EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Gwindir was more confused about the exchange between Fendros and Rhazii than anything. The thought of his daughter still being alive had not even crossed his mind for many years, and the strange comments of a stranger's toddler would not suddenly change that. Perhaps, he reasoned, the name of the cub's mother sounded similar to that of his daughter.

"Yes, they are quite a beautiful flower. I'm sure your wife will love them." Gwindir commented, guessing at the reason for the purchase. He stepped back into a room behind the counter, then returned a minute or so later with the desired number of the flowers. He started to wrap them as neatly as he could with the ribbon, making sure they were all arranged in as aesthetically pleasing of a manner as possible.

"Here you go, that will be eight coins, please." Gwindir requested. It was a bit more expensive than the average bouquet, but tiger lilies could also be used in alchemy, so it did drive their value up somewhat.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Gwindir." He answered, shaking Fendros' hand.

The question about Gwindir's daughter prompted him to turn his head towards the fireplace. He was not sure why Fendros would be asking about her, but he supposed it might just be because they were on the topic of their children. It was quite a potentially uncomfortable question to be asking a stranger, but he had long since come to terms with it.

"Her name was Ahnasha. She had quite the fiery spirit, a lot like her mother in her youth. She liked to hunt and explore the swampland around the city. Much more than she liked her studies, I can say. We're not really sure what killed her exactly, but something got to her when she was out in the forest. Obviously, it was devastating to us all, but now, we just like to cherish the memories we have of her. I always keep a candle lit on the mantle in her memory, and my wife always makes sure to keep a fresh tiger lily beneath it. Ahnasha always liked those flowers; they were her favorite color." Gwindir explained, pausing with a chuckle as he observed Rhazii making faces into a plate. "Don't let her story frighten you, though. I guarantee you'll cherish every moment you have with your son, no matter how long that might be. It is a sad fact that, no matter what happened to her, I was going to outlive my daughter by several hundred years. But, it is all just a matter of time before we all meet in Aetherius."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Ah, the Cathay is yours. So your wife is Khajiit, I take it? It is unfortunate that there are many who would not approve of such a thing, but you will certainly find no judgment from me. My own wife is Khajiit as well, a beautiful woman named S'Nashi." The Bosmer explained. "There is indeed a strong Khajiit community within Leyawiin. I'm guessing you want to allow your son to experience it? I think you'll find the friendliest Khajiit in the city a the temple every Sundas, if you can remain in the city that long. And my wife and son, of course. Overall, I would say the city is a good home. It has its share of problems, like any city, but plenty of trade flows through Leyawiin's port. My son is going to be opening his own shop within the next month, and I couldn't be more proud."

The Bosmer turned his eyes to Newt, who was still looking back over Fendros' shoulder at the sword in the display case. "There are quite a few Argonians in the city as well, if you would like the hatchling to be able to see more of his people. I'm not sure exactly at what age Argonians have their naming ceremonies, but I do know where to obtain the Hist sap for those ceremonies. I've done so for several Argonians in the city in the past. If your friend doesn't want to travel all the way to the marsh for the ceremony, my prices are reasonable."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I see." The Bosmer answered, seeming to be satisfied enough with Fendros' answer. He was about to continue when they were interrupted by Rhazii attempting to rearrange the furniture. They had caused no harm, so the shopkeeper was mostly just amused. He looked down at the Khajiit cub and smiled, silently at first. His thoughts went back to the past, towards his own troublemaking children.

"Don't worry, it's no trouble. I know well the joys of parenthood...along with the moments that make you feel like screaming. I raised two children of my own. The reason we changed the name of the store was in honor of my daughter's memory. I suppose your partner would not have known if they left Leyawiin beforehand." He explained. It was clear in his tone that her loss was an old, well-healed wound by this point, as he was able to speak about it without any outwardly negative emotion.

The Bosmer's eyes seemed to remain on Rhazii. "If you do not mind my asking, are either of those two your own?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do you happen to recall if I ever specified the names of anyone in Ahnasha's family? I don't think I did.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Bosmer furrowed his brow, appearing perplexed by the question. "Um, yes, that is this store. We changed the name almost a decade ago. If I may ask, who told you about us? It seems...strange to me that someone would recommend you to my store with a name we haven't used in nine years. Not that I am ungrateful, of course. I am glad to have customers who remember us, even after so long." Still assuming that Fendros was a customer, the Bosmer was making an effort to be polite, but it did seem like he was thinking quite heavily on who might have given Fendros the store's name.

Every bit as curious as Rhazii, Newt ran up to the display as soon as Rhazii called his name. However, the Cathay was a fair bit taller than himself, so Newt did not come close to being able to see inside. He reached up and tried to open the case, but the lock kept it secure. Frustrated, he looked around until he spotted something helpful. Newt tapped Rhazii on the shoulder and pointed to a chair in the corner. "Can't see. I need to...move that."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Walking inside the store, there did not seem to be anything too exceptional about it. Newt had to have his hand held when inside, as he would not doubt get himself into trouble otherwise, with the valuables around them. It was of average size for a store in the city, though only the first floor was accessible for customers. Likely, the owners also lived in their shop on the second floor, which was common for any merchant wealthy enough to actually own a building. It was a general store, with a few rows of counters that had a variety of merchandise from books, to clothes and jewelry, and even preserved foods. Most of the goods appeared to be made locally, though some looked to be imported from surrounding regions like Black Marsh and Elsweyr. And of course, being a general store in a port city, there were a few select items from the farther reaches of Tamriel. The most valuable of the merchandise was locked away in display cases, mostly jewelry and weapons.

There were few parts of the store that were not decorated with something. The furniture was reasonably ornate, and the walls were lined with paintings and various trinkets. Only the mantle above the fireplace seemed oddly bare. On it, there was only a single lit candle, with a freshly picked orange flower sitting at its base.

At the counter was a Bosmer. His age was hard to determine exactly, given the lifespan of elves, but he might have been close to middle-aged. There were no wrinkles on his face, and his brown hair did not yet show any grey, but he did not have the look of someone in his youth. He leaned forward onto the counter and greeted his potential customer with a smile. It was an odd sight to see a Dunmer walking around with a Khajiit and Argonian child in tow, but the Bosmer seemed to pay it no mind. "Hello. What can I help you with today?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I probably should have mentioned that there is a store in the location Ahnasha described, but it is not by that name. The store in that spot is the Tiger Lily Trader.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha let out a sigh, staring down at her meal with an uncertain expression. "Look, I...understand what you're saying. I know you want what is best for me, of course, but you didn't know them. I mean, they weren't bad people or anything, just...it's hard to explain. They cared about me in the wrong way; they wanted so badly for me to be successful that they didn't care if I was happy. I know for certain that they would never accept what I am, and there is no other way I can think of to explain why I would fake my death. I don't know if they would call the guard on me, but they would not make our stay here easy. They would do whatever they could to make sure I followed their wishes."

For a moment, Ahnasha paused, filling the time by taking a few more bites of her breakfast. Eventually, brought herself to make eye contact with Fendros. "Just...I know, why don't you go see for yourself? The store, Topal Goods and Trade, it will be open this time of day. It's across the street from the font entrance of the temple of the divines, at the end of the street closest to the front gate. You can go meet them yourself and see what I mean. You can take Rhazii, and maybe Newt with you. Just...please don't mention my name, okay?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Thanks." Ahnasha said, sitting up in the bed with her back against the wall. She accepted the meat and started on her breakfast, albeit slowly and unenthusiastically. She was, quite understandably, rather distracted by the matter at hand. She sat with her head hung low and, for a while, could not bring herself to answer. Eventually, however, she leaned her head on his shoulder and spoke up.

"I...don't know if it's a good idea anymore. I mean, I faked my death, Fendros. That's not something you just explain away with a few words. They'll ask questions, or get angry...if they even care at all." Ahnasha turned her head away, staring off at nothing in particular. Within her expression, there was a hint of anger. "They did not seem to pay that close of attention to me when I was there; I don't see why it would be any different now. I doubt it took them that long to move on from my 'death.' They were always so focused on grooming me up to be a trader like them, to make sure I could help run that store of theirs: Topal Goods and Trade. They didn't seem to know or care what I wanted, and honestly, I don't even know why they bothered with me. My brother was perfectly enthusiastic to take over that place. I think I should just stay here; it's safer that way. Don't let me keep you here, though. Some of the others are planning on heading out into the city, and I know Rhazii wants to get off this boat. You should show him the city, maybe bring along Newt for him to play with? I know Kaleeth and Janius would probably appreciate the time to themselves."