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Sam made sure to lock his car before heading back inside, then he proceeded to let out what was perhaps the most well-deserved sigh of relief in his life. There was still a lot to worry about, but at least one catastrophe had been averted.

"Like I mentioned before, I don't know how much researching will help. There is so much variation in mythology that we can't really know what is correct. Some stories contradict each other on what werewolves can do. I'm worried that we may end up having to just learn as we go." Sam said as he locked the door to their apartment behind them, just to be safe. He then approached Stevie and gave her a hug, wrapping her tightly in his embrace. He was silent for a few moments, just wanting to hold her for a while before speaking up. "No matter what happens, though, at least we are safe now. I didn't really get a chance to express it before with how much stress and worry there was, but I am really glad we are together now. I've cared deeply for you for a long time now, I just didn't know how to say it."
I haven't done anything with your character, so go ahead.
Ahnasha reached up and placed a hand on Fendros' cheek, giving him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, It's going to be our child, and the only other real influence in its life, at least at first, will be the pack. Honestly, it will believe and accept whatever we teach it, because that is what cubs do. They start out knowing nothing, so we have to teach it everything. I wouldn't worry about it accepting you, because unless you tell it otherwise, it will. And if it's a Cathay or Cathay-raht, then it really won't be that different from me. Just bigger, really. I mean, Cathay can sometimes be mistaken for particularly large Suthay-raht."
Rukeewei was initially surprised at Ariel's sudden enthusiasm, but he found it amusing and returned a chuckle. "Alright, as long as my scales stay firmly attached, you can count on my help. Neer has been trying to get me to let her work with my appearance for months now. Maybe I will let her after this? I still don't think a bartender needs to be flawlessly handsome, but I can humor her."

When Ariel mentioned learning more about Argonians, he again appeared a bit surprised. "Also, I have to say it is rare to see an outsider take such interest in us, though I suppose that makes sense if you want to live here. Usually, visitors just learn enough to get by for the week of the festival, then leave. I...don't know that I could be all that helpful if you wanted to learn about the history of Thorn. I know the basics, but I'm not really a scholar. Most of what I know about the city is of a more practical nature, which...I guess would also be useful to you. Anyway, I know a few of the mages at the Meetraxil-Ei-Mnett are pretty enthusiastic about talking on history during the festival, though. No one ever really listens to them, of course, but they try. They like to talk about the ancient Argonian civilization the most, but you might be able to coax some more local history from them. I am curious, though, what has made you so interested in the Argonian people? It is refreshing to see, don't get me wrong, it's just rare."

Meesei eyed Lorag's drink suspiciously. She could easily smell the strength of the alcohol, and he wasn't the type of person that would drink in moderation. He was probably overestimating how much he could drink, which meant that she would have to serve the role of his judgement for him. He was not getting another drink. Turning her attention back to Janius, she guessed by his tone that he was fishing for an embarrassing story. While she certainly had embarrassing childhood tales, this, fortunately, was not one of them. "If you're looking for something to make fun of me with, then you're going to be disappointed. My name is fairly normal for someone in my position. My studies into magic shaped much of my childhood, as well as my name. There are a few translations I could give you, but the closest would be Walks-In-Light, after the light of Aetherius which imparts magicka onto Tamriel. My name merely reflects my status as a mage. Perhaps it would have been different if that other incident would hav-" Meesei began before immediately cutting herself off. She realized she had started to get into a story she did not want to tell, but the damage, she feared, was already done.
Ssarak could not admit that he entirely understood what happened over the course of the next few minutes. At first, it seemed like demons were raising from the dead while the air became difficult and painful to breathe. It looked like the fight was lost, but then, as quickly as they had risen, the demons spontaneously exploded and the air returned to its normal state. With Satori as an organizing force, the guards overcame their confusion and pushed back against the demons that were already trying to return from the Inferno. Ssarak, Meirin, and Leith joined in the offensive as well, with Ssarak foregoing any physical combat in favor of closely examining enemy movements and providing useful tactical information.

It was not long before they had cleared the way to the infirmary. With access to those supplies and healers, the wounded in the dining hall would stand a much better chance of recovering. For all intents and purposes, unless something else catastrophic happened, the battle seemed to be over. There were almost certainly stragglers hidden in the college, but the guards were in much better shape to deal with them than Ssarak was.

Ssarak returned his axe to its place on his back and leaned himself against a wall outside the infirmary. With the chaos and excitement of the battle essentially over, he could feel the pain in his chest more clearly with each breath. It wasn't what he would associate with a broken rib, but it was almost certainly fractured. Overall, though, he was not worried about his health, but rather what this attack would mean for the college. He would recover, but from his perspective, the future of the college was less certain. How many students had survived the attack? How much would it cost to rebuild? Was the college even capable of continuing? Even more concerning was the source of the attack itself. An immense amount of power had been directed at the college, and while it had survived, how close had they been to death? The inferno had nearly manifested in the college twice during the attack. Had either succeeded, what hope of survival would there have been for himself, and his friends?

"So...it's over, then." Ssarak said, looking to Meirin and Leith with a pained expression, not because of his injuries, but because of the realization of the danger they were in, and were likely going to continue to be in as long as they remained with the college.
Rukeewei gave a satisfied smile. "Ah, it's pretty much just what I thought, then. In Neer's business, appearances are everything, and she has that down to, well, an art. If you can make what she wants, not only would it give you a business, but it would help hers as well. She doesn't normally work with body paint, but she is basically an artist with her work. I'm sure she could create some impressive designs with what you're offering to make. As for me, well, helping out would help Neer, and it could help you get started, so..." Rukeewei said, pausing a moment as he ran some final thoughts through his head. "...why not? I'm sure Neer will share, and it is always nice to help others."

As Meesei sat down at the table, Lorag returned and gave Janius his drink before taking a seat himself. "Eh, just some warning about caution and all that. Now, to see how strong this stuff actually is." He said as he took a drink. For all his pride, he had to admit that the strength of the drink was at the upper limits of what he could handle at once...not aloud, of course. Even he would be taking this one a bit slow.

Meesei looked to Janius and gave a slight nod. She never had any particular desire to use the translation of her name, as her Jel name was much shorter, and easy enough for non-Argonians to pronounce. Still, it could be translated. "Yes, like most Argonian names, it has a meaning relating to my childhood personality and actions, and that can be translated."

Once she was in their room, Ahnasha removed and tossed her dress carelessly across the room. It wasn't as if she would need it for too much longer anyway. There was another bed in the room, but she decided just to lay down next to Fendros and stretch out her sore muscles. "Yeah, well you're not going to see me complaining about that. It has been years since I have been in a bed like this. Normally I wouldn't care, but anything that will take the weight off my joints is a good thing to me."

As was so often the case recently, Ahnasha's mind couldn't help but to turn to their child, especially now that she had the chance to talk in private with Fendros. "You know, I mentioned before that our child could be a Senche, Cathay, or Cathay-raht. I should mention that Cathay-raht is probably the most likely of those. Meesei and I worked out the most likely span of time in which the child will be born, and it would be a Cathay-raht during most of those days. For a Senche, both moons need to be full, and for a Cathay, Secunda needs to be full, while Masser is waning. Once both start to wane, it will be a Cathay-raht. Since full moons last for only about three days, most of those days fall during a time where both are waning. A Cathay-raht would look pretty much like me in form, but would eventually grow much larger and stronger than either of us. A Cathay would be the same way, but not to as much of an extent."
Ahnasha stretched her muscles, thinking for a moment on Fendros' suggestion. "I wasn't, but I am now. I don't know if I feel like going to sleep, but laying down for a bit would be nice. I think I'm going to head up to our room. If you want to talk and relax for a bit, you can join me." She suggested before heading upstairs. She passed Meesei on the way and asked her to wake her before they left for the festival, then continued on to her room. Most of the belongings of the pack were communal, so Meesei had not put too much thought into which room she placed everyone's items originally. It was only by the fact that Ahnasha and Fendros' belongings were stored together that they had a room together. Lorag, Ariel, and Sabine were sharing one of the rooms, while Meesei and Janius were in the other.

Rukeewei looked like he was deep in thought for a moment. One of the claws on his hand gently tapped against the bar as he formulated his response. "Hmm, Neer is a really nice person, but she is also a savvy businesswoman. If I know her, I would say she wouldn't volunteer me for this without some kind of offer. Make-up isn't her usual trade...but I think I have an idea of what she's getting out of it. Out of curiosity, what kind of offer did she make?" Rukeewei asked, almost certain that it was Neercana-Rei who made the offer.

Before Ariel could answer, Lorag stepped up and leaned onto the bar. "Sorry to interrupt, just wonderin' if I could get a drink for me and cit-uh, Janius over there. The strongest thing you got."

Rukeewei gave a light chuckle. "The strongest thing I have is a bottle of wine that costs over fifty gold."

Lorag leaned back a bit, not too enthusiastic about the price. "Uh, what do you got for under ten gold?"

Rukeewei returned a smile. "I think I can mix something together you'll like." He said. He was quite familiar with Lorag's type, as it was something he saw on a daily basis, so he knew exactly the drink for him. Grabbing two mugs, he put one to the side, then filled the other partially with a drink from the tap of a large keg, then grabbed a bottle of wine, and a bottle of brandy from underneath the bar. He quickly mixed them all together into the mug, adding a fair amount of unnecessary, but impressive showmanship to the process. Once finished, he slid the mug across the bar so that it stopped perfectly in front of Lorag.

Lorag had a completely blank, serious expression on his face until he took a drink from the mug, at which point he stared at Rukeewei for a few moments before speaking. "Don't tell Meesei this, but I think you might be my favorite lizard in all of Tamriel."

"I heard that." Meesei's voice sounded from the stairway just as she entered the main room once more.

Lorag glanced over to Meesei, then back to Rukeewei. "Eh, I stand by it. Make one for Janius as well, if you could."

Rukeewei nodded and complied, making another drink with less fanfare. Once Lorag paid for the drinks, Rukeewei gave only one warning before returning his attention to Ariel. "Just be careful with those drinks. For non-Argonians, a single mug of that can be like an entire night of drinking. Don't underestimate it."
Meesei shrugged her shoulders at Fendros' question "I cannot say I know. It is not the custom of Argonians to celebrate particular days. We do not view time in the same way as most other races; it is not as...linear to us. The when of an event isn't nearly as important as the what. If this is a celebration for an Argonian tradition, then it is not set into a particular day. We are yet to actually see more than a glimpse the festival itself, so I cannot tell you if it is for any specific part of our history or culture yet. It could be just a local celebration. We will have to wait until we are there to find out, or you can ask the innkeeper. He is almost certain to know."

Lorag let out a laugh. "By Hircine I hope so. I still regret not getting a taste of what Meesei had that night. I'd like to fix that."

With Janius' question, Meesei actually did know the answer, though what that would mean for their immediate future rested on Lorag's self-control. "It is true that our drinks tend to be considerably stronger as a by-product of the fact that they can bypass our poison resistance. Other races can easily find them overwhelming, so I would recommend being careful. Being that this is a city, I would suspect the inn serves both Argonian and non-Argonian spirits."

"Right, got it, caution." Lorag responded with a chuckle that certainly did not fill Meesei with confidence. She had a feeling she would need to keep a close eye on him tonight.

Once back in the inn, Rukeewei greeted the group with a smile. The patrons who had been drinking in the corner before were gone, leaving only the pack and the inkeeper in the building, unless there were others in their rooms. "Ah, welcome back. From your outfits, I see Neercana-Rei took good care of you." Rukeewei commented just as they were closing the door behind them.

Ahnasha looked at the innkeeper curiously. "We purchased these from Speaks-With-Thread at the Loom and Lapis. We just need to wait on a few alterations." She said, her tone somewhere between a statement and a question.

"Oh, right. She tends to use the Cyrodilic translation of her name with non-Argonians. In any case, I'm glad you found what you were looking for." Rukeewei responded. While Meesei was collecting everyone's old clothing to take up to their rooms, Lorag was already eying the kegs behind the bar with anticipation.
"Hmm, I don't know how easy it will be to get an audience with anyone during this festival." Ahnasha commented, thinking for a moment back to her own experiences in Leyawiin. "Usually, big events like these are very profitable for a city, but also a logistical nightmare for the local government. If Thorn is the same way, you might not be able to see anyone today. You will probably be able to at least get an appointment though, so there is that. As for what we will do, I don't know. It is going to be a few hours before I can get my dress, and we have been on the move all day. I definitely want to head to the festival, but I wouldn't mind taking a few hours to sit down, rest..."

"And have a few drinks." Lorag interrupted.

Ahnasha shot Lorag an annoyed glance. As much as she would have liked to have a drink, that wasn't an option for her at the moment. Meesei picked up where Ahnasha left off and chimed in herself. "I admit, I am interested in this festival as well. It may also be a way for you to meet some of the locals in a friendly environment. Perhaps we can take a few hours to rest in the inn, then all head to it together?"
"Well, I would still rather be wearing nothing, but it is functional, and comfortable enough that I can tolerate it. Let me get back into that other dress and I'll give it to Speaks for alterations." Ahnasha responded, returning to the changing room once Sabine emerged. She changed back into her old dress, then approached Speaks-With-Thread just as the others had finished picking out their new clothing.

While Meesei was gathering the coin to pay, Ahnasha gave the dress over to Speaks. "I found one I like that fits, but the tail hole is too large. Do you think you could make the proper alteration?"

Speaks-With-Thread accepted the dress and nodded back to Ahnasha. "Indeed I can, it is one of the most common, and easiest alterations I make. If I start now, it should only take a few hours. I'll just need to get your measurements before you go."

Once they had decided on what to buy, they agreed on a price and paid. Ahnasha felt that she could have haggled for a lower one, but Speaks-With-Thread seemed amicable enough, and if Ariel wanted to make friends, then it would probably be best not to argue over a few gold coins. The price was not unreasonable, at any rate. Most of the clothes they purchased were simple and cheap. Quite predictably, Janius' outfit was the most expensive, which moderately annoyed Meesei, but it did not add too much to the total cost.

The group stayed for a few more minutes to allow Speaks-With-Thread to take measurements from Lorag and Ahnasha. Using marked lengths of string, she measured the lengths of Lorag's limbs, his waistline, and a few other areas, as well as taking the circumference of Ahnasha's tail. Once finished, she took down a few notes in her logbook behind the counter. "Alright...Ahnasha, you should return here in a few hours for yours, and...Lorag, you can stop by sometime tomorrow morning. Oh, and...Ariel, right? You might want to go ahead and mention our deal to Rukeewei if you happen to be heading back to the inn. Tell him I think it is a good idea. Knowing him, he might agree without me having to say anything."
Hey, Ryonara and Konan, can I assume in my next one that Ssarak, Meirin, and Leith moved with the guards and cleared the way to the infirmary?
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