Nerevar In Utero (Part 1: A'basha the Skooma Addict)
"Now, A'basha loves the skooma. Loves it more than he loves himself (a good description of both addiction and romance). A'basha also loves a woman, Nirra, but not as much as he loves the skooma. And Nirra also loves him and therefore hates the skooma. The skooma, of course, always hates its addict.
A'basha has a brother, Pra'rathar. He loves Nirra too. Says Nirra will better off with him because he's not a good for nothing skooma addict. But she tells him that she cannot leave A'basha. Says A'basha 'isn't just an addict; he is my mate, for better or worse.' So Pra'rathar storms off and goes home to lick his pride. But his passion for her does not leave him. It merely changes shape, from marriage to murder. Passion has a way of doing that. Anyway, Pra'rathar goes to the wrong parts of town and hires two thugs, a Dunmer and a Khajiit, let's call them...Marnos and Dar'khir."
"This is starting to sound familiar."
"Perhaps. But the best stories are always somewhat familiar, no? Anyway, he hires the two thugs. He pays them 500 gold up front and promises them 500 more when A'basha is dead. But that isn't all. The death of his rival is not enough. 'Pra'rathar will pay even more if you kill A'basha's mate,' he says.
They go to A'basha's house. But A'basha is not home. They find Nirra first. She asks them who they are, what they want. Marnos, always the quick witted, stabs her in the heart before she can scream. Dar'khir begins looking through their valuables, for he knows this will buy tomorrow's meal and tonight's sugar. Marnos stands aside, silent.
A'basha comes in and sees Marnos standing over the body of his mate. Marnos does not notice, deep in his foolish head. A'basha comes at him with claws at the ready, but Dar'khir is paying attention and bashes A'basha over the head.
Bleeding on the floor, A'basha asks the thugs, 'Who sent you?' They tell him: 'Pra'rathar, your brother.' A'basha asks them to spare him. Says he will give them all the money he has, 2500 gold, if they go back to Pra'rathar and kill him instead. And this sounds like a good arrangement for all involved and so Dar'khir and Marnos return to Pra'rathar.
'Here is your payment,' says Pra'rathar. To which Marnos replies, 'And here is yours.' Marnos' movements are quick, efficient, catlike - just as Dar'khir has taught. His blade ends Pra'rathar easily. Dar'khir begins collecting far more than the intended payment from Pra'rathar's house. Marnos leaves, obviously content in a good night's work.
When Dar'khir returns, A'basha is almost dead from his wounds. He looks at Dar'khir. He starts crying, begging at Dar'khir's knees. He needs his fix. So Dar'khir gives him that one last sip of sweet sweet skooma, a final dream that will last forever."
"So that's how you handled him. Good to know the man died in a good mood."
"What do you mean? This is just a silly story about silly kitties."
"Stuff it."
"You don't like it?"
"No."
"Then don't ask for stories when all you want is cheap distraction. Come inside, the sugar awaits."