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

[Muttonhawk]

"Oh-" Lunise's eyes bulged, looking absently over Julan's shoulder. Her forced smile had disappeared, replaced with a kind of shock that she had never expressed to the pack. She was paralysed for several heartbeats.

Janius, Fendros, and Sabine let out small, lighthearted chuckles at Julan's enthusiasm.

Lunise's silence-breaking words were slow and out of breath. "...That is nice of you to say, Kaj-Julan." She carefully lifted her splayed hands up and placed them up behind Julan's back. She blinked and pat her hands on him, but did not squeeze like he did her. Eventually, she brought her hands back to his sides to awkwardly encourage him away. "I should finish my dessert. Excuse me."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was smiling along with much of the pack as she was watching Julan. While he was still squeezing her, Meesei looked over and made eye contact with Lunise. "A cute child, is he not?" She commented.

Although Julan was far more bold, and perhaps naive about it, Meesei had to admit that her desires mirrored Julan's assumptions. Ultimately, Meesei wanted Lunise to feel like she could be a part of the family, as strange as that might be to both Lunise and the rest of her pack. Meesei was beginning to understand why Sabine's relationship with Peiter years ago had less of a chance of succeeding than even Meesei had expected. With the kind of lifestyle they lived, it was difficult to live a life where one's lover was so disconnected from their pack. With as close-knit of a family as they were, having a mate who could not be a part of it could ultimately drive them apart.

As Meesei was ruminating, Julan backed away with Lunise's encouragement, but that did not stop him from remaining just as enthusiastic and friendly. "Oh, okay. But...after we eat, we should all go for a swim!" He suggested. Meesei simply looked to Lunise as well, awaiting a response.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise had barely even picked up her bowl before Julan made her look up with surprise once again. She took a short breath in. "A swim? I..." she let out part of her breath, at a loss for words. "Oh, I couldn't, it is rather late in the evening and I am rather fatigued."

"I'll swim," Rhazii said nearby. "Anything to wash out this sand."

"I think I shall swim as well," Sabine added with a smile.

"Huh," Fendros said in realisation. "We swim a lot when we're near water, don't we?"

Janius grinned. "Meesei, if your new partner is to be one of us, I think she should take the rite of passage and swim, don't you think?"

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth laughed towards Fendros. "Well, with three Argonians among us, would you really expect anything different? Especially in a desert like this. The dry air is just so unpleasant. I remember it used to be just torture going to dry places like this before we could teleport. If we found an Oasis like this back then, I would never leave the water until we packed up camp."

"Probably wouldn't be able to bring Leaps at all." Ahnasha added, reaching out to rub the wamasu on the side as he walked past her. "It was hard enough to get him enough water back in Anequina when he was young. With how much more he needs now, he would dehydrate."

Meanwhile, Meesei put her arm around Lunise. "I would not mind a swim myself, but it is her choice if she wishes to join us or not." She said before looking at her encouragingly. "Would you like to relax in the water with us before retiring for the night?"

[Muttonhawk]

The encouragement around her only caused Lunise to start clenching her jaw. All the comments built up until Meesei finally asked more directly. She returned the eye contact, quickly blinked twice, and a tension she had been holding in her arms and shoulders loosened with a silent outward breath.

"Meesei, I would rather not be pressured," Lunise said with a low voice, extending a flat hand. "If you do not mind. I think I should head back now." Her fingers curled and she swallowed. Meesei, at least, could see that she was holding something back.

[EliteCommander]

"If you do not wish to join, then you need not. I can take you back if you wish." Meesei answered in a reassuring tone. She paused a moment to stand up back to her feet, then extended a hand down to Lunise. "Although, before we leave, I would like to speak to you, just for a few moments, in private. If that is not too much trouble, of course." She said before motioning in the direction of her tent on the other side of camp.

The pack had set up tents at the bottom of a hill on one side of the oasis, with trees and foliage, along with the hill itself, raising above them on one side. They had also been erected in such a way as to be sturdier in the direction that the wind was most likely to be coming from. Even though they were camped at an oasis, it was still possible for a sandstorm to kick up, and their tents would keep them and their supplies protected in that event.

The moment Lunise entered her tent, she would find herself being hugged by a particularly overjoyed Meesei. She had been unmistakably happy for most of the night.

[Muttonhawk]

"Of course. That is no trouble at all." Lunise said to Meesei.

Janius shrugged. "Your choice, Lunise. Maybe next time."

Only another minute of eating passed. The last of the dessert was had, enjoyed as it was by all, before Lunise took Meesei's hand to stand up. While facing away from the pack, Lunise had her stern scowl yet was looking at the ground as if troubled. She didn't say a word as she was lead to Meesei's tent.

The look on Meesei's face before she was hugged was a surprise to Lunise. Perhaps it was because she wasn't paying attention to just how excited Meesei had been over dinner. Lunise, of course, hugged her back and even smiled.

"Have I truly passed the test so well?" Lunise asked incredulously, pulling back enough to see Meesei's face. She could barely make out her outline in the dark of the tent. "I was unsure if I was being patient enough."

[EliteCommander]

"You have no idea how much I appreciate this." Meesei responded, still wanting to hold tightly onto Lunise. "I was frightened going into this about...how everything would go. But tonight...it has given me hope. You are well-aware of how singularly important my family is to me, my clan. I have hope that, well, you can be a part of that family. Not in the exact same way that they are, of course, but that you will not always be a stranger or an outsider to them. Nor they to you."

Meesei finally relented with her hug, though her expression was still locked into a smile. "I know it will not be terribly frequent that we will even have the chance to get everyone together safely like this. Though, it could be possible if we were to meet in the security of my clanhome. There is plenty of space there for us to meet without being noticed. As long as I do not show you an entrance, it would not present any real security risk that my council would need to be concerned with, so there would be no need to inform them of our secret."

[Muttonhawk]

"Meesei," Lunise said gently. She lifted her hand up to Meesei's cheek. "Your family has been most welcoming to me. I think, every now and then, I could join you all for a meal."

Lunise sat down more comfortably beside Meesei with her legs to one side. She readjusted her arms to hold Meesei while leaning in against her. "I was surprised, actually. I know I can be venomous, it is a behaviour I have habituated. Even when I realised that I was being...uncharitable, I was not rebuffed for it by your pack." She breathed out from pouted lips. "It does tire me, however, to make the effort to stay quiet when a thought passes through my mind." Lunise turned her head to the glint of Meesei's eye in the dark. "Do you believe I was sufferable enough tonight?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei grinned. "I think that, given their expectations of a Thalmor Justiciar, pretty much anything you could have done would be better than their expectations. You showed them that you are a person, not just a political or military figure. And I do not think it will be such an effort for you forever. The more you are around them, the more you will learn about them. You will learn what they like or despise, their quirks, traits, and flaws. And they will learn the same about you. It will just be natural to be around each other. Although, once you are all comfortable with each other, I would expect a few of them, especially Lorag and Ahnasha, to start firing back when you find yourself being, how did you say it...uncharitable. Do not worry, they can take an argument in stride. You would be surprised at the insults those two have come up with for each other."

Meesei leaned into Lunise, resting her head on her chest. "You have no idea how happy even the thought of all this makes me. The prospect of you getting along with, and perhaps being a part of my family, even in a limited sense, gives me hope that we can really do this. As a Daedric Champion and a Justiciar, we can still be together. We can be mates. Nothing has to inevitably drive us apart. It seemed insane just a few months ago, but it is reality."

With a somewhat different flavor of a grin, Meesei put her hands on both of Lunise's cheeks to pull her into a kiss as she rolled herself onto her. "i love you, Lunise."

[Muttonhawk]

There was a sense of relief in Lunise when Meesei kissed her, much like the relaxation she had when they were usually only in one another's company. Even though people they knew were barely a short walk away, the privacy and dark of the tent brought Lunise back into mask-shed state that only Meesei truly got to see.

When Meesei broke the kiss and said those four words, Lunise was thrown back into consciousness hard enough to render her frozen where she laid. Though Lunise could hardly see Meesei, Meesei could see Lunise's face caught in a rictus of shock and confusion.

Lunise slowly closed her mouth. Her angled elven eyes half-closed, though not in anger or derision. A high voice that Meesei didn't recognise at first came from Lunise's mouth. "You truly mean that, don't you?" It was more a statement than a question, breaking pitch in places as voices tend to do when emotionally charged. Lunise blinked and a pair of tears ran back from the corner of her eyes down to the bedding behind her head.

She showed her teeth and gasped in an upset breath.

[EliteCommander]

"I do." Meesei answered, her tone just as soft, but resolute as when she had spoke those words a few moments prior. She now had her arms around her neck, giving her perhaps the most intense, loving gaze that Lunise had seen from her yet.

Meesei was well-aware that her statement may have been unexpected, but she was not intent on going back on it. "It has been quite a long time since I have felt this way towards someone, but I still recognize it. The last time I felt this kind of love, I let it slip away out of fear and uncertainty, and I do not want that to happen again. I am not someone who believes that every person has a singular 'soul mate.' There are likely many people in the world who would be the 'right match' for both of us, but regardless of how many there are or who they might be, I know we are the right match for one another. We are two women who live our lives in command of others. We wield authority, and demand respect and loyalty. One might think that we would clash with one another, but I think it only helps to keep us together. I do not always want to be in charge. I could not be a mate to someone who is submissive and subservient to me. We challenge each other; we do not merely bow to each other's whims or demands. I know it may seem strange, but the fact that you do not have to listen to me is...oddly attractive. Not only because of any sort of 'official' authority, but because you are a willful and strong woman in your own right, and you do not take my judgment as law. That strength of character is one of the many reasons that I love you, and why I am overjoyed that our relationship had a real chance of working out in the long run."

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise laid a finger over the front of Meesei's mouth. "Stop," she whispered.

Her stare did not abate. She was wordless for moments where thoughts and feelings passed by, only just making way for anything to say. "I...I could not have predicted this," she managed. She took a breath in and out, shivering. "Even in these months. I think I felt it all along. It's such a madness." She blinked and more tears flowed down. "It could bring my life to destruction. I remember what it is now, even if I doubted its full possibility."

Lunise brought her arms up around Meesei's torso and held her tightly. "You're so free. You're honest and surrounded by kind family. And yet you are grounded and wise. You can and do care for yourself. All you have built is from your own determination, not given to you without merit. This self-made creature." Lunise took two more quick breaths. Her attempt to suppress her crying was melting away. "I look upon you and see what I wish to be a part of. And I see it in an Argonian, of all things. Doing what some elves spend centuries even getting close to. I tried to remain reserved. I kept stepping towards you nonetheless, as if compelled. And now I am here, with you...pretending there is still some space for denial so I can go back to being some Thalmor intimidator. There is no such room left. I would prefer to be here. Here in this...fantasy with a beautiful woman where...I know that the effort to be wanted is not in controlling others, but simply...being. We are here because we want to be."

Holding her eyes shut, Lunise choked on a sob and held her head forward. With a sniff, she pressed a hand to the back of Meesei's head and brought their foreheads together. "I am quite sure I have fallen in love with you as well, Meesei."

[EliteCommander]

Even after Meesei's admission of her own feelings, she was practically speechless through Lunise's response. A part of her might have been uncertain about the true depth to which Lunise cared for her, but those worries had all but been erased. They both had their own reasons to care for each other in the way they did, but it was now certain what they shared. And with how stubborn and determined they could both be, it would take quite a large challenge to pull them apart.

Though Meesei's response was wordless, it could not have been clearer. Lunise's outpouring of emotion had moved Meesei to the point that her own tears gently fell onto Lunise's cheek. No response she could give seemed to be more appropriate than another kiss. Then another. They had only intended to step away for a short, private conversation, but Meesei was certainly not going to be counting the seconds. She would much rather be demonstrating her newly-confessed love.

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's affection was returned in full. Lunise pulled her close, passionately joining their lips together as if trying to fuse them into one body. She was just as lost to time as Meesei was. On and on their passion went until the outside of the tent was all but forgotten.

Inevitably, Lunise and Meesei's embrace intensified until the first cord on Lunise's dress being undone. In a monumental feat of self-control, Lunise pulled back from the kiss and gently pushed Meesei back by the shoulder. "Ah-ah," Lunise warned in a whisper, catching her breath. "I may be in love with you, Meesei, but I plan on waking up in a bed in Valenwood tomorrow morning."

In the pause that followed, Lunise made a strange noise. Two stifled vocalisations on her outward breath. It took a moment for Meesei to recognise it as laughter. Lunise grinned and closed her eyes, quietly laughing more until she was out of breath. Her head lolled to one side. Even with glistening lines drawing back from her eyes, Lunise was the happiest Meesei had ever seen her.

[EliteCommander]

"Yes, yes...of course." Meesei responded. She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. Both of their moods were wonderful, almost to the point of being unbelievable on Lunise's part. It seemed like she was experiencing a part of life that she had never been through before, which could have very well been the case. Much like Meesei, professional concerns had dominated most of her life. For a few moments, it seemed like Meesei was about to get up. She had her hands on the ground on either side of Lunise's head and had pushed herself up somewhat, but then stopped and gave a suggestive grin. "...but, do you plan on waking up in that bed alone? I do recall that the door could be locked..."

---

Regardless of how much time Meesei would have wanted to spend with Lunise, she did have to be back in her camp just after sunrise in order to leave with the others. They were, after all, potentially getting close to their goal.

The sun was barely above the horizon by the time the pack had packed up their camp to start moving. Although they were not exactly in sight of Sentinel, it would not be a terribly far walk. Certainly, it was short enough that there would be no point in trying to teleport them and their supplies closer. Eventually, the tall walls and domed towers of the city started to become apparent over the horizon.

"Our Redguard hero is said to have frequented a particular tavern in the city, a short walk from the markets. I am hoping we can find him there, or at least someone who can point us to him. If we do find him, though, we need to be careful how we approach. I would prefer not to have to do anything risky to acquire the axe, so it would be best to simply buy it. But, if we accidentally let on to how valuable it really is, that might become expensive. We need to approach him subtly, in a way that seems natural. Fortunately, we should not be going in blind this time. Saras has at least one agent in Sentinel right now, and we will be meeting them in that tavern. The agent would have at least had yesterday to look into things, so we will see what they have learned." Meesei explained on their approach.

[Muttonhawk]

"Very well," Fendros said. "We ought to make a plan once we have that information. I had it in my head that we might pretend the axe is a long lost heirloom. It could be that our man doesn't much care for such sentimental matters, though." He shrugged. "We'll see."

"Maybe there can be a curse on the axe?" Sabine suggested. "It is closer to the truth. If something bad will happen to the wielder, we might get it from its owner for free."

Meanwhile, Janius and Kaleeth brought up the rear of the procession. Janius felt somewhat exposed going into the city without his armour on, but the heat made it impractical at best and heatstroke-inducing at worst. Besides, he had other matters on his mind. He leaned to Kaleeth, repeating a conversation they had last night. "I am still in awe that it was the justicar. It was strange to see her out of that uniform. And...socialising with us. What do you make of it?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei gave a nod to Sabine. "That may not be a bad approach. Particularly since the weapon's previous wielder faced an unfortunate end. If we can convince him of that, then it may not be so difficult to convince him to cooperate. Hopefully, the trader who gave it to him as a reward told him of how he acquired it. Although, even if he did not, we still might be able to use that as an explanation for why he was so willing to part with the axe. Nothing that we have learned about this Redguard suggests that he is a scholar of any kind. He is just an adventurer, perhaps a bit more skilled than usual, but not someone who would have any evidence against our story."

"We might want to present ourselves as coming from some sort of magical organization, to explain why we know so much about the axe." Ahnasha added. "Though honestly, I think we should take the curse approach as a backup option. Even a cursed weapon is a one-of-a-kind artifact, and some people might try to take advantage of that. If he gets it in his head that we might have some way to remove the curse, then he will still want to get rid of it, but he might take the chance to charge a higher price for it. We could start out as just being casually interested in buying a unique weapon, then reveal our 'true' intentions if he doesn't want to sell."

Kaleeth leaned in closer to Janius. She was wearing a hood to protect her head from the sun beating down on them, so at his angle, he could only see the end of her snout protruding from its front. Regardless, the tone of her whispers still showed her uncertainty. "I don't know. I always heard the Thalmor just cared about Elves, and were bigoted against everything else. But I mean...you saw everything yesterday. She was hugging and kissing Meesei. Would a Thalmor be willing to do that with an Argonian, even if it was all a lie? And, well, Meesei went back with Lunise last night, so they probably did a lot more than kiss. I do trust Meesei's judgment, though, and she has to know Lunise better than we do."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros nodded to each piece of input. "It'll all depend on what kind of person the owner is. Who knows? Maybe he's a Hircine worshipper with a grudge against Clavicus Vile in the end." He allowed himself an amused hum.

"I don't have any good reason to believe it isn't genuine," Janius responded to Kaleeth. "It's true that the stereotypical Thalmor would probably gag at the thought of being in Lunise's position. But...I don't know. There's something else, I think. She did refer to her time in Rimmen rather often. Perhaps that softened her view of other races somewhat." Janius turned his hand. "Than again, she did seem self-conscious when the subject of Thalmor doctrine was even approached...and when Kaj-Julan asked about her preference of partner. I doubt it's a simple this-or-that."

Janius leaned to peer at the conversation at the head of the pack. He itched his sweating scalp and leaned back to Kaleeth. "You know, I actually wouldn't know who to expect Meesei would be matched with. Amongst anyone we have met, anyway."

[EliteCommander]

"Indeed, the first challenge will be finding him at all." Meesei responded. "If worst comes to worst, we can always steal it. Perhaps leave some coins in its place, if we wish to be kind about it. Of course, no matter how we do it, we will have to get the axe no matter how uncooperative he may or may not be. Everything depends on it."

Kaleeth slowly nodded. "I know what you mean. It is hard to imagine her with anyone, really. She just never seemed like she wanted to, and for people not in our pack, she is sort of...hard to approach. I guess someone who knows her, like someone on the council, might have been possible. Really, I would have expected her mate to be another lycan, or at least someone not so...bossy." She commented.

The pack was closing in on the city's eastern gate. Tall walls surrounded the city on three sides, with the fourth being the docks. Though the walls themselves were old, there were many new fortifications on them. Looking closely, the pack could see heavily armored soldiers patrolling atop the walls, with even more around the gate they were approaching. They could even see large weapons like catapults and ballista on some parts of the walls. It was a far stronger and more obvious military presence than was present in many of the cities they visited, which was no doubt intentional. While the Dominion and Empire were technically at peace, Hammerfell was independent, and still resisting the Dominion. While most cities had a military to defend them, those in Hammerfell had them on display to show their strength and discourage attacks. Before they approached the gate itself, Ahnasha went with Leaps to the stable to ensure that he would be taken care of while they were in the city.