EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Both Ahnasha and Irenya were almost entirely silent as they searched for an appropriate place to hold this conversation. Privacy was not possible, but they were able to find a table that was reasonably out of the way. As they began, Ahnasha's expression told immediately of her displeasure with Gallus' continued and obvious neutrality in the matter. Meanwhile, Irenya seemed to take objection with the suggestion of explaining to Fendros and Ahnasha what they had spoken of before.

"Alpha, I do not think sharing those 'concerns' would be the best idea." Irenya protested. However, Ahnasha leaned forward on the table and looked at her intently.

"I think it would be." Ahnasha commented.

Irenya gave a sigh. "Look...it is a matter of tradition. Dunmer traditions. I am sure that Fendros already understands where I am coming from." She answered.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Goodnight

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha gave a nod. "Is that so? Depending on how this goes, I might need some stress relief. I'm hoping everything will stay civil, but I'm not going to tolerate any unwarranted disrespect from her. It's mostly Fendros she has the problem with, unfortunately, so I might not be able to help all that much. I'll do what I can, though."

Kneeling down next to Rhazii and Newt, Ahnasha put on as convincing of a smile as she could. "Alright Rhazii, Janius is going to watch you and Newt for a while. Remember, don't bother any of the strangers on the ship, and don't jump on Newt anymore, got it? Now go have fun."

Irenya gave a long sigh and closed her eyes. "Very well." She responded simply as she continued her meal. La'khay and Do'ajee looked at each other with some confusion for a moment before La'khay spoke up.

"Um, what's this about?" La'khay asked, but Irenya did not so much as acknowledge the question. Irenya did not have much more of her meal remaining, so it only took a minute or so before she was finished, even as she thought about what to say in this dreaded conversation. Once she had eaten, Irenya continued to say nothing, and instead simply looked to Gallus, expecting him to lead the way.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha had a few minutes to calm down before Fendros made his way down to the bottom deck. She watched the children continue to play, blissfully unaware of troubles around them. Or, perhaps they did notice, and simply preferred to focus on their own amusements. Either way, Ahnasha much preferred to keep them away from the conversation to come. When Fendros approached, she let out a sigh. "Gallus thinks its time for us to talk with Irenya. Or, well, he wanted me to talk with Irenya, and I decided to bring you in on it too. Please, no need to thank me." She said with a slight grin, trying to keep her mood as light as possible.

Shortly after Fendros arrived, Janius made his way to them upon Gallus' request. Ahnasha gave him a slight wave as he walked towards them and decided to give an explanation before he had to ask. "Ah, there you are, Janius. Do you think you and Kaleeth could watch the children for a while. Fendros and I are going to have a chat...with Irenya."

Irenya was in the mess, eating her lunch at one of the tables and having idle conversation with two of the pride, Do'ajee and La'khay. When Gallus approached, she moved over and motioned for him to take a seat. "I am as fine as I can be, I suppose. I have never much enjoyed sea travel, honestly. It is a blessing that this journey will only be a few days."

"La'khay agrees. The constant rocking of the ship is unsettling, and it is difficult to find...privacy. This one learned that there are two storage rooms near the stern on this deck that the crew never visit, if you ever have...need of them." La'khay added.

Do'ajee groaned. "You would know that."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha huffed. "What I would want out of her? I could tell you plenty of things that I would want out of her, but I think most of those would only occur in the realms of fantasy. But what I would expect from someone willing to cooperate is proper respect. I would want her to agree to treat myself and Fendros just as everyone else. I expect her to no longer avoid us in the so painfully obvious way she does now. She should be willing to speak to us when it is appropriate, not just when absolutely necessary. Basically, I want her to stop treating us like a plague to be avoided, if that makes sense. It would be nice if she would acknowledge that Fendros and myself have the right to live our lives however we please, but I know if she said that, it would probably just be a lie."

Ahnasha stood up to stretch her legs. Her entire body seemed to become tense the more she thought about Irenya. "If you really want to do this, make sure to go get Fendros, and find Kaleeth or Janius to see if they'll watch the children."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha seemed unimpressed with Gallus' answer. She did not exactly give him an angry glare, but her gaze certainly was not an approving one. She sighed and thought for a moment about how to handle him. "Yes...I think there is. I think what I want you to do is to figure out where you actually stand in all of this. You're not going to be able to just stand back and give...political answers to both of us to stay out of it. You're going to have to take a stand at some point. Honestly, I don't think you really understand where I'm coming from. If you did, there wouldn't even be a hint of neutrality in your words. You haven't experienced the same things I have; you aren't of a people who have been the victims of this sort of hatred for more years than you could count. It might not stay that way, though. We're in the Dominion now, Gallus. I'm curious how many times it will take of you running across a Thalmor, or one of their sympathizers. How many times will you have to be berated by someone proclaiming how men exist to serve elves and all that nonsense before you're willing to take a stand? So yes, what I want you to do is to take some time and really think about who you are, because you're going to have to decide on that very soon, I'll wager."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha leaned back in her hammock with her arms crossed and her expression firm. Irenya's problem did not seem to be too different from what she had expected. While it was not the worst example she had seen, it still offended her. Nevertheless, she did not expect to just be able to change the mind of someone like Irenya. "I can tell you that, in combat, my one and only concern in killing my enemy while protecting my allies. I can tell you that completing this task for Hircine comes before any thoughts I might have on Irenya. But, I am not going to tolerate any displays of bigotry. If she treats myself, Fendros, and my son just as she does everyone else, then there will not be a problem. If she gives Meesei the respect she deserves, then there will not be a problem. But let me be clear that 'treating us the same' does not mean leaving every time I approach. It does not mean avoiding me unless she absolutely has to. She does not have to like me, but I expect to be treated with respect. I expect her to be willing to talk to me, politely. If she can do that, then there will be no more arguments among us." Ahnasha explained.

Leaning forward once more, Ahnasha's expression became curious. "And, if I may ask, Gallus, what is your perspective on this whole situation?"

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

My semester is finally over, which is nice. I'd like to check and see where everyone is for this, though. I'm assuming at this time of year that many of you are busy.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth smiled, more slowly and cautiously this time. "Hopefully so. They lost a lot of bets on me, but they know I can fight now. I'm going to need to rest for a while, though. I'm sure we can find other ways to pass the time, though. Maybe I can convince Ra'kalesh to teach me something?" She commented.

Once back at her hammock, Kaleeth went ahead and undressed herself before laying down. No one from the crew was yet to actually come down to the bottom deck, so it did not seem as if it would matter. Now that she had a chance to look herself over, she could see that she had taken more hits than she thought. Obviously, she had cuts and bruises spread across her head and torso. Both her knees and elbows had a few scrapes, and the back of her forearm was particularly bruised. She knew she had been hit a few times on her back, and assumed it was bruised as well. Regardless, she let out a relieved sigh once she was finally able to lay down. "Do you think you could get Meesei or Irenya? I will be fine, but it would be nice not to be so sore."

Ahnasha let out a sigh, not sure how much she should say. Irenya was a member of Gallus' pack, and likely a friend, but she decided not to hold back. "I think I've had to deal with bigots before. Dunmer, Altmer, Argonian, doesn't really matter what they are. They all share that same attitude. Irenya is...different somehow. There is something unusual about her, but she's not far off from what I've seen before. I think that I'm willing to get along with just about anyone, as long as they're willing to get along with me. But if they're not, then I'm not just going to sit and take it. Especially if it's coming from my own allies."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth groaned. Her nose was bleeding, and she had bruises all over. Not to mention, she was as sore as one would expect for someone who had been through three consecutive fist fights. "I...might regret this later, but I still don't right now. It was satisfying to the other part of me, I think it beat the frustration out of it." She said with a smile, which quickly diminished once she realized the act of smiling caused her pain. "I think I want to go lay down, though. Maybe Meesei or Irenya could look at me, ease the soreness. Could you help me to my hammock?"

Peiter smiled. "Okay." He answered. "It's not private, but it's a bit out of the way, kind of."

It was a joint effort for the pair to get to their feet and walk over to their hammock, and an even greater challenge for them both to balance themselves in it without tipping it over. After at least five solid minutes worth of attempts, however, they both managed to lay down together within the hammock. He wrapped his arms around her as usual, but after giving another glance around the room, he hazarded another kiss.

Ahnasha raised her brow at Gallus and looked briefly around the room for a moment before leaning in closer to him. "Yeah, I can talk, but I do need to keep an eye on Rhazii and Newt, so keep that in mind. What is it about? Has Irenya said something?" She asked curiously, but in a rather serious tone. Given what had happened between them before, Ahnasha did not expect that anything involving her and Irenya specifically could be good.