F'sresa closed her eyes and shook her head, before beginning to mumble in response. Her voice was tired and quiet, so the guard had to lean down to hear her. "F'sresa is fine. You are Meesei, aren't you? Father told me about you. Thank you for rescuing us. Did you really take these ships just to help us?"

"Tzirret is...unsure," Tzirret looked down to his hands, where he was holding onto one of his fingers, "His pack is all on this ship now, but he wanted to stay with you three." Tzirret looked up again, gesturing to the group. "You are his friends as well," he looked down again, "He knows Gallus has been told to stay with Meesei and Ri'nakhad on this ship, so this one doubts that his pack will move. With S'nishi stuck on the other ship as well..." Tzirret sighed, "...this one does not know yet."

In an effort to change the mood, Tzirret looked up with a slightly brighter expression and changed the subject. "Anyway, have any of you been to Cyrodiil before?"

Meesei did not intend to be dishonest with the young girl, though neither could she be entirely truthful. She did not want to say that their only reason for attacking the ship was for the ship itself, but she could still give an answer without directly lying. "Well, we did not know you were on this ship, but we did intend to stop those slavers. They cause far too much pain to innocents like you." She explained.

Meesei looked over briefly to F'sresa's parents. "We may arrive at Leyawiin before she is fully recovered, but we should be able to give you some remedies to help in the last part of her recovery." She explained before speaking to the group in general. "Is there anything that you need right now to be more comfortable? It will be a day or so before we arrive."

Ma'tanza smiled as she finished off the last of her meal. "Oh, okay. Well, you do what you think is best. We will be glad to have you around if you want to come with us." She answered.

When Tzirret asked about Cyrodiil, Ma'tanza and Qa'habi shook their heads, but Bheja had an actual response. "Yeah, I think I said before that I was born there. It was a town called Border Watch. Though, to be fair, I don't know if it's fair to say that town is a real part of Cyrodiil. Almost everyone there was Khajiit, and as the name would suggest, it was right on the border. My parents were actually from Leyawiin, though. We ended up visiting there a few times."

F'sresa still smiled, "Thank you. You saved our lives."

This time, it was Gati, the grandmother, that responded. She gave a warm smile and a deep bow to Meesei. "Meesei's hospitality has been most generous. Gati could not be more comfortable, except to be back on land as soon as she can."

"Gati, do not be more polite than your health." Pudaga said, before looking to Meesei, "Gati's teeth are not very strong. If it is not too much trouble, may her next meal be cut up finely? We have only been given spoons with our meals."

"Oh, this one will manage. It is only another day and her jaw needs to get stronger so she can be more threatening to slavers!" Gati let out a jolly laugh, revealing many missing or crooked teeth. Given her age and stature, she was probably the least threatening person on board.

Pudaga smiled and sighed, bowing his head, but looked to Meesei again with curiosity. "There is one more thing. This one assumed that all of those who were nude were escaped slaves, but...they are still walking around without clothes. Are there not enough clothes to go around?"

Tzirret was glad to hear that he would be welcome on the other ship. He took another bite of his meal as Bheja answered his question. "Hmm, Tzirret's caravan did not go as far south as Borderwatch, but he remembers hearing stories about it. Something about a bunch of people going mad there many years ago. But it must be fine now." Tzirret decided not to keep to that topic, it was a very strange story that he had heard long before he reached the Bruma clan. "But, this one believes that Ahnasha, from Meesei's pack, she is from Leyawiin as well. Her family is still there, if this one remembers correctly. Perhaps Bheja knew of them? Tzirret thinks her father was Bosmer and they had a shop, that is what Sabine said."

While they spoke, Tzirret noticed that Bheja and Ma'tanza were about done with their meals. If they decided to move on soon, Tzirret thought he might take the opportunity to ask Qa'habi about his history with Ma'tanza. Tzirret's curiosity had been growing ever since he had heard about it.

Meesei shook her head. "No, there aren't unfortunately. We have enough clothing to keep our crew above deck dressed, but not much more. These ships held far more people than supplies to keep them comfortable. I would have us purchase more in Leyawiin, but these ships are stolen, even if it was from slavers. We cannot deal with the port authorities. You need not worry about us, though. We will be fine. As for you, I will see what I can do about your next meal. Perhaps some soup, or just extra cutlery."

To Meesei, it was comforting to see the smiles of the little girl, and the laughter of the old woman. The clan had essentially saved their lives; she just wished she did not have to hide who and what they were from them. Despite all they were doing for the family, they were still being kept isolated from the rest of the ship, almost like prisoners. It was not the kind of treatment she wanted to give to people who had been through so much. It reminded her of the conversation she had with Gallus before departing from the outpost, about how the world would always view them as monsters. Personally, she wondered how many people in Tamriel would call their current actions monstrous. "You can keep the clothes you have for when we reach Leyawiin. We will also give you whatever else we can spare. Food, water, some of the gold we scavenged from the slavers. As I am sure you have seen, I have many people to take care of on these ships, so I regret that I cannot give you too much, but it should support you for a while."

Bheja scratched the back of his neck. "I'm...not sure. I only visited it a few times, and Leyawin's a big place. I hardly remember anything I saw there. The Temple did look pretty impressive, I think. It had these massive, colorful stained glass windows with images of the Imperials' gods on them. I don't think as many people in Leyawiin go to the temple as other Cyrodilic cities; there are a lot of Khajiit and Argonians there that like to do their own thing. Still, that place could probably have held all of them."

Ma'tanza looked ahead at nothing in particular as she tried to imagine what Bheja described. "Hmm, Ma'tanza wishes we could visit the city. This one would like to see a building like that."

Up until that point, the family had been under the impression that they would be left in Leyawiin with only the clothes on their backs. The extra charity from Meesei spread a look of relief and gratitude over their faces. Pudaga responded, "The world needs more souls like Meesei. We cannot thank her enough."

"It is a shame that so many must walk around cold in this recent weather," Gati said from her seat while she continued knitting, "If this one had more time and enough yarn and cloth, she would see everyone snuggled in good clothes before she left this ship." Gati glanced up to Meesei, "We really do wish we could do more than simply thank you, but we will respect Meesei's wishes to move on."

Tzirret nodded in agreement. He had seen the temples in all the cities in the central-west and north parts of Cyrodiil, and they were all equally as impressive as the last. Ma'tanza's wish made him glance up with an idea, however. "Actually, Gallus is going to drop off the family with a few others tomorrow. He says he is taking them to the temple, so...if clothing could be found, maybe you could come and see?"

Meesei hesitated for a brief moment. Materially, there was nothing the family could really do for them. It was unlikely that they had any family or friends who could help them in Elsweyr, else they would have helped Pudaga with his debt. She wished she could ask them to tell others of how their lives were saved by lycans, but it was too dangerous to give them that information, both for the clan and the family. Indeed, she wondered if anything would change in their gratitude if they knew the truth. "Your thanks are sufficient for me, but if you truly wish to do something more, then you can make a promise. When you are settled in your new home and physically able, pass on this charity to someone else who needs it." She suggested with a smile. It was nothing that would help the clan, or likely anyone they knew, but it might at least make the family feel like less of a burden.

Turning to Sabine, Meesei asked another quick question. "Are there enough ingredients among your stock to make any more remedies?"

Ma'tanza looked to the side, running one hand over the other nervously. "Well, um...Ma'tanza does not know about that. She does not want to bother the Champion, or your leader. What if they are doing something important? And they might not have time for us to look around anyway."

Bheja shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you may at least get to see it. If we're going north, then we'll have to pass by the city. The temple is much taller than the walls, so you should be able to see it from the ship, maybe through a porthole?" He suggested. At about that time, Qa'habi finished up his meal, so they would likely be moving on soon. Though, there was not all that much to do aboard the ship.

"We will do our best, then," Ti'drissi responded.

Sabine gave Meesei a nod. "I can make enough to last them a few days. The doses are small." She looked to F'sresa and smiled, "She might have to be carried to Leyawiin. She will live, though."

Tzirret tried to reassure Ma'tanza. He angled his head to one side "Well, it will not be a long visit, but it will be worth it to see the windows from the inside. Tzirret is sure Gallus and Meesei will not mind if we ask them. They would trust us not to cause trouble." Tzirret paused and found it amusing how much he was sounding like Peiter. Tzirret was normally on the receiving end of this kind of encouragement. "Just think, we will not be stopping at any other cities. This might be Ma'tanza's only chance."

"Good, give them as much as you can. It is not as if we have need of disease cures." Meesei responded. With her worries about the girl satisfied, Meesei stepped back towards the door. "I wish I could stay longer, but I should get back to my duties. Be sure to get some rest, and alert me if anything happens to go wrong."

With that, Meesei took her leave. Just as she promised, she intended to speak to the chef who had been preparing their meals to see if she could change to serving soups.

Ma'tanza did not appear any less nervous, but she was willing to concede at least somewhat. "Um, well, Ma'tanza still does not want to cause any problems, but...if you want to ask the Champion, this one would be willing to come. Just...this one hopes you do not mind if she does not come with you to talk to her. The Champion probably doesn't want to be bothered by someone like this one; Ma'tanza is sure she must have many important things to do." She answered. Evidently, she still held quite a bit of fear about the idea of approaching Meesei.

"It's okay. Tzirret will speak to Meesei after he has eaten," Tzirret said, before looking to one side, "...well, he will probably talk to Gallus first, but he is sure that there will be no problem." Tzirret still found it strange that Ma'tanza and other clan members seemed just as afraid of Meesei as reverent of her, but not all of them could travel with her pack for a time like Tzirret did.

After just a moment, Tzirret glanced to Qa'habi and noticed that he had been quite rude. "Oh, er, do Qa'habi and Bheja want to come along to the temple as well?" Tzirret asked with a hint of apologetic apprehension.

Bheja shook his head in response. He did not seem quite as nervous as Ma'tanza, but he did have some trepidation about joining in this particular outing. "I, uh, I've already seen it before. And even if the Champion is fine with a few people coming along, I do actually doubt she would want a crowd with her. If we're not stopping in the city, then they'll probably be taking a rowboat, which I can't imagine holds all that many people."

Qa'habi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's probably best not to ask for too much. Anyway, what should we do now? There really isn't much to do on this ship, and not much space to be creative. Back as the outpost, Qa'habi would just practice with his bow when he was bored, but here? This one may as well just stare at a wall when he is not with all of you."

"Okay, yeah, that makes sense," Tzirret said. He was relieved that they didn't take offense, at least outwardly.

As for what to do, Tzirret saw an opportunity. "Hey, Qa'habi, um..." He stopped, trying to find words. Sure, he could get Qa'habi on his own, but he needed an excuse that he didn't think to prepare. Tzirret thought of something only at the second before the moment became awkward.

"Could you perhaps teach this one bit more about...bows?" The thought was stupid and Tzirret knew it. He tried to elaborate nervously, "Uh, how they are made? This one was wondering what Qa'habi's was made from."

Since the question was very sudden, and seemingly random, Qa'habi hesitated for a few moments as he looked to Tzirret strangely. "Um, bows? This one cannot teach you how to shoot them on the ship, but if you just want to learn about the bow itself...he supposes he can. It would give Qa'habi something to do. Were you wanting to learn archery or something? It is a lot different from fighting with a spear. Qa'habi just needs to go get his bow."

Given Ma'tanza's experience with such things, she could identify awkward excuses such as Tzirret's in a heartbeat, but in this case, she couldn't imagine what he was making an excuse for. She could not recall anything happening that usually provoked those kinds of excuses. Eventually, she began to wonder if Tzirret legitimately just wanted to learn about bows. The way he had asked had been awkward, but Tzirret did have a tendency to act awkwardly from time to time.

"This one will come with you," Tzirret said, standing up with Qa'habi and trying not to look strange about it. He answered his question while they walked. "Tzirret was just thinking that he might try to make a bow some time. He has been carving bone and wood for the last few weeks, but nothing as big as a bow before. He thought it might be a fun project."

Tzirret commended himself for making his improvised excuse work, despite committing himself to work he honestly had not thought of doing. He would let Qa'habi talk for a bit before getting to the true reason for leading him away.

As soon as Tzirret finished explaining his intentions, Qa'habi started shaking his head. "No, no, bone would not work for a bow, at least not to make an entire bow. Bone can be use to strengthen parts of a composite bow, but not for the whole bow. Not any normal bone, anyway. Qa'habi has heard of some very powerful creatures whose bones might work, but it would take a lot to find and kill them. If you have never made a bow before, you probably do not want to try and start off with a composite bow. A composite can give more power in a smaller size, depending on the design, but they take specialized materials and skills to make. This one's bow is a composite reflex bow, of Khajiit design."

Given the size of the ship, it did not take long for the pair to reach Qa'habi's bunk, on which all of his belongings were sitting. His bow was unstrung, and as such was curved back into its resting position, so much so that the two ends of the bow were nearly touching. "You see? When unstrung, the bow almost looks like a loop, so you can imagine the kind of power it gives when strung and ready to fire. It lets the archer hit as hard as possible with as compact of a bow as possible; very important when trying to maneuver between trees, or the branches above. But, this kind of construction is only possible with a composite. Forming a bow out of a single material requires a very tall bow to get comparable power, about the height of the archer. But, it is much, much easier, and better for beginners. With instruction, you could complete one in a day."

Tzirret had not originally been all that interested in making a bow in the first place, but Qa'habi was actually making it sound interesting. Carefully, Tzirret took Qa'habi's bow in both hands and inspected it closely. Its strange shape and multiple materials made it intriguing. "So, this bow, what is it made of, exactly?" Tzirret said, looking to Qa'habi again.

While Tzirret let Qa'habi explain, he thought on how to transition the conversation. He looked over the bow once more once he had his answer. "This one will have to make a bow in future, he thinks," Tzirret said as he carefully placed the bow back where it was. "Um, Tzirret was also, um, wondering about something else, Qa'habi," Tzirret said. He then turned towards Qa'habi and his head came forward a bit, eyes glancing around nervously. "If this one may ask..." Tzirret brought a hand to his upper arm, "What happened to stop your relationship with Ma'tanza? Er, Tzirret knows you are still friends, but...before that."

Qa'habi had actually seemed rather enthusiastic when he was describing his bow. Hunting was his passion, so it was natural that he would have an interest in the implements that he used. He had just finished describing the particular type of composite which was used in the construction of his own bow when Tzirret suddenly shifted the topic. He had been in the mood to explain anything about hunting, but when he suddenly asked about Ma'tanza, specifically his history with her, his attitude immediately made a turn for the worse.

Qa'habi gave Tzirret a glare, actually seeming to be rather cross towards him. There were a few moments of silence as he frowned, and shifted in place uncomfortably. "Qa'habi does not want to talk about that." He answered, quickly putting his bow away back onto his bedroll.

Qa'habi's eyes bored into Tzirret, who could not meet them with anything longer than a nervous glance. This was a bad idea. Tzirret tightened the grip on his own upper arm as he took a step back and found an answer. "Right..." Tzirret cleared his throat, staring at the ground, "It is probably more sensitive that Tzirret thought. He is sorry for bringing it up. He just...Ma'tanza said she didn't know why, this one just got curious..." Tzirret's eyes flicked up and down again, "He did not want to tread on toes."

Tzirret thought that he should probably try to change the subject, but he was so clouded by fear and shame over upsetting Qa'habi that he could not think of anything. He let silence hang in the air between them unless Qa'habi wanted to say something.

Qa'habi crossed his arms. He was not precisely hostile, but Tzirret's words had not calmed him a great deal. He stared ahead in thought, though his expression gave no clues as to what those thoughts might be. "It is a very private matter, and not something Qa'habi wants to talk about. With anyone. This one will talk about bows all you want, but he has a feeling that you were never interested at all. We should...just get back to the others. Qa'habi will not mention this to the others if you do not."

---

As expected, the ships arrived near Leyawiin the next day. It was in the afternoon, but they still had a few hours before nightfall. Colors guided the ships into a small inlet that would help to hide them, though even so, he made sure to say that it would be best not to stay for too long. Nothing he could do would keep them from detection forever. Meesei and Gallus were on the top deck, waiting for the family and the few others that were joining. Meesei had not been keen on doing anything that might extend their stay in the city, but she had eventually agreed to take only as many as could fit in a single rowboat, on the condition that they stay together and not attempt to extend their stay. She did not normally like to be so restrictive, but it was important that they finish their business in the city quickly.

Tzirret was tempted to say that Qa'habi's words had genuinely piqued his interest in bows, but he didn't see it as appropriate. Perhaps they could resume their conversation later, without hidden motives.

"This one will not speak of it again," Tzirret said guiltily. He turned to leave with a sullen posture and tension remained for the entire day.

Even with relative success in eventually convincing Gallus and Meesei to take Ma'tanza to the temple tomorrow, Tzirret chided himself for pursuing such a bad idea right up until he fell asleep that night.

---

The next day brought the ships to the forested and muddy shores near Leyawiin. This in turn brought a number of figures up onto the top deck. Under guard was the family of rescued slaves from the day that the ships were taken over. All four were slightly nervous, but smiling to see the light of day so clearly again. F'sresa, the sick daughter, was still weak and slow. Her skin was still pale if anyone looked closely enough to see under her fur. She walked hand in hand with her mother, but no doubt someone would have to carry her to Leyawiin.

Accompanying the family was Uthri, Tzirret, and Ma'tanza. Uthri and Tzirret were technically there as guards, with Ma'tanza tagging along after long and drawn out excuses by Tzirret via Gallus. Uthri and Tzirret wore leather armour and made themselves out to look like mercenaries, while Ma'tanza was sourced a simple brown robe. The weather was not as chokingly humid as the Tenmar forest, but it was still swampy and warm. The coastal wind at least gave some cool relief to their clothed bodies.

"Hmm. Perhaps we have a crowd after all," Gallus remarked with a frown. He took another look at the boat they were to use to travel to shore. "Lucky this boat is long enough for all nine of us."

It took another minute for the boat to be winched into the water, at which point Gallus looked over the edge. He turned around again with a smile, gesturing to the rope ladder leading to the water. "After you, champion," he said with a joking inflection.

Tzirret had since calmed down about his faux pas with Qa'habi and no one else seemed to find out. As a result, he was in a better mood that day. "Tzirret told you it would be fine," Tzirret said to Ma'tanza as they strode behind the family, "See? Meesei is not so bad."

Meesei climbed down first, then stayed at the base of the rope in the boat to help down the family behind her, particularly F'sresa. Ma'tanza was near the rear of the line with Tzirret as they waited for everyone in front of them to board. She did not necessarily appear afraid to be around Meesei, but she had a heightened awareness of what she was doing. Her anxiety, it seemed, had transitioned from being nervous of just being around the Champion, to being nervous of making some kind of mistake around her.

"Um, right. Of course. Ma'tanza will be fine. You are...sure that it is alright for Ma'tanza to be here, right?" She asked, just as it was their turn to climb down the ladder. They were the last to find their seats on the boat, which was crowded, but could at least accommodate them all. The trip to Leyawiin would take roughly an hour from where they currently were. Most of that time would be spent aboard the boat, which they would hide just outside the city before walking to the gates.