EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter, Tzirret, and Sabine wandered the market for a while longer. Peiter decided to go ahead and purchase wooden practice swords from himself and Sabine to use later. He would have preferred to buy metal swords so they would have the right weight, but even the cheapest he could find were considerably more expensive than those made of wood. They were also able to watch other performances, but with the time restrictions they were under, they were only able to watch two more before heading back to the tavern.

Inside the tavern, the argument had ended, but only because Irenya refused to talk about it any longer. Ahnasha ended up ordering a moon-sugar filled drink to go along with her food in order to help calm down, but there was little chance that she was going to just drop this topic forever. Later, when they were outside the walls of the city, it would take even more effort to prevent her from turning to violence as a way to vent her frustrations.

Ra'maranja and the others returned to the tavern almost exactly on time. He had not explained what they needed to do in the city, though a few of them were carrying some extra bags. Colors had somethings of a stressed expression, and he now had a bandage tied across the palm of his right hand. Although, he said nothing about it when they met up with Meesei's packs once more.

"Greetings. Ra'maranja is glad to see you all again. Come, if we leave now, we should be able to reach the supply outpost well-before nightfall. From there, this one will send one of his own to inform our leader." He explained before prompting everyone to follow him out of the tavern. They headed through the gate into the city itself so they could cut through to the city's northwestern exit. From there, they would head down the road until they were out of sight, then straight into the Tenmar forest.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

No, nothing in particular. I can have the hour pass.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Irenya was not keen on giving Fendros, or anybody else, any sort of detailed answer at the moment. "I said, I am done talking about this." She repeated. Evidently, she had said something she had not intended to say, and she was just trying to get away from the conversation right now. Even so, she could not stop herself from allowing her eyes to hover on a nervous-looking Rhazii for a noticeable amount of time.

Ahnasha was still seething, and Irenya's refusal to speak was not helping. She saw the Dunmer woman looking at her son, which further fueled her anger. If Irenya gave any direct insult to Rhazii, it was quite possible that Ahnasha could become violent.

---

Peiter gave an uncertain look to the sun above them. "Well...we don't have all that much time right now, honestly. I doubt we could have much of a training session right now. Next time we get a chance, though, we should definitely do it. I'll have to make sure to get my hands on some training swords at some point. Maybe we can look for those acrobats, or just browse through the market? We could probably find some training swords there, now that I think about it." He suggested.

Tzirret had quite obviously been pleased with the performance, so when he returned to them, Peiter put his arm around his shoulders and gave a supportive smile. "See, aren't you glad you came? And you didn't even need us standing right beside you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei too was silent. She remained seated, but carefully observed each member of this argument. It was never ideal to have any sort of fighting between members of the pack, but she knew it would be even more unhealthy to prevent them from addressing this matter entirely. Meesei could not allow herself to become involved on either side, not yet, but like Gallus, she was ready to prevent any physical fighting. Although, while Gallus seemed to have his eyes on Irenya, Meesei was more concerned with Ahnasha. She was a proud individual, and Meesei knew she was not above starting an actual fight over this.

Ahnasha glared briefly at Fendros, her annoyance now extending to him at least partially. "Really, we don't? We don't know what could possibly be the problem with a Dunmer who hates a Khajiit. We just have no idea what could cause a Dunmer to refuse to give an Argonian the time of day. We are just clueless on what your problem could possibly be, Irenya." The sarcasm was practically dripping off of her words as she clenched her hands into fists. "So what is it, Irenya? Is it because I'm Khajiit? Is it because I'm not a child you can order around? Is it because of my mate?"

Irenya was seething through Ahnasha's response until she finally hit the breaking point. "Insolent cat! I don't care about you, or your tainted bloodline!" She shouted in anger, though her widening eyes showed that she immediately regretted the words. Breathing heavily, she looked nervously around at the others, then sat back in her chair. "I'm done talking about this."

---

"Oh, it certainly is." Peiter said with an almost excited smile. "Some people take it up as a hobby, never intending to actually fight anyone. There is just something, I don't know, satisfying about it. If you look at bouts between experts, it's like art turned to movement. There is so much strategy and finesse that they can perform with hardly a thought. Even if you don't want to fight with a sword, I think it can be fun to learn. I mean, just look at me. I love swordfighting, but when it comes to an actual fight, with actual risk, I'd much rather keep as far as possible from the sharp bits of my opponent's weapon. Hence my polearm. My blade is a backup weapon only."

Peiter looked again at the firebreather, who appeared to be near the end of his act. Honestly, he had been too focused on their conversation to actually pay attention to the performance. "So, I guess we can take some time to teach each other something."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Irenya seemed surprised to suddenly have this kind of attention on her, especially from her own pack. For a moment, she gave a brief, perhaps unintentionally nervous look to the others before her disposition shifted entirely. She seemed angered, with considerably more resolve than her initial reaction suggested. “I…resent these accusations. I have been nothing but professional.”

Ahnasha was still far from backing down. It was true that Irenya had done nothing overtly hateful, and her actions were not entirely consistent. She seemed to have some problem with Ahnasha and Fendros, but treated Tzirret just the same as the others. She was distant from Meesei, but seemed to have no issue with Kaleeth. Regardless, Ahnasha was convinced that she had some kind of hatred for her. “Yeah, professional. You’ve been avoiding us instead of insulting us, is that it? How much you restrain yourself doesn’t change the fact that you hate us for no good reason. I’m not going to sit here and accept bigotry just because you are able to act civilized.”

Irenya leaned forward onto the table, glaring at both Ahnasha and Fendros with a furrowed brow. “Now listen here, cat, you know nothing about me! I am not going to sit here and have my integrity questioned by you…of all people.” She retorted in anger. The tension in the argument had certainly escalated, though admittedly, it was Ahnasha doing most of the escalating.

---

Peiter seemed uncertain as he answered, with his gaze shifting briefly to the fire breather while he thought. “I’m still not sure I would be any good at it. I’ve never even attempted it before, but…I can try. You do have a really great teacher, so I’m sure you know what you’re doing. It would be…amazing to be able to use that kind of power. Yes, as long as I don’t accidentally burn down a forest or something, I think it sounds fun.”

There were a few seconds that passed while another thought came to Peiter’s mind. “Say, have you ever been interested in learning a bit of swordsmanship?”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Goodnight. Things are getting interesting for when you get back.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Yes, I do. For the younger girls, through their first hundred or so years, it is not far from the truth." Irenya answered. "I'm sure you've read the stories on the Queen Mother Barenziah. Whose to say how much of that is truth or fiction? For me, I have more stories than you have years in your life. The things I have done, or seen people do...you could say I've met many 'Galluses" in my life." She chuckled. It seemed like she was thinking about a story to share, but when her gaze moved to Ahnasha and Fendros, she hesitated. An uncertain expression came over her face, followed quickly by what almost looked like annoyance.

"But...I really shouldn't share. It would be evening by the time I got through them all." She said, dismissing the topic.

After the weeks of travel, Ahnasha had picked up on Irenya's seeming distaste for herself and Fendros. This was just another, admittedly small incident, but Ahnasha had grown increasingly tired of it. She of course assumed the issue to be bigotry. Irenya did not seem to act any differently towards Tzirret than the rest of her pack, but that did not stop Ahnasha from making that guess. Ahnasha could have ignored it, and for a while she had, but these incidents were quickly getting on her nerves. This time, Ahnasha's fiery spirit was going to get the best of her.

"Really, why not?" Ahnasha asked, her tone distinctly confrontational.

"Excuse me?" Irenya answered in a shocked voice.

Ahnasha crossed her arms. "Well, I notice you were looking right at me when you suddenly excused yourself from our conversation. Why is that, Irenya?"

Irenya's expression became quickly offended, though also partially nervous. "Why...I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ahnasha shook her head. "No, I don't think that's true. From the moment we've met, you've been keeping your distance from us. Leaving conversations when we show up, hardly talking to us unless you absolutely have to. Me, Fendros, even Meesei. Isn't that right?" She said, her head turning to Fendros beside her.

---

Peiter shook his head, pausing a moment in his response as he observed the fire breather. For as much respect as he had for mages, he had never even attempted to learn it himself. "No, I haven't. I just...I don't know. I don't think I would be able to do it. It just seems so...I don't even know the word for it. Hard isn't really what I'm trying to say, though I have no doubt it isn't easy. I guess...unapproachable is the word. I know we Bretons are supposed to have an affinity for that sort of thing, but I've always just felt more comfortable with a weapon in my hand. It's something I can easily understand and...that makes me sound like a complete barbarian, doesn't it?"

With a slight chuckle, Peiter rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just wasn't raised around magic. No one in my family used it, but I saw soldiers all the time in Chorrol. I used to enjoy watching them train and spar with each other in the castle courtyard. It was exciting. Of course, now that I've actually went through the training myself, it just seems routine, like work. Is it the same for you with magic? Since you've been learning how to use magic, is it still exciting to you? Does it still have that mystery about it?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei did feel slightly guilty, as she had not been entirely honest. There were a select few stories she might have shared fitting with the current conversation, but she had the sense that Gallus' pack, or rather, Irenya specifically, did not have complete respect for her. As such, she was still being careful about how she presented herself. Those were stories for a later time.

As for Gallus' confession, Meesei felt that his personal life was not her business. Entertaining to laugh at, certainly, but how he dealt with the matter would be his alone. "Well, I hope you learn what you need during this excursion. I cannot tell you what you find important.

"Hmph, even I haven't done that before." Lorag huffed. "'Course, I've never really been the 'relationship' kind of Orc. Don't have a family, don't need one, don't want one. I don't want anyone but all of you. Guess you could say I'm like Janius used to be for that, 'cept I made sure the women knew from the start what I didn't want. There was one Orc girl in Cheydinhall I spent a lot of, uh, quality time with. Her parents were soft. Shopkeepers, didn't want their little girl gettin' into trouble, but she wanted an Orc's life. Her parents said I was a 'bad influence,' or somethin' stupid like that." Lorag paused a moment as he began to laugh. "I remember...I remember her father decided to 'confront' me once. Walked up to me and punched me square in the jaw. I just stood there, didn't move a muscle, and growled at him. I'll say, an Orc should never run away as fast as that one did from me. She ended up joining the Fighter's Guild; got killed by some bandits a year later, though. Pity, nice girl."

Lorag was interrupted when the waitress returned with their orders, though he quickly picked back up once she left. He leaned back in his chair with a grin as he reminisced. "There was another one in the Legion, also an Orc. She was a career soldier like me. There were rules against that sort of thing between soldiers, but we...couldn't've cared less. Heh, we just had to get good at hidin'. Runnin' naked through the streets in the Imperial City is nice and everything, but I want you to try runnin' naked through the woods, in Skyrim, in winter. Just tryin' not to get frostbite where you really don't want it. That, was a challenge. She got killed by that werewolf though. A shame. Let's see, there was also Harriet when I first got to the clan, but she...or, well, I guess she didn't die. Hmph."

---

Peiter did not think he would find a mage impressive, given that he worked regularly with magic-users, but in this case, he did suppose this fire breather brought something unique to the table. Creating fire was nothing special, but to mold and manipulate it with such artistic precision was nothing short of an amazing sight.

Walking up alongside Sabine, Peiter gave her a pat on the back. "You think you could ever do anything like that? I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous of mages. To just conjure up fire and lightning with only your thoughts...I can hardly even imagine it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"You could say that." Ahnasha answered to Rhazii, intent on dismissing the question quickly. Their conversation had been in vague enough terms to avoid saying anything they would not want the children understanding. None of them had drank nearly enough to make them forget about that.

Meesei leaned forward onto the table and grinned at Gallus. "Careful, Gallus. If we are going around the table for stories, then we will land on you soon enough." She commented, having been more than observant enough to notice his unease.

Regardless, Meesei decided to give an answer. "I would say I have lived an exciting life, but if you want me to share some embarrassing romantic blunder, I am sorry to say that I must disappoint you. I've hunted dangerous beasts, taken great risks to save fellow members of my tribe, explored the depths of Ayleid ruins, but for romance? My life has been rather mundane in that regard. I was the future Treeminder of our tribe, so I had few friends. There were a few who I formed relationships with, with varying degrees of success or failure. The first was a hunter, but he was not that caring and I lost interest. Another was a mage like me, and we got along much better. I might have even loved him, but with my magical studies, I could not give him the attention he needed. One was a farmer who cared deeply about me. I certainly liked her and was happy with her, but she wanted to be my wife, and that was...more than I wanted then." Meesei explained casually, though she had certainly never shared that detail about her past.

"I doubt there are any stories among them you would find particularly entertaining. I never fought them, or ran around the village with their loincloths on my head." Meesei continued, chuckling at Janius. "I shall have plenty to say when the topic shifts to killing ancient Ayleid liches, however. Now, I am curious, what stories does Gallus have to share?"

---

"Thorn, I think I remember reading about that place." Peiter commented. "The call it the 'Jewel of the East,' right? Or...was that Tear? I think they're both known for being beautiful. I can only imagine what they look like, if they are better than this."

"Although..." Peiter began as his eyes turned from the buildings around them, to the streets along which they were walking. For as beautiful as the architecture was, and as vibrant the styles of its people, it was all juxtaposed against the decay of its less-than-reputable inhabitants. There were no shortage of shady characters around them, gathered in groups at street corners, or conducting deals in the darkened alleys. There were homeless begging on the streets, and skooma addicts laying unconscious against some of the abandoned buildings. Or at least, he hoped they were merely unconscious. "I can see why this place isn't considered the...most beautiful place in Tamriel."

Reaching the market, the trio found just what Peiter had hoped. Along the outer edges of the large, open outdoor market in the center of the district, there were indeed performers, and not just acrobats. Just from where he was standing, Peiter could see jugglers, mages, musicians, painters, animal tamers, and of course acrobats. "So...where do we start?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Good evening.

I'm going to go take a shower real quick, be right back.