EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei clasped her hands together on the table, moving past the awkwardness of their introductions. "Well, we are here to investigate. Your messengers have not been arriving, and neither have ours." She answered.

Ra'maranja's expression quickly became grim. "Our messengers? Khajiit sees." He said, his gaze turning expectantly to Colors beside him. There was a brief pause before the Argonian continued.

"Our...messengers must have been intercepted. It is an issue we've been facing for some time. The enemy's agents have been much more aggressive in Elsweyr as of late. We...fear that there might be spies in our midst. Infiltrators who have been trying to cut off our communications." Colors suggested.

Ra'maranja gave a quick glance to Colors with a slightly furrowed brow. "That is speculation, Colors. We have not yet found any evidence of infiltrators in our ranks, and we do not want to start a panic without good cause."

"Of course." Colors said, lowering his head. "It's just something to consider, is all."

Meesei regarded the exchange with an entirely neutral expression, and simply gave a nod. "I understand wanting to avoid panic, but our enemy is devious, and it is a threat not to be taken lightly. It is a possibility we should address. But, what of our messengers? Infiltrators would not know of the routes they take." She questioned.

Ra'maranja's attitude once more became grim. He let out a breath and closed his eyes briefly. "Then none of them made it back. We did receive your messengers. We informed them of our situation, but they must have been intercepted on the way back, just like our messengers."

"I see. Then this is a threat we will have to face. We did not come here as messengers, but rather to solve whatever problems you might be having. I would like you to take us to your...group's leader. If it is indeed infiltration, I can assure you that we are experienced in rooting them out. If not, then we will help you find where the enemy's agents are hiding." Meesei requested.

There was a brief pause as Ra'maranja looked back to the others standing behind him, who gave him a few nods. "Of course, but there is something we must do first. This one should send one of his own back to our leader, so that he can prepare to meet you all confidentially."

Meesei shook her head. "I do not believe that will be necessary. A clandestine meeting may just create distrust and uncertainty among our people."

"Respectfully, Ra'maranja disagrees." He said, lifting up one hand from the table. "As Colors pointed out, there is the possibility of infiltration, even if it is not proven. Your group in particular would make for a tempting target, or could drive them into hiding. This one knows it may take some time, but it would only be another day at most. At least leave the option open until you can meet with our leader."

Meesei silently deliberated for a few seconds before giving something of a reluctant nod. "Very well. We will wait for your word."

Colors suddenly chimed in with an unusually upbeat tone, considering the situation. "On the bright side, you can use this time to enjoy the city. I know a great inn you can all stay at for the night..."

Ra'maranja interrupted Colors, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nonsense. There is no need to need to force them to waste coin in the city. We have a sort of supply outpost not far outside the city. It could easily accommodate you all, and you could restock your supplies. There are a few matters we need to deal with in the city, but we can leave within the hour."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

A few of the Khajiit exchanged glances for a moment before one of them, a dark-furred Suthay-raht male, nodded, and motioned for the Argonian to follow him. "Yes...perhaps you can tell us who you actually are."

Lorag, who was sitting beside Meesei, stood up to allow the Khajiit to take his seat, while Meesei stood to greet them. The Suthay-raht and Argonian approached alongside one another, while the others followed close behind. Seeing as Meesei was the one stepping forward, the Khajiit assumed she was the leader. "This one's name is Ra'maranja, the...leader of this group." He said, glancing around at the others in the tavern as he shook Meesei's hand. The dark red-scaled Argonian's greeting immediately afterwards, however, was much less...professional.

"And I am Sees-No-Colors. It is certainly a pleasure to meet you, my lady." He said, giving a bow and kissing the top of Meesei's hand, to which she was mostly just annoyed, rather than outwardly angry.

As Colors pulled his head back, he saw the ring on the hand he had just kissed, and his eyes widened. "Wait is that...and you are...ah, um, ohhh..."

"Who is she, Colors?" Ra'maranja asked impatiently, appearing rather cross towards him.

"She is..." He began with a gulp, then leaning in to speak at a whisper. "the Champion."

Ra'maranja showed a brief moment of surprise, but quickly regained his composure. "Well, this meeting is an honor, then, miss..."

"Meesei." She answered as she returned to her seat. She would have thought that the members of any major clan would know her name, though she supposed they might just know her as the Champion.

After the rather awkward exchange, Ahnasha ran her hand down her face to hide her laughter. Leaning in towards Fendros, she whispered to him. "You know, I think I know what happened to Janius all those years ago. He grew a tail."

Ra'maranja took Lorag's former seat, while the Bosmer from their group pulled up a chair for Colors. "So, to what do we owe the honor of this visit?" Ra'maranja asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha shook her head lightly. "About Senchal specifically? Not much, really. Anything she said about this place is common knowledge. She had never been to this city before. Most of what she taught me was about Elsweyr in general, about the Khajiit people and their ways. And most of that knowledge she was just passing down from what she had learned from her parents. She was born in Leyawiin, and has only visited Elsweyr a few times in her life. It was my great grandparents who were actually from Elsweyr. To describe the Khajiit in general...that is a rather large question. Many of our customs originate from those nomads who walked the sands of the region's deserts. The word 'Khajiit' itself is translated as 'desert-walker'. I can't really say I know much about Senchal, but I can answer questions about the Khajiit, if you have anything specific to ask."

As Peiter had expected, Tzirret was the one who was ending up taking most of the drinks. It was all he could do to hold back laughter, especially once he had a sudden surge of confidence. He smiled and agreed with Sabine that this kind of game was fun, though the mention of the mission did dampen his spirits somewhat. It reminded them that they did have serious business and, as such, should avoid getting Tzirret too intoxicated. "Agreed. Maybe we can refine the rules, or find another game made specifically for this kind of thing. For now, though, as much as I hate it, we should probably avoid giving you any more of this, Tzirret. We all probably need to be of a reasonably sharp mind right now, unfortunately."

If there was any protest from Tzirret, it was made moot by the arrival of another group in the tavern. As soon as they entered, they were alert to the scents they had picked up, and after their scent had time to reach Meesei's pack, they immediately noticed as well. The group consisted of four Khajiit, a Bosmer, and an Argonian male who honestly looked out of place among the other five. They all bore the scents of lycans, not werewolves, but lycans regardless. Upon seeing Meesei's pack, most of these lycans seemed surprised, and the Argonian briefly looked nervous.

Lorag leaned in and spoke quietly. "I think we found who we're lookin' for. Should probably try to get them over here quietly."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Alright. The usual game?" Peiter answered as he began shuffling the cards. He dealt them out between the three as he thought about how the game should go. They normally did not play to drink, so they had to figure out how to work it into the rules. "Okay, so how about we have the winner of each hand decide who drinks. If you fold, you can't be picked, but...if you fold twice in a row, you can be picked on the next one no matter what, unless you win. Just to keep anyone from not playing." He said, giving a quick glance to Tzirret. Luck could force anyone to drink, of course, but Peiter kept his eye on Tzirret, who was not quite as adept in the art of bluffing as the rest of them. If this turned out to be enjoyable enough, he might even buy another bottle.

Newt shook his head quickly, then returned back to looking around the tavern. He was used to such crowded spaces with the clan, so he was more curious than afraid. In fact, he was less afraid than Kaleeth wished he was. If she let him go, she had no doubt that he would try to explore the area, and in this place, that could certainly be dangerous. Slavery might be illegal in both the Empire and Dominion, but that did not mean it did not exist, and a young child was the perfect target to abduct. Ahnasha, being more experienced in cities, was not quite as worried about kidnapping, as she knew it to be a rare occurrence. However, she was still well-aware of the trouble Rhazii could get into when left to his own devices.

Trying to shake off her worries, Kaleeth joined in the conversation. "I know Newt has been dying to go for a swim for the last few days. Being on a ship, we were surrounded by water all the time, but could not get in. I don't think Newt liked that at all."

Newt tilted his head back to look up at his mother. "Are we going swimming, mommy?"

Kaleeth looked down and rubbed the top of his head. "Not right now, hatchling. It is too dangerous here. We can swim after we are out of the city."

Ahnasha was visibly satisfied with her ale. Anything to help her relax was certainly welcome. She had doubts about the fate of the Senchal clan, and if they would even be able to find anyone alive to actually help. They had arrived as quickly as they could, but the clan had been out of contact for so long that it might not even have mattered. It was a worry she was sure the others shared, but that no one had spoken aloud. Nevertheless, she tried to keep her mind off of it for the moment. "You know, I thought I would be comfortable here, but I feel more like an outsider here than I did in Black Marsh. At least there, no one expected me to be anything but an outsider. Here...all I have to do is open my mouth for that to become glaringly obvious. I speak Ta'agra with a Cyrodilic accent, for the Hunter's sake. I don't think my mother's stories are going to be enough to let me blend in here."

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

I can say from personal experience that snakes can be surprisingly quick. And strong, very, very strong. They can really get a death grip on things.

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

Avatar maintained a distance of under five hundred meters from the station in the interceptor to minimize the risk of detection from any other ships. It could not detect any ships moving towards its position, but it did not have access to sensors which could accurately track the movements of vessels on the other side of the station. As the station was between itself and the allied fleet, it could not detect them as well, at it was still too close to the station to be beyond the communications jamming the enemy had been performing. It would not be able to warn allied forces of the attack until the shuttle had departed entirely from the station.

After Avatar had messaged the others, most of them had quickly made their way to the shuttle. The non-combatants were escorted to safety first by several of the Human soldiers. Avatar's platform was mostly deactivated in the shuttle, but it did have a few sensors still passively scanning the area around it, so it had a count of how many allies had made it to the shuttle. It did not know the exact reason why, but not all had yet arrived, and there had been enough of a delay to warrant concern.

Once more, Avatar sent a message across the team's communications channel. "My platform has detected that not all allied forces has reached the shuttle. There is a 76% chance of enemy reinforcements arriving at the airlocks within sixty seconds; do you require assistance." It asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Um, yes, I still have everything I bought in Leyawiin. One moment." Pieter answered, leaning over to open the bag next to his chair. It took a minute of scrounging through everything he had packed into it in order to actually uncover the deck of cards. He laid it down on the table between them, then paused to take a drink of his brandy. Though, as he was about to set it down, he looked at the bottle briefly, which inspired him with an idea.

Pieter placed down the bottle in the center of the table alongside the cards. “Here’s an idea. It’s only one bottle, but to make things interesting, maybe we could play for drinks?” He suggested. Mostly, he just wanted to see if Tzirret could acquire a taste for it, and he was rather bad at bluffing…

Meesei crossed her arms and looked at Gallus with some concern. “Be cautious, Gallus. It may not be skooma, but moon sugar is still nothing to be trifled with. It will affect you more greatly than a Khajiit, even if it is more akin to a spice in its raw form. Granted, it will be difficult for us all to avoid it while we are in Elsweyr, but do not allow your mind to be compromised by it.” She cautioned him.

Meesei would have to keep a close eye on the others, or even herself, if moon sugar made its way into their diet, but for the moment, they just needed to pass the time. Kaleeth, Janius, Ahnasha, and Fendros were all at the table with her, so she decided to at least make some conversation. “So, has everything been well with Rhazii and Newt?”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Well, google's spellcheck doesn't seem to like Peiter. It's fine with Pieter, though. Personally, I've never seen the name spelled with an i.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmph, you would try to poach my drink." Pieter chuckled. "Sure, I don't mind sharing. I had intended to try new things when I got here, but...I don't know, I just really feel like I need something from home right about now. Besides, a lot of those new things probably have moon sugar. We probably won't be able to avoid the local foods for too long, though. Especially once our own supplies run out. What about you, Sabine; do you want a taste?"

It took a minute or two before all of the drinks had arrived, with Gallus' taking the longest since it required some mixing to make. The ale that Ahnasha and Janius had ordered was a local brew, so it was predictably sweet. The mead was imported, so it had its normal taste. It was difficult to say if it had been imported all the way from Skyrim or not, but it was certainly brewed in the Nordic style. Pieter recognized the label on his brandy, so it was almost certainly imported from Cyrodiil directly. Given the proximity to Leywiin, it was not surprising. As soon as he opened it, Pieter promptly offered a taste to Tzirret. Gallus' order had a bit more sweetness than the ale, as it was made with finely-ground moon sugar. The concentration was not as high as in most foods, but it was definitely noticeable.

Meesei had kept her eyes to the door as they waited. So far, so one with a lycan's scent had entered. It did not necessarily mean that the scouts had left the city, but given the lack of communication they had received from the Senchal clan, it was a possibility. Although, that would not explain the relatively fresh scent of a lycans within the tavern. "As a warning, it may be necessary for us to wait here for a few hours." Meesei commented to the rest of the group.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, it would probably just be best to avoid them, then." Pieter responded, looking around the tavern to size up its patrons. There were a few looking in their direction, but they mostly seemed to be looking at Leaps. Likely, most of them simply wouldn't care about strangers and would leave them be. At least, that was what he hoped was the case. "Although, most of them at least seem to be in a good mood. I guess that makes sense; a lot of them look like sailors, and being ashore is probably the only time they have to relax."

Kaleeth scanned the rest of the room cautiously. "It makes me nervous, more than anything. It would be fine if it was just us, but I don't like Newt being here. I know most of the strangers here probably don't even care about us. If they do, then they're probably too nervous to try anything, since we're pretty well armed. But still, I can't help but to be nervous. It's just part of being a mother, I guess."

After the packs were seated, a Suthay-raht woman was quick to approach them, and it did not take much to figure out that she was there to take their orders. She wore a rough-looking, revealing green and tan dress and had mostly dark brown fur. She did not carry herself with any particular professionalism, though in an establishment such as this, it honestly would have seemed out of place.

"Hmm, big group ya have here. So, what'll y'all have today?" She asked, her attention first going to Ahnasha.

"Oh, um, just a mug of ale, I think." Ahnasha answered quickly. She had not originally planned on having anything, but when presented with the opportunity, it did sound like it would help her relax.

Lorag, of course, volunteered to go next. "You got mead in this place?" He asked simply.

"We've got anything you want, handsome." She answered.

"A bottle of mead, then." Lorag continued with slight enthusiasm, since his own stock of mead had run out about half way to Leyawiin.

Meesei held up a hand and shook her head slightly when the Khajiit looked to her. "I am fine, thank you." While she would not have minded a drink, it would be expensive to order for everyone. Of course, it would be suspicious if no one at all ordered, so she did not complain about the others' purchases. Kaleeth and Irenya too declined to order food or drink, though Pieter decided he would actually have something.

"Do you happen to have Cyrodilic Brandy?" Pieter asked.

The Khajiit placed a hand on her hip as she answered. "Like I said, anything you want."

"Oh, well, I'll have that, then." He said awkwardly.