When Love Turns Sour

Briar almost never slept, actually. He was strange that way. You would never catch this particular vampire unaware and asleep. He was laying on the branch of the tree, playing with the stars in the sky to make them form all sorts of funny little patterns. It was just an illusion, of course, but it was keeping him amused.

"Hey, kid." Mistery said as she hopped into the tree beside him. "So I've got some good news and some bad news, which do you want first?" She asked. She'd sent Farkas to go and retrieve Theo. She a hadn't left the poor man to his grief.

Briar continued to play with the stars. "Bad news first," Briar answered after a moment. Bad news could always be cushioned by good news. Well, mostly. That depended on how bad and how good the news was.

"Bad news is, Thorn did not make it to meet Theo this evening. The jarl was being very suspicious as he sent Halvard to tell Theo that thorn was too busy servicing her husbands needs." Mistery said and repeated the conversations that she had over heard, plus what Halvard had told her himself.

"As if she would blow off Theo for that meatsack," Briar said and rolled his eyes. "And Theo believed the guy? So much fail." Ugh. "So what's the good news in all this?"

"Thorn is still alive. So he didn't just murder her for loving someone else." Mistery said but that wasn't unheard of in Tamriel. So there was that. "I need you to go investigate. But make no moves until you've reported to me and we can make a plan. A safe plan to save your sister from this lazy piece of shit."

"You don't have to tell me to be careful," Briar said. "I can do this. Just keep the heroes out of the way for now. Make sure they don't do anything stupid." He paused. "I may need a few days to figure out what he's done to her and who is fully involved in all of it."

Mistery chuckled, "I'll keep the companions at bay. But you realise you're being a hero, right now? This isn't purely brotherhood based. We are saving thorn. Ergo, we are heroes."

Briar shrugged. "I can make an exception for my sister. Besides, I can still do things my way." Which in the end, to him, was what mattered.

"And mine." Mistery said, meaning there was going to be a lot of death probably. "How long do you need to gather information? I'd really not like to leave your sister with sidd for too long."

"Give me three days," Briar said. "If I'm going to do it properly. If something develops then I'll adjust that. And I'll keep in touch." He had his Bata to deliver messages.

"Check in with me twice a day, if I don't hear I'll come in and make sure you're okay. All right?" mistery said because thorn would never forgive her if her brother got hurt.

"Sure, sure," Briar said. He was very confident in his abilities and wasn't all that concerned. Yet. But he would do as she asked. He changed into a bat and flew off to start his investigation.

Mistery watched briar leave. She decided to go and to Aerina and Mikki about the situation. So she tried to find them.

Aerina and Mikki were back in Whiterun. At that late hour in the night, the girls were sleeping. Aerina rose early, as the sun was prone to do, and Mikki followed.

By the time Mistery got to whiterun, Vilkas and Theo were also there. Mistery sent someone to get Mikki and Aerina for her, along with Farkas, Vilkas and Theo. It would be so much easier for her to recount the events of last night to them all, just the one time. Rather than individually.

She was still brimming with energy, having fed from Halvard until his death. So she didn't need rest, or sleep. But she was hungry for normal sustenance and so she had a plate of meat, cheese and bread in front of her as she waited for them all to mill into the room.

Aerina did not like being woken up in the dead of the night. The sun didn't ride early for anyone, except it seemed, her mother. She trudged sleepily into the main room and took a seat. She went to ask a question but then just yawned.

Mikki was a little better st being put together in the night. She slipped into a seat next to her mother and just looked at her curiously. This was most unusual.

Mistery had coffee set up for everyone. She was good like that. "Sorry for the wake up call I hadn't wanted it to be so early but the wicked never rest and neither shall I."

She smiled as Theo and the twins came in. Theo seemed less of a mess, though a lot angrier. His clothes were dark rather than earthy tones and his face looked as though he was eating something rather sour. Mistery looked at vilkas, concerned but he merely shrugged.

"Okay, so last night Theo went to meet Thorn in the graveyard. I was worried that perhaps they would have been seen, so I took it upon myself to follow and play guard. I know that you'd approve," she said to Aerina. "Though you're mad I invaded your privacy. But before you yell, let me talk." she added to Theo.

"Continue then." he said grumpily.

Mistery poured coffee and passed the cups around. "Thorn did not arrive to their tryst, in case you can't figure that out." She mainly said that for Farkas. "However, not because she was tending to Sidd's needs as that awful man Halvard let you believe. Something has happened, it was a set up. Not that thorn knew that. I believe that Sidd is holding her captive and that's why." She explained what she had over heard. The more she spoke, the softer Theo's face got. Heartbreak seemed to be happening all over again, but for different reasons.

"Before you get all hero ready, Briar is investigating. If he finds out anything he will report to me daily. And I will report to you all after. We will decide together as a family where to go next. This is more than companion business, or dark brotherhood. This is us. As a family. Someone has done something to one of our own and we will not stand for it. But we do this together." She only emphasised because she didn't need them messing it up for Briar.

"We will get her back and sidd will pay for whatever he has done, this I promise you all." She added.

Aerina noticed how different Theo looked immediately. She felt a surge of concern. He was still pretty delicate in spirit. But her concern only grew when she learned of why.

"It's going to be difficult for me to sit here and wait for a report from Briar. But I recognize the importance of good reconnaissance. How long is he going to take? If she's in trouble, which I don't doubt she is now, I'd like not to linger."

"I hate waiting too, but three days at the max. If it's needed he will call us in before." Mistery said, she explained that he had to check in daily there would be no more kidnappings or otherwise. "If I don't hear from him we move early."

Briar reported the same thing for three days. Thorn slept.

She did not wake. She did not move.

On the fourth day she finally woke and gave Briar something different to report. She had no memory.

He learned a lot in that fourth day and retreated from Falkreath to give a full report.

Mistery was lounging on a chaise lounge thingy in her house. Waiting for Briar. Everyone had nagged her terribly about thorn. But she could do no more than wait it out. She sharpened the blades of her swords. Upkeep was essential in her line of work.

Briar emerged from the shadows and dropped a journal of observations down on a table near her. "I've gotten a pretty good idea of what's happened to my sister." Nothing was fully verified but they could gather evidence while they rescued her.

"Okay, do tell. Detailed report please." Mistery said as she looked over at the journals. She'd read them after.

"My sister took a bite of an apple cursed by Vaermina. She slept for three days and when she woke, her memory was gone. She does not even remember her own name," Briar reported. "I have no doubts that Siddgreid is behind this though as of now, a lowly servant is being framed. The storyou is jealousy. That's not wrong but it's the wrong person. There has been no sign of a priest of vaermina in town for quite some time. There are threats in the town though now that my sister is vulnerable. Both a priest of Boethiah in town and dawnguard warriors camped outside it."

He frowned slightly. "I did attempt interference, messing with her dreams to try to trigger her memories. Scents in her rooms as well. She responded to neither."