[i]Afternoon, 21st of Last Seed, 4E208 Docks Marketplace, Anvil[/i] [i][sub][@Mortarion] & [@DearTrickster] Collab[/sub][/i] [hr] Jaraleet had been wandering throughout the streets of Anvil when a commotion at what seemed to be a nearby marketplace drew him in. The main reason that the commotion had caught the attention of the assassin had been because he had heard mutters about the Imperial City and its fall at the hands of the Dwemer. Pushing his way past the crowd of onlookers that had gathered, Jaraleet was surprised to find that Judena Callisar was at the center of the heated discussion. Without so much as a word, the Haj-Eix made his way towards where the elder Argonian was and placed a hand on one of her shoulder. “What’s the matter Judena?” He asked after a split second, turning his face to look at the man in front of his companion. “I heard some mutterings about the Imperial City and the raid amongst the crowd that gathered so I came to check what was going on, but I didn’t imagine you’d be at the center.” Judena’s argument with Brant had escalated, more yelling more insults thrown around. Her focus was on him still, the fake dwemer remains of a mace being tugged back and forth between them. She hardly paid Jaraleet’s arrival much attention. “Horrible! You should feel horrible for tricking people!” She shouted at Brant, she pulled harder on the mace. Brant snarled, “Fine! Then you can have the piece of junk! Get out of my sight you swamp heathen!” He abruptly let it go watching Judena stumble backwards directly into Jaraleet. He caught and balanced her. She threw the mace to the ground, “Call me swamp anything again, sir, and I will-” Jaraleet had watched as the argument between Judena and Brant, his words to the elder Argonian seemingly unheard by the latter as her focus seemed entirely turned towards her discussion with the merchant. As the argument continued to grow in intensity, Jaraleet’s anger began to grow in tandem with Jude’s own temper and the hands of the Haj-Eix quietly hovered towards the pommel of his sword. However, when Judena stumbled backwards any thought of his weapons were gone as Jaraleet reacted instinctively and catched the other Saxhleel before she could fall to the ground. He held Judena until he was sure that she wouldn’t fall and then let go of her, his eyes turning to the merchant. “I’d recommend that you apologize to her.” The assassin said in a low, cold, tone of voice to the Imperial man in front of him, taking a step away from Judena and towards Brant. “And in case you thought anything else, that’s not really a suggestion…” Brant crossed his arms and sniffed, “No.” Conveying a deeply troubling amount of condescension in a singular word. Had Judena not been as angry as she was, it’s a quirk she would have admired. It was an impressive feat. However, taking the extra beat to acknowledge Jaraleet. Her fellow argonian travelling companion was taking this far more seriously than she expected. He was a proud and far more traditionally minded argonian warrior than Judena ever considered herself, warrior or not. They had spent time a little time relishing the chance to converse in Jel. She spoke Jel to him now, “[i]He is selling fake dwemer pieces he claims he salvaged from the Imperial City! It’s absolutely horrendous, I hate how he’s muddied the market and when everyone is in certain need to understand the dwemer now more than ever. This garbage is slowing down genuine examination of our foes![/i]” She threw a hand at Brant who scowled, Jude’s ‘beard’ had begun to deflate some, speaking with Jaraleet. “Speak the common tongue you beast!” Her ‘beard’ expanded again, darkening as she grew angry once more, she hissed in Brant’s face. “Quiet! I am not leaving until you pack up your shop and leave!” “You and the other lizard are going to make me do nothing!” “I am sure the guards would love to hear of your extortion!” She declared. The crowd of shoppers rumbled in agreement. The merchants scoffed. Jaraleet nodded in response to what Jude had said to him in Jel before turning to look at Brant once again. “I wouldn’t call us beasts again, unless you want to see me truly angry merchant.” The Haj-Eix said, his tone venomous, as he took yet another step towards the merchant. He fell silent as Jude began talking to the merchant once again, but let out a smirk when his fellow Argonian mentioned the guards. “Oh yes, I’m quite certain that the guards would be happy to hear all about where you got these.” The assassin said, gesturing towards the stand where Brant was peddling his Dwemer ‘artifacts’. “Think about it, what do you think will happen if the guards hear about this? They’ll either want to hear where, and how, you got all of your so-called artifacts. After all, I think the guards, and indeed the Imperial Legions themselves, would love to be able to get their hands on dwemeri artifacts.” He continued on, taking yet another step towards the merchant. “And what do you think will happen once they learn that you are just a two-bit charlatan peddling junk, huh? Give you a pat in the back and let you go after a night in the prison cells? Now that the Empire is at war with the Dwemer?” The assassin asked again, crossing his arms and glaring at Brant. “Tell me merchant, what do you think will happen?” “They won’t believe your word over mine, lizard. I’ve been selling in these markets for years, like they’ll believe some filthy refugees over good ole Brant. I dare you.” He pointed to the guards. “I’ll do you one better for making these threats, I’ll call them over myself and get the pair of you hauled right out the front gates!” The crowd around them quieted even the shoppers looked nervous, some dispersing at the first hearsay of guards being brought in. The merchants around Brant patted him on the back. Judena deflated a bit at that. Brant smugly aware of how the mood shifted so easily. “It is [i]wrong[/i].” She said, patting Jaraleet a silent signal to take a step back. Her ‘beard’ deflated further - as upset as she was. “If you are willing to get us kicked out of the city instead of seeing reason then… this will be where this ends.” Rolling over the words a small measure of bitterness. “Word of mouth, regardless of reputation will see to the end of your terrible business.” She warned solemnly. “Mark my words.” Judena no longer saw logic in escalating further at risk of getting booted out of the city over something of this nature. While the Empire aimed to fairly rule and peacefully coexist with other Tamrielic provinces, Argonians often fought a losing battle to be taken seriously in the eyes of the Imperial Legion. Evidence apparent or not. In Jel she said, “[i]A firm reminder our voices don’t matter outside Argonia, whatever the case may be. I don’t want to gamble.[/i]” Jaraleet did as Jude signaled when she patted his back, falling silent as the elder Argonian spoke. He let out a soft sigh when she said that this would be were their discussion would end. “[i]You are right Jude. There’s no sense in continuing this discussion, hopefully your words will come true and this pig will get his comeuppance eventually.[/i]” The Haj-Eix replied in their native tongue, glaring at Brant before he turned back to Judena. “Let's leave this place.” He said softly, switching back to Cyrodiilic, and began walking out of the marketplace, sure that Jude would follow him. She shot one nasty glare over her shoulder at Brant then left, she trudged behind him. Feeling drained now more than ever. The journey truly had taken it’s toll on her, so rarely did she lose her temper over anything. Would she have gained more had she been reasonable instead of lashing out? Could she have quietly gone to the guards and made her case? Oh, it was such a regrettable choice to make. Nothing came of it. In Jel she lamented. Her ‘beard’ now flat against her neck. “[i]Oh Jaraleet, I have truly made a fool of myself with that display. I can’t remember what I was thinking, what drove me to pick a fight like that. Please don’t think less of me for such a terrible decision.[/i]” “[i]I can debate with the worst of the closed minded mages and historians but never have I lost my temper like that. Not for a very long time.[/i]” She shook her head, “[i]Thank you for supporting my stance, as ridiculous as it was.[/i]” “[i]There’s no need to apologize, nor lament, for what you did Jude.”[/i] Jaraleet responded softly in response to the elder Argonian’s words, turning to face her as he spoke. “[i]You did the right thing by calling attention to that….that rat’s attempt at profiting from this crisis. Mark my words, he will eventually pay for his crime, be it at the hands of the populace or at the hands of the drykillers he was so sure would side with him.[/i].” The assassin said, shaking his head before letting a soft sigh. “[i]Why are the humans like this….[/i]” The younger Argonian said, shaking his head slightly. “[i]I know not all humans are like this merchant, but I can’t help but bristle at the sight of such behavior. Things like these wouldn’t happen in our home.[/i]” Judena regarded him, rubbing the receding paint between her fingers. It pushed her own thoughts into something more substantial, larger. In a way, Jude - like so many Argonians before her, including Jaraleet - had a difficult time understand what others saw in them as a people, as a species. “[i]Ah, my youthful companion. You are letting your homesickness colour your bias. We might have a voice in Argonia but we aren’t that different from men and mer.[/i]” She gently chided. “[i]Which is why the divide is frustrating. We are seen as ‘lesser’ but culture and history shows we have far more in common.[/i]” “[i]I suppose that is the truth, we are more alike to them than they’d like to admit.[/i]” Jaraleet replied with a sigh. “[i]And yet, I can’t help but feel that behavior such as that one wouldn’t happen in our homeland. During a crisis such as this one the Hist would have united us against our common foe, as it did during the Oblivion Crisis. I doubt that one of our own would be making a fortune off of the rest of us in a situation like this one, but maybe I’m just being an idealistic fool.[/i]” He said, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle at his last remark. Gently squeezing his shoulder Judena said, trying to comfort, “[i]It’s never foolish to hope for better, to have expectations for better. We as a people will face these challenges well past the time you and I have lived and died. We must deal with these conflicts as the water does. Change and move past these obstacles whether it be a tree or a rock.[/i]” She swept a hand past the horizon, mimicking the flow of water. The sunlight reflecting in her golden eyes, warming the dullness of her ruby scales. “[i]We change as is the nature of which we are born, Jaraleet. From the pools at the base of the Hist we are born and destined to return to.[/i]” That thought alone helped ground the likes of Judena, center her perspective in the grander scheme of their situation. They simply had to move. “[i]Unlike so many others, we know where we stand.[/i]” “[i]Please, for me, do not lose that foolish hope. This is only one day of many.[/i]” She came to a stop standing in front of Jaraleet, hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye. “[i]Your words carry great wisdom Judena, it is easy to forget that we know where we stand while the other races of Tamriel do not.[/i]” The assassin said, feeling guilt welling up in his chest as Jude asked him to not lose his foolish hope and his throat tightening with it. “[i]I...I won’t, I promise Jude.[/i]” He replied after a few seconds of silence, taking Judena’s hands and giving them a light squeeze so as to reassure her. Giving him a big gum smile, she felt the sourness of the argument earlier begin to dissipate. She switched knowingly back to Cyrodilic, “If I do not remember then this will.” She patted her shirt where her logbook sat, snug and secure. “It is wisdom that I need to remind myself of. It is easy to believe you are the rock when really we are just apart of the stream.” Taking a deep breath in through her nose, puffing up her chest, she held it for a few seconds before exhaling. “Once again, your words carry great wisdom Judena.” Jaraleet said, bowing his head slightly in deference to the older Argonian. “It is all too easy to believe oneself the center of things when we are merely just another part of a great whole.” He continued on, smiling back towards Jude. “Thank you for reminding me of that.” The assassin said. “Come, let us leave this place, what do you say?” Jaraleet asked, motioning for them to continue walking away from the marketplace.