EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The rest of the day, as well as the entirety of the next day, were spent in preparation of the opening of Ariel's shop. Just as Ariel predicted, it was quite a bit of work to get the empty shop into an acceptable state. It was easy enough to find a woodworker's shop to purchase the furniture, but moving it all took the better part of a day. At the same time, Ariel had to find someone from which to purchase ingredients, but with the pack's help, progress did move steadily. All of the pack helped out at some point, even Ahnasha when she was feeling up to it. Other than Ariel, only Janius had any real knowledge of proper interior design, but despite a few mistakes, they were able to finish moving and arranging all of the furniture by the end of the next day. Meanwhile, Ariel was able to brew at least some of her stock. True to his word, Rukeewei assisted her in testing the cosmetics she was trying to create, thought it would take more time than just a day to work out the exact right formula. Fortunately, nothing she applied to him was hard to remove...yet.

Given how much they had been working, most of the group fell asleep early and woke up around dawn the next morning, on the day of Feasting. As usual, they started out with breakfast, which Ahnasha was particularly enthusiastic about. For today at least, she seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood for no particular reason. It would likely change by the end of the day, though, as it was the last day the pack would be in the city. In what extra time she had, Meesei had been inquiring about where to find an Argonian village, and was reasonably certain she had a lead. It would likely be a while before they could find a village, in any case, but the sooner they started, the sooner they could help Sabine.

As Ariel and the pack were collected around their table, Rukeewei brought them the breakfast they had ordered one by one, with his usual friendly smile. "So, do you think today will be the day you open your new shop?" He asked as he served Ariel the stew she requested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I didn't expect you to be up, but that does mean I can go ahead with the timeskip.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

We could skip to the last day of the festival that I thought of a name for, the day of feasting. If they had been working on fixing up the shop, it would likely be in a much more ready state by then. That would probably be the last day the pack would be in Thorn.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Nice. Sorry for the delay, but I got caught up doing things. I wanted to make sure to give you something, though, but now I'm going to bed. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Looking at it for what it was, the building was not all that impressive. For Meesei, it was an empty shelter with nothing more than Ariel's magelight to illuminate it. Of course, when looking at what it could be, Ariel's excitement was much easier to understand. It was something that would, and hopefully always would be, hers. Given that she grew up in a nomadic village, Meesei had never been one to become attached to property, but she could understand why Ariel would be.

"I believe a good place to start may be in finding something to actually sell. Without ingredients, you won't have a business. At any rate, we can return to the inn, though I'm not sure how many of the others will be there. At least a few are probably at the festival. Also, how much work do you think it will take to get the store to a state that it can be opened, and how much furniture will be required? I'm assuming you will focus more on the shop than your own room at first so you can start bringing in gold, unless there is something I am not thinking of. I am not well-versed in the operations of a shop." Meesei walked around the shop's main room, examining the corners and floorboards for signs of damage. It wasn't in perfect condition, but it seemed to be in good enough of a state. Perhaps with furniture and better lighting, it would look more like the other shops they had been in.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei supposed it made sense that Ariel was simply a person born with different desires, even if it was a fairly mundane explanation. Perhaps it wasn't within Meesei to understand the draw of city life, but that was something she could accept. As for Ariel's question, she easily knew the answer. "Perhaps if I was alone, I would, but now, my home is where my friends are. I can say with confidence that there is nothing that would make me willingly leave them. The...one who led me to this ring already asked me to leave them to be at his side, and I refused. What I miss the most about my former home is the marsh itself. I look forward to traveling through it once again. There are times where I wish I could speak to a few of my family members again, but I have moved on from them. They do not know that I am still alive, so I assume they have moved on from me as well. I did not leave behind many close relationships when I left. My mother died when I was very young, while my father died two years before I left. I had other family, but not too many close friends. My studied into magic, as well as the history and traditions of our people, consumed most of my time as a child. I suppose, overall, there was little for me to leave behind."

Meesei stopped for a moment to look around for the vacant building Ariel now owned, though Ariel was taking the lead at the moment. Meesei found that she was rather terrible at navigating a city. Something about the way city streets were arranged seemed unnatural to her, and she could easily become lost. The only way she could find her way around was by using obvious landmarks, like the city tree.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak nodded in response to Meirin. "Of course, I will tell you who we find. Hopefully, we can put to rest at least some of our fears." He said. Just as he and Leith were about to enter the infirmary, however, a young human male exited out the door in front of them. He had bandages over one of his arms and slightly torn clothing, but otherwise appeared unharmed. It took Ssarak a moment to recognize him, but he knew who both Ssarak and Meirin were immediately. He was the one that and imp-like demon had taken hostage so it could escape, the one Ssarak and Meirin had saved.

For a few moments, he looked at them silently, as he was obviously surprised to see them. Without saying a word, the boy walked forward and hugged Meirin with tears forming in his eyes. The boy looked at the large Esyire next to her with a bit more of an intimidated gaze, but nevertheless, he did the same to Ssarak a few seconds later. Ssarak understood the boy's emotion upon seeing those who saved him, but even so, he wasn't quite sure what the best way to respond would be. He had saved lives before, but they were usually other warriors, not someone who was barely more than a child. For the moment, Ssarak simply allowed the boy to hug him while he looked to Meirin, hoping she would be able to help give a more meaningful response.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Well, in actuality, there are 12 to 13 full moons in a year, but since this case requires that two moons be full at the same time, I'm not sure how that would work. For now, I'm just going to guess once every 2-3 months, instead of every month. She probably would have been there for one.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled and walked along with Ariel out of the building. "I think you will find that our...group will be quite helpful in that regard. We're all very capable when it comes to heavy lifting. If you haven't seen it so far, I think your sister will surprise you with her strength."

Once they were outside, they started to search through the city for the address listed on the deed. They knew it was in the same district as the Wamasu's Nest but neither of them were knowledgeable enough about the city to know exactly where they were going. It would likely take some searching around to locate it. Ariel seemed rather excited to see her new shop, while Meesei was simply glad she would be able to re-establish her life. Even if she helped them voluntarily, it was because of the pack that Ariel had lost everything she had in Vos, so there was little that would cause Meesei to leave before her shop was ready to open. Only Hircine himself could make her leave. Still, Meesei still felt Ariel's life would not be quite as secure as it was in Vos. It might have been had there been time to sell her shop before they left, but since there wasn't, she would be left with debt that would take years to pay off.

"You know, there is something I am curious about Ariel. What causes you to want to lead this life. Both of us were raised outside 'normal' civilization, into a group which focused on training us in the mysteries of magic, and alchemy in your case. Both of our homes were somewhat stable, but still outside what city dwellers would consider safe. What I wonder is why we eventually selected different lives. I prefer the excitement and challenge of life in the wilds, while you choose the safety and predictability of the city. Why did you choose that life? I am not criticizing, I am just curious." Meesei asked.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I'll likely respond before going to bed.

Edit: Actually, I was mistaken about my ability to stay awake. I'll post in the morning.