Chapter Text
Midnight approached as a figure walked through a dark stone hallway, towards a meeting she was called into. She didn't know what it was about, but the letter summoning her made it sound important. Recently, she was attending a lot of things like that between speakers, assassins from other sanctuaries, and herself. A lot of people had been wondering what was going on, and even her gossiping friend had barely any clue.
She stood in front of the door for a moment to gather herself. It’s just another meeting, there’s no need to be nervous. Once she was sure her mask of theatrics wouldn’t slip, she knocked on the door.
It only took a second before the voice on the other side said, “Enter.”
The office was dimly lit, and the light from the candles danced among the shadows. Someone sat behind a desk in the center of the room. He gestured towards a chair in front of him, silently telling her to sit.
As she sat down, she greeted him, “Hello, Speaker Lucien. It’s been a while since we last spoke”
“Indeed it has,” he responded, “I trust you’ve been doing well. As you know, I’ve been closely observing your progress for quite a while. Your level of skill is very impressive, especially given you only joined the Brotherhood half a year ago.”
“That means a lot coming from you, so thank you.” She smiled slightly, doing her best to not give away how happy she was that he recognized her for what she’s good at.
“Of course. Now, given the amount of skill you've displayed, I'd like to offer you the position of Silencer. It's not something to be taken lightly, so I’ll allow you to have some time to think about it if you need.”
Without skipping a beat, she answered, “I accept. It would be my honor to serve you, speaker.”
“In that case, I’ll make preparations for your contracts. The way they’ll be handled is different from the ones you’ve been completing so far, so I’ll give you more instructions when you’re ready,” he explained, “Along with that, I’ll make arrangements for you to begin living here in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. Working together while living in different cities would add unnecessary difficulties.”
“I understand. I’ll get my stuff ready when I’m back in Bruma, and I’ll try to be back as soon as possible,” she replied.
“I’m afraid that won’t be required. I’ve contacted J’Ghasta, and he’ll make sure all your things arrive safely. In the meantime, there’s a room which has been designated to you. Right now, it only has the basics, but if you have any requests for things you’d like added, you can speak with Ocheeva. She’s the Sanctuary’s mistress, and would be happy to help however she can.”
Smiling again, she told him, “Thank you, for all of this. I’m excited to be working with you.”
“Of course. It’s late so I can assign you the paperwork in the morning.” He stood up gracefully and began to move away from his place at the desk. “If you’d like, I can walk you to your room. You can get a more complete tour tomorrow; just ask Ocheeva when you’re ready. She spends her mornings reading in the common room.”
She nodded and stood up to follow him. The brief walk to her new room was filled with silence, but it was comfortable. Neither of them spoke until they were there, and she was okay with that.
“I hope this will be good enough, for now. If you need anything until morning, I’ll be in my office. Rest well.”
“Thank you, Lucien. I’ll try.”
Evi closed the door and looked around. There was a washbin, a bed, a dresser, a mirror, a small reading table, and two chairs.
“I thought he said this only had the basics,” she muttered to herself as she began to take off her boots.
She flopped down onto the bed and closed her eyes. All of this was a welcome change. She had started feeling stuck and bored, but everything that just happened opened her up to a life that’s different and exciting.
A ray of morning sunlight beamed down through the room’s small window, shining onto the bed as Evi tried to wake herself up. She usually didn’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time, force of habit, but that night she slept for much longer than she had expected. When she sat up, she noticed a neatly folded set robes on her table. She stood up and stretched, trying to get rid of her grogginess. Walking over to the table, she saw a note along with the new clothes.
I forgot to give you these last night. I hope you find them to be comfortable.
– L
It was a bit funny how he, a speaker, forgot to give her something she’d be needing. She read it before picking up the robes to get dressed. Once it was on, she smoothed out her hair and looked in the mirror. The fabric was soft and lightweight; perfect for someone in her line of work. It also looked good on her, which she was a bit surprised about, given comfort and aesthetics were usually mutually exclusive with clothing.
Sounds of people talking echoed through the hallway walls when she stepped out of her room. It seemed like everyone else was already up and starting their day. A few people were sitting in the common room, either talking or silently enjoying their own activities. She spotted an Argonian reading in a chair near one of the bookcases.
Ocheeva noticed her and called her over to speak, “You must be Evi. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Lucien has told me all about you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Ocheeva. Lucien told me you might be able to give me a quick tour.”
“Of course! I would love to.” The Argonian stood up and set her book on a nearby table. She had clearly been wanting to show the new Silencer around the Sanctuary, and was glad to be able to do so.
Evi followed her around as she walked her through all the different rooms, aside from the ones belonging to individual family members, of course. It was bigger than the Bruma Sanctuary, having a training room, common area, dining room, and individual bedrooms for every member of the family. It was kept safe from everything outside without having the entrances in overly difficult to access spots. It was perfect.
When Ocheeva led her back to the common area, a woman ran up to her, excited to introduce herself, “Are you the new silencer? I’ve been looking forward to meeting you ever since I heard Lucien would be giving you the position. My name is Antoinetta Marie.”
Ocheeva looked at the woman with a concerned expression. She looked like she wanted to say something but decided not to. Antoinetta clearly wasn’t supposed to have known that quite yet, but when she managed to get information like this, she never revealed her sources. Asking would be no use, so staying quiet was the next best option.. Evi didn’t know the extent of her ability to get information yet, but it would be more impressive than imagined.
“It’s lovely to make your acquaintance,” she happily replied, “I’m sure we’ll get along well.”
Ocheeva turned to her and said, “It has been wonderful to meet you, Evi. I’m going to be in my quarters working on assigning contracts, but if you need anything at all, don’t be afraid to ask.”
Evi wandered around for a while, introducing herself to everyone when they crossed paths. Moving there felt like a fresh start for her. After two years in Bruma, living somewhere new and working directly for a speaker was just what she needed.
As the day went on, Evi tried to prepare herself for seeing Lucien again. For some reason, it made her stomach flip any time she even thought about it. Getting the courage to go back to his office seemed impossible.
Right as she was figuring out what she would say, she heard footsteps heading over towards her chair. She barely got a moment to realize he was even there before Lucien lightly hit her on the head with a few pieces of rolled up paper. “You didn’t show up this morning, so I brought you the paperwork.”
“Sorry… I was getting settled and didn’t quite get a moment to stop by your office.”
“The fact that you’re sitting and doing nothing suggests otherwise, but that’s alright. It’s your first day here, so I understand you’re still getting used to the new environment. In the future, though, I expect you to actually get your paperwork yourself.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, I’ll be sure to do that.”
“I can tell you’re scattered, is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I’m just not quite used to it here yet,” she lied, “I should be fine tomorrow.”
“I can tell you aren’t being fully truthful, but I understand,” he told her, “When you sign the papers, you can set it on my desk.”
When he walked away, a weird feeling washed over her. It was a bit like dread, but not entirely. She glared at the pages, thinking about how he knew she was lying, and why she was even doing it in the first place. Dealing with these emotions properly would be
important, rather than avoiding someone who she’s going to be working with so closely.