EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Given the urgency of the situation, Ahnasha had to ignore the whispering among Harriet's packmates. With all that had been happening, they might start to realize that something unusual was happening, but there was no way they would be able to guess with any certainty what was actually happening, not without someone exposing the truth. For the moment, she went around to find the others she needed to locate, beginning with Oswall, and repeated the same message she gave to Vera. After that, she moved to her next task of finding the other names on the list. She did not know why any of them were important, and indeed, there was only one she actually recognized at all: Grolak. Luckily, he was in the dining chamber just as Ahnasha would expect, so it was not difficult to find him. As Meesei said, he knew of what was happening, so he readily stepped away to speak with her. Together, they were able to find Carana after a bit of asking around, though Caleb proved more difficult to find, so they simply moved on to finding the other names on the list. Even if they proved easier to find than Caleb, however, it would still likely take a few hours to collect them all. Just before she was about to leave the dining chamber, she spotted Darahil and Fendros on the other side of the chamber.

"Vera." Meesei began in a neutral tone as she and Kaleeth entered the room. "I apologize for having to call you back so soon, but a matter has surfaced that I feel deserves immediate attention. I do not wish to stress either you or Harriet more than necessary, so I will be direct. There is a discrepancy between your stories. You claim that you left the meeting room before Harriet, and she claims that she left before you. Since that moment is the most likely time of Jerrick's poisoning...I am sure you can understand what that means. We are waiting both on the other lieutenants, and Ahnasha to finish her task. Once they are here and I have the opportunity to ask a few more questions, I believe I will have enough information to...draw a conclusion." Meesei explained before approaching Vera. Since she was facing away from Harriet, only Vera would be able to see the regret in Meesei's eyes. She did not like having to make any sort of accusation towards Vera, though that did not mean she would have any trouble enacting justice on Vera if she was proven guilty. "For both of your safety, I would prefer that neither you nor Harriet be armed at the moment. I would like for you to give me any weapons you have on you at the moment."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Then I am glad you recognize the gravity of this situation. Rest assured, my judgment will follow the evidence. If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear." Meesei responded as they left the room. As the three made the short walk back to their room, Meesei told Harrier to go inside while she spoke to Lorag for a moment. Lorag should have been able to hear everything they were saying inside, so he likely knew what was going on. The first question Meesei asked was simply if Lorag could confirm where Harriet had been, and she made sure to do so loudly enough that Harriet could hear it in the room. For her following questions, however, she switched to a whisper. Just as with Kaleeth, she wrote down Lorag's statement for what he remembered seeing in the dining chamber the previous day. Fortunately, none of it seemed to conflict with what she already knew.

"Make sure to keep a close eye on Harriet; currently, she is my primary suspect." Meesei whispered almost inaudibly. "However, she is not guaranteed to be guilty. There are a few more questions I need to have answered before I am comfortable making an accusation, but fortunately, I believe I am in a position to have them answered quickly. Here, I want you to hold onto Harriet's sword for me. I feel she might be at least slightly more comfortable if you have it instead of me."

Lorag nodded and buckled the scabbard around his waist before they finally joined the others in the room. As soon as she was through the door, Meesei turned her attention to Ahnasha. "Ahnasha, I need you to go collect Vera and the other lieutenants for me. Tell them that it is urgent, and that I will explain what is going on when they arrive. You can take Rhazii with you." Meesei explained. Although Sabine could easily take care of Rhazii while Ahnasha was away, Meesei's decision to have her bring him along was quite intentional. If the situation did turn violent, then Rhazii would be out of harm's way. Although, with both Meesei and Lorag there to stand guard, she doubted that Harriet would try anything rash.

Ahnasha of course accepted her new task without protest, sensing the urgency in Meesei's tone. Just as she exited the room, Meesei followed her out into the hall just outside the door and stopped her. "Ahnasha, after you find the lieutenants, I need you to collect these people as well." Meesei explained quietly as she handed her the page with the list of names she had gathered. "The three that I've written on the top of the page are the ones you should find first. They have knowledge of what is going on and are trusted enough to help. You can have them help you find the remaining people on the list. However, do not bring them directly back to our room. Find a quiet place nearby, then come get me so I can question them myself." Meesei explained. Ahnasha took the list and nodded in confirmation, then started down the hall as Meesei returned to the room.

Kaleeth nodded to Vera. "Yes, he and Meesei have taught me a lot about it. Meesei explained a lot of how all of this works, but Janius has to be the one that helps me practice. Well...Meesei and the others might be able to practice with me now. I've gotten a lot better and I feel closer to them, but...I just feel better with Janius. I know I won't hurt him. It's good that I transformed not too long before we got here, or I wouldn't feel so comfortable helping to protect you. I would be afraid to transform inside this place, with all these people around. My beast spirit doesn't like crowds. We got into a fight in Black Marsh where there were dozens, maybe even over a hundred people fighting at once. It wasn't so bad since I could let my beast spirit fight, but if I was trying to stay calm in such a big crowd...I don't know if I could do it. Not to mention, I'm not nearly as good at making clothes that don't rip apart as you seem to be." She said with a bit of a smile.

Shortly after Kaleeth finished speaking, Ahnasha entered the dining hall once more and went straight to Vera and Kaleeth, as they were seated in the same place as last time. "Sorry to interrupt again, but Meesei needs to see you once more. She says it is urgent and that she will explain when you arrive." She explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, this RP is a few novels worth of writing at this point. I have been thinking about what the endgame will be like for it, as I would like for it to have an actual, satisfying conclusion. Though, there is still quite a bit of story I would like to see happen before I would want to bring it to its end, so I'm in no rush to do so.

The Depths of Deception

The next morning, Rareth did indeed awaken confused in the Hummingbird's hold with a dried, fruity residue on her face. Although, the effectiveness of their prank was perhaps mitigated by the fact that Ashley had been there to witness their drunken behavior. Rareth was not angered by their "prank." In fact, the only form of retaliation she made was to laugh at the others for not being able to come up with anything more inspired. Although she did not try anything for the remainder of their trip, Rareth did dedicate some thought to coming up with ways she might pull some jokes on the others in the future, should she get the opportunity.

There were no more drunken nights for the rest of the journey back to Pax, mostly because there was no more alcohol. Since the mission was essentially over, their duties on the return trip were even more mundane, apart from the few instances where the captain called on them to clarify something in their report. The ship dropped out of FTL in a civilized system a few days into the journey in order to get a secure connection back to Pax to send their report as soon as possible, but otherwise, it was a nonstop trip.

After a week, the Boundless Light was once again back at Pax, this time docked in orbit instead of at Concord. Unsurprisingly, Rareth's team was being called in for a meeting to discuss the mission, though Rareth guessed that the future of this entire initiative would also be a point of discussion. They were told that they could leave whatever they needed to aboard the ship, so Rareth brought only her formal clothes and personal electronics. She guessed that meant their superiors intended for all of them to be returning to the ship, which would suggest their team was in fact sticking together. Although, they did say their belongings would be delivered to them if needed, so it was not guaranteed.

Rareth waited outside the shuttle they would be taking to Concord so she could stretch her legs while she waited for the others to arrive. Depending on how urgently they were needed, they may or may not be rushed through customs, so Rareth readied herself to be seated for a while.

The Depths of Deception

If no one else wants to add anything, I could bring us to Pax.

Hailfire, were you simply stopping in to say hello, or do you think you might be interested in rejoining? Ashley is still around, and if you're unsure, I could keep her around for the next mission until you can decide.

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

Sirka looked around at the walls around her as Tor was describing the ship. "Hmm, looks like you pulled it out of a junkyard, but as long as it's got it where it counts. I was never one for looks, it's all about how it performs. Goes for pretty much anything, really." She commented.

Turning her gaze to the human woman, Sirka sized her up and flicked out her scent tongues to get a sense of her and Tor's mood. The fact that she was late to even show up might not reflect well on her, but then again, it wasn't like Sirka hadn't done the same thing in the past. Depending on if she was busy, distracted, or drinking, getting to meetings on time might not seem all that important. She didn't look to be equipped for heavy combat, so Sirka guessed her skills lay elsewhere. For a prison break, Sirka guessed that they would need a lot of different kinds of skills, though that meant herself and probably Tor would have to pick up their slack in a straight up fight. From the way she manipulated Tor as soon as she met him, Sirka guessed that seduction was perfectly within what she was willing to do, which could be useful. Of course, their introduction also revealed that Tor was particularly weak to seduction, so she would need to keep an eye on him when they ran into any females that could be working against them.

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

It's late now, so I'll respond tomorrow, though Enalais could respond before me.

The Depths of Deception

Question is, when to skip to. Morning is the obvious answer, though there isn't actually much else to do on that day other than give reactions to the previous night. Perhaps it will be a short section before I skip us to later. I don't want to skip travel every time, but in this case, getting back to Pax might be a good idea.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth was silent for the whole ordeal, watching from the sidelines. With all the young lycans in the clan, she guessed that unwanted transformations happened pretty often, though with so many other lycans around, there were a lot of people available to control them. In her werewolf form, Vera was big, like Meesei and Lorag, so she especially did not have much trouble subduing the young lycan.

"I have done that before." Kaleeth commented as Vera returned. "I've turned when I didn't mean to, especially when we were still in Black Marsh. Janius always had to be the one to deal with me since I wouldn't attack him, even as a crocodile. I...still get nervous going into cities. I've gotten better, and I haven't turned like that in a long time, but I still worry that it could happen. Does that ever go away?"

Harriet certainly seemed nervous, and she offered no concrete proof for her version of the story. She noted that Harriet did not mention Darahil and Jerrick, who she certainly would have had to pass if she left first. Instead, she directed Meesei to find someone who happened to be looking up at the mezzanine. It was possible to explain all of this by saying she was nervous at being a suspect and not thinking clearly, but it still shifted more suspicion in her direction. Nevertheless, there was more Meesei needed to confirm before making an accusation, but she felt she was getting close.

"Alright, I will make sure to ask them. For the moment, however, I feel this discrepancy is something that needs to be addressed. I would like for you to return to my room and wait there with me while one of my pack goes and collects Vera and the others." Meesei said as she stood to her feet. "Now, I would prefer that neither you nor Vera remained armed for this, so I would like for you to give me your sword." Meesei requested, holding her hand out expectantly. Her voice remained polite, but notably firm.

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

As expected, Sirka's room wasn't really designed for someone of her size, but she could manage. As the Human had said, they could figure something out along the way. Besides, just looking around the ship at all of the exposed wires, it wasn't like these guys cared about the looks of their ship; they wanted function. Respectable, in Sirka's eyes.

Sirka wasted no time in making herself at home in her room. There were compartments large enough to hold her heavy repeater if she packed it properly, but she elected to keep it propped up against her bed regardless. If it was needed, she liked to be able to know exactly where it was and to be able to grab it quickly. The same was true of her E-11, which she pulled from its holster and slid underneath her pillow, though its holster, and all of her other bandoliers and other belongings she was fine with putting away in the storage compartments. For the moment, she packed away the case full of credits as well, but she did not like the idea of just keeping it in her room. Honestly, she didn't know how to deal with all of that money, but it seemed like a bad idea to keep it all in one spot, in or out of a bank. It would probably be a good idea to spread it around in different places, though she would need to do some research on how exactly to do it all. For the moment, she at least wanted to see if this ship had any hidden compartments she could use.

Once she had found a place for all of her belongings, Sirka stepped out of her room to find one of the others, not really caring who it was. This ship, the Nightfury, was large, but she couldn't just avoid everyone else for the duration of the mission. As such, she might as well try to talk to them, or at least learn all of their names. Tor and the Human woman were the first people she came across, so she figured they were as good a place as any to start. She leaned up against the door frame of the room with her arms crossed. "So, how long's it going to take to get to this 'Belona'? I guess we should at least all get introduced or something. Name's Sirka'ith. I'm from Nar Shaddaa, and no I wasn't hatched or raised there, but I'll be in my grave before I call Lwhekk my home."