The food that was brought out was of better quality than Fendros had expected. No effort was wasted, but none was withheld either. It was clear that Shevari was very good at what she did. Fendros thanked her and prompted Rhazii to do the same.

Rhazii could sometimes be a picky eater, but from the first mouthful of his meal, he was hooked. He ended up eating so quickly that he accidentally inhaled a flake of his sweetfish, but he was able to cough it out and drink some water with no problem. With how much he liked the food, the coughing was the only sound he made while there was anything to eat in front of him. The only thing he couldn't finish, funnily enough, was his piece of caramel pudding. There were a couple of mouthfuls left that he simply couldn't stomach due to the previous fondue being so rich. Then again, he ate very quickly, so a burp would allow room for the rest of it.

While Fendros would not denounce his family's cooking on a whim, he would admit that Shevari's dish was the best Dunmer meal that he had ever tasted. Maybe it was a testament to Shevari's skill, maybe it was simply that Fendros' previous experience had been limited, but Fendros knew who he would cite as the best Dunmer cook he had heard of: An Argonian. The red wine that Fendros had with his meal complimented it well enough, but he kept to one glass only.

All in all, the night seemed to be going well. Casual conversation flowed on and there was no more sourness or grief that Fendros could perceive. It was likely that Ahnasha's family were just trying to enjoy the time they had with her rather than dwell on her loss. Fendros could understand. While things seemed amiable, Fendros purposely evaded questions of religion. He himself was not overly pious to either the Eight Divines, Hircine, or the Tribunal Temple that he grew up with, but he got the impression that Ahnasha's family were. It was ground that Fendros didn't want to step on.

Once the meal was done, Fendros addressed Shevari. "Thank you again for the meal, Shevari. That is the best food I have eaten in a long time. I think your restaurant will do well." Fendros looked to Gwindir and S'nashi as well, "And we appreciate the hospitality on such sudden notice."

It was only at this point did Rhazii let out a short, high-pitched belch. He took the chance to finish the last of his pudding.

Shevari smiled. "Oh, it is no trouble. I always enjoy cooking for family." She answered. Ahnasha too found herself quite satisfied, as it had been quite a while since she had eaten a well-made Khajiit meal, or had anything to drink but nordic mead, for that matter. Although, she suspected she would have plenty of opportunities for that once they were in Elsweyr. At any rate, she was quick to thank Shevari as well.

As Vasiq volunteered to handle their plates and cutlery, Ahnasha's parents finally stood up from their seats. As much as they wanted to spend yet more time with their daughter, they had been eating by candlelight for a while now. Ahnasha's arrival had delayed their dinner, so it was well-after dark by this point. It was about time for all of them to retire for the night. Shevari was the first to decide it was time to take her leave.

"It has been nice meeting you all, but I should get home now. I've already been out later than usual. Have a good night." She said, which was followed by farewells from everyone else.

S'nashi glanced over to the window and let out a sigh at the darkness outside their home. "I suppose it is time for all of us to get to bed. You can all use Vasiq's old room for the night. He now lives in what is soon to be his restaurant. The room may not be cleaned up at the moment, but we never took out the bed."

"Thank you, mother." Ahnasha responded. She walked up to her mother and gave her a hug, followed by her father. "Have a good night. I promise I will try to stay as long as I can tomorrow."

Eventually, everyone retired to their rooms for the night. Vasiq's old room was down the hall from her parents', and as her mother had said, it had not been cleaned in a while. The bed was disorderly, and there were a few small crates that indicated it would probably end up becoming a storage room over time. Nevertheless, it was more than they could have asked for on such short notice, and certainly more comfortable than their accommodations back on the ship. Ahnasha took a seat on the bed and breathed out a sigh of relief. Overall, the day could have gone much worse than it did, though it was obviously not perfect. The lies she had told could cause problems if they were not careful. She had no intention of bringing that topic up herself at the moment, but she had a feeling that Fendros would be.

Fendros gave his farewells and goodnights to the rest of the family with a smile. Rhazii was just about nodding off in his chair by the time they decided to retire. With another thanks, Fendros took Rhazii's hand and followed Ahnasha into Vasiq's room.

The bed itself would be small for all three of them, but it was no worse than they were used to. Fendros helped Rhazii out of his shoes and over-clothes, laid him down on the bed, and then tucked him in. He was asleep almost instantly. Fendros didn't regard Ahnasha during this time.

Once Rhazii was settled, Fendros sat down carefully next to Ahnasha on the bed. He thought he would be angrier about the situation, but after the hours spent perpetuating it, he was just tired. Still, he wanted to talk about it. He put his hands together and looked to Ahnasha sadly. His tone was more quietly pleading than cross, "We just replaced a lie with another lie, Ahna. Wasn't one of the reasons you came back because you were sick of living a lie? Why didn't you tell them?"

Ahnasha responded in a low whisper, perhaps even quieter than necessary. Even though her parents' room was all the way down the hall, she spoke as if they were standing right outside the door. "I know, I know, but you don't know them like I do Fendros. They're very devout followers of the Eight. Unless something has changed, they're in the temple every Sundas, and hardly associate with anyone who isn't. And, by how they spoke earlier, I don't think anything is different from before. We are the result of a Daedra's influence; there is no way they would see us as anything but monsters. Abominations. They would probably want to have me caged up until they could find a 'cure,' or some nonsense. They wouldn't be able to do that, but you get the point. They would disown me for sure, and at that point, I would rather they just think I'm dead."

Admittedly, Ahnasha was making a lot of guesses as to how her family would react. But, at the very least, she had little reason to believe that they would accept her. "Look, we can do this, I know we can. They don't have to know. Let's just...write down what we've said so far, to keep the story straight. Once we're back in Bruma, we can just exchange letters, and they won't have to know."

"They would really do that?" Fendros lowered his voice to Ahnasha's whisper, but he still sounded distressed, "They wouldn't accept you for who you are?" Fendros looked at the floor and sighed, unhappy that his previous assumptions had been correct. "I don't like this, Ahna. I don't like it at all."

Fendros wanted to trust Ahnasha's knowledge of her parents, but there was still a number of issues swirling around his mind. "What of your brother? Is he just as religious? And what if they decide to travel north to visit for whatever reason? They'll assume the worst after a day of wandering around Bruma with no trace of a 'hunting supplies' shop." Fendros showed his frustration a little more, "And another thing, how are we meant to explain this to Rhazii? He's already confused as it is. This whole thing..." Fendros curled his lips and held out his hands with his fingers curled, keeping back his anger. He lowered his hands and closed his eyes, "...I can't see it lasting."

Ahnasha still could not bring herself to make eye contact with Fendros, so she kept her eyes facing straight ahead as she answered. "I don't think my brother will be any different. We're just going to have to make sure we're always the ones doing the visiting instead of them. I mean, Leyawiin may still be in Cyrodiil, but it is on the exact opposite side of the province as Bruma. That is not a journey you just make on a whim, or unannounced. They can't just go on long journeys like we can; they have to tend to their business. As for Rhazii..."

Ahnasha turned her head towards her son, who was sleeping just behind her on the bed. At his age, he wouldn't understand the real reasons for anything they were doing. It was fortunate that he had been obedient thusfar and said nothing to counter what they had told her parents. They had drilled rather strongly into his mind that he should not mention transforming in public, so the concept of keeping something like that hidden was not new to him. "We'll just tell him that the things we said were to hide the fact that we can transform. He does understand that, so he can understand this at least well-enough. Maybe he won't understand why we lied, but he knows not to speak up about it."

There was a moment of pause where Fendros ran his hand through his hair and looked up to a corner of the ceiling. His face was still tense with frustration, the kind where he wanted to burst out and raise his voice. He didn't because he knew he shouldn't. He ended up leaning his elbow on his leg and pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut.

"Alright," Fendros finally opened his eyes and gestured forward with the hand that was on his nose, his tone levelled, "I had a different understanding of how tonight might go. Your family seemed nice, and they were ultimately glad to see you. I'm...disappointed. However, I understand why it has to be this way."

Had Ahnasha's justification for lying been different, Fendros might not have been so understanding, but he could understand traditional values prohibiting difficult truths. His own parent's wouldn't react well either, he had to admit to himself that much.

Despite his anger, Fendros knew that this wasn't all about his feelings. Now that he was somewhat mollified, he looked at Ahnasha and put a hand on her shoulder. His face softened. "Still, I'm glad you were able to learn that your family cared after all. I can't fault your bravery for coming in the first place. How are you feeling about all of this?"

Ahnasha sighed. "I don't know, honestly. I am glad to be able to see them, I just hope I'm not causing even more pain in the future. I'm hoping I really am right about hiding the truth. I'm doing the best I can, and making the decisions I think are right, but only time will tell if I'm correct in it all. It could be that we're both wrong about everything.

Shaking her head, Ahnasha stood up and walked over to the corner of the room to get undressed. "At least we don't have to leave first thing tomorrow morning. I can have time for proper goodbyes. I'm going to try to avoid talking about this 'life' of ours as much as possible, and try to keep the topic on them. Just in case, let's make sure we stay together the whole time so there are no contradictions." Pausing a moment, Ahnasha walked over and hugged Fendros tightly. This whole day would not have been possible were it not for his willingness to go out of his way for her benefit, and no matter how it turned out, she knew he did it all just to help her. "And thank you, for everything. I love you, Fendros. I love everything about you."

Once Ahnasha released him, she sat down once again on the side of the bed, at which point a thought crossed her mind: something that had occurred to her before, but was not appropriate to bring up. "By the way...you told them we were married?"

Fendros took the time to undo his boots and remove anything he didn't want to sleep in while Ahnasha did the same. He returned her hug without any trace of his previous anger. "I love you too, Ahna," he responded.

Fendros was still standing and undressing when Ahnasha asked about the detail of marriage. He chuckled nervously and tried to concentrate on not tripping over his breeches and losing balance, but he managed to reply slowly. "That just...kind of came out. I referred to you as my 'partner' to Gwindir before he knew it was you, then he referred to you as my wife, and then I just went along with it."

The suddenness of the topic and the multitasking that Fendros was attempting caused him to lose balance. Through no intention of his own, he dropped to one knee in front of Ahnasha with a mildly painful sounding thud. Fendros looked up at Ahnasha, dubious about the position he was in, and tried to play it off. "...Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, with your family being religious and all. We've been together so long that marriage just seemed a formality." Fendros looked to one side and continued to talk, "And there's the whole process with the pendant of Mara that the temple hands out, and the rings that would break if we transformed, and I wouldn't even know how a tribunal temple marriage would work, or if there are even marriages in the eyes of Hircine..." Fendros continued as if talking would not escalate the issue at all somehow.

Ahnasha chuckled at Fendros' sudden clumsiness. "I know, I know, it was just...interesting, is all." She said with a smirk. Leaning forward, she gave him a quick kiss. "Don't worry about it too much; it's not like we could invite our parents to a wedding."

Turning back around, Ahnasha carefully climbed into the bed so as not to wake Rhazii. She pulled the fur blanket over herself and moved as far over on the bed as possible to make room for Fendros. It was not a double bed, so it would be rather cramped. "Let's just try to get some sleep. Tomorrow, Hircine willing, will hopefully not be nearly as difficult as today."

---

For Ahnasha, the night was as restful as a lycan could reasonably expect. She did awake once to a nightmare, but it was nothing related to the trauma she and Fendros had been seeing Najira for. It was simply a nightmare brought on by her beast blood. She awoke for good early in the morning to a knock at the door, followed by her brother's voice.

"Sorry to wake you, but I figured you wouldn't want to oversleep today. Shevari is about to start breakfast." Vasiq said loudly through the door.

Ahnasha yawned and stretched out her muscles as she sat up in the bed. "Thank you, brother. We'll be out soon." She answered before turning to Rhazii, who had also been awoken by the knocking. She rubbed her hand across his forehead and smiled. "Sleep well, Ma'rhazii?"

Rhazii let out a small, tired groan and rubbed his eyes. He had also been woken up by a nightmare during the night, but he was able to get back to sleep quickly after a little comfort from his parents. It was nothing out of the ordinary. This morning, he seemed slightly groggy, keeping a frown as he nodded to his mother's question.

Fendros didn't awaken quite as quickly as Ahnasha, but he was the first to slide out of the bed and onto his feet. At a leisurely pace, he started getting dressed. "Good morning," he said to Ahnasha and Rhazii, "No reason to stay in bed if Shevari is cooking again." Fendros flashed a grin.

That much seemed to motivate Rhazii to sit up and perk up his ears. "Can I have more sweetfish for breakfast?"

Ahnasha rubbed the top of Rhazii's head once more. "Maybe, it depends on what Shevari is cooking. I suppose it will be a surprise for us all." She answered before climbing out of bed herself. Once they were all dressed, they headed out into the dining room to join the rest of the family.

The morning was far less tense than the previous night, though Ahnasha could not shake her nerves. Through breakfast, she worried constantly about accidentally saying something to contradict the story they had conjured the previous night. Small details were likely to go unnoticed, or could be explained away, but it would only take one significant misstep to unravel the narrative they had created. Otherwise, it was a pleasant breakfast, cooked with all of the quality they had come to expect from Shevari.

The ship was leaving in the afternoon, so they did have about six or so hours to spend with Ahnasha's family. Shevari did have to leave after a few hours, but both her parents and her brother remained with them the entire day. They even closed the shop for the day so as to be able to give as much attention to them as possible. Fortunately, they did not have to expand their lie too greatly; they only had to give a few more details about their shop and describe their friends. For the latter, no lies were required, as they needed only describe their own pack in vague enough terms to leave out the lycanthropy. Fendros was also able to learn more about Ahnasha's parents, and their lives in Leyawiin. Once they had moved past the topic of Ahnasha's false life, she was able to enjoy the time with her family. Her father even only shared a single embarrassing childhood story about her, regarding the time when she mistook a freshly-hatched mudcrab for a seashell.

Eventually, the time drew near that they would have to return to the ship. They had not been given an exact hour of departure, so unfortunately, they had to be back sooner rather than later. Knowing this, everyone began to gather in the main room of the shop for their final goodbyes. S'nashi emerged from the back room carrying a single tiger lily in her hand. Her usual ritual was to place the tiger lily at the base of the candlestick on the mantle, and to ensure that the candle was lit. This time, however, she approached the fireplace with a smile on her face. For the first time in nine years, she took the engraved silver candlestick off of the mantle, then handed it to Fendros.

"I do not think we will be needing this anymore." S'nashi commented. For Ahnasha, she took the tiger lily and gently pushed its stem through her fur, just above her ear. "I know not everything about this has been pleasant, but I am glad that the three of you came to us yesterday. I feel like I am finally at peace."

The cloud of unease that manifested from the lies continued to grow during the day for Fendros. There were times where he could ignore it, but it was always there. By the time they had to leave, a part of Fendros was relieved, despite Ahnasha's family being enjoyable company.

As for Rhazii, he continued to hide any notion of lycanthropy, but he mostly became bored by the middle of the day. He wanted to go play. Still, he enjoyed using new words, like 'uncle', 'aunt', 'grandma', and 'grandpa'. He even interchangeably used the Ta'agra equivalents sometimes.

Fendros took the candlestick in both hands as S'nashi handed it to him. He didn't have much need of a candlestick, but the gesture was heartfelt and symbolic. Unfortunately, he had to make an effort not to notice the pain that the silver caused by contacting his skin. As swiftly as he could, he pulled his sleeve slightly and used it to cover his other hand and grasp the candlestick with the fabric as a barrier. "Thank you, S'nashi. It warms my heart to know." Fendros looked to everyone else, "And thank you too, Gwindir, Vasiq. It was a pleasure to finally meet you all." Fendros then leaned towards Vasiq and Gwindir to each shake their hands. He then gave a quick hug to S'nashi.

Rhazii did his rounds as well. He excitedly embraced each of his new family members and addressed them with uncle, grandma, and grandpa, like he had been taught.

"We'll write you a letter as soon as we return to Bruma," Fendros added. Beyond that, he gave space for Ahnasha to say goodbye - properly this time.

Even before saying anything, Ahnasha had already begun to tear up. The past day had been fraught with intense, often opposing emotions, and now, sadness was taking its turn. She had gone nine years without so much as thinking about seeing her family again, but now, she was having a hard time letting go. They had been an integral part of the first sixteen years of her life, after all, and even though her opinion had turned against them before she left, she could not say she did not love them.

"Mother, father, brother. I...I don't even know what to say. I didn't know what to expect when I came back here. I thought you might be angry, or even denounce me, and I would have deserved it. But...I am glad I came back. I regret everything I did, and I hope to never let go of you again. Even if I can't be here, we will keep in contact. As soon as we're back in Bruma, we'll send a letter letting you know where to send the response. I love you, and I promise I will do whatever I can to come back here and visit someday."

"Wherever in Tamriel you are, we will always be with you. At night, whenever you look up at the twin moons, know that we will be looking at them as well, and we will never be apart." S'nashi answered, immediately stepping forward to give her daughter a hug. Gwindir and Vasiq quickly joined in, and for a silent few moments, they all embraced one another. When they all finally separated, no one found any words that would be more appropriate for their final farewell.

As Ahnasha left the store alongside Fendros and Rhazii, she closed her eyes and let out a deep, shuddering breath. Despite the fact that a wound from her past had been healed, the reunion with her family had been bittersweet. She was still living a lie, and she hoped those lies would not come back to haunt her.

Fendros didn't have any words of comfort for Ahnasha as they walked back to the ship. He knew that none were really fitting. She was leaving her family again after years apart. He simply put an arm around her and held her close while he kept Rhazii's hand held in the other. Apart from Rhazii pointing out mildly interesting things or asking questions, there were not many words.

When the three found their way back to the ship, they were greeted by Janius standing on the deck near the gangway. The strange silhouette on his head turned out to be Newt sitting on Janius' shoulders. Janius held onto the small Argonian's feet to keep him stable, but let one hand go for a moment to wave.

"Welcome back!" Janius said to them with a smile. Given how long they were gone for, he had assumed the best. The red around Ahnasha's eyes did not deter his assumption yet. "How was the family reunion?"

Ahnasha had a difficult time answering at first. She stepped onto the deck, then leaned against the railing beside Janius as she looked out over the docks, towards the city. Closing her eyes, she released a deep breath. "I don't know, honestly. It was better than it could have been, not as good as I wish it had. They were shocked and angry at first, of course, but they did forgive me. That much, at least, is good. I was able to talk to my family again, to...laugh with them, to catch up with everything that has happened. My brother, he finally has a fiance: an Argonian woman who he is going to open a restaurant with. They were able to meet their grandson for the first time, and to learn that I am alive, safe, and...happy."

Turning her head, Ahnasha looked to Janius nervously. Her eyes were red, and the fur beneath them moistened by her tears. The normal confidence she carried did not seem to be with her in the slightest. "But...I couldn't tell them everything. There were certain things I had to keep secret, so we lied. We had to grow those lies, and now we are going to have to maintain that illusion. I'm worried about the future, and what will happen if they find out. They are giving me a second chance, but I don't know if I'll get a third."

Like Fendros, Janius had assumed that Ahnasha would be completely open and honest with her family. That, unfortunately, was not the case. Janius gave a sympathetic look to Ahnasha and thought about what to say. After a moment, he surmised that Ahnasha had her reasons and he should respect them.

Janius extended a hand to Ahnasha's shoulder. "I'm sorry it went that way. What did you tell them?"

Not knowing what else to do to comfort his mother, Rhazii let go of Fendros' hand and hugged Ahnasha around the waist.

"Well, we apparently are opening a shop in Bruma now," Fendros said reservedly. He went up against the railing next to Ahnasha and leaned to speak to Janius properly. "Hunting supplies. The reason we're going to Senchal is because we are trying to find moonstone to make bows. We'll be writing them letters as well. There are a number of other details that we'll need to keep consistent as well."

"Hmm." Janius supposed that it could have been worse, but he could imagine Ahnasha's grief. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Ahnasha shook her head. "No, I don't think so. What's done is done. If all goes to plan, then they will never actually meet any of you. The last thing we want is for them to come up to Bruma to see a non-existent hunting supplies shop. It is a risk, but...I am still still glad I sought them out. Getting closure on that part of my past was something I needed."

Taking in a deep breath, Ahnasha pushed away from the railing. "I think I need a rest. Thank you for the offer, and for understanding. I'll be fine, we're going to need to start focusing on our task soon enough." She added before turning to head down below decks.

---

From Leyawiin, Senchal was not at all a long voyage, as they needed only cross the Topal Sea to reach the city. It was a journey of only a few days, which, compared to the previous voyage Meesei's pack had taken, was nothing at all. As well, their stop in Leyawiin had refreshed them enough that spending just a few days trapped aboard the vessel was easily tolerable for most. Pieter had picked up a deck of cards, and a few other items, in Leyawiin to help keep them occupied. Overall, they had hardly even grown bored by the time Senchal was in sight.

The captain had made sure to send a crew member down to wake up his passengers about an hour before they were set to arrive, as he had no other business in Senchal but to drop off his passengers, so he did not intend to stay any longer than necessary. It was not unreasonably early, so there was mostly no protest, though Leaps seemed annoyed at being shaken awake.

Most of the group's supplies were already packed, so they had plenty of time to have their breakfast, and wake themselves up in general. As usual, they distributed their packs of supplies fairly among the group, with even Leaps taking on a share of the baggage. Even if they could carry it all themselves, Meesei preferred to ensure that Leaps was always at least wearing his specially made harness. Seeing bags on his sides made him seem much more like a pack animal than a warbeast to any onlookers.

Both packs were already above decks by the time Senchal was within view. As they drew closer, the remarkable nature of the city's port became quickly and readily apparent. While the Imperial City might have been the largest overall, Senchal possessed the single largest port in Tamriel. Its position on the Qwin'rawl peninsula made it a hub of trade between the Empire, the rest of the Dominion, Black Marsh, and anyone else who wanted to do business along Tamriel's southern coast. The city was surrounded on three sides with water, and all three were densely crowded at nearly all times. Most of the goods were traded in the city, or from warehouses on the docks, and shipped back out across Tamriel, while the rest were sold in the city or transported through the rest of the province. Meesei would not have been surprised if more wealth passed through this city alone than the rest of Elsweyr combined.

Even with the size of the docks, there was a wait to actually be able to dock. From their view in the harbor, they could see the bustling crowds that seemed to fill every square inch of the docks. Crates, barrels, animal cages, and a myriad of other types of cargo were constantly being loaded and unloaded from ships in a way that, to the untrained eye, seemed entirely disorderly. It was hard to comprehend how a harbor of this size could possibly be managed. Evidently, the harbor masters of this city were some of the most skilled in Tamriel. Otherwise, it all would fall apart.

Ahnasha leaned onto the railing, looking out over the docks in amazement. "Just...wow. My father described this place before, but I always thought he was exaggerating. So much wealth goes through this place, it is almost unbelievable, and undeniably dangerous."

"Indeed." Meesei commented. "Senchal is a hub for trade of all types, legitimate and otherwise. Pirates, smugglers, thieves, and all other kinds of criminals can be found here. It might be a large city, but I warn you all not to think for a moment that you are safe. Keep a tight grip on any bags you are carrying, and make sure to tie them securely shut. Pickpockets will attempt to prey on outsiders like us without hesitation. It is going to be hard to find anyone in this city, but luckily, I know where a potential contact can normally be found. If they are still here, then the...group that normally resides in the city should frequent a specific tavern on the docks on the northwestern face of the city. Once we are close, it should not be too difficult to...detect them."

The city of Senchal was unlike any city that the pack had ever seen. Its docks made it look like it had been spread out across the water around it, with its distinct orthogonal walls and buildings rising up a few stories to occupy space it could not conquer on the water. It was dense and likely full of the dangers of any city, but this particular city looked so crowded from the docks that getting separated from companions was more immediate than even the Imperial City.

Gallus threw on his backpack and was almost jumping up and down as he lifted himself up onto the balls of his feet over and over. His eagerness was just as obvious in his tone. "Now this is a new sight, ha!" He took in the salty air through his nose, "And none too soon. I'm itching for a hunt after all that time cooped up, we should liaise with our friends as soon as we can."

While those not used to travel expressed their excitement more openly, Janius, Fendros, Sabine, and anyone else wise enough heeded Meesei's advice closely. They were wary of a large and crowded area where they could not afford to transform, so anything they lost was going to be lost for good.

There was a clinking from Fendros' bag caused by the shifting of the candlestick he received from S'nashi. He was considering selling it, as carrying around a hunk of silver was inconvenient, but he was conflicted for now. He decided to focus on the immediate objective; the Senchal clan.

"I am serious, Gallus. Stay close, and remain watchful. If we become separated in this place, even we will have a difficult time finding each other again." Meesei warned. Based on the way the ship was moving, it appeared that they were finally going to be heading into dock. Meesei had spent considerable time the previous night studying her map of the city, so she made sure to make note of exactly where they would be docking so she could guide them to the correct tavern. "I do know where our main destination is located. Much like home, it is secluded a few hours outside the city, in a rather thick portion of the Tenmar forest. However, I do hope to be able to make contact with some of its scouts in the city. They will be able to lead us to it more quickly than I will be able to find it with just my map. As well, they may be able to inform us of the current situation."

Once the ship was docked, the packs were able to simply disembark and head about their business. Meesei had expected to at least have to speak to the docking authority about Leaps, but they hardly gave him a second glance. The only mention one of the docking officials made of him was a simple, quick warning to keep watch over him. It was a surprise, but it did make sense considering the volume of exotic goods and creatures that passed through the city. The port officials likely saw even stranger creatures than Leaps on a daily basis. Not to mention, the Senchal docks were hardly the pinnacle of security. Smugglers could often bring their goods through the port without even attempting to hide them from anything but thieves. For a bribe, a docking official might even assign the normal security to them.

Most of Senchal's population was, of course, Khajiit, but the docks themselves were as diverse as the Imperial City, at least for the races whose provinces were in southern Tamriel. What did stand out to much of the pack was that not all of the Khajiit on the docks were the Suthay-raht that most outside of Tamriel were familiar with. Cathay and Cathay-raht towered over the rest of the crowd, while the tiger-like Pahmar walked through the street just as casually as their bipedal brethren. There were a few individuals who appeared Bosmer at first glance, but upon closer inspection, were the Ohmes breed of Khajiit, and even what appeared to be a housecat could actually be an Alfiq.

As usual, Pieter was with Sabine and Tzirret, and he was just as astonished with Senchal as many of the others, especially those not used to traveling. He reached over and tapped Tzirret's shoulder to get his attention. "This place is...interesting. I never knew there were so many kinds of Khajiit. Were all of your family, um, whatever you are, or were there other...is breeds the right word?"