{"id":2071,"date":"2018-08-07T04:29:15","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T04:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/?page_id=2071"},"modified":"2022-06-07T16:30:04","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T16:30:04","slug":"chapter-18","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-iii\/part-i-andante\/chapter-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 18"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nobody ever paid attention to Galathil, except to disparage her occupation, cast doubt on her skills, and pretend they didn\u2019t notice when she took on a job.\u00a0 She sat in a corner in the Ragged Flagon, all the time, quietly reading or talking to anyone who happened to come nearby.\u00a0 But for the people who agreed to pay her hefty fee, their lives changed forever.\u00a0 Some of them became beautiful when they had previously been plain or even ugly.\u00a0 Some of them did the opposite, either out of spite or in order to get away from bad situations.\u00a0 And in the Thieves Guild there was an unspoken agreement that nobody bothered Galathil; they made certain of it, and she repaid their protection by assisting them if someone needed to look different to escape scrutiny, or simply to escape.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2074\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-1.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-1-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Because they were so accustomed to leaving her alone all the time, nobody really paid attention to her quiet presence unless she spoke up.\u00a0 And because of that, nobody really noticed the man wearing black leathers who slipped up behind her in the middle of a long night when most of the Guild had retired.<\/p>\n<p>There were a number of people in the Guild who wore black leathers; he looked like someone who belonged there aside from the hood he wore, a hood that completely hid his face. The man leaned over and murmured in her ear, his voice friendly, warm and mellow like honey.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2073\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-2.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-2-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello, Galathil. Don\u2019t turn around; just listen carefully. You\u2019re going to stand up and very calmly walk to the Ratway, and I am going to be a couple of paces behind you.\u00a0 You will not try to escape, because I am every bit as good with a blade as you are, except that mine are larger and meant for less\u2026 delicate operations than yours.\u00a0 I have one in my hand right now.\u00a0 You feel it pressed up against your ribs, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Galathil, to her credit, never flinched or twitched, didn\u2019t cry out.\u00a0 She merely nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood. We\u2019re going to make our way to Riftweald Manor and slip into the back yard.\u00a0 I\u2019ve already unlocked the door.\u00a0 And when we get inside we\u2019re going to talk.\u00a0 Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded again and rose, as calm and elegant a woman as ever was.\u00a0 She walked slowly and quietly to the doorway and paused, waiting for the man who had given her the orders.\u00a0 He slipped into place behind her and pushed the door open.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s not waste any time,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not going to get away with this, you know,\u201d she said quietly as they entered the narrow tunnels of the Ratway.\u00a0 \u201cI know everyone who comes and goes through the Ragged Flagon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m certain that you do,\u201d the man chuckled. \u201cI\u2019ve seen how observant you are. But you see, so am I, and I know my business just as well as you know yours. I\u2019ve been doing it for a very long time. I wouldn\u2019t be speaking to you if I had any doubts.\u00a0 Now,\u201d he said, his voice dropping and his hand pressing close to her, \u201clet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She gasped as his knife pressed its sharp way through the fabric of her robe and bit into her skin.\u00a0 She nodded quietly, and made her way through the Ratway to its exit.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody saw them emerge from the gated entry into the darkness of Riften\u2019s lower level, and nobody paid attention to a couple making their way up the stairs and walking briskly down the street.\u00a0 Nobody noticed two quiet people slipping into the alley behind Riften\u2019s row of prominent homes, and nobody saw them enter the vacant mansion.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2075\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-3.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-3-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-3-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The long table was still where it had been when Dagnell had snatched a sweet roll from it so long before, the dust on it grown thick over time. There was still a disturbing, dark red spot on the floor just under one of the chairs. The man flipped the chair around, placed it carefully so as to afford the best view of the stain, said \u201cSit,\u201d and waited until Galathil took the seat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know that I am paid to be discreet,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t tell you anything about my clients.\u00a0 Surely you are aware of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And then the man turned to face her.<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes widened, and her grey skin blanched.<\/p>\n<p>He chuckled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were expecting a face, perhaps? Eyes, nose, something you could remember for later?\u00a0 One of those people you\u2019ve seen in the Flagon? Something to tell, say, Brynjolf or Delvin Mallory?\u00a0 No, Galathil.\u00a0 This is what you get.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The black hood he wore completely obliterated all traces of his face.\u00a0 In the right light it seemed almost hollow, as though there was nothing whatsoever inside it.\u00a0 It was terrifying.<\/p>\n<p>The man reached into a belt pouch and pulled out a neatly folded leather package.\u00a0 He untied the lacings that held it shut and flipped it open, laying it out on the table before him.\u00a0 Galathil glanced at its contents and shuddered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHmm,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cWhich one should we begin with?\u00a0 One of these, perhaps?\u201d He slid a small set of pincers out of its compartment and grasped it in his large, calloused hand.\u00a0 \u201cThey do a wonderful job on fingernails, especially nice long ones like yours.\u00a0 More to grab onto, don\u2019t you know.\u00a0 I\u2019ll make it quick. I\u2019m very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She closed her eyes, shuddered, and took a deep breath. \u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He chuckled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019d prefer I could use them to crush the fingers instead but I would assume that an artist such as yourself would like her tools to remain in top condition.\u00a0 As do I.\u00a0 Fingernails grow back. Crushed bones, well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She sighed, and was silent for a long, tense moment.\u00a0 Then she nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho is it that you are looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man knelt down before her and raised her hands in his, almost tenderly.\u00a0 He tipped his faceless head up to look at hers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDagnell.\u00a0 The Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He shook his head and grasped the fingernail of her right index finger firmly with the pincers, then began to apply pressure, slowly.\u00a0 It took only a moment before she gasped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop! I\u2019ll tell you.\u00a0 Don\u2019t harm my hands. Please.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2077\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-4.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-4-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-4-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-4-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He released her fingernail, and her hands, and she crossed her arms and tucked them under her sleeves protectively. The man rose to perch on the edge of the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTalk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And she began to talk.<\/p>\n<p>______<\/p>\n<p>Andante was sitting at the table in Honeyside, reading, when there was a quiet knock on the door.<\/p>\n<p><em>Hmm, I wasn\u2019t expecting company tonight.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t even expecting Brynjolf tonight. Who\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He rose and quickly went to the door, cracking it open just a bit before gasping in surprise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRoggi?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi was looking all around him, as if he feared someone was watching.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I come in? Quickly? I need to get out of sight and then I need to be on my way. But first I need to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>What in Oblivion?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell yes, yes of course.\u00a0 Excuse my inelegance. Come in.\u201d\u00a0 He opened the door and stepped back, only to have Roggi nearly push him aside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry to be so insistent, Andante.\u00a0 Are you alone?\u201d\u00a0 His arms were full of something dark and his voice was full of tension.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I am. Brynjolf is at the Guild tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cWould he be anywhere else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Oh yes. I haven\u2019t seen him in some time.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cYes. He would be here.\u00a0 With me.\u00a0 For some little while now. I forgot that you didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi met his eyes directly for the first time since he\u2019d opened the door. His mouth dropped open. He gasped, and dropped a pile of dark leather onto the floor.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2078\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-5.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-5-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-5-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-5-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Roggi pulled out a chair and sat down, hard.<\/p>\n<p>Roggi was a very pale man to begin with, but Andante was alarmed by the ashen shade he\u2019d taken on. He reached out to touch Roggi\u2019s shoulder, but Roggi pulled back, looking nearly terrified.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? Are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAh\u2026 Andante.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Shit. No illusion. Of all the stupid things to forget to do.\u00a0 And I\u2019m the one who\u2019s always nagging Brynjolf about it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cGods damn it.\u00a0 I\u2019m so sorry, Roggi. I would not have had you learn this particular thing about me like this, if at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy Ysmir, Andante. That\u2019s terrifying!\u201d\u00a0 Roggi\u2019s eyes were wide.\u00a0 He leaned in a little closer.\u00a0 \u201cWow.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t, uh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andante shook his head and slid into the chair across from Roggi. \u201cNo need to be concerned. I\u2019m well-fed and besides, you\u2019re practically family now. But I trust you understand that you shouldn\u2019t exhibit the usual reaction I get from hearty Nords.\u00a0 \u2018Kill the vampire\u2019 is not a very safe thing to shout in this household.\u201d\u00a0 He cast his illusion spell and could feel Roggi\u2019s heart rate return to normal as his own eyes turned from yellow back to blue.<\/p>\n<p><em>I\u2019m in no danger but he is, if he tries anything.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t harm him.\u00a0 I simply can\u2019t.\u00a0 He\u2019s related to Brynjolf.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2079\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-6.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-6-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-6-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-6-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There was a long silence. He waited, not daring to speak, while Roggi stared at him, looked him over, and evaluated him.\u00a0 He could see how talented Roggi truly was at observing and judging, could almost read the thoughts going through his head. Finally, Roggi nodded, and gave him a lopsided smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t think of it.\u00a0 So long as you keep your fangs away from my neck, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell then we\u2019ve come to an agreement.\u00a0 Could I get you anything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, if you have some mead, that would be great. I\u2019m feeling a bit unsettled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andante went to the cupboard where he kept beverages and pulled out a bottle of Black-Briar Reserve, the best he had in the house aside from his favorite Colovian brandy.\u00a0 He handed it to Roggi and watched in amusement as he half-emptied it in the space of a few seconds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you, Andante.\u00a0 I \u2026 imagine that you can understand why I\u2019m a little rattled.\u00a0 And you say that you two are\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andante sat back down, chuckling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes indeed.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t too terribly long after you and Dardeh got married, actually. He\u2019s very persuasive when he makes up his mind about a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi\u2019s eyebrows rose again. \u201cHe\u2019s the persuasive one? Is that so? Well, now. Dar and I turned that possibility over. We both thought that you hoped for such a thing to happen, but I didn\u2019t really think it would come to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes it is so, and has come to pass.\u201d He couldn\u2019t suppress a grin of satisfaction. <em>I wonder what I looked like just then. The cat who got the cream, no doubt. <\/em>He chuckled. \u201cSo what brings you here?\u00a0 News, I would assume?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes. News, and I need to return these.\u201d He picked the pile of black leather up off the floor and put it onto an empty chair. \u201cI, uh, needed some camouflage. Found a couple of pieces of Brynjolf\u2019s older leathers in his chest down in the Cistern way back when Dag first left but I didn\u2019t want to risk going in to put them back. We\u2019re pretty much the same size.\u00a0 Nobody gave me a second glance. I was hoping you could return them for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHah. Clever.\u00a0 And for whatever purpose a set of old Guild armor gave you camouflage, you hid that very blonde hair with\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cThis.\u201d He held up a piece of dark cloth.\u00a0 \u201cI came by this a couple of years ago out in Markarth. It\u2019s a pretty amazing hood, truthfully.\u00a0 Watch.\u201d\u00a0 He slipped it over his head and looked at Andante.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2080\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-7.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-7-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-7-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-7-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>His face.\u00a0 It\u2019s gone.\u00a0 There are no eyes.\u00a0 That is terrifying. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Suddenly his head felt as though it was being squeezed, in a giant vise, and he was afraid he might pass out.\u00a0 He put his head down between his knees, sucking air, trying to get his equilibrium back.<\/p>\n<p><em>That is why he wears the mask. To be terrifying.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>That phrase echoed through his head, as though he had heard it before. <em>That is exactly why I wear the mask.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>What is this? What is happening?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For just a fraction of a second the pressure in his head changed in his mind, to a clear vision of the hood sliding over his own head.\u00a0 He felt as though he was suffocating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAndante?\u00a0 Are you all right? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0 Roggi\u2019s voice seemed to come from far away, and was tinny, as if he was speaking under water.<\/p>\n<p><em>Breathe. Breathe.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I\u2026 think that I\u2026 remember something\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He shook his head, and slowly sat upright.\u00a0 Roggi had taken the hood off and was sitting well forward on his chair, ready to jump if he was needed, his expression full of concern.\u00a0 Andante felt the blood returning to his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy the Eight that was odd,\u201d he said, trying to make light of it.\u00a0 \u201cMy turn to have a bit of a spell, it seems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOdd is an understatement. Are you sure you\u2019re going to be ok?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andante nodded, slowly.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I think so.\u00a0 Let me see that for a moment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi handed him the hood, and he ran it through his fingers, staring at it, feeling it.\u00a0 It felt familiar to him.\u00a0 His fingers ran along its bottom edges to the seams at the side, unerringly, knowing just when to stop so as to open it to its widest, so that a person could simply flip it up onto his head and\u2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2081\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-8.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-8-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-8-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-8-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, it\u2019s terrifying. You really didn\u2019t need to prove it to me,\u201d Roggi chuckled, and Andante startled, realizing that he had actually put the hood on as if he belonged in it.<\/p>\n<p>He snatched it off his head and handed it back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I don\u2019t quite know what\u2019s gotten into me aside from very poor manners.\u00a0 Let me see if I might collect myself.\u00a0 Why is it that you had this with you?\u201d He sat, rigid, fighting to control the trembling that was trying to take him over.<\/p>\n<p><em>I remember that hood. But I don\u2019t remember why.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Roggi nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI got the hood a couple of years ago, in Markarth.\u00a0 I\u2019m\u2026 well, I\u2019m not officially gathering information for anyone, any more, but I do like to keep my ears open and sometimes the best way to do that is to buy a few carriage rides.\u00a0 It\u2019s all but impossible to get into the Thalmor Embassy.\u00a0 Dar\u2019s been there, but a fellow like me? Never. Not even when I was working for Ulfric.\u00a0 Next best thing? The outpost in Solitude, or the one in Markarth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled, almost to himself.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m actually a little surprised I never ran into Dardeh there. Oh who am I kidding; I might have and not even noticed him. There are so many miners there. At any rate, it seems that if you\u2019re an official \u2018guest\u2019 of the Thalmor some of your personal effects might well end up there, in that room.\u201d\u00a0 He looked up and saw Andante staring at him, and his words dribbled off into nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, I still can\u2019t quite get used to the idea of you being in this line of work, Roggi.\u00a0 You seem much too\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOrdinary?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a way to put it, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the point.\u00a0 At any rate, I saw it in the chest and helped myself.\u00a0 I thought it would come in handy some day if I needed to make absolutely sure someone couldn\u2019t identify me, and how much better to do that than to have your whole head just disappear, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Yes.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I\u2019ve been thinking about this ever since we all met here.\u00a0 I know that Brynjolf and Delvin didn\u2019t want her pressured but the last hint we had was\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGalathil.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u00a0 And I haven\u2019t been able to get it out of my head since. It\u2019s just been gnawing at me. I would assume you have some degree of skill in this area but it was my specialty, and, well, I told Dar I needed to visit Kynesgrove for a couple of days.\u00a0 I do, but I haven\u2019t been there yet.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head and looked down, then muttered.\u00a0 \u201cSome one of these days I\u2019ll learn how to tell a person the whole truth but apparently that day hasn\u2019t yet arrived.\u201d\u00a0 He frowned, then looked back up at Andante.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, it seems that the rumor was correct. I visited her this evening, and helped persuade her that she should tell me what had happened. She was surprisingly easy to convince. Didn\u2019t have to do much more than show her the toolkit.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cJust as well. I\u2019m very out of practice. I expect this will have been my last job. At any rate, she admitted that she changed Dagnell\u2019s face, just before she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot very long after I joined the Guild and just about the time I turned,\u201d Andante murmured.<\/p>\n<p>Roggi stared at him in silence for a few more moments, clearly deep in thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said that you and Bryn are together. So, um, does that mean that Brynjolf also\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>It\u2019s not really my place to say, but I don\u2019t know how I can weasel out of it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs a vampire? Yes, Roggi. Recently. He\u2019s\u2026\u201d He turned to look at the fire.\u00a0 <em>He\u2019s amazing.\u00a0 He\u2019s stronger than you could imagine.\u00a0 And he\u2019ll never be mine, no matter how much I desire it. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s very strong. And I am very\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He turned to look at Roggi again and couldn\u2019t quite fathom what he was seeing on the man\u2019s face.\u00a0 Roggi sighed.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2082\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-9.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-9.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-9-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-9-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/3-1-18-9-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re very what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI was afraid that\u2019s what you were going to say. We\u2019re all good at reading other people around here. I can hear the sound of a man in love, even if he\u2019s a vampire.\u201d\u00a0 He stood and paced the floor, and blew out a breath. \u201cBut I still have to help him find Dag, Andante. It doesn\u2019t matter what\u2019s going on with the two of you right now.\u00a0 It might matter, that you\u2019re both\u2026 well. It might not.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 But I do know that he still wants her found. He still\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>I know.\u00a0 I know.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes. I know.\u00a0 I have to help him, too.\u201d\u00a0 <em>It\u2019ll be the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done but I have to help find her, too. For him. <\/em>He grimaced as he found himself chewing on the inside of his own mouth.\u00a0 \u201cSo where do we start?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently Galathil removed her scar, changed her eye color to a much lighter green, evened out some of her features.\u00a0 And something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChanged her voice. Deepened it.\u00a0 She told me it\u2019s a delicate \u2013 and expensive \u2013 procedure but a few carefully wielded needles to the voice box, well \u2026 scars leave their mark inside as well as outside. She told me that Dag\u2019s voice is rather husky now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andante\u2019s eyes narrowed as he stared at Roggi. It couldn\u2019t be, could it? Light green eyes. Husky voice. \u201cAnd she hates skooma,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n<p>Roggi\u2019s eyebrows rose.\u00a0 \u201cYes, how did you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrynjolf.\u00a0 Tell me, was she very good at being a thief, Roggi? Good at killing things?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi frowned. \u201cI never watched her work after the first few weeks she was in the Guild. We had a bit of a falling-out. But yes, when I was travelling with her she was very good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andante sighed.\u00a0 <em>And the skooma.<\/em> <em>There are too many coincidences.\u00a0 How can I find out for certain?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI might have a lead to follow. But tell me, what could I use? Is there something in particular about Dagnell that not everyone knows?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi furrowed his brow and started telling Andante everything he could think of about Dagnell.\u00a0 When he\u2019d finished, he slipped out to find a carriage to Windhelm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo me a favor, Andante.\u00a0 Don\u2019t mention this to anyone. Dar\u2019s going to be furious with me if he finds out what I did and I don\u2019t even want to look Bryn in the eyes.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back home if you need me.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not involve Delvin yet, until we have something solid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andante nodded and stood in the door, watching him slip through the shadows toward the north gate.\u00a0 Then he closed the door and made his way to the bath, stopping in the bedroom to shed his clothes and scoop a bottle of skooma out of his side table on the way by.\u00a0 As he slid into the welcome warmth he frowned.<\/p>\n<p><em>If I am right, I am in the worst position I could possibly occupy.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Right between them.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I don\u2019t know whether I have it in me to let him know.\u00a0 And I\u2019m not close enough to her to wheedle her out of the truth. She\u2019s the best.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He leaned back and closed his eyes, thoughts rushing through him without destination, until suddenly they came back to the hood. Unbidden, his mind presented him with a vision, a flash of memory, an older woman with a terrified look on her face just before she died.<\/p>\n<p><em>The best of the best.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p>He sat bolt upright, shaking.<\/p>\n<p><em>By all the gods.\u00a0 That was me.<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: left; float: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-iii\/part-i-andante\/\">Part I: Andante<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: right; float: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-iii\/part-i-andante\/chapter-17\/\">Previous<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-iii\/part-i-andante\/chapter-19\/\">Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nobody ever paid attention to Galathil, except to disparage her occupation, cast doubt on her skills, and pretend they didn\u2019t notice when she took on a job.\u00a0 She sat in a corner in the Ragged Flagon, all the time, quietly reading or talking to anyone who happened to come nearby.\u00a0 But for the people who &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-iii\/part-i-andante\/chapter-18\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 18&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1752,"menu_order":18,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2071","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2071"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5377,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2071\/revisions\/5377"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}