Skyrim: The Nightshade Assassin

Expanding the Brotherhood Part Ⅱ

Chapter 7

I remain in my place, frozen. My nails are pressing into my palms so tightly, blood trickles down my wrist. What in Sithis is he talking about? He's completely ignoring the stalker comment. Kaito gazes down to my height, a couple seconds of awkward silence. I am only as tall as his chin, and I slightly tiptoe to actually reach his eyes. Babette stares, biting her tongue in an unsettled manner.

"You were in Helgen," he says plainly, forcing his eyes on mine.

Babette focuses on me, intensifying the pressure weighing down on my head. Having someone as special as the Dragonborn unsettles me a lot. What if he betrays us? Even if everyone here attacks him all at once, he'll be able to kill us all without a problem. The story about Ulfric Stormcloak and Torygg has me disturbed about the new recruit.

By now, I've recognised him. Back in Helgen, he was so helpless. When I look at him now, he seems average, but I know how much power the Dragonborn holds.

"The dragon attack," he continues, awaiting a reply, but I keep my lips sealed. "You were there. In that Imperial ambush, too."

I tense as the memory slices my cold heart in two. I suppress my sad expression with a menacing glare.

"I saw your friends slaughtered out there. During the ambush, Iー"

"Enough!" I hiss, narrowing my eyes. How can he speak of that event without a single emotion? He stops talking as Babette remains silent. She steps back, seeming like the innocent child she is.

I begin to walk away, into my room. I am overthinking things, perhaps I just needed to be alone for a little while. I tend to do that, a lot actually when I'm pissed off. Storming up the steps, I feel a hand grab my wrist. Thinking it was Babette, I spin around to show some of my kind side, at least to her. "Wait," he says, tightening his grip on my arm. It isn't Babette or Gabriella, to my disappointment. I try to shake him off, but his grasp only tightens.

"What in Sithis do you want?" I snap, digging my nails into his own wrist in order to escape. He just squeezes his hand to mine and refuses to let go. Stubborn, much?

He flinches as I continue to scratch his hand for him to release. But, he decides to be a pest and endures it. "Look, you are a new recruit. I expect you to be noble and obey all our orders, or you'll have a stake to your throat. The tenets have been abandoned, so we will not have second thoughts," I threaten, hoping he'll just walk away. How disgraceful for a man, or a brand new initiate to treat his partners so rudely.

"Oh, Cortana, have mercy," Babette sighs, but smiles softly once the blood dripping down his fingers catches her view. I stop digging my nails into his skin and send him a death glare as soon as he lets go. Without a word, I stomp angrily to my room. He'll just have to endure me being a selfish brat. The rest of the members did.

"She's just like that. She'll be rude at first, but eventually warm up. Cortana is also just afraid that if she begins to trust you, you'll betray her. That's just how she is," I hear Babette explain.

Almost true. Just barely, but not quite.

I stroll to my dresser, pulling out a small nightgown that reaches just above my knees. It is quite comfortable and soft, the second piece of apparel I received after I joined the brotherhood. Everyone is probably asleep, and Kaito might be settling in. He might as well be working as a guard. I remember the tale of Matthieu Bellamont, how he betrayed his family long ago, because of his mother's death. What if we killed one of Kaito's loved ones, and he just wants to join for revenge?

There is a small knock on the door. "Sister?" I make out a soft call. I open the door and smile softly, making way for Babette to come in.

"You know, you shouldn't be so rough on the new recruit," she says to me after I quietly shut the door. She is also in her night clothes, and her hair is in a braid behind her neck.