Chapter nine of the Professionally Unethical arc | Chapter thirty-four

Fridas

Brynjolf sits down across from me, nodding at the quiet man also at the table. "I see you've met Delvin already," the Nord says. Delvin toasts his mead at me with a smile.

"He seems the most sensible of you lot," I joke, and the men chuckle.

"You say that now," Brynjolf says, then shifts sideways in his seat to better point out the other guild members. "That's Vekel the Man," he gestures to the barkeep.

"Do you always call him that?" I have to ask. Brynjolf snorts.

"We usually just call him Vekel. That," he nods over at the woman who's still leaning against the pillar, glowering at everyone, "is Vex. She's our master infiltrator. I would say not to get on her bad side, but she doesn't really have a good one."

"I can hear you, Brynjolf!" she calls, and Brynjolf ducks his head with a grin.

"Noted," I say dryly, and send her what I hope is a charming smile. It's mostly to rile her up, to be entirely honest, and it works like a charm. She glares at me and turns away with a huff.

"Tonilia is our Fence," the redhead continues. The only other woman in the bar is sitting at a table on the part built over the water, her back to our group.

"Talk to her if you're lookin' to get some coin for the fruits of your labor," Delvin pipes up then. "She sounds tough, but she'll cut you a fair deal."

"Good to know."

"There are others about," Brynjolf says with a shrug, "but those are the main ones you need to know. Well, them and our Guild Master, Mercer Frey. But you'll meet him later.

"For now, I have a small job for you."

"Oh?" I lean forward, arms crossed on the table. Brynjolf mirrors my pose.

"I need you to handle a few deadbeats for me. They owe our organization some serious coin and they've decided not to pay. I want you to... explain to them the error of their ways."

My mouth twists, and I nod warily. "I suppose I could do that. Who do I need to talk to?"

"Keerava, Bersi Honey-Hand and Haelga," Brynjolf lists off. "Do this ri–"

"Can't do it," I interrupt with a shake of my head. Brynjolf rears back and scowls at me. Delvin, I see out of the corner of my eye, watches in amusement.

"Why not?" Brynjolf demands.

"For starters," I hold up a finger, "I might not like Haelga, but she's still my aunt. Sort of. We're related, in any case. If I piss her off, she's going to make Svana's life hell, and I want to avoid that. Secondly, I just got on Keerava's good side. I want to stay there. If I'm going to be passing through this city more often than before, I'll need somewhere to eat, and that's really the only place to get any food."

Brynjolf stares at me with narrow eyes. I stare back. It's an easy contest – I've faced a dragon. No mortal is going to be able to intimidate me again.

The Nord hisses in disgust and leans back in his seat, waving a hand. "Fine, whatever. I'll send someone else to get them. I'm not happy about this though, I hope you're aware of that."

"I am," I nod, "and I could always make do without this guild. I don't need to join up. I can steal just as well on my own. But it sounds like you could use some help, if the rumors are true, and not just with grunt work.

"So, the question is, do you need me enough to overlook my faults?"