~ ~ ~

Dahyun woke up early the next morning to prep for her long trip. She began her day by putting on her guild uniform: Darkly stained leather armor that has as many pockets as there are skooma addicts in the Reach. Leather boots that help muffle her movements from her targets. Leather bracers with hidden flaps built in to obscure a rather large collection of lock picks. And finally, her hood that helps boost her intimidation factor.

Once dressed, Dahyun made her way around the ring of the Flagon to the weapons rack. She grabbed her designated bow and a full quiver of arrows. After she was all set in the weapons department, she walked over to the Flagon's secret entrance/exit that led to the Riften graveyard. Dahyun climbed up the ladder and opened the secret trap door that led to a small room. She pulled a chain on the wall, opening the ceiling to reveal the Riften graveyard. Hiking up her bow and arrow that had slipped off her shoulders during the climb, she made her way to the small marketplace in the middle of the plaza. A lady has to have breakfast before a long trip.

Dahyun stopped in front of Wheein’s food cart for an apple or two, maybe even a grilled rabbit haunch if there is one ready this early in the morning. As she finished paying for her breakfast, she feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns with a hand resting on her dagger ready to strike at a moments notice but relaxes when she sees who it is.

“Kookie! Don’t sneak up on me like that. I could have stabbed you. What are you doing up this early?” She asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He tells her.

Jungkook was another member of the guild. He once lived in the Riften Orphanage, but he ran away after one too many beatings from Grelod. He was discovered by RM in the Rataways when he was 13 years old, living off of whatever the boy could manage to find. Now he was the guilds best pickpocket. Dahyun was also from the orphanage but when she reached the age of 15, Grelod had kicked her out. She still remembers the last words the old had had ever said to her.

“Nobody wanted you! Nobody needed you! That’s why you stayed here until you were considered old enough to get thrown in the wide, horrible world! Now get lost you, little guttersnipe!”

So that's what Dahyun did. She left the orphanage and got lost in the Rataway below the city of Riften trying to escape the cold winters of the new year. That was how Jihyo found her, freezing to death in the old clothes from the orphanage, surviving off of stale bread she managed to steal from the others dwelling in the depths of the sewer. Jihyo brought her before the guild and pleaded with RM to let her stay.

“You helped me! Why can’t you help her too!” The two fought until RM finally took pity on Dahyun. He assigned Jihyo to watch over her as she recovered from her slight hyperthermia and starvation. After she had recovered, Jihyo took Dahyun under her wing and taught her everything she knew about the art of stealth.

“I’m heading out to the College of Winterhold, I planned on leaving early to get as much daylight as I can,” Dahyun told Jungkook.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Not that I’m aware of no,” Dahyun said, patting all her pockets, looking over her shoulder and doing a little spin like a dog chasing its tail then finally looking Jungkook in the eyes and raising her apple. He shook his head, sighed and smiled at her antics.

“Jihyo told me to give this to you when she saw that you had left early.” Jungkook raised a package, a rectangle wrapped in brown paper with a string tying it closed.

“Oh right! Jihyo’s gift,” Dahyun took the parcel and slid it into one of her leather pockets. “I was so tired from yesterday that when I woke up this morning I completely forgot.” She told Jungkook then motioned for a hug. The two embraced then Dahyun took her leave towards the main gate. Jungkook waved her goodbye and wished her a safe trip as one of the guards opened the giant wooden door leading to the outside world.

~ ~ ~

Not wanting to travel on foot all the way from Riften to Winterhold, Dahyun went to the stables outside the city gate to hire a carriage. The thought of having to travel on foot through the snowy mountains of the Pale gave Dahyun the shivers. And she wasn’t even there yet. After paying the driver, whose name was Doni, the horse began to pull the carriage and she was on her way. Riding in the back of the carriage gave her some time to think. Recently RM had her working non-stop, sending her out to distant cities for a quick job so the fresh air really helped her relax and clear her mind. She thought about Riften and how, as a child, she was worried she was never going to get adopted and leave the walls of the city. She thought about The Rift and how the land quickly became her home outside of the city. Being out in nature, smelling the fresh clean air, pivking the pocket of random travelers.

The first time she went outside the gate and into The Rift on a job for the guild, she spent most of her time observing the world around her. Trees that were growing out of the ground instead of being stacked up to create homes for the citizens of Riften. Alchemy Ingredients in their natural habits not kept in jars like they are in the guild. Dahyun had never felt so free before. She never wanted to go back. Until a frostbite spider flung poisonous spit on her face. She had come back from the job not being able to stand up straight without feeling nauseous and dizzy, her once pale face was now green. Jihyo was the one to take her back to her bed and nurse her back to health. She always took care of the other members but when it came to Dahyun, Jihyo would never leave her side. So when Jihyo was injured or sick, Dahyun did everything she could to help her mentor recover.

She was jerked out of her thoughts when one of the wheels on the carriage went into one of the deep pot-holes scattered along the road and broke, tipping the whole carriage on its side.

“Miss, are you okay?” Doni fretted as Dahyun climbed out of the back.

“Yes I’m fine, thank you... but this carriage isn’t.” Dahyun walked around to the broken side to get a look at the damage. The wooden wheel had broken its spokes and the axel was completely snapped in half.

“I’m so sorry for the delay miss, here is your money back.” Doni tried to hand the coin purse back to Dahyun but she held up her hand, telling him to keep it.

“Use it to fix your carriage.” Dahyun may be a petty thief, but she's definitely one of the nicer ones. Doni deeply bowed in thanks as Dahyun took off towards Windhelm. “I’ll just have to get another carriage there,” Dahyun thought to herself as she continued down the road and into the Eastmarch hot springs.

~~~

Dahyun had navigated her way through the hot springs with little to no incidents, although those giants did give her a threatening look as she passed by. But she just kept her head down. She wanted to get to the Windhelm stables in one piece, not limp and rag-dolling through the air. She had almost made it out of the hot springs when she saw a pair of pants stuck in a bush. Confused, Dahyun looked around some more only to find more discarded clothes. That was when she heard a splash behind the bushes to her left. Peaking through them Dahyun saw two women, as the day they were born, lounging in the steamy water.

“Yah! Yerin! Pass me on that wine bottle, you’ve been hogging it the whole time!”

“This is mine SinB! If you hadn’t drunk yours so fast, maybe you would still have some left!”

The two were clearly drunk. There was a tent set up not too far away that told Dahyun the two were on a little vacation from the cold. The woman who Dahyun assumes was SinB had reached over towards the other woman, Yerin, to try to take her wine bottle. Flashing Dahyun and Yerin in the process.

“No SinB! I told you, this one is mine,” Yerin moved the bottle out of reach causing the SinB to lose her balance and slip, landing on Yerin with a splash. The two looked at each other and started giggling. Yerin leaned forward and captured SinB’s lips with her own pulling the women into a heated makeout session. Dahyun took that as a sign for her to leave and turned back towards Windhelm, hearing the two women splash and giggle behind her.

When Dahyun made it to the Windhelm stables, the sun was getting low in the sky, so she quickly got a carriage and headed to Winterhold. Thankfully there were no incidents besides an ice wraith that was quickly blown up with a fireball. The sun had just set as the carriage pulled into Winterhold. Dahyun jumped out the back an bowed to the driver in thanks before making her way through the town.

The town was once a large, bustling city that drew in people from all over. But after a cataclysmic event known as ‘The Great Collapse,’ most of the city fell into the Sea of Ghosts. The buildings that were lucky enough to still be standing when the city physically fell into the ocean were all the remained of the great city. Except for the College of Winterhold, which was left relatively unscathed and now towered over the remnants of the city. Because of this, Winterhold’s relationship with the college was lost. Remaining residents blamed the college for causing the Great Collapse, which Winterhold was still not recovered from.

Dahyun eventually found herself at the archway before the bridge that leads to the college. A red and orange-haired woman stood under the archway.

“Is that a Dahyun I see down there?” The fiery-haired woman called down from the archway.

“Solji!” Dahyun waved up at the older woman and started up the incline up to the archway to meet the mage. She was pulled into a tight hug by older, rocking them back and forth.

“I hope your journey to Winterhold was not entirely unpleasant,” Solji smiled at Dahyun as the two crossed the suspended bridge to the college.

“Oh you know, a giant here, an ice wraith there." Dahyun joked with at the fiery-haired mage until they had to stop in front of the closed metal gate.

“Ha! Humor is often in short supply here,” The gate opened with a wave of Solji’s hand and the two continued into the college grounds. “But I sense that perhaps you are here for more than just a guild work yes?” Solji interrogated.

“You caught me.” Dahyun raised her hands in surrender. “I’m here to surprise Mina.”

“Ahh, I see.” Solji raised a finger to her lips making a shushing face before smiling. “Well, you know where she is.” She pats Dahyun’s back before crossing once more to her spot on the bridge. Dahyun stood in front of the ridiculously tall entry doors to the college building, smiling up at the building knowing her special someone was inside, and headed inside.

Mina was always in the Arcanaeum, it was her job after all. She would either be helping students find the books they needed, tending to the bookcases, or reading. So it’s no surprise when she finds Mina re-arranging books on one of the many shelves. She hadn’t seen Dahyun yet which the pale girl used to her advantage. Silently making her way along the stone wall towards the bookshelf, the thief snuck up on her unsuspecting girlfriend until she was close enough to wrap her arms around Mina’s waist. The mage squeaked in surprise and jumped at the contact. She turned around wide-eyed then broke out in the thief favorite gummy smile.

“Dahyun!” The worry was erased from her expression as she pulled Dahyun into a tight embrace. Kisses are planted all over her forehead. “I’ve missed you Dubu.” Mina finished her sentence with a kiss on the lips.

“Aww, I’ve missed you too my precious penguin.” Dahyun moved her hands from Mina’s waist to cup her face, pulling her into a passionate kiss.

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