JoS/Henriette/31st Journal - Plaything

Rain's Hand, 23rd, 4E 203

If you enjoy bad things happening to me, boy are you in for a lot of fun!

Everything in the past week has been a bit of a blur. My head is like a jigsaw puzzle, and I haven't had a whole lot of time to put them together. I'm used to having my rights violated, having my freedom taken away from me, but apart from just a few unlucky times, I've always had the means to fight back and defend myself. Not this time, not for the time being. The price I'm paying is heavier than I ever anticipated.

It began when Maven herself dragged her ass down to the filthy Ratway to look at what kind of rodent her men had caught. She woke me up, calling my name, sounding somewhat angry, but mostly just flabbergasted. She wasn't expecting to find me behind bars, and she scolded me. What was I thinking? How could I be so foolish? Above everything else, how could I betray her trust and disappoint her like this after everything I had done to impress her?

Honestly, I was feeling a little ashamed as well. It's not like me to fail a job like that. I was too careless, or rather, I'm way too used to working in my own way. Had I gone for the kill inside that house, I wouldn't be here right now. Then again, that would've also created trouble for me, as Maven wouldn't have taken it lying down. Karliah would've been royally pissed as well. Now they're just disappointed in me. Not actually sure what's worse; to anger someone or to fail someone's expectations and have them be ashamed of me doing a lousy job?

For a lousy, botched job, there was going to be a steep price to pay. A slap on the wrist wasn't going to cut it, and an apology wasn't going to make it better. Maven has to set an example and make it clear that she's the last person on Skyrim you want to screw, and whatever status I've acquired in the Cistern wasn't going to cut it. She's above the guild, and ain't nobody gonna help me get out of this mess.

She then grabbed a little stool and sat down. We had ourselves a discussion.

"My men told what you were after. A certain jewel… A stone of Barenziah… Worthless piece of junk to me, but invaluable to someone we know. Karliah hired you for the job, am I correct?"

"Yes, you are correct."

I had been quiet up until that point, so I didn't know what to expect when I opened my mouth. I guess my response was a little bit too tacky for her liking, or maybe she was just enjoying my little predicament. Oh, who am I kidding? She was definitely enjoying making me feel like a worthless piece of meat. Either way, she wanted me to address her more respectfully. I hung my head as I corrected myself.

"Yes, ma'am, you are correct."

"What was in it for you, Henriette?"

"Two thousand drakes, ma'am, half paid upfront."

Hearing the sum made Maven's eyebrows rise in shock. "Why would that bitch pay so much money for a worthless piece of jewelry is beyond me." Then, she leaned in and stared me square in my eyes. "Where is that grey-skin bitch?"

Maven's words confused me. Never mind the racial slur, which I wasn't expecting from her, Karliah had assured that not only would this job be an easy one, but also that Karliah would be able to deal with the fallout, but nothing that was unraveling before me suggested that was the case. Granted, I failed, as is already painfully obvious, but still…

Regardless, I replied as honestly and truthfully as I could. We only missed two stones, so we split up to fetch the remaining two. Karliah headed for Windhelm while I struck Maven's house. Maven nodded and then spoke. "I thought it should've been clear even to a stupid brat like yourself, but just because I do not dwell in your smelly Cistern doesn't mean I'm not your boss. You know, I know, everyone knows that I am your guild's true leader. Without me, there would be no Thieves Guild in Riften. Let this punishment of yours be a reminder of that. You're hereby excommunicated from the Thieves Guild, Henriette."

I felt like crying, not because I was sad or angry, but because I was just so ashamed and disappointed in myself and of managing to fail like this. "Yes, ma'am", was all I could utter in reply.

"You disappoint me, Henriette", she said as she stood up with a hand inside her breast pocket. She whipped out a leather collar painted in red, padded with steel, and connected to a sturdy chain. She then made it quite clear that I was powerless, I have no more rights, I could do nothing, I'm her property now, I'm a slave… She said it was over for me. She demanded that I drop the "ma'am" and address her properly as "mistress", and I did as was asked of me. The game she wanted to play was starting to unravel before my eyes.

"Even a failure like yourself can be useful", she said as she gestured at two of her mercenaries to come forward and open up the cell. "Stay still, dog."

As soon as the door opened, I started calculating my next move. I backed down, wondering if there was a way for me to escape. In the end, I didn't even have time to try. Maven locked the collar around my neck and pulled on the leash. She ordered me to stay on my knees where I belonged and to listen closely as she was about to lay down the terms.

"One full calendar year of service", she said as she played with the chain. "That's your punishment. You serve your time in labor, working your ass off around the clock, seven days a week as a whore, a plaything for customers. No objections, no excuses, just blind servitude. Displease me, and I'll add to your punishment. Understand?"

"Yes, mistress."

"Oh, and you're still free to try and prove me wrong by escaping my chains", she said. "Of course, I'm not expecting that to happen, so if you do manage, who knows… Maybe you can prove me wrong by showing me you're not as useless as I think you are…"

Challenge accepted, I thought. Add to my bounty, I don't care. I may be clumsy and careless at times, but there's nothing that can hold me back for good if I just put my mind to it. I'll shout and scream my way to freedom if I have to! During the week I've been in this predicament though, it looks hopeless. I have no clue how to get out from here, except waiting and working my way out. I hope it doesn't have to come to that, because damn it, a year is a long time.

Anyway, after that discussion was over, it was time for me to get straight to work. She dragged me out from the Ratway through some backdoor that led to a building I wasn't expecting to be entering: Haelga's Bunkhouse. Turns out, this place is another one of the local establishments that are operated independently but kind of owned by Maven in the end. If you're familiar with Riften, you might just think this is a simple inn or a lodging house that the working men and women come to after being done with their work at the marketplace, the fishery, or wherever the fuck, but that's only half of the story. This building operates a brothel too. I guess it's Haelga's way of worshiping Dibella, although all this seems a tad bit too sinful for the goddess of beauty.

What's more, Maven's meadery, the underground Skooma bar, even the damn orphanage, they're all connected to the business. Like, I knew that people whore themselves out down in the Ratway, but fuck me, I had no idea so many businesses are connected in the sex trade!

You might be wondering, is any of this even legal? What about the guards? What of the Empire? Do they all turn a blind eye? Not for free, and the business is quite lucrative, you know… Maven herself made it clear to me and said that I'm expected to not just serve but also to make money. To her, a whore that can't turn a profit is as useless as a soup-spoon with a giant hole in the middle. At least you can sharpen a dull blade, she said, but what do you do with a broken spoon? You throw it into the trash and replace it with a new one. Yeah, go figure.

Haelga herself took a great interest in me when I was brought to her office. She didn't recognize me at first, but after thinking about it for a while, she said that she actually remembers me very well, despite me being a "nobody" in her eyes. She mocked me for how I was finally getting my comeuppance due to my petty crimes, and said she had wanted to teach me some manners for a long while now. Yeah, we have some history, thanks to Brynjolf's recruitment job for me back in the day…

I noticed her inspecting my body more than I expected. Was she looking at the tattoo on my pubic area? I swear I could've heard her say it too when I read the word "Interesting" from her lips. Haelga confirmed to Maven that she was glad to have me around, and Maven reminded me to behave myself, or else. Maven also clarified that Haelga is my boss now, and I am to treat her word as law, almost as if it was coming from Maven's mouth itself. I more or less expected that.

So, I'm expected to turn a profit for both Haelga and Maven, as the latter made clear. The actual goal might sound like a hard goal to reach, as it's five hundred Septims, but since customers usually pay one hundred for an hour, it's not too hard a goal. Of course, all of that money is something I'll never see and will go straight to expenses like upkeep, rent, food, security, and keeping the guards shut… Haelga said that if I want to earn some money while doing this, I can always work for more, and it might even work in my favor, so there's an incentive for me to make as much money as possible for my new mistresses.

Anyway, that's the deal here. I didn't expect to see Maven again, but she actually came to interrogate me once, again about Karliah. They've searched her home, searched for her everywhere, but she seems to have disappeared from Skyrim entirely with no trace left behind. She seems to be good at that, considering how long she was hiding from Mercer. I insisted on not knowing anything about what was going on, and although it didn't look like Maven believed me at first, she took my word as the truth. Like seriously, what's up with Karliah? I still hope she can help me… If not, I have a feeling she's going to face a punishment similar to what I'm going through, if not worse.

Let's talk about my workplace because that's what I've been dealing with. The easiest way to get access is through the Bunkhouse, if you're a customer anyway. The entrance is in the basement, and it's being constantly guarded. It leads to the eatery as well as Haelga's office, where she has her Dibella statues, her customers, and her bedroom. The actual brothel is a bar maybe a little bigger than the main floor of Bee and Barb. You know, the actual inn here in Riften. There's a counter for drinks, plenty of tables, and poles too, for dancing.

Despite being underground and technically in the Ratway, the place is very clean. It's also connected to the Skooma den by a direct link. Most of the customers are from the Bunkhouse, but sometimes an occasional guy from the Skooma den also pays for our services. I've been prohibited from actually stepping into the Skooma bar even though it's part of the premises as well. It's for my own safety, Haelga says, but I have a feeling… It could actually be possible to escape this place through the Ratway. I don't know its layout well enough though, and without any weapons, I'm not sure I could sufficiently defend myself anyway.

There are also rooms for business, and each one of the girls has their own, me included. It's where I sleep, where I keep myself clean, and where most of the adult stuff happens. It's also where I keep you updated, my dearest diary.

Now, you should get the gist of it all. I'm stuck here, but for how long? So far, I haven't caused problems, so… Maybe one week shy of a year? Gosh, that's a long time… I suppose I could look for more clues about escaping or just praying for Karliah or someone else to save me. I mean, my friends must know by now, and everyone at the guild must also know… Nobody has come looking for me yet though. Maven has probably made it clear to the guild members that helping me is out of the question, and my friends are unlikely to know where I am.

Anyway, I'm hoping to figure something out while I work. Anything rather than something, actually. Below I've kept tabs and scribbled some notes, and even wrote a few stories and memoirs about the customers I've served.

Ivar the Farmhand

I served four customers on day one, out of which one paid for two hours, so I met my quota, but I only want to write about my first customer. Haelga had picked me real nice and sexy clothes… That's if you can call them proper clothes, as the garments weren't there to cover up anything. She made me dance to attract customers. I had never danced before, but it wasn't too hard. Actually, scratch that. Dancing is pretty easy… At least up to the basics. I could use some practice because it's one of those things where only the sky's the limit for how good you can move. For now, just moving my hips a little did the trick.

A familiar-looking man spotted me. I mentioned a farm boy in passing when I was being held captive by those damn bandits in their illegal pit-fighting cave, and wouldn't you know it, he was standing in front of me. He didn't even hesitate to raise his hand to buy my services.

He couldn't believe I was here in this place, especially after what happened to that pit. He doesn't know the specifics, but he used to be a regular, said he loved going in there to "vent", but didn't like that place too much. He didn't like the idea of doing it to women who weren't willing, but he continued to do so anyway, said he didn't have alternatives, said he was sick in the head, addicted. Like for fucks sake, did I look like a priest of Mara? I'm dressed like a whore in a whorehouse. Why did he open up to me like I was some kind of headshrinker meant to give him advice? Ah, whatever. He says that maybe it was good that place went under since it made him seek alternatives. He would've never found Haelga's little secret brothel otherwise.

Then, he looked at me and asked me, "How did you get out?"

"It's a long story", I said as I sat on his lap. "I got some help, managed to kill the goons on my way out too… I may not look like it, but I'm actually an adventurer."

"Wow, really? Appearances can be deceiving", he said and smiled gently. "But being adventurer must be difficult for a small girl such as yourself. Like, to sell your own body too…"

"Yeah…"

"You… You are here willingly, right?"

I looked him dead in the eyes, and I tried to smile. I decided that it was probably for the best to lie a little and to spout out a little white lie in the interest of improving customer satisfaction. I was a little harsh with my words on this poor loser last time around, but he's a good boy even with his flaws. "Of course I am here willingly, silly", I said as I landed my hands on his shoulders and faced him properly. I was getting a little excited, so I thought, why not just get it over with? "So, did you pay just so you could talk, or do you plan on actually nailing me?"

He wrapped his arms around my body, and we kissed. Just so we are clear, everything's on the menu. One hundred Septims is a one-hour all-you-can-eat buffet, so obviously kissing, touching, anal, cumming inside… Everything's allowed. I thought that bandit place was cheap, but let's be real, this is a real bargain.

He didn't waste too much time pushing me down on top of my bed either. I spread my legs eagerly and invited him on top of me. He was gentle and slow with his insertion, but getting inside me just made him punish my cunny with a little bit of force. I urged him to take it slow, as we had plenty of time and wouldn't want the fun to be over so quickly. He didn't take my advice at all. I thought he would be done in two minutes again, but he actually made me feel a lot better than last time around.

It was only his second time fucking a child, but it might as well have been his first, considering how much he kept touching, groping, and caressing me. His hands found all of it: my waist, my butt, my clit, my chest. He was just all over me. It does feel good being made feel desired and beautiful, and he made me know it, none better than with his dick. He was so good! It was like this Nord was a completely different person from last time around. Whatever happened to that loser who couldn't last two minutes in bed? Ah, wherever the fuck that old Ivar is, never come back… That guy couldn't even make me feel good, but this guy made me moan and beg for more!

We were done in thirty minutes, so we had some extra time on our hands. We spent it cuddling and chatting. I mostly wanted to talk about him, even though he insisted on hearing about my adventures. I kept telling him, "next time". Yeah, if I can make a regular out of him, that's good news for me. The other three customers I served today weren't as pleasant, so I could really use some good regulars to bring in the cash for me.

Bolli

Bolli owns a highly successful operation in the fishery with two boats and a crew. He's obviously wealthy, but not just monetarily. In my eyes, wealth and abundance can be extended to many other things as well. In this case, it's women. He's a married man but loves to sleep around. The saddest thing is that half the town knows this, while his actual wife, Nivenor, is utterly ignorant to the fact.

He is what they call a VIP. Few such men exist here in this city, and they're "marked" with marks of Dibella. Haelga herself picks these customers. They get to enjoy our services for free because their expenses are technically prepaid, while we still get compensated for the hours worked. Bolli picked me for his afternoon release.

He was drunk, not too interested in having any kinds of discussions or even bothering with foreplay. Eager most of the time, he kept going on about how it's been a while since he's screwed a kid, about how I'm gripping him so tight, but he also showed a little bit of dissatisfaction towards me, or perhaps he was just teasing me. He said that tiny girls are no good because we've got no tits, kept teasing me for being flat. What an ass. Reminded me of my uncle, who always made dumb jokes about me. He did me from behind most of the time, but he also wanted me to mount him, wanted to finish inside my butt. I did so in a reverse cowgirl position. It was kind of rough because I've never actually ridden a man while doing anal. I did make him cum though, so it must've not been that bad.

Lastly, he said it was cute seeing how hard I tried but called me clumsy and sloppy. Regardless, I'm yet to hear about him actually taking complaints to Haelga or anyone else for that matter, so he could've just been bullying me.

Trio of Black-Briar Mercenaries

I was just minding my own business in the bar, chatting with one customer, when these two big burly guys told me to "come the fuck along". I was worried I had done something wrong, even wondered if Maven or Haelga wanted to talk to me, but they both just wanted to use me. Mind you, they weren't coming at me as customers either.

They dragged me to a room down towards the Skooma Den, where a familiar man was waiting. I recognized his face immediately because he was actually the mercenary I tried to shoot when I got caught. He hadn't forgotten that either, and he said that he's been waiting eagerly to teach me a lesson. That's exactly what he did when he tied my hands, forced himself on top of me, pushed his hand across my face to cover my mouth up, and shagged me. He said I was dumb not to kill him, called me a failure, said that I'm never getting another chance again… Now I'm paying the price.

His two friends wanted to teach me a lesson too. They fucked me sore, slapped and choked me too, made me taste all their dicks. I coughed so hard that I felt like puking, and I couldn't believe that despite everything they put me through, they managed to make me cum too. They then tossed me back inside the bar, where Haelga found me. I thought she was going to show some sympathy towards me, but instead, she just spread her arms, questioning me, asking where had I been for the past three hours. "You still haven't met your quota for the day, so better get to work." It was at that moment that I realized it had been a setup, probably a punishment to screw me over or make this harder for me. I did meet my quota for the day, barely, but damn it, if they're willing to play dirty to punish me, I could be in more trouble than I previously realized, and that's saying something.

Rain's Hand, 25th, 4E 203

I've learned nothing new.

So far, I haven't written about the girls who work here besides me, but that's mostly because I forgot the last time I put pen on paper. Most of the women here are older than me, and out of those, about half don't actually work here as slaves. There are some really lovely ladies up here, like this Nord called Carla, who's one of those non-slave workers. Her body is absolutely outrageously voluptuous. There are also two other young girls who are in similar situations to me.

The first one is called Runa Fair-Shield. I don't know her, and she doesn't know me, but she's here basically because she was adopted by Maven, which Runa initially thought to be a blessing. Like, think about it, to be adopted to one of the wealthiest families in Skyrim! Who wouldn't want that? Imagine all the jewels and dresses you would get. You would never have to worry about making money your entire life! Either way, it didn't work out well for her. She may be Maven's daughter on paper, but that's just a way for Maven to keep her under her thumb easily. Runa's been here for about a year now, and there's no end in sight. It's clear she doesn't want to work here, but she has no choice. She also advised me as a "veteran" to just give up because there's no way out of here. I asked her, has she even tried, and she shook her head, saying there's no point. It's impossible.

Her words aren't too encouraging, that's for sure. I hope I won't have a hard time figuring out a way out. Granted, I have more weapons at my disposal than she does. Voice, my fangs, blood magic… She has nothing. She's just an ordinary mortal. I'm not willing to believe escape is impossible for me, even if it could be for her.

Oh, that reminds me, getting fed here is surprisingly easy for a vampire. Nobody suspects a thing.

The third kid here is named Britte, and she I'm more familiar with. You see, Britte is Sissel's twin sister, and after I killed their father per Sissel's request, Britte was sent to live in the orphanage. She was brought here three months ago under little different circumstances from Runa. Apparently, she tried to run away from the orphanage and was subsequently punished for it. Harshly. It seems that the situation at the Honorhall is even worse these days than it was when Grelod was in charge, and that's saying something because Grelod was horrible.

Britte used to be a bit of a bully herself, but now she's an entirely different person. She's so quiet. It's like she's dead inside… I can't help but feel partially responsible. Looking back, I used to be kind of unsympathetic towards her, thinking she might partially deserve what's coming to her for being such a brat, but seeing her in this state makes me so sorry for her. Britte doesn't deserve to be here at all, and she's taking it really badly. I haven't talked to her at all. I wonder if she would even recognize me, considering that I never spoke to her in Rorikstead.

Hofgrir Horse-Crusher

Hofgrir is another VIP selected by Haelga, and he's got himself a mean streak. I thought he was just another one of those old, overconfident men who like to boast about being a real man, an alpha, about how most men these days are just a bunch of pussies, you know the type. He owns the local stables, which is weird, considering his name. "Horse-Crusher". That's not his real birthname though.

He's got a pretty good physique for a man of his age and a lot of meat down there too. He wanted to warm up by having me suck him off, a request I was happy to carry out, and I got a chance to ask him about how he got his name. Apparently, he once rode a horse so hard he broke the poor animal's spine and joked about how ever since that, he's only been "riding bitches" and "crushing cunts". It sounded like just some silly banter soldiers exchange with each other at the barracks or maybe at the inn after a long day of work. You know, another one of those sentences most actually can't back up with actions. Then again, I could not deny his size, his girth…

He then mounted me from behind, thrusting so hard he got the entire bed frame creaking. It's like he wanted to go deeper than physically possible and pulled me towards him. I wasn't expecting him to be so rough from the get-go, but I was in no position to complain or tell him to slow down, especially with him telling me how he was going to make me sore, make me not walk for a whole day and about me not daring to backtalk to him.

I was so utterly dominated by him. He took me by my arms and pulled my body towards himself, bending my back, having my body suspended in the air. I wouldn't have been able to move even if I had tried my hardest. It was a perfect submission. Yet, it didn't hurt, not one bit. All I could feel was the intense pleasure as he slapped and clapped against me. My eyes rolled back, and I was moaning so hard everyone must've heard it. I think I was drooling a little too. At the end of it all, he even proved capable of being gentle, as he caressed me and kissed me from behind while filling me with his seed.

Not too long after, I just laid down and rested. I knew I had done my work for the day, and he left satisfied anyway. I'm so glad he was the last customer for the day, and I wouldn't mind him visiting again.

Rain's Hand, 30th, 4E 203

I've been busy trying to eavesdrop on every discussion possible, gather every possible visual clue that could aid me in getting out of this mess, and today I learned something. I wasn't sure if this was anything important at first, but given how everything has turned out, that will definitely help me.

It started when I noticed Haelga coming downstairs, talking to Svana about something. For your information, Svana Far-Shield is a maid working for the Bunkhouse. She cleans and cooks down here, serving drinks when she has time but doesn't participate in the sex work at all. And, just in case you're wondering, Svana and Runa aren't related. Far-Shield, Fair-Shield… Similar, but different family names. Yes, they could be related, but I don't think they are at least. Svana and Haelga are related though. Haelga is Svana's aunt.

The discussion I heard was about the nature of this business, and I'll write it down as long as it's fresh in my mind because I don't want to forget or ignore any details. Svana was asking her aunt about how she demeans herself to these men, and how demeaning this work is in general, to which Haelga responded with indifference. "There's nothing demeaning about this", she said. "It's all about fun. You should try it too. You're young, pretty…"

"No, never", Svana replied, sounding clearly frustrated with her aunt. "And yes, it is demeaning. You force some of these poor girls to work here. This is slavery."

"Svana, please… It's not that simple… You wouldn't get it…"

"At least try to explain to me why", Svana said, raising her voice. "For crying out loud, some of them are just children!" If I hadn't eavesdropped on them before, I surely would've heard what she said next because she just couldn't help but raise her voice. "Is this truly what Dibella would want you to do?"

It angered Haelga, and I could hear it in her voice. "Be quiet, not one more word. Now get back to work before I get really mad."

"Y-yes, I'm sorry…"

I hadn't taken it into consideration myself, but Haelga really is devoted to Dibella, or at least she markets her that way. She's got statues about her, the most prestigious customers carry marks of Dibella as VIP tokens, the whole idea of spreading love stinks of Dibellan arts… But the idea of an underground brothel doesn't exactly scream the very thing that the goddess of beauty and "love" is supposed to represent. There is no love involved in the "lovemaking" here. Sure, it's not the same kind of "love" that Mara's sphere of influence entails, but she's still part of the Imperial Cult, not some goddess of hedonism. It's just about feeling good and sinful indulgence at the cost of a few days worth of salary.

More importantly, the idea of slavery might go against Dibella's values as well… So either Haelga has a very twisted and perverted view of how to serve the goddess she is so devoted to, or she isn't that devoted to Dibella at all. Given how angry she got, either one could be the case… But my gut tells me that her devotion is a huge sham.

Mere suspicion wasn't going to do anything though, and it wasn't like me knowing Haelga's secrets was going to do any favors to me either, but I felt like I needed to dig out more information. I made Svana my target for that. I even had an idea about how to get her to talk. Svana seems like she's afraid of her aunt and what Haelga might do to her if she crossed her, so I had to resort to some trickery.

She came to my room in the morning to wake me up and clean up some, as she always does. I sat up, and I started crying. I faked it, but gullible as she is, I got her attention. I thought I could get some sympathy out of her by crying about how I wanted to go back home, go back to mommy and daddy, and she came to comfort me, sat down next to me. I hugged her and talked about how I have nobody here to talk to, about how much I hate it here, and she hugged me back. All of that was merely a distraction to give me time to enchant her with my magic. I didn't want to turn her into a thrall as that might've jeopardized my secret to others, but for all intents and purposes, she's completely under my control now, ready to perform a set of tasks I whispered to her with a grinning smile on my face.

One, I needed her to send a letter to my dear friends, handwritten by yours truly, telling them where I am, but also telling them not to come and help me unless I explicitly say so. I might only get one chance, and I don't want to mess it up. I especially don't want them to risk their own safety for me, which should only be the last-ditch solution. Svana said she's happy to do my bidding, and the letter will find a courier as soon as she leaves the premises to do business at the marketplace.

Two, I wanted dirt on Haelga. I asked Svana to tell me if Haelga was genuinely doing all of this out of her devotion to Dibella or if there was something more to this in her opinion, but sadly, her response was not much better than mere speculation. "There's just something sinister about all of this", Svana said. "This isn't about Dibella, I'm sure of it. She's worshipping some other god, doing this for a Daedric entity, I think. I'm sorry, but I don't know which one though… I don't know much about Daedra…"

She also said something that really shocked me as she touched the tattoo on top of my stomach. "Haelga also has one of these… I saw it once. I was supposed to go clean her office when I caught her having sex with someone and caught a glimpse of this very same tattoo."

I'm not sure if there's anything to that, but it's interesting. It was tattooed on me when I was arrested in Markarth that one time when I was thrown into the Cidhna Mine. I can't figure out any clues and connections about what it could be about, except for the fact that there's a temple devoted to Dibella in Markarth. No priestess put this lewd tattoo on me though, or at least so I think. It could've just been a coincidence, or maybe there's something to it. Either way, I should get to Haelga next and ask her about the tattoo. Will I get her to talk? I have no idea…

I had one more question for Svana, which was only a matter of curiosity to me. I asked her, why is she so committed to her chastity? What's her reason? Well, Svana is in love with a man, a man she wants to marry and have children with, a man she's saving her first time for. That man is Sibbi Black-Briar. Sibbi is currently in prison for murdering some man though. The whole thing is confusing because I don't get why Maven would be willing to keep her own son in prison… Perhaps it's to teach him a lesson or something. I won't get too much into it.

My last comment to her was more of a command. I told her to act normal around me, even though I am now her temporary mistress. I think she got the memo.

Now, all I have to do is get to Haelga somehow, but I'm still unsure how to approach the situation. For now, I need to actually get to work before I get myself in trouble.

• 32nd Journal - Corruption