EliteCommander

The Depths of Deception

Rareth listened closely to Shiva's explanation of her skills. She seemed confident in her medical skills, and hopefully, that was because they were. "I was privy to some of the information about this joint-species initiative, so I know skills were a consideration when our various governments were selecting the candidates. It is good to hear they selected a well-trained medic. If you value your life, it is perhaps one of the most important roles in any squad. For myself, I am experienced in infiltration, sabotage, diplomacy, and anything else that requires a more...subtle touch. I was very young when I was accepted into the ranks of the Rahn'Masser, only around fifty. I have been serving them ever since. I am afraid the tale of my joining is not terribly interesting. I was just well trained by my parents and tutors by the time I was of age to apply. When it comes to combat itself, I specialize in melee combat augmented by magic."

Overall, it was good to see that everyone seemed to be getting along, or at least not fighting with each other. Many were finding something to talk about, while some were just staying quiet and listening. As long as they didn't create any fractures in the group in their first meeting, she guessed they would be fine on their first mission. Even she did not know what that mission would be, but if what she heard about this team was true, it was designed to be able to handle a wide variety of situations. She wondered how the team would be structured and who exactly they would be reporting to, but those were questions that would not be answered for another two days.

"So what about you? How did you go about entering the Sovereignty military? From what I have learned about your people, the military holds a special importance to you. All of your leaders have a military background. Did that play a role in your joining?" Rareth asked, continuing the conversation.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The promptness and confident tone Janius used in his response was certainly helpful, but Zharanthixil was not entirely convinced. He still has the suspicion that something was awry, even though what Janius said sounded perfectly reasonable. After all, he knew Humans had poor swimming skills, so he would probably need any sort of advantage he could get to even think about keeping up. A part of him wanted to keep pressing the issue, to keep asking questions, but an even larger part of his was simply concerned about the safety of his daughter. He just wanted to get her back to the village to help bring her back into good health.

"Very well, let's just get back to the village. The other search parties should be returning in a few hours." Zharanthixil responded. All of the inconsistencies, however, were not out of his mind completely. He was not thinking about most of them at the moment. The speed his daughter was capable of, her sudden decision to run, Janius' peculiar decisions in chasing her, all of those elements could lead to certain suspicions. Even if he was distracted for the moment, his mind would not ignore those issues forever.

The Depths of Deception

I hope things settle down for you. I'm guessing you've managed to find stable housing, since you're now here? If not, I wish you luck in finding it.

As for the RP, I can do a timeskip to the meeting if everyone is done with the conversation. I understand conversations can grow stale if they don't move quickly, and most of us seem rather busy. With all the classes I'm taking this semester, I know I am.

The Depths of Deception

"I suppose that is true. It would be nice to keep the entire suite at a nice temperature, but I suppose the rooms will be enough. I think I will take you up on your offer, Shiva. I'll pick a room in your suite," Rareth responded to Shuo and Shiva. They would have to keep the majority of the suite at some moderate temperature, but she supposed it would be worth it. She found Shiva rather curious in that she was a Sovereignty soldier who was quite friendly. Rareth had of course spoken with Masulu and Tempu before outside of professional settings, but it was mostly small talk with civilians. Overall, the Sovereignty was a powerful, controlling entity that was frightening to many in the galaxy. That had, after all, started a war that caused countless deaths while destroying entire worlds, and the Sovereignty leadership seemed none too apologetic. To speak to someone in that government, especially one who seemed like she actually wanted to talk to her, was a perspective Rareth was not used to hearing.

"So Shiva, I believe I remember you saying you are trained as a medic. How much knowledge do you have of alien physiology? I imagine it must be a good deal if your superiors sent you to join a mixed species team." Rareth asked curiously. It was probably no accident that the Sovereignty would send someone willing to get along with other races to represent them in this team, she just wondered for what purpose the other Masulu, Shuo, was selected.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I need to go to bed, so I'll be back on in the morning. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Zharanthixil's initial reaction was one of surprise and confusion. He stood up from examining Janius' belongings and looked at the approaching pair. Even more perplexing than the fact that she had run was that she was now returning seemingly of her own will. Such a complete reversal only added to how illogical the entire situation was.

"Kaleeth..." Zharanthixil began, but before he could say any more, she ran up to him and hugged him with tears in her eyes.

"I...I am sorry I ran, father. I was just afraid, and confused. I thought my mind was trying to trick me again. I have not eaten or slept much, and I have just been so frightened. I...I haven't been able to think clear and..." Kaleeth began, only to be interrupted by her father gently placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes.

[i]"Kaleeth, be calm. It does not matter now. You have been starved and stressed for a few days now. I don't understand why your ran, but I also don't care. Now that you are here, and you want to go home, that is all I care about." Zharanthixil explained, but behind his understanding expression, there was also a hint of suspicion. He had been investigating Janius' belongings before they arrived, and was still quite curious about why he would abandon them. Like everything else in this situation, it made no sense. There was something more going on here.

"Before we go, why did you leave all of your belongings here? I don't know why you would waste the time to remove it all while following her." Zharanthixil asked Janius somewhat accusingly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth took Janius' hand, but was hesitant to move forward. "I...not think that will work either. It doesn't make sense, I was running, I was afraid. Got to think, why would you undress? There is mating and...swimming. Maybe something with the water? Humans don't swim very good, maybe you can say that was why you left your things? You wanted to swim after me, or something? Do you think that would work better than saying we were mating, or worse? I don't know what he would believe. If you say we were mating, he might be too angry and yell at us too much to think too hard about it. He won't be mad if you tell him you wanted to swim after me, but he might not believe it."

While she was nervous and frightened, Kaleeth knew they had to hurry. If her father had not found her tracks already, he would soon. They needed to confront him before that. She could hardly think strait at the moment, so she did not know what to chose. It was a stressful situation, and she was not coping well. "I...don't know. I can't think of what to do. I trust you, though. You'll make the right choice."

The Depths of Deception

I was really hoping to let Hail get a post, but I suppose I can't wait too long on that.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth was not entirely convinced, but she also did not argue. His words were kind, and she appreciated his affection, but her fear overshadowed everything else at this point. What her father would do if he found out about the lycanthropy was beyond anything she could guess, so for now, she just wanted to stop that from happening. She did not resist when Janius picked her pack up. In fact, were she not so distracted in her own thoughts, she would have urged him to run faster. They had easily outrun her father, which meant he had to slow down to track them, but he had plenty of time to follow, and he certainly would not have given up.

Kaleeth tried to think about what Janius said as they ran along. He claimed that she could learn to control it, but she did not understand how. This beast in her mind was powerful and had even more of a direct influence on her mind than the Hist. She couldn't imagine how anyone could control such a force. Janius was obviously in control of his beast, but what if a werewolf's spirit was easier to manage than what she had become? Would that mean she would always be out of control, that she could never be around others again? The uncertainty filled her with fear, almost to the point that she did not notice a familiar scent in the air.

It was fortunate that they were running into the wind as they were running back to Janius' equipment, since it allowed them to catch Zharanthixil's scent before they could see him. They were close to where Kaleeth had transformed, which, unfortunately, meant that her father had likely found Janius equipment. "Wait, stop." Kaleeth said in a whisper. "I smell him, he is there already. You...you should turn back to normal. We can...talk to him or something. I don't know, what can we tell him? We need to tell him a reason you are naked now. Why would you abandon your things?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I remember, but...but what about father?" Kaleeth asked, shifting the subject towards what she was most concerned about. "He won't stop chasing, he will find out. Your things, you left them behind. You...you should get them, stop him from finding them. I don't want him to know. He will...I not know what he will do. But I am a monster, a terrible monster. I am a failure, I should not have talked to the Daedra, I should have just let myself die. What if father tries to kill me to stop my pain, or kill you for helping to cause it? I don't want him to find out, please help keep it secret."

Kaleeth's desperation was obvious.She was scared, confused, an just wanted some semblance of normality back in her life. Her father was the focal point of her concerns, and the most likely person to either cause her the most pain, or bring her the most relief. In her mind, everything that had happened was her fault. She wished she would have followed her father's advice, but now, it seemed like she was going to be forced away from her family, regardless of what she wanted. Whether that would be through self imposed exile, or her own death, she did not know, and oddly enough, she did not seem to care. With all she had done and what she had become, she almost felt that she deserved death.