EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Partly because of her curiosity, and partly because of a desire to speak with Janius, Kaleeth decided to join him in searching for a ship. Before they parted ways, Kaleeth traded some of what she was carrying with Lorag so that she had items they did not intend to sell, mostly cuts of meat from common animals. She also carried Leaps, as he would be less bothersome with her and Janius than he would be with the rest of the pack.

As they walked through the city towards the docks, Kaleeth could hardly believe the size of everything. Many of the buildings were larger than any she had seen before, and there were many more than she would have ever expected to see in one place. Although the majority demographic of the city was Argonian, Thorn was one of the Black Marsh cities with a higher percentage of non-Argonian residents. She had never seen so many humans or elves in one place, and just like with Ariel, it was bizarre to hear so many of them speaking fluently in Jel.

The way to the docks led through the center of the city, which meant they passed right by the city tree. Kaleeth paused completely to stare at it in awe from outside the fence which protected it. It was the largest she had seen in her life, moreso than the one in Stormhold, or any of the locations which her village stayed through the seasons. "This is...amazing. I have never seen the Hist grow so large. It must be a very old tree, and the city must take care of it very well. And look at the hatching pools; I have never seen so many eggs in one place. Have you ever seen an Argonian hatch?" She asked.

Meesei made note of each of the stores that Ariel recommended. All of the hides and furs they intended to sell were in great condition, as the pack was quite adept at killing their prey without excess damage to the hide. With Ariel's recommendations, they had the potential to make a decent amount of gold. As Ariel was about to leave, she asked about their plans for dinner later that day, albeit with a noticeable amount of anxiety in her tone, so Meesei gave a reassuring nod and a smile. "I do believe we will eat the food we already have once we make camp, but you are more than welcomed to join us. We have been staying in the swamp for weeks, so while I might find that pleasurable, for the sake of everyone else, I believe we will find a spot by the shore to stay for the night."

The Depths of Deception

Rareth dropped behind cover long enough to reload her pistol as Shuo was moving up. Her team still controlled one side of the corridor, but the rebels still controlled the other, and there was a large group of them from which the majority of their fire was coming from. Shuo called them out, but even along the side they controlled, it would be difficult to move up. As well, if they let off on keeping the rebels suppressed, they might be able to move around to flank.

After peeking out to fire a few more rounds downrange, Rareth formed an idea of how exactly they could eliminate the most clustered targets. By this point, they had moved up close enough to the rebels that they were within range of grenade throws, but far enough that the accuracy of a toss was not guaranteed. Nevertheless, Rareth quickly grabbed a grenade from her belt and quickly set it to the highest radius setting. It would not be as concentrated of a blast, but for most infantry, that did not really matter.

"Grenades, now!" Rareth shouted, delaying her own toss just long enough to be sure that all of their grenades would be in the air at the same time. With a bit of telekinesis, she could make sure that most of their grenades found their marks.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's about time for me to go to bed. On the bright side, I have a week long break starting now. Unfortunately, I still have assignments to finish.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Very well." Meesei said, nodding affirmatively as she stood up and began collecting her belongings. Not only would selling some of what they collected grant them much-needed gold, but it would also take some of the weight they had been carrying around for the past few weeks. "Much of what we have comes from creatures we killed, such as hides, bones, and other useful parts, so merchants who purchase those items would be a good first stop. We also have more fresh meat than we need, which could earn us some gold from the right merchants. I will also let you look through the ingredients we have so you can set aside the ones you would like to purchase yourself."

As the others started to stand as well, Meesei turned her attention to Janius. "While we are selling our belongings, could you go to the docks and begin the search for potential ships, Janius?" Meesei requested. "Do you happen to have any knowledge of passenger vessels? You were the only one among us to ever live in a city with a port, apart from Ahnasha, but she will be needed to help bargain the best prices for our goods."

Rhazii almost seemed disappointed when Ahnasha brought him back up into her arms, but as usual, her heartbeat was comforting to him in its own way. She wondered if it would be more helpful or harmful for her to carry Rhazii with her while negotiating with shopkeepers. For some, he might help create sympathy, or simply put them in a good mood, but others might be annoyed by him, or take him as a sign that they might be desperate for gold. In any case, she would do her best to get the best prices possible for their goods. As the child of a merchant, negotiating prices was often a role she found herself serving in the pack.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Any advice you can provide for selling what we have will be immensely helpful. Just tell me whenever you have the time to show me. As for the ingredients we collected, I know we have quite a few that Sabine was able to identify some alchemical effects from, but without her tools, she wasn't able to explore all of the options. One ingredient which we collected a particularly high quantity of was this, admittedly disgusting, mucus from an eel-like creature in the inner marshes. Sabine determined that it could be refined into an exceptional insect repellent, fortunately without its...characteristic odor."

Meesei looked around the inn, particularly to Rukeewei's brother behind the counter. Lodging was still an issue they needed to deal with, but unlike other groups, it wasn't actually very important to the pack. "As for where we stay, we may just end up having to set up camp somewhere outside the walls. Staying in an inn is not vital to us, and it isn't as if we have not been camping in the swamps for the past few weeks. Although...if you like, Sabine, and if Ariel agrees, you might consider staying with your sister. I would guess there is enough space somewhere in your shop for her bedroll, and it would let you two spend more time together, since we will only be in Thorn for a relatively short time. What do you think?"

With all the people and movement around them, Rhazii's eyes wandered all around the room. He had only been in a city once before, and was only a few days old at the time, so even the moderate level of activity in the inn was completely new to him. Khajiit cubs, due to being born smaller, grew faster in their first few months than the children of other races, but even so, he was not at the point where he could crawl. Still, once Ahnasha noticed his curiosity, she set him down on the table in front of her with her arms on either side of him to support him. His wide eyes looked around, taking in all of the details of his environment. At the same time, he got a hold of his own tail and started chewing on the end of it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, I'm having trouble getting my desktop to connect to the internet. I haven't lost my post, but I need to get my desktop to connect before I can post it. Or move it to my laptop.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I don't actually think he got a name before.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm heading to bed myself, goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I cannot say exactly how long we will be staying, but it likely will not be as long as last time, unfortunately. I am afraid the...task we are undertaking is time-sensitive." Meesei answered. "We will probably end up staying as long as it takes to sell what we have gathered, then find a ship going to the Imperial City. Depending on when the next ship is leaving, it might only be a few days. As we mentioned before, we have been hunting and scavenging constantly for the past few weeks to scrounge up enough to trade. Even so, we will likely be cutting it uncomfortably close to not earning enough to book passage. If you would like to help, what we could use most is advice on where to get the best price for our goods, and where to get the most inexpensive lodging. We have also been collecting ingredients, but Sabine's alchemical equipment was destroyed in a fire, so she has not been able to make more complex potions. If you could allow her to use your equipment for potion-making, that would be helpful. Unless you want to purchase the ingredients from us yourself. Much of what we found is from the inner swamps, so we may have ingredients not found in this area."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rhazii laughed when Leaps ran across the table. He always seemed to be entertained by the wamasu's antics, which in turn set several member of the pack into a better mood. Even Lorag gave a quick grin. Meesei had started to feel more comfortable letting Leaps roam on his own, but she was sure to remain conscious of what he was. Wamasu, after all, were top predators in the marsh. Even at such a young age, he had a tendency to chase around insects, rodents, and other small creatures.

"Truthfully, I never thought it was possible to keep a wamasu." Meesei commented. "Though we still do not know what it is going to be like when he is older. We will likely have to neuter him as some point, but it seems like it is possible for him to be trained."

The conversation quickly moved to Ariel and Rukeewei with Sabine's question. Ahnasha wasn't certain if they should talk about it, as it was uncertain if Ariel was comfortable with the topic, but on the other hand, she did feel that, with all they had been through, she did have some experience in maintaining a healthy relationship. It did not sound like Ariel and Rukeewei were going through anything serious, in all honesty, but since the conversation had shifted to her, she did have one thought which the subject inspired in her mind. "I...don't know if I am qualified to give advice or anything, but...I think that it is best not to put too much emphasis on the small things. Granted we have a lot more to worry about than most people, but you never know when the big problems and emergencies are going to come along.. If I put too much focus on the small problems, I might end up without someone to help with the large ones.." Ahnasha added, turning her head to look at Fendros and smiling as she looked into his eyes. She placed her hand on his, but without thinking, accidentally used the wrong hand to keep her missing finger hidden.