[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[Muttonhawk]

While they found a place out of the way, Sabine was anticipating getting an earful of protest from Meesei for engaging with people without letting her know. The bad conclusions got worse when Sabine considered if Freida and the others were actually bad people. That didn't seem right, though. They weren't acting strangely, they were being nice and just making conversation. The worries diminished somewhat when Meesei instead instructed Sabine to make a scent masking agent. If the clan had the right ingredients, there would be no reason that she couldn't mix something up like that. "Okay," Sabine said at almost a whisper. Given the investigative reasons that she and the rest of her pack were here, she could understand the secrecy. She just hoped that she didn't look nervous enough to give them away as she followed Meesei to the scholar's rooms to collect ingredients. "Ahuh," Hadryn said slowly, still looking at Leaps. "If you're wondering if he's house trained, we have managed to train him to relieve himself only into a pile of cloth that we set up when indoors." Janius looked to Leaps as well, who now seemed to have given up trying to wriggle free, "Despite being excitable, he's surprisingly intelligent. At least he is receptive to the same training as a dog. That's all I really have experience training. Actually, in many ways he behaves like a pup." Fabian leaned closer, "Intriguing...how long would he take to reach full size?" "No idea, but we do know that they live a long time," Janius replied. Theresa seemed slightly surprised by Ahnasha's response. "Only three months? He has a healthy weight about him, then." "He's a Cathay," Fendros mentioned, having picked up on the conversation. Theresa nodded with a realisation spread across her face. "Ah, right, the moons. Of course. I've heard as much from Najirra before." She regained her smile, "Well, he is still beautiful." The previous small crowd that went to watch the fight started to stream back into the dining hall now, bringing a volume of conversation and laughter. From the general tone of conversation, it was a short but powerful fight. Some mentioned Harriet's promise of a rematch, which brought about an almost tangible anticipation. This caught Theresa's eye. "It sounds like your friend, Lorag, put on a good show with Harriet. I wouldn't be surprised if Oswall challenged him as a matter of pride, now."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei and Sabine did not stay still for long, as she could detect others drawing closer. In such a crowded place, it was hard to find places to be alone, at least in the main areas or the passages between. There were likely some unused rooms away from the main chambers, but anywhere else, it was hard for a private conversation to remain private for long. Once downstairs, Meesei had to ask around to refresh herself on where exactly the alchemists would be. It was not long before they found their way to the proper chamber. Looking around, it was easy to tell this would be a place Meesei would like to spend time. Not only were there collections of ingredients and planters with strange and unique plants growing within, but also supplies for enchanting, shelves worth of books, and other kinds of research materials. Meesei had been told there were an entire group of scholars in the clan, but there were only two in the room at the moment, a Bosmer woman, and an Argonian man. Both seemed engrossed in their own studies, and based on what they were doing, the Bosmer seemed to be the alchemist. As they approached, Meesei paid attention to something notable. It could have been something from the concoction she was making, but the Bosmer's scent was not quite what she expected from a werewolf. She was definitely a lycan, but it was possible that her form was different from any Meesei had encountered before. "Excuse me, might I have a moment? We have come to restock our supplies of ingredients, and I would appreciate help finding the right ones. Jerrick has assured me that there should be enough to satisfy my pack's needs. We do not need much." Ahnasha laughed. "And I have no doubt he would accept. He's always looking to prove himself. I wonder which one won the fight? I imagine either one would create just the same stir from the crowd. If you're right about how Harriet views violence, I'm not sure I know which would be better for him." Taking note of the other conversation, Kaleeth decided to add her own input. "Lorag will fight anyone. I don't know if it is winning he likes, or just fighting itself. I think he would say fighting. He likes to say he is a "true Orc." Though...he doesn't seem to like fighting me, for some reason. Janius does most of my training."

[Muttonhawk]

The Bosmer woman did not immediately respond to Meesei. In fact, her pause made it seem like she either wasn't listening or was pretending that Meesei wasn't there. After a few moments of silence, she looked up from the parchment she was writing on with a cross expression. "Well Jerrick can come here himself and..." The woman's eyes caught Meesei's ring and her brow raised as her mouth hung open. "Oh..." she stood up frantically, making more noise that she needed to with her chair. The Argonian man shot a curious glance at the ruckus. The woman began to walk over to a cabinet by the wall, "Terribly sorry. Terribly, terribly sorry. I wasn't expecting the champion to come up here." She was about to open the cabinet by habit, but stopped her hand mid-reach and turned her head to Meesei and Sabine. "Normally, it's Darahil who gives permission for this sort of thing, but technically Jerrick has the authority as well." "Wait, you are the champion of Hircine?" The Argonian man turned to Meesei properly with an astonished expression, "This is a surprise. I did not know you were in our home." The Bosmer sighed, "Of course you didn't know Juteem, you've been up here all day with your Ayleid trinkets. This is why you should take more breaks." "My research is important!" Juteem said defensively, crossing his arms, "I would have found out eventually, Carana." Carana rolled her eyes and made a futile sound by exhaling between her lower lip and her front teeth. "Anyway," She turned her attention to Sabine and Meesei again, "What do you need?" As asked, Sabine stepped forward and listed off a few ingredients, all of which would be required for a scent masking ointment. She listed a couple of ingredients that she already had, but that was out of nervousness. Carana obliged by finding each of the ingredients and removing them for Sabine. Janius didn't have any qualms about explaining Lorag to Kaleeth while he wasn't here. "That's because he doesn't want to be overpowered by timid little you, Kaleeth. You have more raw strength than him, I'd wager." "Hmm, I actually hadn't thought of that, but I suppose it makes sense," Fendros said. Now that the opportunity to probe about Oswall had arisen, Fendros faced Hadryn and spoke. "Would Oswall be in it just for the fight as well?" Despite Hadryn being the more experienced in the clan, Theresa was the one who answered, turning attention towards her. "Well, Oswall is a Nordic warrior through and through. I think he would fight to prove he is the best. Being that Harriet is his rival in that regard, defeating Lorag could validate him in that way." "Oh? Do you know him?" Fendros asked. Theresa shook her head, "Not really, but I'm friends with his son. Oswall wants to instill the same attitude in Gallus, but he's a different person." Theresa dipped her head sympathetically, "I think he just wants his son to rise up the ranks like he did." Fendros leaned an elbow on his knee. "You say he rose through the ranks, when did he become a lieutenant?" Theresa twisted her mouth for a few seconds, then looked to Hadryn. "I believe it was twenty five years ago." Hadryn said for Theresa, "He joined when he was an adult, but he has always looked upwards."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei would have to get used to receiving these reactions, at least for a while. The longer they remained with the clan, the more accustomed to her presence they would become, she reasoned. Still, she maintained the same, calm demeanor as normal and continued with the conversation as Sabine pointed out the ingredients she needed. "So Darahil would be the person to speak to about this sort of request? I will keep that in mind. Jerrick is simply who I asked. I do not wish to take any more than your clan can reasonably afford to give, so I will make sure to bear in mind your leaders' recommendations on your stocks." Meesei commented. To divert attention away from the items Sabine was requesting, she started to pace around the room, looking in detail at the plants, Ayleid artifacts, and books surrounding her. It helped that her interest in their research was quite genuine. Scattered on the tables were enchanted ancient elven jewelry and weapons, rubbings of Ayleid carvings, several welkynd stones, and even an artifact Meesei believed was called a varla stone. Even if they were more common, the stones interested her in particular. Their functions seemed so simple, and yet none had yet been able to replicate their production. As tantalizing as the magical artifacts were, Meesei believed she could grab more attention by walking over to the ingredients growing in the planters scattered around the room. They each used a similar set up as the food crops the clan grew, but on a smaller scale. "Although...I wonder, when I find myself with more time, if I might be able to help improve your stores." She said as she approached a planter with a sample of trauma root growing within. The root was alive and growing, but as the Morrowind-native plant thrived in ashen soil which the clan could not perfectly simulate, it was not terribly healthy. Meesei placed her hand around one of the thorny roots, her hand glowing with a form of magicka that did not perfectly match the commonly accepted "schools." To a mage, it would feel like a derivation of restoration, which was not entirely false, but this was magic that seeped into the energies of nature itself. The root contorted and grew as she lifted it up to inspect it more closely. Again, what Ahnasha remembered abou the lieutenants was matching up with what they were hearing. There were still others to ask about, but those would probably be best saved for a different group to avoid suspicion. Regardless, she continued with her own comments. "If Oswall was an adult when he joined, and has been a lieutenant for that long, he must be getting up in age. He might be older than Lorag. Orcs have an...unsettling view of age. They tend to want to die before they grow old and feeble. Personally, I think Lorag will be a strong warrior for a long time yet. After all, lycans' bodies are hardy; we're not immortal, but we can stay healthier for longer. Still, I do worry about what Lorag will do when he gets to that point. I wouldn't guess Harriet is old enough yet to start worrying about age, right?"

[Muttonhawk]

"We could always use more gatherers and traders, I suppose, but I don't think that's champions work, is it?" The Bosmer, Carana was distracted enough by finding ingredients not to mind Meesei's wandering. However, when she spotted what Meesei was doing out of the corner of her eye, she faced her palms forward and rushed over to her. "Ah-ah! Wait! That's Trama root! It's expensive and fragile and..." Canara was somewhat pacified when she saw that it had grown with Meesei's magic, but was utterly confounded by the event. "Huh? How did you do that?" She asked with a face of shock. "Oh, Oswall is certainly old. Not as old as, say, Najirra, but still old. He's not an Orc, mind," Fabian responded, "As for Harriet, she would be, what? Twenty-nine? Thirty?" Fabian looked to his friends. "About that, I believe," Theresa confirmed. "Right, well, in any case, I don't think she needs to worry yet." Fabian shrugged, "Of course, if your friend is worrying now, who knows what Harriet is hiding from everyone else?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei calmly let go of the trama root, leaving it somewhat larger than it was before. She continued to inspect some of the other nearby plants, though she had no need to give any more demonstrations. "Before my turning, I was the Treeminder of my village. It is a title that can mean different things depending on the village you visit, but for mine, it was something close to what you might consider a shaman. My duties were not only to care for our Hist tree, as the title implies, but also to be the magical authority, and a leader for my clan. Since the day I hatched, my father gave me my instruction in the arcane. Our traditions involve magic that the rest of Tamriel seems to have forgotten, or never knew to begin with. It is magic that compels me to understand the forces that shape nature, from living to nonliving. Restorationists are only concerned with people, or animals, but plants, fungus, they are all just as alive as us. Their forms, their energies, are drastically different, but there are elements of magicka that connect everyone and everything. Of course, it would be...impractical for me to personally visit every plant here to stimulate its growth, but I know other methods of achieving the same end. It would take time to implement, however." Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders. "Personally, I think Lorag is becoming paranoid over his age far too early. I mean, he is not even yet in his late thirties, much less his forties. I think he is just worried that it will only be a few years before he starts to see limitations from his age, so he doesn't have too much longer to be in his prime. I think he is just as strong and fast as he has ever been, but I wouldn't be surprised if he has been tricking himself into thinking he has been getting weaker. The mind can do some strange things. If Harriet hasn't been worrying about it, it's probably because she knows she doesn't need to be. Maybe Lorag should go see Najirra? I would love to see how that would play out." She commented with a slight chuckle.

[Muttonhawk]

"Okay," Carana said weakly, still staring at the trama root, "I won't even pretend to understand, but it looks like you know what you are doing." Along with Carana, Juteem was looking at the plant with one hand supporting his elbow and the other supporting the underside of his chin. His expression was more contemplative. It looked like he was about to ask something, but he stayed silent. Carana finally looked to Meesei properly, "I'm surprised, really. I thought the champion would be more..." she paused and itched at the back of her head, "...well, not a mage, to be true, much less with magic like that. Look, we could always use the extra help up here. Darahil pretty much runs this section, however. He knows the most about magic than any of us. I think you should talk with him if you can help." Carana held up a hand before Meesei could respond, "I-I know he may come off as cold, but his heart is in the right place. Now," Carana glimpsed to Sabine, "Did you need any more ingredients?" Sabine double checked the pouch she had been filling with what she needed, then looked up and shook her head. While Janius and Fendros smiled along with Ahnasha's speculation, Hadryn squinted one eye and hummed sceptically. "I don't know if Najirra would call for your Lorag. He is very good at helping people with their problems, but he doesn't call for people who don't want help unless they become a problem to themselves or other people. I don't know how he tells, though, I swear he can hear the thoughts of everyone in this ruin." "I would believe it if he left his room more often, he doesn't even come out to hunt with the full moons," Theresa added. This made Fendros and Janius turn their heads in disbelief. "Wait, how would he do that? Wouldn't his beast spirit force him to hunt?" Janius asked. "Najirra is very old, and so is his beast spirit," Hadryn answered, "His entire being knows that his hunting days are over. Normally such people die of starvation in the wild, but he keeps himself fed and that seems to be enough for him."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei shifted her gaze from the plants to the enchanted lights above them. She began to smile ever so slightly with the surprise in Carana's voice. "Some of the most powerful beings in history have been mages. Perhaps I have a certain bias, but it is my thought that a mage can achieve more than one with simple might, especially if the mage can incorporate more mundane tactics as well. Once the clan has been secured against our enemies, I will be sure to speak to Darahil. This place is greatly interesting to me, in particular its magical artifacts. I believe I would like to contribute to your research, and perhaps learn from you as well." Since Sabine was now restocked, they were free to leave. After exchanging goodbyes, Meesei and Sabine left the chamber and traced their way back towards the main chamber. They needed to head up to their room for Meesei to be able to speak freely, but first, she diverted them in the direction of Ahnasha and the rest of the group. She needed to explain the plan to the others as well, but unfortunately, there was simply no way Meesei could think of for them to contribute. Any more than herself and Ahnasha would not be able to hide for the ambush, and there was nothing she could think of that they could help outside the ambush. If they tried to keep watch on the lieutenants, they might intimidate or otherwise delay the traitor. The most they could do was to be ready to deal with the aftermath of whatever transpired. Meesei did not want to call away all of her pack at once, so for the moment, she could settle for bringing Ahnasha with her. "Excuse me, but might I borrow you for a moment, Ahnasha? There are some ideas I would like to discuss with you regarding tracking the enemy. Come with me; you can leave Rhazii with Fendros, if you like." Meesei requested in a calm, polite tone. Given the nature of the investigation she had left the others with, she did not need to give any hints for the others to know that any request she made was important. "Oh, I didn't know he was that old. He sounds like he must be a mage, though I don't know what kind of magic..." Ahnasha began before being cut off by Meesei's voice behind her. She did not have any idea what Meesei wanted with her specifically, but given the situation, she was not about to question it. "Oh, sure." She commented as she quickly handed Rhazii off to Fendros and stood to her feet. No doubt the others had to be curious as well, but there had to be a reason Meesei was calling on her specifically. Perhaps it was to avoid making what they would be talking about seem too important? In any case, Meesei was quick to take the lead, so Ahnasha had only time for a short goodbye before following.

[Muttonhawk]

Despite Rhazii's initial protests at seeing his mother walk away, Fendros managed to settle him and continued the conversation with everyone. Soon enough, a couple of people from another table called over to them, suggesting that they break bread with 'real hunters'. This caused a slight bit of confusion until Fabian explained that they might tolerate their presence, but they don't have much in common with he, Hadryn and Theresa. They managed to get them around a fire anyway where it appeared they were friendly, but had an underlying rivalry. Theresa then filled Fendros, Janius, and Kaleeth of the factional dynamic of the clan. It was a small community, but there were packs that were under the management of the lieutenants exclusively to make things easier. Such packs tend to respect the commands of their lieutenants more than others due limited resources sometimes making things tense. Around good times such as these, though, they were still a big family. As they might have suspected, the well spoken and knowledgeable Fabian, Theresa, and Hadryn were in a pack under Darahil. The noisier and more excitable people around them were in packs under Oswall and Harriet. The only ones under Vera present were Anders' pack and likely more people in Bruma and elsewhere in the ruin. Sabine found a place to make the scent ointment while Ahnasha was filled in on the situation. During the afternoon, Jerrick himself came by with a satchel containing all Meesei had requested. He still had some business to take care of, but after dinner, he came by Meesei to mention that some 'bed bugs' had been reported in some rooms and to ask if they required an alchemical repellent. With that, he headed straight to the meeting chamber to look over ledgers and accounts. He asked not to be disturbed by anyone, so Meesei and Ahnasha's approach had to be stealthy enough that it was possible that he didn't notice them at all. Only once was he soon disturbed by Darahil knocking on the door to ask what he was doing and whether he needed assistance. Jerrick didn't get up, and merely shouted politely to lead Darahil off. Darahil still didn't open the door, but his footsteps heralded his departure. The rest of the pack took the time to visit the pool chamber and cleanse off their travels with some others in the clan. Sabine didn't seem to contribute much to conversation and tried to leave as soon as she could. When Janius asked where she was going, she responded saying that she was going to find her friends that she had met today, but Janius stopped her. He was tasked in keeping an eye on her after all. Sabine was visibly glum from having to stay around with the pack. Fendros stayed with Rhazii in a shallow section of the pool, but was beginning to get concerned about Ahnasha and Meesei. They never had the opportunity to talk about their plans. Over in the Meesei's pack's bedchamber, a napping Lorag was woken up by a pressure on his side. "Hey, big boy," Harriet was standing over him with her arms crossed and her foot on his upper arm. "Get up." Her voice was as commanding as ever, but seemed more toned down, like she didn't want to attract attention from anyone nearby.

[EliteCommander]

As Meesei predicted, her own preparations did not take a great deal of time. Once she obtained a large enough parchment, she enchanted a scroll of invisibility quickly, and Sabine was just as efficient with her ointment. As the day drew closer to night, Jerrick finally came by and gave the signal. As quickly as they could, Meesei and Ahnasha applied the ointment, then left the room under the cover of their own invisibility spells. Since Ahnasha did not have quite the magicka reserve as Meesei, she used the welkynd stone as a source of power along the way to prevent her from fatiguing herself, in the event they needed to intervene quickly after arriving. Meesei and Ahnasha were entirely silent and unseen as they made their way into the meeting room. Jerrick might not have known they were there, had Meesei not approached once she checked to make sure they were alone to drop the scroll of invisibility on his desk. "Remember, once the assassin has been revealed, use this to escape. We need not even kill the traitor here and now. Once they are identified, they are powerless to tear this pack apart as long as you live." She said at a nearly inaudible whisper in his ear. As for readying the ambush itself, Meesei was quick to determine the ideal hiding spot. As was common for Ayleid chambers, there were decorative columns, four in all, that went almost all the way up to the ceiling, but not quite the entire way. Normally, they would be quite difficult to climb without a ladder or rope, but with some strong telekinetic assistance from Meesei, both she and Ahanasha were able to climb to the top of two of the columns. Ahnasha climbed one closer to the entrance, while Meesei picked a spot nearer Jerrick. It was a hiding spot that served multiple purposes. For one, it allowed them to attack from an unexpected angle. Ahnasha could drop down to block the exit, while Meesei moved in for the kill. She had not been able to use the welkynd stone in the way she expected, but she still had it in her bag and could use it as a source of magical power if needed. The other purpose to hiding atop the columns was to put them as far away from Jerrick as possible while still being able to help him quickly. The traitor had no way of knowing that his or her intentions were known, so it would be unlikely that they would be on special alert for a trap, but just in case, being on top of the pillars could keep them out of sight from detect life spells. As powerful as they were, they only worked within the caster's field of view, and an assassin would have to look quite high up, away from Jerrick, in order to see them. Their plan was set, and they had made all the preparations they could. All they could do was wait for whatever was to come. Darahil's arrival outside the door put Meesei and Ahnasha at the ready, but for the moment, he seemed to leave when requested. There were no guarantees in this ambush, but they had pushed the odds as far in their favor as they were capable of. Lorag groaned as she was shaken awake. He had gotten a fair amount of sleep, which allowed him to heal considerably from their bout earlier. He no longer felt dizzy, just groggy and annoyed. "Ah, what is it?" He asked on reflex before his eyes focused enough to see who had awoken him. "What, you lookin' for another fight already?"

[Muttonhawk]

A tense hour passed in the meeting room as Jerrick went over page after page of ledgers. What he read was nothing he was not already aware of, but keeping up the ruse was important. Just as it seemed that he was going to nod off, the door started to open unceremoniously. Jerrick looked forward, putting both his hands on the table in preparation to push up and ready himself. He seemed to relax when he saw who it was, though. "Vera, what are you doing here? I asked not to be disturbed." Jerrick's words were soft as his wife came into view. Vera was carrying a tray with a meal on it and shuffled slowly along the floor towards Jerrick so as not to spill the drink she had poured for him. "I thought you might be hungry. You didn't have any lunch or dinner." Jerrick sighed and smiled, "That's okay, dear. I've been snacking through the day." "I'll have none of it. If you're going to be this busy, you need to keep your strength up." Vera continued towards the table. It was not a violent pace and it didn't appear that she was carrying any weaponry, but Jerrick still stood up. He seemed conflicted, torn between trusting his own wife and preserving his life. Vera stopped out of reach of Jerrick and put down the meal on the table. "Why are you looking over the accounts anyway? Is there a discrepancy?" Harriet sneered at Lorag impatiently, before moving her foot from his arm to kick him roughly in the buttocks. "You're gonna stand up or the next kick's goin' somewhere else." It was doubtful that Lorag was going to be bruised by the kick, but if he was groggy before, he shouldn't be now.

[EliteCommander]

As soon as the door opened, both Meesei and Ahnasha tensed up. It was Vera, Jerrick's wife, who was honestly the last person Meesei wanted to see that night. She was the person that Jerrick knew best, but who was also the one most likely to be successful in killing him since he trusted her. Indeed, if she was the traitor, she was going about it perfectly. A poison in his meal would kill him without any chance of fighting back and allow her the time to set up the scene however she wished. Unfortunately, neither of them could strike based on the suspicion alone. It was also perfectly reasonable that his wife would bring him a meal, especially if she noticed he had not eaten. Meesei watched from above, ready to unleash her magic at a moment's notice. She just had to hope that Jerrick could see the danger. Poison was a strong possibility, so he needed to avoid eating the meal at all costs. If he thanked her and allowed her to leave, Meesei could test the meal herself. She was immune to almost all poison, and Vera, if she was the traitor, would have no reason to prepare for poisoning an Argonian. If Vera became too insistent that he start eating immediately, that would certainly raise suspicion in Meesei's mind. She just needed to be careful. If Vera was not the traitor, then accusing her could cause problems. Even so, if it looked like he was about to eat, then she decided she would telekinetically force the food from his hand. She had one idea in mind of how to preserve the ambush if Vera turned out to be innocent. Lorag grunted with the kick before reluctantly sitting up and returning Harriet's sneer. "You better have a good reason for wakin' me up.' He grumbled, slowly bringing himself up to his feet. "I know you're not used to it, bein' in the 'inner circle' and everything, but I don't take orders from you."

[Muttonhawk]

"Possibly, but I've yet to find out the why and who," Jerrick responded to his wife. Vera stepped up to Jerrick and he managed to grab onto both her hands before she could surprise him with anything, then stepped in to kiss her on the lips. Once they separated, Vera smiled. "Don't be up too late, okay?" Jerrick sighed, "I can't promise that. This might take a while." Bowing her head forward onto the bridge of Jerrick's nose, Vera closed her eyes and sighed as well, but she still smiled. "You work to hard." She stepped away, letting her fingers slide away from his. "Goodnight, dear." "Goodnight, Vera." Jerrick stayed standing until Vera turned and walked out of the room. Once the door closed, his eyes glanced up to roughly where Ahnasha and Meesei were, then he sat back down and began looking through the accounts again. In spite of his grumbling stomach, he didn't so much as touch the food. Harriet lowered her arms as Lorag got up. When he finally stood straight, he threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard before he could say another word. Lorag could feel Harriet's heartbeat racing against his chest through the experience. When she pulled away after a few seconds, she took a breath. "Not an order. A challenge," she said, still surprisingly stern, but breathing a little faster now, "I said this wasn't over, and...I know a place. You wanna show me what you've got, big boy?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei waited for a few minutes after Vera left, using detect life to ensure no one else was nearby. Once everything was clear, she focused on Jerrick's plate, then lifted up a sample of each type of food telekinetically. It was difficult to grab on such small objects at such a range, but with enough focus, Meesei had relatively little trouble bringing up a sample of each to her. She took special care when lifting his drink up to her and only ended up spilling a small amount of the liquid inside. She even pulled up the cutlery Vera brought him; she had read "A Game at Dinner," and was not going to take any chances. From there, she set the samples out before her, then took bites of each, sampled his drink, and even touched her tongue to the cutlery to see if they had been poisoned. Whether or not the potential poison had a taste, she could focus inward with restoration on her own body's energies to determine if a poison was present. If there was, then her body would react immediately to neutralize the poison. Lorag seemed stunned, and somehow even more confused than when he was shaken awake. At one moment, he was tired and groggy, and now he was tired, groggy, and had Harriet wrapping her arms around him. He heard exactly what she said, but had a hard time believing it. "Uhh, wait...what?" He commented.

[Muttonhawk]

Jerrick raised an eyebrow at the different floating pieces of food hovering up towards the ceiling and back down again with bites taken out of them. He wasn't quite sure why the cutlery was going up and back down either. He didn't say a word, though. He trusted Meesei enough to understand that her actions had purpose. Meesei herself would have no reaction to the food in terms of stopping poison. There didn't appear to be any trace on the food. Still, Jerrick was adamant on leaving the food alone for the night. It wasn't the first time he had ever gone hungry for a day. Hours passed further and Jerrick began to pale almost imperceptibly. Occasionally, he would cough quietly through his nose. Over about five minutes, the coughing slowly became more frequent and violent, until he finally coughed hard out of his mouth into his hand. When he inspected his palm to see what he assumed to be phlegm, he instead saw a pool of a thick black liquid. He started to shiver and looked slowly up to Meesei with a face laced with fear. Rivulets of the same black substance dribbled from his lips and it looked as if the veins in his face were darkening with it as well, painting gruesome black lines across his now milk-white skin. He opened his mouth to talk, but only more liquid dribbled out. He still mouthed 'help'. Harriet angled her head forward and looked up at Lorag with almost a glare. "What? Are you thick? I'll tell you what. You're the only tough orc to come by in the past eight or so years and I like you. So, do you want to lay or don't you?" Harriet's head turned slightly sideways with a new thought, though she didn't seem to want to let go anyway, "Wait, you aren't paired with the champion are you?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei had sampled each of the items Vera brought, and as minutes passed, her body gave absolutely no reaction, nothing that would indicate a poison was present. Vera had not attacked while she was present, and she had not poisoned the food, so Meesei though that she might be innocent...for a time. After a few hours, Jerrick suddenly and rapidly deteriorated in condition. Meesei was certain that no one else had entered the room, so she could not begin to imagine what was happening. However, she did not hesitate in her response. The moment she saw what was happening, Meesei leaped down, using telekinesis to soften her fall. Placing a hand on Jerrick, she began inundating him with restoration energy aimed at inhibiting the poison. Slowly, she guided him down to a stable position on his back to prevent him from suddenly collapsing. At the same time, she reached into her bag and pulled out the welkynd stone. She placed a hand on the stone and started to drain its considerable reserve of magical energy into herself. From this, Meesei was able to produce a healing spell more impressive than any she had cast in her life. Both of them started to glow with a light, amber aura, while tendrils of restoration energy filled the air around them. Even so, Meesei did not know if she could save him. Whatever was killing him had progressed to what was presumably its lethal stage, and she did not know how to counteract it. Whether or not she could save him entirely, she might at least be able to keep him alive a bit longer. "I...don't understand. None of the food was poisoned, and you didn't eat it anyway. Tell me, if you can, has anything else happened to you today? Vera barely touched you, just a..." Meesei's words slowed and her eyes widened with a potential realization. "...kiss. Jerrick, did Vera have anything on her lips?" By this point, Ahnasha had jumped down as well, and was currently frozen in place, wondering what she could do. She had no healing talents, so for the moment, she just waited for direction from Meesei. "Huh, no." Lorag said, quickly dismissing the idea that he was mated with Meesei. He was now awake enough and collected enough to understand what was going on. "Just...look. I'm not lookin' for some...relationship or something like the rest of my pack. If you're wantin' some kind of mate to 'settle down' with, you can forget it." Lorag said sternly, before suddenly shifting his entire attitude and putting on a grin. He reached out, grabbed a loose part of her clothing, and yanked her in closer to him. "But if you just want to prove you can handle me, I'll take you somewhere private right now and prove you can't."

[Muttonhawk]

Jerrick's arms, legs, and head were shivering. He was struggling to breathe, his eyes started to glaze over, and more black liquid was coughed out of his mouth. When Meesei laid him out, his pallor and black veins had spread across his entire body. Meesei's magic was keeping him alive, but barely. He was at least able to make out what Meesei asked, to which he shook his head in wide sweeps, clearly struggling. "No...no-...-thing..." Jerrick managed to say. There was nothing on Vera's lips, no poison delivered in her kiss that Jerrick could perceive. He frantically swallowed more of the black liquid back down so he had an opportunity to speak one last time. "In...the...waterskin..." A shaking hand pointed at the leather waterskin on the table. He had been carrying it around virtually all day. "...My...only...drink..." Jerrick managed to explain. Another set of coughs and splutters sounded as more black liquid emerged. Meesei, being entwined with his being via restoration magic, could percieve his heart struggling to fuel itself with fresh blood. "Say...sorry...to Ver-...Ver-..." More black fluid interrupted Jerrick's speech and the shaking slowed to a stop. His heart was not far behind and soon he was uncannily still. Slowly, his soul faded, no doubt towards Hircine's hunting grounds. In response to Lorag's clarifications, Harriet rolled her eyes and nodded impatiently. She was about to shut him up, but it seemed like he had gotten the message after all. "That's more like it," Harriet said with her own grin. As her hands wandered and they started to find a place out of the way, she thought on whether he would live up to his boast in the same way as he had earlier that day. She had no doubt that it would be an enjoyable evening, regardless.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei did not say anything through Jerrick's final words, instead allowing him the chance to say everything he could. Only once he finally passed did she release him and halt her magic. She lowered her head solemnly, letting out a depressed sigh. She had failed to protect him. Had she known he had been poisoned, Sabine might have been able to work up a cure in the hours they had. Even Argonian blood could be made into a cure, if properly refined to not be rejected by the body. Unfortunately, Meesei had no way of knowing. All she could do now was to work to keep the clan together. Despite what Jerrick said, Vera was still a suspect. Just because he did not detect a poison did not mean one was not present. Some could be completely tasteless and invisible. It was possible Jerrick simply did not want to believe his own wife would betray him. Regardless, she grabbed the waterskin and made sure it was secure in her bag. Since she had not seen such a poison before, she decided to bring it to Sabine to have it tested in a more controlled manner. If the water within was the only thing Jerrick had consumed that day, then it could help determine Vera's guilt. If it was clean, then she was almost certainly the poisoner. If not, they would need to determine who could have poisoned the water. In any case, she needed to act quickly to make the most of the time they had. "Ahnasha, go track down Vera, just to be safe. Do not confront her, just follow, and remain hidden. Watch everything she does and look for evidence to prove or absolve her of guilt. I will have this water tested for poison. Take the welkynd stone. It still has some energy, if you need to remain invisible for long. Now hurry." Meesei ordered, to which Ahnasha quickly complied. Before leaving the room, Meesei gave one last look to Jerrick's body. She would ensure he received a proper funeral. Since it was nighttime, the halls of the city were far less crowded and it was simpler for Ahnasha to follow Vera's relatively fresh scent. She maintained invisibility by splitting the cost between her own magicka, and what remained in the welkynd stone. Her feet were near completely silent on the stone floor, and her entire form was scarcely a shimmer in the air. As she drew closer to Vera, she kept all of her senses attuned to anything that might be important. Meesei headed back to their room, where most of the pack had retired for the night. She did notice that Lorag was not present, but she could deal with that later. For the moment, she shook Sabine awake, though the volume of her voice indicated that she intended to wake everyone. "Wake up; I need you, all of you."

[Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha had no trouble sneaking through to track Vera's scent. She didn't even have to go very far. The trail ended at Vera and Jerrick's room. There were no lights on and Vera was merely sleeping soundly on her side of their bedroll. There were a few bags strewn about around the bedroll that had Vera's scent on them. Personal effects, probably. Other things were made up of piles of children's school work set for being looked over and Jerrick's own weapons and armour. Funnily enough, Jerrick had two sets of armour. One conventional steel mail and helmet, and another set of various strange large pieces on leather armour laid out on a stone bench. Upon closer inspection, the strange leather appeared to be fitted for a lycan. Over in Meesei's pack's sleeping chamber, Sabine woke up quickly, understanding the seriousness in Meesei's voice. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as everyone else breathed in slowly and held themselves up curiously. Fendros was clearly still tired, but did not express any disrespect. "What is it? Have we found a spy?" Fendros asked. Rhazii began to whine uncomfortably from all the sudden movement, but Fendros was able to pick him up and hush him before he started crying.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha crept into Vera's room at a pace slow enough that she was scarcely moving. Her scent was still masked, and her movements were cautious enough to be inaudible. She was not going to find any evidence by remaining stationary, however, so she had to look around the room. The welkynd stone was making it easier to maintain her invisibility, so she had some time to look around. She wanted to find what items had the freshest scent of Vera's to see what she had touched most recently. With her scent being everywhere, however, she had to get close to each item in order to check. Meesei lowered her head solemnly. "Jerrick is dead. He was poisoned by the traitor." She said in a more quiet tone as she pulled the waterskin from her bag. "This is the only thing he has consumed all day. Sabine, I need you to test it for poison. Make sure not to use it all in your test, just in case. If it is clean, then I know who the poisoner was. Everyone else, just...be ready. I want to identify and confront the traitor before Jerrick's body is found." Meesei handed off the waterskin to Sabine, then looked around the room once more. "Where is Lorag?" She asked.