“You know Vilkas. How? The guards said you were a thief...”
“I am,” Karliah grinned. “But the only reason I got caught was to get in here to find you. Listen, we need to lay low and keep quiet, and in a bit we're going to get a visitor. Please, I need you to keep quiet and say nothing, no matter what happens. Promise me you'll do that, right?”
Ria promised but she still wasn't sure why. Karliah just told her to trust her. So Ria did and she waited and to pass the time, they exchanged stories, Ria telling her about life in the Companions and Karliah telling tales of a few heists from years back, and how Karliah hadn't spent more time in jail was honestly beyond Ria.
Still, the hours went by, until voices could be heard in the corridor – male Nord voices.
“Thanks for this, lad, I'll be sure to make this worth your while,” one could be heard saying, a low-voiced, seductive purr that set Ria's hairs on end. A man like that could sweet-talk a priest of Mara into a drunken night of debauchery.
“Aye, well, they're not exactly earning their keep otherwise,” the other one, one of the nastier guards, growled. “Might as well get some use out of them. Them Silver-Bloods down in Markarth had the right idea. Make their prisoners work for their keep.”
There was the clinking of gold, and the first man talking again.
“I think I like this idea better than mining, lad. Here's your gold. Now take yourself up the corridor and wait. I'll give you the rest when I'm done. Want to make sure I'm getting my money's worth, eh?”
“You pay me whatever you think a grey-skin and an Imperial slut are worth,” the guard laughed, and the other man laughed with him, before the door opened and the man walked in. Red hair, scars on his face from some fight or other, black leather armour and not bad-looking but Ria shrank back in terror. Had the guards just sold them both to him??
“Trust me,” Karliah whispered, before getting up, folding her arms.
“Your kind are the worst kind of scum, but if you're going to take either of us, take me. I promise not to gut you if you leave her alone,” Karliah spat.
“Brave words, lass,” the Nord laughed as he reached for Karliah, spinning her round and pinning her to the wall. Ria looked around for anything resembling a weapon, but Karliah glanced over his shoulder and shook her head. The Nord didn't seem to notice, arms around Karliah and head buried in her shoulder, and Karliah held on to him, making little sobbing noises as he thrust against her. This went on for a few heartbreaking minutes, before it occurred to Ria that neither of them had actually removed any clothes. Then the Nord was reaching into his pocket, the side not visible to anyone who might be watching through the door, but visible to Ria. He produced some sort of strange key, palming it out and holding it towards Karliah as he murmured something in her ear, and Karliah was taking it off him, surreptitiously dropping it down the front of her tunic. The Nord pushed her head down on to his shoulder and gave a few more thrusts, along with some ostentatious groaning, before finally letting Karliah go. She dropped to the floor, lying huddled on the stone, and the Nord stepped back, the two meeting eyes, and they knew each other somehow, Ria was sure... but how?
“Not bad, lass,” the Nord said, just a bit louder than he needed to. “I might have to come back, sample a bit more merchandise. Maybe find a few more customers, start getting a cut myself, eh?” With that, he turned and was gone, knocking on the door and being let out by the guard just a bit too quickly for said guard to have been waiting up the corridor.
“See, told you we could make some coin off this,” the red-haired Nord was saying to the guard. “You keep letting me and my friends in, we can all come out of this rolling in both pleasure and profit...”
Ria was at Karliah's side as soon as their voices faded, shaking all over. Being a prisoner was one thing, being part of some sex ring?? That was something else altogether.
“Are you all right?” Ria gasped. “I thought he was going to...”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 19.6
“I am,” Karliah grinned. “But the only reason I got caught was to get in here to find you. Listen, we need to lay low and keep quiet, and in a bit we're going to get a visitor. Please, I need you to keep quiet and say nothing, no matter what happens. Promise me you'll do that, right?”
Ria promised but she still wasn't sure why. Karliah just told her to trust her. So Ria did and she waited and to pass the time, they exchanged stories, Ria telling her about life in the Companions and Karliah telling tales of a few heists from years back, and how Karliah hadn't spent more time in jail was honestly beyond Ria.
Still, the hours went by, until voices could be heard in the corridor – male Nord voices.
“Thanks for this, lad, I'll be sure to make this worth your while,” one could be heard saying, a low-voiced, seductive purr that set Ria's hairs on end. A man like that could sweet-talk a priest of Mara into a drunken night of debauchery.
“Aye, well, they're not exactly earning their keep otherwise,” the other one, one of the nastier guards, growled. “Might as well get some use out of them. Them Silver-Bloods down in Markarth had the right idea. Make their prisoners work for their keep.”
There was the clinking of gold, and the first man talking again.
“I think I like this idea better than mining, lad. Here's your gold. Now take yourself up the corridor and wait. I'll give you the rest when I'm done. Want to make sure I'm getting my money's worth, eh?”
“You pay me whatever you think a grey-skin and an Imperial slut are worth,” the guard laughed, and the other man laughed with him, before the door opened and the man walked in. Red hair, scars on his face from some fight or other, black leather armour and not bad-looking but Ria shrank back in terror. Had the guards just sold them both to him??
“Trust me,” Karliah whispered, before getting up, folding her arms.
“Your kind are the worst kind of scum, but if you're going to take either of us, take me. I promise not to gut you if you leave her alone,” Karliah spat.
“Brave words, lass,” the Nord laughed as he reached for Karliah, spinning her round and pinning her to the wall. Ria looked around for anything resembling a weapon, but Karliah glanced over his shoulder and shook her head. The Nord didn't seem to notice, arms around Karliah and head buried in her shoulder, and Karliah held on to him, making little sobbing noises as he thrust against her. This went on for a few heartbreaking minutes, before it occurred to Ria that neither of them had actually removed any clothes. Then the Nord was reaching into his pocket, the side not visible to anyone who might be watching through the door, but visible to Ria. He produced some sort of strange key, palming it out and holding it towards Karliah as he murmured something in her ear, and Karliah was taking it off him, surreptitiously dropping it down the front of her tunic. The Nord pushed her head down on to his shoulder and gave a few more thrusts, along with some ostentatious groaning, before finally letting Karliah go. She dropped to the floor, lying huddled on the stone, and the Nord stepped back, the two meeting eyes, and they knew each other somehow, Ria was sure... but how?
“Not bad, lass,” the Nord said, just a bit louder than he needed to. “I might have to come back, sample a bit more merchandise. Maybe find a few more customers, start getting a cut myself, eh?” With that, he turned and was gone, knocking on the door and being let out by the guard just a bit too quickly for said guard to have been waiting up the corridor.
“See, told you we could make some coin off this,” the red-haired Nord was saying to the guard. “You keep letting me and my friends in, we can all come out of this rolling in both pleasure and profit...”
Ria was at Karliah's side as soon as their voices faded, shaking all over. Being a prisoner was one thing, being part of some sex ring?? That was something else altogether.
“Are you all right?” Ria gasped. “I thought he was going to...”