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Andante sat at his favorite table at the Bee and Barb, eating a sweet roll, sipping a Colovian brandy and enjoying the trailing edges of a skooma rush while watching the usual ebb and flow of noisy night life in Riften. The drawback to having only one bar in town \u2013 at least, only one reputable bar \u2013 was that absolutely everybody other than the beggars showed up every night.\u00a0 The place was packed, and it was noisy, and it smelled of people who had been working hard with fish all day long. But it was the best place to be to pick up tidbits of news, see anyone new in town before they weren\u2019t new anymore, and generally be in the thick of things.<\/p>\n
Sugar, skooma and brandy. What a mix.<\/em> All that\u2019s missing is the salty-sweet, metallic taste of\u2026<\/em> He licked his fingers and made a satisfied noise. What an awful sweet tooth. It\u2019s a good thing I do all that running. I\u2019ll never be fat. <\/em>\u00a0His lip twisted up into a sardonic grin.\u00a0 Not that I would ever be fat anyway. I was slim then, so I will forever be slim.<\/em><\/p>\n Across the room, Haelga was trying to talk a man into a night at her bunkhouse. Too much makeup, as usual, and I can smell her perfume from here.\u00a0 I wonder what makes her think it\u2019s attractive.<\/em> \u00a0It wasn\u2019t that Haelga wasn\u2019t pretty enough, but she went out of her way to make her intentions obvious.\u00a0 What you want to do, dear, is slide up next to him and breathe on his neck, whisper in his ear\u2026<\/em> Her target tonight was Hofgrir Horse-Crusher, the steely-haired stable master, and his elevated heart rate suggested that he was more than interested in spite of her forward approach.\u00a0 Well, I\u2019ll wait for another night, then.<\/em>\u00a0 He\u2019d admired Hofgrir for a long while, but that wasn\u2019t really what \u2013 or whom \u2013 he wanted.<\/p>\n One of the inn\u2019s doors burst open and Brother Maramal from the Temple of Mara strode in.\u00a0 \u201cPeople of Riften!\u201d he began. \u00a0Oh good, Andante thought.\u00a0 Here we go.\u00a0 Maramal always amused him.\u00a0 Here he was, the man who was overcome with joy any time a couple came to him to be married, and yet looking down his nose disdainfully at people\u2019s efforts to get to know each other.\u00a0 He was nearly as bad as Heimskr in Whiterun.\u00a0 The message was always the same and it almost always fell on deaf ears.<\/p>\n Iniquitous ways, check.\u00a0 Indulgences, check.\u00a0 The return of the dragons is retribution for your decadence, check number three and right on cue, it\u2019s Keerava.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNo, no, Maramal. We\u2019ve talked about this.\u00a0 Talen!\u201d<\/p>\n And here he comes, Andante smirked, obedient as always to the call of his mate.\u00a0 Talen was calm and pleasant as usual, but, Andante noticed in amusement, his tail was twitching in annoyance just a tiny bit.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not kicking you out, Maramal, but keep the sermons in the Temple. Let us sin in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well.\u201d Maramal pivoted on his heels and swept out of the inn.\u00a0 There was a collective sigh of relief.<\/p>\n Andante chuckled. He drained the last of his brandy, caught Talen\u2019s eye, and waggled the snifter at him.\u00a0 Time for a refill.\u00a0 Talen responded at once, as he always did, undoubtedly because Andante was a good tipper.<\/p>\n \u201cThe usual, milord?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Talen. Thank you.\u201d\u00a0 He nodded at the Argonian and sent him on his way.<\/p>\n I wonder whether it\u2019s always been the usual or whether it\u2019s just something I\u2019ve picked up in the last couple of years.\u00a0 Who knows. Well it tastes good, in any event.<\/em><\/p>\n He reached into his pocket, feeling for the skooma bottles he knew were tucked into its deepest recesses.\u00a0 Pricey, but could he indulge himself once more this night?\u00a0 It always gave such a pleasant overtone to a meal, and once he left the inn he needed to find a meal.<\/p>\n Talen returned with his drink; Andante rewarded his promptness with an extra-large tip and waved him on his way.\u00a0 He reached into his pockets again.<\/p>\n \u201cAgain, lad? You have a regular habit, don\u2019t you.\u201d\u00a0 The voice was just above a whisper, a low, sweet brogue that never failed to get his complete attention no matter how far away it was.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re as bad as Maramal, Brynjolf,\u201d Andante said, looking up at him briefly and then returning his gaze to his brandy. The big redhead in the green robes was leaning against the wall next to Andante\u2019s table, scanning the crowd, looking disgusted as usual.\u00a0 \u201cHow many times have I told you, I\u2019m not an addict. It doesn\u2019t affect me like that. It\u2019s just a pleasant diversion. Yes, I have a habit; I enjoy it. Is my habit not good for business?\u201d He was rewarded for his observation with a snort from above his head. \u201cBesides which,\u201d he continued, \u201cwhy were<\/em> you watching my pocket and my hand, hmm?\u00a0 You hardly need to judge how much coin I carry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll wish you had all that coin later,\u201d Brynjolf mumbled, ignoring the question.\u00a0 Well done, Andante thought.\u00a0 Nice side-step.\u00a0 He was<\/em> watching where my hands were going, though. What was he thinking?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very careful with my coin.\u00a0 I\u2019m never going to be destitute again.\u201d\u00a0 Besides, he mused, it\u2019s not as though I buy<\/em> all of the skooma.\u00a0 Some of it I simply\u2026 liberate from its previous confinement. I am not <\/em>an addict.<\/p>\n What a sour man Brynjolf is. He\u2019s simply <\/em>paranoid about spending money unless it\u2019s absolutely necessary, which is amusing given our line of work. A body would think the Guild was on its last septim or something. To think he used to be such a good time when I first met him. That didn\u2019t last long. A shame, really.<\/em><\/p>\n He looked back up at Brynjolf and smiled his most appealing smile.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be such a wet blanket all the time. When was the last time you really cut loose? I could help you with that if you\u2019d like.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf harrumphed, still scanning the crowd.\u00a0 He nodded toward Hofgrir, ignoring Andante\u2019s statement. Hofgrir was smiling at Haelga, leaning in toward her. \u201cIt seems she beat you to it, lad.\u201d\u00a0 Andante wasn\u2019t sure, but he thought he saw the tiniest smirk around the corner of his boss\u2019 mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cWell!\u201d he snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s quite an assumption to make, both about me and about my motives.\u201d<\/p>\n This time there was no question \u2013 Brynjolf grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cI doubt you could have sweet-talked him into it anyway.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t swing that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you would know that because\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf actually chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll never tell.\u201d<\/p>\n The damndest part of all this, Andante thought, is that he\u2019s playing cruel with me.\u00a0 He\u2019s been slippery as an Argonian about all matters romantic for as long as I\u2019ve known him.\u00a0 There\u2019s not a chance in Oblivion that Brynjolf has ever made advances to Hofgrir. He\u2019s just making fun of me.\u00a0 And there\u2019s not a thing I can do about it except sit here and take it, because I so badly want to keep him here, talking to me.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Brynjolf,\u201d he said quietly, swirling his brandy, \u201cif you\u2019d just stop playing hard to get I wouldn\u2019t need to resort to stable masters. I suspect he wouldn\u2019t know what to do with me anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf chuckled again.<\/p>\n Damn it all, Andante thought.\u00a0 I can\u2019t get under his skin no matter what I do.\u00a0 Why do I even bother? He probably has some girl, some pretty little blonde Nord tucked away somewhere and I\u2019ve just never seen her, and he laughs his ass off at me every time he\u2019s on his way to visit her.\u00a0 Then he grinned, slowly.\u00a0 I\u2019d love to be a fly on that wall, he thought.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bet it\u2019s a pretty picture.\u00a0 He was just settling in to enjoy the idea when Brynjolf\u2019s voice broke his reverie.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen are you going to get that job done for me, Andante? We could use the coin, and I\u2019m waiting for that response from your\u2026other boss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSoon.\u00a0 Soon.\u00a0 I have another matter to take care of up in Dawnstar so I\u2019m going to make a trip of it. I was actually planning on setting out shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a curiosity to Andante, this fixation everyone in the Guild seemed to have with finding the Redguard girl.\u00a0 They\u2019d even brought the Dragonborn and his husband into the search, and he wasn\u2019t entirely sure why.\u00a0 He\u2019d gotten a feeling from the husband, though, the blonde Nord. Roggi. That man, he thought, used to do more than soldier.\u00a0 The way he\u2019d asked whether he was needed to apply pressure; well, that was a man who knew how to apply pressure.\u00a0 Regardless, Brynjolf had been pacing the floors waiting for a reply from the Listener, and Andante was going to do whatever he could to improve Brynjolf\u2019s mood.\u00a0 A quick jaunt to Dawnstar was no problem, and he\u2019d drop down to Whiterun afterward, to slip a stolen gem into a certain person\u2019s home, on his way back.<\/p>\n He sipped his brandy and sighed as his vision returned to normal. \u201cVery well, no more for this evening.\u00a0 You talked me out of it.\u201d He frowned and shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t know why I listen to you. It\u2019s not as though you haven\u2019t been known to crawl into a bottle yourself.\u00a0 My bottles are simply — smaller.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not worry about taking care of business, lad, and keep my personal life out of it,\u201d Brynjolf responded quietly.\u00a0 There was an unpleasant edge to his voice.\u00a0 All right then, time to wrap up this interlude and get on the road; no need to rile the Guildmaster up any more than he already was. It was a good time to travel.\u00a0 He tossed back the brandy and placed the snifter back on the table, then rose.<\/p>\n Brynjolf cast him a glance and then looked away.\u00a0 \u201cHonestly. Most men would be on their backsides with the amount you put away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve told you before, and I\u2019ll tell you again, I\u2019m not most men and I would be happy to share my secret if you\u2019re interested,\u201d Andante murmured, noting yet another increase in Brynjolf\u2019s heart rate. Well my goodness, what a surprise. He\u2019s intrigued this evening, he thought.\u00a0 He was playing with me and teasing me, and now he\u2019s intrigued. So am I. He smiled his best smile at Brynjolf and noted the physical changes going on before him.\u00a0 Interesting, indeed.<\/p>\n \u201cHappy hunting,\u201d he murmured, then nodded and started to turn for the door.\u00a0 Thinking better of it, he leaned closer, putting his mouth up to Brynjolf\u2019s ear so as not to be overheard. \u201cFeel free to use Honeyside while I\u2019m gone,\u201d he murmured, wishing he dared nibble on that ear, or better yet the neck beneath it. It was desperately hard to focus, this close to him. \u201cIt is your home, after all. Perhaps a nice soak would be relaxing. And check the bedside stand on the left, if you\u2019re interested.\u00a0 Help yourself. I\u2019ll likely be gone for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n There were a good solid two dozen bottles of skooma there, gathered over months and stacked neatly for safekeeping.\u00a0 He had no idea whether Brynjolf indulged but the idea of it was too delicious for words. He pulled back, smiling again and admiring the bright green eyes before him.\u00a0 He wondered what they would look like golden, surrounded by all that flaming red hair. Delectable.<\/p>\n Brynjolf never so much as blinked, nor did he give away what he was thinking.\u00a0 \u201cGet lost, Andante. Go do something useful.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante stifled a laugh.\u00a0 By the Eight the man is good, he thought. He knows what I want and he almost never acknowledges it. \u00a0Once or twice he had, to hand him a firm \u201cno,\u201d but never angrily \u2013 always gently, with an air of understanding. Andante leaned back in to whisper into Brynjolf\u2019s ear, close enough that he knew his breath was warm on the redhead\u2019s neck. \u201cYou don\u2019t really mean that, do you? You\u2019d miss me if I were lost.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante knew he had no chance of winning against Brynjolf in a battle of wills, but it was always a challenge to try. That was part of what made the man so fascinating. In the long months he\u2019d known the man Brynjolf had easily — and often — nudged him in directions he otherwise wouldn\u2019t have gone. He hadn\u2019t a clue as to how Brynjolf did it. Try as he might, he\u2019d not been able to break through the Guildmaster\u2019s shell in return. \u00a0He had the sense, though, that there was perhaps the tiniest chink in Brynjolf\u2019s armor on this particular evening.\u00a0 Intriguing, indeed.<\/p>\n Brynjolf growled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m telling you, lad, if you weren\u2019t such a good thief I\u2019d have to hurt you. Hit the road.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante smiled again.\u00a0 Ah but you don\u2019t understand, he thought.\u00a0 I can hear what\u2019s going on in that lovely body of yours and you, my friend, are lying through your teeth this evening. I wonder what I\u2019ve done to arouse your interest. Is it the idea of indulging yourself a bit in the quiet of your own home? Or is it just me and my peculiar charms?\u00a0 He sighed. No, of course it isn\u2019t. Who am I fooling but myself.<\/p>\n \u201cAlas, you are right, I need to be off,\u201d he said, mocking a sad face.\u00a0 Then he dropped his act.\u00a0 \u201cSeriously, Brynjolf, if you need to get out of the Cistern for a couple of nights, feel free.\u00a0 You look as though a break might do you some good.\u201d\u00a0 As much as he loved to tease Brynjolf, he did like him, and he had seemed particularly on edge recently.<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s gaze shifted to him for just a moment, then went back to scanning the room.\u00a0 Ah, Andante thought. I surprised him. Interesting.\u00a0 Just be myself, is that the thing that you want?\u00a0 I\u2019ll bear that in mind. If I ever figure out who I am I\u2019ll be happy to share.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, lad. I may just do that. But you can stop referring to it as my home. I gave it to you, didn\u2019t I.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante smirked, and bowed the slightest of bows.\u00a0 \u201cAs you say.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back in a few days and I\u2019ll bring your coin and your information to you. And don\u2019t feel as though you need to clear out.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mind sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned as Brynjolf rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cGet going, lad, before I have to do something I\u2019ll regret later.\u201d<\/p>\n They locked eyes for a moment.\u00a0 Andante smiled and began to turn toward the door.\u00a0 Ah, you want me and you know it<\/em>, he thought.\u00a0 In your dreams<\/em>, Brynjolf\u2019s eyes said in response.\u00a0 Then the most remarkable thing happened.\u00a0 Brynjolf smiled.\u00a0 A big, brilliant, knowing smile.<\/p>\n Andante almost tripped over his own feet.\u00a0 Holy mother of Mara, he thought.\u00a0 Lay me down and take me now, but that\u2019s a smile.\u00a0 He shook his head as he reached the door. I was in no way prepared for that.\u00a0 I may need to fortify myself for the road ahead.<\/p>\n And he did just that.\u00a0 In spite of his vague assurances to Brynjolf, he whisked one of the small, expensive bottles out of his pocket and downed it before breaking into the fast, steady pace that only a vampire could achieve.\u00a0 He would be in Dawnstar in just a few hours.\u00a0 And he would be hunting along the way.<\/p>\n Andante sat at his favorite table at the Bee and Barb, eating a sweet roll, sipping a Colovian brandy and enjoying the trailing edges of a skooma rush while watching the usual ebb and flow of noisy night life in Riften. The drawback to having only one bar in town \u2013 at least, only one … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/3-1-2-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart I: Andante<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"