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

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus gave a nod and low growl, but did not say anything more. To him, this business was just taking too long.

"Okay," Uthri responded, failing to obscure how little she understood. "I think that is something I will need to see for myself when we get the time."

Fendros had no shortage of worry. "I never would have anticipated something like this," he murmured to Ahnasha.

---

While the question Bheja posed was one that had puzzled Tzirret in the past, his curiosity was not surpassed by his own embarrassment. While Bheja laughed on, Tzirret looked at him with a closed mouth, wide-eyes, and with blood rushing to his face.

"Oh...you...right here?" Tzirret looked to S'nishi, "No, that's...er, never mind."

Tzirret shook off the ridiculousness of his original assumption and looked to Ma'tanza instead. He was still trying to catch up and it sounded like she deserved space to explain properly. "If it wasn't that, what did Ma'tanza ask, then?"

[EliteCommander]

With Gallus at least mostly under control, it was only a few silent, tense minutes more of waiting before the Suthay-raht warrior returned. During that time, some of the clan’s members passing through the chamber gave strange glances to the group under guard near the entrance, but none paid close enough attention to recognize Meesei.

From the passageway to their left, three people entered the chamber. The first was the Suthay-raht who led the group currently guarding them. The second was a large Cathay woman, likely a warrior, though it was difficult to judge her build at the moment, since the cloak she wore draped over her shoulders was rather loose fitting. It was made of simple brown fabric, and looked as if it would easily fall off without so much as tearing in the event of a transformation. The last individual was an Argonian woman. She had light green scales, red feathers atop her head, and two prominent curved horns. Meesei kept her hood up and allowed herself to blend in among her group as they drew closer, so that this impostor would not spot her too soon.

As the three drew closer, Meesei could see that, while this Argonian had the same prominent features, her face had an entirely different structure to Meesei’s own. She was obviously a different individual, but if one was just going off of a description, then she could see how it would be easy for the clan to have been fooled by her.

When the trio reached the group, the impostor was the first to speak. “Now, what is this that requires my attention? I do not recognize any of these people.” Evidently, the warrior had not given the full explanation of the problem at hand.

Meesei stepped forward in front of the group, lowering her hood to reveal her face. “Is that so? Perhaps you should, for you are impersonating one of them.” She said, being sure that her ring was clearly visible on her hand.

While most of those in the clan were focusing on Meesei, anyone who was paying close attention to the impostor might notice her eyes widen, and a tinge of worry appear in her expression.

---

Ma’tanza lowered her head meekly. “This one did not ask anything wrong. We were all talking and laughing together, and Ma’tanza ending up asking how Bheja’s relationship with her sister even works.”

”Which means: ‘how do we mate?’” Bheja added.

Ma’tanza practically growled at Bheja. ”No it doesn’t, Bheja! There is a lot more to a relationship than mating, and there is a lot more Ma’tanza could have been talking about.”

Bheja chuckled. ”Could have, but not actually were. Anyway, it seems like Tzirret here is pretty interested, seeing how he keeps asking about it. I think I’ll tell him as well. First we…”

”Bheja! M’ibasa is far too young for this kind of talk!” Ma’tanza shouted, this time with an undeniably serious expression.

Bheja nodded apologetically. ”Of course, of course. You’re right; your brother shouldn’t hear this.” He said, but predictably, he put on a grin as he continued. “So, I’ll just switch to Cyrodilic.” He said. What followed was a rather lengthy and detailed explanation to Tzirret of his and S’nishi’s mating habits, regardless of how much anyone protested.

[Muttonhawk]

All of Fendros, Gallus, and Uthri's collective attention went to the Argonian woman. Uthri and Fendros were shocked by the similarities, while Gallus flattened his ears and growled.

"I am Gallus Oswallson. I come from Bruma. I have been travelling with the Meesei beside me for almost months now," Gallus said at a deep rumbling pitch. He was containing much behind the words he uttered. He slowly extended a claw to the imposter, "Before that, a Meesei lived amongst my clan for three full years. It was not this Meesei."

---

As soon as Bheja interpreted Tzirret's questions as being curious about Bheja and S'nishi's private activities, his hands shot up and he shook his head in a remarkably similar fashion to Ma'tanza, just moments ago. "No! Bheja, really! Tzirret does not need to know! You don't...ugh..."

Tzirret quickly realised that Bheja was not going to stop, so he lowered his hands. The detail of Bheja's answer was so embarrassing that Tzirret scrunched his eyes shut and put a hand to his face. He even started to chuckle helplessly with how ridiculous the situation was. Once a particularly intimate detail was shared, Tzirret started to shake his head and speak through his laughter, "By the Eight, Bheja!"

Eventually, a part of the explanation gave Tzirret a flashback of the last night he had with La'khay. It became a bit much then. He leaned his forehead onto Ma'tanza's shoulder and put his hands over his ears, groaning and chuckling to try and drown out the sound of Bheja's voice. "Can Ma'tanza please paralyse him?" Tzirret asked.

Whatever the outcome, Tzirret lifted his head from Ma'tanza's shoulder once Bheja was finished talking and opened his eyes to look around. "Shall we change the subject now?" Tzirret asked hopefully, sliding his hands from his head. "What does everyone want to do first when we get to the Orcrest clan?"

[EliteCommander]

Though they had already spoken, Meesei felt the need to hold out her hand briefly to Gallus to hold him back. His mind was far from being in a rational state at the moment. Nevertheless, Meesei had to focus on dealing with this impostor. The Cathay woman seemed just as surprised as the Argonian herself, and looked at her with worry. "What is the meaning of this, Champion?"

To her credit, the Argonian woman was able to reign in her initial surprise enough that the Cathay woman did not notice it, but her response was unmistakably emotional. "Impersonating? You expect these people to believe such...obvious lies? I am the Champion of Hircine, and you are the impostor. I will not have my authority challenged by this liar. Kill her! Kill them all!" She commanded. However, the soldiers around them were far from resolute on the order. Many looked around in confusion, particularly towards the Cathay woman. A few of them raised their weapons, but hesitated when the order was not confirmed.

Meesei, meanwhile, maintained perfect composure. "You are panicking; I can see it in your eyes. I do not panic." Meesei declared, shifting her gaze to the Cathay who she assumed to be the clan leader. "Has she even transformed for you yet? That forgery on her finger has impressive craftsmanship, but she is not the Champion."

"I...will not be challenged by you! Not only am I a lycan, but I am the alpha of all lycans." The impostor shouted. As she spoke, she threw off her satchel, then closed her eyes and allowed her body to shift its form. Her bones broke and reformed, molding her body into the form of a werewolf. This impostor did indeed have lycanthropy, but her werewolf form was of average size at best. Even so, her transformation, followed by the growl she gave once it was complete, did prompt some more of the soldiers to raise their weapons towards Meesei.

Meesei retained her calm and did not react to the threatening stances of some of the warriors. "So you are a lycan? Impressive dedication, but..." She began as she too as she allowed her beast free from the confines of her mind. Her body twisted itself into her more bestial form, which was, of course, far more intimidating than the impostor's comparatively pathetic display. Her werewolf form was larger, stronger, and overall more imposing than even Gallus, and certainly more than the impostor, by a rather significant degree. "...so am I."

---

Bheja was hardly holding back his laughter by the end of his explanation. S'nishi was laying down next to him, though she was much harder to read. Her face was not as expressive as a Suthay, so it was difficult to tell just by looking how she felt about the situation. Although, she clearly did not seem to want to interrupt Bheja.

When Tzirret attempted to change the subject, Bheja leaned over and nudged S'nishi. "Well, I know what we will be doing."

Ignoring Bheja's comment, Ma'tanza readily embraced Tzirret's suggestion. "Yes, let's talk about something else. Ma'tanza hopes they have enough water to swim in. This is the desert, so she isn't too hopeful, but it would be nice."

[Muttonhawk]

Everyone in Meesei's group backed off behind her and held their tongues once she transformed. The impostor's attempt to get rid of them was rushed, she clearly was not aware of who she was dealing with. Now that she had showed her hand, the impostor's fate seemed to be all but sealed. All Meesei needed to do was challenge her - that much was beyond interruption by any lycan.

Fendros in particular thought it strange that a servant of Vile would take on lycanthropy. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps this woman was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then again, the one who had corrupted Harriet into murdering Jerrick went to the same lengths years ago. If would be interesting to see if this one would admit defeat now, and whether Meesei would offer mercy.

---

"Ah, Tzirret would like that too," Tzirret answered, "Even just enough water for a bath would be refreshing." Now that he was a little more settled, Tzirret wrapped his tail around Ma'tanza's waist and tried to forget about Bheja's lecture. "Though, he also hopes that there is some fresher food," he added, "This one has been spending too much time picking dry and salty morsels from his teeth. They make him even more thirsty than the sun and the dry air does." Tzirret grinned and held a cupped hand out in front of him, "What he would do for a ripe nectarine. The kind that runs juices down your arm when you bite it..."

[EliteCommander]

With both of the potential Champions transformed, many of the soldiers around them showed their first real signs of doubt in what they had been told. Meesei was very obviously the superior werewolf, and much more in line with her reputation. Some of them began pulling their weapons back and giving each other questioning looks. Meanwhile, Meesei took a few more steps towards the imposter.

"You are small, weak, and far from being anyone's Champion, impostor. This ploy you and your masters have constructed is clever, I shall admit, but you are nothing next to me. Come, the Champion of Hircine is meant to be the strongest lycan in Tamriel. If that is you, then prove it!" Meesei shouted, punctuating her challenge with a loud growl.

Meesei had expected the impostor to back down once she had a good look at who exactly she was facing, but too her surprise, she still stood firm. Or at least, she had a certain frightened determination. Perhaps she was too afraid of punishment to even consider failing her mission, or her beast spirit was driving her anger, but instead of backing down, the impostor rushed forward, likely in the hopes of landing a surprise strike. Meesei, however, had much finer control over her beast than her opponent, and was able to catch her arm by the wrist with little effort. It appeared as if this was going to be a fight, though it did not look like it would be a difficult one.

Just to the right of Gallus, one of the soldiers was holding his weapon forward nervously. He was just as clueless about what he should be doing as his fellow warriors around him, but he looked as if he was inching his way forwards, and could possibly interfere.

---

Ma'tanza chuckled lightly. "Oh please, don't talk about that. You're making Ma'tanza thirsty just thinking about it. She tends to like meat more than fruit, but this one would just love to get her hands on something nice and juicy. Though, meat can be juicy as well. Imagine a nice, bloody cut of mutton, or pork. Something freshly killed and unpreserved. That would be great.

Bheja groaned. "Yeah...can we not talk about this? I have been craving real food for...well essentially the last few weeks. I'd rather not think about what I'm missing out on."

Ma'tanza crossed her arms and huffed. "Oh, so now it's you who wants to stop talking?"

[Muttonhawk]

The challenge was issued, the fight for dominance ensued, and immediately it did not look like there would be much to it. Credit could be given to the impostor's last minute courage, but she was clearly outmatched. Meesei plucked her wrist out of the air like a stick and was not even shifted a bit.

Once the soldier began to step up reluctantly, Gallus spotted him out of the corner of his eye and reacted immediately. He stepped between the soldier and the fight and tried to intimidate the soldier back with a growl and bared teeth. If the soldier dared to continue, Gallus would swat at his spear and bay louder. There would be no interrupting this.

---

Tzirret let out a small laugh, "Perhaps we could take some small revenge by continuing, but Tzirret thinks he would suffer as well. He could devour a nice cut of mutton, too."

Thinking that the previous question still held some water, Tzirret turned to M'ibasa. "What about M'ibasa? What does he want to do when we find the Orcrest clan?"

[EliteCommander]

At first, the soldier started to reflexively turn his spear towards Gallus, but the warrior next to him grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Although this was all happening rather suddenly, no one, not even the Cathay woman, wanted to interfere with the Champion, whoever she might be. With Meesei's reputation, it was possible that they simply expected that the real Champion would be the one to emerge victorious.

As for the fight, Meesei intended to end it quickly. She jerked the impostor's wrist towards her, then slashed her claws across her face. The woman attempted to retain her momentum and tackle Meesei, but against the power of Meesei's lycan form, she might as well have been pushing against a wall. With her height advantage, Meesei was able to strike the back of her opponent's head hard enough to knock her to the floor. The impostor's claws did make a few cuts down Meesei's side as she was forced downwards, but they were rather minor wounds.

Once her opponent was on the ground, Meesei reached down with one hand, grabbed the top of her head, and started pushing it into the floor to help keep her down. At the same time, she stomped on one of the impostor's hands and kept her foot pressing it into the ground, while stabbing her claws into her shoulder. The impostor tried flailing around with her free arm, but with the angle Meesei was standing at, she could hardly reach her.

"You are the one that the enemy sent to impersonate me? Your appearance is the only trait you share with me. Your control over your beast is that of a novice, and your strength barely more than a pup." Meesei growled. She was normally not one to boast in any way, but in this moment, she needed to make it abundantly clear which of them was superior. She dug her claws deeper into the impostor's shoulder, which produced a pained growl. "Surrender yourself, and any knowledge you might have, and you may yet live."

"No...never! I will not give myself up to a...mongrel like you!" The impostor shouted. Again, she tried to struggle, but again, Meesei pushed her claws deeper into her shoulder.

"Surrender, now!" Meesei demanded, tightening her grip even further.

"Aaaarrrh...I...can't!" The woman shouted in a voice as close to a scream as a werewolf was capable of producing.

Meesei's response was simple, and unmistakably threatening. "Then I shall make you." She declared before pushing her claws as deeply as she could into her victim's shoulder, while also pulling outwards. Bones were crushed from the force, and tendons snapped from the strain until Meesei finally ripped the arm clean from her body. The impostor let out a roar of pure agony as the blood poured from her wound, forming a pool beneath her almost immediately.

Instantly, Meesei began her transformation back to Argonian form. Just as she had told Gallus, she did not necessarily want the impostor to die just yet, and if that was to be the case, she would need immediate attention. Of course, the type of aid Meesei intended to give was no more pleasant than the initial injury. As soon as she was back to normal, Meesei extended her hand down towards her opponent and let loose a stream of fire directly onto the wound to burn it closed and stop the bleeding.

Between the dismemberment and cauterization, the impostor fell unconscious from shock. It remained to be seen whether she would survive at all, but it was still a possibility at this point. The one certainty at the moment was that Meesei had made the undeniable impression that she was not a woman to be trifled with.

---

"M'ibasa wants to rest." He said, hanging his head low. "Walking, walking, more walking. It's all we've been doing for weeks. He wants to just...go to sleep for a few days, then have all the time he wants to play with his friends. Inside, out of the sun."

Ma'tanza smiled at M'ibasa. "Brother, Ma'tanza thinks that is something all of us can agree with.

[Muttonhawk]

The battles that Fendros, Uthri, and Gallus had witnessed before had their fair share of gore. They had seen limbs hanging by threads, organs spilled from cut bellies, bodies contorted in various ways, even Fendros and Ahnasha had their own horrid experience in torture. The scene before them, however, could not have been tempered completely by all of those memories. Never had they seen a werewolf's arm brutally torn off at the shoulder. The sounds of the flesh and bone, along with the howling pain made it hard to watch, much less listen to. Nevertheless, the fight was over. Meesei could not have made it clearer who the real champion was, such was the custom of Hircine's hounds.

"Irenya," Gallus turned his wolfish head to the Dunmer, now unconcerned by the soldiers. He nodded in the impostor's direction. "Keep her alive. Let Meesei worry about the clan."

The words were the only immediate ones from the group. The entire space was bereft of any speech after the display.

---

"Mm, getting out of this heat will be a relief," Tzirret agreed, "Hopefully the Orcrest clan live in caverns in those hills, like home. Those would be cooler than out here."

Some moments passed where there was no apparent movement in the conversation. Tzirret didn't really have much more to add himself, so he laid back with a smile and tried to create a magical light again. He had succeeded in making a weak, flickering light and was trying to refine it, but the novelty of showing it off had faded days ago. Now it was just practice.

"Um, Ma'tanza?" Tzirret began curiously, lifting his head from the ground slightly. He seemed a little nervous again, but he knew he wasn't going to find a spare moment with her alone to ask. "Did you want to...watch the sunset from the top of one of those hills tonight? If there is no sandstorm, of course."

[EliteCommander]

In the aftermath of the brief fight, there were few in the chamber who knew how to react. The Cathay woman had her hand resting on the hilt of her sword in its scabbard for the duration of the fight, but she had still not yet drawn it. As Irenya knelt down next to the unconscious werewolf to preserve her life, the Cathay hazarded a few steps forward towards Meesei.

"This...all of this is...unprecedented. Someone impersonating the Champion, but...Meesei, how can Ri'vashi be sure..." She began, but was quickly interrupted by Meesei.

"That I am the true Champion?" Meesei commented. Pausing briefly, she knelt down by the spot where the impostor had dropped her belongings and recovered her satchel. Reaching inside, she located what she had suspected would be present: the false ring. "The impostor slipped off her ring before she transformed." Meesei explained as she stood up and tossed the forgery aside. She took a few steps closer to Ri'vashi and held out her hand with the Ring. The only item that could survive a transformation in that manner was the actual Ring of Hircine. "Mine actually works."

With Meesei's confirmation of her identity, Ri'nashi let out a long, regretful sigh. "Of course...Champion. All of this...I am sorry that..."

Again, Meesei interrupted. "I appreciate your apologry, Ri'vashi, but we can return to that after the current matter is dealt with. The impostor did not arrive alone, I am assuming? Anyone who was with her needs to be detained immediately, before they can learn of what has happened.

"Of course, right away, Champion. Soldiers, find and detain the pretender's companions, and hurry!" The Cathay ordered.

Turning back towards her group, Meesei closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. Despite her success, Meesei took no pleasure in most of what she had just done.

---

"The sunset? Why would you...oh, right." Ma'tanza began. Despite how long they had been together, she was still getting used to doing things just to be alone with him. She had no problems with it, certainly, but it was not what she was accustomed to. "Of course, if we're able. Some of those hills look pretty steep, though this one supposes we could just get on the smaller ones. Hopefully we'll be staying here long enough for that. Ma'tanza guesses that the clan is probably in those hills, but she hasn't heard anyone say for sure that they are."

[Muttonhawk]

With the immediate danger dealt with for now, the group's attention diverted to Meesei directly. This was with the exception of Gallus, who was seated with his eyes closed in an attempt to calm himself back to his regular form.

Fendros noticed the regret on Meesei's face, but his shock had not completely worn off yet. "That was...impressive, in the purest meaning of the word." Fendros said, looking to the oozing arm laying on the floor. He did not lie; he doubted that he would ever forget what he just witnessed. "Are you alright, Meesei?" He looked to her again.

---

Tzirret looked a little crestfallen. "Er, well, only if it is no trouble...and, yes, if the clan is found...of course..." he added quietly.

The best he could interpret from Ma'tanza's surprised reaction was that she wasn't very enthusiastic. It had taken this long for Tzirret to muster the courage to try and organise an activity for just the two of them, much less actually gaining the opportunity with how busy the clan's journey both made them. He hoped he hadn't made a mistake, but unless Ma'tanza added to her answer, only the sunset itself would tell.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei breathed in, the scent of blood hanging heavy in the air. Some of the bystanders were still looking on at the scene, some in awe, some in disgust. As for herself, Meesei was not proud of her actions, though not necessarily because of only the wound she had inflicted. Her conflict came from the power she had held over the woman, and how she had used it. She had, of course, used her power in similar ways before, but she was no more content with her actions then as she was now.

Meesei cast her eyes once more onto the wounded lycan Irenya was stabilizing. "There was little contest to it. I suppose Vile would have had a difficult time finding an Argonian woman who both looked like me, and had comparable skills. The former might have been enough, had we not arrived. Still, she did not have exceptional control of her beast. She attacked directly, predictably. I would not call it much of a fight. I held all of the power, and it seems I used it." She sighed. The scratches on her sides that her opponent had managed to make were still open, and dripping down blood onto her waist, though Meesei did not appear to be paying them any mind.

---

Ma'tanza looked over to the hills in the distance and shrugged. "Well, this one guesses we will find out soon enough if the clan is there. We have to be stopped here for some purprose." She reasoned. "Maybe...you could ask the Champion? This one doesn't know where she is, though. She hasn't seen her since we stopped here."

"Qa'habi thinks he saw her leaving with some others earlier." He commented. "This one was getting his lunch and wasn't paying too close of attention, though. If it was her, though, then they were heading towards the hills."

Ma'tanza nodded. "Oh, well this may really be it, then. It's almost hard to think that we might get out of this desert soon."

[Muttonhawk]

"Yes...clearly..." Uthri said finally in a stilted fashion. "Let us just hope that no traitors escape to spread the word."

Beside the group, Gallus began to shift back into his Imperial form. While this turned heads for a moment, Fendros asked, "What about us, now? Should we wait until the others are found or get to business right now? I don't think we've even been properly introduced to the clan leader." Fendros glanced over to the Cathay woman, "Is that her over there in the cloak?"

"Most likely," Gallus rejoined the group, bending his neck this way and that to loosen up. "Ah, perhaps it was not the best move to transform there. Still..." Gallus clapped his hands together, "We ought get ourselves a full update on what that impersonator has already done, first and foremost."

---

"Mhm, Qa'habi is correct," Tzirret sat up again, "Gallus came by Tzirret's tent a while ago to say that he was going with Meesei and some others into the hills. Meesei said she recognised the area and was going to look for the clan." Tzirret gave the hills a sideways glance as well, "This one cannot be any more sure than Meesei is that the clan is out there, but Meesei is not often wrong."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei watched the Cathay woman as she directed a few of the soldiers to different locations, then followed herself down one of the corridors. Based on her name's honorific, Meesei assumed her to be the clan leader, or at least someone high in rank. Their introduction to the clan had been far from ideal, but given the situation, she could forgive the lack of a proper welcome.

"Agreed. I suspect we will have to deal with whatever sabotage she tried to enact, but we will likely have to wait until all of her companions have been captured. I do not want to discuss this with anyone other than the clan leader. We do not know who we can trust. For now, I suppose we should just wait here and keep an eye on the impostor." Meesei commented. She picked up her pouches off of the ground, along with her now-shredded robe, and moved them nearby to a sort of garden area just off of the path. She sat herself down on the grass and let out a deep breath.

"Irenya, what condition is she in?" Meesei asked.

The Dunmer, naturally, was focusing on repairing what damage she could on the werewolf's shoulder. "Unconscious from shock, it seems. I am working on stopping the internal bleeding right now. There is...quite a lot of it. She has lost a good deal of blood already, but as long as she does not lose anymore, she should live."

---

"Well, hopefully the clan is there, then. This one is looking forward to joining you this evening." Ma'tanza responded, looking at Tzirret genuinely.

M'ibasa looked up to Ma'tanza curiously "What are you going to do? Are you going to do what Bheja said he did with S'nishi?"

"Ah, Divines no. M'ibasa just...forget he said those things, please." She responded quickly, with wide eyes.

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus walked up to the unconscious impostor, standing away from the pool of blood, and crossed his arms. "I imagine she'll shift back soon. Good job, Irenya." Gallus turned his head to the severed arm and raised an eyebrow, "Now here's an interesting question. Will the arm shift back, too?"

The rest of the group stood around unsurely. There was not much else they could do but wait until the leader came back.

"On the bright side, at least we finally found the Orcrest clan," Uthri said, uncomfortable with just standing around given the circumstances. "I would say that the people waiting outside would be glad to hear it. It has been a long journey. And no one died, as well. Perhaps it's just our luck balancing out here with this...incident."

---

With Ma'tanza's comment, brief realisation seemed to cross Tzirret's face before his eyes lit up. "She is?" He half-breathed-half-mumbled. A giddy smile crept up his face, but it was interrupted by M'ibasa's question. With that, Tzirret's eyes widened as well and his head cringed down in embarrassment.

"Yes, um..." Tzirret forced a cough and he looked into the space ahead of himself. After a swallow, he made a quiet comment, "This one does not even think half of those things would be possible unless Ma'tanza was a Senche-raht herself..." Tzirret began to stammer as he spoke to clarify, "N-n-not that we are going to do those things. N-no. Um...Tzirret just thought that the...um...the view would be nice." His eyes flicked to M'ibasa and then back to space, "...The view of the sunset."

Tzirret hadn't realised that his shoulders were rising and his head was sinking as he spoke. By the time he finished, he looked like he was trying to hide from the world. "He will be quiet, now," Tzirret murmured.

[EliteCommander]

Since the conflict was now at least over, Ahnasha walked over to the grass near Meesei as well and took a seat. She leaned back and stretched out her legs, supporting her upper body with her arms. "Yeah, hopefully this will be a safe place. If Vile has an infiltrator, his forces might know of this location. Though, it looks like it would be hard to attack. The entrance was hard to find for us, and we knew where it was supposed to be. Not to mention, that cave leading up to this place would be a bottleneck for any invaders, and it even slopes upwards at the end, so the clan would have the high ground. And, with that hole up there, trying to smoke them out wouldn't even work. This place is definitely defensible enough to be a Blades outpost."

Taking a moment to look around her in more detail, she observed the plants in the garden around her. There were a few bushes, complete with colorful berries native to Elsweyr. There were roses, morning glory, and thistle plants scattered around. In particular, Ahnasha took interest in a flower near to her: a tiger lily. With a smile, she reached out and touched its bright orange petals. "I guess this is far from the worst place we could be waiting. I never would have thought how much I would miss the feel of grass."

---

Bheja could not help but to laugh. "I don't even have to speak to get to you now. I think that means I've won."

Ma'tanza rolled her eyes. "If it gets you to shut that mouth of yours, Ma'tanza will admit defeat. Can she also surrender the next contest as well? Or the one after that?"

Bheja chuckled. "Sorry, I'm afraid it doesn't work like that."

"Hmph, of course not." Ma'tanza huffed. There was silence for a few moments afterwards before she turned back to Tzirret. As was not unusual for him, he seemed to have receded back into his own space. It was something that any mistake could prompt him to do. In an attempt to be encouraging, Ma'tanza put her arm over his shoulder and smiled at him.

[Muttonhawk]

Uthri decided to sit down as well, leaning forward and rubbing the side of her head. Fendros was still too on-guard and looking around to the faces around him to want to settle just yet, but he did respond to Ahnasha.

"That is a nice feature, yes," Fendros even curled his toes over the grass briefly, "Not expected, but nice. I wonder if they found the place like this, or if they carried seeds all the way out here?" Fendros looked to the waterfalls and the tree in the centre, "This place seems more like it was designed for such a garden. It's nice."

---

Ma'tanza's contact did not go unnoticed. Tzirret seemed to bring his head up halfway and turn to look up at her. He returned the smile unconsciously and kept her eye contact for a while. Eventually, Tzirret's self-consciousness in front of everyone else overtook his affection and he looked around. The moment was brought to an end, but at least he was out of his cocoon again. In that, Ma'tanza succeeded.

Eventually, the conversation continued on as it usually did. As Bheja had set a precedent for the crude jokes of the day, his love life was brought up time and again. Despite the amusement and the awkwardness of it, Tzirret didn't mind what came around. He anticipated the night ahead no matter the subject of talk in the circle of friends.

[EliteCommander]

With the point Fendros brought up, Ahnasha looked around at the plants more curiously. "That's a good question. I guess it really depends on if those waterfalls were working when they arrived. I'm guessing those streams are what give the soil its water. These plants wouldn't survive here just on the occasional rainstorm this place might get. I know tiger lilies take a lot more water than that." She observed.

Soon enough, the rest of the group had found a spot to sit or stand to relax themselves. The impostor eventually shifted back to her Argonian form, though remained unconscious for the moment. The arm remained just as it was, answering Gallus' question. For a while, none in the clan directly approached the group, but crowds certainly started to form elsewhere in the chamber, looking at the scene from afar. The blood from the fight covered the stone walkway, and the dismembered Argonian on the ground near Meesei quite understandably captured their attention. Most of them eventually moved on, though likely only to talk about what they had witnessed with others.

It was about fifteen minutes more before the Cathay woman, Ri'vashi, returned. She came into the chamber from the passageway to their left alone, and with an expression that failed to hide her fear. Nevertheless, she approached them directly, and without hesitation. Meesei stood up to greet her, but allowed her to speak first.

"Champion, Ri'vashi has had her warriors block all exits, and has enacted a complete search of our entire stronghold. Most of the impostor's companions have been captured, and only a few more remain. We should have them all within the hour. But...for introductions, this one is Ri'vashi, and she is the leader of the Orcrest clan. And...she apologizes for all of this. She will fully bear the blame." The Cathay explained as she lowered her head in shame.

[Muttonhawk]

After a few more minutes of waiting, Gallus and Fendros each seated themselves and traded glances with passers by or those who came to see what had happened. It was tense and a little frustrating that this incident had arisen; they had expected to be discussing the Senchal clan with the oeader by now.

Thankfully, their wait ended well before their patience ran out. The clan leader eventually emerged to receive them properly. It was strange seeing that tall Cathay woman sounding so apologetic, but given Meesei's display, it would have made sense for anyone to do the same.

"As much as I enjoy redundant apologies, there is much more important business still at hand." Gallus said sarcastically as he stood up along with Meesei. He had already introduced himself twice, so he wanted to leave much of the rest of the discussion to Meesei and Ra'kalesh. There was, however, one more immediate issue. "Perhaps we should find a more private meeting space?" He suggested to Ri'vashi and Meesei.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded in agreement. "Yes, I will want to know as much as I can about this incident, of course, but there are more pressing matters we need to attend to at the moment. I am afraid we did not come here simply for a visit."

"Of course, Champion." Ri'vashi responded immediately before her gaze went down to the unconscious Argonian on the ground. "Allow this one to get some soldiers to bring her to a cell, then we will go down to the council chamber."

"Very well. Irenya, I would like for you to remain with the prisoner and keep her alive until I can question her." Meesei instructed.

Ri'vashi stepped away once more, though much more briefly. Within a few minutes, she returned with three Khajiit warriors in tow. They had been told of what they were doing on the way, but the scene they approached was still a shock to them. Nevertheless, they picked up the dismembered Argonian, then left with Irenya down the passageway out of the chamber to their right. Everyone else followed Ri'vashi through the other corridor, down to the lower levels of the ruin. The hallways had more of the same old, worn stonework lining the walls, but it still all seemed structurally sound. Most of the people they passed had varying degrees of worry in their expression, while all of the soldiers were on high alert for the impostor's companions.

Eventually, the group reached the council chamber, which was seemed much larger than their meeting chamber back in Bruma. In terms of floor space, it was not greatly larger, but the ceiling was much taller, which gave it a highly spacious feel. At the center of the room was a stone table that could seat at least two dozen individuals. It appeared to be as old as the ruin itself, so it was doubtful that the clan's council actually had that many members. Most of the chairs around it were simple and wooden, apart from a more ornate stone chair built into the floor at the far end.

"We can safely speak here in private. Normally, I would call my council for such a meeting, but given the situation, I do not want to delay you any farther." Ri'vashi explained.