Heart of Gold (Brynjolf)

Chapter III: Fool Me Twice

The next morning, Nuri was awoken by the sounds of fighting in the inn's main common room. She got dressed quickly and ran downstairs to see what was going on.

Keerava, the Argonian innkeeper, was on the ground. Another woman stood over her. The brawl seemed to be over.

"Here's Brynjolf's money," Keerava was saying, tossing a coinpurse none too kindly to the other woman. "Just get out."

Talen hurried over to help her up as the other woman turned to leave. Nuri thought she recognized her, and after a moment it came to her. That was the adventurer she had seen talking to Brynjolf yesterday! The woman pushed past her out the door, and Nurica caught a glimpse of her eyes- strangely lizardlike and orange. Part Argonian, perhaps?

Nuri followed the woman out, but instead of following her to the other shop she was beelining to (probably to beat up another poor shopkeeper), Nuri headed for the marketplace, and straight to Brynjolf's stall. He gave her a knowing smile as she approached.

"Decide to give my Elixir another go?" He asked her. She leaned against the stall and crossed her arms.

"'Fool me once, shame on you'. No, I came to ask you what kind of organization scams people with worthless potions and beats up shopkeepers just for a few measly coins."

"Not so loud!" Brynjolf hushed her and glanced around for anyone who might have overheard. He spoke low and pulled her close. "As far as anyone knows, selling invented tonics is my job here. What happened in the inn was Keerava's own fault. She owed a debt, and we collected. How the debt is collected is up to the collector. There's always another way, lass."

Nuri nodded once in understanding, then grabbed one of the bottles in the stand to inspect it. Brynjolf reached to stop her but she shouldered him, held the bottle out of his arm's reach and popped the cork out. It smelled like... tomatoes. She raised an eyebrow at him as if to say, "Really?" and he shrugged.

Instead of putting the bottle back, she stepped away from the stall and made a show of tasting it where the people in the marketplace would see, ignoring the watery, acidic taste. "Brynjolf, my man, you've done it again!" Nuri said, holding the bottle up. "I feel rejuvenated already. I can't believe you aren't sold out. I'll take the rest of your stock at full price!"

Brynjolf stared at her, confused. A small crowd had started to form around his stall again, and Nuri stepped closer to him to shake his hand, as if making a deal.

"Wait!" Someone in the crowd cried out. "I'll pay double!"

"Triple!"

People started to talk over each other, now pulling out coins to shove into Brynjolf's hands. He quickly jumped into his entrepreneur's role, boasting about all the effects the Elixir had, and Nuri raised her bottle to toast him as she stepped away.

Once she was out of sight, she tossed the bottle into a nearby barrel and pocketed the knife she'd stolen from Brynjolf's belt. That had been much too easy.

***

Nuri spent the day with Mjoll, not wanting to waste another day staking out the Ratway. Brynjolf had left the marketplace earlier, having sold out of his product. It was too late to trail him there anyway. But, like Brynjolf had said, there's always another way. Nuri excused herself from Mjoll and Aerin once evening hit, and headed over to the blacksmith's shop, where she'd seen a beggar sitting earlier.

The old beggar was still there, and looked up as Nuri approached. She opened her mouth, probably to ask for a coin, but Nurica dropped into a crouch before her and held out a plain coinpurse, the coins clinking as they settled against each other. The beggar woman looked at it hesitantly.