EliteCommander

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Freeshooter92 said
You remember how Alaira used to be, right?

Alaira seems a bit more reasonable about combat, which is saying a lot.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Don't worry, don't worry, I know my limits on this stuff....and they're a lot higher than yours." Lorag responded to Janius with a chuckle. Like most of the others, he wasn't exactly hungry, since they had just eaten, so he held off on a meal for the moment. Still, it was the day of feasting, so eating a bit extra at some point seemed appropriate.

Ahnasha returned to the group and sat down beside Fendros, laying out her food in front of her. The assassin beetle meat certainly looked, and smelled, interesting; she couldn't recall a time that she had eaten an insect before. After a few bites, she found that it wasn't exceptional, but it certainly wasn't bad. It was average with no real outstanding qualities. If they ever found themselves in Hammerfell, she probably wouldn't hesitate to serve up one of the creatures, but she would probably try something new next time. She shrugged her shoulders and glanced to Fendros. "Eh, not bad I guess. It's from something called an assassin beetle. I would like to see what size of an insect has this much meat on it."

Just as Meesei had predicted, the competition was not terribly exciting when it started, but she got the feeling that it wasn't meant to be. The staff did their best to make sure each group got at least one sample of each of the competitors' wines, so anyone in the pack who felt like drinking was able to try a sample. This did allow the crowd to select their favorite wine and see if their pick won, but the competition seemed more like just a chance to relax and talk with friends and strangers alike, though most of the crowd did pay attention when the judges announced their score for each wine they tasted. Meesei had a chance to taste a sample of Rukeewei's wine. She found that it was pretty exceptional in quality, but then again, so was every other sample. It would be a close competition.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Darius is quite good at making himself unlikable, I notice.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"He said that we should return these before leaving. He also mentioned talking to others and sharing food; I am assuming this is meant to be a very social event. In any event, we should find a place where we can observe Rukeewei's competition, then get some food for ourselves. We have been conservative with our gold so far, so try not to spend too much." Meesei explained. Once again, she started to feel lost in the crowd, especially with how much was going on around her. The air was so overloaded with the scents of various foods that there was no real point in trying to catch the scent of any specific thing, and with how packed the square was, they had to wander for a few minutes before they stumbled on to what at least looked like a wine tasting competition. There was a long table on a slightly elevated platform with a set of judges, both Argonian and non-Argonian. Each judge had an elaborately decorated wine glass and altogether appeared 'refined' in some form. Meesei could understand how the competitors would be excited about the event, but she wondered why anyone in the crowd would actually find it interesting to watch. At least, she wondered that until she saw that the competition had staff giving out free samples of the drinks to the crowd. At that point, it made perfect sense.

Meesei spotted Rukeewei waiting on the stage along with a few other participants, confirming that they were in the right place. They looked around for a few moments to find an empty spot on the ground, then laid down their rugs side-by-side. Meesei took a seat and looked up to the others. "I'll wait here while the rest of you get your food." She offered.

Lorag immediately went to collect one or two of the free glasses of wine, while Ahnasha headed to the center of the square towards the largest concentration of food. At the very center of all of the vendors was by far the largest booth. It was operated by two people, an Argonian male and, interestingly, a Dunmer female. They were surrounded by tables on all sides covered in food of all different styles, with crates in the center as well filled with what she assumed to be more food. There was quite a crowd collected around them, so Ahnasha waited in the shorter line, which led to the Dunmer. She had some time to look at the food and pick out what she thought was interesting. At the same time, she noticed someone else in the line beside her who seemed out of place. He was a small Argonian boy no taller than Ahnasha's legs. He seemed dirtier, and his clothes much more ragged than most of the others at the festival. Ahnasha had a hard time judging his expression, but he seemed nervous. When they reached the front of the line, the boy cut in front of Ahnasha, snatched up what looked like Khajiit pastry, then bolted away through the crowd. Ahnasha was caught off-guard, but when she looked to the Dunmer woman, she became even more confused. Instead of calling the guards, the Dunmer was simply laughing.

"Are you going to stop him?" Ahnasha asked,

"Only if he does it again. You see, this food is for everyone. To put up a stall for the day of feasting, each vendor has to contribute a portion of their food to the city. In turn, we put their food here and allow each visitor to the festival to select one item of their choice, completely for free. Go ahead, take your pick." The Dunmer explained, still with a bit of a chuckle.

Ahnasha did not waste much time in selecting the cut of meat she was interested in, especially considering that others were waiting behind her. The Dunmer quickly read a small label near the meat she selected, then wrapped up a slice in a sort of thin, light cloth and handed it to her. "Fried assassin beetle abdomen, good choice. If you like it, then you should visit Tharaja's stall. Redguard cuisine is certainly exotic."

"Of course, thank you." Ahnasha responded, looking at her choice curiously. She wondered what kind of creature it was that this meat came from. Considering that the cut she selected was the size of a steak, it would have to be quite a large beetle, especially since this was only part of its abdomen.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

Sharee seemed only slightly agitated. Under normal circumstances, she would make an example out of a crew member who refused to follow her orders, but with how much she had already been drinking, her judgement was further skewed by the food he offered. "Well, that's good. If you poisoned our food, I would be obligated to cut you up and serve you for dinner. It's not like the poison would hurt me. Anyway, I think I'll avoid disciplining you this time..." Sharee began, her expression becoming considerably more stern "...but don't do it again. If I give an order, there's a good reason for it."

Sharee maintained a serious gaze for a few moments turning away and approaching the nearby kegs. She filled up a second mug of brandy, then walked back over to to the Breton chef and gave it to him, leaving him little choice but to accept it. She put her arm around his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. Her expression was not exactly angry, but neither was it lighthearted. If there was a way to be threatening and friendly at the same time, she was accomplishing it. "You've done a lot of work tonight, even if it wasn't the work I asked for. Why don't you take a moment and have a drink with us, let me get to know our chef. I would be offended if you did not."

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

I shall respond tomorrow morning.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm pretty exhausted at the moment, so I think I'll be going to bed. I'm grateful for it, though. I haven't been able to sleep very well for the past two nights, it will be nice to get a good night's rest. If you have any ideas on how it might look, you can set the scene for the day of feasting. Otherwise, I'll do it tomorrow morning. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"You couldn't drag me from that feast." Ahnasha responded with a chuckle. She was starting on her breakfast of crocodile tail quite enthusiastically, and was looking forward to attending this feast. The pack was good enough at hunting that they never went hungry, but an actual feast was not something she had been able to experience in many years. In her current state, that was a very welcome change.

Rukeewei smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Like I said, it starts in a little over an hour. I look forward to seeing you there." He said before returning to his place behind the bar. Meesei wanted to stay in a good mood, but she recognized that they would be leaving relatively soon. She was mostly concerned about Sabine and how she would take it. With how long they had been traveling together, she could assume that Sabine had grown accustomed to the presence of her sister. While it was technically possible that they could return for a visit one day, there was a very real possibility that the two would never see one another again, at least not in person.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, she didn't win this year, but she placed better than last year, third to be specific. There are a lot of competition at those events, oftentimes from all across Tamriel. It can be hard to compete with some foreign materials. Still, she has won before, and I don't think she's upset. At any rate, I'll certainly show up the grand opening of your shop, if I am at all able to. My brother should be taking over for me shortly, so I'll have time for most of the day. Hopefully, I'll have a bit more luck than Neer at the wine tasting competition in a little over an hour. It's hard to compete with some of the exotic ingredients from outside the marsh, but I think I'm up to the task. If you find the time, I hope to see you all there." Rukeewei responded,

Meesei thought for a moment as she started on her breakfast. They had planned to help put the final touches on Ariel's store before departing the city, but in reality, they had no strict timetable. Starting in a few hours would be just as good as starting immediately after breakfast, so they could attend the competition if they wished. It would be the last chance Ariel would have to spend any time with her sister, as well as the rest of the group, so Meesei saw no harm in it. "I believe we could do that, if the everyone else wishes to join."

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

I'm here.