“They were horrible to you, weren't they?” Elisif whispered. “That's what you were telling me earlier, wasn't it? Astrid doesn't believe in the Night Mother any more, wants to run things her way, is that it? But you don't agree, and you were the only one to think so, so they picked on you.”
Cicero looked up, eyes wide and sorrowful as he nodded at her.
“Mean they were to poor Cicero. Teasing and mocking or ignoring him!” Cicero whined. Brynjolf rolled his eyes, clearly sympathising with Astrid on this one.
“Dark Brotherhood assassins being terrible human beings. There's a shocker,” he muttered. Cicero glared at him, hissing under his breath.
“Not to each other!” he growled. “Dark Brothers and Sisters are Family! Children of the Night Mother! But Astrid isn't. Astrid thinks she doesn't need Mother any more. Astrid thinks she's better than that. And the others all follow her, the sheepdog, the lizard, the Redguard, the unchild, all of them! Heh. Well, not the sheepdog or lizard any more, pretty Elisif took care of them!” He giggled, grinning at her again. “Cicero likes Elisif! She was nice to him. Helped him! The first person in cold, frozen Skyrim to show him any kindness or sympathy.”
What that said about her fellow countrymen and women, Elisif wasn't sure – yes, Cicero was an odd little lunatic and a hardened killer, it turned out, but even so, for no one other than her to be nice to him at all was terribly inhospitable.
“If Astrid gets her way, no one in Skyrim ever will have been kind to you,” Elisif said quietly. “Is that what you want?”
“No!” Cicero gasped, shaking his head, wide eyes not leaving hers.
“Then help me,” Elisif whispered. “You know how they work, even if you never tell us how to find them, you know who they are, you can warn me if they're nearby.”
Cicero grinned, sly look in his eyes.
“If they are nearby, Elisif can be quite sure Cicero will do more than warn her. Do not fear, Cicero will happily deal with the problem for her.”
Elisif looked hopefully at Delphine, who hadn't taken her eyes off Cicero. The grin on her face mirrored Cicero's own.
“All right, he's in,” Delphine said. “Let him up, Bryn.”
“You are not serious,” Brynjolf said, shaking his head in disbelief. Still, he let go Cicero go, glaring at him.
“Don't get any ideas, lad,” Brynjolf growled, standing back as Cicero climbed to his feet, flexing his fingers and retrieving his dagger. “You're only here because your friends are after the lass here. Otherwise you'd be in the same state as that dragon.”
Cicero brushed his clothes off, pointedly ignoring Brynjolf before glancing up at Delphine, grinning at her.
“Delphine likes the idea of giving sweet Cicero orders after all, does she?” he purred, grin only widening as Brynjolf growled at him. Delphine sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Just behave yourself, don't stab any of us and do what you're told, and there won't be a problem,” she told him. “Now come on and get moving. We've got a way to go before we get where we're going.”
“Where are we going?” Cicero asked, tilting his head.
“To the Reach,” Delphine said. “There's a safe place out there where we can hole up and start planning. But before we can get there, we'll probably have to get past a whole ton of Forsworn first. Have you heard of the Forsworn, Cicero?”
Cicero's eyes lit up, malevolent glee spreading across his face. “Oh yes. Cicero has heard of the Forsworn. They think they're so scary? Cicero shall show them who's scary!” Leaving Delphine, he scampered over to Elisif, linking an arm in hers. “Don't worry, pretty Elisif! Cicero shall kill lots and lots of Forsworn for you and then, then you shall have your Sanctuary. Safe, safe, from prying eyes and lying, heretical false Brotherhoods. Come, come, walk with Cicero! You and I are going to be fast friends. Fast friends!”
So saying, he skipped alongside Elisif, cooing and babbling to her all the while and to her credit, she only looked a bit nervous and humoured the little fool with good grace. All the same, Aela followed close behind, shadowing them both with her own dagger at the ready if Cicero tried anything.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 10.13
Date: 2013-10-30 11:00 pm (UTC)Cicero looked up, eyes wide and sorrowful as he nodded at her.
“Mean they were to poor Cicero. Teasing and mocking or ignoring him!” Cicero whined. Brynjolf rolled his eyes, clearly sympathising with Astrid on this one.
“Dark Brotherhood assassins being terrible human beings. There's a shocker,” he muttered. Cicero glared at him, hissing under his breath.
“Not to each other!” he growled. “Dark Brothers and Sisters are Family! Children of the Night Mother! But Astrid isn't. Astrid thinks she doesn't need Mother any more. Astrid thinks she's better than that. And the others all follow her, the sheepdog, the lizard, the Redguard, the unchild, all of them! Heh. Well, not the sheepdog or lizard any more, pretty Elisif took care of them!” He giggled, grinning at her again. “Cicero likes Elisif! She was nice to him. Helped him! The first person in cold, frozen Skyrim to show him any kindness or sympathy.”
What that said about her fellow countrymen and women, Elisif wasn't sure – yes, Cicero was an odd little lunatic and a hardened killer, it turned out, but even so, for no one other than her to be nice to him at all was terribly inhospitable.
“If Astrid gets her way, no one in Skyrim ever will have been kind to you,” Elisif said quietly. “Is that what you want?”
“No!” Cicero gasped, shaking his head, wide eyes not leaving hers.
“Then help me,” Elisif whispered. “You know how they work, even if you never tell us how to find them, you know who they are, you can warn me if they're nearby.”
Cicero grinned, sly look in his eyes.
“If they are nearby, Elisif can be quite sure Cicero will do more than warn her. Do not fear, Cicero will happily deal with the problem for her.”
Elisif looked hopefully at Delphine, who hadn't taken her eyes off Cicero. The grin on her face mirrored Cicero's own.
“All right, he's in,” Delphine said. “Let him up, Bryn.”
“You are not serious,” Brynjolf said, shaking his head in disbelief. Still, he let go Cicero go, glaring at him.
“Don't get any ideas, lad,” Brynjolf growled, standing back as Cicero climbed to his feet, flexing his fingers and retrieving his dagger. “You're only here because your friends are after the lass here. Otherwise you'd be in the same state as that dragon.”
Cicero brushed his clothes off, pointedly ignoring Brynjolf before glancing up at Delphine, grinning at her.
“Delphine likes the idea of giving sweet Cicero orders after all, does she?” he purred, grin only widening as Brynjolf growled at him. Delphine sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Just behave yourself, don't stab any of us and do what you're told, and there won't be a problem,” she told him. “Now come on and get moving. We've got a way to go before we get where we're going.”
“Where are we going?” Cicero asked, tilting his head.
“To the Reach,” Delphine said. “There's a safe place out there where we can hole up and start planning. But before we can get there, we'll probably have to get past a whole ton of Forsworn first. Have you heard of the Forsworn, Cicero?”
Cicero's eyes lit up, malevolent glee spreading across his face. “Oh yes. Cicero has heard of the Forsworn. They think they're so scary? Cicero shall show them who's scary!” Leaving Delphine, he scampered over to Elisif, linking an arm in hers. “Don't worry, pretty Elisif! Cicero shall kill lots and lots of Forsworn for you and then, then you shall have your Sanctuary. Safe, safe, from prying eyes and lying, heretical false Brotherhoods. Come, come, walk with Cicero! You and I are going to be fast friends. Fast friends!”
So saying, he skipped alongside Elisif, cooing and babbling to her all the while and to her credit, she only looked a bit nervous and humoured the little fool with good grace. All the same, Aela followed close behind, shadowing them both with her own dagger at the ready if Cicero tried anything.