EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could not help but to give an odd expression to match Sabine's equally odd question. It was certainly not what she had expected her to say, but at the very least, it seemed to confirm the suspicion she had developed when she saw Sabine in this state.

"Sabine, I am not entirely sure how to answer that question. To simply stop myself from liking another is not something I have done, nor have ever really wanted to do. However, it does lead to the question: why do you want to stop liking this person?" Meesei asked. Provided she was correct in her assumptions, she did not intent to simply tell Sabine what choices to make, but she could attempt to make her mind more clear for her own decision.

Peiter's unintentionally widened his eyes in shock for a moment before he was able to reign in his reaction. Briefly, he wondered if whatever Tzirret had been drinking had somehow given him clairvoyance. Or mind reading. He could not have been that obvious over the past few days, could he have? Even with a moment to pause, Peiter could not think of a great response before speaking up. "Um, what...are you talking about? Confess? I...haven't done anything wrong, not to her. What could I possibly have to confess?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once the conversation in the center of camp began to die down, Irenya began work in pulling members of the pride aside and giving them detailed examinations to heal whatever issues she might find. The pride's captors had kept them well-healed so they could torture them for longer, and more effectively. However, they may not have dealt with some lingering issues that such frequent trauma might cause. Meesei intended to help in that task after a while, once she was sure that her own wound would require no more attention from her. She intended to request that Sabine brew a weaker, but long-lasting potion for her. Once Meesei sought her out, however, she found her near the edge of camp with her alchemical supplies, in tears.

Approaching from out of Sabine's sight, Meesei sat down beside her. She did not have the context of what was troubling her, though given a few of the events she had noticed over the past few days, she did have some idea of the possibilities. When she finally spoke up, she did so softly, showing her obvious concern. "Sabine, do you wish to talk about it?"

Peiter, at first, attempted to ignore Tzirret. He was obviously intoxicated, and while that would normally be the perfect opportunity for any number of jokes, Peiter was in no mood to even attempt them. All he wanted at the moment was to be alone and try to figure out what it was that he had done wrong. However, it seemed like Tzirret was not going to make that easy. Instead of leaving after he finished, as Peiter had hoped, Tzirret stumbled right up to him, then onto the ground shortly afterwards. Tzirret, it seemed, was not going anywhere on his own.

Peiter let out a sigh as he ran his hand across his face. Although he was annoyed, he could not help but to give a brief chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation. Even so, he was not about to discuss his personal issues with an intoxicated Khajiit. Although, there was the possibility that he wouldn't even remember them, if he just wanted to vent. Rolling his eyes, Peiter reached out and brushed the leaf off of his friend's head. "Tzirret, you are drunk. I think what you need is to lay down and rest. And you're lucky that...well, you're just lucky you're in this state today, and not when we were on the ship."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, I'll let you skip to the point you want, if you wish.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Although, I am nearly out of time tonight. I need to get to bed early for a final tomorrow.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, we can move on when you like. We could do the hunt, if you have anything in mind for it. Otherwise, we could just go to the ship.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

La'khay began to laugh with Uthri's question. "You'll get different answers on that depending on who you ask. Traditional Khajiit will tell you that moon sugar is crystallized moonlight. They would say it is a part of the eternal souls of the divines, brought to the sugarcane by the waters of the Topal sea. La'khay is not a traditional Khajiit. She believes it is just the product of a plant; a wonderful product, granted. The sugar comes from canes, and is the most popular crop in Pelletine. Torval has fields of it right outside the palace of the Mane."

Do'ajee seemed to be annoyed with La'khay's answer. "You are very quick to dismiss our people's traditions, La'khay."

La'khay started to shake her head. "No no, you see, this one cannot dismiss those traditions if she never held them. La'khay is a practical woman, with practical beliefs. She does not let people tell her what to think. Many have tried to shame this one for her beliefs, and what she has done in her life, but La'khay is proud of who she is."

Do'ajee rolled her eyes. "Yes, you've said that before. This one thinks you're just stubborn. Being proud of your beliefs does not make them right."

"Doesn't make them wrong either." La'khay retorted.

While those outside the pride would not know what to think of the exchange, Colors just started to chuckle. "Don't make these two get philosophical, or you'll be listening to it all night."

Kaleeth was not actually listening to the conversation at this point. She was simply leaned against Janius with her eyes closed, smiling. With the array of sensations flowing through her body, she felt at ease, even if she had been forced to pass on the bottle once more. She let out a low, satisfied hum and opened her eyes. Seeing Janius, she kissed him on the cheek, then tightened her hold on him.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Most of the pride shook their heads in response to Tzirret. Only Colors gave a nod. "Yes, I've docked in both Anvil and Leyawiin before many times. They're common stops for anyone who sails in the south. One time, I had business that took me all the way up to Bravil, but I didn't stay too long there. The entire place smelled like day-old fish left out in the sun...so a mild improvement over the Senchal docks. Regardless, as long as I have good drinks, good friends, and beautiful women, it doesn't matter to me where I go. Though I have to admit, Pelletine has grown on me. It is nice and warm, and there's easy access to all the moon sugar you can buy, along with the occasional bottle of skooma."

La'khay started to shake her head in disappointment. "This one still says you should stay away from that corruption of our sugar, Colors. She has seen what it can do to the mind. In one of the other brothels, in the center of Senchal, they forced their girls to drink it to addict them, and to keep them under their control. They didn't have to keep them around by force, because if they left, they would come crawling back within a few days."

"Oh, be calm. I know what I'm doing. Besides, I hardly have the gold to keep myself supplied, even if I did get that problem." He responded.

When the bottle of wine finally came back around to Kaleeth, she took another drink. The talk of addiction did concern her, but by the way the others were talking, it seemed like skooma was the one that was really harmful. No one else seemed to be having any problem with the moon sugar.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

At first, Kaleeth was worried when Janius told her about the moon sugar dissolved in the drink, but the fact that he did not seem too concerned did serve to calm her fears. "Oh, okay." She responded, trying to focus back on the conversation. Although, after a moment, she put her arm around Janius and pulled herself close to him. Smiling, she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. Her eyes shifted over to the second bottle of the wine, which was also making its rounds.

"Are you...sure I have to hold off on the wine? It does feel rather...good." She commented.

Ra'kalesh shook his head. "No, this one's pride was among those who stayed with the clan for defense instead of chasing. It saved us from being killed with most of the rest of the defenders, but we were captured while covering the escape of the rest. We ended up cut off from our escape, and knew that our only hope was to surrender and wait for rescue. We are glad it finally came."

Letting out a sigh, Ra'kalesh continued before anyone else could speak. "But, let's avoid revisiting all of that. It is this one's fault for bringing it up. Tzirret, how are you liking it here in Pelletine? Is it everything you expected?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Ra'kalesh doubts it is too different from your clan, other than the obvious." He answered to Janius. "The biggest difference is probably that we are a more varied mix of lycans. Most of us are werelions, but we also have werewolves, and some werevultures from Valenwood. We have modified our leadership structure to be in line with the Champion's recommendations over the past few years, but it was never too different to begin with. Our stronghold was an expansive, almost city-like collection of structures in the treetops. It was well-hidden, and well-defended against most types of attacks. Our enchanters were even able to provide protections against fires. We never expected the gas they used, though. Strategically, their attack was inspired, if...cold and calculated. They fought hard to gain a foothold in the treetops, and lost nearly a third of their force in the process. Then, we counterattacked and pushed them back. We drove them to the forest floor, and they started to retreat. Then, we gave chase, hoping to break them entirely. In our lycan forms, they would not stand a chance of outrunning us, which was exactly what they expected. With most of us in our lycan forms, they used the gas, then turned back around and slaughtered most of our defenders while we were defenseless. From there, the rest of our clan started an evacuation, but as this one mentioned before, most did not escape."

By this point, the bottle of wine had made it back to Kaleeth, but she was staring to feel strange, to put it mildly. There was an odd euphoria building through her body the likes of which she had never felt before. The closest she could think of was the effects of Hist Sap, but this was distinctly different. After another drink, she leaned in towards Janius beside her. "Love, I think I feel...strange."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

After Sabine's answer, Peiter was silent. He made no attempt to speak to her, nor follow her. He made no attempt to speak to anyone. The only thing he could will himself to do was to find a spot in camp, away from the others, to sit in isolation. To anyone watching him, his expression would seem almost entirely blank and devoid of emotion. Internally, his mind was incredibly confused, but he was not about to ask anyone for help.

Jo'rashaad shrugged his shoulders. "This one will study whatever he can, especially if it is not a well-known topic. It just happens that Jo'rashaad now has access to many willing lycan subjects, himself included. Most scholars who are not lycan will never even see a living lycanthrope, much less be able to carry out extended experiments."

Ciinriel's mood was better than before, certainly, though she still seemed quiet. She did not mind being lighthearted, or even joking, but she was having a hard time initiating conversations with others. As she started with her introduction, her mood seemed to be normal, at least. "Yes, I'm Ciinriel. Honestly, I hardly even remember the day I joined the clan, which was the day I was turned. Father says I was the survivor of a caravan coming from Valenwood, but I don't remember too much before that. I was so young, and it was so long ago. In Valenwood, I remember living in a massive, magnificent tree that stretched high above the forest floor. I know there are cities in Vanlenwood that are built in and around such trees, but I don't remember which one."