EliteCommander

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Alright. I'll do so in the morning.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter had ample time to calm down before Sabine returned, at which point he stood up and gladly took the clothes she had brought. He dressed himself, then stood up and started moving around. Fortunately, all of the pain had passed, so he could continue the jog without issue, and, despite what happened, he still desired to do so. "I suppose I do. Though, I still think you'll be tired long before me." He grinned before starting his jog once again at a brisk pace.

---

Just as with every other day of the search, the groups started returning in the evening, within a few hours of sundown. However, this time they were greeted by far better news than any other day since the search began. Each time a group returned, they received an abbreviated account of what happened, and for the most part, they were just relieved that the search was over.

Meesei, Janius, and Ra'kalesh were one of the final groups to return. Ahnasha's group was still away, but it would likely not be long until they returned as well. The heads of each of Vilana's pack turned to the Champion as she stepped into the camp. A few stared at her as if they had been approached by royalty, while others turned and whispered to one another. Meesei did not give much of an outward reaction at seeing the new pride, except for a slight smile. "May I assume that our new guests are representative of some good news in our search?" Meesei asked.

Lorag was the first to respond with a short grunt. "Yeah, weeks of searchin' through this gods forsaken forest, and the only ones of us who ended up findin' anything were the ones stayin' back at camp. Just wonderful."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think I'll do a quick skip to the point where everyone is returning. I'll be going to bed afterwards, though.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Alright, thank you." Peiter commented as Sabine stepped away. Deciding it best not to continue the line of conversation, he sat himself down against a tree and leaned his head back against it. He let out a long, deep sigh and closed his eyes. Given all that had transpired, he was glad that Sabine was as calm and understanding as she was about such matters. He reasoned that it came with being a healer, since she had to be intimately familiar with even the most unpleasant aspects of the body in order to be effective. He was also particularly glad that she was indeed a healer, since those thorns had been very, very painful.

Vilana thought back briefly, though it was not long before she gave up on counting. "Decades, definitely. I don't know exactly how long, but it has probably been most of his adult life by this point. He is seventy or eighty years of age by now. I know many leaders would have stepped down by this point, but his mind has held strong. Technically, anyone of sufficient rank could challenge him for his position. Any of them would easily win, but I don't know of any that would be willing to do that. It would almost be unthinkable. Honestly, he's probably one of the only ones that places any blame on him for the attack. He did nothing wrong, and I don't think anyone else would have done any better."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Closing his eyes, Peiter sighed as he turned around. He hung his head in shame, though not precisely for the obvious reasons. He put his hands on her shoulders as well, then finally made eye contact. "I know, it's just...I'm sorry. I try to hide it but...I know the things you want to do, and the things you don't want to do. You have to believe me when I say that I don't want to push you any farther than you would want to go on your own. I try to push away those thoughts, but...you're just so beautiful, and kind, and caring. I can't help but to want to get close to you, and when we get close...my body just wants to go farther than I know you do. I just don't want you to think that I'm upset, or trying to rush you. I...admit that I've wanted it, but I care more about what you want." He explained.

Uthri's description of each of Meesei's pack was a bit fast for her to fully take in everything, but she was able to get an overview. However, the mention of Ra'kalesh did spark a memory within her mind. "Ra'kalesh...now that's a name I recognize. I know he was a high-ranking member of the clan, but I didn't know who was in his pride. I especially didn't know that slimy Argonian was in it. Regardless, I remember him being fairly well respected. A...monk, if I'm remembering correctly. Ri'nakhad will be glad to have him back, I imagine. Really, he would be glad to have anyone back. The attack...it really hit him hard. The clan has been his life; he feels responsible for his people. I think he might blame himself for losing so many."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Throughout the whole ordeal, Peiter did what he could to keep his mind empty, but it was something he simply could not do. Knowing what was happening was enough to give him thoughts he didn't want at the moment. Her healing was good enough to keep him out of pain, at the least, but that also meant that there was less to distract. "Yeah, probably. It does feel nice running without them in this heat, but it's definitely, definitely not worth it."

Sabine was able to remove the thorns and heal the superficial cuts, but unfortunately, Peiter was starting to face a problem of a different nature. As soon as he could, he stood up and faced away from Sabine before it got worse. He stared off at seemingly nothing in the forest as his heart started racing. With more time to think, he might have faced towards the camp and started leading the way back, but currently, he was facing the wrong direction for that. He gave no explanation for why he suddenly jumped up and turned away, but he had appeared rather nervous beforehand.

Vilana put on a frown as well as she thought back to that particularly unfortunate part of her past. "Well, I never knew any of his pack, or cared to ask who they were. Honestly, I never wanted to see his face again. If he has an arrangement like that with someone...then honestly, it doesn't surprise me in the least. I prefer something more intimate, honestly."

Turning her head to S'ajira, Vilana's expression became a bit more positive. "Well, this...Colors not withstanding, I do look forward to meeting the rest of you all. You are the first real outside contact we've had since the attack."

S'ajira lifted her head up towards the pair and nodded, then stretched out her muscles in a relaxed fashion to demonstrate that she had taken no offense. She knew not only that Vilana's criticisms of Colers were valid, but that she was far from the first woman to make them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Well, the house has a leak in the wall. Luckily, it's a simple leak where the water is going straight through a hole to the inside, and not lingering in the wall or anything. It just needs some more sealant on the outside. My car has a leak on the windows that we can't seem to seal, and my mother's car has a link presumably straight out of another dimension, because we can't find a source.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Heal me? But...that would mean you would have...to..." Peiter began, his eyes widening as a wave of nervousness came over him. It wasn't embarrassment that made him nervous, as he felt very comfortable with Sabine. Rather, it was the other...thoughts that this sort of healing would inspire that he wanted to avoid. "Oh, that's...I'll probably be fine, I just need to...owww." He said before being interrupted by a sharp pain once he attempted to move. He cringed, then rolled onto his back as he looked up to Sabine with his scrunched-up face. He continued, though in a slightly higher-pitched voice.

"Okay, okay. Healing would be...nice. Very nice." Peiter moved his hands and looked down, only to lay his head back and cringe once more. "That's really not where I wanted thorns to be. Why am I an idiot?"

At first, Vilana laughed, thinking that Uthri's surprisingly-accurate impression was simply an educated guess. But, as soon as she realized that the impression was inspired by someone Uthri had actually met, her expression soured. "I do not remember the name of that snake, but I pray to Hircine that this 'Sees-no-Colors' is not the same one. If it is, then mark my words, the moment I see him, I'm going to slap his snout straight to the twin moons. He thinks himself so charming and charismatic, but I guarantee he would never charm anyone without a gallon of alcohol to move things along. You know who I pity? Any woman who would actually fall for him while sober. They would have to have a pretty empty head, and that's just unfortunate."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Well, it's good you could fix it without issue. Was it water that caused the damage? Water is the bane of my existence right now both in the house and both cars.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

What kind of damage did it have?