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

[Muttonhawk]

"Morning!" Gallus said in turn as he approached. He gave the Senche an acknowledging nod, but tried not to let the Khajiit's imposing form bother him. He took a bite from his breakfast as he stopped, but he had to admit that the smell from the cook fires was tempting as well. "It went well enough. It was generally just an update either way," Gallus said with a hand on his hip, "We're having a more in-depth planning meeting this morning. There is much to discuss. Ri'nakhad wanted his lieutenants present, as you would think. Speaking of which..."

Gallus turned to the reason he came. "Do'ajee, your heritage is further north, yes? In the desert? We require those most experienced in desert travel to attend the meeting today. We need you and anyone you know to be especially experienced to come along. Would that be alright?"

---

Not content with their previous embrace, Sabine walked up behind Peiter and wrapped her arms lightly around his stomach as he stood by the window. "I do not mind where we eat," she said over his shoulder, "I would like a bath, though. Where do you feel like eating?

[EliteCommander]

"Do'ajee will be there." She answered without hesitation, though he had to pause in order to think in greater detail about others she could recommend. "Most of the Senchal clan are from Pelletine, but there are a few other than Do'ajee from Anequina. The one who might know as much or more about the desert than this one is actually one of the lieutenants. Ra'jorr, he is from one of the nomadic tribes, like this one. Before the attack, he was our military leader. Do'ajee has not seen him since we returned, but she does remember hearing one of the guards say his name when we first arrived. Since he is one of the lieutenants, he should be at the meeting anyway. Do we have time for breakfast, or should this one follow you now?"

---

Peiter rested his hands on top of Sabine's, then turned his head towards her and gave her a brief kiss. "Well, since we're going to need to do both anyway. We could get our food, then head down to the river and eat it by the banks. Then, we can have our bath right there. We could ask some of the others, like Tzirret or Ciinriel, if they want to join, or we could just go ourselves and spend some time together alone. What do you think?"

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus waved a hand and shook his head, "Oh, no, it shouldn't be happening too soon. You'll have time for breakfast, but we'll head up as soon as you're done." Gallus then glanced around to those he had not met before and then to Jo'rashaad. "Do you mind if I join you in the meantime? Who are your friends?"

---

"I like that idea," Sabine said, "It would be nice to have Tzirret and Ciinriel's company again, just to have fun." Sabine pulled back from Peiter and took him by the arm, "Let's go find them. They might not be awake yet."

The pair went to find Tzirret first as his room was closer. They woke him up as they knocked on the door, but Lorag had already awoken and gone by that time. He looked as if he needed to keep sleeping, but he agreed to come along with them without much reluctance. Sabine did not know where to start finding Ciinriel, but the cooking fires would be hard to pass without notice.

[EliteCommander]

"By all means, take a seat." Do'ajee answered before motioning to the other two Gallus did not know. "This is Hiritar and Shanja. Our pride has been close with their pack since long before the attack."

"It was an immense relief to see them all walk back into our camp." The Altmer, Hiritar, commended, followed by a nod and a low, deep hum from Shanja. Not all of our pack survived the attack, but...you have to take good news when you can. I'm sure Ra'kalesh's pride has already given you all of their gratitude for their rescue, but I would like to thank you as well. Both for rescuing them, and for coming to help us as well."

It was not long after Gallus took his seat that Peiter, Sabine, and Tzirret came down from the outpost above. They had not known where precisely to search for Ciinriel, but luckily, it was not as if she was hiding. They came across her, and several of the others, by the cooking fires awaiting their meals. "Morning, everyone." Peiter greeted.

La'khay smiled, and was the first to greet the trio. "Ah, good morning. How are you three this morning?"

[Muttonhawk]

"It would be remiss of us to do otherwise, but you're welcome," Gallus said with a slight bow to Hiritar and Shanja, "It is good to meet you. My name is Gallus, I am the leader of the pack accompanying Meesei's."

When Sabine, Peiter, and Tzirret approached, Gallus gave them a smile and a wave as well.

"Good morning. I am well," Sabine responded to La'khay.

Tzirret was a little more hesitant, "Me too," he had a small smile but looked down, avoiding La'khay's eyes.

"D'you sleep well, Tzirret? Lorag's snoring didn't keep you up?" Gallus asked.

"Well enough," Tzirret answered quietly.

There was no follow up from Tzirret, so Sabine decided to speak up to Ciinriel. "Ciinriel, we were going to have our breakfast by the river and bathe. Would you like to join us?"

[EliteCommander]

As usual, Ciinriel was rather quiet until spoken to, but she did not seem to have any trepidation in answering Sabine. "Oh, sure. That sounds nice." She answered. "I just need to wait for the chefs to finish our breakfast. It shouldn't be long."

Peiter nodded. "That's fine. By the smell in the air, it shouldn't be more than a minute or two." He commented. However, Ciinriel did not appear to be the only one that was interested in joining them.

La'khay leaned forward on her log and grinned at the three youths in front of her. "You know, La'khay would not mind a swim as well. This heat is almost as insufferable to Khajiit as it is for you. Would you mind any more company?" She asked. As well, the Shanja turned his head towards La'khay for a moment and seemed to look her over before giving a huff and a nod as well. Evidently, the Senche wanted to join with them.

Peiter shrugged his shoulders, then turned to Sabine for confirmation. "What do you think?"

[Muttonhawk]

"I do not mind at all," Sabine said. She turned to the Senche as well with a smile. If his signs were anything like S'ajira's, then he would come along too, but Sabine wanted to make sure, "Did you want to join us?"

Tzirret became a little tense when La'khay expressed interest to swim with them. His eyes skipped between La'khay and the others, but he did not offer any protest.

"Why don't you sit for a moment? Unlike me, you kids get to partake in a cooked breakfast if you remain," Gallus said with a chuckle before taking a bit from his raw meal. He spoke through his mouthful to everyone present, "If it weren't for the meeting, I might have joined you. Any relief from this heat is welcome, even after being in it for a while now."

Sabine sat herself down without any worry, tugging on Peiter's hand to join her, but Tzirret took his seat quickly.

"Say, where are S'ajira, Ra'kalesh, and Colours?" Gallus asked.

[EliteCommander]

"Oh, they're catching up with some other friends." Jo'rashaad answered to Gallus. "Well...actually, this one does not know precisely where Colors is."

La'khay chuckled. "Colors? This one saw him drinking with a few women last night. She has a good guess where he might be."

Do'ajee let out a sigh. "Of course, that Argonian has no self restraint. Give him a few more years, and he'll have received claw marks across his face from every other woman in the clan. Personally, Do'ajee would rather swallow a thornbush."

"You're too hard on him." La'khay commented. "Have you considered that some of them might actually enjoy his company?"

Do'ajee crossed her arms. "Yes, and who cares how many he hurts along the way?"

Just as Ciinriel had said, it did not take long for the chefs to announce that the breakfast was ready, so the group could collect their meal at their leisure.

[Muttonhawk]

"Well, if it's anything like that incident with the scout that found us yesterday, I could certainly see half his face being missing if he kept it up," Gallus said, rubbing his own cheek.

With the chefs calling out that breakfast was ready to serve, almost everyone stood up to line up for food. The rationing meant that serves were relatively small, but it would be enough to sate them. It took a few minutes to accommodate everyone that was going to eat by the river, but the group wandered down with their cuts of meats and roasted foraged root vegetables as soon as they felt like it.

Gallus stayed behind with the remains of the group to socialise, but was sure to leave with Do'ajee as soon as they had their fill. He did not want to keep the others in the meeting waiting much longer.

The group reached the river after a short walk and took seats by the water's edge. Sabine was still holding Peiter's hand, but she was curious about the Senche. Thankfully, Ciinriel was around to help answer questions as Sabine spoke to him obliviously. "I am Sabine, what is your name? You are a Senche, aren't you?"

[EliteCommander]

Due to the dietary requirements of his size, Shanja was rationed a larger portion of meat than the others, but even so, he was showing himself more than capable of tearing through it more quickly than the others. He acknowledged Sabine with a nod when she asked if he was a Senche, and Ciinriel followed up quickly with an introduction once she had found a place to sit nearby.

"His name is Shanja. He is one of the clan's warriors, like a lot of the Senche." Ciinriel explained.

Even though they were not yet climbing in the water, La'khay undressed as soon as she arrived, then found a place to sit with her meal near the others. Her attention, of course, was drawn to Tzirret. She had noticed more than most how his behavior had changed in the days before they found the clan, and she feared that her actions might have had some unintended consequences. "Are you alright, Tzirret? You seem distant."

---

Meesei was waiting on the walkways near the lifts for Gallus, and hopefully, Do'ajee, to return. When she spotted them, she wasted no time in approaching them. "Morning, Do'ajee." She greeted before getting straight to the matter at hand. "I was able to find Ri'nakhad and asked him about the meeting. He said we would begin in roughly an hour, in the meeting hall. He also told me that he wants Ra'kalesh to attend as well, so I was about to head down to the camp to find him."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine nodded in thanks to Ciinriel, then looked at Shanja again. "It is nice to meet you, Shanja. My sister's son, Rhazii, he was almost born a Senche, but he was born a Cathay by a few days."

While eating with the others, Tzirret was fairly quiet and didn't look at anyone directly. When spoken to by La'khay, however, he looked up and paid attention. His answer was not immediate. He looked to the others, almost fearfully, and exhaled. There were a few attempts at breathing in and trying to respond, but each ended with him not knowing what words to pick and releasing the breath through his nose. It caused a flash of frustration to come over him and he finally responded. He did not shout, but he sounded upset and angry, "Why must everyone question Tzirret?! He has just been tired, okay?" Tzirret swiped a hand in front of himself and drew up his knees, looking to the ground, "It is nothing else!"

Sabine's attention was drawn by Tzirret's response. He was often scared about things, but he seldom became angry.

[EliteCommander]

Peiter found himself quite surprised when he heard Tzirret's sudden outburst. He was not looking at Tzirret beforehand, so he did not know exactly what caused it, but he supposed it was something that La'khay had asked him. He had hoped they would be able to enjoy themselves for a nice meal and bath, so he at least attempted to do what he could to prevent any fights. "It's alright, Tzirret. La'khay couldn't have known. I'm sure she was just worried, is all." He said in an effort to calm him.

La'khay too did not expect such an emotional reaction. Or at least, not that particular emotion. It was a reaction that only further cemented her fear that whatever had been bothering the boy related to her. Regardless, she thought as quickly as she could on how to respond in a way that would make sense, but would let her say what she wanted to say. "La'khay is sorry, Tzirret. Please forgive her." She began before leaning over to Tzirret and wrapping her arms around him in an apologetic hug. However, once she was close to him, she whispered quickly into his ear. "Please, speak to this one privately once we're done here."

[Muttonhawk]

Realising himself, Tzirret tried to calm down. He had wanted to try and talk to La'khay that night anyway, so her request was convenient, if sudden. Instead of tensing up with La'khay's embrace as might have been expected, he closed his eyes and seemed to let his anger go. "Right. You are right, Peiter." Tzirret looked sideways at La'khay, "Tzirret is sorry. He has been...stressed."

Sabine gave a sympathetic smile. "Do not be too worried, Tzirret. We understand."

Tzirret gave Sabine a glance, but did not let his anger flare again. They did not truly understand.

Now that the event had passed, Sabine turned to Ciinriel after she had finished the last of her breakfast. "Ciinriel, could you help me wash my hair in the river? I made a soap and oil for it but..." Sabine grabbed at her frizz, "I do not know how to use it."

[EliteCommander]

With Tzirret's reaction, La'khay assumed that he was in agreement, so she let go of him and returned to her meal. As for Ciinriel, she looked at Sabine's hair with some uncertainty when she asked for her help. She wanted to help, but in this case, she did not know how well she could actually do that. "I, oh, I don't know. I wouldn't really know how to use it either; I've never even heard of using oils in your hair. What are they for?" She asked. However, upon hearing the exchange, La'khay took interest once again.

"Soaps and oils you say? It sounds like you're trying to...pretty yourself up, right? You want to look nice for a certain handsome man?" La'khay asked rhetorically while grinning widely at both Sabine and Peiter. "Well, La'khay is very experienced in that. She had to make herself look as ravishing as possible back at the brothel. She helped the other girls with it too. If you want some help, La'khay can have you looking as elegant as a Whispering Fang priestess."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine chuckled a bit, looking abashed, but she didn't deny anything about her intentions. "I just thought I might try it. I do not know what a Whispering Fang priestess looks like, but it sounds like more effort than I had in mind. Just doing my hair will do. Thank you, La'khay."

Breakfast didn't last too much longer, given how much everyone had. Soon enough, everyone was wandering into the river.

As secluded as Tzirret wanted to be, he couldn't help but put his head under as soon as he could. He wanted relief from the heat as much as everyone else.

Sabine walked in until the water was just above her knees before she knelt down on the silt and looked to La'khay. She had both concoctions she had prepared in each hand, but she looked unsure. "What do I do first? Uthri told me that I would need these, but I do not know how to apply them. Do I drink the oil?"

It turned out that in Sabine's margin of error for quantity, she had made enough both herself and Ciinriel, but Sabine did not know that.

[EliteCommander]

Once everyone finished their meals, it was not long before they started making their way into the water. It was a proper river, rather than a simple stream like at the last outpost, so it was possible for most of them to actually swim in some areas, apart from Shanja, who had to be content with laying down in the water.

"Um, no, no, give that to La'khay." She answered to Sabine, quickly taking the oil. "This one will use it on your hair; make you look however you want. The soap is for your body, mostly to make it smell nice." La'khay explained. Peiter of course entered the water nearby and took an interest in watching La'khay work, but as soon as she noticed him looking, she reached down and grabbed Sabine's hand, as if to help her to her feet. "Ah, but this won't do at all, not right here. No, if La'khay is going to work on your hair, then your curious mate here cannot watch. He needs to wait until La'khay is completely done before he can see it. Come, let's go a bit further downstream. It will just take a few minutes."

[Muttonhawk]

Still a little confused, Sabine stood up as La'khay directed and followed her. "Okay," she answered unsurely. She looked back at Peiter a couple of times, giving him an apologetic look, but she did not know how all of this was meant to work. "I will see you later, Peiter."

Before they had moved too far away, Sabine caught Ciinriel's eye. It was possible that she could learn as well, if she wanted to, but really Sabine was not sure if she wanted to do this alone in case La'khay was playing a trick. "Ciinriel, did you want to come?"

Once La'khay was far enough away, Tzirret actually approached Peiter surreptitiously in the water. "What are they doing, exactly?" he asked.

[EliteCommander]

Peiter shrugged his shoulders at Tzirret before lowering himself down into the deeper parts of the water. "I'm not entirely sure, really. Sabine made some special soaps and oils for herself, but doesn't know how to use them like they're meant to be. Apparently, La'khay knows what to do with them, but she doesn't want me seeing it yet, for some reason."

Ciinriel was also interested to see what La'khay was doing. She personally had never asked La'khay to fix up her appearance, though she had seen what La'khay could do to herself, so she knew that La'khay was not lying about her experience. When Sabine asked for her to come along, she nodded to Sabine. "Oh, sure. I'd like to watch...if that's okay." She said, looking at La'khay questioningly.

"Certainly, you can come along, Ciinriel." La'khay answered, motioning for the Bosmer to follow. Once they were a bit farther away, La'khay continued. "See, you don't want Peiter seeing you before La'khay is done, because then he will expect it. You want to surprise him with it, so he'll have to take it in all at once. It will make you look even prettier to him."

After a short walk, they were mostly out of sight, near the edge of the river where it was more shallow. La'khay uncorked the oil and took a few sniffs of it. "Now, before we start, La'khay has two questions. The first is to ask exactly what this oil is meant to do. She thinks she knows from the smell, but she just wants to make sure. You know how alchemy can be. The second is: how do you want your hair to look? La'khay can keep your hair at it's current length, or cut it down shorter. She can make it long, straight, and smooth, or, if this oil is what she thinks it is, give it any kind of other style. This one thinks that a lot of things would look good on you."

[Muttonhawk]

"Hmf, maybe they do not want you to try it yourself?" Tzirret suggested. He turned in the water and followed Peiter into the deeper water, "Do you think the current is strong in this river? This one does not want to be swept away."

Sabine actually smiled a bit at La'khay's reasoning. This whole endeavour was to look pretty for Peiter, so she liked the idea of surprising him. As for the oil, Sabine explained as best as she could, "I just made the oil from sunflower seeds and added some flower fragrances. All I mixed in afterwards was an alchemical effect to make surfaces it contacts glow with a little light." Sabine looked away, out of her depth, "I thought it might look nice?"

As for which style that Sabine had in mind, she was a little overwhelmed, "I...do not know if I want to cut it. I just wanted to get the knots out and make it straighter, like I have seen other women wearing their hair. Uthri said that the oil helps to shape the hair after it is washed." Sabine looked up at La'khay hopefully, "Do you think I should try something else?"

[EliteCommander]

Peiter started to laugh at the suggestion that they could be carried away by the river. "Tzirret, you're never going to stop worrying, are you? No one would bathe in this river if it was dangerous enough to carry you away. Besides, it's not like we're in the ocean or anything; you're not going to get lost in the river."

Looking around for a moment, Peiter's eyes settled on the Senche a short distance away upstream. "Say, have you ever seen a Senche before today?" He asked Tzirret.

La'khay seemed surprised when Sabine described what the oil could do. It was not exactly what she expected, but it only took a few moments for some ideas to come to her mind. "Glowing, you say? That's...yes, La'khay thinks she can do something with that."

Setting down the bottle on the shore nearby, La'khay brought herself in front of Sabine, placed both hands on her cheeks, and started moving around her head to look at it from different angles. "Long, straight hair with a bit of...yes, that would work nicely. Very nicely. This one thinks it is a good choice, don't worry. She won't cut your hair; she may need to trim the ends a bit to make them even, but she will keep it long. She will wash it really well, get out all the knots, then make it nice and even. The oil can make it even, and maybe something else La'khay is thinking. And after your hair, we can wash up your body. So, long, straight, and lustrous hair; you sure that's what you want? If so, just come with this one over to some of the deeper parts and we'll start washing."

Ciinriel had already lowered herself up to her neck in the water and was listening to La'khay explain what she intended to do. While La'khay worked on her hair, Ciinriel figured she would go ahead and wash herself, though she did find herself eyeing the soap next to the oil on the shore. "Sabine...do you think there's enough of that soap that...I might be able to use it too?"