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

[Muttonhawk]

Tzirret was about as much in his element in Senchal as he was in the Imperial City, if even less so due to the weather. When Peiter tapped him on the shoulder, he snapped his head to look with some fear, expecting a pickpocket. He relaxed a little when he realised that it was just Peiter, but the question didn't give him much comfort. He didn't normally talk about his old family often, if at all. The volume of his voice increased to be heard over the babble of the crowds around them, "Well, we were a caravan, so...most were Suthay-Raht, like me. Not many non-Suthay, Suthay-raht, or Ohmes-raht leave Elsweyr. There was one Ohmes-raht and one..." Tzirret craned his neck to point one of the largest bipedal Khajiit out in the crowd, "...Cathay-raht...all else were Suthay or Suthay-raht in the caravan."

Looking about himself, Tzirret tried to keep up with the others rather than get too distracted. He had one more thing to say, though. "This one has never laid eyes on this many Khajiit at once. The most ever seen by my eyes was at Riverhold, and that was when I was only nine years old." Tzirret spared a glance to Sabine and Peiter both, "Have either of yourselves not seen the other Khajiit forms before?"

Sabine shook her head, "Only Ahnasha and Rhazii, and others like them."

Elsewhere in the group wading through the crowds, Rhazii's hand was being securely held on to by Ahnasha, but if not for her grasp, he might have wandered off at least five times already. He had been told about all the different kinds of Khajiit before by his mother, but actually seeing them was another experience entirely. He tried pointing them out as he passed them, asking about what variety they were. Whenever he spotted another Cathay, his eyes would linger on them. He had never met any others of his form before.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha's grip on Rhazii's hand was about as secure as it could be without hurting him. She could see that Kaleeth had decided to forego the risk altogether and just carry Newt in her arms. It was sensible for a hatchling of his age, but as much as Ahnasha would rather have carried Rhazii, he would likely grow restless trapped in her arms. Being bound by her hand was already bad enough. As they walked along, she nudged Fendros' elbow as she observed the docks around her. "So this is Elsweyr, my kind's homeland. Not sure what to think, really. The amount of trade and wealth passing through here is impressive and everything, but the fact that this place is a hub for some of Tamriel's worst pirates, thieves, and general scum...really doesn't help to dispel any stereotypes. Everything seems to vibrant and alive, but...decaying at the same time. I can smell the skooma from here, in the crates, and off the clothes of the addicts we're walking by. At least I won't have any problem finding moon sugar; it's in, well, pretty much every meal, really. From what I've heard, at least." She commented once there was a break in Rhazii's questions.

Pieter shook his head. "No, only Suthay-raht. And Rhazii. It's what most people think of when you say Khajiit, at least outside Elsweyr. I saw one walk by that looked like a tiger, which is really just...surreal, almost. And all Khajiit are smart like you? It seems like they would be more accepting of...our kind with how many forms of Khajiit there are. I guess that is different, though; it's not like they can change it."

As they walked, Pieter noticed a Suthay-raht woman they passed by sitting on the ground, leaned up against a barrel. From a small bottle, she drank what he smelled to be skooma out in the open, as if it were normal. He of course said nothing, but it did certainly give a clear reminder to him that he was far from home. "I've never felt more like an outsider than I do right now. This place is nothing like Bruma. I'm bound to make some kind of mistake, I just hope it isn't too...major."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros was already ill-at-ease by the prevalent smell of skooma around them, but Ahnasha's mention of moon sugar being in everything made his stomach churn. "That's going to make things a bit difficult.-" "Mama." "-I think I'll try to stick to raw goods with the clan. You're right, though,-" "Mama." "-this place is bursting at the seams. Any kind of people this tightly packed with drugs everywhere would be the same."

Rhazii finally got another scrap of time after Fendros was done. "Mama, is that an Alfiq over there on that building?" Rhazii asked, pointing up at what looked like a house cat laid down on a balcony in the sun, lazily looking over the group.

Even though he wasn't sure whether it was a good distraction from his fears, Tzirret was confused by Peiter's words. "What you said, this is not understood. This one is not very smart, I thought. All Khajiit, in all forms, are as smart as any other person. Some cannot talk, that's all. This one does not know how accepting they are here, either."

Peiter's reservations about cultural taboo were not lost on Tzirret, because he felt similarly to him. "You are scared of a mistake? This one is scared of being mugged! Look at some of these people!"

"I don't think we will be stopped," Sabine added, not betraying her own levels of nervousness, whatever they were, "We just have to stay close to everyone else."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha looked at the small feline on the balcony, but did not stare, just in case. Having never seen an Alfiq before, she honestly could not tell if it was a cat or Khajiit. Just being Khajiit herself did not give her the ability to automatically differentiate. "Sorry, I don't really know, Rhazii." She answered.

Turning back to Fendros, Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders. "If you can't smell it yourself, just run anything you want to eat by me first. It's not that every single food has moon sugar in it, just that most meals have at least one part that does. I'll gladly take anything you don't want."

Pieter nodded in agreement with Sabine. "Yeah, there are quite a few of us, and we're all armed. As callous as it sounds, there are just a lot easier targets out there for muggers than us. Pickpockets might try something, so just make sure you have a tight hold over everything, and don't just let go if someone grabs your bag. I guarantee you'll be stronger than them. Unless it's a Cathay or something, but they're not really the sneaky types.

The packs reached the correct part of the city fairly quickly, but they did have to do some wandering around to actually find the correct tavern. Meesei had studied the city map, but seeing landmarks in person and on a map were two entirely different things. They walked at least one complete circle around one block before she spotted the warehouse that indicated the correct street. Heading down that road, she finally spotted the large and colorful sign of the tavern they had been searching for, the Pale Moons Tavern. It was encouraging, at least, that they had managed to find the correct location, though stepping inside made them seem even more out of place than they already were. Based on the clientele, it was quite clearly a sailor's tavern. Almost all were in rough, often torn clothing, and were invariably drunk. There was no shortage of raucous laughter, and gambling at a few tables.

"Hey! That beast makes trouble and Bhisharr here'll toss it out with a brok'n back." The barkeeper shouted at the packs entered, pointing to Leaps, then at an almost comically muscular, shirtless Cathay-raht at the end of the bar. With how completely this Bhisharr towered over everyone else in the tavern, he probably believed it as well.

Meesei gave a nod, then turned her attention back to the pack. "I don't smell them here now, but there is a trace of their scent. And it is fresh. Let us wait here for a while, just find a few tables and try to stay out of trouble."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius had been holding Leaps by a short leash for the entire journey, but upon the barkeep's warning, he wrapped another length of the cord around his hand to keep the wamasu close.

Thankfully, the fact that the packs had arrived during working day meant that the tavern they arrived in was not as crowded as the streets. There were still enough patrons to cause a racket, but there were enough tables to accommodate almost all of them. Fendros and Uthri elected to stand rather than seat themselves, but they didn't mind.

Once seated with Sabine and Peiter, Tzirret wrinkled his nose. "There is more a smell of sweat and spilt drink than anything lycan," he commented quietly, "This one would not know how to track anything in this place, or this city."

"They will come to us. We are easy to see," Sabine said.

Tzirret sniffed some more in the air, "I smell moon sugar, but it is stronger."

Sabine knew exactly what it was. "Skooma. Some people might get angry easily here."

Adjacent to the youths, on another table, Janius took the time where he might not have to worry about his purse being cut at any moment to speak to Kaleeth. "I don't know what to make of this place. It's...unique and exotic, but it feels as if it has the same problems as the Imperial City." He lowered his voice, "Perhaps worse. What do you think?"

[EliteCommander]

"Well, it would probably just be best to avoid them, then." Pieter responded, looking around the tavern to size up its patrons. There were a few looking in their direction, but they mostly seemed to be looking at Leaps. Likely, most of them simply wouldn't care about strangers and would leave them be. At least, that was what he hoped was the case. "Although, most of them at least seem to be in a good mood. I guess that makes sense; a lot of them look like sailors, and being ashore is probably the only time they have to relax."

Kaleeth scanned the rest of the room cautiously. "It makes me nervous, more than anything. It would be fine if it was just us, but I don't like Newt being here. I know most of the strangers here probably don't even care about us. If they do, then they're probably too nervous to try anything, since we're pretty well armed. But still, I can't help but to be nervous. It's just part of being a mother, I guess."

After the packs were seated, a Suthay-raht woman was quick to approach them, and it did not take much to figure out that she was there to take their orders. She wore a rough-looking, revealing green and tan dress and had mostly dark brown fur. She did not carry herself with any particular professionalism, though in an establishment such as this, it honestly would have seemed out of place.

"Hmm, big group ya have here. So, what'll y'all have today?" She asked, her attention first going to Ahnasha.

"Oh, um, just a mug of ale, I think." Ahnasha answered quickly. She had not originally planned on having anything, but when presented with the opportunity, it did sound like it would help her relax.

Lorag, of course, volunteered to go next. "You got mead in this place?" He asked simply.

"We've got anything you want, handsome." She answered.

"A bottle of mead, then." Lorag continued with slight enthusiasm, since his own stock of mead had run out about half way to Leyawiin.

Meesei held up a hand and shook her head slightly when the Khajiit looked to her. "I am fine, thank you." While she would not have minded a drink, it would be expensive to order for everyone. Of course, it would be suspicious if no one at all ordered, so she did not complain about the others' purchases. Kaleeth and Irenya too declined to order food or drink, though Pieter decided he would actually have something.

"Do you happen to have Cyrodilic Brandy?" Pieter asked.

The Khajiit placed a hand on her hip as she answered. "Like I said, anything you want."

"Oh, well, I'll have that, then." He said awkwardly.

[Muttonhawk]

As the waitress did her rounds, some decided to order a drink, while others weren't so sure. Uthri ordered mead as well, Gallus asked for a 'local speciality' at his own risk, Fendros didn't think they would be hanging around for too long so he refrained, and Janius ordered ale. Rhazii noticed what was happening and asked Fendros for some water, but the pack had skins of water anyway.

When the waitress reached Tzirret and Sabine, there was no immediate answer as they considered. Sabine eventually spoke up first, "May I please have water?"

Tzirret finally shook his head and put up his hand. "Nothing for this one," he said in Ta'agra.

As soon as the waitress took her leave, Sabine looked at Tzirret oddly. "What did you ask for?"

"Huh? Nothing," Tzirret said, only now remembering that he should probably stick to Cyrodilic. Afterwards, he looked to Peiter unsurely, "Do you mind if this one...may taste the brandy? It is not a taste this one knows."

[EliteCommander]

"Hmph, you would try to poach my drink." Pieter chuckled. "Sure, I don't mind sharing. I had intended to try new things when I got here, but...I don't know, I just really feel like I need something from home right about now. Besides, a lot of those new things probably have moon sugar. We probably won't be able to avoid the local foods for too long, though. Especially once our own supplies run out. What about you, Sabine; do you want a taste?"

It took a minute or two before all of the drinks had arrived, with Gallus' taking the longest since it required some mixing to make. The ale that Ahnasha and Janius had ordered was a local brew, so it was predictably sweet. The mead was imported, so it had its normal taste. It was difficult to say if it had been imported all the way from Skyrim or not, but it was certainly brewed in the Nordic style. Pieter recognized the label on his brandy, so it was almost certainly imported from Cyrodiil directly. Given the proximity to Leywiin, it was not surprising. As soon as he opened it, Pieter promptly offered a taste to Tzirret. Gallus' order had a bit more sweetness than the ale, as it was made with finely-ground moon sugar. The concentration was not as high as in most foods, but it was definitely noticeable.

Meesei had kept her eyes to the door as they waited. So far, so one with a lycan's scent had entered. It did not necessarily mean that the scouts had left the city, but given the lack of communication they had received from the Senchal clan, it was a possibility. Although, that would not explain the relatively fresh scent of a lycans within the tavern. "As a warning, it may be necessary for us to wait here for a few hours." Meesei commented to the rest of the group.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine had never been a big drinker. She had a good memory for what drinks tasted like, but she never really indulged at times of celebration like her pack mates did. That said, she hadn't tried Cyrodilic brandy specifically. It took a couple of moments for her to nod to Peiter's offer, "Okay."

The drinks came around and Sabine sipped at her water. It was only slightly cooler than the water in the skins they carried, but no less refreshing.

Tzirret was the first to taste Peiter's brandy. He surreptitiously took the small bottle and sniffed at its contents. His small wince indicated that knowing its strong smell was not the best idea before tasting it. He glanced at both Sabine and Peiter, then raised the bottle up for a small sip. He visibly strained to swallow as he put the bottle down. His ears were pushed back and he was frowning. "Ech, you Cyrodiils may keep your brandy," he said, sliding the bottle slowly to Sabine.

Like Tzirret, Sabine gave the brandy a small sniff, but she was not hesitant about tasting it at all. The bottle was up, then down, and she was rolling it in her mouth as she stared at the far side of the room. It wasn't quite what she was expecting, but she didn't mind it. Just as she was looking like she was about to give the bottle back, she quickly took another, larger sip, and then gave it back to Peiter, giving a mischievous laugh through her nose and putting her other hand up to her closed mouth so that she didn't spray the brandy around. Sabine swallowed and spoke, "It is nice, but I do not think I would drink a whole bottle."

Janius regarded Meesei as he leaned back in his chair. By his reaction and almost everyone else's, what Meesei mentioned was something of a foregone conclusion. "I think I'll be nursing this anyway," Janius said, taking another sip. Little did he know, letting a sweet drink like this get too warm was bound to make it taste worse.

"I'll be nursing as well, but..." Gallus looked into his drink unsurely, "...not to avoid tipsiness in particular this time for me." He hazarded another swig, and blinked as if something was caught in his eye. "Well, when in Elsweyr, do as the Khajiit do, I guess."

Sabine had noticed what Meesei had said as well and looked to Peiter. "Do you have your cards?" she asked.

[EliteCommander]

"Um, yes, I still have everything I bought in Leyawiin. One moment." Pieter answered, leaning over to open the bag next to his chair. It took a minute of scrounging through everything he had packed into it in order to actually uncover the deck of cards. He laid it down on the table between them, then paused to take a drink of his brandy. Though, as he was about to set it down, he looked at the bottle briefly, which inspired him with an idea.

Pieter placed down the bottle in the center of the table alongside the cards. “Here’s an idea. It’s only one bottle, but to make things interesting, maybe we could play for drinks?” He suggested. Mostly, he just wanted to see if Tzirret could acquire a taste for it, and he was rather bad at bluffing…

Meesei crossed her arms and looked at Gallus with some concern. “Be cautious, Gallus. It may not be skooma, but moon sugar is still nothing to be trifled with. It will affect you more greatly than a Khajiit, even if it is more akin to a spice in its raw form. Granted, it will be difficult for us all to avoid it while we are in Elsweyr, but do not allow your mind to be compromised by it.” She cautioned him.

Meesei would have to keep a close eye on the others, or even herself, if moon sugar made its way into their diet, but for the moment, they just needed to pass the time. Kaleeth, Janius, Ahnasha, and Fendros were all at the table with her, so she decided to at least make some conversation. “So, has everything been well with Rhazii and Newt?”

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine shrugged as she looked at the bottle. "Okay."

In contrast, Tzirret was slightly more hesitant. He rubbed the back of his head and took on a worried look. "Well...if it is only one bottle..." He set his hands down as he trailed off. It wasn't a no.

"You deal first," Sabine said.

"Oh, don't you worry about me, Meesei," Gallus said with a dismissive gesture, "I've had moon sugar a couple of times before, I have a feel for the stuff." Gallus didn't make the effort to not sound overconfident, but he took another sip as if perhaps that wasn't a thought that crossed his mind. He at least seemed clear minded thus far, despite the untold quantity of moon sugar in his drink.

Fendros shifted his attention from a raising an eyebrow at Gallus to answer Meesei. "Oh? All well, I believe," Fendros gave a quick look to Rhazii, who was sitting on Ahnasha's lap and listening curiously. Fendros continued, "I think the end of the voyage couldn't have come sooner. There were few hiding spots left to elude us with. Glad to be off the ship, you two?" Fendros smiled to Newt and Rhazii. Rhazii nodded with evident fatigue.

"Aye, they still play with each other as often as we let them," Janius added, "Though you would have also noticed one outgrowing the other a few years early. I can see that continuing. Apart from the nightmares, all I can think of is the seasickness, but that seemed to taper off a short way into sea," Janius leaned to speak to Newt with a higher pitch, "How are you feeling, son? Is your stomach still churning?"

[EliteCommander]

"Alright. The usual game?" Peiter answered as he began shuffling the cards. He dealt them out between the three as he thought about how the game should go. They normally did not play to drink, so they had to figure out how to work it into the rules. "Okay, so how about we have the winner of each hand decide who drinks. If you fold, you can't be picked, but...if you fold twice in a row, you can be picked on the next one no matter what, unless you win. Just to keep anyone from not playing." He said, giving a quick glance to Tzirret. Luck could force anyone to drink, of course, but Peiter kept his eye on Tzirret, who was not quite as adept in the art of bluffing as the rest of them. If this turned out to be enjoyable enough, he might even buy another bottle.

Newt shook his head quickly, then returned back to looking around the tavern. He was used to such crowded spaces with the clan, so he was more curious than afraid. In fact, he was less afraid than Kaleeth wished he was. If she let him go, she had no doubt that he would try to explore the area, and in this place, that could certainly be dangerous. Slavery might be illegal in both the Empire and Dominion, but that did not mean it did not exist, and a young child was the perfect target to abduct. Ahnasha, being more experienced in cities, was not quite as worried about kidnapping, as she knew it to be a rare occurrence. However, she was still well-aware of the trouble Rhazii could get into when left to his own devices.

Trying to shake off her worries, Kaleeth joined in the conversation. "I know Newt has been dying to go for a swim for the last few days. Being on a ship, we were surrounded by water all the time, but could not get in. I don't think Newt liked that at all."

Newt tilted his head back to look up at his mother. "Are we going swimming, mommy?"

Kaleeth looked down and rubbed the top of his head. "Not right now, hatchling. It is too dangerous here. We can swim after we are out of the city."

Ahnasha was visibly satisfied with her ale. Anything to help her relax was certainly welcome. She had doubts about the fate of the Senchal clan, and if they would even be able to find anyone alive to actually help. They had arrived as quickly as they could, but the clan had been out of contact for so long that it might not even have mattered. It was a worry she was sure the others shared, but that no one had spoken aloud. Nevertheless, she tried to keep her mind off of it for the moment. "You know, I thought I would be comfortable here, but I feel more like an outsider here than I did in Black Marsh. At least there, no one expected me to be anything but an outsider. Here...all I have to do is open my mouth for that to become glaringly obvious. I speak Ta'agra with a Cyrodilic accent, for the Hunter's sake. I don't think my mother's stories are going to be enough to let me blend in here."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine and Tzirret could not say with confidence how the game would go with the new rules, so they both agreed tentatively. The cards were dealt out with effort made to keep them off the stickier patches of the table. The first game went to Sabine by elimination, who prompted Peiter to drink. The next game went to Tzirret for getting a lucky hand and he had Sabine drink, commenting that he was being fair. The next four rounds in a row had Tzirret take drinks in a series of losses and a double-fold. He didn't seem to like the drink any better, but his bluffing skill was getting worse and worse.

Tzirret let out a huff after he managed to get the third swig of brandy down his throat. "Why must you make this one have most of your drink?" he muttered. With a pointed finger at Peiter, his eyes narrowed to a challenging squint and his voice gained some unexpected courage, "I will have all of this in your stomach by the next ten rounds!"

"There is not ten rounds left in the bottle," Sabine said, grinning at Tzirret. Tzirret was not a big drinker in the first place, and Sabine noticed some tipsiness in his mannerisms already. He was becoming inebriated faster than Sabine believed she herself would. Sabine took the cards and shuffled them for the next round. As she began to deal, Sabine commented to both of them, "This is fun. We should do this more when we are not on a mission."

Back on the other table, Janius took a quick glance around the tavern with similar curiosity to Newt. "It's certainly very different," he said.

There was a quiet moment before anyone thought of something to say. The growing worry of the fate of the Senchal clan was getting to everyone. The next to speak was actually Uthri, breaking her own silence that had lasted much longer. "Hey Ahnasha. I must admit I know very little about this place and Elsweyr in general. What kind of things did your mother tell you about this city?"

Shortly after the question was asked, Gallus decided to take a slow walk around the area of the tavern. Obviously sitting about was not to his liking and he had decided to take matters into his own hands. He looked about the tables, searching for a stronger trace of any lycans. He didn't engage directly with anyone, but he was trying to find anyone in particular who was a lycan and catch their eye. He didn't take any further sips of his drink as he walked, preferring to keep the dull pull of the moon sugar at his consciousness to a minimum.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha shook her head lightly. "About Senchal specifically? Not much, really. Anything she said about this place is common knowledge. She had never been to this city before. Most of what she taught me was about Elsweyr in general, about the Khajiit people and their ways. And most of that knowledge she was just passing down from what she had learned from her parents. She was born in Leyawiin, and has only visited Elsweyr a few times in her life. It was my great grandparents who were actually from Elsweyr. To describe the Khajiit in general...that is a rather large question. Many of our customs originate from those nomads who walked the sands of the region's deserts. The word 'Khajiit' itself is translated as 'desert-walker'. I can't really say I know much about Senchal, but I can answer questions about the Khajiit, if you have anything specific to ask."

As Peiter had expected, Tzirret was the one who was ending up taking most of the drinks. It was all he could do to hold back laughter, especially once he had a sudden surge of confidence. He smiled and agreed with Sabine that this kind of game was fun, though the mention of the mission did dampen his spirits somewhat. It reminded them that they did have serious business and, as such, should avoid getting Tzirret too intoxicated. "Agreed. Maybe we can refine the rules, or find another game made specifically for this kind of thing. For now, though, as much as I hate it, we should probably avoid giving you any more of this, Tzirret. We all probably need to be of a reasonably sharp mind right now, unfortunately."

If there was any protest from Tzirret, it was made moot by the arrival of another group in the tavern. As soon as they entered, they were alert to the scents they had picked up, and after their scent had time to reach Meesei's pack, they immediately noticed as well. The group consisted of four Khajiit, a Bosmer, and an Argonian male who honestly looked out of place among the other five. They all bore the scents of lycans, not werewolves, but lycans regardless. Upon seeing Meesei's pack, most of these lycans seemed surprised, and the Argonian briefly looked nervous.

Lorag leaned in and spoke quietly. "I think we found who we're lookin' for. Should probably try to get them over here quietly."

[Muttonhawk]

Tzirret struck the side of his fist into his palm, disappointed. He knew Peiter was right, but he wanted to get back at him somehow. He felt as if he was the last person to notice the lycans walking in as he saw everyone's expression change around him.

While the two groups of lycans locked eyes nervously, no one immediately broke the silence between them. That was until a certain someone noticed from across the tavern.

"Ah! There you are!" Everyone turned to look at where Gallus was standing as he called out to the group that had just walked in. He obviously was too far away from Lorag at the time to hear what he was saying, but it at least sounded like he wasn't provoking anyone. Gallus took a few paces towards the new lycans and grinned. "We were wondering when you were going to turn up," Gallus gestured to the tables where the Bruma packs were waiting with his free hand. He angled his head forward and his voice took on a lower, more suggestive tone, "Do you have time to talk?"

Fendros rubbed the side of his head. He was probably not the only one that would have preferred a more subtle opening interaction. Hopefully the presence of Rhazii and Newt would tone down the threat of a large group of werewolves appearing in this group's tavern of choice.

[EliteCommander]

A few of the Khajiit exchanged glances for a moment before one of them, a dark-furred Suthay-raht male, nodded, and motioned for the Argonian to follow him. "Yes...perhaps you can tell us who you actually are."

Lorag, who was sitting beside Meesei, stood up to allow the Khajiit to take his seat, while Meesei stood to greet them. The Suthay-raht and Argonian approached alongside one another, while the others followed close behind. Seeing as Meesei was the one stepping forward, the Khajiit assumed she was the leader. "This one's name is Ra'maranja, the...leader of this group." He said, glancing around at the others in the tavern as he shook Meesei's hand. The dark red-scaled Argonian's greeting immediately afterwards, however, was much less...professional.

"And I am Sees-No-Colors. It is certainly a pleasure to meet you, my lady." He said, giving a bow and kissing the top of Meesei's hand, to which she was mostly just annoyed, rather than outwardly angry.

As Colors pulled his head back, he saw the ring on the hand he had just kissed, and his eyes widened. "Wait is that...and you are...ah, um, ohhh..."

"Who is she, Colors?" Ra'maranja asked impatiently, appearing rather cross towards him.

"She is..." He began with a gulp, then leaning in to speak at a whisper. "the Champion."

Ra'maranja showed a brief moment of surprise, but quickly regained his composure. "Well, this meeting is an honor, then, miss..."

"Meesei." She answered as she returned to her seat. She would have thought that the members of any major clan would know her name, though she supposed they might just know her as the Champion.

After the rather awkward exchange, Ahnasha ran her hand down her face to hide her laughter. Leaning in towards Fendros, she whispered to him. "You know, I think I know what happened to Janius all those years ago. He grew a tail."

Ra'maranja took Lorag's former seat, while the Bosmer from their group pulled up a chair for Colors. "So, to what do we owe the honor of this visit?" Ra'maranja asked.

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus stepped up to the table and put down his drink. There were no seats immediately available, so he leaned forward and placed his palms on the table to join in the conversation near Meesei. "You may call me Gallus. Meesei and myself are responsible for those you see here," Gallus gave a glance to Meesei and let her lead the dialogue from then on. She was technically the leader here.

While Ahnasha was stifling laughter, Fendros was mostly fearing a trick from Sees-No-Colours rather than a mere sleazy introduction. Hearing Ahnasha's comment, however, brought a wide smile to Fendros' face that he had to nod down to prevent from turning into a chuckle. After recovering, he breathed in and leaned to whisper to Ahnasha in return, "Let's see if he falls in love with a human in our group."

Janius found the introduction mildly amusing as well, but he was remaining outwardly serious. Instead of commenting with whispers, he had the side of his fist to his lips with his other hand clasping his elbow, eyes flitting to each of the faces of Ra'maranja's pack. Though nothing seemed too suspicious about Ra'maranja's pack thus far, Janius was glad for Gallus' pack backing them all up here. Being frank, however, it was even less likely to become violent in such a public place than for this pack to intend harm.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei clasped her hands together on the table, moving past the awkwardness of their introductions. "Well, we are here to investigate. Your messengers have not been arriving, and neither have ours." She answered.

Ra'maranja's expression quickly became grim. "Our messengers? Khajiit sees." He said, his gaze turning expectantly to Colors beside him. There was a brief pause before the Argonian continued.

"Our...messengers must have been intercepted. It is an issue we've been facing for some time. The enemy's agents have been much more aggressive in Elsweyr as of late. We...fear that there might be spies in our midst. Infiltrators who have been trying to cut off our communications." Colors suggested.

Ra'maranja gave a quick glance to Colors with a slightly furrowed brow. "That is speculation, Colors. We have not yet found any evidence of infiltrators in our ranks, and we do not want to start a panic without good cause."

"Of course." Colors said, lowering his head. "It's just something to consider, is all."

Meesei regarded the exchange with an entirely neutral expression, and simply gave a nod. "I understand wanting to avoid panic, but our enemy is devious, and it is a threat not to be taken lightly. It is a possibility we should address. But, what of our messengers? Infiltrators would not know of the routes they take." She questioned.

Ra'maranja's attitude once more became grim. He let out a breath and closed his eyes briefly. "Then none of them made it back. We did receive your messengers. We informed them of our situation, but they must have been intercepted on the way back, just like our messengers."

"I see. Then this is a threat we will have to face. We did not come here as messengers, but rather to solve whatever problems you might be having. I would like you to take us to your...group's leader. If it is indeed infiltration, I can assure you that we are experienced in rooting them out. If not, then we will help you find where the enemy's agents are hiding." Meesei requested.

There was a brief pause as Ra'maranja looked back to the others standing behind him, who gave him a few nods. "Of course, but there is something we must do first. This one should send one of his own back to our leader, so that he can prepare to meet you all confidentially."

Meesei shook her head. "I do not believe that will be necessary. A clandestine meeting may just create distrust and uncertainty among our people."

"Respectfully, Ra'maranja disagrees." He said, lifting up one hand from the table. "As Colors pointed out, there is the possibility of infiltration, even if it is not proven. Your group in particular would make for a tempting target, or could drive them into hiding. This one knows it may take some time, but it would only be another day at most. At least leave the option open until you can meet with our leader."

Meesei silently deliberated for a few seconds before giving something of a reluctant nod. "Very well. We will wait for your word."

Colors suddenly chimed in with an unusually upbeat tone, considering the situation. "On the bright side, you can use this time to enjoy the city. I know a great inn you can all stay at for the night..."

Ra'maranja interrupted Colors, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nonsense. There is no need to need to force them to waste coin in the city. We have a sort of supply outpost not far outside the city. It could easily accommodate you all, and you could restock your supplies. There are a few matters we need to deal with in the city, but we can leave within the hour."

[Muttonhawk]

"...If I may," Gallus said slowly, his demeanour now far more serious than before, "Colors, there is credence to your words. If messengers are being intercepted on the path north, that means that whatever operations the infiltrators have must be somewhere within our big group of friends, else the messengers would be caught without arriving. Whether or not it is true is irrelevant if it is possible. We need to account for it." Gallus gave Meesei a look, "Now, I can agree with the meeting in secret, but what we also must account for is the status of the group itself. We need to make sure of the situation on the ground, but, like you said, we must keep things under wraps. I suggest-" Gallus raised a hand, "-one to three of us poses as another messenger, but we do not leave so as to endanger ourselves. We would just need some method of communication, but if your leader can arrange a hidden meeting, we may be able to use that." Gallus' smile reappeared, "I could go to visit the headquarters, if you desire. I would prefer one or two companions, however."

"What's to say that they don't already know we're here?" Janius asked, "We are not the most inconspicuous group."

Fendros also piped up, "I don't know about that either. I would prefer not to separate if we can help it."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was not opposed to Gallus' plan, they would just need to proceed with caution if they were to attempt it. "That is a plan that could work, but we should perhaps not set ourselves too strongly into any particular plan before speaking to their leader. As long as our meeting has appropriate security, we should be able to make such plans in secret. Perhaps, if the leader could do so without suspicion, we could have this meeting outside of the...headquarters?"

Ra'maranja nodded. "Yes, that may be possible. But, as Khajiit said, we need to inform him first. This one will make sure that possibility is suggested."

"Thank you, Ra'maranja. I believe I would like for us to leave as soon as possible." Meesei responded.

"Of course." Ra'maranja responded. "There are a few quick matters that we must tend to in the city, but meet here in an hour and we will take you to the outpost. You can wait there until our leader is informed and ready. Come, Colors. This one will require your assistance."

Colors let out a sigh. "Of course you do." He muttered before standing up and following the Khajiit. The rest of their group followed suit, once more leaving Meesei's packs in the tavern.

Ahnasha looked around at the others with some uncertainty. "So, what do you all make of this? It's not what I expected, certainly. After so long out of contact, I didn't expect them to still be here at all, honestly."