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

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise took one more deep breath and let it out through pouted lips before they stepped through. The desert heat instantly blasted against her skin and the bright sun made her squint, even as it was getting low towards the horizon.

The others in camp turned their heads at the spectacle of the portal. No one had expected Meesei to return so early. Bringing someone back only glued their eyes more surely.

Janius and Lorag were the closest, being nearest to the camp fire. Janius and the others looked curiously to recognise the fair High Elf in the dress.

In the moment of silence following her eyes adjusting, Lunise stiffened. Her back straightened, she held her hands behind her back, and she scowled, looking about. The expression made her recognisable out of her uniform.

"Justicar Lunise?" Janius hazarded with narrow, confused eyes. "What are you doing here? Did you find Meesei while..." His jaw dropped agape. His eyes widened in the dawning realisation. "...Oh."

One by one, the others in the pack connected the dots. Fendros and Sabine, practising a short distance away, stood shocked to silence. Rhazii held his bow and arrow, glancing around to everyone's faces. He was not as familiar with Lunise as the rest of them, thus the silence caused him to be confused by the confusion around him.

Janius refrained from speaking further. He knew as well as the rest of them that Lunise was not known for any sense of humour. The situation was too absurd to say anything that would have no chance of offence. Fendros and Sabine were similarly afraid to speak.

Lunise glanced to each of them, hiding nervousness behind her veneer. She did not know what to say either.

[EliteCommander]

While their internal thoughts no doubt varied, the entire pack's outward reaction was universally the same. From the pack's perspective, this revelation had come entirely out of nowhere, and to most of them, was unlikely to make any sense. Justicar Lunise was hardly who they would consider to be a good match for Meesei.

The one to eventually break the silence was Lorag, and he did so in the most definitive way possible. After taking in what happened, he quickly erupted in raucous, almost uncontrollable laughter. He had his eyes closed and his hand over his side, and he looked like he might be close to collapsing onto the ground. With how absurd Meesei's choice appeared, uproarious laughter almost seemed like it could be the appropriate response.

Meesei chuckled as well, though much more softly and briefly. "To answer all of your questions, yes." Meesei commented. They did not need to speak for her to know what they were asking in their minds. "And I will assure you, it does make sense. Much more than you are likely thinking at the moment. "But still, feel free to ask the questions I know you have. I am quite aware that this is unexpected."

Ahnasha simply started to smile and shake her head. "Someone should wake me up. I know this has to be a dream."

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise was not relaxed by the reactions thus far. Lorag's laughter made her stiffen her back more and turn up her nose at him.

For some reason, Sabine, Fendros, Janius, and Rhazii only felt less certain about asking anything. That was, until Janius sighed and closed his eyes. He lifted an upturned hand and looked at Meesei with his head angled forward and his brow raised. "Alright, Meesei," he said as if giving up. "Tell us, has your secret paramour all this time been Justicar Lunise, the representative of the Dominion amongst lycans such as ourselves?"

Rhazii's eyes and jaw widened at this point, suddenly understanding.

Fendros took a glance at Sabine and walked to talking distance. Sabine followed along. Their training was lost to the back of their minds now.

"I don't mean to be rude, but..." Fendros turned his eyes between the two of them and crossed his arms. "It's not what I would have predicted."

[EliteCommander]

For Janius' question, Meesei quickly shook her head. "No, Justicar Lunise, the Thalmor representative, is not someone I could ever see myself being with. I have fallen for Lunise, the passionate, driven Altmer woman with a compassionate heart and a genuine love for her people."

Meesei's pack, more than most, was quite familiar with the concept of a professional persona. It was something that all of them had to adopt from time to time, so most of them would easily understand Meesei's meaning right away. Although, at least at first, Meesei expected that it would only make the situation slightly less unbelievable.

Putting her arms around Lunise beside her, Meesei leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "Do not be afraid to speak. Remember, they are just surprised. I think they should get to know the Lunise I just introduced."

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise went from turning up her nose and scowling to turning down her eyes and scowling. Meesei's whispers had her at a loss while the pack looked at her expectantly.

She brought her hands from around her back to clasp them together on her front. "I...was unsure how to approach all of this," she murmured, increasing the volume of her voice only just enough for everyone to hear. "I am still unsure. Meesei persuaded me to come along so we could be open about our feelings to all of you."

Lunise straightened again, her head levelling directly to Fendros. Her tone abruptly switched back to justicar. "First of all, I will have you know that I am not incapable of affection."

Fendros drew up his hands and smiled. "Now, I never said that. It's just unexpected."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei smiled. "Indeed, it is for that fact alone that I alluded to a secret lover at all. I was rather certain that she would be the very last person that any of you would guess, so the secret would be safe until we chose to reveal it. Of course, that is only because you have only met Lunise in her capacity as a Justicar. I have come to know Lunise more personally, without the facade. And yes, it is by my suggestion that we are here. She is quite understandably nervous about letting this secret be known to anyone; it could put her at great risk. Which, of course, is why none of you can make any mention of it, even to close friends."

Lorag, though still chuckling under his breath, quickly nodded in compliance with Meesei's order. "Understood, Alpha. Probably take a lot of convincing to get anyone to believe it, but still, we'll be quiet about it. Oh, and thanks for showin' up like you did, 'cause...basically everyone's face was just priceless. Nothing is ever gonna top that moment."

Kaleeth seemed to be somewhat nervous, holding her hands clasped together just in front of her stomach. In most of their meetings with Marod and Lunise, she had been quietly observing, and rarely had much to contribute. As such, Lunise was likely the least familiar with her out of everyone in the pack, apart from the children. Since she had only seen Lunise as a Justicar, it was hard for Kaleeth to erase that conception of her. She stepped up closer to Lunise, hesitantly making eye contact. Kaleeth had only recently climbed out of the water after a swim with Julan, so she was not dressed at the moment.

"So, um, you were just acting like a Justicar should act, then? It wasn't really you? I know we have to do that sometimes. Um, so...when did this happen? I mean, how long have you been Meesei's mate?" Kaleeth asked.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise evidently appeared more embarrassed by Meesei baring her hidden side to her pack than by Kaleeth's nudity. She was intermittently going red and clenching her jaw at the details. Even the rest of the pack nodding along to keep their secret didn't help much.

For now, Lunise avoided Kaleeth's first question. "Not long. It is likely nearing two months by now," Lunise said, stilted. "Although, it is difficult to keep track of the exact length with our intermittent meetings."

"I'm more interested in how this started," Janius added. He was smiling at this point as well. "Meesei, Lunise, have you always had feelings for one another or...?"

Lunise did not answer.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei turned her head briefly to Lunise. "Well, I shall not go into too much detail without your approval, but..." She began, turning back to Janius. "In Bravil, after learning the true stakes of our war, we both found we had more in common than we once thought. As you can imagine, it was quite an...emotional time for both of us. All of us, really. In that environment, it became much easier for us to see each other for who we were. Now, by chance, have you all made dinner yet?"

"No, um, I was about to make something." Ahnasha answered. She was still not completely certain about Lunise. Like Kaleeth, she found it hard to simply ignore how Lunise had always acted towards them. However, because Meesei trusted her, she supposed she should give her a chance as well. "Is there anything you would like to have in particular? I guess since you're the guest and everything." Ahnasha asked Lunise. Meesei, inwardly, had some hope of where that question might lead. Through her long career in Elsweyr, Lunise had developed a taste for Khajiit cooking.

Shortly afterwards, Julan emerged from the waters of the oasis. He had remained in the water longer than his mother, so he had not heard any of what was happening above the surface. Also of note was the fact that he had taken his swim in his werecrocodile form to practice holding his breath, since his lycan form did not retain his gills. He was well-fed, so control was not a concern, but he had seen Lunise so infrequently that he did not even recognize her out of her uniform. As he started to step towards the camp, his eyes settled on her. "Oh, someone new...OH!" Julan said, with a sudden realization. He stepped back timidly, terrified to the point that even Lunise would be able to see it in his demeanor. He did not know she was an ally, but her scent gave her away as obviously not being a lycan, and he was in his lycan form. He was frightened mostly by the fact that he may have accidentally given away that they were lycans to a stranger, but there was perhaps something amusing about a werecrocodile being frightened of a normal Altmer woman. He was not an adult, but werecrocodiles were massive enough that he was still about the size of an average werewolf.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise's eyes flit to the campfire and the pack's supplies. When she returned her eyes to Ahnasha, she raised her chin slightly and breathed in. "If you would offer me the choice, I would hear what is available to eat."

Ahnasha couldn't answer before Julan emerged from the water, lacking any semblance of discretion. Lunise immediately held one arm out to her side. Though Julan proved conscious and harmless before anyone could see a spell, Meesei was in close enough physical contact that she could perceive magic moving briefly in Lunise's body. It was likely a reflex.

"It's alright, Julan, come here." Janius beckoned his son's beastly form. "Meesei just has some news. There's no need to be nervous."

"This is Kaj-Julan?" Lunise asked sternly. "I mistook him for a daedroth."

[EliteCommander]

Following his father's instructions, Julan went straight to Janius. Kaleeth per her arm around him and patted his back gently in an attempt to calm him before turning her gaze back to Lunise. "Yes, he was practicing holding his breath in the water. It feels...bizarre to an Argonian not to be able to breathe the water. But, a werecrocodile can hold their breath for a very long time."

"So...she's a friend, then?" Julan questioned, looking to the reactions of the pack for his answer. Slowly, he raised up his oversized hand and waved awkwardly at Lunise. "Um, hello, then. Uh, nice to meet you."

Meesei's expression held an amused smile at the exchange, but regardless, felt that she wanted to get to their dinner sooner rather than later. If they were all sharing a meal together, Meesei hoped that it would be a better environment for Lunise to open up to her pack. "We have a good supply of meats, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Foods do not rot as easily in the desert, so not everything we have necessarily has to be dried and preserved. However, I would call this a special occasion, being the first time for you to meet my pack non-professionally. I can return to the clan to retrieve more ingredients, so if you had to choose anything you wanted for dinner right now, what would it be?" Meesei asked Lunise.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise took a few seconds looking at Meesei before speaking. She was out of her element with how Meesei expected her to behave. "My appetite is not presently demanding," she said. "The generosity is appreciated."

"Perhaps...we could have a meal which reminds you of home?" Janius suggested cautiously. "What do Thal- Altmer eat?"

Turning her eyes and not her face, Lunise regarded Janius with a pensive annoyance. "Altmer cuisine is conservative and bland. If I were to eat something to remind me of home, it would be from Rimmen."

Fendros lowered his brow and brought his hand to rub his opposite shoulder. "Is Rimmen not a city in Anequina?"

"It is," Lunise answered.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded after Lunise's answer. "Indeed. We did first meet Lunise in Anequina, remember." She commented. She did not wish to go into any detail herself, but rather just say enough to provide a talking point."

Ahnasha lightly rubbed her neck. "Rimmen? That's pretty close to the Cyrodiil border, not far from Leyawiin, actually. That's where I was raised. My mother's family wasn't from Rimmen, but I do remember some other Khajiit families in the city being from that area. I think...I might be able to put something together that would be something like what you would expect. I've always preferred Khajiit cooking, naturally, so I remember some recipes."

"I certainly would not mind a dinner like that." Meesei responded. "I can return back home to get anything you need. Just give me a list."

As requested, Ahnasha quickly wrote out a list of what she could think of that she would require in addition to what they already had on hand. Though it did not seem that she was rushing Ahnasha, Meesei certainly did not waste any time in preparing her portal to Blackreach. She did require a magicka potion in order to be able to open the portal so soon. Even she could not open so many portals in rapid succession without assistance.

Meesei's departure did leave a window where Lunise would be alone with the pack. It was tempting just to wait for her to return in silence, but Ahnasha had actually been given enough curiosity at this point to hazard a question as she was preparing a cooking spit over the fire. "So...how long were you in Rimmen? I guess you were assigned there?"

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise did not say a word, though she showed curiosity at the ingredients Ahnasha listed. She craned her head to look at the list after Meesei took it, trying to be inconspicuous as if she wasn't already the reluctant centre of attention. The pack made that status continue, even as Fendros and Sabine took seats to anticipate dinner and conversation. Janius resumed his previous task of honing his axe but he could continue talking.

The portal Meesei used to travel left Lunise standing in place quietly with her hands still clasped in front of her. While she still had a rigid straight back, she turned her head to the others with the others, at a loss. Ahnasha's question snapped Lunise's attention to her. She took a breath in through her mouth. "My time in Rimmen counts well over ninety years. Not consecutive. Different assignments. I have been there as a bureaucrat, a battlemage, a governing councillor, an advisor, and a law enforcer."

Fendros and Sabine paid attention, though they were too overwhelmed to ask anything to follow up. In just those few sentences, Lunise described a fraction of her life that spanned more than their years on Nirn put together.

In the pause, Lunise managed to part her frown to ask her own question. "Did your parents emigrate from Elsweyr?" Lunise's voice was soft and considered. It was far from her usual venomous lashings. "From where did they originate?"

[EliteCommander]

Lunise had described an entire lifetime's worth of work in the span of a few moments, but it was nothing unusual for many of the people Ahnasha knew. Her father, growing up, had centuries of experience to share himself, and the thought of it did make her look forward to one day having the same breadth of experience.

"My mother's family came from Senchal. They were exclusively merchants; it was a family trade. The same was true of my father's family, though he came from Valenwood alone. He is a Bosmer, originally from Silvenar. I never met his side of my family, simply because of the distance. I remember wanting to once when I was young, but having to cross all that land, not to mention the border into the Dominion, was never really something we could do. Honestly, I think it was Valenwood itself that interested me more than my family. I've always loved hunting, and the Bosmer are well-known for their hunters. I guess a strictly carnivorous diet will do that." Ahnasha answered, giving a bit more information than Lunise had asked for, since the topic was something she could talk about.

"So...what is Rimmen like?" Ahnasha asked after a few more moments. "I've probably seen less of Elsweyr than any other place in Tamriel. We go there very rarely since Vile's followers pushed us out. The most I've seen of it was during the mission where we first met you."

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise turned her eyes to the ground and raised her brow. While taking a deep breath through her nose to think of a response, Fendros spoke up.

"Have a seat. You don't need to stand away from us." Fendros beckoned Lunise over.

For an uncertain moment, Lunise stood holding her breath. She glided forward in no hurry and lowered herself to join the group, even if her clean dress did not fit exactly with the practical or absent clothing of the pack around her. "Rimmen is..." She twisted her head once the word came to her. "...a project. Currently, it is a thriving, if middling, trade city. Though there are occasional issues with skooma traffickers, it is a fine example of assimilation into the dominion." Lunise's tone began to swipe around like her professional self again. "We turned it from a discontent hotbed of rebellious thought to a positive contributor to Anequina. It is safe, law-abiding, and content."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha was not entirely sure what to make of Lunise's response. It was the exact kind of response she might have expected from a Justicar, but even so, she did not know how to feel about it. The Dominion certainly did not have a great reputation within the Empire, but their pack had traveled the Dominion extensively over the years without any issue. Or at least, no issues that were unique to the Dominion.

"Hmm, if I'm being honest, I don't really think I know what it means to 'integrate' into the Dominion. Not being rebellious is self-explanatory, but I don't really know what the common...thing is that makes them all 'Dominion' cities." Ahnasha responded, leaning back slightly and supporting herself on her hands. "How do I explain it? We've...traveled to a lot of places. All over Tamriel, to many cities that are all different. Breton cities aren't like Cyrodilic cities, and Cyrodilic cities are absolutely nothing like Valenwood cities. But just being a visitor, I don't really know what, say, Sunhold would have in common with Senchal. They all have their own unique style and culture and everything based on the people that live there. Would it be more obvious if I actually lived in one of them? I've only ever been to Dominion cities a a visitor." Ahnasha asked.

[Muttonhawk]

Now unchallenged in her tone, Lunise settled into it. "Walking into Rimmen for the first time, well before you were born, showed a city that had no respect for the Dominion and pretended that the Mane was still in supreme power. Even Imperial rule was light handed. This allowed an undercurrent of subversive crime to thrive until it was cracked down upon. You see, the Aldmeri Dominion has always been pursuant of reviving the golden age of Aldmeri rule, before the secession of different Mer groups, to restore that system of governance in modern Tamriel. I shall not pretend that Altmer are the ones to rule, though mistakes were made in the past that can be made up for. For one, slavery is not a sustainable system, nor is monarchy." Lunise angled her head. "But I digress. What you find in integrated Dominion cities, Ahnasha, is consistent rule of law, a spirit of contribution and prosperity, and a confidence in the local government."

Rather than get drawn into a conversation about politics and Lunise's career, Fendros tried to cut through into what Ahnasha was more likely asking about. "Is there anything you like about Rimmen personally?" he asked. "I understand it was your job, but it was also your home, you said."

This, once again, made Lunise silent and off-balance. She looked at Fendros for a few seconds, before blinking a few times and averting her eyes. "There are things, of course. I prefer the meals, the tea. The festivals there are lively and colourful. And the communities within are generous." She sounded too stilted to go into the details of any particular point.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha gave a quick chuckle. "I can see why the city would not have been, well, cooperative to start. Just about none of those things are traditional to most Khajiit cultures. Living in Leyawiin, we saw a lot of the people who were firmly opposed to the Dominion's changes. I believe a few of the Khajiit families I mentioned ended up in Leyawiin because they disagreed with them. Though, that might be putting it lightly. The Dominion was a very...passionate subject for them. It's not why my parents left, though. They were just traders following business opportunities."

Kaleeth found Lunise's description of her home to be somewhat odd, almost disconnected. The fact that she was not born in Rimmen, and yet considered it her home, meant that she must have strongly identified with something in the city. And yet, she did not give many specifics on what she actually liked about the place. Kaleeth herself could go on for hours about Blackreach, or her village, or even the old Bruma clan. She had many fond memories of all of them, and Lunise had lived in Rimmen for longer than Kaleeth had been alive at all. Kaleeth joined the group and sat down near Lunise. Julan followed shortly afterwards, laying himself down on the ground next to his mother, who reached over and gently started to rub his shoulder and neck as he started the process of calming himself down to transform back into his normal form. He was still not at the point where he could transform on a whim, so it took some effort for him to revert back.

"There has to be more than those few things." Kaleeth commented. "A home is basically the center of your whole life. No matter how far you travel, it's a place you really...identify with. I remember my first home, my village in Black Marsh. The village always moved with the seasons, so the whole region was really my home. It was a dangerous and challenging place to live, but I was never afraid that our village would get into trouble. Our tribe had thousands of years of knowledge on how to live there among the wilds, and it was knowledge was was taught to me. Everyone knew everyone, and everyone was family, in a way. When there was a marriage, everyone joined the ceremony, when someone died, the whole village stopped to mourn. The Marsh was a place where every tree felt familiar, but yet with plenty of mystery to explore. I remember there was a sunken Xanmeer near one of our rainy season locations. Me and my brother liked to swim through its halls to see what was there. Every year, there seemed to be a new chamber that had opened up with the shifting sediment. There was one year where we got a bunch of our friends together and turned two sides of the Xanmeer into forts, then we had a 'war' with sticks/ My brother's team won."

Kaleeth was already smiling from her reminiscing on her childhood, and she thought it might inspire Lunise to go into a bit more detail with her own stories.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise paused to peer at the fire. Her hand clutched her other thumb on her lap, her grip tightened very slightly. "Rimmen is larger than an Argonian tribe," she said flatly. "There was not any family with me there." Some sentimentality crept through. "There were friends."

Another gap in the conversation began. Fendros broke it. "Why don't you tell us about them?"

Lunise's eyes leapt up and down. "Well...there was one family that helped me get to know Rimmen's culture. One Saucra, a Suthay-raht guard was delegated the task. I shared dinners with his family often. They were nervous at first, but they grew comfortable with my presence. I watched as Saucra met his wife, Mia. And I watched his children, Sudi and Laubrosha grow up into fine adults; a guard and court mage respectively. And I saw Saucra achieve the rank of captain." Lunise was lost reminiscing. She didn't realise the smile as it came to her lips. "I always remember the wedding. With the number of Khajiit there, all determined to celebrate and dance. It was the first time I felt belonging in Rimmen."

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth clasped her hands together with a small clap. "Oh, I love weddings. Lycans mates don't usually have a ceremony, but we've had a few in the clan, and even one in this pack. Fendros and Ahnasha had a nice ceremony with his family. It was nice to see them so accepting of it. All that history with the Dunmer and Khajiit made it hard to tell if it was going to end quite so...happily."

Ahnasha had an amused expression on her face. "We are a whole pack of unlikely partnerships, aren't we? A Khajiit and a Dunmer. An Imperial nobleman and an Argonian Tribal. A High Elven Thalmor Justiciar and the Argonian Champion of Hircine..."

Lorag laughed somewhat loudly once more, though at least being somewhat more reserved. "Still sounds ridiculous just hearin' that. Like someone knocked me out and put me in a dream."

Ahnasha had her arms crossed as she looked to Lorag. "Any more ridiculous than you being a father?"

Lorag pointed at Ahnasha. "Hey, there's no proof that girl was mine."

Ahnasha simply chuckled. "Sure..." She said, drawing out the word before turning her attention back to Lunise. "Anyways, it definitely sounds like you made Rimmen your home. It...occurs to me that you probably know quite a lot more about cooking Rimmen-style dishes than I do. Have any advice for me?"