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

[Muttonhawk]

The family boarded after Meesei, one by one. The father, Pudaga, descended first and assisted F'sresa with Meesei. The girl was slow, but she kept her footing. The rest came aboard with no trouble.

"Tzirret is sure," Tzirret responded with a confident nod. He boarded the ship last, behind Ma'tanza.

Once seated properly, the oars were passed to Uthri and Gallus. Uthri pushed off the ship and turned the boat around, signalling Gallus to start rowing himself. They meandered for a few moments before settling into a rhythm.

"So, cloudy-cat," Uthri said, giving Ma'tanza a look up and down between rows, "who's your girlfriend?"

Understandably, Tzirret shrank a little beside Ma'tanza, drooping his ears. "Ma'tanza is just Tzirret's friend," Tzirret said quickly, "She wanted to see the temple." Tzirret was looking into the water, but gestured to Uthri all the same, speaking with a voice that was clearly embarrassed by her. "This is Uthri, Tzirret's pack mate. This one thinks he spoke of her before."

Uthri gave a good-natured grin and a wave to Ma'tanza. Tzirret had described to Ma'tanza and the others about his outspoken, too-honest, strong, Nordic aunt figure before. However, they had not been introduced until now.

[EliteCommander]

"Yes, um, hello." Ma'tanza said simply, and with just a hint of anxiety. She gave a quick glance towards Meesei at the back of the boat. While she did have more to say, and even a somewhat topical joke, she feared taking risks at the moment. She did not know what would happen to her if she caused trouble, but she was sure she needed to be on her best behavior. If nothing else, she did not want to embarrass herself in front of the Champion. As such, she said nothing about Uthri's comment, at least not at first.

There was enough of a pause that Ma'tanza started to feel strange about the silence. She tended to perceive any innocuous movement or gesture from Meesei as some kind of signal of judgment. She wanted to trust Tzirret's assurances about Meesei, but the silence was simply leaving her mind with too much time to wander. Sitting on the boat with her in silence for an hour would be simply unbearable, so she had to find some way to fill the void.

"So...why does she call you cloudy-cat?" Ma'tanza asked Tzirret.

[Muttonhawk]

The silence was just as unbearable for Tzirret as well, but it was because he thought it was an awkward one brought about by Uthri's words. He was drawing a blank on what to say next. Fortunately, Ma'tanza did eventually speak, though her question did not appear to give Tzirret any comfort.

Uthri chuckled quietly through her nose upon overhearing Ma'tanza's question.

While Tzirret may not have enjoyed the nickname, he looked to Ma'tanza could not find any reason to avoid the question. She knew him well enough by now that it would probably make sense. He spoke somewhat gingerly still, "It is something that Gallus came up with one day when this one was younger. Tzirret was putting himself down a lot and Gallus said this one had a cloud over his head all the time, so it caught on." Tzirret felt a pain in his fingers and he looked down to realise that he was holding onto his other hand quite tightly, he consciously loosened his grip and took a deep breath. "It is also because Tzirret's fur is grey. The others think the name is funny."

Tzirret realised there was a topic in that and was able to pose his own question. His ears went up again, "Did Ma'tanza ever get any nicknames?"

[EliteCommander]

Ma'tanza seemed to look more closely at Tzirret's fur through his explanation, though she had no particular reason for it. She knew of his anxiety by this point, even though she had never seen him acting as badly as he apparently had in the past. Regardless, she did not see the name as being funny exactly, but she also did not think it was too bad. "That makes sense, Ma'tanza supposes. Your fur does look like a cloud."

When Tzirret asked about her own nicknames, however, she looked to the side and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Oh, well, um...this one's friends haven't really given her nicknames before...except Bheja. Some people gave her nicknames that weren't too kind, and that she wasn't really supposed to know about. Nicknames about her...appearance. Some names relating to...large fruit. But none of Ma'tanza's friends have ever really called her that...except Bheja."

Meesei was sitting at the back of the boat, and had little else to do during the trip but to listen to what the others were saying. She did not speak up herself, though she did give a light, brief chuckle.

[Muttonhawk]

"Oh, that is not nice," Tzirret said, sounding somewhat sympathetic. Perhaps it was being around Ma'tanza long enough, or perhaps it was the fact that the robe she was wearing was quite modest, but he didn't feel too uncomfortable about the current subject. "Does Ma'tanza get picked on a lot like that by other people?" Tzirret smirked briefly, "Except for Bheja, of course."

F'sresa was still rather fatigued and was trying to rest against her father's shoulder during the boat trip, but she eyed Tzirret, Ma'tanza, and Uthri curiously. The family had not had much interaction with them up until now. "Father, what are they talking about?" F'sresa asked in Ta'agra.

The father, Pudaga, smiled reassuringly. "From what this one understands, they are just talking as friends. It is nothing to be worried about, flower."

[EliteCommander]

Ma'tanza shook her head. "Not really often, no. Ma'tanza doesn't have many people who she doesn't like, or who don't like her. The clan takes in all kinds of people, so there are some, of course, but this one prefers just to get along. Besides, she decided a long time ago not to be offended by it. This one is happy with who she is, even if it is inconvenient for her most of the time."

After a brief pause, Ma'tanza started to laugh as another thought came to mind. "And insults aren't as annoying as the boys who have always tried to...ah what is the word, 'court' her. It is hilarious how awkward some of them can be. Then there are the ones who try acting so confident that Ma'tanza is almost embarrassed for them. It is even funnier when they try talking to Ma'tanza's friends and expect that they won't tell her what they were talking about."

Looking ahead, Meesei could see in the distance the location where they intended to stop the boat. She intended to speak to the family one last time before reaching the city to make sure they were all clear on the story that the family would tell to others, but to do that, she would need either Tzirret or Ma'tanza to translate. For the moment, however, she decided to allow them to continue their conversation.

[Muttonhawk]

Tzirret gave a smile when Ma'tanza laughed, but as she spoke further, the smile faded into a look of realisation, and then of anxiety. It was naive to think that Ma'tanza would not know what was going on in general, but Tzirret's exchange with Qa'habi, however brief, was meant to be kept a secret. Qa'habi said himself that he wouldn't tell anyone. In fact, with the speak of awkward advances and everything else, Tzirret knew that he was completely exposed.

Again, Tzirret looked down and shank into a cringe. "Qa'habi told you what Tzirret tried to ask him, didn't he?" Tzirret said, defeated.

Uthri raised a confused eyebrow, but did not turn to join the conversation.

[EliteCommander]

Ma'tanza cocked her head to the side with Tzirret's reaction. Contrary to what he might have been expecting, she seemed to be confused more than anything. "No, Qa'habi hasn't said anything about you to Ma'tanza. She hasn't spoken to him since we were all together last night."

It took a few moments for Ma'tanza to connect Tzirret's sudden question to what she was talking about, and what she was about to say. She quickly began wondering if Tzirret had been talking to Qa'habi about her. "Ma'tanza was about to say that there were boys who would talk to her friends about Ma'tanza's attractiveness, and make stupid jokes about her body. Were you...making jokes about this one with him?"

Ma'tanza had lost her joking tone, and instead appeared to be rather surprised. Her expression showed that she was genuinely hurt at the thought that Tzirret would make jokes about her behind her back.

[Muttonhawk]

"He didn't?" Tzirret lifted an ear curiously and looked to Ma'tanza sideways when she mentioned that Qa'habi had not talked to her. When she continued, Tzirret had yet another realisation that made his eyes widen. He had completely misread Ma'tanza's words as having more subtext, and now she looked betrayed. In an effort to clear up the misconception that he might have been joking about her, Tzirret straightened up, lifted his hands and began shaking his head frantically. "No! No-no-no-no-no! Tzirret would never do a thing like that!"

Tzirret was of course only half-correct, because he had tried to talk behind her back. He needed to clear the air immediately. He closed his eyes and put his hands on his knees, "This one will tell you the truth, alright?" Tzirret took a moment to calm down and looked to Ma'tanza sincerely, "Last night, Tzirret tried to ask Qa'habi why you two...stopped your relationship. Tzirret was just curious. He got angry with Tzirret and said it was private, so this one apologised and let it go. That is all, apart from talking about bows." Tzirret put his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands down his face, "Qa'habi even said that he would not mention asking if I didn't. Ugh, how could Tzirret be so stupid?"

[EliteCommander]

Tzirret's explanation, as uncomfortable as it was for him, did serve to calm Ma'tanza. Her expression moved from being offended, to sympathetic. She reached out and put a hand lightly on his shoulder. "Oh, yes, Ma'tanza knows that would make him angry. Even if she doesn't know his reasons, she does know they are personal for him. He really does not like people asking about it. Ma'tanza is sorry; she should have told you not to speak with him about it when she first mentioned it. It is her fault you upset him." She said sincerely.

Ma'tanza was smiling at Tzirret through her apology, but after a few moments, another thought came to her mind. She gave him a curious look before continuing. "Although...Ma'tanza is curious why you would feel the need to hide that from her."

The conversation was interrupted by the boat landing on shore. Once they hid away the boat, they would continue the rest of the distance to the city on foot. While the family was climbing out of the boat, Meesei finally decided to ask the two Khajiit for help. She had a feeling that it would be a favor to Tzirret. "Sorry to interrupt, but I require your assistance. I need to ask the family a few questions before we arrive."

[Muttonhawk]

"Um..." Tzirret did not have an immediate answer. The best he could come up with on the spot was that it was an embarrassing and awkward situation at the time. He guessed he also didn't want Ma'tanza thinking that he was delving into her personal affairs, but he didn't get to answer before Meesei came forward.

Tzirret was grateful for the time to think. He replied to Meesei with an "okay," and stood up to get out of the boat, giving Ma'tanza one last glance. It was hard to read what was on his mind from it.

While Uthri dragged the boat ashore, Gallus joined Meesei and Tzirret with the family. The family themselves returned Meesei's look, except for F'sresa. She had climbed onto Pudaga's back so she could continue resting.

"Um, hello," Tzirret began in Ta'agra, "This one is named Tzirret. Um..." Tzirret glanced between Pudaga and Meesei, "Meesei wants to talk briefly."

"Yes, what does Meesei need?" Pudaga responded in a friendly tone.

[EliteCommander]

Tzirret did not get a chance to reply before Meesei requested their assistance, but Ma'tanza certainly made no protest. She was still far too nervous to attempt to delay anything the Champion wanted. So, she stayed silent, and intentionally stood so that Tzirret would be between her and Meesei.

Meesei glanced in the direction of the city as she spoke. "I just want to be sure we are all clear on the story we will tell to the priests, or any others who are curious. We want to make sure that we do not give differing accounts of what happened. I do not want to stray too far from the truth, so you can mention the fact that you were taken as slaves, and anything before that point. Just, instead of the ship being boarded and captured, you should say that a storm caused the ship carrying you to crash onto one of the southern sea's many islands. Then, the slavers were picked up by the other ship sailing with them, but abandoned you for a lack of space. You can describe your time aboard this island however you wish, but be sure to say that our ships spotted your signal fire and rescued you. From there, we decided to bring you to safety in Leyawiin."

[Muttonhawk]

Pudaga neutrally nodded as Tzirret spoke a translation of Meesei's words. "Yes, Pudaga thinks that will be suitable. Does everyone understand?" Pudaga looked about his family. Ti'drissi and Gati both nodded, while F'sresa gave a tired but affirmative hum.

"If that is the story, all the more reason for us to be quick about this," Gallus said, crossing his arms and giving a small smile, "Otherwise we'll have to hope that the priests do not question why our ships are not in the city docks."

After an uncertain moment, Tzirret translated that as well, but the family did not seem to have anything to add except ambivalent expressions.

[EliteCommander]

With that matter settled, there was little else to say on the way to the city gates. They circled around west through the forest, then turned to get on the road once they were out of sight of the city gates, so that they could approach in the same way as normal travelers. As such, they were able to get into the city without any real issue or suspicion.

Since it was later in the afternoon, activity in the city was starting to wind down for the day. Most of the shops would only be open for another hour or so at most, and there was a small crowd of people in the streets who were already starting to head home for the day. For those who had never seen it, Leyawiin was not the largest, or otherwise most exceptional city, but it certainly had its own unique feel to it. The architecture had a unique blend of an orderly, Imperial aesthetic with the colorful decorative designs of a Khajiit city. The plants that were decorating the gardens, and the houses themselves were native to the swamps of the area, and made it feel as if the city could also belong in Black Marsh.

The group did not need to ask directions to find the temple, as its central tower was easily visible over most of the buildings. As soon as it came into the group's full view, its grandeur provided an immediate demonstration of the dedication to the Imperial faith of those who designed it. The temple, or chapel as the Imperials called it, was massive, with tall angular arches and intricate stained-glass windows. Ma'tanza could not help but to stop and look up at its tower in awe. While the Khajiit certainly built temples to their gods, they were not to this scale.

[Muttonhawk]

The trip to the city ended up leaving Ma'tanza's previous question to Tzirret to the back on his mind. He had remembered by the time they reached the road, but Ma'tanza had not brought it up again and Tzirret did not feel the need to confront the issue.

The city itself was about the same as Tzirret remembered when they last visited, though the entry from a different angle gave it something of a new light.

The family was looking around curiously as well, but the temple dropped all their jaws, even half-asleep F'sresa.

Tzirret was of course familiar with temples of the Eight from childhood, so he found Ma'tanza's reaction to be amusing enough to let out a laugh. Now he knew what he looked like to others when he was overwhelmed by something new. "Just wait to see inside," Tzirret said, giving her a nudge, "The sun lights up the windows from outside and you can see all the colours."

Gallus had been inside Bruma's temple plenty of times, but he did not interact with the clergy at all. He looked at the doors apprehensively and leaned to Meesei. "So, how will this work? Just go in and ask the first priest we see?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei gave a brief nod to Gallus. "I would assume so, yes. We may have to speak to a few of them before we can find one who can help us, but these priests are meant to be a charitable organization. It is a faith that was founded by former slaves, so I would imagine they would be willing to help this family."

The group entered through the massive double doors into what appeared to be an expansive grand hall. There were stairs to their left and right leading down into a large open area, with rows upon rows of pews lined up facing an altar of the Eight divines on the far side of the chapel. Along the walls on all sides there were smaller altars devoted to the individual gods, directly underneath the tall and intricate stained glass windows that each portrayed a god in their pantheon. Only one of the nine windows did not seem to portray anything, nor did it have an altar beneath it.

Given that it was late in the day, there were only a handful of people in the chapel who were not priests, or otherwise worked in the chapel. Meesei scanned her eyes across the room until she spotted a Khajiit woman in priest's robes off to their left at one of the smaller altars. They could translate for the family if needed, but Meesei hoped to find someone who they could communicate with directly.

The priestess' ears twitched as she heard the footsteps of the group approaching behind her. After finishing her prayer, she turned her head to see that there were in fact quite a few people waiting to speak with her. "Oh, greetings. I do not believe I recognize any of your faces. Welcome to the Great Chapel of Zenithar. Is there anything this humble priestess can do for you all?" She asked with a bit of surprise in her voice.

"Yes, please." Meesei answered. "Do you speak Ta'agra? We have a family here with us that is in need of your help." She explained while gesturing to Pudaga.

The priestess nodded. "Yes, I do. What is wrong that the faithful of Zenithar could help you with?"

[Muttonhawk]

Pudaga started by lowering F'sresa to the ground so she could stand, but she instead strode to her mother to lean on. When Pudaga was addressed by the priestess, he looked to her with some surprise. He had expected that Meesei and Gallus would do all the talking.

To encourage Pudaga, Gallus gestured to the priestess while looking at him.

"...Ours is a lengthy tale, priestess," Pudaga started slowly, he wasn't used to asking for help from a temple, let alone a temple of the Eight. "To make short words of it, this one and his family were taken from our home in Elsweyr to be sold as slaves by criminals. The slave ship we were on was dashed against rocks in a storm, marooning the crew and passengers on an island. The slavers were rescued by another ship that would not take us." Pudaga nodded sadly at Meesei, "These kind souls found us before we gave up to die. However..." Pudaga paused to moderate how much information he wanted to give, "We cannot go home. We will be taken again. We have nowhere else to go."

While the family spoke with the priestess, Tzirret knew that they would not have much time to take a look around the chapel. He lightly tugged on Ma'tanza's arm and began walking to see the other altars. "Come," he whispered. Once they were at a spot where they would not disturb anyone's prayers, Tzirret asked Ma'tanza without certainty in his voice, "So, um...do you like it?"

[EliteCommander]

"Oh...my." The priestess remarked, obviously shocked. "That is terrible. Absolutely terrible. I...understand why you are here. I suppose you do not speak Cyrodilic, or have anyone in Leyawiin who can help you? I personally can offer you a bed here for the night and a warm meal, but you are probably needing more than that. Please, tell me what you require. Do you need to find a place within the city, or are you intending to go somewhere else? I will do what I can to make sure your labors help you reach that goal."

Ma'tanza walked with Tzirret when he tugged on her arm, though her gaze was still cast at the ceiling far above. She could hear even her own footsteps resonate through the massive hall. Eventually, her eyes settled one on of the stained glass windows depicting what seemed like a man with the head of a dragon. "It is...big. So tall and open. Ma'tanza has never been in a building like this before. There is so much stone here, but it is all carved so intricately. It must have taken ages to build. Khajiit temples are not built to be this...grand. This one supposes that is why she called it the 'Great' Chapel of Zenithar. The Empire must really have a lot of wealth and power to build something like this. Or...how old is this chapel?"

[Muttonhawk]

Pudaga had a look on his face that told of a wish for the answers to the priestess' questions. All he had for sure was a sigh. His eyes averted from the priestess as he came up with what he thought he knew. "The path ahead is not clear right now. We have no connections in Leyawiin, or anywhere in Cyrodiil, really. If there is work to be had in the city, we will likely stay until we decide what to do - whether to try and head to another city in Elsweyr or somewhere else." Pugada put a hand to his chest, "This one is a potter by trade, but he will take any work available. My wife is a washerwoman, and my mother-in-law is a retired nanny, though..." Pudaga looked to her.

Gati smirked, "It there's a kitten that needs minding, this one could stand to work again. Though most of her work is minding this kitten here," Gati pointed to F'sresa.

"Yes, it goes the same for all of us, in recent days," Pudaga glanced to F'sresa. At least they had medicine for her. "All the same. Priestess, your offer is most generous."

While Tzirret had been into plenty of chapels before, he breathed in to answer Ma'tanza and found that he had no idea. "Well...at least as old as the city," he guessed, "Though, all the early stories about the divines have big, magical, powerful people, so Tzirret could believe it would be easier to build this back then."

Tzirret then turned his head around both ways in turn, looking for something. He stopped looking at the altar below a stained-glass window of a blue-green robed woman with a small smile. She had a circular halo of hair and a flower in her hand. Trying not to draw attention to it, Tzirret placed what looked to be a bracelet made from bone beads and leather into the offering bowl by the woman's altar. Tzirret gave the window one last hopeful look, and then turned to Ma'tanza with a smile.

"Tzirret does not remember much of his mother, but he does remember being told that there are some Khajiit gods in these places." Tzirret pointed to the man with the half-dragon-half-bearded-man head, "Alkosh and Akatosh are the same..." Tzirret's hand went to a similar blue-green woman to the one he left the bracelet for, but her face was more serious and her hands were cupped together, "...Khenarthi and Kynareth, too..." Tzirret pointed similarly to other windows, "...and Mara, S'rendarr...probably others as well. This one never paid them much attention. Imperials think they look like Imperials, though. That was always strange."

[EliteCommander]

The priestess smiled encouragingly, particularly towards F'sresa. "Yes, Zenithar smiles upon the honest work of righteous men and women. It is good to hear that you all are willing to labor for the welfare of your family. So many who seek charity also forsake Zenithar's wise teachings in regards to labor. As I said before, I personally cannot offer you more than a bed for the night and a meal. I do not have any more authority than that. But if you come with me to speak with Brother Daranus and let him hear your story, he can give something more significant, and perhaps the work you need."

Being that the conversation was entirely in Ta'agra, Meesei could not follow along, and had to wait until a break in the conversation in order to speak. "Is everything going well? Will you be able to help them?" She asked.

"I do hope so." The priestess answered. "We will need to speak to Brother Daranus in order to give them the kind of help they need."

With a brief nod, Meesei turned to the family. "Shall we accompany you?" She asked before prompting the priestess to translate.

Ma'tanza chuckled. "This one thinks a lot of things about the Imperials are strange. Or, well, what she has been told about them is strange. The Dominion says the Empire has lost the power and prestige it once held. A lot of people talk like it isn't even the same Empire as before the Oblivion crisis, and the Thalmor say that Tamriel will be better off once they control everything. A place like this seems plenty prestigious, though Ma'tanza supposes that if it is old, then the current Empire didn't really build it."

Looking away briefly, Ma'tanza examined one of the altars, which was identical to all of the others apart from the inscription identifying it as being dedicated to Dibella. "Oh, Ma'tanza has heard this name before. Dibella. It was one of the pride you rescued...La'khay, Ma'tanza thinks. This one is not sure who Dibella really is, though."