[center][b]Chance encounters and tavern conversations[/b][/center]
[center][i]A collab by: [@Dervish], [@POOHEAD189] and Mortarion[/i][/center]
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As the company made it's way back towards Dawnstar Tsleeixth's eyes widened in surprise when -once they were close enough- the growing tent city that had formed outside of the port town came into view. "What the....did the Kamals attacked another city." He muttered lowly, wondering if the tents belonged to refugees from another city perhaps. 

But, as they made their way through the "tent city", the truth, as uncomfortable and painful as it was, revealed itself to the Argonian spellsword as it became evident that the camp they were going through had been set by his fellow Saxhleel who had fled from Windhelm's destruction towards the safety of Dawnstar. "[i]What the....who's responsible for this.[/i]" He thought as he took in the scene that surrounded him and the rest of the group that had gone to the College of Winterhold.

He felt his teeth gritting at the miserable condition in which his fellow Argonians were, shivering as their meager dwellings and whatever clothes they had were unable to properly protect them from the cold that was still present in the land. Shaking his head in resignation, knowing that there was nothing he could do at present for his fellow Saxhleel, Tsleeixth continued trudging along with the rest of the group towards Dawnstar's stone archway.

The sight of the festivities, and the different aromas emanating from the various stalls selling sweet rolls and other assorted morsels, did nothing to ease Tsleeixth's mood, in fact the raucous behavior of the Nords and their cheery mood only worsened his own. "[i]My people are thrown out of the city, left to fend for themselves, and the Nords are throwing a festival.[/i]" He mused bitterly, even though he knew that, logically, the two events were probably unrelated to each other. 

Making his way towards the inn, Tsleeixth dropped the pack containing his belongings in the room that had been given to the company and then -without bothering to change out of his armor- made his way towards the bartender, asking for a hot meal and a strong drink that would -hopefully- give his mind a brief respite from his gloomy thoughts.

Meanwhile, another Saxhleel made his way past the Main Thoroughfare, his bow still held in one hand and his tail swaying with unreleased energy and agitation. It was the only thing about Daixanos that betrayed his inner turmoil and pent up anger. He had been resting and spending his time within his own chambers as his fellow Hist brothers and sisters had been thrown out of the city. [i]Lucky for the Dawnstar authorities[/i] he seethed within himself, then let out a calming breath. 

Now they sought to insult him once again when he decided he would like to joined the archery competition. The looks he received when he had strode up to take his position in line for the tournament had been something he was quite used to. Many saw his kind as undesirable in recent years, and fighting for your life in the wilderness numbed the pain of getting sharp looks by those whose opinions mattered little. However, one large Nord flanked by a few of his brethren had decided to take it upon themselves to question his reason for being there. 

Truth be told, Dax had no answered them. He had simply knelt down and strung his bow, not giving in to questioning he did not want or deserve. The clamor of their unacceptance rose however, to the point where the authorities had to ask Daixanos to please vacate the area for the sake of peace this day. For a small moment there, he nearly refused. His normally stoic face hardly changed, but something in his eyes bespoke that to push him further would cause violence. Reluctantly however, he agreed after thinking for another few moments.  

Now he made his way back to the Inn that had been his resting place the day previous. Now it felt more like solitary confinement. He stepped into the warm room, merry making abound. A few familiar looks (that he was growing weary of) met him, but otherwise he was mostly ignored as he strode over to the bar. To his surprise, as well as something to warm his heart and calm his mental health, he saw a fellow Saxhleel. So happy was he that he actually initiated conversation, something that was a rare occurrence indeed! "Well met, brother." as he sat down next to Tsleeixth.

Tsleeixth was surprised when someone adressed him as brother, turning to look at the person who had sat next to him he was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a Hist brother "Indeed, it's good to see you brother." He said, stretching his hands for Daixanos to shake "Please, join me, it has been a long time since I've last talked with one of our own." He said, his lips curling upwards in a smile but it quickly fell from his face as his thoughts returned to the camp that the Argonian refugees had set outside of Danwstar "Forgive me for asking but, do you know why it is that our fellow hist brothers and sisters have been cast out?" He asked Daixanos, hoping that his fellow Saxhleel would have answers for him. 

As Tsleeixth spoke, Dax held up a clawed finger to the bartender to show that he wanted his usual cup of water. The hunter shook his horned head. "It eludes me. I know that dark have been my dreams of late, for our homeland. But I admit my circumstances have kept me from sitting down and talking to a fellow Hist brother for a long time. I cannot say." 

This was probably the most he's spoken to someone earnestly in a very long time. Other than his speech the other day when he exposed the slaver for who he was, but that was passion in duty, not conversation. He let out a hissing sigh, accepted the water that was given to him, and took ginger sips. "What do you go by, friend?"

Tsleeixth almost choked on his drink when Daixanos mentioned that his dreams had been dark lately, related to their homeland, his eyes widening in shock. "You too?" He asked before he could control himself, a mixture of relief and fear at the fact that he wasn't the only one having the dreams. "[i]Then maybe Windhelm's Pakseech was right after all...[/i]" He thought to himself.

Before he could continue that line of thought Daixanos asked him what was his name, pulling him back to the present "I go by Tsleeixth, what's your name brother?" He asked, letting out a sigh of his own as he took another sip of his drink, the alcohol burning his throat slightly as he drank it. 

Dax's eyes narrowed the slightest fraction when he saw the other Argonian nearly spit out his drink. "Daixanos..." he replied, then clarified for short. "Dax. Forgive me, I've not spoken to another Hist brother in a long time, or...spoken to much anyone. And yes, I think there [i]is[/i] something afoot with our brethren, but...I know not what it is." A small low growl escaped him, from deep within his throat. Not a threatening one, just an exhalation of air that showed frustration. He took another sip of his drink to wet his whitle, then placed his cup down with an audible 'clap' noise. 

Daixano's reaction didn't go unnoticed by Tsleeixth "Forgive me brother, it's been a long time since I spoke with one of our kind...I was unsure whether or not if my dreams were truly the Hist's calling or if it was merely a product of stress, forgive my startled reaction." He apologized, nodding when Daixanos formally introduced himself and mentioned that he also thought something was afoot with the rest of their kinsmen "Yes, I agree....could the Hist really be calling to us?" He asked quietly, more to himself than to Dax, before he took another sip of his drink. A few silent moments passed as he continued drinking before a question popped into Tsleeixth's mind "What brings you to Dawnstar brother? Forgive me for asking but it seems like you too are a mercenary, correct?" Asked the Saxhleel spellsword, having noticed the bow that Dax had brought with himself to the inn. 

Dax nodded, taking another swig of that sweet sweet water, then let out a breath. "I'm a hunter, bounties and skins. It matters little. I was recently hired by a man called Ashav here in Dawnstar. I happened to find a contract from him and accepted it, and I succeeded. So he saw fit to enter me into his service. Fortune seems to be against our kind, however. I halt slavers one day, and the next, the ones I saved from a cruel fate now have the privilege of freezing to death outside the walls."

Do'Karth had noticed Tsleeixth sitting at the bar counter a bit away from where he was making small talk with Solveig, who made good on her bet from the spear throwing contest they participated in earlier. The khajiit excused himself, weaving through the crowd until he found himself beside his argonian companion, and the strange one that he was talking to. Given that the vast majority of argonians were forced out of the city, Do'Karth was surprised to see the new face. 

It was an awkward feeling, as if he were interrupting, especially since he wanted to express his gratitude towards Tsleeixth's kindness and watchful eye the past couple of weeks, something Do'Karth felt he didn't deserve. Drink in hand, he took a seat on the well-worn and aged wooden stool. "Tsleeixth, this one is pleased to see you well. Who might your friend be?"

Tsleeixth was about to speak when he saw Do'Karth approaching him, his lips curling upwards "Do'Karth, a pleasure to see you." Said the Argonian as his Khajit friend sat besides him "Ah, this is Daixanos here he was just telling me that Ashav had hired him into the company." He said to Do'Karth before turning to face Dax once again.

"Dax, this is Do'Karth he is also a member of Ashav's company, he has been with us since Windhelm's siege but I am sure that he himself could tell you more" Said the spellsword as he took a sip of his drink, letting out a sigh as he relaxed slightly. 

"Do'Karth sees. Greetings, Dax." Do'Karth said, thankful for the simplified nickname. Argonian names were hard to pronounce. "It would not surprise this one if Ashav tried to recruit the entire town. Our numbers aren't what they once were even when this one joined the company back in Windhelm." the khajiit drank slowly. "Do'Karth assumes Dax has heard of that misfortune, yes?"

The ruddy skinned Argonian turned to this newcomer, staying silent for a moment before he considered that he was a cordial party, if not ally. "I've heard rumors and whispers, but nothing concrete. I've spent most of my time in the Skyrim wilderness. Only every now and then would I make forays into Whiterun and Rorikstead." 

"Ah, it was a terrible event. The attack came from nowhere, one day in the morning we spotted the Kamal's ironclads near the docks of WIndhelm and the next we knew was that we were being bombarded by ice spikes that the Kamal ships somehow launched." Said Tsleeixth when Dax said that he had only heard rumors and whispers of the fall of Windhelm.

"Then the Kamal warriors assaulted the docks directly along with a few of their mages." He said with a sigh, taking another sip of his drink to calm his nerves as he reminisced of the events that led to Windhelm's fall "I am loathe to say it but, in hindsight, we had lost the city from the moment the siege began." Said Tsleeixth with a defeated sigh, finishing his drink shortly after "My apologies if I am scarce with the details Dax, it's not something I wish to remember much....especially since my dreams began during the siege." Finished Tsleeixth, holding his finger towards hte Bartender so that a second drink was brought for him. 

The khajiit drank steadily as Tsleeixth recounted the horrors of the siege of Windhelm. They were not pleasant memories. "There was little to be done in the face of such power. Do'Karth considers it something of a miracle anyone escaped, that we stand here that this moment." he sighed, placing his glass down. "He is concerned of the day we face them again. This one hopes we move West instead, away from all of that." he admitted, not wishing to watch the people he had come to care for perish in the most lobsided battle in an age. 

Dax absorbed the information with admirable stoicism, images of violence filtering into his mind from the descriptions Tsleeixth gave him. The Kamal had returned. It was rare to hear of them as legends in Black Marsh. To have them show up here as true threats, and to fell the city? 

Truth be told, Daixanos almost wished he had been there. His calling wasn't so rudimentary as a quiet life beside the sea as most would wish for. He grew up learning a 'kill or be killed' lifestyle from his father. Well, it wasn't quite so cut and dry. But the hunter's life was the one he had felt a calling to, and if you hunted long enough, you would eventually find your demise lies in violence. He had made peace with this long ago. 

Better to be in defense of something noble, or against an ancient foe, than to fall bleeding upon a mountainside from the lucky swipe of a Sabrecat. "I see..." he said finally. "I am...glad that each of you could make it out. I had no idea the city had actually fallen." The Argonian took the last sip of water in his jug. "Know that if they advance in this direction, or whatever threat we face, you can count on my bow and blade. I swear by the Hist." 

Tsleeixth listened as Daixanos swore upon the Hist that, no matter what threat they faced, the company could count on his bow and blade "Indeed, just as they can count on my blade and my spells no matter the threat we face." He said, echoing the same sentiment as Dax. He looked as the bartender handed him his second drink, taking a sip of the alcohol before he spoke again.

He let out as his thoughts turned towards the Kamals once more, an involuntary shiver running through his spine "It's a shame, but I think we'll end up facing against the Kamals again, it's inevitable." He said tiredly, his eyes downcast "I mean, after all we learned when we rescued the Winterhold mages it seems unlikely that's the least we've seen of them. Specially if they are targeting Black Marsh as well." 

"A significant amount of the argonians in Windhelm rioted, wanting to return to Black Marsh to fight the Akaviri there. Tsleexith convinced them otherwise. It was an impressive feat." Do'Karth interjected.

Dax looked between the two, and then nodded in approval towards his fellow Argonian. He had not expected to hear such a feat had been done. Though in his heart, he wondered if it wouldn't have been better for them to have returned home. 

Tsleeixth shifted awkwardly when Do'Karth praised him for stopping the Argonian riot in WIndhelm, a feeling which only intensified when Dax nodded in approval "I just did what I thought was best, if they tried to leave mid-siege the Kamals would have butchered or enslaved them." He said with a sigh, taking another sip from his drink "How did you hear about that Do'Karth? As far as I knew only Sagax and a guard that was with him saw me talk to Windhelm's Pakseech." He asked to his Khajit friend. 


"Word travels. You do not stay in an encampment of a tight-knit company without certain individuals speaking of it." The khajiit replied, smiling behind his glass. "Besides, one hour, Do'Karth is fighting the rioting argonians and dunmer, the next they announce they will travel with us. Some might wonder how that came to be, no?"

"Ah, yes, well, I suppose that is true." Said Tsleeixth, letting out a soft chuckle. They stayed chatting up for a few more minutes but, eventually, Do'Karth excused himself and left the tavern to join the festival that was going on at the moment, shortly afterwards Dax also bid him goodbye -mentioning that he had to go and talk with Ashav- leaving Tsleeixth alone in the inn who, draining what remained of his drink in one gulp, left the inn as well since he had no other reason for staying there.