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Ahnasha scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. The story of their romance wasn't, well, romantic, at least not its beginning. Although, Llarasa did not precisely ask for the story of their initial encounter, so she did not have to start with that. "Ah, well, if you want the story of how we fell in _love_, it is not that special, really. We spent quite a lot of time together; every day, in fact. Living in a pack out in the wilds, you are always with each other, you rely on each other. For most, it creates a sense of family that is stronger than simple blood relations, but for us, it was something more. It started out as just close friendship. Honestly, it did not take him too long to get over his former notions about Khajiit, all things considered. We headed into Morrowind not long after he turned, and we always found ourselves together. Being in his ancestral homeland gave us quite a lot to talk about, and we talked quite a lot. Sometimes, long into the night. Crossing the ashlands was difficult, to say the least, and we passed through some of the most desolate parts of Vvardenfell. Honestly, it was a bleak, depressing place, but even without trying, Fendros kept up my spirits in a different way than the rest of the pack could. By the time we reached our destination, we just kind of...knew. Of course, there was a reason that we spent so much time together. That reason eventually became the fact that we greatly enjoyed each other's company, but at first..well, I was kind of...already pregnant with our son, your nephew, Rhazii. That story doesn't have _quite_ the same romantic charm, unfortunately." She explained, giving a slightly embarrassed chuckle. --- Meesei and Sabine left the inn to inform the guard to call off their search. They had initially told one of the guards in a different part of the city, but Meesei reasoned that it would be quicker to simply go to the nearest guard tower in the Market district. The guards had messengers, so the word would likely spread quickly no matter where they went. Fortunately, the guard towers in each district were located at the walls dividing the districts, and with how much they had looked around before, Meesei was able to guide them directly to it. Stepping into the tower's front room, it was actually a guard who saw them first. She was a Nord woman in full heavy armor, apart from the helmet, sitting behind a desk with a mass of paperwork in front of her. There were markings of rank on her armor, though that seemed to mean that she had to deal with considerable logistics for her district. "Greetings citizen, do you have any trouble you need to re...hey, you look like a girl we're meant to be finding." The Nord commented as they stepped up to the desk. Meesei returned a smile. "Yes, this is Sabine. We became separated before, but someone found and helped return her to us." Meesei explained. "Ah, well that's good, at least. I guess I'll have someone send word to call off the search." She responded, making a quick note on a parchment to her left before leaning forward on her desk with her hands clasped together, looking at Sabine with a grin. "So, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into?"
Ahnasha became almost as nervous as she could possibly be once Fendos started to give the full explanation. She was anxious enough that she had to remind herself to breathe. For many, the reaction to hear that they were talking to a werewolf was fear, followed by running, fighting, or at least sweating and nervousness, depending upon the person. Fortunately, Llarasa remained calm, perhaps because it was her brother she was speaking to, not a beast. Even so, it was not a pleasant conversation, and the periodic shouting upset Rhazii enough that she had to rock him in her arms to quiet him down. Finally, it seemed that the conversation was making progress. Fendros was able to hug his sister in their mutual sadness. Being away from his family, he could not have known how deeply his loss would have affected them, and for a moment, Ahnasha's thoughts shifted to her own family and what they might have went through. Her worries were short-lived, however, as she snapped back into the moment once Fendros said her name. At the very least, Llarasa seemed to be more open-minded than how Fendros described the rest of his family. When she offered to shake Ahnasha's hand, she took a moment to shift Rhazii in her lap so that she could hold onto him with one arm, then returned the handshake. "Likewise." Ahnasha responded. An awkward silence followed, as none of them seemed to know where to go from there, so Ahnasha quickly decided to break the silence. "I...am sorry for all of the pain this has caused you. Leaving one's home and family...it is _never_ easy, but there was no other way. Newly turned lycans, they are dangerous, primal, and indiscriminate. They are what give us our...reputation. Like the one that attacked Fendros. It had been killing in the area for a while before it attacked him. We had been trying to find it, but...we were too late. This...condition was not something your brother chose; it was forced upon him. I wish things could have been different, but..." She began, looking down at Rhazii, who was now chewing on the end of his tail while staring at Llarasa with a curious gaze. "...there has been good to come out of it all." --- Meesei smiled and nodded to Sabine. "Of course...though that will take some time to teach, and we may not have time here in the city. We might have more of a chance to practice once we reach Bruma, but I can give some advice. Unless you live in the city, you are not going to just _know_ your way around without a map. Every city is set up differently. Often, you have to ask for directions. You have to be comfortable talking to people. Although, you have to be cautious of _who_ you speak to. Guards can be a good first option. Speaking of, we asked the guards to look for you, and they are likely still doing so. We should go tell them that you have been found."
Just as Ahnasha feared, she had nothing she could say. It was difficult to even be a comforting presence for Fendros, given the tension in the air. Llarasa was very understandably distraught, but even more concerning, at least to Ahnasha, was how she said his brother Monderyn took his departure. Unlike Llarasa, he knew the truth, and he was still apparently angry at Fendros. Of course, they still did not have the entire story. It could have been that Monderyn was just angry at the situation and was taking it out on Fendros, or perhaps Fendros did not know enough about his condition at the time to give a good explanation of why he _needed_ to leave. In any case Fendros could at least attempt right now to calm his sister. Whether or not he could actually change anything about his brother would have to wait until later. As for what _exactly_ Fendros should tell her, that was just as difficult. Telling the whole truth would give important context for why he left. Had he not, it would have been very likely that he would have killed one or more of his family members before being killed himself. It would make him seem the least selfish out of any excuse he could make. However, there was no way for Ahnasha to know how Llarasa would take the news of his lycanthropy. Fendros knew her better than she did, so she would just have to trust in his judgement. In any case, she could provide support to whatever story he told. --- As Fendros and Ahnasha went to deal with Llarasa, Meesei stepped into the nearest room they had rented for the night. More stress had been piled onto her than she could have ever anticipated when she woke up that morning. She sat down on the bed and let out an exhausted sigh before Sabine nervously approached. The situation with Fendros' sister had distracted her enough that she had a few moments to calm her emotions and speak to Sabine with a more level head. "What I care about most is that you are safe." Meesei said before reaching out and lifting up her chin to look her in the eye. Meesei's expression was serious, and her voice firm, but not angered. "But do not run off again, not in a city, not yet. It takes time to learn to navigate these places, and there are plenty of people out there who might trick or otherwise hurt you. If you are lost, guards may help you, but even some of those are corrupt. I forgive you, Sabine, but if it happens again, I will not just let it go. Understood?" Meesei's own fears aside, she understood that Sabine was, and very well should be, becoming more independent. She was quickly becoming an adult woman, but right now, she was still dangerously inexperienced. Her childhood had already disadvantaged her, and she needed to be eased into responsibility. If given too much as once, she could very well end up hurt, or worse.
Meesei's advice was a bit more complicated, and perhaps contradictory to Janius'. She made sure to move closer to him and spoke more quietly so that his sister could not discern what she was saying. "I would not go in with too many assumptions. That letter you gave your brother, we don't know what, if anything, he shared with her. I would try to get a sense of what she knows and what she thinks. If you can find out what she thinks about you, then you might have a better chance of calming her. As for telling her the _whole_ truth...I'll leave that to your discretion." Lorag scratched the back of his neck awkwardly once Meesei was finished. "I...uh..." He began, though he went nowhere with the thought. He had never planned to return to Cheydinhal after joining the Legion, so the whole "emotional reunion" thing was something he never had to worry about. Even if a reunion happened, it probably wouldn't have much emotion. Similarly, Kaleeth had no advice, but for different reasons. Meeting with her family again would be a joyous occasion for her, so she did not know how to deal with this painful one. Ahnasha took Rhazii in one arm, then reached out and lightly grabbed Fendros' hand to catch his attention. Her gaze was sympathetic, and her voice quiet as well to hide her response. "Do you want to handle this alone, or...well, I don't know what I could do, but I could be there for you." She said. Likely, she would just end up standing around awkwardly saying nothing, but at the very least, if he decided he needed to start making excuses, the presence of his mate and especially his son could be helpful.
Anything that Meesei was going to say to Sabine was put on hold with the very last part of her explanation. She knew Fendros' family lived in Cyrodiil, but she had certainly not expected to run into them in the Imperial City. Doubtless, it was the last thing Fendros expected as well. "Your sister?" Meesei exclaimed at the same time as Janius. Looking to the door at the end of the hall, Meesei realized their conversation had likely been audible to whoever was inside, just as they had heard the sobbing from within. Had they been passing through Cheydinhal, Meesei would have prepared for this, but as it stood, they had limited options. Whether they tried to leave the city immediately, or attempted to confront her, leaving things as they were would likely not be an option. Meesei looked at Fendros with a serious, but concerned expression. "You know her better than I. Do you think it would be better to attempt to address her?" She asked more quietly. At the moment, this was all a very delicate situation, with many different ways it could end. There was a possibility that it could end up like their meeting with Ariel, with both Fendros and his sister ending up better off for it. Unfortunately, there were also many other possibilities that could leave one or both of them in a great deal of emotional pain.
Ahnasha had just finished tightening the last straps on her dress when Fendros answered the knock at their door. She would have wondered why Sabine had returned with a stranger, but the reactions of both Fendros and the Dunmer woman put on hold any questions about what might have happened to Sabine. She stood up once the woman ran and peered out the door, watching her slam it in Fendros' face. "Your...sister? That...that is...that should be impossible. This is such a big place, with so many people. Why would she even be out of Cheydinhal? It's always so much easier if family just thinks you're gone; it's why I wouldn't leave she ship back in Leyawiin, but...it's too late. She knows." Ahnasha stammered, trying to make sense of the situation. Unfortunately, she was almost at as much of a loss as Fendros. This was something that none of them had planned for. Sure, Ariel had found Sabine, but those circumstances were quite bit different from these. Ahnasha stared at Fendros, worried and uncertain for him. "How do you want to handle this? The rest of the pack returned to the Market district at Janius' lead. Meesei was of course the most outwardly worried, but they were all carrying some measure of anxiety. Even Lorag was showing some poorly-hidden uncertainty in his expression. The city guards were now searching for her, though, so Meesei had to hold out hope that they could find her. Serving the public was part of their job, but even so, Meesei felt that the guard they had spoke to was genuinely concerned. Perhaps she was merely projecting her own feelings onto him, but it did serve to make her somewhat more comfortable. After they made it to the inn, Meesei and the others headed upstairs after stopping briefly to look around the main room for Sabine. It still was not close to dark, but if Sabine had not returned, could stand to lay down and meditate regardless. As they made it up the stairwell and into the hallway, however, all of Meesei's fears immediately vanished, being replaced with immense relief. Sabine was right there in the hallway, along with Ahnasha, Fendros, and Rhazii. The moment she saw her, Meesei quite literally ran forward and hugged Sabine tightly. "Sabine!" She shouted, a smile coming to her face even as tears came to her eyes. So distracted was Meesei that she did not even register the looks of worry on both Ahnasha and Fendros.
As much as Meesei tried to remain calm, there was no hiding what, by this point, was her fear. She wanted to find Sabine _immediately_, and she could not understand why they had not been able to already. "I just don't know where she could be." Meesei said, as if she had not even heard Janius' suggestion. "It's not like she would have left the city, and we checked every exit of the district. We didn't find her scent at any of them, and with how long we scoured this district, it looks like either we would have found her, or one of the gate guards would have saw her trying to leave. Although...I suppose it could have been possible that she could have left back through Green Emperor Way before Lorag had a chance to talk to the guard. I...think you're right. There are guards everywhere. If they get her description, they'll probably find her quickly. Who knows, if one of the guards saw her wandering around looking lost, they might have already found her. Who do we talk to about this?"
After they split into two, Meesei further split with Lorag to make sure she covered all of the angles. According to Janius, there were four exits to the district, one on each side. If Sabine came to the exit of the city, she would certainly turn around, so that meant the only way she would leave would be through the other three. There were Imperial guards at each exit, but they would likely not remember seeing a Breton girl among the sea of faces. However, while Sabine's scent could be easily lost in the crowd, they would definitely be able to pick it up again at the gate if she had passed through. If she had not left the district, they could give the gate guards Sabine's description and allow them to keep an eye out for her. Meesei had instructed Janius and Kaleeth to start out by checking the north gate, Lorag to talk to the guards at the gate they had entered through, while she checked the south gate. As long as they could ensure Sabine remained in the Talos district, she would be much easier to find. Once she reached the gate, she started looking around and sniffing the air for any sign of her scent. "But...she's strong, right? I mean, no one could really hurt her. I've seen her kill grown warriors before, back in the fight at that village. I mean, she's probably scared right now. I would be, but...she really isn't in danger, right?" Kaleeth asked. Sabine was only a fifteen year old girl, but Kaleeth knew how strong being a lycan made her, both physically, and in how the rest of the pack had trained her to live. The only thing that made Kaleeth uncertain was the fact that they were in a city, and she was not sure if there were dangers she did not know about.
Meesei was almost running by this point, much to the ire of some of the people she pushed past. Her focus was singular and absolute. She started to feel hopeful as Sabine's trail led them past the White-Gold Tower, but when it turned unexpectedly into a place Janius called the Talos district, her pace became even more rushed. "Unless she ran here, we cannot be far behind." She commented as she rushed through the open gate. True to Janius' word, the Talos district was crowded, as it seemed to be the main entrance to the entire city. There was a mass of people in front of them, and while Meesei usually did not like to draw attention to herself or the pack, she could not care less about that at the moment. Instead, she decided to hopefully take advantage of lycanthropy's enhanced hearing. "Sabine!" Meesei shouted, hoping her familiar voice could carry over the constant rumble of the crowd.
"Agreed, who knows what we might find? This place is just...gigantic. Even having been here before, there are certainly things you don't even know about. We might end up finding something new to even you." Ahnasha supposed as she scrubbed down Rhazii's fur. For a cub that still couldn't walk, he ended up getting a surprising amount of dirt and other things caked into his fur. Even on the ship, he had found ways to become filthy. With Ahnasha's vigorous scrubbing, however, it did not take long before he was as clean as she could make him. Ahnasha lifted Rhazii up out of the now-dirty water. "There we go, that's...good enough. His fur just loved holding in the filth. Now, I'm going to see if I can get him to sleep. Be back soon." She said with a smirk. Although relieved to find Sabine's trail, Meesei's anxiety did not cease, and would not until she could see Sabine safely before her. She disregarded Janius' concerned question and simply looked ahead intently at the entrance to the Temple district. "I think you might be right. Let us hurry after her. If she is lost, then I doubt she will be moving quickly." Meesei responded, taking the lead through the gates to the Temple district. Her eyes scanned the area like a hawk, searching every detail in the direction of Sabine's scent for any sign of her.
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