Zazar and the others were heading into Solitude, They had a bit of a journey taking the carriage to the main city. Never the less they made it to their destination, "Zazar is sore from the ride" Commented the Argonian stretching out his back and shoulders. The group was sent their to find the missing Dovankiin, From what information they could find he had some sort of dealing their but they did not know whom it was.

So they would have to gather up some info on who the contact was, And then find the whereabouts of the Dovakiin.

Velan let out a long yawn he had slept most of the carriage ride to solitude he hated riding in them he thought them confining and uncomfortable but couldn't deny the speed in which it took the group to their destination. Velan stretched his arms out and looked to the rest of the group. " So this is solitude...i've never been here but it reminds me of Cyrodiil in a strange way". Velan said as he adjusted his bow and quiver.

Two days ago

Maira had always been keen on keeping the most powerful friends for the guild. Aside from the Thieves guild's individual skillsets, these powerful people were great contributors to the guild's overall influence, it would be foolish enough to even think of getting on their bad side. And after Maira did exactly that, pissing off the most powerful woman in Riften, and the person who has strong influential ties with the guild, not to mention the dark brotherhood, it has done the guild no good for the next couple of weeks. Brynjolf suggested she fled, at least for the time being until Maven sought her teeth-gritting aggravation on someone else, hopefully not until the dark brotherhood got to her first.

The main reason why Maira was killing her days in Markarth's local bar, although her waiting hadn't been a complete waste as she had initially thought, word of the Dragonborn's disappearance had been a fair talk within town. The news was a surprise to everyone, added to that is talk of the Companions hiring newbloods to look for their beloved harbinger. This intrigued her, and after a few eavesdropping and bribes from travelers and guards, she got a hit. This would be a perfect distraction to herself, giving her some anonymity and putting herself in the company of other mercenaries would have some added protection to boot.

---

Present day

Maira arrived at the gates of Solitude, far different from the rifts gloomy appeal. She had always preferred the usual melancholic weather of Riften than Solitude's sunny smiling atmosphere. Never in her years will she ever be a fan of the sun. Maira made her way toward's the Winking Skeever, odd name for a bar she thought, and settled herself in one of the tables. Along the way she asked some of the townsfolk, and guards who were willing to take some extra coin in her pockets, for news about the Dragonborn and this group who were after him, preferably in discretion. She didn't want to attract too much attention, to her mission and to her own safety. Maven has eyes everywhere.

Alit hopped off of the carriage when she got her chance, finally able to stretch her legs. Upside of carriages: a lot of sleep. Downside of carriages: no exploring. It was a double edged sword if there ever was one-- half the time, she was tempted to jump off to go looking for some ruins. The Dunmer turned to the rest still on the carriage and announced, "We should probably stop by an inn first to get some actual rest. We can start the investigation there, too, ask if the Harbinger even made it to Solitude in the first place."

She crossed her arms in thought. There may be some other Companions already in Solitude, one or two at least. They would assuredly join the effort, and if either happened to have been in the city long enough, they may know something.

"Sounds like a solid plan Dun Riel" he said with smile to Alit, she was one of the few people he felt at ease around her being Mer helped him feel less different in this land of men. he took in a deep breath of the cool sea air it was a moment of peace that Velan sorely missed but alas this was life now. Velan drew his bow and ran a finger down the smooth tread it was a familiar feeling

that reminded him of old hunts and merry times of revelry and drink, " i hope they have more than this stale ale these nords drink."
he chuckled as he put his bow back over his shoulder and turned his attention to the group.

"Nords don't know how to drink," Jarett said as he slowly climbed down of the carriage groaning. His ass was sore from the bumpy road, and his back ached badly. The mere thought of having a soft bed under him almost made him moan in pleasure. He would have been fine riding a horse to Solitude, but the coin was tight for him, and he had little left to purchase a horse- let alone care for one- those things ate a lot. With a stretch of his arms and legs, he strolled over to his companions with a small grin. "The liquor from Hammerfell is a lot stronger than the piss Nords drink," he turned to their driver "No offense."

__

Keldan had been assigned to sing in the Winking Skeever today since Lisette had fallen ill a few days ago. She liked it there. The people in Solitude tended to be nicer than the folks in other places, and Corpulus always offered her a warm meal during her break. She had been singing and playing through most of the day, enjoying the calm atmosphere and seeing the usuals come and go. She would talk to some of the patrons that would make conversation with her; some asked about Lisette's wellbeing while others tried to flirt with her. As usual, she expected nothing exciting to happen until an orc woman stepped inside the inn. Keldan didn't stop her song, and he fingers didn't pause as she examined the new face. Curious, she hadn't seen many orcs in Solitude.

Velan laughed " you must try some Varnule Brandy a recipe from my village it set even the most hardy orc on his ass" he declared.
"if i have the coin maybe i'll have some ingredients brought Valenwood though i would not advise it for a soft palet Jarret" he said with a grin. It was no secret that jarret could be a bit snobbish at time even more so compared to the wild and often dirty Bosmer.
Velan did not mind as Jarret had grown on him one of the few humans he had grown accustom to it helped that he was not an axe swinging nord who hated all mer.

"Anyway," Alit cleared her throat, her distaste for alcohol not withstanding, "If the Harbinger hasn't actually been seen here and we can't find any leads, we can also look in some of the ruins, caves, and bandit outposts throughout the hold." They would be last resorts, however. Considering who their Harbinger is, she would surprised if they hadn't already explored the entirety of Skyrim. "Come on, you two can talk about all the drinks in the world once we've found somewhere to stay for a bit," she stated, already starting up the road by herself.

Velan smirked as he began to follow alit up the path " You want to go into ruins already must be a Dunmer quirk. I for one wood love to explore the forest and swamps around here." stated Velan " well maybe somewhere warmer would be more welcomed" Velan had still had issues with the cold climate of Skyrim it was a culture shock in it's own right he had longed for the warmer forest of Valenwood.

"Also i know you have a diastase for liqueur but i swear if you could taste some of my home brewed elixir it would change your mind Dun Riel" he teased Alit Velan could be trusted to try his damnedest to lighten the given mood seeing how he had a lot be pained over.

"Aaand I'm sure the others would really like to try it themselves. I, for one, can live off of water," Alit clasped her hands together. Speaking of the others, she glanced back at Zazar and Jarett to make sure they could keep up. Long carriage rides weren't exactly good for the legs. At least you could stand up on a silt strider without having to worry about flying off if there was a bump in the path. Once she was about halfway to the main gate, she stopped to wait for them to catch up.

Maira went over towards the bar, the jolly looking barkeep greeted her. "Welcome to the winking skeever friend! We don't see a lot of your kind around here" By her kind, Maira assumed her being an orc. "I would say the same with yours in a stronghold dungeon." The barkeep made an uncomfortable laugh. "I'm kidding, I don't run with that stuck up lot, nor I have a clue of their dungeon keeping customs." she gave him a nonchalant reply. "Anyway, give me one of your best."

After one cup after another and still early in the evening Maira can already feel the kick of his brew. "What in oblivion do put in your drinks?"

"Oh only the rarest and finest ingredients." "U-huh." She mumbled, taking a peek on the almost empty goblet. The tavern fell silent as one song ended, and another started. Maira looked over to the bard who was playing that day. What a good song she thought, letting herself sink into the music. At this moment Maira was bored, and stood up from her seat. She went towards the bard, pulling a chair and turning it around so she could sit and lean facing the resting rail. But she did so with less grace than she initially expected "Ugh Maira why'd you have to be so lighweight". When the bard finished her song, Maira gave her an applause, the loudest and only one in the room. "Bravo! I say that's some good singing voice you got there." The orc seemed to forget the caution of not attracting attention to herself.

Jarett only rolled his eyes. He had tried the stuff Velan was talking about while on his travels a few years back. That had tasted like dirt and spices put together. Sure, it gave him a good kick and the buzz was nice, but he wouldn't drink it as he drank wine. The spirits from his home were warmer and sweeter than the stuff here in Skyrim. The Nords and Imperials seemed to favor bitter tasting spirits than the sweeter ones. "Alit, you would like the wine from Abah's Landing. It is sweet, and it tastes similar to juniper juice. We tend to mix it with a little bit of ice to give in a refreshing taste." Jarett said as he walked beside their Argonian companion. He hadn't had many conversations with Zazar, but he liked the man.

"We should check out the Winking Skeever. I stayed there a few nights two years ago while traveling down South." Jarett suggested as they came up to Valen and Alit. "Old man Corpulus should still be the one in charge. He owes me a free night for doing some work for him; he might still remember me." Who was he kidding, of course, Corpulus would remember him. Jarett was a pretty face not many forgot.

___

Keldan had just finished playing The Tale of Tounges, a request from one of the patrons in the bar. She had tried not to look at the orc woman that had made her way towards Keldan. She took notice of how her movements lack grace and composure. Corpulus' drinks really were something compared to the usual Nordic drinks some patrons were used to. Keldan was more resilient to spirits due to her blood, but Altmer liquor could kick anyone's ass. She put down her lute and bowed her head to the orc woman. It was good to know she was friendly when buzzed.

"Thank you, miss," Keldan said as she tucked a few strands of blonde hair behind her right ear. "I am pleased to know you are enjoying the music. Do you have any requests?" She kept strumming the lute in a soft and relaxing melody to fill some of the silence and to give the other patrons something to listen to.

Zazar had joined the others at the main gate, Stretching his arms and legs once more to get the kinks out. "Is everyone ready?" He asked to the group once they arrived to the gate. "When we get inside we should split up and ask the guards and towns people about the Dovakiin" He said softly looking at everyone and then the guards whom were giving him dirty looks.

He had a personal disdain for Nords with living with them with his grandmother and uncle, As a child he would be teased and beaten by Nord children and even as a adult he would be harassed by Nords as well as Khajiit.

"Don't get called miss very often." she chuckled. The orc woman paused to think of a request, one arm resting on the rail while her other hand rests on her cheek. She doesn't have a selection of songs in mind, only quite a few in fact she heard from the traveling bards that stay in the Bee and Barb every once in a while

"Nothing in particular really." she finally said as she observes how adeptly the woman plays, " You're one of those bards from the college yes? Really fancy place, Went over there once to rob... I mean, to visit a relative."

"But hey why not play something a bit lively perhaps?" she quickly followed her words, with a snap of her fingers as if she just had the best idea ever. "Ragnar the Red."

Alit pressed her hands up against the looming the gates. "Yeah, let's just go ahead and get this sta--" the gates opened a little easier than expected, and she stumbled forward a little before frantically regaining her balance. Now, the gates themselves weren't easy to open per se, but there was someone opening them up on the other side. Alit's gaze darted up to see a familiar ebony-clad Nord. "Haskell," she greeted the fellow Companion with unmasked annoyance.

"Alit," Haskell hailed, looking past her to see the others, none of whom he actually knew too well, so he decided to not risk messing up any names, "...and you three. What brings you all the way up here?"

"Something important. How long have you been here? Have you seen the Harbinger? Or heard of him being here recently?"

"Uh, I've only been around a couple days, and I can't say I've heard anything about the Harbinger here."

The Dunmer crossed her arms. "Great, great. Well, we can still ask around."

"That is a shame," Keldan gave the orc woman a soft smile as she waited for her to think of a request. She had been working on new songs of her own, but everyone in the college pressured each other to stay with the traditional. Keldan had written a song about the worst- or best- bards in Skyrim; Lurbuk. Sadly no one wanted to hear her newer songs. She didn't know how many times she had sung The Tales of Tounges today. She could tell some of the people sitting down were getting annoyed by how much it was being requested. Too bad Keldan couldn't decline a request.

"I am from the college, recently graduated, but I am doing a few jobs here and there while I figure out where I would want to go," Keldan ignored the other woman's little slip. She had heard that the college had been robbed a year before she had joined. Security had been increased since then, she wondered if that had been the orc woman.

"Ah, a fine and bloody tale. Quite lively for what the story entails." Keldan adjusted the lute in her arms and began to strum the strings. Her smile didn't flatten as sang the tale of Ragnar The Red and told the tale of his decapitation. Although the song was one of the first she, and many other bards, learned it was still one that many residents of Skyrim loved.

When she finished the song she bowed her head to the orc woman, still smiling, "I hope you enjoyed the song, miss."





"'And you three'?" Jarett gasped as he looked at the Nord man stanting in front of them. It was a bit insulting to know that Haskell didn't remember them. He had atleast practiced with the man once. Maybe. Jarett wasn't too sure, but he still took offense that the Nord didn't remember his name. He rememered Haskell's name! Or he would pretend he did because he actually didn't and just heard it from Alit a few seconds ago.

"Nice to see you again, Haskell, I am Jarett. Shame I have to introduce myself all over again." The Redguard rolled his eyes and walked over to Alit. "We can start asking the guards. The people in town would most likely want coin for information they might have or won't be useful for us." They could also ask the Legion, but that would be risky.

"Right. I hope someone brought in enough for bribery just in case," Alit said as she walked past Haskell. Guards first, then. They should be more willing to offer up useful information without payment. She was just a little taken aback by the sight of the executioner's platform to the immediate right, while to the left was what was mostly like the inn: the Winking Skeever.

Haskell gave the others a nod. "Mm-hm, sorry about that," he looked between them and Alit, who had quickly taken to questioning the first local guard she saw, "So the Harbinger is really just... gone? I was about to start heading back to Whiterun, but I hope no one minds if I join in the search instead."

Velan was slightly taken aback by the Nord how any why they grew that large it would make life back home a pain. "ah Haskell it's been some time" he said with a nod. Velan had nothing against the man he seemed solid but it was almost involuntary the pang of anxiety at seeing someone different the village that he had called home most of his life was mostly reclusive he had not even met a man before coming North. With the Dunmer he felt some Kinship and he knew the beast races. He had seen Haskell around the Hall never spoke to him much beyond greatings so he expected some unfamiliarly

He looked out into the town the inn looked welcoming well more so than the execution platform to the west. he pulled out his pipe and gave it a flip it was in hope for luck in a new city.

Zazar know what the plan was heading off talking with a few guards but getting nothing so far form them, He did not like speaking with the guards usually because of his distrust of Nords. However this was a very important mission and they needed the aid of the guards, "No i don't think i saw him around perhaps you should ask another guard" One of the guards said much to Zazar's dismay.

Walking around feeling isolated and distant form the Nordic people especially with the children staring at him, Around this time he was in the market place speaking with a merchant when he could see form the corner of his eye someone approaching him. "You looking for the Dovakiin? I may have seen him...this information of course will come with a price" The male said and form what Zazar could see he was speaking with a Bosmer.

The song always had some sort of sentimental value to Maira, apart from being the local drunk's classic favourite, it reminds her of the repo job days she used to do for the guild. When some arrogant idiot decides not to pay his due, also bringing a few friends along for added swank, a smash of glass would be overheard out of the blue over the song, initiating a dance of a lifetime. Despite a couple of cuts here and there Maira always gets her job done, no more no less. Her skills plus her natural orcish thick-skin saved her more than a couple of times to certain death.

"Wonderful!" she applauded, this time standing from her seat "Simply wonderful. I very much enjoyed it, thank you." Maira smiles, "And really, you can drop the 'miss'. Being called by honourifics only makes nervous." she rubs the back of her neck "Call me Maira." the orc woman extended an arm cooly, a warm smile drawn to her lips.

A man in working garbs came in the in , his eyes searching for someone, particularly the orc . When Maira turned around, the man, whom she bribed for that day in exchange for information regarding the dragonborn, and the group who was supposedly in search of him. The worker made a signal, which Maira responded with a calm nod. "Well then, here I go again. Off to make new friends."