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

[EliteCommander]

Julan was just as welcoming to Jatinha as Aurana was, though the Khajiit remained just as silent when sitting near them as she had been before. Still, she at least felt more like a part of the group. After Jatinha joined them, Aurana was quick to go back to her questions, so Julan tried to answer as best as he could. "The trees the Bosmer have aren't anything like the ones around here. They are giant. If you look up, they feel like they never end. And like my brother said, they can grow them into houses like yours. Well...they don't look like your house, but they can be just as big. I don't remember exactly what they are."

"The Bosmer call them graht-oaks." Ahnasha informed the children. "They are indeed a rather special kind of tree. Some of them are ancient; older than actual written history, some say. It wouldn't be as easy as a fireplace to burn some of them down."

Noticing Fendros, Ahnasha stepped away from the others shortly after giving her explanation. With all that was happening, she certainly would not mind a glass of wine. Once she had her glass, she gave a light sigh. "I'm just really hoping this all ends well. I would say we got lucky when we met up with my family, and yours. I'm worried that kind of luck isn't going to strike a third time." She said quietly.

---

"Are you...sure they would do something like that to her?" Kaleeth asked. Although she understood the kind of pain that Janius' parents might have felt at his loss, the kind of cruelty that he was describing was simply not something she could imagine a parent doing to a child. Especially their own child. She attempted to think of some kind of approach they could take to explaining everything to his parents. "Well...if the children really did encounter them like you think they did, then they probably would have gave them the same story they gave Aurana. You might try turning that story into some kind of explanation for why you ran away. The Penitus Oculatus are respected in the Empire, aren't they?"

With Janius' last question, however, Kaleeth looked more confused than anything. "What do you mean, 'grieve for you'? What kind of idea do you have in mind?"

---

Meesei lowered her head, breathing softly. "You can believe me, I know what it means to be burdened. Apart from Hircine himself, I am the sole and absolute authority over all of Tamriel's lycan clans. Not only that, but I hold authority over all who follow Hircine. And with that comes complete responsibility for them. Their lives have been weighing on my shoulders for over a decade. The lives of every man, woman, and child under my command could be extinguished by a single one of my mistakes. It is true that we face different struggles, but the magnitude of their importance is not entirely dissimilar. I believe I have come to know you in our time working together, Lunise, and I believe that your intentions have been to work for the good of your people. There are some who might join the Dominion or Empire for their own personal benefit, but I do not believe that is you. And that does not have to change, even with this knowledge. We now know that the Thalmor's leadership, in their misguided beliefs, are trying to bring an end to Mundus in the pursuit of their divinity. But, from what Areldril has said, only a small part of the Thalmor know of those plans. It might yet be possible to find a way to find a way to bring an end to the current plans of your leadership, and instead replace them with leaders that will actually work for the benefit of the Dominion's people. To actually serve the goals you have been told you were serving for your career as a Justiciar. And perhaps this time, be able to serve those goals peacefully."

Meesei's tone and general demeanor was outright sympathetic by this point, and she could not say it was not genuine. Lunise had not historically been their kindest or most approachable of allies. She was arrogant, and thought herself as better than those she worked with. But, Meesei also knew her as someone who had dedicated herself to working for the benefit of her people, and that was something she could respect. With the rather alarming information they had learned from Areldril, Meesei saw the potential for change in Lunise. By any definition, this was a traumatic event for the Justiciar, and Meesei wanted to be there to help her make sense of it all. "I am by no means going to claim that it will be an easy task. It will be a challenge like none other you have undertaken, but do not underestimate the impact one person can have, even on such large issues. I think you are capable of it. I think you can be a part of a solution that will end up helping your people. But you should not try to handle it alone. Every mortal has their limits, and the kind of work we do...it weighs on you. It demands every last drop of dedication and effort you can give it, and it can destroy the sanity of a mind that is not prepared for it. I could not have come this far without the support of my friends and family. They have...elevated me higher than I could have reached on my own. I know you have resisted closer relationships in your past, but it may be time to allow some friends into your life. If you really do want to change the course of your nation, and indeed, to make sure your nation continues to have a course at all, then I want to support you."

[Muttonhawk]

"That's unbelievable!" Aurana said through laughter. "Did you get to go to the top of one? The view, Divines, could you see the whole world?"

Even Jatinha was placing close attention, even if Aurana was exaggerating possibilities.

"No, not the very top," Rhazii explained. "The branches are too sparse and the leaves still block out a lot." He looked to Jatinha. "Looking down from that high up makes you dizzy, though."

"I wish I could see them." Aurana's excitement made everyone giddy. "So what are the people like there? I read that there's a 'Green Pact' or something that means there's only meat to eat, is that right?"

---

Janius only responded to Kaleeth's suggestion with a apprehensive shrug. His mind was still occupied with his new idea. An idea that Kaleeth had already made him realise was half-baked.

"I just wonder if I can make a difference without going back at all, that's all." Janius avoided Kaleeth's eyes and idly rubbed his scalp. "I'm starting to suspect that my parent may not have come to terms with me being gone. If they're still not going to come to terms with it if I come back and leave again, then I want to try something more...I don't know, targeted?" He bared his teeth nervously and turned his eyes back to Kaleeth's. "I want to make them realise that doing all this to Aurana won't make me come back, and it won't make Aurana much safer. They have to be doing this for emotional reasons. I want to make them realise that."

His shoulders lowered with his outward breath. "But I don't know how."

---

Lunise evidently tried her best to remain composed. She rubbed her exhausted face in her hands for as long as Meesei spoke. How she answered afterwards was not the level and eloquent hum that her voice always had. It was a broken cry, muffled by her hands.

"I have killed Altmer for having those thoughts!"

The noise was jarring in the confined room.

"I killed them because it was a spit in the face against all we did, my friends and I. Say nothing of treason. It's how we all truly judged it." She pulled in a quick breath. "It was dancing on the graves of my friends who were killed taking the Imperial City. I cannot just turn around and do the same in one night of heated and foolish emotion! I cannot."

A streak of a tear glistened from between Lunise's fingers. Her voice lowered, still cracking. "I am falling, Meesei. I am falling and cannot see where I will land. Every foundation that I ever have built upon is crumbling away."

She sobbed in quiet wheezes, as if trying to cram them back into her lungs in vain. Her audible breaths inward were quick and choked. Her metaphor of crumbling had apparently fully extended to her outward appearance. The combination with her absent uniform rendered her entirely unrecognisable.

[EliteCommander]

Julan nodded. "Yeah, the Bosmer only ever eat meat. At least the ones in Valenwood. I have seen Bosmer where we're from eat other things, so I guess they don't follow the Pact. Whenever we were there, they didn't actually stop us from eating plants. Since we're not Bosmer, and we aren't part of that Pact, it wasn't against the rules for them to let us eat plants. But I did once, and I got some really mean looks from some of the people there, so I just stuck to meat after that. I like meat better anyways, though, so it wasn't bad at all, really."

Julan could not help but to smile. He had a feeling that he would be giving many similar explanations for the rest of the night.

---

Though she tried to think of a good answer for Janius' question, she quickly ended up looking defeated. "I don't know either. It's been so long since it happened. It seems like it would have been long enough by now for them to get past their grief on their own. I don't know what could make them start feeling any differently at this point. At least nothing that doesn't include learning about you still being alive."

After a moment, there was one idea that came to Kaleeth's mind after the thought back to her own departure from her village. Prior to meeting Janius, she usually listened to her parents without any resistance, but he had helped inspire her to argue against him. "I wonder if Aurana ever really tries to argue with her father? Do you think she ever openly tries to change things? If not, maybe we can find a way to empower her to give her own opinions on it?"

---

"I have felt that pain before." Meesei said, her tone calm, but filled with emotion all the same. "I am supposed to be the shining model of a lycan, of one of Hircine's followers. I am meant to be both a leader, and a symbol for them to rally behind, but there have been times where I have felt powerlessly cursed by failure. A few years ago, I received word that, all at once, several clans all across Tamriel had been wiped out. Simultaneous, coordinated attacks with the soul-tearing gas that destroyed any hope of resistance. And there was nothing I could do. Altogether, thousands of my people were...harvested, because I could not protect them. No matter how powerful I have become, no matter how many battles I win, I worry that nothing I do will ever be good enough."

There was a brief silence in the air as Meesei paused to take in a breath. It was slow and shuddering, as Meesei was beginning to tread into rather painful territory for herself. "We are supposed to be strong for our people, you and I. We are supposed to be examples of proud and capable warriors, always uncompromising in the face of adversity. We are not allowed to show weakness because we are supposed to be strong. But it is all just a facade. There have been times where I have gone weeks, or longer, with little sleep and no rest. Times where I spend every waking moment solving problems on the other side of the continent, making decisions that decide the fates of my people's lives, and through it all, having to act completely and wholly confident in it all. Even when I made mistakes that killed the people I was supposed to be leading. I remember, sometimes...finding a secluded chamber to lock myself in and...I honestly do not even know what I intended. Most of the time, I just ended up weeping to myself."

The next step that Meesei took may have been somewhat bold, but the influence of her own emotions was showing strongly in her expression. Stepping up just behind Lunise, she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, even as Meesei's own eyes were reddened from the stories she had recounted. "The point of all of this is...I know I have not experienced what you are going through right now, but I have felt that pain. I have lived that pain. And I know you should not have to face it alone. I do not know where you are falling either, but I want to help you climb back up once you hit the ground. The past, all of the failures going through your mind right now...I know it may be difficult to agree with me, but they do not matter anymore. The past is immutable, unchanging. All that matters now is what we do going forward. The future is something we can still affect."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius was still unsure, but he nodded. "That would certainly be worth asking her. I saw that she tensed up when I was disciplining Julan and Rhazii. I can only imagine that mother and father make her paralysed." Janius put an arm around Kaleeth's waist. "It's a good thought. They might not even realise how it's making her feel. If they can realise that they are being unreasonable, and if Aurana is the one to make them realise, it might work out better in the end. Then, if they go back on it, Aurana could stand up for herself again."

Their concurrence naturally lead Janius to the next step. "How do you think we should go about that?"

---

Lunise kept her face in her hands throughout. She tensed at Meesei's touch, but then let her shoulders sink slowly lower than before. She took a moment to compose herself to the point of speaking again, though she sounded at a loss. She shook her head. "This isn't your place," she whined behind her tear-soaked hands. "You're not supposed to help me. You're a...you're another party. You should be a threat."

Lunise drew a long, uneven breath in and out. "No one has touched my shoulder in over three decades."

As if realising that she had spoken her thought, Lunise held her breath. Her hands lowered. With a pace slow enough to keep Meesei's hand on her shoulder, she stood up from her chair, letting it sing a scrape on the ground as it was pushed with the back of her knees. At the same speed, she turned around on one foot to face Meesei fully. She stood just tall enough to loom over Meesei. Her cheeks, where not stuck with her unkempt hair, glistened with tears all the way from her chin to her dark and red-ringed eyes. She breathed silently through her open mouth, evidently blocked in the nose from her sadness, as she brought her eyes up to look Meesei in the face.

Her face pulled at the brow, pained with some mental effort. All she could produce was another sudden sob. She closed her eyes again and broke down into open weeping in front of Meesei.

[EliteCommander]

While Kaleeth did not immediately have an answer, she did find herself more easily able to reason through some potential solutions to the problem. While it had been quite a while, she did still have some memories of what it was like to be a child. "Let's see...she is still young. In my village, she would have been closer to a young woman than a child, but I don't think Aurana's upbringing would really encourage her to be mature. One of the biggest things I was afraid of as a child was being punished by my parents, so that is probably what is keeping her from saying anything now. If she isn't afraid of being punished, then she might be brave enough to speak out to her parents. But, I don't know if there is a way to keep her from being punished without you showing up to talk to her parents."

---

While most who knew Lunise would be shocked to see her in such a state, Meesei's sympathetic expression did not waver in the slightest. "Do not be ashamed, Lunise. I have been in your shoes before; breaking down from stress, extreme loss, or any other number of reasons. I have found myself in such hopeless despair, but...i still remember vividly the first time I was caught in such a state. I remember my daughter lightly stepping into my chamber, at first shocked and horrified at whatever could bring the Champion to tears. I remember her hugging me as tightly as she could and just...feeling calm. I remember feeling the love and compassion she had for me; it reminded me of what I was fighting for."

Leaving her own memories, Meesei focused more completely on Lunise. "I know your situation is different. You do not have as close of relations to others, but that does not mean you deserve to feel alone. We have known each other for years, but as Elves reckon time, I know we would barely be considered acquaintances. Strangers. But, well, I believe you may find yourself surprised at the capacity some 'strangers' have for compassion. It may be true that your world is going to change irreversibly, that you may be burdened with some of the greatest challenges that any mortal has ever faced. But, I say with no uncertain terms..." Meesei began, finally moving her hand from Lunise's shoulder so she could reach around her body to give her a hug. "...you are not alone." She said with a certain, undeniable confidence.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius blinked his eyes ahead and sighed through his nose. "And, like that, we're back to the start. Let me think..."

With his puffed up eyes scrunched shut, Janius quietly ran through what he could in his mind. By the way his head seemed to falter this way or that up against the wall, he was barely able to keep himself awake, let alone put together intricate plans.

After a while, he ran a hand down his face in futility. "I just don't know. Short of her leaving a note and us taking her on a holiday, I don't see how else we'd be able to convince out parents that she shouldn't be cooped up." He groaned, tired. "I don't want to meet with them again, I really don't, but I might have to. Not tonight, though. Tomorrow at the earliest. I can hardly think anymore, the day has been too long."

Janius took one more deep breath. He addressed Kaleeth with his frustrations put aside. "Is that alright with you? Did you want to come along?"

---

Lunise once again held her breath when Meesei embraced her. Meesei could not see her widened eyes blinking, but she could feel with her hands the wood-like tension in every muscle on Lunise's back.

Eventually, Lunise had to let go of her breath. The former half of the breath whistled out in a strain. The latter half wracked her whole body with uncontrollable shuddering. Where before her sobs had been contained by a desire to stop, she now planted her chin onto Meesei's shoulder and let out all the emotion she had. The sheer volume of her weeping would have attracted attention had she not forced her tongue against the roof of her mouth as hard as she could.

In the episode, Meesei felt Lunise's arms wrap around her in turn. As Lunise squeezed her, she began to lean some of her weight on Meesei, each cycle of shaking breaths and distraught sobs having her lose more of the strength in her legs. Years upon years of grief and loss poured out in an avalanche, compounded with the revelation of the documents.

They were locked together for at least two minutes. The sheer amount that Lunise had bottled up could only be guessed. Warm tears covered Meesei's shoulder, and although Lunise was taller and older, the only one who had cried this hard against her was Sabine.

Fortunately, Lunise never fully lost her balance in the embrace. The more concerning flood of emotion did eventually calm to a stream in Meesei's arms. Lunise's arms did not loosen, neither did she even pull away to speak to Meesei's face. Little words creaked out of her -- pitiful, despite her relatively deep feminine voice. "You should not trust me. This is a poor position for both of us. This is weak of me -- I don't want to stay alone."

She did not show any signs of letting go. Meesei could feel it in her back; she was so soft now.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth stepped up close in front of Janius and took his hands in hers. She smiled warmly at him, then gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Love, you will always have my support, no matter what. Maybe a good night's rest will help you clear your mind? We will have to send Aurana back tonight, I suppose, but it will be easy enough to find her again when we decide what to do. If you decide to meet your parents again, we can just knock on their door. Otherwise, we can just...put a note on her window, or something like that. Anyways, we should probably head back in and rejoin the others."

---

Over the course of only a few minutes, Meesei could practically feel the tension melting away out of Lunise. Meesei could not be sure if Lunise had ever been given a proper chance to release her emotions to someone else. Possibly as a child she may have, but Meesei could not know what kind of parents she had.

"I have to trust you, Lunise. We have to trust each other. In the times we live in, with the enemies we face, trust is one of the few precious things we have. You are not weak for wanting support; it takes strength to admit that. Without the support of my friends and family, I likely would have been dead years ago, or at the very least, touched by Sheogorath. No matter what people may think, no one is stronger alone. We will need each other if we hope to keep this world intact. Elven or Human, Dominion or Imperial, it does not matter your politics. We all have a claim to this world, and we all have a need to protect it. Whatever help and support you need from me, you will have it, because you are a friend. You are my friend." Meesei said, still not releasing Lunise from her embrace. Short of Lunise being the most impressive actress in Tamriel, Meesei felt that she could be experiencing a genuine change. It was a change that would fly in the face of the majority of beliefs she had held as a Thalmor, but that did not mean it was not possible. Elven superiority was one of the primary public doctrines of the Thalmor, which would account for potentially centuries of prejudice that Lunise had been living with. However, in Meesei's experience, prejudice only tended to thrive in isolation. When Lunise lived among Thalmor, and only tended to emaciate with other Elves, it would be easy to reaffirm those beliefs. But, Meesei suspected that even just her capabilities and actions alone were likely challenging those beliefs.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius smiled. "Love you, Kaleeth," he said quickly. He pushed off the wall and they proceeded back into the dining room.

They saw all four of the youths still gathered around the fire, grinning at some amusing tale that Julan was recounting. Aurana was in the middle of a snorting laugh while Rhazii and Jatinha had their ears pert and their tails swirling. Off to the side, Fendros and Ahnasha sipped at their cups, passing time. Everyone turned their heads and went quiet when Janius and Kaleeth stepped in.

Knowing exactly what to do, Janius strode up to the group and clasped his hands behind his back. His mouth thinned into a neutral line.

Aurana's grin faded into nervous anticipation, looking up at Janius.

"Aurana, I've tried to think about how I can best help you," Janius said gently. "The truth is that anything I can do has a risk of making things worse. Now, tonight...tonight has come after a long day and I need some more time. We're going to take you home with...Jatinha, was it?"

The Khajiit maid had instantly reverted to her professional smallness. She nodded.

"...right, we're going to take you home and get in touch with you tomorrow morning. We may knock on the door with Kaleeth and Julan, or we may simply leave you a note, but I promise we'll contact you to help you. Is that alright?"

Aurana turned her eyes to one side. She opened her mouth and was lost for words. Her hand crept up her other arm anxiously. "I was hoping you would be able to talk to mother and father tonight."

Janius tsked. "I'm afraid that I don't know what I would tell them just now."

"Oh." Aurana bowed her head. Her chest silently sank. Still, she looked up to Janius again. "Would you speak to them tomorrow?"

"Maybe."

The corner of Aurana's mouth twitched and her eyes went wandering again.

Janius knelt down. "Hey," he breathed. "I'm not going to just up and leave on you. I promise."

Aurana nodded rapidly. Her uncertainty did not abate.

"Now, it's getting late and it looks like Aurana's dried off." Janius looked to the youngsters, Julan in particular. "You can stay up for a little while longer, an hour, perhaps, but then we're to walk the fine ladies back, understood?"

---

Lunise had nothing to say in return. At least not in that exact moment. Her residual sobbing turned into shallow, if slowing breaths through her mouth. She lifted her head from Meesei's shoulder, staring at the wall past her for another minute or so, still holding her.

Eventually, she swallowed and took a much deeper breath. This one was smooth and long, likely how she intended to breath to calm herself before breaking down in her chair earlier.

"Very well." Her regular voice had returned, earnest and awkwardly stilted. It was a change from her usual condescending tone. "We may be friends. Let it not be said that I do not have other friends, Khajiit and Altmer in Anequina and the Summerset Isles among others, nor that I only make friends in moments of weakness like this. It is simply...unprecedented, on this occasion. And, you may be the only friend I have that would not kill or arrest me for knowing what I know." She huffed and continued speaking towards the wall behind Meesei. "Champion, at this stage, I believe the best course of action is to continue my assignment with you and the lycans. I will even have to return the documents to avoid alienating the entire Dominion and putting our treaties with you at risk. I cannot fathom how to remedy the situation with the Thalmor but I am not the only one with attachment to my country and the world. Any moves against them must be at an elven pace. This matter with Clavicus Vile takes precedence."

Lunise's arms had still not budged.

[EliteCommander]

Julan had hoped that his parents' return would give him some closure to the questions that had been racing through the back of his mind for the entire time he had been talking to Aurana. Whether his father decided to speak to her parents, or that they could not help, he thought he would at least have a good answer. Unfortunately, his father's answer to Aurana was much more vague than Julan had hoped. He did at least say that they would try to help her...somehow. It was slightly encouraging, but it left Julan with even more questions and worries than he had started with, and he guessed that Aurana was probably feeling the same way.

Regardless, they did still have some time left that night, and Julan did not want to waste it. "Okay, I...hope we can help you tomorrow, Aurana. And we still have some time to talk now, at least. What was I saying...right, the oasis. Well, we weren't completely in the desert, so I guess it wasn't really an oasis, but it was a big pond. Rhazii bet me that I couldn't trick them into thinking there was a crocodile in the water, which was a completely unfair bet since, apparently, the Redguards didn't even know what a crocodile was. But I didn't know that then. Anyways, I hid under the water..." Julan continued. He had been telling as many stories as he could think of from their travels, edited for Aurana. This particular story did involve him shifting into a werecrocodile, but he would, of course, leave out that detail. Aurana, by contrast, hardly had any stories of interest to share, but Julan hoped that would change eventually.

---

"Thank you, but we need not discuss such details of our mission at the moment. There will be ample time tomorrow, and I find it is usually good not to make such decisions in moments of emotion like this." Meesei said, intentionally avoiding using the word "weakness." Despite what Lunise might have felt about her own actions, Meesei did not want to do anything to discourage them. Lunise's tendency to emotionally isolate herself from those she worked with undoubtedly allowed her to more easily see herself as their better. But, Meesei had a feeling that was changing.

"For now, I find myself somewhat curious about you, Lunise. Almost every interaction we have had through the years we have known one another has been entirely professional. Diplomatic. And I am sure you might find something interesting to learn about me as well. Are you from the Summerset Isles, or is there another place you would call your home? For me, as you likely guessed, I was originally from Black Marsh. I was from an isolated village; nowhere truly noteworthy for any particular reason. I was raised to become my father's successor as Treeminder. It is a position you may think of as a shaman, so magical training started at a young age. Different villages have different traditions, but in mine, a Treeminder was one of the leaders of the village leaders, along with an Elder and the Master-Hunter. I suppose it made for a good foundation for my current position, but I have grown much in so, so many ways since those early days." Meesei explained. The pair were still embracing one another, but Meesei was in no particular rush to bring that to an end. She wanted to give Lunise comfort for as long as she needed it, but Meesei would also be lying to herself if she did not admit that she rather enjoyed holding on to her in such a way.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius had expected that the uncertainty he put forward would be reflected back at him. Regardless, he put on a small smile and stood up. Regardless of what they did, he did not want to deny Aurana the rest of her night out, nor did he want to abruptly separate her from Julan and Rhazii. Janius was glad to see them getting along.

When Janius turned around, he spotted Fendros and Ahnasha's beverages and knew exactly what his move was.

And onward the night went. Janius ended up allowing for another hour and a half in the end, but they eventually had to say their goodbyes. Even one night with Rhazii and Julan had Aurana in tears when she had to hug them goodbye. She kept saying that she would see them again, but there was something in her voice that knew that it could be a long time before then.

Jatinha was somewhat emotional, though not to Aurana's level. She had relaxed considerably since sitting closer to the group. When they were walking back to the Aetius manor, she and Rhazii were trailing behind. Despite speaking quietly, any sharp ears could hear a nervous admission of admiration by Rhazii. Jatinha thanked him and held his hand, but a goodbye hug was all else that came of it.

The walk back to the castle was solemn and almost wordless. However, Janius took aside Julan at the gate. "C'mere, Newt," Janius said. He only used his child name as a casual nickname these days. "I want to talk to you."

---

"I had heard as much about you incidentally, champion. Meesei." Lunise was still somewhat stilted. "It explains your background. Back then, I must have been...oh, in the Dominion army, if I were to guess your age?"

Lunise hesitated with a thought. "Where I am from and where my home is has diverged. And the army is not my complete background. I was born in Alinor, the city, in year two of this fourth era. I grew up with the isles being pieced back together by the Thalmor, and I was there helping them. At least, where I could between my education. Most of my nights were practice and writing. Scholarly pursuits. I was always more attached to action, however, and eschewed it after a while. I joined government work, for quite some time, growing the Dominion under my superiors. I was there penning agreements at the behest of the officials that spoke with the Mane as they took Pelletine and Anequina into the Dominion. I stayed there in a governing capacity. About sixty years later, I joined the war effort against the Empire as a battlemage. Then I returned to Anequina, to oversee the region alongside a number of other justicars. We watched the border and built the communities. And then you wandered through the desert with a clan's worth of lycanthropes under my nose. Now I am here. That, I can say, is where I come from. I have been away from Alinor for so long that Rimmen is more a home to me than Alinor. Then again, I have been away from Rimmen for some time as well."

It was clearly a shortened version of Lunise's life, though the way she contracted some portions hinted at what she preferred to look back on. More telling was the point in time where she grew up. The beliefs that had been shattered in front of Meesei's life were formative from her youth. By her account, she had grown alongside the Aldmeri Dominion.

[EliteCommander]

Julan had been a bit more silent on the way back to the Aetius manor than he had been speaking to Aurana. Not only was it stressful to go back to the manor in the presence of his father, but he did have a worry in the back of his mind that her parents might unexpectedly be awake, which could get her in trouble. Fortunately, it did not seem like they had any trouble getting back into their house. He supposed he would only really know if her parents found out when they contacted her again the next day.

Julan was content to stay quiet on the way back to the castle, but his father seemed to have something else in mind. Now that Aurana was gone, he was not sure what Janius had in mind. A part of him was afraid that he was still in trouble, and that his parents had only avoided bringing it up because Aurana was present. It was a fear that certainly showed in his expression as he looked up to his father. "Um, okay. Is there...anything wrong?" He asked.

---

"Hmm, I have to wonder if the ideals of your leadership that threaten us now existed in the beginning, behind the scenes, or if they developed later?" Meesei mused. She did not wish to linger on the subject of their current troubles for too long, so she decided to shift the conversation in a somewhat different direction. "History says that they came to power off of their great successes defending against the Daedra hordes. Certainly, they performed a great service for their people at the time. Indeed, in a short time, the Thalmor were able to create an impressive, unified nation spanning most of southern Tamriel. In terms of their public policies and goals, I would find the Thalmor to be effective rulers...apart from the notion of 'Elven superiority'. Though, no doubt you would expect that objection from me."

Though Lunise's story was abbreviated, it gave Meesei a good sense for how her life had progressed. Meesei's knowledge of history could fill in some of the gaps for events that Lunise was likely involved in. While Meesei was sure that there were plenty of interesting stories from her life, it would likely be better to ask about those later, when it was less likely to remind her of what she had lost. "As for my life, it has progressed in a shorter time frame, of course, but I could fill tomes with my life story. I am currently...what is it now, forty-four years of age. I have been serving Hircine since my seventeenth year, shortly after my father died unexpectedly. I was placed into his role, and immediately into a crisis. My village's hunters were unable to find enough prey to sustain our needs, and our Master-Hunter suspected that there was a curse or some other magic to blame. I never found evidence of a curse, but I solved the problem by communing with Hircine. At first, I merely bargained with him, much like a business deal. But, I was soon inspired to serve him. I became a lycan willingly, and gladly. My motivations for serving him seem so...distant now. What Hircine demands of his followers is strength and skill. The ability to be a dangerous predator, and even more dangerous prey. I was young, and a mage far beyond my years, so I am sure you can see why that appealed to me. I was powerful, and wanted to prove that I was the strongest, like so many others that age. Of course, I actually succeeded." Meesei said with a lighthearted chuckle. "I have been Hircine's Champion for just under sixteen years now. I claimed the title by killing a lycan hunter in service of Clavicus Vile. The war had not yet started at that point, though Vile's plans were already in motion. Back then, we had clans scattered all over Tamriel, much like we do now, but they were much smaller and entirely disconnected from one another. It was my idea to organize our clans more closely, so as to be able to coordinate our attacks against Vile more effectively. Then, I proceeded to lead a war effort that has consumed almost half my life, but even knowing that, I would do it again. There is now a chance, however small, that my people, lycans, could one day live a kind of life they have never known in the history of Tamriel. One where they do not have to live in fear. If I had to sacrifice my life to make that happen, I would do it. For them, and for my own family."

By this point, Meesei felt that it would be at least somewhat awkward to continue to hold on to Lunise so tightly, though she also did not let go completely. She kept her arms around her, but pulled back enough that she could at least look Lunise in the face. Meesei was smiling. "What about you? Your friends and family back home, what are they like?"

[Muttonhawk]

"No, no," Janius assured. He called over to the others where they were still moving to the barracks. "I'll catch up with you in a minute."

He didn't take him far. Just to one side of the courtyard away from the immediate ears of any patrolling guards. Janius looked down on his son with a hand on his hip. "Now, Julan, I have an admission. If you hadn't noticed..." He leaned down slightly and lowered his voice. "I'm terrified to meet my mother and father again. You see, my relationship with them was not the same as yours with Kaleeth and me. Neither is it like Rhazii and his parents. For a while in the mess room, I was considering putting off helping Aurana -- a sister I had never met and should have been more excited to find out about. Putting it off for who-knows-when." He stood up straight again. "But you stood up for her. You helped me realise that I should be helping her like anyone in my family. And regardless of your jaunt with Rhazii this evening, I'm proud that you stood up for your family. Now come here."

Janius stepped forward and gave Julan a warm hug, patting his back.

---

Meesei's move to pull away was not met with resistance by Lunise, though her still red eyes danced around Meesei's outline as if ambivalent about the intimacy. Still, her arms remained around Meesei.

"My mother and father are both academics. Mother studies the arcane, while father studies life. Plants, animals, people, and such. He was a hard man. Mother taught me most of what I know about magic, but she joined the Psijic Order when I was sixteen years old. She visited often. I haven't seen her since Artaeum disappeared. Sparse trips back to Alinor allow me to visit father, though only every few decades." Lunise's eyes finally settled on looking at the end of Meesei's snout. "My friends are few or far flung. There are those I have not spoken to in a century simply by going down different paths. Those that I have still kept contact with are in Rimmen. Some Thalmor colleagues, Ren, Dauluga, Yasasha. Altmer. Not the humblest company, but respectful of competence. We all worked together to keep the region stable. There's A Khajiiti tavern keeper, Tivi, that has listened to some of my problems where state secrets are not involved. The officers of a Khajiiti militia that I trained, Saucra and Tejizka. They were invaluable in connecting with the Anequinan culture. I have spoken to few since I began searching for and liaising with you outside of Elsweyr. I suppose that makes my only other friend Marod, if our bickering respect could be called friendship. We shall never let each other hear it, but there are times where we defer to an unspoken trust between us."

Finally, Lunise made eye contact with Meesei. Her eyes turned up with an almost threatening leer. "If you speak to Marod of anything that has or will go on in this room, I will personally snap off your horns and drive them through your tongue."

Lunise did not hold onto the threat for long. Her eyes returned to Meesei's snout. "At any rate, if it is not rude to ask, perhaps you could tell me how you came to assemble your pack? I understand that a lycan's family is its pack. It has been curious to watch you all interact. I also wonder if you ever see your own blood family during all this."

[EliteCommander]

Julan did calm down noticeably, even if he could not entirely shake his anxiety. For as long as they were in Bravil, he would likely be nervous about being punished for visiting his grandparents. But, for the moment at least, he could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Um, thank you." Julan responded, still calming from his initial anxiety, but obviously genuine in his tone. "I don't think you have to be afraid of them, I just want to help Aurana. I would hate to be locked up in one building like that. She seems so nice. But...do you really think we might make things worse for her? I really wouldn't want to do that."

---

Meesei chuckled. "Everything you say here, you say in confidence. The most I will say to Marod, or anyone else, is that you are in the process of recovering."

For Meesei, Lunise's descriptions of her friends and family did not sound terribly different from what she had been expecting. Lunise, while not entirely isolated, was also not terribly close to many people. The way she spoke about her friends was almost more like friendly acquaintances. Although, Meesei supposed she could not be completely certain of what her relationships were like. Regardless, Lunise was curious about Meesei's family, and she had quite a lot she could say about them.

"Assembling my pack was something that took years, and there is a unique story behind all of them, but there is a common thread between most of them. Even before I became Champion, Hircine communicated with me through dreams. Through my beast blood. It is not something that is entirely unique to me, but neither is it common. It is something that he only does to those with whom he has specific intentions. For me, he helped me find nearly every member of my pack. Lorag was the first. He was a former Legionnaire who was infected during the Skyrim Civil War, then lived out in the wilds for years before Hircine directed me to him. Actually recruiting him was fairly simple. I was one of the first lycans he had seen since his infection, so I needed only prove my strength, and prove myself worthy of leading. If lycans did not heal so quickly, I likely would have given him a few scars. Ahnasha was next, a year or two later. I did not find her, but it was still Hircine who guided her to me. Like me, she worshipped Hircine before becoming a lycan. She was young, frustrated with city life, and wanted to make herself stronger. She was a young woman of only sixteen years, I believe, when she slew a local minotaur single-highhandedly and sacrificed it to Hircine. She was gifted with an audience with an aspect of Hircine himself. He guided her to my pack, and I personally gifted her with the beast blood. Aside from myself, I believe she was the only one of my pack to receive the beast blood on her own terms. The next two, Janius and Sabine, were not so fortunate. Janius was the son of an Imperial noble family, and a member of the Fighter's Guild. He was contracted to clear out a cave of bears, but he and his group were trapped by a collapse and attacked by a nest of giant spiders. I never asked him to describe the details, but I imagine it was a horrifying event. But, he slew all of the spiders and was the sole survivor of his group. Hircine led me to him, and in exchange for his rescue, he joined my pack. Sabine went through...incredible trauma in her childhood. I do not wish to share all of the details without her permission, but she was not infected willingly, and went through a great deal of pain before she finally escaped into the wilds. We were led to one another by Hircine and, over time, I came to think of her as my adopted daughter. Certainly, I love her with all of my heart, with a bond closer than any blood relationship I have had. I helped her overcome her childhood trauma, and...I would say she helped me in similar ways on several occasions."

Even thinking about all that Sabine had done for her over the years gave Meesei a warm smile, but she quickly moved on with her explanation. "Fendros was next. He was attacked while hunting by a feral werewolf. He managed to kill it, but was infected in the process. Again, Hircine led me to him. I collected him while he was still unconscious and helped heal what his regeneration had not already taken care of. He did not take quickly to the pack, but he slowly grew to accept it. Last was Kaleeth, who was something of a unique addition. We came into her village in Black Marsh on business related to the Hist, and over the course of our stay, she and Janius ended up falling rather quickly in love with one another. How she came to be infected as a werecrocodile is still something of a mystery. As we were nearing the point where we were going to leave the village, she went out into the marsh with the intent of trying to commune with Hircine. She does not remember what happened afterwards, but when we found her, she was a werecrocodile. I can guess that she succeeded in her goal, but that is still speculation. Rhazii and Kaj-Julan were, obviously, born into the pack. Rhazii is the son of Ahnasha and Fendros, while Julan is the son of Janius and Kaleeth."

Meesei still needed to answer Lunise's question about their families, but she had been talking long enough that she wanted to give Lunise a chance to respond.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius shrugged. "That all depends on what we decide to do and how it turns out. My mother and father are stubborn. At least as stubborn, if not more, than you and me. Simply going up to them and asking them to give Aurana some independence might just end up making them wall up and stand their ground. Even if we reason with them, they are unlikely to shift because of how emotional they might be about it." Janius lowered his eyes and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "It's an immature mindset. It's really why we didn't get along in the first place."

With a transitioning breath, Janius turned up to Julan again. "Anyway, we might find a way to give Aurana some advice on how to stand up for herself, or try and contrive some other way for mother and father to be convinced that what they're doing is wrong. It will take a bit of planning."

---

"Fortunate, hmph." Lunise said dryly through a frown. "Hircine has never been a highly regarded figure except in your communities. Still, to have something like that guide you through your life must be comforting. Your purpose is laid out for you. You gathered a close family from the world over, by the sound of it." She swallowed. "I never was particularly religious. Perhaps the priests had more wisdom than I gave them credit for."

Lunise hazarded another skerrick of eye contact. "What of your own tribe in Black Marsh?"

[EliteCommander]

Julan paused in thought at what his father explained to him, though just like Kaleeth, he had no immediate answers. "Are you...sure they're still like that? Since it's been so long? They could change in all that time, probably."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Julan tried to reason out how to avoid making anything worse for Aurana. He did not have the life experience to look at the problem from all of the angles that his parents had tried to approach, but he did have the unique perspective of a child with experience keeping himself out of trouble.

"Well...let's just make sure they don't blame her. If we talk to them, and they try to punish her for standing up to them, then you can just say that you made her say all those things. Just make it seem like it wasn't her idea. Then, they'll blame you instead. They'll be mad at you, but they can't punish you or anything so...it doesn't matter." He suggested.

---

"Are you asking if I have seen my tribe since my initial departure? No, I have not." Meesei answered, shaking her head. "Both of my parents had died by the time I left the village, and I had no brothers or sisters. I did have a few uncles and an aunt, and some cousins, but I was not particularly social with them growing up. Certainly, I did not leave much behind that would prompt me to try to go back. It was easier for me to leave than it is for most lycans. I have no doubt that my village is surviving as it always has. My successor was capable, and the rest of the clan were a resilient people. They did not need me. For me, and most other lycans, it is best to leave our former lives behind, for various reasons. It is never safe for a novice lycan to remain among civilization, but even afterwards, it can be difficult to go back. We are seen as monsters, as you know, and not everyone is capable of seeing past that. For my village, I doubt they would approve of my devotion to Hircine, though not out of any particular hatred of him. Rather, they would not approve of me placing any other being above the Hist. Otherwise, Hircine is a sort of...neutral force in the world. He is neither good nor evil; he simply exists as a force of nature. His sphere is the natural cycle of life and death. Predator and prey. His only goal is to foster strength among his followers."

After a moment's pause, Meesei gave a quick chuckle. "At the very least, he is not always attempting to conquer Tamriel, as other Daedra are wont to do. For me personally, it does not matter what others worship. Hircine is not a Daedra who demands that all follow him, so if others wish to worship the Hist, another Daedra, the Eight, the Nine, anything else, or nothing at all, it does not concern me. So as long as they can leave me in peace. I do not mean to preach to you, though. I am sure you were well-aware that the Champion of Hircine worshipped Hircine."

Thinking for another few moments, an idea came to Meesei's mind. "When was the last time you have been to Alinor? Would you like to go there tomorrow, just for the day? To relax?" Meesei asked, making no mention of how they were going to traverse half a continent in a single day.

[Muttonhawk]

"It's crossed my mind," Janius said to Julan's first line of questions. "However, if they are cooping Aurana up, I can't guarantee that they would have changed for the better."

Julan's suggestion made Janius raise his eyebrows. He looked to one side in thought and ended his pause in a low hum. "That's a thought. That's a good thought." He sighed and closed his eyes. "It's been a long day. Hold that and we'll think of something in the morning, come."

Janius turned a palm out at his side, gesturing towards the barracks. He turned on his foot to walk with Julan back to their quarters.

---

Lunise responded first to Meesei's beliefs half-heartedly, as if doing so for the sake of it. "If your religion was the real reason for someone like me disturbing the peace, you would have worked that out by now. Talos worship would have drawn that sort of trouble from me. Before today, at least. Before..." She trailed off.

At this point, Lunise sniffed back and found her nose clearing. Her tears were beginning to dry stiffly on her face. Short of readjusting her hair and wiping her eyes, she was all but recomposed.

"I last set foot in Alinor, I think...forty-three years ago." Contrary to Meesei's vagueness of method, Lunise did not appear confused. "If I were to go," she said, looking over Meesei's head. "I do not think I would be able to relax. Being that close to those that would probably want me dead if they found out, no." She took a quick breath. "But I would see father again. I would like to visit him and just...without telling him about all this, enjoy some time in his company. While I will still be able to."

Lunise shook her head. "Not that I'll be able to get there is such a short time, of course. My magic would not send me halfway across Tamriel and over to the south-west over the night by any stretch of the imagination."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei started to grin. "Would it truly surprise you to learn that I am capable of teleporting vast distances? It is no more unusual than other forms of magic I have demonstrated. As I have alluded to before, I have had the opportunity to study many exotic and archaic forms of magic, and teleportation was something that attracted quite a lot of my attention during that time. It is an interesting subject, as there are several methods for approaching the problem. The ancient nightblades of the second era utilized an entire form of magic that has since been lost to time, called shadow magic, which allowed for short range teleportation. Various groups like the ancient Dunmer, or even the Mages' Guild a few centuries ago, regularly used teleportation enchantments. And of course, the Psijics were able to teleport their entire Isle of Artaeum out of this plane of existence."

Even now, Meesei was not sure that she wanted to divulge the existence of her propylon network, as it was a vital part of the infrastructure they had built to connect the clans. But, she was not lying about her other explorations into teleportation magic, and she felt that she would be able to achieve the same result in a different way. "And I do not believe you need to worry about being discovered at this stage. Your superiors are not aware of what you know, and they do not need to learn. It, perhaps, may not even be wise to report that we captured Areldril. I doubt your superiors would be happy about the failure, but it is not as if every Justiciar succeeds in every mission. Even the most skilled agents in Tamriel will still fail some of their missions. But, that is just a suggestion. We can decide those details when we all come together again to discuss it. Regardless, my primary point was that you can spend at least a few hours tomorrow anywhere you like on the island. At least, anywhere you can properly visualize. I believe it may help to clear your mind."

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise's angled eyes narrowed and she half-pouted in confusion as Meesei explained. "You ask as if it would surprise me? Meesei, I would be outright sceptical." Her tired eyes blinked a few times. "You are full of surprises, particularly magical talent, but such magic has been lost to history. Short of reading an elder scroll, walking Apocrypha, or...some kind of divine intervention, learning such a thing is impossible. I could not believe it without witnessing it."

Lunise looked away with her upper lip raised. "Besides, even if you did..." She paused. Her eyes blinked to look into Meesei's for a few seconds.

The discomfort overtook her. After all this time, Lunise finally slid her arms back from around Meesei's shoulders and took a step back. She avoided Meesei's eye contact. "No, cast that action from your mind." She turned and packed up the documents while she spoke. "Disappearing away to Alinor, or anywhere else right now, would be unwise. There is business yet to be done here."

[EliteCommander]

With Lunise's back turned to her, Meesei charged a spell. Instead of glowing as usual, her hand was encompassed in shadow. Then, in an instant, Lunise would suddenly find that Meesei was standing across the table from her, with small wisps of a shadowy energy dissipating around her as the only evidence of what she had done. It was shadow magic, the craft of the ancient nightblades. It was not the kind of magic that would take one such a long distance as Meesei had been describing, but she believed it would serve her point nonetheless. "I would not be so skeptical, Lunise. Much of the time, knowledge is never truly lost. It merely goes dormant."

"Regardless, you may be correct that tomorrow may not be an appropriate time to leave. I suppose we still have much to decide. But, I would not put the idea out of your mind entirely, Lunise." Meesei said. Letting out a sigh, she raised up her hand and looked down at it, charging the raw energies of shadow magic through it. Her expression rather suddenly turned sullen, regretful. "All of this power, these abilities, they did not come without cost. I was a terrible fool in even attempting to acquire them. I am certainly more powerful now, of that there is no question. But...you can trust me when I say that isolating yourself from your family, friends, and anyone else you may care about can be a terrible mistake. I wanted to bring an end to this war, but in doing so, I nearly lost my own life, and almost destroyed my relationships with those I hold most dear. I want to keep you from making the same mistakes I did, Lunise. I want to let you go back to your homeland and remind yourself of why you are doing what you are doing. Isolating yourself from such things for too long can warp your perspective more than you might expect."

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise's packing up was halted as soon as magic started coursing through Meesei before she teleported. The spell itself succeeded in making Lunise pause and stare for a time. Her frown deepened. However, instead of speaking, she exhaled from her nose and continued stowing the documents away. Meesei's words gave her enough time to secure the documents neatly in a sturdy lock box and turn a small key to shut it. One spell later from Lunise's fingertips and the documents would not see the light of day until another spell was used to open them. Only then did Lunise plant both her palms on the desk, leaning forward, and address Meesei across from her.

"I will stop hiding this, Meesei, for my intentions have been mistaken." Her head angled forward sternly. "I have isolated myself before. I have lived what you describe. This is not me falling into that particular trap again." She closed her eyes. A sharp breath in and out punctuated frustration. "I will repeat: My magic cannot take me halfway across Tamriel. Something I have learned in my profession is not to be lead anywhere I cannot get out from in time. I want to trust you, Meesei, I do, but the risk of you leaving me wherever your magic takes us is too great while I have these documents with me. They are valuable to any that wish to destabilise the Dominion." Another frustrated breath. She looked pained. "I need you to understand. I cannot do this."