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

[EliteCommander]

Meesei held a similar frustration as Lunise herself. She did understand Lunise's reservations, particularly since she likely was having a difficult time trusting anyone at the moment. "As far as I am concerned, Lunise, those documents are yours. I already have all of the information I need from Areldril. They are certainly dangerous, but they could still be useful to you. I would not recommend taking them back to your superiors. I would report the mission as a failure, then find somewhere safe to hide the documents. You need not tell me where, just keep them secure. Trust me, I have as much of an interest as you in keeping the Dominion stable. About a third of my people are Dominion citizens, and I have as much of a responsibility to them as I do to those in the Empire, or other independent nations. It is why I want to help you find a way to stop your superiors' plans without unmaking the Dominion itself...as long as I am able to help."

Meesei gave a long sigh at the uncomfortable thought she was about to address. "I will not lie to you, Lunise, I may not be long for this world. For all of the power and ability that I have, the odds I am going to be facing in the coming days are not favorable. What is demanded of me is to lead a charge into Oblivion itself to essentially kill a god. Granted, it would not be the first time a mortal has succeeded in that task, but I am going to be at the forefront of that battle. Even if we do succeed...I have to plan for the possibility that I may not live to see it. The world will still not be safe after Vile is defeated, so I want to be sure that there are still people left to fight for this world if I am gone. I certainly trust that Marod and the Empire will be opposing the Dominion's plans. That much is obvious to everyone involved. But, I do not trust that the Empire will do so in a way that prevents the Dominion from falling into chaos. No, instability in the Dominion would only be of great benefit to the Empire. Regardless of Marod's opinions, his superiors will not care about the Dominion's people. You could help prevent that, and I will offer whatever resources I can give to help you. But we need to have some trust for each other. I am not asking you to part from those documents. Take whatever time you need to hide them, make sure they are safe. Then, perhaps I can start to try to prove to you that I can be trusted?"

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise kept her eyes fixed on Meesei. Some red crept up her face, though whatever emotion that had caused it -- anger, embarrassment, sadness, or otherwise -- was kept back in a deep silence.

Her eyes dropped to the lock box. "I will find you tomorrow," she said quietly. "About those hours in Alinor. I will deal with the documents."

One of Lunise's hands curled into a loose fist on the table. "You are being too kind to me."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei's expression slowly shifted from being solemn, to a moderate grin once more. "I have been even kinder to my friends before, when they allow it. Indeed, I think you may find several members of my family to be more...amicable than you might expect. Regardless, I believe we should both get some rest. It is late, and I feel we both deserve some sleep. It should not be difficult to find me tomorrow, whenever you are ready. I do not plan on leaving the castle grounds."

Walking up closer to Lunise, Meesei reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know we have had our differences in the past, Lunise, but...I am glad to have you with us, truly. Were it anyone else, anyone less...principled than you, then Tamriel might not have as much hope in its future. Sleep well, Lunise." Meesei said before turning and beginning to walk towards the door.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise barely nodded. Meesei turned away with her still leaning over the documents she had secured.

"Meesei, wait." Lunise stood up straight, looking to Meesei. With a neutral look, she stepped up to Meesei, placed her hands on her shoulders and hugged her close once more. "Thank you." Meesei felt the addition of Lunise placing a quick kiss on the top of her head. Lunise pulled away before their embrace could last longer than their last one. Her hands fell from Meesei's shoulders and clasped loosely at her front. She still held a neutral expression, though her next breath in was uneven. "Auri-El bless you. Goodnight."

[EliteCommander]

For the first time during their conversation, Meesei was actually visibly surprised but the sudden turn that Lunise had made. Even Meesei was not exactly sure what she had done that prompted it, but she certainly appreciated Lunise's relatively emotional display. Perhaps more than she would care to admit aloud. "Thank you, I...shall be looking forward to tomorrow. And may the Huntsman guide you as well."

Eventually, Meesei returned to the barracks in a far more hopeful mood than when she had first left. While Thalmor had a tendency to be cold and disdainful towards much of the rest of Tamriel, Meesei was glad to have taken a chance with Lunise. There were few in the world who could be considered truly irredeemable, and Meesei saw Lunise as someone who could be a great ally, and perhaps even a legitimate friend. She was already showing signs of overcoming at least some of the prejudices instilled in her by the Thalmor, and Meesei was not entirely sure of what to think of Lunise's last farewell. She supposed she would have to wait until the next day to see how a night's rest influenced the Justiciar.

[Muttonhawk]

The day finally came to an end for Meesei's pack and their tag-alongs. None could deny the euphoria of finding their beds, wherever they slept, but the quality of sleep amongst them varied.

Janius lay awake for a while before he could get to sleep. He found himself ruminating over what to do about Aurana, each minute trying and retrying another fuzzy idea in his mind. He eventually realised that the reason for his lack of good solutions was the conflicting objectives. There simply seemed to be no good way to get his parents to realise their wrongdoing without getting directly involved. In turn, there was no way of keeping himself hidden from his parents without leaving Aurana to the whims of fate, regardless of any advice or assistance he could provide otherwise.

He drifted off without realising it. He was woken up by Kaleeth wincing at how tightly he was holding her around the waist in his sleep.

The pack was updated over breakfast that Areldril was still working on written resources for them. Therefore, they would not be leaving for at least another night. Marod had no trouble getting permission from the count to continue accommodating them. Lunise was nowhere to be seen.

After breakfast, the pack went in different directions. Sabine dragged Fendros away to the courtyard to immediately begin their training. Sabine intended to at least teach him some cursory methods of active resistance before she began throwing spells at him, so it would be a long day. Rhazii and Julan went to watch and to spar with wooden wasters themselves if they got bored. They wanted to be around just in case Janius' parents did end up coming to the castle like they said. Janius stayed on a bench in the mess hall with Kaleeth to discuss their plan, still assuming the parents would not come to them.

With an empty plate in front of him, Janius twirled the rim of his water mug with one finger, holding the vessel at an angle to the table to roll it in circles on its bottom edge. "So, going from what we came up with last night, I've been thinking and a combination may help us the most." Though Janius was refreshed from his rest, he was no more enthused about the subject. "I'd like to speak with Aurana, see how she interacts with mother and father. If she is scared to stand up for herself, I want to encourage her to overcome that fear. Otherwise mother and father might just bully her back into the old state of affairs after things change. As for other approaches, I've played over ruse after ruse in my mind and I cannot come up with anything suitable. I've been putting it off. I'll have to confront them myself."

Janius turned his eyes up from the mug. "Julan came up with something that might be a strategy, actually. He pointed out that as long as Aurana has nothing to be accused of, they won't have any precedent to constrain her further. If I take as much blame for anything as I can -- if I antagonise, or at least become a scapegoat, the risk to Aurana is little. If I can make mother and father realise what they're doing, even if they officially disown me, it may be worth it in the end. What do you think? Did anything new come to you since last night?"

---

A few hours after Janius and Kaleeth's conversation, Lunise was finally spotted in the castle again. Where she had been or what she had been doing was a mystery. She was back to her old self, outwardly. Her dark purple uniform draped with the usual otherworldly superiority that its almost full covering emanated. Her face was similarly upturned in her apparent scowling disgust of most things around her, silent as it was. She glided through the castle grounds with her shoes sounding a clapping march on the stone below. It was roughly midday by the time she found Meesei again.

[EliteCommander]

It was later in the day than the pack usually awoke. Kaleeth and Janius mostly had the mess hall to themselves, since the guards had their meals hours ago. Even so, not everyone had slept particularly well. Kaleeth had been awake in bed for an hour or so the previous night thinking about their plans for the next day, but she had a feeling that Janius had been awake for even longer.

Kaleeth shook her head. "I tried, but I don't think that anything that would work with my parents would really work with yours. They're too different. I think your ideas might be the best...if you don't mind your parents being angry at you. I guess if we say we'll take the blame, then Aurana should be confident enough to speak out for herself. But, we might not want to try to take any blame unless they get really angry at her. If we try to take the blame away from her, then they might just ignore anything she said."

---

Since the rest of her pack all had somewhere else they either needed or wanted to be, Meesei had simply remained in the barracks they had been given. Janius and Kaleeth intended to deal with his parents, Sabine, Fendros, Ahnasha, and the children had all gone to the courtyard for training, and even Lorag stated his intention of discussing with Marod how some of the information they had recently learned might change the details of the strategy they had been taking against Vile. With all they had to worry about, no one had so much as questioned what Meesei intended to do for the day.

As opposed to her usual attire, Meesei had put on the nicest dress she could acquire in preparation for her planned trip to Alinor. Provided that Lunise decided to follow through with their plans, Meesei was not entirely sure of exactly where she intended to take her. But, she hoped that her clothes, despite not being in an Altmer style, would be enough to allow her not to stand out even more than she already would. It was blue with green embroidery and, as it was not exactly her size, fit around her rather tightly. Overall, she did not appear as a noble by any means, but she could pass as someone in the merchant class.

When Lunise finally entered the barracks, Meesei stood and greeted Lunise with a smile. "Ah, good afternoon."

[Muttonhawk]

"Mhm, you're right," Janius agreed. "It will be a surprise if they don't get angry, but you are right."

Janius let down his mug and leaned forward, chin on fists. "It'll be Harald answering the door, so we may be able to see Aurana privately before confronting our parents. We can let her know what we want to do, and then go see mother and father. As for what we want to do at all, well...I'd like to address Aurana's problems as early as we can to lower the chances that I get into an argument with father about something else. Having us around will be enough to get their attention. We should allow Aurana to speak for herself with us supporting her, I think."

---

Lunise stopped in her tracks at the door. Her stony frown was disturbed by a flash of surprise in her eyes when they spotted Meesei's clothing. "Good afternoon," she said, somewhat curtly. Clasping her hands behind her back, she twisted to look behind her, and then around to scan the rest of the barracks. Her eyes softened upon confirming it empty. "I wish to take you up on your offer, if it is still agreeable to you."

Lunise's lips tightened and relaxed. "I admit it is not usual that I see you in a dress. Why the change?"

[EliteCommander]

"That makes sense." Kaleeth said with a brief nod. "I will follow your lead. Though, I'm sure they will want to meet me too...for better or for worse. I just hope that us being there doesn't distract too much from Aurana's issues. No matter what emotions they are, your parents will have to feel something strongly after seeing their long-dead son alive again. But, if we don't show up there ourselves, we probably won't be able to accomplish anything for Aurana. It's just a difficult situation from every angle."

Reaching over, Kaleeth placed her hand on Janius'. "But whatever the problems are, I'll be there with you. Just...do you think we should let the children come too? I know Julan wanted to meet his grandparents, if he hasn't already."

---

Meesei breathed out a quick laugh. "Indeed, but I suspected you would come by today. I was not certain of where exactly in Alinor you intended me to bring us, so I wanted to be prepared. It is my understanding that Alinor has a certain higher standard for fashion than Bravil, correct? Granted, I would venture to say that most places in Tamriel have higher standards than this...city."

Meesei had already prepared herself to open the portal to the Summerset Isles. The magic was, in principle, exactly the same as the magic she had used to create the propylon network. After all, the propylons were, at a basic level, simply enchanted stones. And an enchantment was just a spell bound to an object, so the magic did not necessarily require an object in order to be cast. In fact, Meesei had opened portals briefly when she was learning how to make the enchantment; she would just need to apply that knowledge over a longer distance. "As for how we are going to make this journey, I can open a portal to anywhere in this plane of existence, and perhaps some others. But, there is a limitation in that I have to be able to...connect to the destination, so to speak. I need to be able to understand the destination, so practically speaking, I have to either be able to visualize the destination myself, or cast the spell with someone who can visualize it. While I have committed a few locations in Alinor to memory, they are probably not close to where you wish to go. So, all I need from you is to select a destination in your mind and visualize it when it is time. Well, I also would not mind it if you added some of your own magicka to the spell, to make it easier on me. It can be rather draining." She explained.

[Muttonhawk]

"I appreciate it, love." Janius closed his hand around Kaleeth's. "I think we should let Julan decide for himself. I'll explain to him what it is going to be like, because it is unlikely to be a pleasant meeting like when he saw Fendros' parents. He's still young, but he's old enough to understand that much. We ought to give him this chance."

---

Lunise tilted her head and gave a nod. "Very well. I know somewhere appropriate." She let one arm hang free. "On fashion, your first mistake was trying. Even I default to a uniform that no one can question. Alinor's standards are such that to make you fashionable would make you a novelty as an Argonian. A pet to parade around." Lunise maintained her frown. Any intention of humour was impossible to confirm. "Fortunately, the dress does not fully suit you." She sniffed. "The blue clashes."

Lunise took three steps towards Meesei before stopping and darting her eyes unsurely. "I will require your instruction if we are to leave now."

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth nodded. "Okay. If anything unexpected happens, I will be ready to take him away. If I had to guess, I would say that Rhazii will probably want to come as well. He seemed to like talking to Aurana last night, and the Khajiit. Jatinha, if I remember. Your parents might see it as a...strange family, but hopefully they will give us a chance to explain everything. Well, to give them a story about everything, at least."

"Since Julan already told Aurana a story about us, we should probably stick with that one, right? He said we all work with the Penitus Oculatus, which I guess we can make believable." Kaleeth asked.

---

"Hmm, I always preferred warm colors anyway." Meesei commented, her tone fairly neutral.

Meesei stepped out into the middle of the room to give herself more space. "This room is as good as any other, so I suppose we can begin. I will start the spell, and you can add your own raw magicka to it if you would like to help. I can give it the proper shape. It will take a minute or two for me to complete the spell." She explained as she extended her hand out in front of her and began charging magicka through it. Quite a lot of magicka, in fact. For most mages, the spell she was casting would be beyond their ability to cast without some other source of magicka. However, Meesei's magicka reserves were far greater than most, which Lunise would be able to determine fairly quickly.

As the spell progressed, a red orb of light started growing in the air in front of Meesei. It's energy much resembled that of the propylons Meesei had created. After a minute, that energy was swirling around the orb in a way that made for an appealing light show. "Okay, I should be ready now. I need you to place your hand into the orb, then envision your destination in as much detail as possible. Just be careful where you place us, as the perspective from which you are recalling the destination will be the exact place that the portal sends us. I will have no way of knowing the destination you give until we arrive. Really, you could be sending us anywhere in the world. So, I suppose I will have to place my trust in you." She said, looking over to Lunise with a lighthearted grin.

[Muttonhawk]

"I don't see why not. It's a little far-fetched, but it's the best we've got. Better than telling them the truth, honestly." Janius stood up from his seat. "Let's find Kaj-Julan, then. I'm not sure if it'll be appropriate for Rhazii to come, even if he wants to. We should let Ahnasha and Fendros know what's happening before we invite him along."

Janius stretched his arms up. "They went to the courtyard, right? Let's go."

---

With her hanging hand, Lunise brought a yellow light to her palm and placed it on Meesei's upper arm. Her magicka flowed into Meesei to fuel the spell before them.

As time went on and it consumed more and more of their magicka, Lunise had to slow the rate at which she was donating her own reserves. Meesei just kept on sending more in. While Lunise knew of Meesei's power, seeing it measured in this way brought the scale of it to bear. She wasn't budging where any other mage would begin to struggle. It detracted from the captivating spectacle of the spell itself.

Lunise's brow lowered. "Meesei? Are you quite alright?" She asked.

Meesei's ease at explaining it all after the spell was done gave as much of an answer as Lunise needed. Lunise resisted any reaction to her last comment except to look at Meesei with low eyelids and huff through her nose.

Her eyes found the orb once more. She readjusted her posture with determination. "Very well. Do not distract me."

After a moment with her eyes closed to finalise her memory, Lunise stepped past Meesei and placed her hand on the orb. She visualised a cloistered yard bordered with from repeating arrays of high, pointed arches, stained-glass windows, and curved-sloping roofs. In the centre was a burbling fountain made from mosaics hued with lapis lazuli coloured gloss. Perfect green topiary trees pointed into the sky, barely a few metres high and exactly identical, lining the edges. Shapes of green grass were hemmed in by pathways made from a white-yellow stone. Their bricks fit so flush together that it almost looked solid in the light of the sun peeking over the cloister walls and through the windows. In the foreground of Lunise's memory was the frame of a window and a balustrade made from the same yellow stone as the rest of the structure.

[EliteCommander]

It was a short walk to the courtyard, and fortunately, they did not have to do any more searching to find the children. They still were not permitted to go anywhere else outside the castle, so there was likely nothing else to do for them that would be more exciting than watching Sabine and Fendros train. It was also not a private location, and there were guards posted in the courtyard as well. The majority were simply passing the time observing Sabine and Fendros as well, but they would have to keep their presence in mind when talking to the children.

Julan noticed his parents before they approached, so he practically sprung up from where he was resting to meet them halfway. His mind had been filled with thoughts about the plans they had made the previous day, so naturally, his first thoughts were that it could finally be time for them to finally visit Janius' parents together. He was excited enough that he ended up being speechless when he finally reached his father. He simply looked up expectantly at Janius, wide-eyed.

---

While Lunise was visualizing the destination, Meesei concentrated on finalizing the spell. Lunise's image of their destination did not need to be identical to the location's current state. It needed only form a strong enough connection to the location to give her spell an anchor point to latch onto. Evidently, the structure of the area that Lunise imagined was close enough to reality to form a connection, as Meesei was able to feel the final piece of the spell fall into place. Meesei closed her eyes and exhaled as she slowly pushed the glowing orb slightly away from them, held her hands out in front of her, then charged another surge of magicka through them as she spread them apart to finally open the portal itself.

The portal itself bore a resemblance to a conjurer's portal when summoning Daedra, except red in hue and with more tendrils of energy swirling around it. Unfortunately, they could not see through the portal, so Meesei still did not know exactly where they would be going. "Okay, just take my hand and walk through with me. It will close immediately afterwards, so we need to go through at the same time." She explained as she reached over to grab Lunise's hand. It was not strictly necessary for them to be in contact as they walked through, but it would help to ensure they both went through at the same time.

Since it was draining to keep the portal open, Meesei stepped through with Lunise fairly quickly. The portal had opened approximately where Lunise had envisioned, but there had happened to be something obstructing the exact location that Lunise had imagined. As a result, the portal had opened a few feet back...and a few feet in the air. It was a short drop, but it surprised Meesei enough that she fell to her knees as soon as she walked out of the portal.

Meesei stood up quickly and dusted off her dress. "Oh, I see. In case of an obstruction, I need to consciously invert the..." She began before interrupting herself as she turned her attention to Lunise beside her. "...right, sorry."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius couldn't help but smile at Julan's enthusiasm. Rhazii approached as well, following Julan, but he only walked. Still, he had a curious frown.

"Son, your mother and I have decided that we're going to visit Aurana and your grandparents today." Janius said without any hesitation. "Now, we'll be talking to Aurana first to try and help her stand up for herself, but we are then going to try and convince mother and father to allow her more freedom. Now, this won't be a happy...social visit. You can come along if you want to, but be warned that this is going to be a little risky, and perhaps rather unpleasant. Father and I are likely to get into an argument. I would not wish his wrath upon you."

Rhazii reluctantly raised a finger. "Can I come along?"

"We'll be explaining the situation to your parents, Rhazii," Janius explained. "If they are comfortable with it, and if Julan is too, you can come. However...this may be more of a blood family matter."

"Okay," Rhazii said slowly. He glanced to one side, confused.

Janius sighed as he realised he was perhaps the only one within a few metres that understood what he was talking about. "What I mean to say is that my family is not informed about us as a...group being family." The guards were still nearby. "They may find it strange for you to be there, even if you befriended aunt Aurana like Julan did."

Rhazii's mouth twitched. He nodded, mostly disappointed.

Janius returned his attention to Julan. "What would you like to do, Julan? Are you coming with us?"

---

Lunise complied with Meesei without question. Though still stern, no hint of comfort in her demeanour spoke of experience with such spells.

The drop was unexpected. Lunise might have landed properly if she wasn't holding onto Meesei's hand so tightly. She yelped in surprise just before dropping hands and knees onto a dry wooden floor. The temperature had notably warmed, the colours too -- the yellow sun brought the room they landed within to full vision.

It was a relatively small space. Dusty and cosy. One painted door lead in and out. The walls were smooth yellow stone, the floors were in lines of old and scraped wooden boards, and the ceiling was steeply vaulted, to the point where the side walls were relatively short for Altmer architecture. They were on the top floor of whatever structure this was. Apart from the barrels stored upright against it -- the apparent obstruction -- the window drew the eye next. It was a large symbol of tear-shaped panes, bordered with the regular black of stained glass, though this had no colour to it. Beyond the expansive window was the cloistered garden Lunise had envisioned. Apart from a different texture on the topiary and a pair of Altmer in long robes walking across it, the yard was identical to Lunise's memory. The balustrade was from a balcony that extended a step beyond the window.

Lunise stood up slower than Meesei, groaning. "They removed my old desk, I see. And my bed." She brushed off the lower portion of her uniform. "At least this place is as secluded as I remember it." Her head rose to see the view from the window and she froze. Her initial words may have indicated the spell's success, though only now did her face relax and her eyes widen in realisation of where she was. "This is Alinor," she breathed. "This is home."

[EliteCommander]

As worried as Julan was about the details of what was about to happen, he did not hesitate to nod in acceptance of Janius' offer. If his father met with his parents, then there was no escaping the fact that they would learn what he and Rhazii had truly done the previous night. He hoped that the meeting itself would convince his father that they had done the right thing, so they would not be punished. At the very least, he wanted to be there to be able to defend himself in the moment.

"I'll come, definitely. I know it won't be a real nice visit or anything, but...maybe I can help?" Julan suggested. "And it's not like he can hurt us or anything. All he do is just get real mad, and we can just ignore that if we want, since he's not in charge of us."

While Fendros was absorbed into his training with Sabine, Ahnasha was free to respond to the fact that Kaleeth and Janius had joined them. There was little question as to what their visit was about, even before she heard them talking to the children. As such, she took a break from watching Fendros to walking over and joining the conversation.

"I see you've come to a decision. You sure on everything you want to do? You need any help?" Ahnasha offered.

---

"This land, or this building specifically?" Meesei asked as she looked around the room. It was dusty and did not look like it had been used in some time, though it still had a certain beauty to it. The architecture in Alinor tended to be pristine in a way that reminded her of the Ayleid ruins her clan had once used as a home. The beauty of it was more apparent when she gazed out of the window down onto the garden outside. Meesei could not yet know the purpose of the building they were in; perhaps it was a private residence, a government building, or a hall for a guild of mages. In any case, they were certainly in a wealthy area, and Meesei would likely want to follow Lunise's lead.

"I shall admit, I did not anticipate you bringing us somewhere indoors. Not that it was dangerous, by any means. As you saw, the spell is able to correct for obstructions...somewhat seamlessly." Meesei commented. "At any rate, the portal was not subtle, so any mages in the building may have felt a magical charge in the air, if they were paying attention. I will follow your lead, naturally. So, what is this place, exactly?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Well, you are right in that we won't be hurt by him," Janius conceded. He curled his lips and tried to find the right way to explain. "...Just remember that we are there to help Aurana. If he gets too angry, he might not listen to anything we have to say. Now, you helping..." Janius face cast down. One arm bent up to stroke his facial hair. "Let me think. Firstly, we are going to continue with the story you gave Aurana regarding us. Apart from that, perhaps, when we ask you to, you might explain you and Aurana's jaunt last night. Explain what she told you. We will be revealing that, as otherwise there is no reason for us to speak on Aurana's behalf at all."

Janius gave Ahnasha his attention when she approached. "Yes, we have." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "We're as sure as we can be of what we're doing, at least. There's really no telling if it'll all work." Janius closed his eyes and shooed lightly with his other hand. "Don't worry about it, Ahnasha. I think we have all the help we need, thank you."

"Can I go with them, mother?" Rhazii interrupted. He seemed to be the least perturbed about the visit of them all.

With a look at Rhazii and a pensive look at Ahnasha, Janius spoke. "I trust you know what this will be like, if you heard. What do you think?"

---

"It is a college of philosophy," Lunise answered. There was no reaction to Meesei's explanations, no anger or forgiveness. She kept staring out of the window. "My father researches here. This room is where I stayed when I visited, and when I was being educated."

Lunise let a still silence hang in the air between them. There was a certain loneliness to this room, if buffered by the company the pair shared.

She turned around to the door. With familiarity, she opened it and peeked out in a fluid motion. "Do not wander from me, champion." Old Lunise had returned again. She stepped out of the room, leaving the door open. "It has been some time since the isolated traditions of old, but humans are still thrown out on sight. You are not human, but people will question your presence should my authority not be present."

After looking both ways, Lunise beckoned Meesei out. They found themselves in a broad hallway with repeating petal-symbol windows on one side and more doors on the other. One end terminated with a fine statue of a nude male Altmer in an artistic pose and the other ended in part of a balustrade. A staircase likely dipped beyond.

Lunise began walking in the direction of the staircase.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha crossed her arms, looking up at Rhazii and tapping one foot on the ground as she inwardly debated his request. There was no particular reason for Rhazii to be there, but she knew he wanted to. As long as he caused no harm, she did not have any specific problem with it. "Hmm...you are not really part of their family, as Janius' parents will see it. But, I do know you made some friends last night as well. Janius and Kaleeth will be there, but...okay. I will say that I will allow it as long as you promise not to cause any trouble for them. That means you will probably need to stay out of their conversations, as this is a family matter for them. As long as Janius and Kaleeth have no objections, I will not stop you."

---

"Hmm, so an educational institution. And a reputable one, based on appearances." Meesei commented as she started to follow Lunise. She expected that the best course of action for her, at least for the moment, would be to remain passive and not start any conversations if she could help it. This visit was about Lunise, not her, so she could take a step back for the moment. Being accompanied by a Justiciar would likely mean that there would be few willing to question them. As unorthodox as it likely would be for an Argonian in foreign clothing to be wandering the halls, an agent of the Thalmor carried a kind of respect within the Dominion almost like the respect that her own pack carried in her clans.

Meesei stuck close, just beside Lunise. They had not yet encountered anyone, so Meesei felt free to observe the architecture in greater detail. It was quite clean, and all of the artwork she saw in this hallway alone was of high quality. Just the statue at the end of the hall appeared to have taken many man-hours to carve, and that was only in a single hallway in the building. She wondered how many similar pieces existed throughout the building. She was interested to know how many hundreds of years the college had been in operation. No doubt it had been expanded and built upon during that time, which might have accounted for some of its apparent lavishness.

"I suppose you intend to see your father. Is there anything I should know about him beforehand?" Meesei asked.

[Muttonhawk]

Rhazii grinned. "I promise I won't be any trouble."

Janius straightened and looked up at the clouds, taking a breath. He didn't look fully convinced. Still, his ambivalence ended consistently. "Alright," Janius said. He looked to them all and motioned to the gate. "Let's head off now. There's no point tarrying unless we have anything else to work out."

---

Lunise answered as they reached the steps. The stone of their construction clapped loudly against their shoes and echoed. "His name is Pircalmo. He is an eminent natural philosopher, having written on almost every creature you could name on Nirn that he could personally study." Lunise peered at Meesei behind her from the corner of her eye. "He is a man with a hammer in a world of nails, Meesei. Try not to let his passions explain everything."

Murmurs sounded as they progressed. People speaking and moving. The staircase ended to reveal their sources.

They were on the ground of the cloistered garden. Under the shelter of the cloisters around the garden itself were many Altmer in various elegant dresses, robes, and suits. Many wore bags and scroll cases. The first impression of the attire was that of formality, but the functionality of the clothing ruled that out. Either way, it appeared that the edge of the garden was a thoroughfare between the archways on either side. There were no other races in sight until a short Bosmer could be spotted walking through.

As expected, Meesei immediately had eyes trailing her all the way through. The pair stopped conversations as they passed. Lunise walked by without making eye contact with any of them. The amount of looks she got as well, not to mention the way the pedestrians parted for her passage, already spoke of her Thalmor uniform's message.

Lunise lead Meesei through a short tunnel that served as a gate for the cloisters. It emerged to a much larger square, almost three times as large as the yard behind them. It was not gardened, save for some greenery around the edges that framed more statues of full men, women, busts, and some creatures. Its surface -- blinding from the sun -- was made from the same yellow tiles that made up the paths. The buildings that surrounded the square were all slightly different in size and layout, though they held the same architectural style as the cloisters; tall, narrow, and exhibiting high pointed arches on its facets. On their front faces were dull stained glass windows with unique yet unclear designs. If the Cyrodilic temple windows were any indication, they could be enchanting to look at from indoors. Behind each building was a continuous wall that enclosed the square. This appeared to be the college campus in its entirety.

Though there were plenty more passers-by that Lunise and Meesei had to suffer, they did not have to walk far. Lunise lead Meesei to the next building to their right. It was a long building with repeating stained glass arched windows. The walls were yellow as all the other stone and held up an ocre-hued tile roof. It was relatively uninteresting but for the vines that clung like a frozen crashing green wave to one of its corners. The double doors were open.

They walked past what appeared to be a lecture hall, as well as many closed doors within. They ascended a flight of steps to a hallway taken over by an unexpected spray of light. The yellow walls were dappled in bright, fantastical colours. They drew eyes to the windows. Each one was inlaid with beautiful and intricate stained glass. They depicted the basic shape of different animals with some Aldmeris script underneath. Lunise didn't appear to take notice of any of them.

However, she was slowing her walking pace. Her feet took slower and slower steps until she finally halted, looking at the door beside her. It was painted with blurry blotches of green and red from a window depicting a bird of paradise opposite its position.

Her strong posture began to deflate. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. "How shall I even explain why I am here?" She asked herself quietly. The empty hallway made her easy to hear.

[EliteCommander]

With no arguments from the children, or Ahnasha, the group once more set out of the castle and towards the Aetius manor. Julan was undeniably nervous about his parents learning the truth about the previous night, but luckily, the fear he was showing could easily be passed off as anxiety about the inevitable argument that was to come.

Nothing but silence filled the air during the entire walk out of the castle. There was, of course, noise and chattering from the servants and guards beginning their days, but that was easy to ignore when all of them were so heavily absorbed into their own thoughts. For Julan, he honestly wished that the walk was longer, as it only took them a few minutes until they were standing outside the manor itself.

"How do you want to get Aurana's attention? Do you think it will be safe to just knock on the door?" Kaleeth asked.

---

From what Meesei could observe around her, the majority of the college's grounds seemed to exemplify Altmer culture, and their pride in it. It was striking to her how much it reminded her of Ayleids and their cities. It was perhaps not surprising, considering that both the Altmer and the Heartland High Elves drew their heritage from the Aldmer. Although, Meesei could also not help but to feel disappointed in the fact that, much like the ancient Ayleids, all of the beauty around her covered a darker side to these people. It was the culture of Elven superiority that had allowed the current Thalmor leadership to maintain their power, and justify their actions against the rest of Tamriel. It was the belief in Elven superiority that was ultimately threatening the very world they lived in. It was hard to imagine that there would have been a Great War at all without the feelings of disdain towards Tamriel's other races that the Thalmor encouraged among the people. Meesei still had hope that it might one day change. Perhaps if the Thalmor's leadership could be ousted and replaced, their lies exposed, then the Altmer could come to realize that they had been manipulated. Or, even if they did not admit to being manipulated, they might at least harbor enough resentment for their former leaders to reject the goals they had once given the Dominion. Still, Meesei knew that there would be hundreds of years of propaganda to overcome. Even Lunise, who knew the truth beyond any shadow of a doubt, had some difficulty accepting it.

Despite being so obviously out of place at the college, Meesei did not show a hint of being shy or timid, regardless of what those around her might have expected from her. Being that she was with Lunise, she was meant to be presenting herself as someone that was associated with the Thalmor in some way. Obviously she was not a member of their organization, but she could have been working with or for the Thalmor in any number of ways. As such, she would have to have some sort of official reason and permission to be present at the college, so she needed to carry herself in a way that made her seem confident in her right to be there. Fortunately, Meesei had over a decade of experience putting on a confident public persona.

By the time they had reached their apparent destination, Lunise's uncertainty had grown to overtake her. Given where they were, Meesei refrained from comforting her physically, as she had before, but she still spoke up quietly to attempt to reassure her. "The best lie is often the one closest to the truth. I know you cannot share everything with him, even if you would like to, but you came here because you wanted to see him. You had the means and opportunity to come here, so you did. That is true, and I am sure he understands that a Thalmor Justiciar may not be at liberty to discuss her current assignments, even with family. If you have to introduce me, you might introduce me as a...diplomat. I suppose I am currently operating in that capacity at the moment. Now, if you are needing to justify the more personal reasons for your visit, well...as I said, the best lie is often closest to the truth."

[Muttonhawk]

"Yes, I'm quite sure." Janius did not explain further. He walked up to the door with an odd lack of hesitation and rapped it four times with his knuckle.

He stepped back, staring at the door with a frown. Some quiet footsteps knocked on wood within. The door latch slid, a creak, and it receded to reveal the elderly butler, Harald. His eyes were downcast as he pulled open the door, but he lifted his face and opened his mouth. He locked wide eyes with Janius, glancing to see the others. He was struck dumb.

"Good morning, Harald," Janius dryly said. "Divines, your old."

Harald's jaw began to quiver. "After all these years," he finally managed. "How can this be?" He stepped forward with his arms raised and took Janius by the cheeks. "Always a troublemaker, oh!"

Janius smiled and took the butler in a strong embrace. Harald was remarkably quite for such a reunion, but his red face showed a tear glistening from his cheek. The man looked as if he was in a wonderful dream by the look on his face. Far removed from the professionalism of the previous night. As if the thought was read in that moment, his eyes found Julan and Rhazii.

"You? You were the boys from last night, weren't you?" Harald pulled back from the hug to look at them properly. "You were not lying after all?"

"Well...uhm..." Rhazii grabbed at his left arm.

Janius turned around with a raised eyebrow.

"This is...extraordinary." Harald was oblivious to the ramifications of his speech, but he quickly recovered to address Kaleeth. "And you, my lady? I apologise for my lack of composure. Who might you be?"

Janius chuckled. "Dutiful as always, Harald."

---

Lunise took the advice in. She was still while she processed it, pausing in a quiet moment. Her mouth thinned. "Hm," she decided. Her head lifted to look at the door. "You are right. I should not delay this any further." She stepped up and knocked on the door.

Another pause. Some pages of paper suddenly scraped against one another behind the door. "Consulting hours ended at midday! Begone!" A frantic male voice emanated.

Contrary to the instructions, Lunise sighed, annoyed, and tried the door handle -- locked. She immediately stepped back, cast a spell on the door, and the handle turned freely. The door opened to a spacious room lined on one side by more large windows, providing ample light. There were racks of books and scrolls, chairs around a small table, an alchemy laboratory, a writing desk, draws, shelves, even an empty bird cage. Spare spaces on the walls were decorated with framed pinned insects and sketches of odd plants. Some were recognisable as from Black Marsh. On the carpet in the centre of the floor, on his knees picking up sheets of parchment, was an Altmer man in a comfortable silk and linen grey robe.

"This had better be important," he said without looking up.

Lunise gently knelt down and helped him gather the parchment.

"If this is about the last article on dendro-alchemical theory, I..." The man spotted Lunise's gloved hand and looked up at her face. He barely showed any signs of age over Lunise. "Oh!" His voice softened. "Lunise, my dear, you surprised me. Er, here, I'll put these aside." He tucked all the parchment together, taking what Lunise had picked up as they stood, and unceremoniously placed them on a nearby table. Once he turned around, he huffed and smiled. "My, my. Come here, my daughter." He brought up his arms.

Lunise smiled back and walked into his arms. It was rare to see her smile so naturally. "Greetings, father."

"I didn't expect that you would visit. Didn't you write ahead?" The man asked. He was evidently Pircalmo.

"Not this time. I apologise." Lunise said. "There was...a rush, you could say."

They separated from their embrace. Pircalmo looked at Meesei and his eyes lit up. "And who is this you have brought? I have not seen an Argonian in some time."

Lunise half turned to introduce them. "This is Meesei. I have been working with her on my latest assignment. She is an ally, and something of a friend."

"I see," Pircalmo stepped forward with his hand extended. He seemed slightly hunched in comparison to Lunise's military spine. "Lovely to meet you, Meesei. I am Pircalmo, a natural philosopher. I have studied your kind extensively. Your physiology is simply fascinating, I must say."