This chapter is a series of conversations between Vex and Anja. You may know more about Anja in my other fic "A Chance Arrangement". I've been trying a new style of writing with this fic here, tell me if you think it'd be worth doing again :)
"Stop staring at me like that. Ask what you have to ask or leave me alone."
"I… er… Sorry."
"I'll stop listening next time you mumble. We don't lose time in here, get used to it."
"I was just wondering if you could help me with lockpicking."
"…"
"I've heard you can teach people and…"
"Look. I'm the best infiltrator in this rat hole."
"I know, that's why I'm asking you."
"You'd better not doubt that."
"I don't."
"I don't supply the lockpicks so if you suck, you'll buy them yourself."
"I bought some from Balimund."
"Ha, who would have thought an honest smith as him would sell thieving accessories."
"Tonilia was out of stock."
"Well, what are you waiting for? There's no lock to pick in here. We're going to the training room."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Next time you call me ma'am, you'll feel my dagger before you even see it."
"Sorry."
"What's with you and politeness? I thought Brynjolf picked you on the streets."
"…"
"Whatever. Come with me, I don't have all day."
"You know, I never thought mead tasted like that."
"Mmh."
"It's so sweet. I never knew it was so sweet."
"Mmh."
"Why don't they let children drink it?"
"Mmh."
"I mean, I'm sure they would love it."
"Love what?"
"… You have no idea what I was talking about, do you?"
"I am working, if you haven't noticed."
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Trying to work is more like it, with your blabbering."
"I can treat you to a mead as an apology."
"No thanks. I still have a lot of work."
"I'll buy myself another one, then."
"Don't let it go to your head."
"The mead?"
"Mead, money, pride. You'll look like a fool."
"…Okay…"
"Now go drink with Brynjolf and let me work."
"You busy?"
"Anja, I'm always busy."
"True."
"What do you want?"
"I heard things…"
"Out with it, I don't have all day."
"AreyouhavingathingwithDelvin?"
"What was that?"
"You and Delvin… Is there something between you?"
"Who told you that?"
"That's not the issue."
"He did, didn't he?"
"…"
"Whatever. A man can dream. No, there's nothing. Don't ask anything like that again."
"You don't have to lie to look professional, you know, I won't tell."
"Look, what I feel for him is mild disgust at best."
"Oh."
"Not everyone can have a thing with other thieves like you do. Business is business."
"I know that!"
"Mmh."
"Don't look at me like that, it makes me feel like you want to gag me and chain me to a boulder at the bottom of the lake."
"Sometimes I do."
"…"
"…"
"Please don't do that."
"You know what's good about being here?"
"You get to torture someone with your endless questions?"
"I get to do things Ma wouldn't allow me to."
"…"
"Wow, Vex, who would have thought your face could stop frowning? Don't pity me too much, though."
"I don't pity you. Or anyone. I don't care."
"Good. There's the Vex we all know and kind of tolerate."
"Don't get too cocky, kid. You're still new here."
"Sorry."
"Things like that might get you killed if you talk to the wrong people."
"Brynjolf is still teaching me about that."
"The master of honeyed words…"
"Aye… Anyway, I get to drink mead every night if I want to, now."
"You shouldn't."
"I don't, but I could."
"Mead will make you dumb and pathetic if you drink too much of it."
"What are you talking about? You drink just as much mead as the rest of us."
"I never drink mead."
"What? But your tankard is always full."
"Never full of mead."
"Why?"
"I don't like mead."
"You don't like mead? How is that possible?"
"My mother would never let us drink mead. She would never have allowed us to drink something as barbaric as a Nord drink."
"And you won't disobey her?"
"I've been living in this land for more than a decade, now. I think I've disobeyed her enough."
"Is that why you don't drink mead?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"I told you. I don't like mead."
"You're weird."
"What's up with Sapphire?"
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you see that? She just began sobbing and left."
"What?! What happened?"
"Don't give me that look, it wasn't me."
"Sorry, wild guess."
"…Anyway. She was just sitting there, eating supper, and just burst into tears."
"Divines… Did someone say anything?"
"She left, no one had time to say a thing."
"I mean before she left."
"Vekel and I were talking business."
"It can't be that."
"Glover and Delvin were talking about a bandit raid in Darkwater Crossing and…"
"Bandit raid?"
"Yes?"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it. Where did she go?"
"That way. Brynjolf went after her."
"Okay."
"Aren't you going to explain anything?"
"Sapphire might need me. We'll talk later."
"Vex."
"Anja."
"Can you please look up from your papers at least a second?"
"I don't see why I should."
"I need to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"First of all, please don't repeat this to anyone."
"Anja, you don't know me at all if you think there's anything I wouldn't tell for the right amount of coin."
"This isn't the kind of thing someone would pay to know."
"Then I don't think I will care much."
"I don't want you to care, I want you to help me."
"Tell me, and fast, I don't have much time."
"Could you give me and Brynjolf jobs in the same city? Somewhere far away, like Dawnstar or something."
"…Well, well. Why would you want that?"
"…"
"I guess being Brynjolf's protégée comes with benefits…"
"Instead of taunting me, can you answer the question?"
"At least you chose one of the decent ones down here."
"He's a lot more than decent."
"Heh, I'll trust you on that."
"Please don't tell anyone."
"Do I look the gossiping type?"
"Good point."
"I have two jobs in Winterhold. I was going to give them to Vipir but I guess I can change my mind."
"Hoping he'd freeze his balls off, huh?"
"If only… Though I assume you want Brynjolf's balls in perfect state…"
"Divines, Vex, I knew I should have asked Delvin… Don't laugh at me like that!"
"Fine, fine. Very serious now. Brynjolf will get his job with you…"
"Thank you!"
"… Hand or blow, though, you tell me."
"… Bye Vex."
"Vex?"
"Mmh?"
"When did you come to Riften?"
"What year are we?"
"192."
"Then fifteen years ago."
"Wow. You've been here almost as long as I have."
"You're still a kid."
"Or you're old, depending on how you look at it."
"I'm thirty-six, Anja."
"See, what I told you."
"And I have a lot more experience than you in making people regret pissing me off."
"…"
"Yeah, you should be scared."
"How did your mother react when you joined the Guild?"
"She has yet to learn about that."
"What?"
"I never told her. She'd just spill all her bullshit about a decent proper life, getting a husband and spawn children."
"Oh. She's that kind of mother."
"She is."
"Ma never had any plan for my life."
"Ugh, you're lucky."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right. She and I never got along, not really."
"You didn't? I thought she wanted to be a thief."
"Pretty much. She forbade me to steal, though."
"She was that kind of mother."
"She was."
"Have you ever been in love?"
"What? Why are you asking?"
"It's just… Ugh, I don't know."
"Look at me and tell me if you see a romantic soul."
"True."
"So, why are you asking?"
"How do you know if you're in love?"
"I wouldn't know."
"I think I might love Brynjolf."
"Damn, it's time you realized that."
"…Am I that obvious?"
"You get that disgusting expression when you look at him."
"Do you think many others know?"
"He certainly doesn't. He's a complete idiot."
"Don't talk about him that way!"
"He is, and you're no better when you're around him."
"You're just being mean."
"I never said it was wrong, I said it's disgusting."
"Yeah, that's completely different. So kind of you."
"Any time."
"Your handwriting is horrible!"
"Thanks, Vex, good morning to you too."
"You can't give me reports like that. I've been trying to decipher it for an hour now."
"Sorry…"
"I knew asking for help with reports was a bad idea. There's no way I can give that to Mercer."
"What's with you? You never get angry like that."
"What are you talking about? I always get angry."
"Not with me!"
"That's because you normally do jobs right and clean!"
"What's up with you?"
"What's up with me? What's up with that handwriting? Who taught you how to write?"
"Maramal, mostly."
"The priest?"
"Yeah."
"He did a terrible job."
"Well sorry, not all of us had the best teachers supplied by our rich noble parents directly at home, Vex. Some of us had to get by on our own."
"It's never too late. Grab a quill and get your butt here."
"But I…"
"No excuse! You're not getting out of here until you're copied that report in your best handwriting."
"Ugh, you're the worst teacher ever."
"Shut up and get to work, pupil."
"Have you ever even been with someone?"
"Look at you, barely official with Brynjolf and already the love expert."
"I'm just asking!"
"The answer is yes. Obviously I've been with someone before."
"But never someone you loved?"
"You don't need to love someone to fuck 'em."
"…"
"Don't ask things when you don't want to hear the answer."
"That would have been wiser indeed…"
"You said it."
"Who was it? Wait, no, don't tell me, I'm going to guess."
"Go ahead."
"Is it someone in the Guild?"
"I've been with more than one man before, you know."
"Well, were you with someone from the Guild?"
"Yeah."
"Mmh, was it Mercer?"
"What? No!"
"Hey, I'm just guessing here! … So, is it Delvin?"
"You're still hung up on that? There is nothing between Delvin and me!"
"… Is it Brynjolf?"
"Haha, I should say yes just to make you keep the long face. But no. He's all yours."
"Is it Vekel?"
"No, and I think Tonilia has a thing for him."
"Yeah, she does."
"Shame. He'd be my type."
"What's your type?"
"Big and burly. Why do you think I came to Skyrim?"
"Mmh, then is it Dirge?"
"Mmh."
"It is Dirge!"
"We were never together-together. He's just been… there when I needed him, if you know what I mean."
"I wish I didn't."
"Pfft, you and Brynjolf are no better."
"Happy birthday Vex!"
"What?! How did you know it was my birthday?"
"Delvin told me…"
"Ugh, what an ass. He knows I don't like people to know about that. He still isn't over that letter."
"Why? What letter?"
"…The letter doesn't matter."
"Okay…"
"Look, I hate my birthday."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because my mother always graces me with her presence around my birthday."
"Oh, does that mean I'll get to meet her?"
"Absolutely not. You're a horrible liar, you'll break my cover as soon as she sees you, and I've kept it for sixteen years now."
"It is true that I'm not that good at lying…"
"She's coming tomorrow evening. She's with my brother right now, the poor man. Not that I wish him any different."
"Do you just hate everyone in your family?"
"…"
"You do, don't you?"
"Anyway, mother coming into town, you staying here. Understood?"
"Sure. Is your brother your twin or something?"
"Yeah. He's an ass."
"Runs in the family?"
"Ha. Ha. Now move along, I have to go punch Delvin."
"You know, you might have chosen a better place to hide if you didn't want anyone to stumble upon you."
"I know, I've just realized that, somehow."
"It's not my fault Brynjolf sounds like a skeever!"
"He does not!"
"What did you want me to do, risk my safety?"
"Your safety wasn't threatened!"
"I didn't know that. It could have been anything."
"Well, there aren't many places to hide in this place, sorry for thinking an empty storage room would be empty!"
"You just have to study the right time."
"…What are you talking about?"
"I mean there's just about always a time where the place you want is empty with no one around to hear Brynjolf's skeever noises."
"…"
"Oh yes, you know what I mean."
"Where and with whom?"
"That's none of your business."
"You've just caught me making love with Bryn between a mead barrel and a heap of cabbages, I think you're beyond caring about privacy."
"Ha, just listen to you, making love. Just call it as it is, fucking."
"Sorry for having feelings for him!"
"Don't lecture me on romance, I fucked Vipir on the bar counter while Dirge watched!"
"Divines, Vex, I did not need to know that!"
"You asked!"
"HELLO ANJA!"
"Ugh…"
"HOW ARE YOU?"
"Shut up…"
"Haha, sorry. I told you ale after wine was a bad idea."
"And you were right…"
"You seen Brynjolf yet?"
"He's still sleeping."
"You'd better get ready to defend yourself."
"What? Why?"
"…You don't remember yesterday?"
"No…"
"You kind of drank half of the tavern's alcohol and threw up everything on him. Then sobbed in his arms for half an hour before trying to make out with him in front of everyone."
"…"
"But hey, don't worry, he's drunk almost just as much!"
"You think he might not remember?"
"He probably will remember Delvin throwing him into the basin, though."
"That sounds dangerous…"
"Oh don't worry, Brynjolf can swim."
"Yeah…"
"It's Delvin I would be worried about if I actually cared about him. He was just as thrashed as your little lover."
"It's the last time I ever celebrate my birthday."
"It's not everyday you're eighteen, my dear."