EliteCommander

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek stood stoic through the introductions, trying to make sure he remembered each name and what they said about themselves. He had started to gather that the meanings of their names were important to them, moreso than with his own people. In Amman, names almost always had meaning, but since those names were given shortly after hatching, their actual meanings were not strictly assumed to apply to the individual. He supposed that might also be the case with the Elissics, but they at least seemed to speak of their names more frequently in introductions.

"She is certainly not wrong. My wounds were severe, and it will likely be another week before I am fully recovered." Tarentek explained, though with his robe covering all except his head, and the very end of his tail that poked out from under his robe near his feet, the evidence of his injuries were not visible. "Fortunately, starvation and thirst were a greater threat to me than anything else, so I believe I will be fine. At any rate, as Onyx said, my name is Tarentek. Its meaning is 'Favored-of-the-Gods.' I do not know a great deal about your people, but I find I am learning much today."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Onyx was not away for too long, but it was enough to at least allow Tarentek to catch his breath. As usual, he caught the eye of pretty much every sentry that flew past, but even without Onyx nearby, they did not approach him. He assumed that, as long as he kept to himself, he would be left alone no matter where he was.

Once Onyx landed nearby, Tarentek stood up from his rock, letting out a slight groan as his joints popped. Fortunately, they were now at one of the higher spots in the nest, so no matter where they went after cresting the hill, it was probably going to be downhill. "Yes, I'm rested enough." He answered, walking with her a short distance to see the area at the center of the nest. From their current location, he could see many groups of different sizes, but mostly of the same ages. Just by looking, he could not tell what any of them were doing, nor who specifically they were meeting, so he waited for Onyx to lead the way.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek gave a chuckle as he sat down on a large rock along the path. So it was fear that was keeping some of the others from attempting to harm him? It was not his preferred method of staying safe, but at the very least, it was preventing anyone from getting hurt. Tarentek had no intention of picking a fight with anyone, and he would try to run if he could, but if pressed, he would have no choice but to defend himself.

"Perhaps it would be best if you told them I was coming, instead of suddenly surprising them with me." Tarentek answered. "I should be fine in a few minutes. How about you go ahead and tell them what you need to tell them, then come and collect me. That should give me more than enough time to rest." He suggested.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek did not quite know what to think about the group that Onyx belonged to: those who were not children, but not yet adults. His people did not have an analogous group, as children in Amman often knew from a young age what role they were going to pursue. There were some who changed their roles later in life, but they were the exception rather than the rule. He felt his own people's method would be more productive, but then again, he did acknowledge that some of his people became dissatisfied with their role in life, but could not change their path because they were already too invested in it. For the Elissics, that would not be quite as much of an issue.

Nodding to Onyx, Tarentek continued to follow her up the steps towards the center of the nest. As he had not yet fully recovered, he was already showing signs of fatigue from climbing the steep staircase, but he was not too exhausted to continue. "Alright, I shall follow your lead. The others your age, do you think they will be accepting of me, or should I be cautious?" He asked.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek repeated Onyx's farewell, then followed her away from Haku's stall. He hoped that word would spread of the Empire in the east so that travelers would not fall victim to them. Haku'gil seemed to suggest that they attacked travelers, though that was only a rumor. Indeed, most of what Tarentek knew about their enemy that did not relate to their military prowess was merely rumor. It was frustrating to have so little in the way of concrete information about their enemy, but hopefully scouting could remedy that issue.

"I did not expect him to be so friendly to an outsider, though I suppose that is sensible for a merchant. I assume that is one of the traits imparted by what you would call a strong heart. I am guessing I will not receive such a warm welcome from everyone, but I am still...encouraged." Tarentek commented as his gaze wandered off across the market. "So, what do you believe we should do next? We can move on from the market, if you wish. I am curious about the rest of the nest. What does one normally do in their free time in your tribe?"

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek was slightly surprised that Haku'gil was willing to give away the flower, though he supposed it was simply a nice gesture. Even if it was only a weed to his people, Tarentek felt that he would have been justified in charging for it. Something that had no value in one place could be prized in another, and traveling long distances was expensive and difficult. Even though anyone in his homeland could retrieve one of those flowers for free, he was still providing a valuable service by bringing them to a foreign land. Regardless, it was a kind gesture that seemed to show the sense of community the Elissics had.

Tarentek nodded in response to Haku. "Yes, I know some of the troubles to the east. I was wanting to warn you of them, especially if you intended to travel in that direction. There is a group causing strife in that area, and it may not be safe to pass through, even by air. I am sure your wings can minimize the danger, but you could be in danger when stopping for camp."

The Depths of Deception

"No." Rareth said abruptly, opening her eyes and letting out a yawn. She was rapidly growing more and more fatigued, though she was still convinced she could stay awake. She had only been half-listening to the conversation, but something about mentioning the word "magical" made her inject herself back into the conversation.

"No, implants aren't magic at all, they're...scientific. They're the opposite of magic; if they weren't, I could actually use them. Or...I could use the good ones. I've got some smaller implants, but they're not as helpful as yours. You can get...super strong, super fast, cancel out pain, or...use your brain to operate machines really accurately. It sounds great; all I can do is...bend, break, or punch holes in spacetime with my mind. It's boring by comparison." As Rareth's voice trailed off, she let out another yawn and closed her eyes. She wanted to avoid falling asleep, but in her current state, she was not thinking clearly enough to actually do something to help keep her alert. Instead, she was allowing herself to become more relaxed.

Seemingly randomly, Rareth let out a chuckle as a thought came to her mind. "You know, Shuo, you're really drunk. Better be careful not to...pass out." She warned, interrupting herself with another yawn. "I don't know what you Sovereignty people do, but I've had a lot of fun before messing with people who fall asleep at...celebrations like this. My pranks aren't too mean, but...they are...funny. It's not a...good idea to be the first to...fall..." Rareth's voice trailed off to nothing as fatigue overtook her. Within minutes, she was entirely unconscious, still clutching tightly onto Telmeck's tail.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Haku'gil's answer mostly served to create more questions for Tarentek. He wondered what role merchants served within their society, how many there were, and how often they traded outside of the Elissic tribes, but those were questions he could ask Onyx later. For now, he observed the pressed flowers after Haku pulled back one of the slabs. Even when he had nothing to trade, Tarentek enjoyed going to markets just to see wares such as these. The flowers were colorful, and many of them he had not seen before.

"These flowers are quite brilliant, I must say. Some of them are unfamiliar to me; are they from outside the desert? There are not too many flowering plants in this area, and I have a reasonable belief that I have seen most of them. If so, then you have likely traveled to farther places than I have ever had the pleasure of visiting." Tarentek commented, though as a thought crossed his mind, his expression became slightly more concerned. "Do you happen to travel to the east of here?"

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"You need not worry about offending me. I understand that you do not necessarily know of my people's customs...just as I would like to apologize in advance for any mistakes I may make. I'm afraid that I am quite unfamiliar with your people, as I have only just arrived in this...nest." Tarentek explained briefly. He was quite pleasantly surprised by Haku Gil's overall demeanor. While the previous trader was readily accepting of Tarentek's presence, Haku was openly friendly towards him.

Tarentek gave a bow as well, assuming that it was the appropriate gesture. "The meaning of my name is 'Favored-of-the-Gods,' though whether it is an accurate name, I suppose is not for me to decide. You said you are accustomed to meeting other races, correct? I did not know there were Elissics who traded among other races. Onyx explained to me that her tribe does not tend to interact with outsiders, though I suppose if your people have many tribes, you also must have many customs."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave no immediate visible reaction to Vera's question. She was in the middle of a bite of meat when she asked, so she had a brief moment to think about her response. Meesei could not afford to reveal that she had any contacts within the clan, and while she did not want to lie directly to the clan as a whole, she recognized that it would be necessary to lie to the lieutenants at times during the investigation.

"No, I did not know you had a son." Meesei responded, shaking her head slightly with no noticeable emotional change. "You could try to keep an eye on him if you think something is wrong, but it may be nothing. In the situation we are in, we need to be vigilant and watch for anything out of the ordinary, but also be aware that you might start noticing patterns where there are none. Sometimes, people simply change something about their day for mundane reasons, or none at all. That is something I have to stay aware of in my own investigation."

It was not long before Lorag and Harriet arrived, though unlike Vera, neither of them had any intention of knocking. Lorag entered first, his gaze immediately telling what he wanted. Without needing to say a word, Meesei pointed to the bags in the corner to direct him and Harriet to their meals. "Greetings Lorag, Harriet. Help yourselves to whatever you like, but keep in mind this food needs to last us a few days." She cautioned. "Harriet, I am ready to ask another set of questions for all of the lieutenants, but for now, you can return to the dining chamber with your food. I do not want to attract too much attention by keeping all of the lieutenants away from their packs at the same time. I will send someone for you when I am ready to speak to you." She explained.