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

[Muttonhawk]

Tzirret's ears drooped, but he did not refute Peiter on the power of the river. As for seeing a Senche, Tzirret gave Shanja a curious look and responded, "This one spotted two or three in Senchal, but never met one until seeing Shanja." There was a moment where Tzirret considered approaching Shanja, but he stayed back, not knowing if there would be much conversation. He instead faced Peiter, "Why does Peiter ask, anyway?"

While La'khay's musings were a little hard to follow, Sabine tried as best as she could. She looked a bit confused as her face was pushed from side to side. Her expression changed when La'khay described what she had in mind. Sabine smiled at the thought. If it was anything like Sabine had pictured in her mind, it would be just what she wanted. She followed La'khay to begin without question.

Sabine looked to the flask of soap quizzically as Ciinriel asked if she could use some. There was quite a bit there. "Um...I think so? I do not know how much I will need. La'khay, what do you think?" Sabine looked to La'khay.

[EliteCommander]

Peiter shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, no reason in particular. Just curious. They just look so...powerful. It's almost like turning into a lycan would just make them smaller...unless that form is even bigger? I'm not sure how that works. The Khajiit are a lot more interesting of a people than I ever would have expected."

By that point, Shanja took some interest in what the pair's conversation, since they were talking about his kind. He stood up from where he was laying in the river and approached them. While Peiter and Tzirret were able to swim around, Shanja still had all fours firmly planted on the riverbed when he stood alongside them. He seemed intent on joining the conversation, even though he couldn't actually speak.

La'khay turned for a moment and eyed the bottle of soap closely for several seconds before giving her answer. "There...should be enough, yes. More than enough, really. Just don't use too much, and you should be fine."

Ciinriel nodded and grabbed the soap, while La'khay brought Sabine to the point where the water came up to her neck, told her to take in a breath, and lowered her head back into the water to wet her hair. La'khay started washing her hair quickly, and quite thoroughly. Given the heat and humidity, and the fact that their group had rarely had the luxury of bathing over the past few weeks, her hair was rather badly knotted and dirty. It would be something that would likely take Sabine quite a while to clean, but La'khay's method was efficient, and effective. It was almost as if she was massaging Sabine's scalp at the same time as she washed her hair. "You know, La'khay thinks you Humans are lucky. This one does like her fur, but it is a real pain in the tail to keep nice and clean. It covers our entire bodies, and picks up all the dirt we come across. Humans just have to worry about the hair on their heads, under their arms, and on their loins. And on the chest, for the men. You have all those short little hairs everywhere else, but they're nothing like our fur."

Meanwhile, Ciinriel split her attention between observing La'khay, and washing herself. She used some of the soap from the bottle on herself, though she was very careful only to use up the minimum amount to keep herself clean. In all likelihood, she could have used much more and still left plenty for Sabine, but she wanted to be safe. It was easy for her to tell that the soap had alchemical properties, as it was not like any she had used before with the way it felt, along with its scent.

[Muttonhawk]

"This one thinks it might be rude to talk as if Shanja is not..." Tzirret was interrupted in his words by the sloshing of water caused by Shanja taking the initiative to approach them both himself.

Tzirret swallowed and tried not to look fearful of Shanja's imposing form. "Well, Peiter may find out now?" Tzirret cleared his throat, "Shanja, is your beast form larger than you are?"

Sabine's face twitched in pain as each mat and knot was released from her hair, but she had expected as much. Despite this, La'khay's hands were actually surprisingly relaxing upon her head. It a cathartic and purifying, similar to having itches scratched.

Most of the time, Sabine kept her eyes closed so the soap didn't sting them, but she occasionally glanced at Ciinriel or up at La'khay's face. Sabine took a focussed looked at La'khay's fur as she spoke and asked a question in response to her. "Do you have to use soap and oils for everywhere on your body? I have never seen Ahnasha do that much while bathing."

[EliteCommander]

Shanja acknowledged Tzirret's question, but after a pause, it seemed to take him longer than Peiter would have thought to answer a yes or no question. All at once, he turned away from the pair and walked towards the shore. At first, Peiter worried that he might have offended him somehow, but then he saw that the Senche was scrawling a few words in the mud. Once he swam over to him, Peiter saw a few words written in the mud, but as they were in Ta'agra, he was unable to tell that he had spelled out the words: same size.

La'khay gave a quick, amused grunt at Sabine's question. "Oh, if La'khay could, she would. It is a treat when she can get the soaps, oils, and other nice cosmetics. Strictly speaking, Khajitt does not need those things to get clean, but it is always so much better when she has them. Ahnasha doesn't seem like the type who would care for such things, though." She explained.

Once Sabine's hair was clean enough for La'khay's liking, which meant being almost entirely spotless, she guided her over near the shore once more and instructed her to sit down in the shallows. From there, she began the work on actually styling her hair as desired. She took the oil and lathered it lightly across her head, then carefully and meticulously straightened out each length of hair to near perfection. Once straight, she took the ends of the hairs and pulled them out between her fingers on one hand, then used the claws on the other to cut any excess hair from the longer strands so that they were all the exact same length. She repeated this all around her head until her hair was both perfectly straight and even. It was just as Sabine described that she wanted, but La'khay had one more step that she thought would really make it unique. Taking more of the oil, she applied some of it once more to Sabine's hair, but not evenly this time. Instead, she lathered it on in streaks running down from the top of her head, to the end of the strands. Because she had applied the oil all across her head, all of her hair had a certain lustrous glow to it, but where she had applied it more thickly, there were streaks of an even more vibrant auburn color. Overall, the quality of La'khay's work was that of a professional, and if Sabine liked the style, she would certainly be satisfied.

"There we go. It looks...perfect." La'khay said with a smile. "Go over there if you want to get a look at it." She said, pointing to a slower moving part of the river where her reflection would be more visible. "Now, we just have to work on the rest of the body. La'khay wants to make sure there isn't a speck of dirt on your body when you return to your mate. This one wants you to be perfect. La'khay can trim up the hairs on your armpits and loins, make sure your back is clean, and especially make sure the nails on your fingers and toes are clean as well."

[Muttonhawk]

Tzirret's reaction was similar to Peiter's. He was about to call out an apology to Shanja, but stopped when he observed him writing. Tzirret swam up alongside Peiter to read the words. "It is the same size?" He glanced at Shanja to confirm, and then looked to Peiter. "That makes sense, Tzirret would guess."

Now that Tzirret was not restricted to yes or no questions, he tried asking something more elaborate. "Were you born a lycan, or turned?"

Before looking at her reflection, Sabine held some of her hair in front of her eyes with her fingers. It had a strange texture with the oil, but having it so straight and precise, not to mention so shiny, was a new experience. She gained a small grin, fascinated. Without words, she strode out to where La'khay had pointed in the water and leaned to look at her reflection. The waves and colour of the water did distort the image reflected back at Sabine, but she could discern the shape well enough, and it sent a tingle over her skull. She almost didn't recognise herself at first. Her hair was no longer a wild shrub reaching out in all directions, but was flattened and lined up, framing her face in a new and charming way. Her grin widened.

Sabine straightened and looked back. "La'khay, this is beautiful!" She strode back over to La'khay and gave her a quick, tight hug. As for the other suggestions, Sabine was not entirely sure. She knelt down in the water again, but did not give consent at first. "I am almost afraid to put my hair in the water again, though. And...trim my body hairs?" Sabine seemed confused, "If it will help, then I will do it, but...I did not know that would make someone prettier."

[EliteCommander]

Peiter nodded to Tzirret in agreement. "He said the same size? I can't read Ta'agra, so I'll need you to translate. I suppose it does make sense, though. It does make me wonder what the point of actually transforming would be, but...I guess it would give you arms and hands and such, doesn't it?" He asked Shanja, to which he received a quick nod.

To Tzirret's question, Shanja wrote out the words born werewolf. Although, he did not stop at just answering Tzirret's question, and instead asked one of his own: Where you from.

Despite Sabine's uncertainly, La'khay smiled in her response. "Of course it will make you prettier. Human body hair is so scraggly. Trimming or shaving it makes your entire form look even and smooth, like freshly washed fur. Some of the girls this one used to work with did it all the time. Just trust La'khay, you will look perfect." She said confidently. "And don't worry, we're not going to be submerging your hair again, just washing your body. That oil won't wash out easily, don't worry, but you should at least wait until Peiter sees it before getting it wet again. Normally, La'khay would have done the body first, but she wanted to show you what she could do."

Since Sabine agreed, La'khay got to work trimming down the rest of her hairs. She shaved down the hairs on her armpits and groin to be as short as her claws would allow, then moved on to her legs. Her claws were insufficient for the task of shaving them entirely of hair, but she could go through and cut the hairs she deemed to be too long. "Ciinriel, please get the soap ready. This one is about done here."

Ciinriel complied and grabbed the soap from the shore, then sat by Sabine as she waited for La'khay to finish. For a few moments, she stared at Sabine's head for a few moments in silence before she realized that Sabine had noticed her staring. "Oh, sorry, it's just...your hair is beautiful Sabine. Those streaks of color look nice, kind of like the stripes of a Khajiit. I wish I could have mine look like that."

[Muttonhawk]

Tzirret nodded, "So you were born a werewolf. Tzirret thought so. He thought that even a werewolf would pause before attacking you."

The next words were ambiguous at first. Tzirret scratched his head and thought that Shanja was from where he was from as a statement, but he quickly realised that it was meant to be a question. He breathed in once he realised, "Oh, where are we from? Well, Tzirret and Peiter are from the clan in Bruma, up in northern Cyrodiil. This one was a child in a caravan before he was turned."

Sabine was reluctant at first, but decided to trust La'khay to perform what she knew. Sabine was grateful that it was La'khay helping her, or else she would have no idea what she was doing. Still, being pedantic about so many little hairs seemed like too much effort to Sabine. She did not think she would be trying this herself.

As La'khay scrubbed Sabine's shoulders and back, she was caught by Ciinriel's staring eyes. Ciinriel's comment reinforced Sabine's elation with her hair, causing her to smile. "Thank you. The stripes are like that, are they not? You are good at this, La'khay." Sabine ran a hand under the side of her hair carefully, "I could make you some oil for your hair if you wanted, Ciinriel, if there is not enough left. The soap smells good on you, though." Sabine ran a hand down Ciinriel's upper arm. "You look shiny," Sabine said with a giggle at her own lack of a better description.

[EliteCommander]

Shanja gave a nod, and a huff that seemed to just be an acknowledgement, at Tzirret's answer. He paused briefly to lay himself down in the shallows, so that the water could still wash over him while still leaving him close enough to the shore that he could write. As he was getting settled, Jo'rashaad, who had been relaxing on his back on the surface of the water, swam close enough that he could speak to them, but still remain mostly submerged if he laid down on the riverbed. "Well, this one sees that you all are getting along." He commented.

The Senche nodded to Jo'rashaad as well, then wrote another question in the mud: "You like Pelletine?" Since Tzirret had hesitated on his last question, Shanja made sure to add the proper punctuation this time, to be clear.

Ciinriel chuckled as she reached out and gently touched Sabine's hair. "Well, I might be shiny, but your hair is positively glowing!" She joked. "I would love to have some of it, if it isn't too much trouble to make, of course. My hair is too short to have it done like yours, though. It still hasn't grown back out all the way, yet."

La'khay had not been lying when she said she wanted to remove every speck of dust from Sabine's body, as she was as thorough as she could be once she started helping to wash Sabine. At least this time, Sabine could actually provide some help in washing herself, but La'khay was going to make sure that nothing was left unwashed. When Sabine complimented her, however, she did acknowledge her with a smile. "Thank you. La'khay simply loves beautiful things, and she loves to help make things beautiful. People, paintings, sculptures, she loves working with them all. Between just us, if La'khay was not in the service of Hircine, she would be a priestess of Dibella. Peiter is a handsome man as well, isn't he? La'khay thinks you two are good as mates. This one thinks he will have a hard time taking his eyes off of you when he sees you like this."

[Muttonhawk]

Tzirret turned his head suddenly to Jo'rashaad. "Oh!" Tzirret raised his brow, then glanced to Peiter and Shanja each, "He guesses..." He had almost forgotten that Jo'rashaad was in the water with them.

Shanja had written his next question by then, so Tzirret turned to read it. "Do we like Pelletine?" he repeated. He stared at the words and took a deep, forlorn breath. "Pelletine is..." Tzirret rubbed his upper arm timidly and tried to keep other thoughts out of his mind. He instead went to the obvious, "...hot and humid. The jungle is loud and thick. And, Senchal was full of skooma drinkers." Tzirret's eyes twitched from the words to Shanja and back with nervousness. He swiftly added to his answer, "Er-...but, the clan is nice? And this one got to kill a minotaur, that was...new."

Eager to get attention off himself, Tzirret looked to Peiter, "What is it that Peiter thinks of Pelletine?"

"Of course you can have some," Sabine nodded to Ciinriel, "It is not too much trouble at all. I will also write a recipe so you can show an alchemist once your hair grows more."

La'khay's comments made Sabine pause in washing herself and face her with an excited grin. "Do you think so?" Sabine asked. She gave a small laugh, "He makes a face when he is that bewildered. It will be funny to see." Sabine closed her mouth and resumed her cleaning, but kept speaking. "I think being a priestess of Dibella would suit you. You are very kind, La'khay, with all you have done. Thank you."

After a moment or two longer of scrubbing, Sabine gave La'khay a smile and a curious squint. She asked a question that might have seemed strange, but she did not carry any ill-intent in her tone, "Why are we good as mates in your eyes?"

[EliteCommander]

Peiter was not certain why Tzirret seemed to have trouble answering, but he was far less hesitant in his response. "I think I've never seen a forest quite like this before. I grew up in Chorrol, which is also in a forest, but it's not as thick or as hot as this. The trees aren't as big, and it is a lot cooler. And there were more open areas. And compared to Bruma, it is like an entire different world. That is a place of snow and mountains, and in the places that do have trees, they are always much smaller pines. Everything since I arrived has been new."

"Hmm, you think these trees are large?" Jo'rashaad commented. "Have either of you ever seen the trees of Valenwood?"

La'khay was nearly finished scrubbing Sabine's back, and did not pause as she answered. "There just seems to be a lot of passion between you. You are always holding each other, kissing each other, and you've hardly spent a moment apart since you have been together. It's the beauty of young love; La'khay is almost jealous of you. She can only imagine the passion in your mating; you simply must describe it."

Shortly afterwards, La'khay finally finished scrubbing the places Sabine could not reach. She stood up and took a few steps back away from Sabine to get a good look at her as a whole. She looked her up and down carefully before pulling her expression into a grin. "There we go. Your hair is perfect, and your body smooth and glistening. You will be irresistible."

[Muttonhawk]

Tzirret glanced at Peiter, then responded to Jo'rashaad with a curled-lip frown and a shake of his head. He didn't think either of them had been to Valenwood. "What has Jo'rashaad seen of the trees there?" Tzirret asked.

The response from Sabine to describe what she and Peiter had still not done yet was simply a short, embarrassed laugh. She tried to remain silent and continue cleaning herself. It was a private matter under normal circumstances anyway, she hoped that La'khay would respect that for now.

When they were finally done, Sabine felt like nothing she had ever experienced before. Where she had originally only intended to try and straighten her hair out that day, La'khay had taken the opportunity to make her look and feel like an Aedra. Sabine looked about herself with a fascination and a giddy excitement. She knew it would only be temporary, but she would enjoy the new look while it lasted.

Sabine tread some large strides through the shallow water to La'khay, utterly beaming. Once La'khay was in reach, Sabine wrapped her arms around La'khay tightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much, La'khay! I never could have worked this all out myself." Sabine took a step back, nearly jumping, "I cannot wait to see Peiter's reaction! Let's go."

[EliteCommander]

La'khay laughed as she hugged Sabine, and looked at her with pride once they pulled away. Her expression towards Sabine was like an artist looking upon a finished creation. Although, when it came to beauty, La'khay was always wanting more. "La'khay could do more, if she had all the right makeup, and maybe some jewelry...ah, but this will do just fine. You look great, Sabine. We might need to give you two some time alone after this." She chuckled. "Well, let's all get back, then. Walk along the shore; your feet might get a bit muddy, but there's no avoiding that, unfortunately."

Jo'rashaad looked up at the canopy above them. "This one's homeland is impressive, but these trees do not come close to the scale of Valenwood's great oaks. Or, graht-oaks, rather. Always mix that one up. They are large enough that the Bosmer actually build entire cities inside them. And Jo'rashaad does not mean they carve out the trees, they just grow such that the trees have chambers within them. Jo'rashaad wonders what kind of magic they have to manipulate them in such a way."

La'khay, Ciinriel, and Sabine had only been just out of sight, so it took only a minute for them to return. Tzirret and Shanja were able to see them approach, but Peiter was facing away as they were walking up. With a grin, La'khay decided to get his attention. "We're back."

When Peiter turned around, he expected to see something different about Sabine, but did not anticipate exactly what he saw. Before getting in the river, all of them had been rather filthy. They had been drudging through the humid, muddy, and thick forest for a week or two with hardly a chance to bathe themselves. They had dirt caked on to their skin, and a smell that would have been unbearable had they not been able to get used to it slowly. Since jumping into the river, most of them had been able to clean themselves well-enough, but Sabine looked immaculate, as if she had never seen dirt in her life. It was in great contrast to the way she looked when she left. Her hair was professionally styled, like some of the nobles he had passed in the street back in Chorrol, and unless his eyes were deceiving him, it actually had a low glow to it which served to, quite literally, brighten her face.

"I...wow." Peiter said once he had a chance to take in the changes. As his gaze darted across her form, it was obvious that he was admiring her.

[Muttonhawk]

"Cities...inside trees?" Tzirret repeated. By his raised eyebrow, he was sceptical of Jo'rashaad. However, a bright shape caught the corner of his eye before he could argue. He turned to see La'khay, a brighter-looking Ciinriel, and an unfamiliar girl with long, straight hair. It took him by wide-eyed surprise when she came close enough to be recognised as Sabine. He was dumbstruck at just how much she had transformed.

Sabine approached with a fast heartbeat and a growing sense of nervousness, but she was still excited enough to smile. An errant worry ran across her mind that she might look strange rather than beautiful to Peiter, though that was extinguished when Peiter saw her. His expression did not disappoint. Sabine let out a laugh and couldn't help but blush and push away a lock of hair abashedly. "Well, what is your opinion?" she asked.

[EliteCommander]

Abandoning the prior conversation almost immediately, Peiter climbed out of the water, his eyes still looking up and down her body as he approached her. Reaching out, he put a hand on her shoulder and started lightly sliding it down her side. He would have hugged her, but he almost looked like he was too afraid of disturbing her appearance to touch her. "Your skin looks and feel so...smooth. The shine from the water, and..." He began, pausing to take in her scent. "You smell divine. And your hair..."

With his free hand, Peiter carefully grabbed a few strands of the hair on her head and ran it through his fingers. "It's actually...glowing, I think. How on Nirn did you manage that? It makes you look so vibrant and alive. I remember going walking through cities like Chorrol and Bruma, and seeing the noble women who would sink chests of gold into their appearance. You remind me of that, except...better." He complimented. Just looking at her, his breathing started to quicken slightly, and his heart was pounding. Were he not still soaked in the cool river water, he would likely be sweating. He looked at her with desire, his mouth slightly agape as he tried to think of what to say.

[Muttonhawk]

Still smiling, Sabine took Peiter's hands. She had not expected Peiter's reaction to be quite so flattering, but it certainly made her feel as though the veritable makeover was a great success. To reduce his apprehension, she drew him closer and guided his arms around her body before bringing her own arms around him. Feeling his racing heart in his chest would have made Sabine's own heart rate fly up in empathy if it had not already been fluttering. Now bringing her forehead to his, she whispered, "I am glad you like it," and then kissed him without heed to those around her.

There was a patient silence for a few moments, but Tzirret had a bashful reaction to the public display of affection. "Ahem, this one thinks he will try the waters further upstream," Tzirret said, looking and sounding awkward. He then paddled to the shore, retrieved his belongings, and began walking a distance away.

[EliteCommander]

La'khay was not exactly sure of Tzirret's motivation for leaving, but with him moving away from the group, she saw it as an opportunity. She felt that she needed to talk to him about whatever was bothering him, in case it was actually her fault, and this allowed her to do it inconspicuously. Watching Tzirret leave, she rolled her eyes and let out a clearly audible sigh. "This one will go see what is wrong with cloudy-cat."

Shanja glanced over to Jo'rashaad and gave a low, rumbling laugh, prompting him to grin. Both of them climbed out of the water, evidently with their own thoughts in mind for what the two Bretons might be wanting. Of course, they did not say such openly. "Well, it is about time that this one meet back up with S'ajira. Ciinriel, we should probably go find your mother." Jo'rashaad commented as he started gathering up his belongings.

Peiter noticed that the others were starting to leave, but he was too distracted with Sabine to actually put too much thought into why they might be doing so. He simply returned her passionate kiss while holding his arms around her sides, just above her hips. "You feel as soft as you look. I...well I didn't expect this. You're beautiful, simply and unquestioningly beautiful." He said, feeling as if he could not give her enough praise.

Just after Shanja left, the pair finally pulled away from one another reluctantly. As Peiter's gaze went down below her waist, he started to comment on something he had noticed. "Did you shave your..." He began in a tone that wasn't disapproving, but curious.

A short distance away, just out of sight from where the others had been swimming, La'khay walked along the shore towards Tzirret. "La'khay thinks we should talk about some things, Tzirret. You have been acting strangely recently; do you wish to tell this one why?"

[Muttonhawk]

Even though there was the feeling that she was imposing on everyone leaving, Sabine was also grateful to have some time along with Peiter in this state. She continued to pay the others no mind as they wandered off.

With her hands on Peiter's shoulders, Sabine looked down to where Peiter was referring to. "Oh, La'khay said that it would help me look pretty." She looked up at Peiter curiously, "I do not know, though, does it? It feels odd."

La'khay's voice was enough to cause Tzirret to stop in his tracks and turn around slowly. He felt he had been able to distract himself from his prior worries by socialising with Shanja, but they came roaring back quickly enough now that he and La'khay were alone.

As was often the case for Tzirret, fear overcame him when he tried to think of an answer. He looked down and away from La'khay for a while, fidgeting. He knew he had to do something now, else his circling feelings would continue to torment him. "This one has..." Tzirret struggled to start, his breathing uneven and his primal mind screaming to run away, "He has been tired, but...thinking too much. He..." Tzirret closed his mouth and sighed swiftly in frustration. His brow contorted and his ears flattened, trying to gather courage.

Perhaps instead of outright saying what he wanted to say, Tzirret frantically rummaged through the pockets of the breeches he held in his hands. "He made...something..." Tzirret paused and pulled out the moon pendant he had carved, "...He made you this!" He held the pendant forward in his palm and looked at La'khay pleadingly. His shoulders rose and fell in fast cycles as he tried to catch his breath. The pendant was just as intricate as when he had showed Peiter, Sabine, and Gallus, but he had purposely kept it hidden from La'khay until now.

[EliteCommander]

Peiter likely should have guessed that La'khay was the one responsible for some of the decisions made on Sabine's appearance. She certainly had a good eye for beauty, but not so much on subtlety. Regardless, he smiled as he looked down upon her. "I see. I think it does; it makes you look...smooth. She seems to have trimmed a lot of the hair on your body. Can I...nevermind." He began before abruptly cutting himself off.

"Um, anyway, you did all of this for me? I don't know what to say; I wish I could do the same thing for you. I'll always find you beautiful; I stand by that statement. But right now...I feel like I just want to hold on to you and never let go." He explained.

La'khay closed her eyes and took in a deep breath once she saw the pendant. It was as she had feared. While she had helped him with his confidence at first, but it seemed that she may have made more of an impression than she wanted on him. She walked up to him slowly, then carefully reached out her hand and lightly placed it on his shoulder. Her expression was sympathetic, more than anything, and her voice was low and soft. "You made it for La'khay? It is a very nice-looking pendant, Tzirret. Very well-made. Why would you say that you made this for this one?"

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine was not only relieved to hear that the particular detail was not strange, but she was also moved by the sincerity of Peiter's words. With a more serious expression, Sabine stared into Peiter's eyes and held him close again. "Do...you love me, Peiter?" she asked, somewhat nervously. Even with the time that they had been together, it was a state of vulnerability that she had not exposed to him to ask such a thing.

In Tzirret's mind, he wished to deny what was happening. By La'khay's reaction, especially her not taking the pendant, he felt himself start to falter. False hope led him on just far enough to answer her. "Peiter said to only give this to someone Tzirret very much likes and who likes him in return," Tzirret mumbled quickly, but closed his eyes rather than face La'khay, "He wanted to give it to you last night, but did not because of those words." Tzirret's voice became scathing towards himself, "...And because he is a stupid coward, like always."

Tzirret turned his face away now, ashamed at himself, "He also wanted to give it to you the night before last, and before that, but he is always a stupid coward. But, the more he hesitated, the more he hates himself for not doing so. He thought..." His voice wavered with emotion, "He thought he could be with La'khay. No one has been as nice to Tzirret as La'khay, he did not expect to receive kindness when he failed himself the first time. He did not expect anyone to call him handsome."

It was then that Tzirret let out a sob, but he tried to suppress it. With the heel of the hand that held the pendant, he struck his forehead in frustration and tried to growl away the tears. "He must have courage to say so or else remain tortured!" he said in Ta'agra, raising his voice. He looked at La'khay with tears streaming from his eyes, "Tzirret loves La'khay with all his heart! Not the distance from Nirn to the moons could cut it off!" Tzirret took a sudden, wheezing breath in, "But he knows..." he slowed down, "...that La'khay does not return it."

Tzirret looked down hopelessly. He could no longer stand to be there. He brushed off La'khay's hand and threw his pendant onto the ground, before sprinting off up the river shore with his clothing still under his arm.

[EliteCommander]

Despite the passion between them at the moment, Sabine's question gave Peiter pause. He stared into her eyes and well, and breathed in very deeply as he thought about how he could answer in a way that would be accurate to how he felt. "I've...been thinking about that question. A lot. It's not an easy one to answer, is it? Ever since I first got to know you years ago, it was easy to tell that I liked you as a friend. Just like most of the others in the group. Coming on this mission and spending time together, that fondness has obviously really, really grown. Just before we first got together, I felt a bit curious, and majorly confused. Being around you wasn't the same as...anything really. It felt entirely new. I didn't know what love was, and honestly, I still don't know if I do. I could just be wrong about it all, and everything I'm about to say could be a mistake. But...I know how I feel when I'm around you. It's different from what I feel towards close friends; it's different from the lust I feel towards other attractive women. It's new, it's frightening, and I think it may be love."

Peiter tightened his grip around her. "I do feel that I love you, Sabine." He said, followed by among the most passionate kiss he had given her thusfar.

La'khay was unsure of what to say through Tzirret's entire breakdown into despair. She knew even before he said it how he felt, but Tzirret was also correct in how she felt. She did like him, but only in the sense that he was a friend. She cursed herself about not being more clear with him on how she felt, and not trying to do more to curb what feelings he might develop. She knew she needed to do something to help him, but he started to run before she could speak a word.

As Tzirret was running away, La'khay knelt down and grabbed the pendant he had dropped. She gave a low growl of frustration, both at how he was acting, and the fact that she had not prevented it. However, she was not just going to leave it at this. She had to make him see how wrong he was. Taking the pendant in her hand, she took off in a sprint after him. "Stop, Tzirret! La'khay...needs to speak with you." She shouted ahead.