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

[Muttonhawk]

As Sabine slid to the floor up against Peiter, she felt as if there was no reason to be anything but honest to Ciinriel. "Only two days," she answered plainly, before looking up at Peiter's face, "But I think it began before then." Sabine closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, "Peiter was nervous." She began to laugh breathlessly, "You still are nervous, sometimes, Peiter."

Janius grinned knowingly, "You've found a competitive spirit in you." He gave a chuckle, "Now you know how Lorag, Ahnasha, and Fendros get motivated to train." Janius' grin lowered to a smaller smile, "That said, these are just sailors. Ra'kalesh looks to be a very experienced fighter; he'll be stronger and likely know how to use your strength against you. How do you think you'll handle him?"

[EliteCommander]

"I'm nervous? No, you're the nervous one." Peiter responded, chuckling. "Everything I did was just a, uh, cunning plan. To get you to realize how much you liked me. There's no fear here."

While Peiter was looking at Sabine with a prideful smile, Ciinriel put on a mischievous one. From where she was laying nearby, she was able to give Peiter a light kick to his side. While not particularly painful, it startled him enough to cause him to jump and fall onto Sabine. Ciinriel raised her head slightly to look at the others and started to laugh. "You're a...fearless knight, Peiter. An inspiration." She said sarcastically.

"I don't think it's competitiveness, really." Kaleeth mused. "It's...something else."

Kaleeth looked over towards the crowd at Ra'kalesh, as if to size him up. As a werelion, he would probably be stronger than her last opponent, but he still wouldn't be able to challenge her directly in a contest of strength. However, she knew little else about him, or what he could do. She remembered that he used to be a monk, though she had no real idea of who the "Whispering Fang" actually were. "I don't know much of what he can do really, but I think I'll be fine. If I have trouble, I can just grab him like the others."

Soon enough, the current fight ended, and while the bets were being paid out, Ra'kalesh walked back over to Janius and Kaleeth. "Ra'kalesh asked the one in charge, and he agreed to allow us to fight. No one from our group will be allowed to bet on the fight, however. This one believes he fears that one of us could throw the fight for easy coin. Regardless, we are next."

Kaleeth stood up and smiled as she looked to Janius. "Wish me luck."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine didn't believe a word from Peiter, and it showed on her own smile before he suddenly jolted onto her. She brought up her arms reflexively, trapping her hands between herself and Peiter's collarbone, but soon enough was laughing along with Ciinriel. Sabine hadn't even stopped laughing before she brought her head forward and gave Peiter a quick kiss on the nose. She probably would have kissed him properly had she not wanted to leave Ciinriel awkwardly sitting around.

Although, the thought gave Sabine an idea. She craned her head to the still prone young Wood Elf and spoke in a jokingly chiding tone for kicking Peiter, "Ciinriel, do you need to be carried to your hammock as well?"

Not knowing how Ra'kalesh fought, Janius couldn't rightly give much advice to Kaleeth. It was just as well that he couldn't make another bet, as this time his confidence in Kaleeth's victory was not as certain. He just stood up with her and gave her hand a squeeze as she walked off. "Good luck, love," he said, still with a smile.

With the fight set up, Janius joined Colours and Fendros by the ring again. Kaleeth might not win this time, but whatever humbles her would be an impressive sight regardless. Janius only hoped that Kaleeth's beast-spirit-exacerbated temper would not flare if she did not do well.

[EliteCommander]

Ciinriel quickly shook her head. "No, no, I'm fine. I'm fine." She began as she slowly started to lift herself up off the ground. Shakily, she brought herself to her feet with her arms held out wide to help steady herself. She struggled to walk with the movements of the ship, but did manage to make it over to her hammock nearby. However, actually sitting down in it was another matter entirely. She tried unsuccessfully to steady it with her arms as she tried to sit down, so the moment she lifted her feet off of the floor, she accidentally ended up spinning the hammock and falling onto the floor underneath it. Her pillow fell on top of her, which she promptly grabbed and placed under her head. "That was...intentional." She said.

Peiter did not attempt to get back up and instead simply remained right where he was, wrapping his arms around Sabine. With Ciinriel's display, he simply could not stop himself from laughing.

Just like the previous fights, Kaleeth and Ra'kalesh took their positions, then the word was given to begin. Much like the Suthay-raht crew member, Ra'kalesh did not attack first. Instead, he slowly stepped forward while eyeing down Kaleeth. He did not have the same kind of obvious overconfidence as her previous opponent. In fact, it was hard to judge how he felt at all. He was like Meesei in his unemotional approach to combat.

Kaleeth was the first to attempt to strike, but Ra'kalesh's reversal was quick and precise. She punched toward his jaw, prompting him not to block, but to knock her arm to the side with his own forearm, as if he were parrying a blade. With his other hand, he delivered a strike quicker than any the Altmer had attempted. He struck at her ribs on the same side of her body which she was using to punch, making it all the more difficult for her to block. He landed an open-palmed strike exactly on one of her pressure points, causing her to yell as she was pushed back.

Ra'kalesh did not stop once he had the momentum. Kaleeth did manage to raise her guard to protect herself, but her opponent knew precisely how to bypass it. He swung wide to hit her slightly from the side, chopping his hand down on the inside of her elbow. This caused her arm to curl up reflexively, allowing him to land a clean punch on her snout. Kaleeth, in addition to her strength, had an abundance of endurance, so she charged forward swinging, intent on breaking his guard through sheer force. Unfortunately, Ra'kalesh was just as agile on defense as offense. His footwork was impeccable, and with how much she was telegraphing her strikes, he could easily move his upper body out of the way so that her punches hit nothing but air. Whenever she would miss a swing, he would take the opportunity to land another blow, usually on a pressure point. What Kaleeth did not know was that the Whispering Fang was a martial arts style, and Ra'kalesh had trained in it for years. His abilities served to highlight what was perhaps Kaleeth's greatest weakness in combat: agility.

[Muttonhawk]

When Ciinriel fell out of her hammock in the process of trying to get into it, Sabine craned her neck to see if she was alright at first. With her comment, it sounded like Ciinriel was okay, causing Sabine to begin giggling involuntarily at the event, joining in Peiter's mirth.

When her laughing died down, Sabine still wore a wide smile as her eyes found Peiter's. She shifted so that she could get her arms free and wrap them around Peiter as he had done around her. "...Hello," she murmured, her face still red from intoxication.

Before today, Janius had not seen a proper hand-to-hand martial artist in action. Everyone else was brawlers. All the sailors, Kaleeth as well, they were brawlers. This Khajiit was something entirely different. He moved like water, but never fell. Savage blows were rendered harmless towards him. Janius had thought that Kaleeth would have at least landed a few blows on Ra'kalesh, but he was making her look like a child. Janius was actually stunned to silence by Ra'kalesh's movements.

For lack of any better advice, Janius called out, "Balance, Kaleeth! This one is like a swordsman!"

[EliteCommander]

"Hello." Peiter repeated. He was not sure if Ciinriel was still paying attention, but at the moment, his own attention had been taken elsewhere. He smiled and brought one hand up to her cheek. "I always love...falling into the arms of a beautiful woman." He said before giving her a kiss, properly this time. Of course, as the bottom deck was quite open, other members of their packs were still around, but Peiter had forgotten about that detail for the moment.

For Kaleeth, it was one thing to know how Ra'kalesh fought, but another entirely to actually counter it. She simply couldn't seem to hit him; he was just too quick. Her powerful strikes were either knocked away, or dodged entirely. The crowd, having seen Kaleeth fight previously, were on the edge of their proverbial seats watching Ra'kalesh. Although, thanks to Kaleeth's prior performance, many of them had placed their bets on her.

When swordfighting, much of her strategy revolved around overpowering her foe. If her opponent had a strong defense, she would use her shield to break it. She did not have her shield here, but she could try something along the same lines. She could run at him with her guard raised and try to knock him over and get him into a grapple. Even with his training, she might still be able to overpower him if she could just get a hold of him.

Kaleeth charged with her arms raised to protect her head and upper torso. She saw him start to move to the side, so she corrected her course, but much to her surprise, he was actually able to dash back in the other direction far quicker than she could correct. As she was running past, Ra'kalesh quickly grabbed one of her arms, put his other hand on her shoulder, then used her own momentum to bend back her arm. He was careful not to bend it to the point of breaking, but she did scream out in pain. Knowing that he could not hold her in one place for long, Ra'kalesh followed up by delivering an open-palmed strike to the center of her back while sweeping her legs with his, knocking her flat onto the deck. He intended to keep her down, but since he could not do it by grabbing her, he stood close and, when she tried to stand, struck her down once more.

Kaleeth was not going to be knocked out of the fight by a grab like her opponents, but at this point, she could not even stand to fight without being knocked back down. Her body ached, but she did not know if she should give up.

[Muttonhawk]

"How did he do that!?" Fendros exclaimed with a hand at his forehead.

Janius didn't have an answer, he didn't have any words at all. He began to bite on a joint on his forefinger nervously. This monk, Ra'kalesh, there didn't seem to be a clear counter to him. Every approach Kaleeth had was failing. Still, Janius knew that Kaleeth wasn't going to lose by a grappled submission, not with her strength advantage. That would mean that Ra'kalesh would keep beating her until she gave up. Given how furiously she fought, that might take too long. Janius kept watching, but was wary of Kaleeth's limits. If it seemed she was getting nowhere but more pain, he would call out to suggest that she yield. Too much pain and anger would make it difficult to hold back her beast form. The best Janius could hope for was for Kaleeth to come up with a more creative approach than he could ever think of.

Though a day or two later than he intended to leave it, Gallus finished his bland lunch and went to look for Ahnasha. He tried the top deck at first and was surprised to not find her with Fendros, but that meant she was probably watching the children. Gallus proceeded below deck and gave an amused look at the youths sprawled about in various effects. The smell and the idle empty bottle was clue enough to their activity. Tzirret was snoring loudly through his nose and had a leg hanging out of his hammock, Ciinriel had given up on the hammock and was sleeping on the floor below it, and Peiter and Sabine were far from sleeping by the looks.

After just being in the sun, Gallus couldn't see much deeper into the dark room. "Ahnasha, are you here?" He asked. If she wasn't around, he would look around further until he found her.

Sabine had her eyes closed and was blissfully enjoying Peiter's kiss and embrace when she heard Gallus' voice. Her eyes shot open and she tapped Peiter to bring his attention to it. The embarrassment only turned into more drunken laughter, however.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth brought herself up to her hands and knees, but did not even attempt to stand. Ra'kalesh stood close, waiting for her to do something. It seemed he was not interested in kicking her while she was down, literally or metaphorically. He just stood, waiting to see if she would continue to resist. With how many attempts she had given, however, Kaleeth felt it was hopeless. He was trained in a way of fighting that she had never even seen before, and she had no clue how to effectively resist.

Kaleeth coughed a few times as she looked up to Ra'kalesh. "I give up. I can't do it; I can't fight anymore." She announced in resignation. With the end of the fight, there was a combination of cheers and groans from the crowd, depending on whom they had placed their bets. Ra'kalesh helped Kaleeth up to her feet and gave an encouraging smile.

"You show great promise, Kaleeth-Rei. You just need guidance in some areas you have not yet addressed." Ra'kalesh said.

Kaleeth still seemed to have some shame from her defeat, but she nodded nevertheless. "Thank you. I...need to sit down."

While Ra'kalesh went to collect his winnings, Kaleeth walked over to the railing near Janius and Fendros and sat down, holding her hand over her side.

After he stopped laughing, Peiter looked around the bottom deck at the other members of their packs, and a few from the pride, who were still very much present. He did not move immediately, but he did reluctantly stop kissing Sabine. Instead, he pressed his forehead against hers as he stared into her eyes. "This isn't very...private, is it? There has to be somewhere quiet on this ship, though."

"no, Rhazii, get off of him! You're too big for that." Ahnasha exclaimed. She was on the bottom deck, sitting in her hammock with her legs hanging off the side while she watched over Newt and Rhazii. They had a tendency to start roughhousing when they played together, as was to be expected from young boys. Unfortunately, the older Cathay was too much for Rhazii, so she had to keep him under control when he became too rough. She heard her voice called out from the other side of the room, though she had been too distracted to tell at first who had shouted it. "What? Yes, I'm here." She answered.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius breathed a sigh of relief when Kaleeth yielded. He didn't rightly know how belligerent she would be, but he was thankful that she was lucid enough to know when she didn't have a chance. Janius sat down beside Kaleeth and shook his head, still bewildered. "That was a surprise. I've never seen someone move like that in a fist fight," Janius' eyes went from Ra'kalesh to Kaleeth, glancing at where she was holding onto her side, "Are you okay?"

"Hmm..." Sabine curled her lips as she stared back at Peiter, considering something. She was so drunk that her judgement was as clouded as it was ever going to be, but ironically, she was getting nervously close to her own boundaries. "Can we cuddle in the hammock again?" She murmured.

Rhazii and Newt were both laughing and shrieking in pain and fun in equal measure as they wrestled one another, but upon chiding from his mother, Rhazii's ears drooped and he let Newt get back up from under him. Instead they tried a game where Rhazii was on all fours and Newt would ride on his back, but that would probably be put to a stop as soon as either of them lost their balance.

Gallus put his palm up to head to shade his eyes as he carefully moved towards Ahnasha's voice. He gave Peiter and Sabine no more attention, but he picked up the unattended bottle and scooped up the cards into his pocket quickly so they wouldn't be tripped over. Once he reached Ahnasha, he leaned against the thick netting supporting her hammock with one hand, "Greeting, Ahnasha." Gallus spoke quietly enough that he didn't disturb anyone nearby, "I was wondering if you had time to chat? It's about Irenya." While he spoke, Gallus curiously brought the bottle he had picked up close to his nostrils. A quick whiff was all he needed to scrunch up his face momentarily.

If Irenya was in the room as well, Gallus would probably resolve to find a spot out of the way to talk with Ahnasha before getting the two face to face.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth groaned. Her nose was bleeding, and she had bruises all over. Not to mention, she was as sore as one would expect for someone who had been through three consecutive fist fights. "I...might regret this later, but I still don't right now. It was satisfying to the other part of me, I think it beat the frustration out of it." She said with a smile, which quickly diminished once she realized the act of smiling caused her pain. "I think I want to go lay down, though. Maybe Meesei or Irenya could look at me, ease the soreness. Could you help me to my hammock?"

Peiter smiled. "Okay." He answered. "It's not private, but it's a bit out of the way, kind of."

It was a joint effort for the pair to get to their feet and walk over to their hammock, and an even greater challenge for them both to balance themselves in it without tipping it over. After at least five solid minutes worth of attempts, however, they both managed to lay down together within the hammock. He wrapped his arms around her as usual, but after giving another glance around the room, he hazarded another kiss.

Ahnasha raised her brow at Gallus and looked briefly around the room for a moment before leaning in closer to him. "Yeah, I can talk, but I do need to keep an eye on Rhazii and Newt, so keep that in mind. What is it about? Has Irenya said something?" She asked curiously, but in a rather serious tone. Given what had happened between them before, Ahnasha did not expect that anything involving her and Irenya specifically could be good.

[Muttonhawk]

"Of course," Janius responded, returning Kaleeth's smile and standing her up. They carefully made their way below deck, Janius helping with Kaleeth's balance. By the way she was, Kaleeth didn't seem gravely wounded, but then again Janius was not a healer. "Now I have to find some way to entertain myself on this ship. You just hit a prize of fun if they let you fight some more," Janius laughed, "Perhaps I should try it out some time."

Gallus tried to ignore the struggling and giggling of Peiter and Sabine on the other end of the room as he spoke with Ahnasha. He took on a candid tone to approach the issue with no judgement, "Well, she and I had a talk a couple of days ago about that little disagreement in Senchal, back when we landed. I had meant to deal with this earlier, but...as you know, there were some distractions. Anyway, I'm not going to force either of you to apologise, I would just like to clear the air with what was and wasn't said." Gallus angled his head to one side, "Starting off, what do you think of Irenya as a person? Be completely honest."

When they finally climbed into the hammock together and found a stable position to be in each others arms, Sabine didn't hesitate to return Peiter's kiss in full. Though, however close they were in a physical sense, she brushed away any wandering hands.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth smiled, more slowly and cautiously this time. "Hopefully so. They lost a lot of bets on me, but they know I can fight now. I'm going to need to rest for a while, though. I'm sure we can find other ways to pass the time, though. Maybe I can convince Ra'kalesh to teach me something?" She commented.

Once back at her hammock, Kaleeth went ahead and undressed herself before laying down. No one from the crew was yet to actually come down to the bottom deck, so it did not seem as if it would matter. Now that she had a chance to look herself over, she could see that she had taken more hits than she thought. Obviously, she had cuts and bruises spread across her head and torso. Both her knees and elbows had a few scrapes, and the back of her forearm was particularly bruised. She knew she had been hit a few times on her back, and assumed it was bruised as well. Regardless, she let out a relieved sigh once she was finally able to lay down. "Do you think you could get Meesei or Irenya? I will be fine, but it would be nice not to be so sore."

Ahnasha let out a sigh, not sure how much she should say. Irenya was a member of Gallus' pack, and likely a friend, but she decided not to hold back. "I think I've had to deal with bigots before. Dunmer, Altmer, Argonian, doesn't really matter what they are. They all share that same attitude. Irenya is...different somehow. There is something unusual about her, but she's not far off from what I've seen before. I think that I'm willing to get along with just about anyone, as long as they're willing to get along with me. But if they're not, then I'm not just going to sit and take it. Especially if it's coming from my own allies."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius grinned, "I don't think any of us would mind being taught some tricks by Ra'kalesh. You ought to ask him, though."

Though Janius had seen Kaleeth in worse states, her wounds did look painful. It was a good thing she was a lycan, let alone that she had healers to help her, else she would have been feeling her bruises for the entire voyage and then some. As soon as Kaleeth was settled, Janius stepped back from the hammock and and turned around, "Sure, I'll go get someone to look at you."

With that, Janius traversed the lower deck in search of either Meesei or Irenya, also catching his eyes on the drunk teens, including the writhing hammock. Janius mumbled to himself as he passed, "At least they're having fun..."

While Ahnasha explained, Gallus listened attentively and nodded in understanding. He paused only for a moment to smile and nod in silent greeting to Janius as he passed. Once Ahnasha finished, Gallus shifted his weight slightly and looked away, pondering. "That is all fair. There is nothing I would object about what you say. There are bigots, you shouldn't have to stand by and tolerate their behaviour." Gallus looked to Ahnasha again, "Irenya, though, I think I can give some insight into. Although she may or may not admit as much to varying levels...she's prideful, she's traditional, she seems very set in her ways. That said, she's patient. That's why she took so long to give any hints about how she felt towards you, Fendros, and Rhazii. What does she feel, exactly? Well..." Gallus looked up at the rafters and twisted his mouth, "...I can't speak for her exactly, but I can tell you that the root of her discomfort comes less from you and more from Fendros. Dunmer, as Fendros or others probably would have told you, are culturally very insular." Gallus took on bored inflections and moved his head from side to side, as though he was recapping something they both knew, "They have a big attachment to their families and ancestors, and...that a relatively young Dunmer would forsake that to marry another race...you see where this is, and that there may be hypocrisy - I did ask her about that." Near the end of his sentence, Gallus gestured forward with the bottle he held.

Gallus then lowered the bottle and took a long blink and a diplomatic tone, "Look, what I am trying to say is, you two do not have to agree with each other on how lives should be lived...but! Irenya has expressed to me that it is not going to get in the way of treating you or anyone else like a member of the team for the sake of the mission and everyone's safety. I would like to know it goes without saying that you have the same attitude?" Gallus looked at Ahnasha for confirmation. This wasn't going to be the end of the conversation, but he needed to deal with the important part first.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha leaned back in her hammock with her arms crossed and her expression firm. Irenya's problem did not seem to be too different from what she had expected. While it was not the worst example she had seen, it still offended her. Nevertheless, she did not expect to just be able to change the mind of someone like Irenya. "I can tell you that, in combat, my one and only concern in killing my enemy while protecting my allies. I can tell you that completing this task for Hircine comes before any thoughts I might have on Irenya. But, I am not going to tolerate any displays of bigotry. If she treats myself, Fendros, and my son just as she does everyone else, then there will not be a problem. If she gives Meesei the respect she deserves, then there will not be a problem. But let me be clear that 'treating us the same' does not mean leaving every time I approach. It does not mean avoiding me unless she absolutely has to. She does not have to like me, but I expect to be treated with respect. I expect her to be willing to talk to me, politely. If she can do that, then there will be no more arguments among us." Ahnasha explained.

Leaning forward once more, Ahnasha's expression became curious. "And, if I may ask, Gallus, what is your perspective on this whole situation?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Myself? Ah, well..." Gallus looked to a nearby wall and let out an uneasy laugh. "I come to this with the perspective of a pack leader, Ahnasha. My mandate is for our team to cooperate, to...prevent friction from stopping us, that is all." Gallus was careful not to take a side in his answer, though that wouldn't stop Ahnasha from forcing the issue.

Gallus returned to his casual posture and looked to Ahnasha with a smile, "Anyway, from what I am hearing, you would be willing to reach out and be respectful if she would, and that is fantastic!" Gallus took a breath and his smile shrank, "Ah, but, how do we make Irenya reach out? Hmm..." Gallus put a hand to his chin and began tapping his lips thoughtfully, "I will have to have a good, long think about that. If you have any ideas, do not hesitate to voice them, or simply act of your own initiative, it makes little difference."

Gallus eyed Rhazii and Newt for a few moments, then closed his eyes and shook his head. Even though Irenya had the capacity to be gentle as a healer, he doubted that Ahnasha would allow her to be alone with them. Every other avenue was difficult as there wasn't much to do on the ship and he couldn't spot any common ground between Ahnasha and Irenya.

"While I am here, Ahnasha, is there anything you would have me do about all this?" Gallus asked.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha seemed unimpressed with Gallus' answer. She did not exactly give him an angry glare, but her gaze certainly was not an approving one. She sighed and thought for a moment about how to handle him. "Yes...I think there is. I think what I want you to do is to figure out where you actually stand in all of this. You're not going to be able to just stand back and give...political answers to both of us to stay out of it. You're going to have to take a stand at some point. Honestly, I don't think you really understand where I'm coming from. If you did, there wouldn't even be a hint of neutrality in your words. You haven't experienced the same things I have; you aren't of a people who have been the victims of this sort of hatred for more years than you could count. It might not stay that way, though. We're in the Dominion now, Gallus. I'm curious how many times it will take of you running across a Thalmor, or one of their sympathizers. How many times will you have to be berated by someone proclaiming how men exist to serve elves and all that nonsense before you're willing to take a stand? So yes, what I want you to do is to take some time and really think about who you are, because you're going to have to decide on that very soon, I'll wager."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus moved his head to the hand that was holding onto the netting so he could itch his temple. He stood paused and carefully mulling over his response. It would be very easy to get cross at Ahnasha for being so presumptuous and absolute, but she wasn't wrong on all counts.

"You know...Ahnasha, you're right. I'm not a Khajiit or an Argonian, I may not even be considered a proper Imperial citizen, given that I was born and raised amongst the clan. I can't know your experiences any more than I could know Irenya's. But I'm still responsible for this, and..." Gallus cut off a brewing tirade that would have only served to anger Ahnasha properly, "...Actually, I think we will speak of myself only when it's relevant."

Gallus was about to turn around and possibly end the conversation there, but he stopped with a thought. Maybe he was being to indirect. "Ahnasha, if I were to bring you and Irenya together for a respectful talk, right now, what would you want out of her?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha huffed. "What I would want out of her? I could tell you plenty of things that I would want out of her, but I think most of those would only occur in the realms of fantasy. But what I would expect from someone willing to cooperate is proper respect. I would want her to agree to treat myself and Fendros just as everyone else. I expect her to no longer avoid us in the so painfully obvious way she does now. She should be willing to speak to us when it is appropriate, not just when absolutely necessary. Basically, I want her to stop treating us like a plague to be avoided, if that makes sense. It would be nice if she would acknowledge that Fendros and myself have the right to live our lives however we please, but I know if she said that, it would probably just be a lie."

Ahnasha stood up to stretch her legs. Her entire body seemed to become tense the more she thought about Irenya. "If you really want to do this, make sure to go get Fendros, and find Kaleeth or Janius to see if they'll watch the children."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus wasn't exactly confident that this method would work, but he gave Ahnasha a thankful smile all the same. He lowered his arms and stood up straight with a nod, "I'll make the arrangements."

It wasn't too hard to find Fendros within the next minute. He was headed down below decks anyway after losing some of his winnings on the following fist fight. He wanted to quit while he was ahead, unlike Sees-No-Colours. Gallus requested that he seek out Ahnasha, but did not go into details before searching for Janius and Irenya. Janius was found next, as he was below decks as well.

When Fendros reached Ahnasha, his purse was a little bulkier than before, but he seemed confused. He approached Ahnasha and scratched at the back of his head. "Gallus said to find you. What's going on?"

When Gallus finally found Irenya, he decided to approach with small talk and possibly gauge her disposition. Irenya was probably receptive to this by now. "Good day, Irenya. How are you?" he asked with a neutral tone.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha had a few minutes to calm down before Fendros made his way down to the bottom deck. She watched the children continue to play, blissfully unaware of troubles around them. Or, perhaps they did notice, and simply preferred to focus on their own amusements. Either way, Ahnasha much preferred to keep them away from the conversation to come. When Fendros approached, she let out a sigh. "Gallus thinks its time for us to talk with Irenya. Or, well, he wanted me to talk with Irenya, and I decided to bring you in on it too. Please, no need to thank me." She said with a slight grin, trying to keep her mood as light as possible.

Shortly after Fendros arrived, Janius made his way to them upon Gallus' request. Ahnasha gave him a slight wave as he walked towards them and decided to give an explanation before he had to ask. "Ah, there you are, Janius. Do you think you and Kaleeth could watch the children for a while. Fendros and I are going to have a chat...with Irenya."

Irenya was in the mess, eating her lunch at one of the tables and having idle conversation with two of the pride, Do'ajee and La'khay. When Gallus approached, she moved over and motioned for him to take a seat. "I am as fine as I can be, I suppose. I have never much enjoyed sea travel, honestly. It is a blessing that this journey will only be a few days."

"La'khay agrees. The constant rocking of the ship is unsettling, and it is difficult to find...privacy. This one learned that there are two storage rooms near the stern on this deck that the crew never visit, if you ever have...need of them." La'khay added.

Do'ajee groaned. "You would know that."