EliteCommander

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I'm quite busy with preparations for finals at the moment, but I'll respond when I can.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ariel's description of Sabine's magical instruction made sense, given what she had observed so far in trying to teach her. Sabine was picking up on the basics quickly, likely because she had been through them once before and needed only to be reminded. It was hard to say what pace she would settle into once they started covering unfamiliar topics, but if she was interested enough, they could move quickly.

"It is hard to say so early on where her talent might lie. I did not learn using the schools of magic, so you are correct in that I am not using them to teach either. It has not been long, so we are starting with the basics that apply to almost all forms of magic. Once we get into spells themselves, I will likely be starting with practical forms of magic for self-defense, but I am hoping she becomes interested enough to explore its deeper mysteries. I have heard that an understanding of magic can complement an understanding of alchemy, since the root...mechanisms, you might say, are actually quite similar. Alchemy simply uses the magical properties of an ingredient instead of the mage. That might inspire her interest, but even if it does not, i am glad to teach her even just the practical spells." Meesei explained.

Meesei paused a moment and looked out across horizon over the ocean. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took in a deep, relaxed breath and began to smile lightly. "This really is a beautiful place, isn't it? I have seen the ocean before, but it has been quite a long time. I suppose Vos was on the coast as well, so you might be used to the sea, but...I just hope you enjoy your life here. I realize it isn't all ideal, but you are a talented person, and I think you will make the most of it." She commented, giving a smile as she switched to her native tongue. "And you have improved significantly with your Jel, haven't you?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei sat down by the fire and allowed Rhazii to sit in her lap, though he seemed notably uncomfortable until he could turn himself away from the flames. "Oh, there is nothing specific. I was just hoping to pass the time until the others return, so you can leave whenever you need to. Perhaps I will take Rhazii and Leaps down to the water again. He seemed to enjoy it yesterday. "

Since Ariel seemed to be staying for the moment, Meesei decided to enjoy some conversation while she could. "I'm sure you already noticed when she stayed with you last night, but Sabine has improved greatly since her ritual. She still tends to be a bit quiet at times, but I think that is just in her nature. One of the most encouraging things I have noticed about her is her curiosity. It is as if she is making up for years of lost time with her new inquisitive nature. I have actually begun giving her lessons in magic, though it is more out of necessity than anything. She needs a way to defend herself reliably that doesn't rely on her beast spirit. We have only started relatively recently, but I think she will enjoy it. You both were instructed in magic during your time with the coven, weren't you?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei's expression became serious, even as Rhazii was blissfully giggling in her arms. "I know, I have seen the changes over the past few months, but it is not something I can simply...approach them about. Ahnasha is, well, a prideful individual. Not only does she value her strength, but also how others view her strength. Her mental state is delicate, and I fear that knowing her suffering isn't hidden could cause her undue embarrassment and mental stress. None of us would ever think less of her after what she went through, but an injured mind does not always think rationally. Fendros I may be able to speak to, but Ahnasha will have to be handled carefully. Perhaps your medicine will make it easier, though I request that you give Sabine a recipe if possible. She will no doubt run out while aboard the ship, so I may not be able to help her as much then, but...maybe after this business in Cyrodiil is over, we can find a way to get her the help she needs."

Meesei closed her eyes a moment and let out a sigh. "Hopefully, your medicine will help give some sort of treatment, at least. I wish I could join you back to the city, but someone needs to stay and watch our camp. I suppose you do not have time to stay here and talk?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once everyone else was in their beast forms, Lorag took the lead as they moved off of the beach and into the swamp. They would keep up a good pace at first, as they did not wish to hunt too close to the city, but they would move in their usual cautious manner once they were sufficiently far away. For Kaleeth, her enthusiasm for the hunt motivated her to run as quickly as she could, which was still slow enough that the others had to slow down so she could somewhat keep up. As much as she wanted to hunt with the others, the fact that she was now a lumbering behemoth was not doing her any favors.

As the others left, Meesei noticed that Ariel remained. Rhazii was hungry for attention, so she had to keep much of her focus on him, but she assumed Ariel would quickly start with what she had to say. Meesei looked down and smiled at Rhazii, which allowed him to reach up and smack the end of her snout repeatedly. Meesei laughed, finding that, at least for moments like this, she did no quite mind taking care of him. There were of course plenty of more unsavory moments, but she was accustomed to those from her time helping others in her village care for their hatchlings.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei said no more about the blood sample once Fendros gave his short explanation, as she understood his meaning. As much as Ahnasha had been trying to hide it, Meesei could tell something had changed about her since the events with the cult. Perhaps she did not know the extent of her mental scarring, but she knew it was there. It was a difficult topic for Meesei to approach, but at least it seemed that they were finally getting help in some form.

Though much less sensitive than the situation with Ahnasha and Fendros, Janius' question still gave her pause to think. While the obvious answer would be to allow her to do what was instinctual for her beast spirit, that might not necessarily be the best option for their situation. Werecrocodiles tended to be independent, but Kaleeth needed to be able to cooperate with others, even in her beast form. "She should join the rest of you. It might be more comfortable for her to hunt on her own, but she is going to need to break away from her beast spirit's independence eventually. Instinct is a large part of what drives our beast forms, but it is not everything. Practice can change even strong habits."

Meesei approached Ahnasha and gave her a silent, understanding nod as she took Rhazii from her so she could transform herself. "As usual, you have the lead, Lorag." She said as the others were shifting around her. "I will remain here to watch Rhazii and Leaps."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Remember a while back when I was backing up the RP and discovered that it was over 500k words long? I just learned that the Lord of the Rings trilogy is about 437k words long, and the longest work of fiction in history is only about 7X longer than this RP.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei had not been awake long before she noticed Ariel. The next thing she noticed was, of course, the fact that Ahnasha and Fendros were draining some of their blood into vials. She did not know why she needed it, but knowing Ariel, it was likely for something alchemical. Lycan blood certainly had its interesting properties, the most dangerous of which being its tendency to infect others with the gift of beast blood. She trusted that whatever she was doing with it was well-intentioned, but she wanted to know nonetheless.

"Well, we may as well get the hunt out of the way while we can, so it is good that you arrived so soon." Meesei commented. "As for dinner, I would love to join. Unless something prevents us from coming, I will make sure to be there before sunset. I recall that Rukeewei was quite the friendly person, so it should make for a great evening. I...do have a question, though, but not about the dinner. I trust you, of course, but...why is it you are collecting Ahnasha and Fendros' blood?""

Kaleeth had been focused on unstrapping her armor as Ariel answered her, so she did not notice that she was taking samples of blood at first. As soon as she was out of the armor, her eagerness to begin the hunt prompted her to begin her transformation early. Fortunately, their camp was far enough from the city that there was little danger of detection. As she shifted into her werecrocodile form, she managed to suppress her beast spirit's usual satisfied roar upon being released, though it still gave off a low rumble. After stretching out the significantly stronger muscles of her new form, she finally took note of the blood Ahnasha and Fendros were drawing once Meesei mentioned it. Kaleeth was still not entirely informed on the properties of lycan blood, so she looked down at Ariel curiously with head tilted to the side, as she was still unable to form words correctly in this form.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha looked away from Ariel and stared straight ahead. Such a promise seemed easy to make, as it was something both she and Fendros wanted. To come to terms with her memories would be wonderful, but she had no idea how to begin to solve such an issue. It wasn't like a physical wound that could be healed with time or magic; it was far deeper, and far more sinister. "I...can promise we will try. I don't want to feel this pain anymore, but I don't know how to deal with it. We did not have time to attempt the same ritual as Sabine, and I have no idea who else can help. I know people have experienced trauma like this before, and I know some have overcome it, so it is possible, it's just...I can't promise we will succeed. I can promise I will do everything I can to bring us back to normal, back to the way we were before, but I can't promise success."

Ahnasha spoke honestly and openly, though she hated showing such weakness. A glance over to the rest of the camp revealed that Lorag and Meesei were staring to awaken, and Janius and Kaleeth were returning to the camp. It likely would not be long before Meesei sent them on their hunt. Meesei herself would likely be staying behind to take care of Rhazii, as her ring allowed her to stay in control regardless of how long she went without turning.

Once back in camp, Kaleeth went to drop off her belongings at her bedroll, which was close enough to Ariel and the others near the edge of camp that she could comfortably speak to them. "Good morning." She said cheerfully. "We are probably going to go on our hunt soon. You traveled with them for a while didn't you, Ariel? Did you ever help with any of their hunts?" She asked as she removed her armor in preparation for the hunt, unaware of their prior conversation.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth gave a satisfied smile when she stood to her feet. These kinds of victories were not too common for her, so she enjoyed them whenever she could. As she was contemplating what to do next, she glanced back to camp and noticed Ariel and Sabine. It was slightly disappointing to see them so soon, as it likely meant they would be leaving shortly on their hunt. She and Janius had only just begun their sparring, but it wasn't as if they could not pick it up again later when they returned. Besides, controlling her lycan form was also something she needed to practice.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like Sabine is back. I think Meesei said we would be going on our hunt after that. I want to do this again when we get back, though. Maybe...you can try to think of what I need to work on the most? I think you know what that would be more than I do." She suggested.

Ahnasha shifted uncomfortably, which, in addition to the increasing activity in camp, spurred Rhazii to awaken. It wasn't seconds after he started to whine that she picked him up in her arms to comfort him. As for Ariel's question, though, she had a hard time responding. Even though she had fully planned on explaining it to her, it was a topic that affected her far too deeply for her to ever be truly comfortable talking about it. Nevertheless, it appeared nothing was ever going to change if she did nothing about it, and her desire for relief outweighed her desire to appear strong.

"It's...not that. .It's not because of our beast blood, though I doubt that is helping. It's..." Ahnasha began, taking in a deep breath as she looked straight ahead, instead of at Ariel. "When we were fighting those mercenaries to gain the favor of the cult, myself and Fendros were captured. Their leader wanted information, so he cut me open and made Fendros watch. I couldn't handle it, and I still can't now. It's burned into our minds, and we can't get away from it. I don't flash back to it while I'm awake as much anymore, but I'm still plagued by night terrors, at least a few times a week. It is to the point that I am almost afraid to go to sleep. I doubt there is anything that can just stop nightmares, but...if there is anything that can just make us forget our dreams altogether,...you have no idea how grateful I would be."