence towering over her. She held her breath as his dark, piercing gaze bore through her. "You don't look like a powerful assassin to me right now, more like a little girl who met a big bad wolf."

"I-" having him so close had Ava scrambled, incapable of finding words.

Bishop shook his head and put distance between them. "Forget it. I'll come with. But you better not make me regret it, for your sake."

There was so much pressure that rolled off of Ava's shoulders once she realized he agreed, for the second time that day she almost started crying. "Thank you! If I make it out of this I'll pay you back somehow!"

"It's a long road to Solitude, ladyship. You'll have plenty of time to think of a way to repay me." He'd taken lead, resuming their trip. Ava couldn't see his face as he was purposefully making sure to stay a few steps ahead of her, so she couldn't tell if he was making a suggestive comment, or if he was brushing her off. All she knew was the silence that fell between them after was uncomfortable, but she was scared to shatter it, lest it may make their fragile partnership fall apart too.

                                                                                           

Mind numbing sound of crunching rocks under their feet for hours, sun no longer dominating the sky, and the growing desire to become a horse thief. The trip thus far was certainly the most uneventful in terms of companionship. Was Bishop even upset anymore, or had they both resigned themselves to deafening silence out of stubbornness?

Speaking of horses though...

"I think, assuming what is coming that I survive, I'm repaying you with a horse." Unable to handle the silence any longer, Ava finally caved in with an idea she'd been mulling over since halfway to Whiterun to Riverwood.

"Not interested. The care they require is too much for life on the road."

She saw his point, but simply shrugged it off. "It doesn't always have to be on the road."

"Oh yeah? What else would I do? Settle down and have some sort of home life? If you haven't noticed, ladyship, I'm not one to take part in that skeever race to nowhere." The words fell out like nothing more than deadweight, and shouldn't have had any harm to them; yet for some reason unbeknownst to her, they bummed Ava out a little.

"Yeah, makes sense. You don't seem the family guy type."

He chuckled to her answer, not about to deny her evaluation of him. "Which is hilarious, seeing as I'm traveling with someone as motherly as you." His sarcasm wasn't lost on her.

"That happens when you have the Night Mother in your head..." She grumbled more to herself before speaking up. "I'd sooner die."

"Now there's something we can agree on."

Ava almost jokingly asked him if he was sure he didn't have a bastard or five running around somewhere with how promiscuous he acted, but at the same time she felt that it wasn't a conversation they should have. It was territory she didn't wish to traverse.

                                                                                           

Maybe a carriage, just to somewhere between Morthal and Solitude, something to make the trip faster; but as long as a price was on her head and there was still enough time she wasn't about to add more risks of being recognized. Plus, she was actually enjoying camping alongside Bishop and Karnwyr, especially with how amazing a lookout Karnwyr was as they slept. He wasn't as good of a pillow as Bishop thought, but she wasn't about to repeat that accidental cuddle so normally she'd settle for the backup clothes.

In a familiar moment to their first night on the road, they settled after a day of travel near a small campfire, except this time Bishop appeared to be the unguarded one for once. He was staring into the fire as if it were replaying a scene of his life for him, and Karnwyr was curled up between them. Normally, Ava would look away before Bishop would notice her, but she was soon lost in his golden eyes, wondering what he was thinking of. Soon the moment ended though, and he took no time to notice her watching him.

"So... Bishop," She pushed her hair back, trying to act normal when she was actually watching him like some weirdo. "How did you become a ranger?"

"Why the sudden interest?"

"I want to get to know you better."

"Ah princess, you don't need to hear my life story to do that." He paused to see if that would suffice, but it was apparent her curiosity was as boundless as the sea. "Ugh fine. How did I become a ranger? Like why anyone else sells themselves. I was raised with the skills. The difference is that I was taught them to survive, not for profit. Not an... honest kind of profit, anyway."

"Right... I kind of get that." Except the skills she was born and raised with were meant for stealing items and information, not lifes.

"So I started ranging around... seven years or so before we met. Word got around I could track runaways or hunt meals for fat, lazy nobles... whatever. I didn't plan on it but they had gold and I had a bow, so I became their ranger. What about the illustrious woman before me? You're so nosy about my life."

"I'm from High Rock. Spent most of my life there until almost two years ago now."

He snorts a laugh. "Really? I was there when I was twelve. Don't remember much. It was like Cyrodiil with Skyrim's cold chill. And less skirts. My parents only went so they could try to smuggle us all into Skyrim. The Forsworn and their borders put a stop to that, thank the gods." He didn't need to hear it to know he'd created more questions than answers, but his short trip down memory lane was over as far as he cared. "You know what, our pasts are our pasts. We're not going to make the future any better by going on about them. As for the present... I have to ask, what are you expecting in Solitude?"

"I think I'd rather talk more about High Rock." Ava wasn't even completely certain what to expect. Sure, she had multiple puzzle pieces coming together, but nothing was certain as long as Maro was in play, and he was in too deep.

"You started it."

"Ugh, fine." She leaned forward, looking off into the fire but her minds-eye was in Solitude, rerunning scenarios. "There was this man, Amaund Motierre, he hired us for a big job, probably to rise above his station, he should give some advice to my mother... it was going as planned, but the head has sold me out. The second I walk in the castle the Penatus Oculatus may just slap cuffs on me... no way they'd actually let me..." She shook her head, the hints were all there, but she couldn't bring herself to say who she was after, maybe Bishop could fein ignorance as long as she kept names to herself. "I have an escape route, I won't ask you to defend me if you're not interested or don't want part of this. At this point, I think I just want some company before walking into a guaranteed suicide mission.."

Bishop wasn't exactly regretting teaming up with Ava, but he certainly wished he didn't probe for an answer. He's no saint nor plans to ever be one, but what she was implying meant a much bigger rap sheet than even his darker days had built. Ignorance would've been bliss, but he wasn't about to admit it. "This Anus Motierre better be paying a lot for what he's asking of you."

Ava snorted a laugh before quickly covering her face. She expected him to snap at her, walk away, hell even killing her was higher on the list than a joke. "Oh I'm sure he can manage. I think he's from Cyrodiil, but his family has influence everywhere. My family tried multiple times to work with them because how deep their pockets are."

"In that case, sweetness, I'm with you on this. Don't think you can do better than me for company, anyways."

She sincerely smiled to Bishop, relieved to have a friend at her side. "Heh, thanks, Bishop, I don't think there's anyone else I'd have join me." Karnwyr who'd been resting between them snooted to comment, as if demanding her pardon. "And of course you too, Karnwyr."

Again like in Whiterun, the desire to embrace her, kiss her, possibly ravish and devour in heated passion and lust began to build, but knowing what she was about to do, he forced the feeling into a box. It'll be bad enough if she dies in this hair-brained plan, feeding into physical attraction would just make it harder. "Well, your time is coming or whatever. Go to sleep. Stupidity and gold awaits."

She weakly laughed to his words. "Right... good night, Bishop."

Notes:

This one was a slight pain in the ass, mostly because trying to make words flow properly and alter a conversation to fit the moment without deviating from the point. 

I did like writing the part about Sleeping Giant Inn, and including a few modded characters as Easter eggs. Recorder is so precious... and the briefest nod to a moment in the LL Thief mod.

Chapter 9: Flirting With Death

Notes:

I'll admit, I was toying with a back and forth type of writing where it's flashbacks and/or dreams when in italics. hope it isn't confusing <3

Heart pounding in her chest, Ava was racing down the tower steps faster than her feet knew how to carry her, skipping a few steps in each stride. The only reason she only knew a few guards were chasing her was from their shouting echoed louder than her thoughts screaming at her to run.

"Remember, if I can't find you, let's meet in the marshes north of Morthal." She felt hesitant and scared, something she hadn't experienced on the job since her rookie days, but her warning from Raven was on replay.

"Don't keep me waiting too long, ladyship."

"Get her! She made an attempt on the emperor!"

"Don't let her get away!"

"Catch that false Gourmet!"

Fate smiled upon her that the guards were cocky enough to leave the riverside exit of the tower unguarded, but one wrong move and she was going to be swarmed from every direction. 

She could swim, the water didn't look too treacherous or cold, but then her map would be destroyed for sure. Maybe if she just keeps in that direction, but there's no guarantee she wouldn't get turned around by something or someone.

Seeing no other choice, she tightened the chefs tunic hiding her normal clothes, and dove off of the nearest dock into the water. Instantly she regretted keeping her disguise on as it was weighing her down more than expected, but there was no time to fix that. 

"I won't, promise." She parted with a thank you kiss on his cheek, which left the poor ranger stunned in the Solitude square.

The job went off with such simplicity she almost wondered if Raven fed her a bowl of cow dung, but there was still another way it could've all played out, a third scenario she assumed to be too ostentatious for the Penatus Oculatus. Turned out the least likely outcome was the route Maro took so he could stroke his huge ego and small dick.

Fighting the current, the extra weight, and a few arrows peppering the water around her was becoming overwhelming, fast. "F-.. fuck... I." Land was so close, she could try pushing farther, but her muscles were aching, everything was slowing down. The currents had a higher chance to take her than the guards trying to shoot her.

Multiple guards and the commander himself cornered her on the escape bridge, and like some sort of villain from a storybook Maro started monologing.

He set his henchmen on Ava as he walked away, she started backing up as they approached until her back met the door she just came through. The tower was just behind them, maybe she could run through the ambush and not die? That's when something unexpected happened; one member coming for her dropped, an arrow through his neck. "What in Oblivion!" One shouted, just before another arrow sliced through the sky, aiming for him too.

Ava counted her blessings that the arrows that kept near missing her were all from men not nearly as skilled as her ranger. It was things such as his help, and the failure of those trying to kill her that kept her going when her body felt like it was swimming under a ton of lead.

Finally her feet met the shore and it took more will than she knew she had to not fall face first right there. Her eyes frantically scanned the area, looking for something she could duck behind for just a moment.

That's when her blessings came to a grinding stop like a dwarven ruin seizing up.

Another of Bishop's arrows dispatched the encroaching guard, clearing up the bridge enough for her to run past those who remained.

A lucky shot from one of the few members who remained or wasn't looking for the elusive ranger lodged itself into Ava's back, just along her right shoulder blade. She yelped loud, but continued on the best she could, ducking behind a hill all the while whimpering in pain.

"Whoever did that, I'm-!" She hissed as her fingers hesitantly inspected the protrusion, but the moment she touched the arrow she yelped again. "Sending the cur to Sithis!"

There wasn't enough time for her to try treating a wound, and extra weight from the chefs tunic would make it worse, so biting down on a strap from her knapsack, she took hold of the arrow and pulled as fast as she could muster before she could psych herself out.

Snap. The arrow broke close to the head, but also lodged itself deeper.

The pain was so excruciating she was seeing stars, and for a moment she could've swore she heard the night mother laughing at her. Her shrieks and pants were hardly muffled, and the white hot pain nearly had her distracted from her escape, but the sound of a horn in the distance knocked her senses back in place. She slid the stupid disguise off and stumbled to her feet, though her legs felt like bags of sand and her right arm was useless at best.

"Just... keep going... follow the deathbells."

It made little sense, but the marsh was full of deathbells last time she visited. It was the best lead she had since her map had been repurposed as fish food.

It appeared that Ava was better at navigating while dizzy, pained, and exhausted, than when sober and healthy. Stumbling through the swampland clinging to her like tree sap, she stumbled before crashing against a tree, causing her to cry out.

"H'okay... there's no way they're coming this far..." She told herself, completely out of breath, sliding down against the tree that rudely knocked her down. "Must do... something..."

Looking over her shoulder the best she could, it didn't look pretty at all. The wound appeared at least as bad as it felt, and even the back of her poor shirt could attest to that with it dripping in blood. She looked to her left palm, hesitantly hovering it over the wound while focusing all her energy that remained into her hand.

At first her attempts felt futile, struggling to focus when even every breath was excruciating, but with the last of her magicka left she sighed to the healing warmth that emanated from her palm. It was short lived though, her pain only subsided and improved a little before she'd run out. Go figure she'd be too tired to help herself.

"Just a few minutes rest..." She muttered, her eyes hardly able to remain open, despite her heart beating rapidly. 

                                                                                    

"I'm sorry... I never meant to cause you guys trouble!" A young girl sobbed, her family looked disheartened as the building they stood in was vandalized, her name painted on the walls with profanities.

The older male amongst them placed a hand on her head, softly ruffling her hair. "It's okay, my dear, we can contact the guards, they'll find out who did this."

"No they won't! They're scared of her!" A young man almost at adulthood shouted while stressing over what appeared to be rows of charred books, and potions shattered.

"Timothee!" The patriarchal figure chided, though they all knew he was right.

The other woman in the room looked away from them all to her safe, best one she could buy, busted as if a daedric lord had ripped it open. Was this all her own fault somehow? Was she a bad parent for letting this go on for so long?

"Ma...?" The girl asked with baited breath, seeing as she was the only one who hadn't said a word.

The woman sighed, refusing to look to her daughter. "Avani... you're better than this."

The young girl's heart cracked, and everyone in the room could hear it. How could a mother who taught her so much about kindness and chasing passions treat her this way now?

Avani ran upstairs, preparing a knapsack to run away.

"N-no... it's... not... didn't happen that wshmlph..." Ava woke in a cold sweat, laying face down on something much warmer than the cold damp ground she was sitting on. In fact, she wasn't feeling the harsh Skyrim weather anymore either. Cautiously peaking at the room, she discovered she must've been alone in a generic room likely belonging to an inn.

She started pushing herself up from the bed, but a searing pain like being branded shot through her shoulder and arm, reminding her of what flirting with death from blood loss felt like. Unwillingly she crashed back into bed, making her groan in agony.

"The sleeping beauty awakens." A familiar voice called as he let himself into the room, followed by a wolf whining for attention and nudging Ava's hand. "Karnwyr, didn't I tell you to wait outside the room?" Karnwyr huffed to Bishops command and trudged out.

Ava weakly laughed at them and propped herself up with one arm, which to her surprise Bishop then helped her sit up the rest of the way. "Eugh... thanks..." She clutched her head as the world spun her like a top and the room went dark. Definitely still suffering from the blood loss.

"Should thank Karnwyr too, he caught your scent. You were twitching on the ground but nothing going on behind your eyes, though that's nothing new." His joke felt as stiff as Ava did, for a moment she thought he actually cared, unless his joke was a mask. "Seriously, ladyship, what in Oblivion were you thinking getting yourself that fucked up? If I showed up any later.."

"Wanted to see what it felt like to die. Would not recommend." Her sarcasm held up, but her mind was chasing the wisps of her dream as farther off memories were harder to grasp. 

"Didn't look pretty, but as far as destroyed goes, your wound takes first, second, and third prize." He opened a health potion, holding it out for her. She casted a confused look his way with how nice he was acting, but she wasn't about to refuse the relief the potion would bring. "What? I wasn't about to make you drink it when you were courting death. Was hard enough to stanch the bleeding."

She took a greedy swig of the potion, but started coughing in disgust once finished. Couldn't they taste like snowberries instead? Void essence would've been preferable. "Thanks again... I think I actually owe you my life now..." She bowed her head in embarrassment. The feeling of the healing process accelerating would've been nice, but as her head was down she noticed something peculiar.

"I didn't do it to claim you, or whatever strange fantasy you're delusions have created, princess. We've had a deal." He held back from saying more, but he wanted to remind her that she said this was the end of her stint with the Brotherhood.

"Uh-huh, that's fine and all, but where in Oblivion is my shirt?!" She spent this whole time talking with him, and didn't realize that the only thing covering half of her torso was bandages wrapped rather skillfully around her chest and shoulder, likely to help stop the bleeding and keep infections out.

If there was a face for 'you've got to be fucking kidding me.' Bishop was wearing it then. "Ugh, next time maybe I should just leave you bleeding on the bed. I'm sure you could have done better!" After the emotional roller-coaster he'd been through, uncertain she'd make it through the night, he was not appreciating her anger.

In return Ava shrunk back some, feeling ashamed of herself. "You're right... I'm sorry."

A silence fell between them, she didn't even feel hurt that he didn't apologize for raising his voice, she completely understood his reaction. As the memories of her escape played behind her eyes like a far off drunken memory, she started giggling, then laughing, ignoring the sting in her shoulder that was much better than the day before. "Bishop!"

"What now?"

"I did it! We did it! I- heh, I'm free!" She was filled with an unusual joy, glee to lose her ties to her bloodsoaked family. Sure there were ones she'd miss; Babette, Vezara, Gabriella, but even if she wanted to save them after the betrayal from Astrid, another squadron of the Penatus Oculatus attacked them at least a day prior to when she woke. If any survived, they'd think she's dead, and as far as she knew the sanctuary was now their tomb. "I'm dead, as far as anyone cares!"

It was amusing to Bishop, seeing Ava so excited over her predicament, but he understood it to a degree. He felt something similar at one time when breaking off from his family. "You're perhaps the only woman I know who would celebrate that... though if you look in the mirror, you'd see you're doing a great impersonation of a corpse."

"Ha ha." She mocked to his joke, but her excitement had remained. Apart of her was curious how bad she looked, but she also didn't want to know either.

Another wave of dizziness crashed over Ava causing her to retch, it was too much exuberance in such a short time. "Shit... h-hey... I'm sorry to ask but... can you bring me something to eat?" It'd been too long since she ate, making her stomach twist in demand for food.

"As my lady commands." Bishop sounded disingenuous, but she could tell by his smirk that it wasn't as much of a burden as he was trying to make it to be. "Karnwyr, keep an eye on her." She could hear from outside the room, and soon the wolf was rushing in to jump on Ava's bed.

"I missed you too, buddy." She playfully pulled at his fur before giving the wolf a big one armed hug. "And thank you for finding me, I owe you some mammoth steak later."

Karnwyr howled in approval. 

Chapter 10: Laying Them to Rest

Recovery took a bit longer than expected, it's not like one faints from blood loss, then recovers the next day. A liberal use of health potions, much to Ava's displeasure, a diet of more red meats than usual, and the occasional restoration spell did help speed the process considerably, though.

It's a good thing, too, because if Ava had to remain dormant for long, she would've lost her mind.

Even though she had mostly recovered, she could see a hesitance to Bishop letting her travel far from Mooreside Inn until her strength was back to something more fit for travel. Maybe the tin ranger did have a heart, or maybe he didn't want to risk lugging her across a hold if she fainted again.

While exploring the marshes she at times would find her experiencing the woeful symptoms of anemia, but it was preferred to simply socializing in a town that had some sort of serious issue involving death... she would know, she handled a contract there what felt like a lifetime ago, and no one seems to miss the old orc bard. Acting domestic without a goal or job felt unnatural for her, likely a side effect of being a lone wolf head hunter since age seventeen. 

One of the first things she noticed when finally getting the chance to stretch her legs was an old shack that had been burned to the ground, an unfortunate sight, as she thought it was so quaint in the past. Ava out of curiosity asked the bartender the cause, and from the start she had a suspicion that didn't exactly match the townsfolk. What man shacks up with a single ready to mingle woman the same day his child and wife die? It reaked of foul play such as everyone else thought, but it didn't feel as simple as him being the culprit. A half-wit with malicious intent would've seen how dubious that would appear. No, this screamed dark arts, or a jealous lover.

"You can't stop me, Bishop. I'm bored as tits and currently out of work, so I'm investigating the fire. And I know people think it's cursed but theres nothing here more cursed here than me." She strode ahead of him out the inn, determined to sate her boredom by taking on the investigation from the jarl.

"First off, ladyship, I think you of all people would know tits leave people anything but bored. Second, don't expect me to carry you back if you pass out or get injured. Though I wouldn't object to watching you and the mans lover fight, perhaps naked."

She blushed to his comment about tits, and the idea's he vocalized only drove the point further for her. Not even her brothers friends had the gall to speak that way around her. "Sh-shut up! I'll be fine!~ But maybe you should keep your fantasies locked away in a diary." She was beyond glad to be walking ahead of him so he couldn't see her flustered smile that wouldn't go away, but just to feel safe she pulled the hood she got from him a month ago up around her face.

"Are you implying I have a dirty mind?" Even though he was probing with questions, he was already satisfied by her reaction.

Placing a hand on the door, she tried her best to not let her embarrassment show as she quickly looked back at him to speak. "I never said you had a mind." She quickly opened the door and stepped into the jarl house before Bishop could react, her secret smile couldn't be hidden as she felt as though she won against him this time.

The meeting with Jarl Ravencrone was borderline useless, seeing as most of the information Ravencrone had was the same as what Jonna already told them. If it weren't for Ravencrone giving an official pardon to investigate without interruption from the guards, it would've been a complete waste of time.

Somewhere between Ava's playfulness, and the second debrief of the investigation, Bishop was becoming annoyed. If the whole village was on the same page, why were they all letting it stagnate? It was the townsfolks fault it hadn't been solved yet, thays how he felt about it. "Are you seriously going to waste time investigating this for these people?" Bishop trudged behind, the only thing keeping him from completely losing interest in the investigation being Ava's hips swaying before him.

"Would you rather I be returning a book stolen by some bandits to a careless shopkeeper?" She threw her words back over her shoulder to Bishop, too preoccupied in her search for Hroggar. Pointless as if may be, she wanted to see what he had to say.

"Ugh, point taken." He noticed her going in the opposite direction of the house, where Ravencrone told them to first look for clues. "If you're thinking about questioning the worthless scumbag called Hroggar about the fire, don't waste your time. Creeps that sacrifice their family for a warm cunt aren't worth hearing out."

Ava stopped in her tracks, shoulders slumping. She knews he was likely right, but what if people were making it more a scandal than it already was. Giving in, she turned towards Bishop. "Fine, we'll start at the house, but I have some questions for Hroggar later."

Sifting through ashes for a hour or so, the grim state of the house slowly brought out Ava's darker humor. The occasional uncalled for snide comment would slip past her lips before a dry laugh and sigh, such as commenting on her last name having Ash in it, or how they were likely stepping on the mothers remains.

As the exhaustion began setting in, she sat in a corner on her knees, rubbing perspiration from her forehead as she leaned against what remained of a torched wall. "I don't think there's anyth-" her sentence was cut off by a light reflecting off of something peeking out from a hole in the floorboard. Curiosity taking lead, Ava dove her hand into the crawlspace to grab what appeared to be a childs ring, but the moment she touched the cold steel, it was as though the world around her stood still and was bathed in an ethereal shroud. 

"Papa? Papa is that you?" A child's voice called out, causing a chill to run down Ava's spine. She couldn't see the source, but it felt close.

Something, perhaps her experience with death and necromancy made Ava hold up the ring and peer through it as though it were a looking glass. Ava couldn't understand why she was seeing the young ghost, but her mind was racing too fast to form any explanation to why she was seeing the little girl through the ring. What she did understand though was that before her stood an ethereal child covered in burns, and missing a part of her throat. It was Helgi! "By Sithis!" She gasped quietly. "Helgi?"

"My father says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers. Are you a stranger?"

"Am I a stra-... N-no! No I'm a friend. Please, little one, do you know what happened to your house?" Ava was struggling to keep her thoughts in line. She had questions for Helgi, but a part of her was wondering if anyone else could see her, if it was her experience with Necromancy, or if perhaps she was so close to dead a few days ago that she now had her own connection with spirits that was deeper than what most people experience. Who knows, maybe it was a nightmare, or she really had gone crazy.

Helgi was lucky to be unaware of how busy Ava's thoughts truly were in the moment, like a dwemer machinery created static and smoke storm. "The smoke woke me up. I was hot and I was scared, so I hid. Then it got cold and dark. I'm not scared anymore. But I'm lonely, will you play with me?"

"If I do, will you tell me who started the fire?" It was a first to be asked by a ghost to play a game, but a part of her felt so sorry for Helgi she would have agreed even if the child refused.

"Okay, let's play hide and seek. You find me, and I'll tell you. We have to wait until nighttime though. The other one is playing too, and she can't come out until then."

"The other one? What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you, she's so close, she might hear me! If you can find me first, I can tell you." On those words the girl disappeared and then the spectral veil faded away.

As the world melted back into its vague notion of normalcy, Bishop appeared in front of her, shaking her shoulders. "Ava? Nirn to Ava!" As the light returned to her eyes and she groaned in pain from being jostled around, he finally sighed in relief before releasing her, taking a step back so she could breathe. "Thank the nine... what was that, ladyship?!"

Ava closed her eyes tight, waiting for the world to quit spinning. It felt as though he just rolled her like a snowball. "What was... what?"

"Seriously? You looked as lifeless as when Karnwyr found you the other day, except you were sitting up and talking to yourself. Was starting to think you were possessed... not that I'd blame some daedra for wanting to get in ya, though I'm sure there's easier ways." If nothing else, she could trust that he'll clear tension with friendly flirting. The worry didn't leave his eyes though.

"Oh... umm..." She looked away, thankful for the smudged ash on her face helping mask her emotions. Seriously, how do you tell someone that you just had tête-à-tête with a ghost? "Long story, let's go find Hroggar, I have some new questions."

Bishop wasn't too thrilled with her brushing his question off, but he buried it as deep as his growing feelings he's been trying to play ignorant to. What he really needed was a drink, and perhaps some time alone to sort out why he was even worried about the ditzy ex-assassin, but he begrudgingly followed Ava, just to make sure Hroggar didn't get any bright ideas such as trying to silence her for good.

                                                                                           

"Bishop! What in Oblivion are you doing!" Ava shouted as the ranger in question pulled her away from the pier, Hroggar watching them in a daze.

"I'm stopping you from getting into even more trouble, fuck, how can you be so reckless!"

"How can you be so calm?! He said he doesn't need Helgi anymore! What kind of waste of air says that about his kid! He should go apologize to his mother for existing!"

The way she was shouting was starting to garner attention from others around them, building his ire that had been brewing since her ignoring him earlier in the day. "You think I didn't want to slit his throat for being a sorry excuse of a person? But what you lack in height you make up in anger issues. What do you think will happen if you slaughter that piece of shit in front of everyone without evidence?"

Ava refused to look up to him, but his scolding had her feeling like a bucket of cold water was dumped on her head. "Yeah... yeah." She chewed her bottom lip, and the image of the first time she ever lost her cool on someone when she was a pre-teen flashed through her mind. The street kids, her friends, they feared her afterwards, said she was as ferocious as a dragon. She knows she's bad at keeping her emotions and strength in check. "I think I need a drink, maybe a bath." What she wanted to say was 'thank you', but what little pride she still had refused to let her thank him for what felt like the hundredth time in a week.

Chapter 11: Vampires, Thralls, and Ghosts. Oh My!

A few hour nap was needed after getting cleaned up, and thanks to the lack of foot traffic Moorside sees it was practically their own hideout with Jonna as a bartender and confidant.

"Y'know, didn't you say in the past there was some girl here that could suck the soul out of men?" Ava questioned Bishop, a finger circling the rim of her tankard. A light drunken hue of pink had tinged her cheeks, but alcohol sounded like a decent way to pass the evening by before round two of ghost hunting. At least that's what she'd told herself, not wanting to consider how often Bishop crossed her mind.

Bishop had to hold back from laughing until he finished his gulp. "I might have mentioned that."

"Seems rumors are true to enchant someone like that... how Hroggar acted wasn't natural." Ava whined dramatically before placing her head on the bar. "Why does some soul sucking cock sacking hussy gotta have a name so close to mine?!" The similarity in name made her skin crawl, as irrational as it was.

"Wonder if that's the only thing that's similar." His gaze studied her face veiled behind her dark locks, giving her his iconic suggestive smirk when she turned her head just enough to glance up to him.

As soon as their eyes met she looked back at the bar as if it owed her a dozen gold bars, but in reality she was annoyed at her heart pounding so rapidly in her chest. 

After a deep breath as Ava weighed her options, she pushed herself off the counter and turned towards Bishop with her arms crossed under her breasts. She was daring and maybe even hoping for him to fall into the same temptation of an unbuttoned black top that in the past lured multiple targets to their doom. "Trying to find out personally? I've been told I'm rather skilled." If her experience with Muiri counted for anything. Sure there are different body parts and such, but the wine was blurring the lines between friends, potential lovers, and the thorn in her side the other 98% of the time.

As she had hoped Bishops eyes did wander her body, every curve wrapped in her tight outfit mapped out, but even she couldn't pull him in when he noticed how drunken rosey hue to her cheeks. Were he lesser a man, he would've taken the opportunity, gods how he craved to see what kind of trouble they could get into without clothes, between the furs, the late hours of the night. His imagination was doing no favors, but he wasn't going to do it. Instead he drowned his desires in the remainder of his drink. "Not happening, ladyship. Too fun to watch you squirm."

Ava was shocked, had she read it all wrong? Actually, why was she even interested if he was just some unlikely friend that happened to save her life twice in one day. Her level of embarrassment and regret were rising, fast, and didn't show any signs of stopping as long as he was in the vicinity. Looking for a quick out she turned away, tossing her short hair back with a disinterested hmph! "Hey Jonna, how much longer until sunset?" Soon she hoped, desperately wanting to get away and distract herself.

A few seconds passed before Jonna reacted. The bartender had checked out mentally when the flirting started, and only realized the question was for her when Ava was glaring a hole through her. "Think it passed a short while ago, why?"

"Perfect!" The Breton gave no mind to Jonna's curiosity and instead lept up from her stool, "I'll be bit in a back- wait no, back in a bit!" Ava slung her bow, Firiniel's End, over her shoulder with a few elven arrows before running out the door. Along the way she accidentally hip checked a table, causing a small groan in pain followed by her limping the rest of her way out.

"What was all that about?" Jonna asked Bishop, wide eyed.

Bishop shook his head watching her figure disappear out the door, he could feel a headache coming on the same size as his almost inebriated partner in crime. "Wine." He'd considered letting her go on her own, but letting someone that can't escape their own house without a compass run around a town while sloshed sounded like a recipe for disaster. "We'll be back, so keep our rooms reserved." He joked, which judging by the smile Jonna had she appeared to be mildly amused by their antics.

Stalking after Ava wasn't on Bishop's bucket list, but he wasn't a complete fool, he knew she didn't want him around at the moment. This brought back the question of why he followed her, then? He could tell himself all day it was because it would be a shame to see the hard work of keep her alive go to waste, but it was no longer day, and he knew it was deeper than that.

As he trailed behind Ava, he'd found himself in awe. Sure, she looked ridiculous as she was gazing through the strange ring she found earlier as if it was showing her a trail up the foothill, but her unusual actions didn't dull how beautiful he thought she was. She could've taken complete leave of her senses and he would still be more entranced by her than the seductress, Alva.

The moment of admiring from afar was interrupted by the sound of a twig snapping under pressure in the distance. He dove deeper behind some brush while placing a cautious hand on his knife, watching the source pass him as he followed Ava up the hill. "Easy, Karnwyr."

Instead of calming down, though, Karnwyr's growls grew deeper, forcing Bishop's attention from the villager, Thonnir, to what had the wolf's attention. It was a feminine figure with glowing irises emerging from the darkness beyond the small grave, encroaching on Ava. Normally Bishop wouldn't have been worried for Ava as she'd proven herself a capable fighter time and time again, but she appeared to be in the same trance as she was earlier in the day. The feminine figure hissed, stepping just enough into the light to reveal her contorted face as she bore her fangs in a final warning, which Ava didn't appear to hear.

Shit. Of course this would happen.

No time to unsheathe his bow and take aim, he made a split second choice to come out of hiding, dash toward Ava, and push her back his shoulder as one of his arms attempted to shield the vampires blow.

Ava felt the shift as her body stumbled back, but due to her entranced state she couldn't see what had caused her to fall back. Her mouth opened for what should've been a sound from impact as she collided with the frozen ground, but a much younger voice crawled its way up from her throat, bursting free for all nearby to hear, "Make Laelette go away!"

The state of being between alive and dead released its hold on Ava, and as reality rematerialized before her, by instinct she shrunk back from the bewildering sight. A vampire with a familiar face was staring at her like it had just seen a long lost loved one and began approaching her despite the smell of blood wafting through the air. Ava quickly tried to fumble for an arrow as the only real option to protect herself from where she sat, but from the corner of her eye she noticed Bishop taking advantage of the vampires lowered guard by attacking Laelette, plunging his knife through her back into her heart.

"Bishop!" Ava stumbled to her feet, her prior embarrassment from the inn replaced by relief, appreciation, and perhaps admiration. She nearly pounced him for a hug, but the blood flowing free from his arm and staining the snow brought her to a screeching stop. "You... you're hurt.."

A few feet away Laelette's body began turning to ash, and Thonnir fell to his knees beside her, shouting in grief, though it felt muffled as Ava's whole focus was on Bishop. "Ysmers beard! She's a vampire! Laelette is a vampire!" It was a wonder that the whole village didn't come out to investigate the commotion. 

Ava reached for Bishops arm so she could inspect the claw marks Laelette left, but he hastily pulled away. "Gah! I'm fine!... if a few health potions fell my way though I wouldn't complain." His tough guy act would've felt more convincing if he weren't trying to shield his arm from Ava's continued attempts to grab his wrist.

Quickly accepting defeat, Ava warily smiled and produced a vial filled with a health potion from her hip pouch. "Here you go." She nearly dropped it though when seeing in its reflection Helgi's ghost sitting atop her tilted coffin.

Doing a double take towards the child, she realized there was no ghost to the naked eye. "Hey, ranger, can you make sure no one else from the village is coming?" It was a weak excuse to get him away, but she didn't want to explain either she's talking with a friendly ghost, or had officially gone crazy.

He didn't seem the most excited to be ordered around after the events of the past five minutes, but Thonnir sobbing in the background changed his mind quickly enough. Playing crowd control was better than listening to the man lamenting. Poor fool should've known something was off about his wife's disappearance.

Once he was away, Ava held up the child's ring again towards Helgi's resting place. "You found me! Laelette was trying to find me, too, but I'm glad you found me first."

"You did amazing." Ava attempted to praise the child, feeling it would be better than jumping right into the questions. "Helgi, please, tell me what happened."

"Laelette was told to burn mommy and me, but she didn't want to. She wanted to play with me, forever and ever. She kissed me on the neck, and I got so cold that the fire didn't even hurt. Laelette thought she could take me and keep me, but she can't. I'm all burned up." There was a pause, and realization set in for Ava that Laelette was trying to turn Helgi and take her, and may have been why she seemed territorial over the grave specifically. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep for a while now."

"Don't worry, I'll fix this. Promise." Ava didn't necessarily need to make a promise to the dead but felt it appropriate. She held the ring out to Helgi, offering it as a gift, but the spectre instead hugged it to her chest before handing it back and dissipating.

"Okay... so... vampires are involved. Of course they are." Ava pocketed the ring, and almost instantly felt a icy glare pierce her, and yet couldn't find the source. In fact, with how much Thonnir had been sobbing she couldn't seem to focus past the light of his dropped torch.

Feeling pitty for the man, she cautiously approached Thonnir, who on his knees near the pile of ashes was quietly repeating to himself between sobs "My poor Laelette."

Her voice was low, but soft, speaking as though the air were frail and would shatter if she were to talk louder. "Thonnir... I hate to ask, but what can you tell me about your wife?"

Thonnir looked up to Ava, his grief stricken features painted in fresh tears "Laelette? I thought she left to join the Stormcloaks." His face fell between his hands again as he shook. "Ah! My poor Laelette!"

"Stormcloaks?" Ava vaguely remembered her being a bit hardy, but to run off to war seemed a bit much. There had to have been more to it, a puppet master perhaps. "Did you notice anything strange before she left?"

"She began to spend a lot of time with Alva. Yet just a week before, she despised her. In fact, the night she disappeared, she was supposed to meet Alva. Alva told me later that she never showed up." The way he spoke of Alva reminded her of how Hroggar would; with a glassy look to the eyes that didn't seem natural, and a lack of energy or will behind the words. He only seemed to snap out of it when mentioning his wife. "I-I never got to tell her goodbye."

"Peculiar..." Yet another string tied to the strumpet. It wasn't looking good for Alva, she had a lot of bodies behind her and Hroggar. "I think they may have met after all."

"You think Alva... but that means... ye gods! You think Alva is a vampire? Don't you?!" 

Ava took a step back, expecting Thonnir to fly into a rage as he pushed himself off the ground, but he wasn't totally bewitched like Hroggar. "It is a possibility I can't ignore."

"No! You're wrong. You must be wrong. Laelette may have met her fate out in the marsh. I refuse to believe Alva had anything to do with this. There is no way you can prove it to the jarl!" He took a step closer, prompting Ava to reach for her dagger just to remember she didn't bring it.

For a split second Ava considered torching the whole town because of Thonnir's reaction. Was everyone this obsessed with Alva? If so, they may be a lost cause... then again if she were only bewitching men, the women here were capable enough, they could figure it out with useless brainwashed dicks.

Returning to reality she attempted to calm the man with a comforting hand on his shoulder, leaning in despite the risks, banking on attempts to charm him. "Why so defensive, friend? As you said, it could be the marsh." 

"I just hope Alva's not what you think she is." He then left, possibly unable to take any more questioning, or needing to go home and take time to comprehend what had happened. Ava didn't care as long as the guy wasn't about to tell Alva about the new potential development in the investigation.

Once alone, Ava rubbed her temples as she walked down the hill, feeling the potential hangover trying to come early after that conversation.

She attempted to review all she knew so far. Vampires were involved, Hroggar was innocent, Alva has some sort of involvement, Laelette was turned by someone, vampires usually don't work alone, and the men in this village were weak to seduction. As she thought of men being easily seduced in this town, her mind unfortunately wondered off to the ranger that appeared to be MIA. What if Alva was bewitching him as she was going over the case? By principle, she no longer could consider killing him as she originally planned when they first met. If Alva were to turn him against her, Ava doubted she'd be able to stop him. The thought alone made her heart squeeze in her chest.

Unable to rid herself of the prying thoughts of jealousy, Ava made a beeline around the bend of the town to Alva's home.

"Shit, locked.." Ava mumbled. The house was locked tighter than a misers purse in Riften. She pulled the cowl from the ranger hood over her head so to better blend with the night, and began tinkering with the door until the lock finally gave up to Ava's deft hands.

Not even three steps in and Ava was greeted by an agro Hroggar swinging his axe furiously at her, yet his face lacked any sign of emotion. It would've been a eerie sight worth beholding if he wasn't trying to imbed the blade in her head. "Fuck, seriously?!" She yelled, jumping away just in time to avoid catching the edge in her chest. She really didn't want to kill the man, but still didn't know any calming spells. Panic was rapidly settling in as she dodged again and again. She pulled the bow off her back but couldn't seem to concentrate or keep her balance long enough to notch an arrow. "Stop, Hroggar! Please!" She pled while inching around the furniture.

Soon Ava found herself cornered, and as a last ditch effort she swung her bow around like a sword. A loud crack resonated through the room, followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor, Hroggar's body. She scrambled to her knees to check his pulse, and to her relief he was simply knocked out. It was a strange sensation to be relieved about not killing a suspect for once.

She tied Hroggar's wrists to the nearby bed post with some leather strips, not wanting him to wake and attack while she was snooping. The position Hroggar was left in made a heck of a spectacle that someone was going to find eventually, just hopefully not until the case was closed.

Once satisfied with her work she slunk off to Alva's basement. 

In a normal setting, Ava would've considered the basement to be a style statement, an aesthetic not many were willing to embrace, but the coffin bed was nearly decisive evidence after the discovery of Laelette being a vampire. She first inspected the bed to make sure no one was hiding inside, but a journal peeking out from under the pillow made her eyes light up at the possibilities. "What do we have here?"

Thumbing through the notebook, she couldn't help but sympathize a little with the earlier entries. Like Alva, she once felt her life as monotonous and mundane, and the only thing making it interesting was a morally questionable, mysterious man. That's where the similarities ended, though. By the end she was furious, the betrayal of the Dark Brotherhood still fresh, it made her despise Alva even more for her hand in a plot against Morthal.

Not wanting to risk running into Alva, she quickly fled the house with the intent of going to the jarl, but first came face to face with Bishop who'd already figured out where she'd ran off to. "Breaking locks again, sweetness?" He stood tall with his arms crossed, nothing new for him, but the way the moonlight highlighted his hair, yet shaded his rugged face, her heart skipped a beat.

"I had my reasons." She waved the journal in his face, which he snatched from her before she could even blink.

As he flipped through the pages, she'd became lost in his features, growing curious the longer she looked. What was the story behind each scar? How many were there? Did he always smell as sweet as snowberries? How would he react if she ran her hands through his locks or touched his cheeks? His guard wasn't completely down, but he seemed more at ease with her by his side, and that was pulling her in again much like their playful flirting earlier at the inn, yet the drunken feeling had faded while the attraction remained.

Slowly her gaze began to fall, snaking down his torso until it brought her to his injured arm he must've wrapped while she was fighting Hroggar. Were this a few days prior she would've made a joke about how they're trying to one up each other on injuries; but instead the sight made her stomach twist knowing it was her fault.

"You do realize the old crone is probably asleep now, right?" He asked, closing the journal and handing it back, breaking her concentration. "You're better off waiting until morning."

Ava was about to protest, but the longer she stood still next to Bishop, the more she started to feel the fatigue replace the adrenaline from her fight. What in Oblivion was she thinking fighting like that when she was still recovering, and drunk? For the first time since they started working together, she gave in without a witty argument. "All right, you win." She scanned the ceaseless marsh behind Bishop, and for a brief second could've swore near the mill she spotted a pair of glowing eyes staring back. Suddenly them talking outside didn't feel like the best idea. "Race you to the inn?" As if she could even beat him when completely healthy.

"Depends, what do I get when I win?"

"Hmmm, winner gets bragging rights and loser pays for the night at Mooreside?"

It was a boring wager, but Bishop wasn't about to turn down her paying for the night. "Dinner is on you, then!" He took off in a sprint with Karnwyr on his heels, leaving Ava in the dust. She was already regretting her ploy to retreat indoors, but gritting teeth through the exhaustion she ran after them.

Just as predicted though, her pockets were a little lighter by the end of the night.

Chapter 12: Speaking of the Dead.

"Well? Is Hroggar innocent or not?!" A shrill old voice demanded, causing the exhausted ex-assassin jump from fright.

"Oh, um, I have...." Fumbling with her knapsack, she raced to reveal a journal that appeared rather worn out. "I have Alvas diary." She huffed a sigh in relief as Ravencrone began reading the journal silently, thinking to herself how the old ladies voice had a likeness to a hag-ravens talons on stone.

"So it's true. The traitorous bitch!" Jarl Ravencrone slammed the journal shut between her hands. "Young lady, Morthal owes you and your friend a debt." She paused, perhaps pondering how to handle the nearby threat of vampires. "Now I know you were both promised a reward for solving the fire, but I need one more favor before then." Unfortunately, Ava could see where this was going, and was almost ready to storm out if it weren't for the fact Ravencrone was dangling their pay in front of her like a treat for a mutt. "Morthal is still in danger. The journal mentions Movarth, a master vampire I thought was destroyed a century ago. I'll gather together some able-bodied warriors to clean out Movarth's lair. Get ready, I'll have them waiting outside for you to lead them."

But of course it'd be something Ava wasn't keen on doing. Leading a group of people when she'd always worked solo or in pairs was a tall order she wanted nothing to do with, but it must be done to get paid. "Of course, my jarl." Ava clinched her fists as she forced the words between her teeth before stomping off to the Mooreside.

The village felt calm in contrast to Ava's inner turmoil, but she couldn't help but wonder if it were a metaphorical eye of the storm. The cold sent a shock to her system, but the crisp air wasn't enough to force her senses awake for a fight. No, stamina potions were going to be needed. Luckily she had a few tucked away with her gear.

As if it wasn't bad enough that she still hadn't completely recovered from her prior injuries and blood loss, but she couldn't get any sleep last night either. Once alone she kept replaying the events of that evening; what Helgi told her, Bishop saving her from Laelette, Hroggar attacking her, Bishop getting injured, the way Alva chose to betray her people, even how magical Bishop looked waiting for her in the moonlight. No matter where her thoughts were, they would find their way back to Bishop, and as the wee hours of the morning passed it went from comforting to infuriating.

Much to Ava's misfortune though, the potions would have to wait as Bishop and Karnwyr were on the Mooreside steps waiting for her. "Don't like that look you got, ladyship. Let me guess, the ol' crone wants us to get rid of Movarth, and you couldn't refuse her. Am I right?"

She stepped over his sitting form with little care of personal space before crossing her arms and leaning against the railing. "You should consider turning your deduction skills into an act." Her eyes darted away to the burnt down house, wondering if her frustrations were painted all over her face, or had she let her guard down so much he could read her like a book? "Sort of hard to refuse when she's keeping our pay until Movarth is a pile of ash."

"It's not your problem if Morthal can't hold off an onslaught of vampires." Bishop pulled himself up from the steps, groaning in annoyance. "Though I would hate to not get paid for our efforts. So what are we waiting for?"

"An angry mob." She spat out monotonously.

Bishop scoffed to her comment, not taking her seriously. "Princess, with your temper I don't think a raging crowd could match you."

Ava's face twisted to his comment but lacked the energy to defend herself or deflect with theatrics. "Still think you like our odds with just us?" She was speaking in reference to the first day they met, though doubted Bishop would remember saying anything like that to her. "Because guards are already pulling people from their homes." She nodded towards a building in the distance, a scene playing out of two guards knocking on a door, practically dragging able bodied adults out.

"So a group of villagers who've never had to hunt before are supposed to fight a den of vampires. As if that's not a disaster waiting to happen." Bishop passed behind Ava, taking the empty spot on the railing next to her as he watched the guards with her. Karnwyr laid at their feet between them, yawning loudly.

"It gets worse..." She grumbled, feeling all too aware to his close presence. "I should get ready. Do you have a stamina potion? I need a pick me up..." Ava pushed off from the railing, taking a step back for her own sanity. "No, what I really need is enough skooma to kill a charging bear." She softly smiled to herself at her cynical humor.

Bishop raised a brow to her initial statement, what could be worse than the dwemer construct explosion that is the group gathering outside the jarl house? He turned around to look at her, resting his elbows against the railing. "Nope, but you can always search me if you think I'm lying. I wouldn't mind you using a hands on approach."

She puffed a single laugh to his comment. "In your dreams, ranger. Grabbing one of my own would be faster... maybe."

"I'd take a while with you, ladyship." The ranger was quick to argue against her sly comment about how fast he'd be, an eye roll accompanying his quip. "But hurry up, will you? If it gets dark before you come out I'm leaving you to the vampires."

It was still early morning, so the comment left Ava befuddled. Was he insinuating that she was slow to get ready, or simply being a cheeky? Either one wasn't necessarily welcome at that moment. "Then I guess I'll have to come back a vampire and suck you-..." There was a squeak in embarrassment when she realized how poorly constructed her threat was, this time her hands physically clasping over her mouth in regret. "W-wait no I mean-!"

The damage was already done, she couldn't burry the words, not with the way Bishop was howling in laughter at her cock-up. "Ladyship, you don't have to be a vampire to do that. Besides, wouldn't want you to mess up that pretty face of yours."

"Sh-shut up! You know what I meant!"

"But do I really know, sweetness? I might need a demonstration." By now, Bishop knew when he was pressing her buttons, but he couldn't resist. He sometimes got a kick out of seeing the small spitfire of a woman become a little heated.

"To Oblivion with you, then!" That would mark the second time in the past ten minutes Ava got angry enough to walk away, but unfortunately this time she'd been much less restrained which gained the attention of a few bystanders.

The Mooreside felt like a ghost town with Jonna still resting in an untouched guest room. Her not witnessing how frustrated Ava felt when she stormed in was the only relief the day provided thus far.

Taking a moment to breathe, and knock back a few stamina and health potions, Ava began cooling off, which meant dwelling on her words. Was she really that rude to Bishop? Yeah he was intentionally toying with her, but did he deserve to be told off like that? It was going to plague her mind as long as it was left unresolved, but out of stubbornness she wasn't about to go out without getting prepared first.

The usual old getup of a button-up black and red top and black pants were getting a little old and worn out after the escape from Solitude, not to mention they were her unofficial Dark Brotherhood uniform. Ava wasn't a fan of the skintight leather suit that rivaled fetish-wear, felt they were too obvious in the chance a civilian saw her, then there was the potential amount of sweat. Long story short, she had no choice but to pick the same clothes she wore when she barely escaped with her life. She made a mental note that the first thing she's buying once paid is some new clothing. Something easy to move around in.

Fully dressed in her Brotherhood garb, and a pouch of supplies at the ready, everything else seemed set, except for her own heart which wasn't in it. At least she had plenty of arrows, a dagger, and enough potions to go around. 

Upon leaving, it came as no surprise that Bishop was no longer waiting for her outside, but she still was disappointed by his absence. She sighed and continued on to the laughable mob that consisted of Thonnir, Lami, Benor, and Jorgen. What, they couldn't spare maybe the two guards that were checking houses, or the jarls house carl? Her spirits were drowning at an alarming rate.

"So this is the crew." Ava attempted to sound confident like a commander since that's what Ravencrone said she'd be doing, but her tone came out closer to arrogant.

Almost instantly everyone appeared somewhat ticked off to her unintentional attitude, so much for Nords being tough if tone was enough to offend them. At least when Thonnir spoke it broke the tension. "I'm going to Movarth's Lair to kill that monster. Are you with me?" He stepped toward Ava, hand extended as an invitation. 

Thankful that Thonnir understood she meant well, Ava grasped his forearm and he did the same as they shook in agreement. "I'm in." The other members began shouting their own war cries, none the same or in unison.

The sorry excuse of a mob took off in a hurry out of town. It was a relief Thonnir knew the way, as Ava would've accidentally led them directly to a giants camp if she were the real leader.

"How are you so certain that this is the right way?" The ex-assassin asked in a hushed tone, her and Thonnir walking in unison ahead of the others.

"Been here my whole life, heard stories from my ma as a padfoot. Most of us thought them to be cautionary tales so we don't run off at night, but I knew better than to ignore the tales."

"In that case, perhaps it could be a good thing to reconsider some of the stories I was told as a young'n. Though I'm sure I won't need to worry about the fables about dragons." The duo chuckle at the thought. Dragons? No way. A mighty creature of a bigone Era, lost to time, and it was better that way 

Outside the lair was an alarming amount of nightshade flowers, and the sickening scent of blood that made those not accustom to it gag. For Ava the stench was an afterthought as she was greeted by Bishop and Karnwyr waiting outside the mouth of the cave. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone had to be useful while you were playing dress up." His harsh words stung like a backhand across the face.

She crossed her arms, a lack of patience in her voice. "That doesn't answer my question, Bishop."

"Don't tell me you think so low of me that you're assuming I tossed my lot in with the undead creeps. Use that pretty head of yours, ladyship, I was scouting ahead."

"Oh.." Her stance eased up a bit, but whispers of unease from Benor, Lami, and Jorgen began the longer they spoke. "Well, what did you see?"

"Rainbows and butterflies. Alva naked and enough ale to swim in." Bishop started with unnecessary sarcasm. "Did you expect anything other than vampires and their brainwashed human pets? There's at least half a dozen of 'em. There were a few decent areas to pick them off from a distance, but I'd recommend avoiding the tight corners, unless you're planning to offer yourself up as a snack."

Jorgen stepped forward towards Ava and grabbed her shoulder for her attention. To Ava he simply seemed nervous as he opened his mouth to speak a few times before rediscovering words. She didn't know that behind her Bishop was all but murduring him with his glare, waiting for Jorgen to fuck up. "We're heading back, good luck, but this isn't for us. It is not our fight."

"Some capable fighters of the jarl the lot of you are." Thonnir bitterly spat at the ones that wasted no time to retreat.

"We don't need cowards anyways." Ava reassured Thonnir, but her glare told the other villagers she meant it for them too, baiting them to prove her wrong, which none of them took.

Bishop let out a cynical laugh, expecting nothing less from the villagers that hadn't been personally victimized by the vampires yet. "Yet they need us. Think we should charge 'em later for this."

Ava spun on her heels to face the deep dark unknown of the rancid cave, strutting through the entrance ahead of the others like it were a throne room and she were leading a party of knights.

"Stop stomping around like a damn swamp boar!" Bishop chided before they were even ten feet in, gaining more ire from Ava.

"The entrance is right there, it's fine!" She angrily whispered back, yet still crouched down and took more care with how she stepped; a small victory to Bishop since she listened to him anyways.

Along their descent it was noted that a few bodies were strewn across the floor. Mainly giant spiders, but a few thralls laid amongst them too, bringing a curious eyebrow raise from Thonnir. "This yer handiwork?" He questioned Bishop, sounding impressed.

"Did you think I'd snuck past all of them to get a head count? I doubt even missy here could pull that off."

Ava stopped in her tracks to Bishops comment. Was he being serious and doubting her, or was he trying to challenge her? "And here I thought I was invisible."

At the cavern floor they were faced with a whole different beast in terms of disgusting. Sure the lighting was better, but the stench of blood was enough to even turn up Ava's nose, and the rotting flesh nearly made Thonnir hurl. Karnwyr whimpered once to the assault his senses experienced, and Bishop felt about the same but still gave the wolf a comforting pat on the head.

"How the-" Thonnir resisted the urge to gag. "How in Oblivion can they stomach this?"

Bishop shook his head, taking the lead in a subconscious attempt to finish the job and get out faster. "To them this is the bones after a buffet."

Their hushed chatter was brought to a fast stop as they heard dirt shifting and what sounded like some man talking to himself. They kept their eyes peeled but couldn't seem to locate the source. 

Feeling her ego slightly bruised to the comment about sneaking, Ava shoved past Bishop and followed the sound until she found herself above a vampire in a shallow grave he was dumping multiple victims into.

Be it a call from the void or a morbid sense of humor, but she wanted so bad to raise the bodies to startle the vampire, but proving a point was more important. Holding her breath she lept down from the small perch, blade before her prepared to impale the vampire through the back of the neck.

Ava disappeared down a hole which seemed to be the source of the stench, but that wasn't Bishops first concern as just when she jumped a loud hiss rang out from the same location. There was almost no sound after, other than a groan that he'd recognize anywhere. He could feel his hands becoming antsy as he waited for a sign of life, sharing a concerned look with Thonnir and Karnwyr before rushing to the edge to check on her.

To his surprise and relief, Ava was fine, more or less. She was sitting in the ashes, trying with all her might to get rancid blood off of her boots, as if she didn't have some on her face. "Dammit!" She quietly cursed in defeat before looking up above her, where her eyes met with Bishops. In an instant her cheeks reddened from embarrassment. "Wh-what?! Didn't think I could handle it?" 

"Nope, not at all." He answered monotonously, his deadpan expression hard to read. "How about you quit playing with the dead and get up." Both guys held out a hand to pull her up, which she took both before using their grip to jump up on her own instead of letting them lift her.

Thonnir glanced around briefly, trying to remember which way they came from. First he looked to Ava but she gave a clueless shrug, causing a unsurprised Bishop to take lead again. Him and Thonnir began walking again, leaving the shallow grave, but Ava kept looking at the bodies, a devious plan brewing. "Speaking of playing with dead bodies..."

Chapter 13: Taboo Magic is a Necessity

Ava's plan initially left Thonnir mortified though he seemed to come around, Karnwyr wanted to use one of the less rotten corpses as a chew toy, and Bishop seemed a little less surprised than she originally expected.

It was quite the scene, though, once everyone came to terms with the idea. It was a taboo skill tactic they needed.

As she cast her spell, everything around her turned a sickening green while the light engulfed more of the area before her. It wasn't long until the bodies bellow her began to groan and rise.

Four took to the spell, which was just enough to start a mass confusion amongst the vampires. With her spell she controlled all of them, ordering each of them to delve ahead and attack those who killed them.

Corpses on a revenge path was oddly poetic, and after a few seconds passed Ava and Bishop took place on the overhanging path to the main chamber, sniping at the blood suckers while Thonnir and Karnwyr picked off at any that were on the outskirts of the crowd.

Much to Thonnirs disappointment, he didn't get the chance to avenge his wife directly by choking the life out of Alva, it appeared that one of the vampires handled that before they arrived.

Once the smoke cleared, it was oddly uncomfortable between everyone. Thonnir wasn't used to such work, and as his grief was as large as ever he was left with a feeling of emptiness that brought down the room.

Ravencrone later was informed of Thonnir's heroics, and with as ear splitting of a voice as ever she thanked him and gave him his own sum of septims.

They split off then, though Thonnir offered to help them in the future as a thanks for finding out what happened to Laelette. Bishop and Ava were both relieved to have Thonnir gone, but for very different reasons. Ava felt like Thonnir was seconds away from asking her if there were some way she could let him converse with Laelette through her, as if that were possible, while Bishop didn't like how he was looking at her.

The night was meant to be drowned in booze and horker steak, but Ava could feel the exhaustion hitting harder than normal as her stamina potions wore off. So after her meal she quickly turned in, leaving the ranger and wolf to entertain themselves. 

As the next day came, Ava woke a bit earlier than her norm from someone's hot and not so pleasant breath blowing in her face. She nearly jumped for her blade before realizing it was Karnwyr who must've decided to be her pillow for the night. She scratched behind the wolves ear, mumbling to him that he was a good boy.

Falling back to sleep was tempting, but this was to be their last day in town, and she really needed new clothes before hitting the road. 

Nabbing one of her pouches of gold, she quietly left for the general goods store first, hoping to find something comfortable and functional.

It was a tense feeling, seeing as the store owner was one of the deserters, but Ava held back any comments as they'd be useless. Instead she browsed the clothes, looking for anything useful, but either they weren't her size or were dresses just a bit too long for parading through the forests. On the verge of giving up she spotted a black and green outfit consisting of a sweater, pants, boots, and scarf. Sure they looked a little worn, and the sweater had a steep plunge, but something about the energy that came from the clothes felt like the dark energy that Morthal was surrounded by. With her necromancy secret out of the bag, would it be so bad to indulge in the forbidden magic just a bit more? "I'll take these!" She exclaimed, "Is there somewhere here I could change?"

The store clerk looked a bit confused by the request but pointed to a nearby closet Ava could use.

A silence fell upon the store as Ava was getting dressed, but the clerk was quickly losing to curiosity. "Where are you from?"

Ava hummed to herself for a second before answering. "High Rock, why?"

"That explains it. Foreigners are odd." The clerk thought outloud, but quickly tried to make up for the comment. "I think the courier was looking for you. Was looking for some girl that matches your description, said the letter was from very far northwest."

This came as a shock to Ava, why would someone from her native land be trying to contact her? No reason anyone should be looking for her since her self exile, unless something was horribly wrong.

She rushed out of the closet, fully dressed in her new outfit. "Do you happen to know where they are?"

"Can't say. He came to town yesterday evening on his normal rounds just like all the others do, so I imagine he'll be sticking around until tomorrow at the least." 

"Thanks!" Ava left the septims on the counter and high-tailed it for the door.

"What about your other clothes?!"

"Burn them!"

Ava at first was rushing out so she could see what could possibly be so important her family was reaching out to her, but quickly changed her mind. She convinced herself in record time that it was better for everyone if she didn't get involved, which meant her hastening back to the inn.

She'd almost made it to the door when a familiar tall handsome figure clad in dark leathers stepped through the entrance. "Hey Bishop, mind if we start getting ready to leave? I have some business to handle in Riften." Which technically wasn't a lie, she'd been considering taking up ranks with the thieves guild, or at the least visit Raven, the puppy-love-struck guy deserved a thanks.

Bishop of course first noticed her new attire. It fit her personality, and showed them off well. Briefly he took in the delicious sight she was before tossing her wore out knapsack in her direction. "Way ahead of you, Princess. What's the rush though? Piss off one of the villagers?"

Ava shook her head vigorously. "Just tired of the village. It's hard to stay in one place for long." Which was technically true but not her main goal.

"You too, huh?" He seemed genuinely sympathetic, or at the least understanding, "Lets get going then."

Ava nodded, pulling out her replacement map and compass before turning around so to take the trail south. She'd made it a few steps past the bridge out of town when they noticed the sound of fast paced heavy footsteps catching up to them. She groaned in annoyance, already knowing who it was, while Bishop huffed a sigh and Karnwyr growled as a warning. 

"I've been looking for you! You're A. Ashcroft, correct?" Ava barely nodded in time before the courier shoved a letter in her hands. "Got this letter for you, your hands only."

She blinked a few times, debating whether to yell at the man or thank him. "Right..." Instead of saying anything else, she turned away fast and continued south, leaving the courier with his outstretched palm asking for a tip standing there. Bishop practically howled in laughter seeing how she quickly disregarded the man, not realizing yet how distraught Ava was.

Chapter 14: The Most Depressing "Only One Bed"

Notes:

Sorry I've been gone for a bit, was hard to get myself to write during my six month academic suspension, now that it is ending and life is screwing me in a different way (financial stuff) I am finding myself running off to writing again. Seems ill be back more both because it's easier to write while going through the grad program, but also because it's a nice escape from work troubles.

As noon and evening came and passed, the schadenfreude Bishop was indulging in over the courier evaporated. Perhaps he'd spent too much time around Ava as of late because he and Karnwyr both could see when something was eating at her. Whatever was the contents of that letter, she didn't want to talk about it, but it also left her distracted, anxious. From his perspective, she was scared, which went from concerning to irritating as time passed.

The night was silent beyond a few words, and for a moment it seemed like she was about to open up, but soon it was nothing but crickets. In a way, that was probably best as they were spending the night in an abandoned one room cabin, but Ava always had a joke, question, or story up her sleeve. Not this time. His most tolerated drama queen was out of order with no telling when she'd be fixed.

Sure, Bishop understood needing space, bad memories, and the like. He struggled with some of those problems nightly when younger, but he'd never seen her shut down like this before, not even when she first woke in Morthal.

When they wound down and put out the small fire, Ava sat on the bed, huddled up in the corner where she eventually dozed off without saying a word. At first Bishop didn't mind the idea of her taking the only bed for herself, he'd slept on the ground most of his life, but after seeing how little room she was taking up he started feeling all the frustrations brought on by her that evening rise to the surface. First being as unreadable as a dwemer construct, then letting so much space go unused while he took the floor?

In all reality he was looking for a reason to be mad at her, something to excuse his annoyance building up over not knowing how to help. He had an idea to turn the tables, but in turn it only brought them closer - literally - as he soon moved onto her bed, taking up the vacant space beside her. Either she'd move or be forced to stay in that position all night. A petty act, but given the unusual circumstances it made him feel a little better.

Unbeknownst to him, Ava was still awake, or at least enough to be vaguely aware of her surroundings. After being around the two of them for so long, she'd grown used to their cues for danger. She didn't care that he chose to lay in the free space beside her, in fact it was almost comforting knowing someone was at her side.

A few moments passed before Ava attempted to be greedy with this feeling of calm he was providing, his presence that'd started pulling her out of the darkness. Her hand slid down to his head resting next to her lap, but just as her fingertips made contact with his soft fluffy locks, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand away with an annoyed grunt. He didn't want to be treated like some emotional support pet, and was still more interested in letting his emotions stew a bit longer.

Taking the hint, Ava didn't give it another try, instead mumbling the equivalent of "Sorry" to him in Bretic instead of Cyrodiilic before letting herself slip off to sleep for the night. She trusted that with his presence she wouldn't fall into the well of nightmares. The ones she had in Morthal were enough.

All too soon the early morning sun crest the horizon, bringing Bishop along with, but unlike the delicate sunrays he was feeling quite restless.

Karnwyr - as instructed by Bishop - stayed in the cabin with Ava as he prepared to go on an outing by himself. The excuse he told himself was wanting to sort out his thoughts completely alone, but truly he didn't want to leave Ava unguarded.

The forest brought him a sense of peace he rarely felt elsewhere, at least while sober. Even with all the dangers it held, at least it didn't try to hide what it was. In a way, he started feeling similarly about Ava as he did being lost in nature. It was a strange feeling to him though; beginning to trust someone other than himself and Karnwyr. But then he wondered if Ava was willing to trust him as well.

Meanwhile, the feeling of movement on the bed led to Ava stirring a bit, leaning deeper against the wall as her face pressed against the wood in an unflattering way. She felt her self awareness slowly rear itself amidst her sleep, but it was like watching an abstract dream moments before waking. Voices of her family goading her to jump, but as she did, no longer was she falling into a pile of hay, but heading back first towards the icey waters below the College of Winterhold, arms flailing out of fear. 

Ava must've made a few concerning sounds, because when she woke just before her dream body collided with the frozen shores, Karnwyr was looking to her with his head tilted. Poor pooch appeared more concerned than most people of Skyrim are capable of. "Sorry, buddy." She sighed, shaking off the feeling of stiffness from how she slept.

Her hands rested at her sides briefly as she slowly woke, fingers absent-mindedly tracing the warmth left behind by Bishop. It was apparent from the start he was missing from their merry band of outcasts, but she didn't worry. He could manage himself well, and as long as Karnwyr was around it meant she hadn't been abandoned, yet.

As she fully woke, her mind soon wondered off to the letter, bringing a frown to her face. She didn't need to see it to read it, the whole thing had been memorized.

Dear Ava

I know it's been over a year since we last talked or seen each other, and by now it is well overdue. Have you found a better life? People that won't run you off? I'm helping expand the company, and found an investor in Helgen. You've always had a way of convincing people, come help the family one more time, then celebrate over some mead? The meeting will be on the 17th of Last Seed.

Love, Timothee.

P.s. Dad misses his protégé.

Her face twisted at the thought. She missed her family, but leave it to Timothee to be condescending in letter form instead of acting like he actually gave a shit. Timothee wasn't always that way, at one point they were thick as thieves until he saw how much attention she got from their father. Typical little brother with a trickster complex. If they weren't related she'd suspect he wanted to meet in Helgen so Imperials could put her to the chopping block for necromancy and her less than legal work.

The self-exile from her family was for a reason. Seeing any of them again would be like cutting open an old wound that barely healed, but the temptation remained all the same."What do you think? Think I should see him?"

She knew the wolf had no idea who he was, but she appreciated his bark in response followed by a few licks of her hand. "That a yes then? I don't think I could handle facing Timothee alone..."

The layers of worry started weighing her down again, but she'd also found her mind roaming off to Bishop, and how having him close as she slept made her feel like everything would be fine. Maybe somehow she could convince him to come with when seeing Timothee, or at the least accompany her to the town? For shame she let herself grow so comfortable with a person, but in the same breath he was the only person to stick around when she was betrayed.

"17th of Last Seed..." Thumbing through her notebook she checked over a handwritten calendar. "That's in five days, if we took some horses or a carriage there'd be plenty of time to get to Helgen from Riften... or to die and avoid the meeting altogether." It sounded like a lot of ground to cover though in that time, maybe taking the offer to join the Thieves Guild could wait? Not like she was most keen on it anyways, but she was practically groomed most of her formative years for such work. Perhaps visit the ruins of the Dark Brotherhood instead? If lucky, her gold stashed away was untouched.

She continued to take notes about the potential meet-up, looking a little more lively than the evening prior, though the only thing breathing life into her was the hope that Bishop wouldn't mind being a crutch of sorts. At least until her family was out of the province. 

Amidst her writing she didn't hear Bishop approaching the cabin. In hindsight, she should've expected Karnwyr wouldn't react to his return in the same way he would an intruder, but the only thing she could say then was a surprised "Oh shit!" While restraining herself from throwing her book at him in response of being frightened.

"Good to see you too, ladyship." He teased, finding her wide eyed and caught unguarded a nice change.

"Of course it's good to see me!" Her lips twisted up in a weak smirk that held her anxiety at bay, continuing the word play. "Though I suppose it is good to see you too."

"I could show you better than just good." It sounded like their normal flirty banter to her, not realizing Bishop was intending to steer the conversation in a certain direction.

Like a luna moth caught in a web, Ava played into his ruse seamlessly. "Oh really? What do you have in mind, ranger?"

"Well, how do you feel about surprises?" He rubbed the back of his neck, not bashful but nervous? The first hint she caught that he wasn't being his normal self.

"That depends. What surprise did you have in mind?"

Bishop chuckled to her question, "If I tell you, it won't be a surprise. Come on, get your nose out of your maps and books, and just follow me."

It was a strange request of him, but she really could go for a distraction, she had five days to kill, or to die. "Sure, why not. I could go for a change."

The plan went so much better than originally anticipated, fueling Bishop. With a wolf grin and outstretched calloused hand, he pulled Ava up from the bed with a simple tug. "Guess you'll be viewing my ass for once! This way, ladyship. We want to get there while it's still light. No detours."

Notes:

Sorry if this one is a little odd. I wrote most of it back in April after the suspension started (my writing process I like to have the next chapter in the drafts when I publish one, that way I have another to jump right into) but back then it just didn't feel right no matter the changes. Eventually I chose to simply step away for a bit.

Seeing as it is being read by you, clearly I've at least reached a point I'm somewhat comfortable with publishing this chapter of mostly silent realizations. Must say it feels a little weird to me, regardless of editing. I hope whoever finds this enjoys it.

Chapter 15: Kisses and Sacrifices

Notes:

Hi! I ended up overthinking this chapter way too hard, or else I would've shared this much sooner. 

Guess what

The next chapter is a very special day in Skyrim.

Check the end notes for the answer

It wasn't a first for Bishop to take the lead considering how hopeless Ava could be without a map, but this was different. There was a purpose in Bishops step, a secret destination, and it felt as though not even nature was going to get in his way. A few bandits running a "I need help" scheme tried to break his stride, but it seemed nothing was slowing him down.

As they climbed higher she became enamored by the gorgeous golden hues that tinted the leaves, revealing another reason for her to love the Rift, flaws, corruption, and all. 

"Wow..." She sighed in content. If it weren't for Bishop pushing forward she would've stopped there and sat at the edge of the cliff side in the shade of a crumbling watchtower, enjoying the sight for a while longer. The lake far below was gorgeous in the setting sunlight, appearing as though made of mead adorned with lavender and nightshade.

Karnwyr hung back near the bandits campfire, lapping away at the raw meat they were about to roast, as Bishop brought her not only into the crumbling structure she was admiring, but also up the first flight of steps to the platform well above a massive drop. Somehow, standing there with the only thing keeping her from falling being wooden planks felt exhilarating! Her heart was fluttering!

As they stood there, Bishop gazed out along the sprawling land below before turning towards Ava, his body so carelessly close to the edge, as though he were familiar with the building. "Well, here we are. It's no Throat of the World but its mine. Well, partly mine, a long time ago. My first home in Skyrim."

She'd never seen him vulnerable in any way; shy, embarrassed, anxious, none of them. So the way Bishop held out his arms and spoke of the tower they stood in, she couldn't help but feel a faint but genuine smile form to his gesture. "Its breathtaking, Bishop, but why did you bring me here?"

"It's where I found Karnwyr as a cub. I haven't been here for... damn, always feels longer than it actually is." His eyes shifted around briefly, nervously, a light chuckle passing his lips. "I've never brought anyone here before."

The admission made Ava's emotions swell as the gravity of his words settled in. "That's very sweet, this place must mean a lot to you.."

"Yeah.. it does. This tower's still standing because of a man I once knew... he's gone now. Anyway. I made the first good decision of my life here, I wanted to make you a part of it..." He paused briefly, but the look of confusion Ava wore after the mention of the man he once knew caused Bishop to hasten. He needed to get his point across, but her wide hazel-green eyes watching him so intently provided no help. "Ugh, I'm still not being clear, am I? You're here because... Trust doesn't come easy for me. To me, this is the most important place in Skyrim. I wanted you to know..."

The energy between them was nearly palpable by the time Bishop's words stopped flowing. She wanted to ask if he really trusted her even though she hid her Brotherhood ties from him, or question him on what he was getting at. Instead, she answered with sarcasm, like an absolute imbecile. "Who are you and what have you done with my Bishop?"

On one hand Ava could count the amount of times she willingly wanted to throw herself off a cliff for saying something stupid at the worst time, and suddenly that ground hundreds of feet below them was looking quite appealing.

"Oh for- really? Bishop is standing right here, just took a chance and told you he trusts you." He sounded a twinge hurt to her inability to take him seriously. "Are you willing to do the same, to trust me?"

Ava was taken aback by his question, to the point she nearly stepped away so she could attempt comprehending what he meant. At face value he was admitting he trusts her, but then why was the heat rushing to her face and butterflies swarming her stomach? Was this a ploy to make her talk about why she was so stand-offish since Morthal? No... Bishop was a lot of things, but indirect wasn't one of them. If he wanted answers he'd ask, right? Choosing to take him at face value she answered, "You've never given me a reason not to." 

"Then let me give you more reasons to." 

Bishop pulled her close, much closer than they've ever been before - not counting archery training. She could feel his touch like a comforting glow on her waist, as his other hand kept her chin tilted to him. There was certainly no room for Sithis between them as his lips crashed upon hers, making every question she held melt away. For that moment, nothing mattered except his declaration of affection.

As they broke off she stepped back from him, drawing in a sharp breath before exclaiming "You just kissed me!"

The count continued to grow with another ridiculous comment, and the embarrassment was written all over her face.

Bishop crossed his arms between them, raising an eyebrow to her reaction. "You only just noticed?" He was preparing for her to be annoyed, shoulders square, face hardening.

"It was kind of hard to miss!" Ava shot back, her mind abuzz. None of the things she practiced in terms of seduction accounted for her own emotions, leaving her dumbfounded.

Seeing she wasn't about to shove him off the edge Bishop relaxed a bit while chuckling to her expression that he found to be cuter than he'd admit any time soon. "If I had known you'd react like this I would have done it sooner." He quickly cleared his throat, bringing a close to the moment before anymore awkward fumbles could destroy it. "Yeah so... I'm not exactly a romance kind of guy. Come on. Let's get back out there. Bandits aren't gonna kill themselves."

The sudden shift in subject wasn't unwelcome, but it did cause Ava some emotional whiplash. In a sense, she was so hopeless with expressing herself a few seconds ago that any other topic was a positive. On the other end, though, she wouldn't have minded a chance to redeem herself by saying she's trusted him since the day he saved her from bleeding out. Most people would've likely left her to die, especially if they knew of her ties to Sithis or the string of political deaths following her.

"R-right..." Looking off to her side, her dark hair falling around her eyes, she tried hard to find something at least half intelligent to say. "The sun will soon set, do you mind if we stay here tonight instead? Bandits, bears, trolls, whatever else can wait for now, yeah?" 

Bishop glanced up at the tower. The floors above them were in shambles at best, it had fallen on hard times again compared to years ago. Still better than some of the ruins they've slept in before. "As my lady wishes."

Ava clasped her hands together with a grin in her eyes, relieved and not even considering the fact that in a sense was her asking to stay at his place after having a somewhat intimate moment. "Have any suggestions where to set our supplies? This is your domain, after all."

"How about you head upstairs, ladyship, I'll be there soon." He stood by as he watched her ascend the ramp to the next floor, watching her ass sway under her knapsack. An undeniable hop in her step.

A strange smell wafted from the next floor out the doorway, colliding with Ava's nose. If she hadn't spent time traveling with a mead caravan a year prior she would've thought some poor animal drowned itself in wine before turning itself inside out. No, this was the scent of some poor drunken sod three sheets to the wind, piss drunk and passed out with more alcohol than blood in its body. How she didn't notice it earlier was beyond her, but if this was the bandit troupes sniper, he was doing a bang up job at letting them down, seeing as they were taking a dirt nap as punishment for their poor acting and ambush attempt.

Ava, trying not to think of the smell, crossed her arms as she propped herself against the wall. She could kill him, but cleaning up the blood, along with his other bodily fluids he'd already left, would've been annoying. Instead, she felt it could be fun to give him a fighting chance by testing how sloshed he truly was.

First she dropped her knapsack down on a table obnoxiously, not breaking eye contact. Nothing more than some snoring. Great. Next she poked him a few times with a book so to keep some semblance of distance, and again, nothing.

Rolling the louse off the ramp to the rocks below crossed her mind, but what fun would that be, making herself all sweaty and exhausted in the process? Seeing if he could fly wouldn't be worth the effort.

Looking back towards her bag she noticed her scarf hanging out of the top, and a devious idea came to mind. 

A few moments passed along with a fit of giggles, Ava dawned the hood she still hadn't returned to Bishop, a book in one hand and dagger in the other started shouting, "Oh Mephala! Accept this human sacrifice drunken in lies and full of lust so that I may conceal secrets!" She stood over the drunkard, observing whether he was hearing her. If the stirring said anything, he certainly heard something. She cleared her throat and began again. "Queen of murder, lies, and sex. Mephala my patron, I call upon you for a sign that this sacrifice will suffi-!" She squeaked as the man coming to his senses stumbled to his feet in likeness of a newborn deer, eyes darting around wildly before clamoring out the door and down the ramp. It was a miracle the terrified intruder hadn't run completely off the edge before plummeting. 

Ava grinned widely to herself as the shrieks faded in the distance, proud of her handiwork. She didn't sense yet that she was being watched until a few loud claps behind her made her jump in place before whirling around. "Well done, ladyship. I haven't seen a convincing act like that in ages." It sounded so sarcastic, but the grin he wore betrayed his tone. Bishop actually did find her prank rather funny.

"Quit sneaking up on me like that, or you may be next!" She hissed, but despite the slight annoyance that he managed to scare her, again, she was too high on the excitement to be serious or acknowledge any other feeling.

He stepped closer, as close as he was when he kissed her before pulling the hood down to reveal her head. "Then who's going to keep you on your toes, huh?" Bishop knew what he was doing, making her heart race again before doing something not as romantic or ceremonious as the kiss. He was toying with her, and yes, keeping her on her toes.

Notes:

17th of Last Seed 

Chapter 16: 17th of Last Seed

Notes:

Apologies to anyone that wanted a lot more of Bishop + Ava time. There's a funny moment close to the beginning between them, then her taking out someone's ankles for being a dick towards Bishop, but other than that we're exploring the unusual bond between her and Timothee.

Dating a traveling companion had it's own strange perks, yet also didn't change as much as Ava initially expected or feared. The biggest difference thus far was the kisses. It's not as though they were frequent, but they almost became a game of sorts to her. She'd see how many kisses she could land on Bishop when he wasn't expecting it. In return he occasionally retaliated by catching her mid attempt, pulling her against him, and either cupping her face or grabbing her ass as they finally break for air. She'd act annoyed to the latter, but deep down she sort of liked it. Her and Muiri never acted so reckless in public.

Another perk was being able to lean against Bishop again as she'd rest in the evening. In the past it happened sometimes by accident, but those times were impersonal, like a passenger on a cart nodding off and accidentally leaning on whoever was sitting nearby. After the kiss it felt softer, warmer, like a freshly baked sweet roll. Even if he lacked some qualities, such as a romantic bone in his body.

The hard part of this development was explaining her business in Helgen. Bishop agreed to tag along, but threatened that if he had to meet her brother, he was going to deliberately embarrass her in front of Timothee. Admittedly, Ava was more relieved to the idea of Bishop hanging back in a nearby shop as she handled her family business. Mostly she just needed the moral support, mostly.

Which brought them to barely reaching Helgen in the early morn with the help of a carriage ride she begrudgingly paid for.

"Please, Bishop!" Ava whined, "You are not going to tell Timothee I begged you to stay at my side after you- what was it?" She pretended to forget his ridiculous fabricated tale, "Saved me from some pyromancer pirates that kidnapped me and stole my daggers?"

Bishop laughed to how ridiculous it sounded, and even Karnwyr seemed to snort in amusement. "Is it that far off from our adventures near Solitude?"

"Yes!" She shouted, just about ready to make him camp in the frost bitten forest if they stay overnight instead of the inn.

"Then how about-" Bishop was already trying to fabricate a new story, having more fun than he should pressing her buttons, but just as quickly was shot down by Ava.

"No!"

He put up his hands, feigning defeat. "Fine, ladyship. I'll find some bar maiden to keep myself entertained."

Ava finally looked up to him, a look of shock as she gasped "You wouldn't dare!"

The smirk Bishop wore became wider seeing her reaction, knowing he wouldn't do that when Ava was probably the most capable woman he'd kissed. His death wish wasn't that demanding. "Wow, you sound jealous, again."

Ava scoffed, ducking deeper in her hood to shield her face from a particularly cold breeze. "In your dreams, ranger!" She had all but forgotten by then the foreboding feeling thanks to Bishop, and while the mental image of him bedding some tavern floozy was irritating, their half-hearted banter was the kind of normalcy her nerves needed. Timothee was the equivalent of a never-ending migraine, assuming he was just as much a pain as she remembered him to be when they grew apart.

"Hey, that's just how I like you; in my dreams."

The strange words she couldn't decide were sweet or covertly an insult caused Ava to cast him another glance as her face that was already pink from the cold began changing to an even brighter hue. "H-huh?"

Before she could catch onto his ruse he hooked an arm around her waist just as they stepped into the village, pulling her hood down with his free hand while leaning in. Ava closed her eyes, expecting a kiss, but instead felt a nip at her cheek just hard enough to be considered uncomfortable. "Looks like your time is up, ladyship!" He chuckled before nodding in the direction of a young man that looked much like her, but taller, and icey blue eyes instead of hazel.

Before Ava could angrily snap at Bishop for blowing her cover, or complain about his bite, he took off with Karnwyr while Timothee approached. It was a cruel thing to do, but she had a hunch why Bishop did her dirty; she'd try to avoid this meeting for as long as possible if he didn't take her chance away.

Timothee wasted little time to meet Ava, a cruel delight to his face as he saw how inconvenienced she was. "Well, if it isn't my favorite sister." He held his hand out in offer of a shake, but as Ava hesitantly grasped his forearm he yanked her in for a hug. "Have you been eating? You look like you've lost your edge. Must've given it to that man who dropped you off in my lap." He pat the back of her head. From the outside it looked like a tender reunion, but the words felt like anything but. "Not that you had the best taste in men anyways, though he seemed to enjoy a taste of you."

Ava shoved hard against Timothee until she was free of his embrace, refusing to look at him lest he see how much the last comment frustrated her. "Only sister.." She corrected him, already sounding full of regret. "Please, Tim. Let us talk business so I can leave."

Knowing how under her skin he was, Timothee took the reigns. "You know we can't talk shop here, and what would I even tell our parents when I return home? We have to catch up." He pulled her along by her scarf like a leash to the nearby inn, just barely missing being ran over by a few horse drawn carriages filled with prisoners. Suddenly, that disgusting intrusive thought of Timothee selling her out to Imperials for her past crimes crossed her mind again.

She groaned in protest, almost wishing she was ran over instead, but followed him anyways. "Not like I have a choice."

"You're right, you don't!" He sounded a bit too cheerful to her answer, only making the chill of Helgen sink deeper in her bones.

They sat at a vacant table near the fireplace, Timothee's customer service smile becoming unnerving as he jumped straight to business. "So, sis, remember the jobs father would have us do together?"

Couldn't even start with the pleasantries, of course not. "I think I'd rather ask how mom is doing." She studied his face, and knew he wasn't going to switch topics until they spoke over whatever hairbrained plan he had. "How could I forget, you always had the easy part."

Timothee's unnerving grin remained, but Ava knew by the way he rubbed his wrists to her words that he resented her remark. The rope burns from years ago never fully healed properly for him, not for lack of trying on Ava's part, though. Some days she wondered if somehow he intentionally wouldn't let them heal in the past so she'd be forced to waste her magic and energy on him during her free time. "Big words coming from the one who wasn't tied up and tortured just to gather information." His eyes narrowed, knowing that he was jabbing at her.

She winced slightly to his words, "Look, I didn't-" Ava was about to go into her well practiced yet honest apology before she was cut off.

"Didn't know you were going to get me into trouble, or that I would take the fall. That father would stop acknowledging me soon after. I know, I've heard it before." With a wave of the hand he dismissed her words. "Well here's your chance to make it up to me by carrying out a similar job, but this time we're doing it right. No accusations, no revealing the others cover so one of us can skulk around the dungeon."

If he were honest, Timothee's proposition also left an opportunity to finally make up if they carried out the job right. Unfortunately, she didn't exactly trust him completely. They sat in silence for a moment, she was already starting to understand his plan to some degree. Speaking quietly she began putting the pieces together out loud for Timothee. "So you want to impersonate some guards, and you said it had to do with improving the trade business. If I remember correctly I overheard in Riverwood that Elenwyn passed through on her way here not long ago..." Her eyes widened in surprise. "Don't tell me you're-!" 

Timothee nodded along to each point, humming in agreement. "Yep, looking for a way into the embassy. I've heard a lot of noteworthy people attend the parties. People with influence and money."

Ava leaned forward, gripping his forearms, there was a sense of urgency in her hushed voice. "You realize if you get in there, you will be surrounded by Thalmor that don't take kindly to intruders, right?" Being eldest, she couldn't help but worry about how much trouble he'd find himself in at the embassy, though she had the scars on her to show she'd had her own fair share of trespassing and fleeing. The death of the fake emperor being the worst thus far. Her guilt of past failures had taken the backseat.

He scoffed to her comment while pulling out of her grip, seeing the hypocrisy over a mile away. "I don't need advice from you, just want a second set of eyes I can trust to not rat me out, again."

Ava chewed the inside of her cheek, knowing well he was manipulating her, but she'd lost so many defenses to that behavior from him in her time away. He had her, hook, line, and sinker. She'd opened her mouth to speak, but any words that came out were drowned by a thunderous sound that tore through the sky above the village followed by the earth shaking below them. It all felt unnatural, and yet Ava's soul screamed in response, as though it recognized the screech. She didn't have time to think about it though as one of the support beams above them started splintering at an alarming rate, while the fireplace they sat near had spilled over, setting the wall ablaze.

"Tim!" Ava shouted, leaping from her chair towards her brother, shoving him to the ground before one of the prize horker heads adorning the wall could fall on him.

The air was knocked out of Timothee with an "oof" thanks to Ava landing on him, but as his eyes opened he noticed the beam about to land on them. Timothee grabbed onto Ava's shoulders and rolled with her to the side to protect the both of them from being crushed before shoving himself up off of her. Ava groaned in pain, merchant life was doing more for his strength than self defense training ever did, but since she wasn't turned into charred mince meat she couldn't complain about a few bruises on her arms.

Timothee offered a hand to pull her up, which she took without hesitation, and he finally asked what they were both thinking, "What in Oblivion was that?!"

Another booming wailing cry threatened to split their ears, followed by shouts of terrified civilians scrambling both inside the building and around the courtyard.

Still holding onto Timothee, Ava pulled him toward the door, but he resisted. "You want to go towards the sound of some daedric spawn?!"

Ava pulled harder against him, the ground shaking threw Timothee off balance, aiding her attempts to pull him along. "Would you rather stay here and burn?!" Her eyes scanned the sky that was peppered in meteors, trying to find whatever it was they heard. "I need to find Bishop!" She blurted, a pit of anxiety settling in her stomach at the thought he may be buried under rubble.

"What we need is to get out of here!" Timothee shouted, caring little about whatever relationship concerns his sister was having. Self preservation was a bit more important.

A gigantic creature as dark as the purest ebony ore blocked out the sun above them as it turned some unfortunate Imperial soldier to a crispy snack. "What is that?!" Timothee yelped, mouth agape.

"A... a dragon..." Ava answered in disbelief. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't witnessed the monstrosity herself, but the duo didn't have time to gawk or question their sanity.

Holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it - which they just might - they ran down a cobblestone path towards the south gate, but were blasted back by the gust of the dragons wings as he set another man ablaze. An Imperial by the name of Hadvar pulled the both of them back, shouting orders as if he suddenly conscripted them into the Army. "You still alive, civilians? You'll stick with me if you want to remain that way!" He tried leading Ava, Timothee, and a young boy along the path to where he suspected the man named General Tullius to be, but they were soon separated due to the continued chaos the winged beast was wreaking.

Alone again and only able to rely on each other, Timothee and Ava hid in the shadows of a stone wall, seeing the southern gate just a hop and a skip away. Thinking the coast clear Ava shook her arm free and nearly made run for it through the clearing, but was suddenly yanked back again by a much stronger person who held a hand over her mouth. "Don't scream." The rough yet familiar voice whispered. Not even moments later the dragon that'd been circling a dead body a few meters ahead of them perched itself on the wall they were all crouched against, it's talons close enough to touch as it breathed fire at yet another victim it intended to devour.

Ava's eyes darted to the beast, watching as it took off again, the words hidden in its shout resonating within her, shaking her core. She couldn’t focus on it though as the desire to flee mixed with the rancid scent of burning flesh had her on the verge of vomiting.

Bishop released his hold on her once the dragon was at least a few seconds away, but instead she covered her mouth again to avoid tasting the stench. "We have to go!"

"We can't take the gate," Timothee warned, realizing the dragon was using the open area between where they stood and the gate as a poaching ground. "Follow me, I have an idea!" 

Bishop and Ava exchanged brief looks, but they didn't have time to question him. They all ran for the keep alongside a few others who appeared to have the same idea. There inside Hadvar and a few Stormcloaks all were fighting, which was almost impressive, given the fact much more pressing issues were happening on the other side of the door.

As they searched for an exit a few guards turned their swords towards the group as they delved deeper into the fortress, and despite Ava's attempts to smooth things over by telling them they were civilians, it seemed most every soldier of each creed held a "If you're not with us you're against us" view. They proved quite capable, all things considered, but the most fierce being within the walls was a bear who's peace was disrupted by the echoes of fighting.

Eventually the siblings and Karnwyr were all that remained as they sat at the exit, catching their breaths as they waited for Bishop to finish scouting ahead. The wolf sat beside Ava, watching every move Timothee made, not trusting this new member. Likewise, Ava watched Timothee quizzically, and he could tell she had quite a few questions. "Just ask already, dammit!" He demanded while picking as his sleeves that'd become singed by the helfire they ran through. 

Not missing a beat Ava took the opportunity, "How did you know we could escape through the keep?"

"That's your question? Not when are you leaving so I don't have to babysit you?" He mocked. "Some protégé you were. Don't you remember anything father told us when we were kids? Every keep has an escape route or safe room, you just need the right tools and know where to look."

Ava was about ready to slap herself silly for that one, and a feeling started sinking in that she probably would’ve remember such a thing if she wasn't so caught up in the fear of the dragon, and the relief of Bishop saving her from becoming its next bite. "Right... guess you did listen to him from time to time." She attempted to tease, but honestly, she was almost too wore out to try.

"So what are your plans if we make it out of here?" Timothee asked, diverting attention away from himself suddenly.

Ava shrugged, thinking to herself that Bishop had been outside a bit too long for her liking. "Inform the jarl, I suppose? Hide out in what remains of the old Dark Brotherhood sanctuary until the end days? Or at least until I feel safe enough to show my face in the more North-western region again." If she were lucky, telling the jarl about the dragon invasion could help lessen her bounty somehow, though she wasn't exactly sure how to angle that sort of deal just yet.

Her head rest against the wall, the light of day barely breaking through with how far back they sat from the exit, but it was still enough to tell that at the least the sky had cleared up.

Just as she closed her eyes Bishop started walking back in, disturbing the closest thing to peace they'd had in the past hour or so. "No sign of him, though may be best to leave now before it returns for seconds."

"Just what I was thinking." Timothee added in agreement, though the smugness in his voice was hardly masked at all. After all his time working with nobles, shopkeepers, and the likes; he'd gained an air to him that came off as haughty to anyone he felt didn't belong. A ruffian bad boy that looked more bear than human definitely fit into that category. He quickly stood to saunter past them in an attempt to take lead, but not before catching a quick foot to the ankle from Ava, followed by her not-so-innocent "oops."

Notes:

As you can probably tell, the relationship between Timothee and Ava is more complex than initially let on.

Originally I planned to kill him off here, burning building collapses on him type of unceremonious end, but then I had a little inspiration from The Coffin of Andy and Leyley. I'm sure some of it can be seen in their interractions, but without the incestuous notes, shared murder spree, parricide, and cannibalism. (Though if I ever get around to my Avani AU, parricide would 100% be on her to do list)

Like Andrew, Ava lives with a cloud over her due to past regrets and mistakes, though said cloud is most prevalent around Timothee. She also still finds herself responsible for him, despite the fact he's old enough to handle himself. This is brought on by what she considers an obligation since she was the only one that showed him kindness as a kid when the trainings they used to go through would get too tough. Their parents were supportive when the chips were down, but she hated how he'd cry when hit, so she'd often console him afterwards and give him drawings or stolen toys.

Like Ashley, Timothee is manipulative, obviously, to the point he sometimes appears to lack a "normal" setting. He has lived a life where things worked out for him in the end, regardless of the situation... at least until Ava left. It's not that he was as dependant of Ava as Ashley is towards Andrew, but after Ava left, their father needed someone to take her place in certain subterfuge jobs that required a new set of eyes. Suddenly he had to take things seriously outside of the trade business.

Timothee 100% believes he could handle the job alone of getting into the embassy, but he wanted a chance to pester his dear sister, and show her he's become a better thief than she ever was.

Chapter 17: One-shot AU #1; One For My Princess.

Summary:

In a Nirn where dragons never returned, Bishop and Ava simply fell in love after her time escaping what little remained of the Dark Brotherhood. An Aspect of Sithis freed her from her contract as listener after their hideout was tore down by the Penitus Occulatus, and then her and Bishop began a life of mercenaries living out of the Rift.

Fifteen minutes was all it took to watch the life they made crumble down around the ranger.

Notes:

I know I could put this into its own work, but I'm sharing here as I wrote it alongside the first few chapters of The Assassin and Her Ranger as a "What If" scenario. It has been nestled deep in my phone's notes app this whole time, waiting until Helgen to maybe share it. 

I debated sharing now or waiting a little longer, but seeing as I haven't updated in a week or so since returning due to being overworked (Healthcare work does that,) I felt now would be a good time to throw something in to show I haven't disappeared again.

If you cry easily like I do, prepare for a few tears. This AU where dragons never returned, and Ava met Bishop a few years prior, was quite painful to write. First few proofreads earlier this year left me blubbering.

This AU was also heavily inspired by Boone's story from Fallout New Vegas. IYKYK.

Fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes away from Ava at the wrong time was all it took for Bishops world to be destroyed, left in disrepair. 

Him and Ava were planning a trip to High Rock from their home nestled in the Rift, and chose to hug the border of Cyrodiil and Hammerfell along the way.

It turned out to be the worst choice they'd ever make.

Ever since receiving an invitation to her brothers wedding she'd been battling emotions of a larger variety than the amount of creatures in Skyrim. Considering her self-exile, and spending so long feeling as if they'd forgotten her; the struggle seemed to make sense. Any time she was asked how she felt about the return though, she'd cry supposed tears of joy, claiming there were so many things she wanted to tell them. Yet there was this darkness in her eyes as well, especially when asked about her brother.

He cursed himself for ever hating the idea of this whole "Meet the family" ordeal he was being pulled along to. Even with them being committed to each other in almost every way possible, he never saw himself as a take home to meet the parents type; but she would flutter her lashes, say it would make her happy, put her arms together so to push up her breasts, and that would convince him. But maybe if he didn't try to delay the meet with her family, things would have gone differently. Better.

Their camp for the night seemed so inconspicuous. They should've been safe from bandits, guards, anything other than perhaps some wildlife. No one would’ve considered the odds that a few fleeing thieves or Stormcloaks coming across them.

That evening it was her turn to hunt for their meal. Just some wildlife for a simple meal that her, Bishop, and Karnwyr could snack on for the night, but she claimed to have not been feeling well and asked if he could hunt down the stag they'd seen instead.

He should've stayed with her.

She'd started dozing off in a bedroll, wore out from the mountains of Falkreath when he and Karnwyr left for the hunt.

But upon return their camp was destroyed like a mammoth herd ran through, and Ava was nowhere to be found amongst the wreckage. No note, no bodies, not even her hiding in a nearby tree so she could appear and tell him it was a prank.

Karnwyr picked up Ava's scent better than any bloodhound ever could, and soon the two of them were on the trail, but chasing down carriages while on foot proved to be quite the task.

Through the night he followed, fighting off wolves, bandits, and his own exhaustion until eventually they had made it to Helgen.

Ignoring how much his body was ready to drop, Bishop scaled an unguarded wall of the village, and the sight that unfolded before him made his blood run cold. There were dozens of Imperials in the town square while prisoners were being lined up by the cart full for execution, and amongst them was his wife.

He wanted to charge in, try anything he could to save her, but one man vs a militia would've left him as dead as the poor bastard who tried to run a few moments prior.

"You're not on the list." One soldier proclaimed, confused when seeing Ava amongst multiple Stormcloaks including Ulfric himself.

"Execute her, just like the rest of them. These traitors were found at her camp." Another Imperial, presumably the captain directed.

Ava, who'd been struggling to mask overwhelming waves of emotions all night couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "Please, you can't do this! I'm just trying to return home, to High Rock!" She'd never had to beg for her life before, but she wasn't above doing so.

"Enough of this! Take her to the block!" The captain demanded, and heeding her command the Imperial who noticed she wasn't on the list of war criminals grabbed her forearm, pulling her towards the execution line.

"No! You don't understand!" Ava fought against the soldiers strength, but her body, plagued with exhaustion, was betraying her. "Please, I'm pregnant, please don't do this! I just want to be with my family!" She kept struggling, but it seemed her words caused more damage than her feeble attempts to get out of a soldiers grasp.

Bishop heard her screams and nearly fell from his perch in shock.

Fuck, he was a fool. A damn fool.

The signs were there, gods, he had enough siblings to know what the signs looked like. Why didn't he ever put two and two together?! She'd never been so picky with food before, or been as emotional as she had been lately. Sure she fell asleep on him a day after they first met, but traversing the mountains never tired her out so quickly. Not to mention that snowberries made her taste her lunch a second time, though she claimed that they simply must've gone bad. No wonder she seemed so anxious about their trip!

The solider holding Ava back became hesitant, feeling sympathetic towards the young woman. "We can't execute her."

Overhearing the conversation, a man clad in decorated Imperial armor that appeared battle worn inserted himself in the conversation. Everything about the man screamed higher rank and maintenance. "Do you think we'd truly be able to release such a prisoner after all she has witnessed?" His words were a thin veil of condescending, causing the soldier holding Ava to falter in his resolve.

"Perhaps we should send her to Solitude and see what Elesif decides, or hold her in the prison to see if she is being honest." A soldier that'd been observing suggested, attempting to make a case for Ava. Regrettably, it seemed the crowd wasn't evenly split.

"That's a fools idea, she was found with Stormcloaks, she may try something while there!" The female captain cut back in, her voice sharp and commanding, trying to regain control of her men.

The soldier holding Ava noticed how she'd appeared to have given up struggling. He let her go to see what she'd do, and instead of trying to run she sunk to the ground, tears free falling. Seeing she wasn't trying to fight he spoke up, uncertainty still lingering in his voice. "There must be something we could do." 

The Captain, General, and a few other soldiers were arguing, while Ava was on her knees, sobbing as reality settled in.

She knew Bishop was watching, she had no doubt he'd come looking for her, but there was no sane or realistic way she was going to get out of this one alive. This realization broke her down, masking every ounce of anger and fight still within her as sorrow, anguish. It wasn't just the fact she was set to be executed that caused such distress, but that she could feel his gaze, knew he likely heard her pleas, and he'd have to witness not only her death, but their child too... their unborn child she didn't even get a chance to tell him about yet. She gave up trying to listen, all she could hear was ringing.

"How about we have the priest confirm her claim, and if it is true we'll set her free." The soldier at her side continued.

"No, Hadvar. Do you know how deep of trouble we'll be in if this gets out?" The general snapped, frustrated by all the push-back he was receiving. He looked to the captain who originally was heading the executions. "Control your men, Captain, before I make an example of them." He cast Hadvar a warning glare as he stepped off in the direction of Ulfric. 

There was a somber silence amongst the Imperials who were arguing a moment prior, Ava's sobs the only sound between all of them. Were they really about to do this? Was there really no other way?

"Can't we offer some sort of choice?" One of the guards finally spoke up.

Ava barely comprehending the words around her barely cast a gaze in Bishop's direction. She was unable to truly look at him, ashamed that she got caught, that she never told him, but also afraid to give away his position to the soldiers surrounding her. She would've gave anything to signal for him to run, look away, get out of the area, but she feared that doing anything of the sorts would call attention to him.

"Like what, send her off to Morrowind? Have her be a new prize for House Dres?" Another soldier asked sarcastically, but the remark seemed to catch the captains attention.

Seeing this, the sarcastic soldier quickly attempted to retract their statement, not truly wishing slavery upon her. "Sir, you're not actually considering that, are you?! Imperials don't condone slavery, you know that!"

"This is a war, you milk drinker! You all beg for choices, then cry at the options given! Are you boys or soldiers?!" The captain steadfast in this decision turned to Ava. "Tell me, girl, which would you rather? Morrowind, or death?"

It was a foul question. Chose ones own death on her captors terms, or enslavement that would likely lead to cruel and unusual torture for a woman her age and life of servitude for her child. It was a death to her body, or death of her soul. Either way they'd win if she were to pick either of their choices, and she wasn't willing to let them have the last laugh.

It took mere seconds for Ava to decide she wasn't going to give the soldiers what they wanted, even if it meant demanding the impossible. 

Struggling to her feet despite her bound hands, Ava defiantly looking past the soldiers to Bishop, as if the armor clad men were beneath her. Choking back a sob she finally spoke up, projecting her voice across the courtyard. "Neither."

"Neither, she says." The captain laughed, "Chopping block it is then! Let's be done with this!" 

Ava refused to look at any of them, the words coming to mind of what Bishop said to her the first night they met, asking if she turned up her nose to all men like some damned noble. It was never about acting like a noble, it was defiance, treating the soldiers who were pulling her along to the chopping block as if they didn't exist - even if she were holding her breath to avoid breaking down again.

As they stood her by the block a priest of Arkay attempted to protest for Ava's sake, but it seemed his words were falling on deaf ears. She certainly wasn't listening to him as she put all her attention and energy to Bishop as she finally looked to him again, silently begging for him to know what she was expecting of him.

Neither. That one word kept playing over and over in Bishop's mind. He knew what she was thinking, what that one word meant, but oh how he wished he didn't. He knew what she wanted, knew it would also foil the activities that overtook Helgen; and having already given her answer there was no way they'd let her change her mind were he to refuse. He'd rarely ever shed a tear since the days of his childhood when he'd be beaten for crying, but he could feel the tears build up, burning as they threatened to spill over and blur his vision.

The captain approached the block, just about to kick Ava down into position for execution when she shouted, "May the Dread-Father come for you all!"

Ava's curse shook-up the soldiers that were more fearful of daedra, while others dared to laugh. Regardless of reactions, though, what happened next truly instilled fear in all who were present. 

Blood, all he saw was blood.

As if prepared to pumctuate her curse, a arrow whizzed past the headsman, embedding itself in Ava's head through one of her eyes, causing her to fall before the chopping block, lifeless.

There were shrieks, gasps in shock, yelling, cursing. Everyone was horrified in one way or another.

It took a few seconds before the captain finally shouted a command at her troop. "Find whoever did this!"

Despite their efforts, the soldiers never caught up to Bishop or Karnwyr.

---

Amidst the confusion and panic, Ulfric and a few other prisoners escaped, and it wasn't long before what was witnessed became news across Skyrim.

It seemed in some way Ava was always destined to change the course of Skyrim, even if it meant being turned into a martyr in a war she wanted no part of.

Bishop sought revenge on every Imperial he encountered, unintentionally turning Ava's curse into an urban legend. Many started believing she marked all Imperials for death by the Dread-Father, and in a twisted sense, she sort of did.

Eventually, Bishop joined the Stormcloaks so he could one day watch the light fade from the Captain, and General Tullius' eyes.

After the war ended Bishop tried to drink away the memories of what had to be done. He blamed himself for the rest of his days, and hid away from the guilt in more wenches and alcohol than one man could ever need... but it always felt hollow to him.

Within Bishop was a void that nothing in life could fill.

Notes:

I'm sorry.

Chapter 18: The Pest and the Flea

Notes:

Between the old unofficial app falling apart, my laptop breaking, multiple skyrim updates, my job screwing me over, and everything else, it took me until now to update. I'm sorry.
Next we will be seeing things from someone else's perspective.

Years ago, when they were still children, Belenna Montrose Ashcroft - Ava and Timothee's mother - used to say that there's no bond stronger than the bond of siblings. Looking back, it felt she actually said such things to make them get along and away from her work. Sithis knows they've destroyed plenty of merchandise from rough housing, sneaking around on the shop shelves.

The adult sized thorn in Ava's side, going by the name of Timothee, certainly solidified this belief of hers as he continued to complain the further the group traveled. If he weren't almost her equal as a rogue but with a penchant for destructive magic, she would've attempted to abandon him in Riverwood. Unfortunately, it was better to have all witnesses present to back her claim when demanding an audience with jarl Balgruuf. 

 

"Come on Avani! You can't tell me two years away from home has turned you into some people pleasing child!" Timothee whined at her heels as they left the Cloud District in a less than heavenly state. The sound of her old nickname making the hairs on her neck stand as if he tried striking her with lightning.

The conversation with Balgruuf went better than she expected, being that she was certain that the whole of Skyrim was looking for the assassin that made an attempt on the emperor, but as a whole, passing on the news hardly brought relief. Instead, they were expected to speak with the court wizard at the ass-crack of dawn.

Ava turned up her nose to his attempts to press her buttons, they were already fried, much like Helgen. A pang settled in her gut to the memory of the singed remains of the village burned in the back of her mind. "I'm simply doing this as a favor so the jarl doesn't turn me over to the Penitus Oculatus." She lied, changing direction of her steps to follow the winding stairs.

The lie Ave told would've convinced anyone that hardly knew her, but Timothee and Bishop were no strangers to the way Ava thought. If she wanted to rid herself of the Penitus Oculatus she could've gone into hiding, fled, or hunted them down one by one. Knowing her, a mix of all three. "You're full of it." Timothee remarked as he went to grab her shoulder, but just as his hand brushed against her skin she spun to face him with a dagger in hand, pressed to his throat, while her free hand hung between them with her palm pushing his own knife away from her abdomen.

She leaned up toward Timothee until he could clearly see the necromatic green in her irises, teeming with the dark magic she'd honed. Both blades pressed deeper as she got closer, threatening to draw blood from both Ava's hand, and Timothee's neck. "Think just because we're family I won't hurt you?" Her words slipped passed her lips in Cyrodiilic as they narrowed their eyes at each other.

There was a sly grin Timothee wore to Ava's reaction, pleased that he managed to upset her despite how hard she tried to ignore him. "There she is. And here I thought you lost your touch." He chuckled, not believing himself to be in any true danger of Ava at all, even with her blade against his jugular. He leaned slightly against the blade, expecting Ava to stumble back before causing harm. "And kill me with the same blade father gave you? You wouldn't dare." In the same tongue he spat his call right back at her. Bishop, who normally would've been amused was unusually uncomfortable at the sibling spat, making him nearly ready to pull them apart, but the duo finally separated before the ranger could intervene.

Ava spun away from the men behind her, ignoring the stares from a few Whiterun residents near the Gildergreen as she wiped a few beads of Timothee's blood off on her sweater. Deep down she was cursing herself for the little display, as Timothee won the second she reacted. If she hurt him, people would've branded her a monster. If she had pulled away, she would've been the coward he thought of her to be. No matter how it played, he would've been satisfied with the outcome.

Attempting to save face she kept walking, heading toward the market center in hopes no one would bother her, but Bishop came to the rescue with a much better idea. "How about we all hit the Bannered Mare, drown the night in wine. Unless you feel like stabbing the table again?"

He may have been joking, but Bishop's pointed remark about Ava's last stay there made her feel as rigid as a tense feline. "Assaulting a table versus murdering a pesky wench...." She half explained herself before sighing in defeat. "Fine, I could use a bath anyways, get the dead out of my hair."

"Says the woman that jumped into a mass grave a week ago." Bishop retorted, walking at her side.

"That was different!" She quickly turned to look away from Bishop, trying to hide her face from him.

Timothee, intrigued by the potentially disturbing tale ran up to Ava's other side, demanding details. "Now I've got to know, wait, let me guess. Given that your eyes are now riddled with sickly green traces of magic, you were up to-"

Before Timothee could finish that sentence and risk having Ava's affinity for dark arts out in the open, she cut him off in a rush. "I was killing a vampire digging the grave!" She hastened to the front door of the Bannered Mare, hoping that the adage of opening a door and closing another applied to the topic Timothee nearly unearthed.

"Welcome to the Bannered Mare! Will it be food, drinks, or-... oh. It's you two." Neeshka was chipper enough to greet the new guests, until she realized who it was walking in. Her eyes flickered over the group, before looking Timothee up and down. "Are you two twins? I can see missy here didn't get the good looks."

That was enough to send Ava packing. Without another thought she tried to turn back and leave, expecting better company with the khajiits. Ava's escape plans were cut short when Bishop caught hold of her scarf, causing her to make a brief choking sound before turning back, rubbing at where her scarf restrained her. "I may be a bitch, but it's not a leash." She grumbled. "And it's Ava, flea."

Neeshka narrowed her eyes at Ava, not appreciating the name.

"We need three beds, the bath ready, some food, and I wouldn't mind some dessert if you're on the menu." Timothee unashamedly flirting with Neeshka was a disgusting display, but despite how hard Ava rolled her eyes, she held some hope her brother was playing an angle, and not just being a pain in the ass again. "Oh, and my dear sister will be paying!"

Nope. Just a pain in the ass.

"Hey, I never agreed to that!"

Neeshka sucked in through her teeth before returning to a customer service smile, ignoring Ava. "No can do. We only have one bed available tonight, not even the cot is available anymore."

"Is no one evening listening to me?!" Ava looked between everyone, getting frustrated quickly.

"That's fine, he can sleep on the porch like the mangy mutt he is." Bishop cut in, noticing how exasperated Ava was becoming.

"Excuse you?!" Timothee didn't appreciate the way Bishop was ready to push him to the curb. "If anyone should be sleeping outside, it should be you!"

Neeshka, seizing an opportunity, quickly jumped in the almost argument "Don't worry about it, big boy. You can come stay with me tonight, instead. You don't need to listen to them."

"I do like the sound of that. Perhaps you could bring me there now so I can drop my things off."

"But of course~." Neeshka purred, pulling Timothee back through the kitchen where they disappeared up in the back of the employees section.

"I-... I think I hate it here." Ava stated, her shoulders slumped as she trudged to the door outside the bathing room. Even with the pests gone, the whole conversation was too much. "Can you do something for me?"

Bishop could hear the pain and exhaustion in her voice, subduing his own temperament. "What is it?"

She took her bag off her shoulder, digging out a bottle of spiced wine before holding the bag out to Bishop. "Can you take this to the room upstairs? I.. think I need to be alone for a bit." That was a lie, being alone was the last thing on her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him what she really wanted.

For a brief moment Bishop seemed skeptical, before taking the knapsack from her. "As my lady commands."

Ava watched as he disappeared up the steps, leaving her in what was once her most natural state; alone.

Notes:

For the most part I try to be vague in places modded, which sounds sort of ridiculous considering this is a fic about a mod, but I know not everyone will share the same tastes. So instead of blue hair it's dark hair, later other items such as Muiri's ring may not be explained in detail due to the fact one of my 200-ish mods has changed how it looks and I don't actually know which mod did it (though I do have a reference image in the Google doc)

I don't even have an idea if anyone will see this, tbh, but I still chose to write five chapters and two side scenes in my notes before posting this chapter because I always found it frustrating to find a fic end after the first chapter, and would rather have more out from the start then continue adding.

Speaking of fics that end after the first chapter, I can't remember the name, but there was a Fallout 4 fic someone made forever ago on a different site. It involved femMC being general of the minute men, in love with MacCready, and she returns horribly injured after investigating some strange signal after destroying the Institute, and he has to help carry her back to the Castle after she ran off for a moment. That was years ago and I'm still hurt that it never went past that. So here I am with more *w* (no shame though, I understand life happens, interests change, I just wish I could've maybe asked what their plans were.)