EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I do not doubt that it will be a risk." Meesei commented. She leaned forward with her hands clasped together similarly to Gallus. "The largest question will be if the risk is less than the other options we have. It is not on a whim that I am suggesting to move everyone. If I could keep them here without any unnecessary danger, I would choose that option without hesitation. But, in order to successfully attack the enemy stronghold, we will need a significant force from both this clan, and the Orcrest clan. If we just moved the warriors north, it would be easier, but we would then be leaving this clan almost defenseless. If they were attacked at that point, they would surely be wiped out. But, if we do not take those forces with us to Orcrest, then we run the risk of not having a strong enough force to capture the stronghold. Or, even if we did, we may end up with far more casualties than I would ever find acceptable. A solution to both of those issues would be to bring everyone, so that the Orcrest clan could provide protection to the non-combatants, but we would still have the forces to assault the enemy stronghold. But, I would only suggest doing that if what we risk losing in the journey is less than the risk of the alternatives. For that, I suppose we will have to wait until we can speak to one experienced in the desert. If it is not too much trouble, I would like for you to find Do'ajee tomorrow morning. Ask her who would be the most knowledgeable person in the clan on such matters, and bring that person to the meeting."

Instead of running his hands through her hair, Peiter started to gently rub the back of Sabine's head as he press his forehead against hers. "Well, I look forward to seeing what you try. I'm sure I will love it. Just don't think you have to try to impress me or anything. Though, it does make me wonder what I might do for you? You've never really said what about me you find attractive, or unattractive."

With a grin, Peiter let go of Sabine, then quickly stood up a short distance from the bed. With his hands on his hips and his muscles flexed, he took a pose as if he were showing off, or posing for a painting. Although, his overall attitude was more lighthearted and joking than actually vain. "If you were to change anything about me, what would it be?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Since Gallus was already unpacking his bedroll, Meesei decided to take the bed. She undressed, packed everything into her bags, then pushed them under the bed. She took a seat on top of the bed in a meditative position as she listened to his input on the matter of moving the clan. "Yes, the desert is one of my major concerns. Running into Vile's scouts is also a concern, but I do have a few ideas in mind to mitigate that risk. We could travel with scouts forming a perimeter around the clan to detect, and hopefully eliminate, any of Vile's patrols that may find us. That would also mean they would run into the scouts instead of the bulk of the clan, so the fact that the clan is moving would hopefully remain unknown to them, even if any of them escape. Beyond that, we would only need a sufficiently windy day to, quite literally, cover our tracks once we're in the desert. But, as you said, the desert presents its own problems. Neither of us have even seen a desert before, and perhaps, we should not be the ones planning how to cross it. The word 'Khajiit' means desert-walker; their heritage originates from the sands of Anequina. You recall Do'ajee, yes? She is the warrior who was originally from one of the desert tribes. From what I understand, those tribes can be at least as large as what remains of the clan, and they live their entire lives in the desert. It is doubtful that Do'ajee is the only one who is from the desert, so there may be guides already among us who can help us to cross just as those tribes do."

Peiter too wrapped his arms around Sabine, smiling as he hugged her tightly and planted a quick kiss on her lips once she was finished speaking. "Agreed, though we may want to be careful about getting in the river." He said with a chuckle. "Knowing our luck, we'll be ambushed by bandits the moment we put our feet in the water. It does seem like that's what happens every time we get in the water together, doesn't it?" He joked. "But, yeah, I'll definitely appreciate the chance to finally cool off. Although..."

Peiter reached up and ran his hand through Sabine's hair. "I've never known you as one who cared too much about her appearance. You don't need anything to make you beautiful, in my completely unbiased opinion. Why the change?" He asked curiously.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Goodnight. I will attempt to make another post before going to bed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ra'kalesh smiled and patted Tzirret on the shoulder. "Well, Ra'kalesh supposes that he cannot say that his pride would deny such an offer, but really, you do not need to worry about it. You have already done so much for this one's pride, you deserve a good night's rest."

"Agreed. We will have a better idea of what kind of position the clan is truly in once we have the input of Ri'nakhad and his council." Meesei responded. Shortly afterwards, they continued with the tour of the outpost. Although, other than the meeting hall and the storerooms, there was not too much of note in the outpost above. Most of the structures were being used as living quarters. The clan had two infirmaries, one down in the camp, and another in the trees, which they were shown. Since Sabine had asked for alchemical supplies, the assistant also pointed out the quarters of the clan's alchemist, in case she needed to speak with him later. From there, they headed back down to the camp below. Just like up above, they were shown the other infirmary, then the fire pits where the clan's chefs could prepare meals if they preferred something cooked. It was not necessary, but, as the assistant explained, had been helpful in keeping up the clan's morale. Lastly, she showed them to the river, then to the latrines just beyond before taking them back up into the outpost above.

As they had promised, the clan members who had volunteered their rooms were waiting outside them when the group returned. There were six rooms total, though not all were next to one another. Only two were actually in the same building. The rest were in separate structures, while one was rather far removed from the rest. In any case, they were all large enough for two or three adults, even if the beds were not quite designed for it.

When members of the group started selecting their rooms, Meesei, interestingly enough, entered a room with Gallus. It was in the building that also had another room for their use, and was comfortable, if small. There was a small table with a single chair, along with a single bed. Much of the furniture and other adornments seemed rather small, suggesting it was possibly the Dagi-raht's room. Fortunately, the bed was large enough to accommodate one of them comfortably, though the pillow was small. She found a place to put down her belongings and waited for the others outside to move away from the door before speaking up. "If you still have the energy, I would like to speak to you in confidence. I do not wish members of the clan to hear until we have a solid plan, but how possible do you think it would be to move the entire clan? Assuming there are enough food stores to make such a journey feasible. It is not a suggestion I want to make lightly, nor without a plan."

Naturally, Peiter decided to select the same room as Sabine, just as he had been doing since they became a couple. He took in a deep breath as they entered the room. It was a minimalistic living space, overall, but far more than they had been used to over the past few weeks. There were two small tables on either side of the room, though only one chair between them, for whatever reason. There was a dresser on the far side of the room, but Peiter preferred to avoid going through the belongings of the room's owner. It had a single bed, though it was not necessarily designed for two people. Of course, neither had the hammock back on the ship.

Peiter found an empty spot on the floor to start placing down his bags, and to carefully lay down his halberd so it would be out of the way. He undressed himself and packed the clothing away neatly into his bags, then laid back on the bed with his feet hanging off the side. "This is...actually kind of nice, isn't it? It's going to be a lot better than sleeping in the mud and dirt."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With Gallus' comment, Meesei looked around at the structures around them as well. "Being so high off the ground, the structures themselves would be hard to get to. And, the trees are thick enough that they would take some time to cut down. I recall it mentioned that the clan's former base had enchantments to protect against fire, but since these storerooms carry water, I can only assume that this outpost does not have such enchantments. That could prove to be a problem in the event of an attack. There are a lot of branches and leaves obscuring the camp from the ground, but the presence of the camp would prevent any sort of secrecy if the enemy happened across it. Isolation seems to be what has kept them safe. It is quite a long walk to reach anything of importance from here. Regardless, I would like to make sure the clan's people remain safe. It may be necessary to move everyone."

Ra'kalesh raised his brow at Tzirret. "This one's pride? Well, they are all certainly down at the camp right now, at the moment. Ra'kalesh would imagine they are with the rest of those who are still awake to catch up on lost time. As for where we will sleep, if there are any open tents, we will probably take those. Otherwise, we will just set up our bedrolls close to the other tents. Why do you ask? If you are feeling guilty about having a proper room, please do not. We would much rather be with our clan than in private rooms, especially after all this time."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Any of you can use our rooms. Champion's pack or not, we're grateful you're here. There are six of them, so you will need to share, but it shouldn't be too crowded." The Dagi-raht answered.

Ra'kalesh looked to Uthri and spoke with a reassuring tone. "You need not worry about this one's pride. They are all likely to be down in the camp, catching up with those we have not seen since the attack. This one desires the same, honestly. Your packs may have the rooms."

"In that case, we will accept." Meesei continued. "Thank you, and may you find Hircine's favor in the days ahead."

The assistant stepped forward and nervously waited until everyone was finished speaking before saying anything himself. "Alright, just...wait near your rooms. This one needs to take the Champion's pack on a quick tour of the outpost. We should not be long."

The Dagi-raht and the others agreed, leaving the assistant to lead the group to their first point of interest. Ra'kalesh stayed with them for the moment, though he intended to go back to his pride once they had seen everything important. Their first destination was the closest, and the one they needed to find perhaps the most quickly. On the north side of the outpost, there were four separate structures built around different trees that the assistant was quick to point out. "These are our storerooms. You can get food and supplies here. There are also barrels of water, but those are there in case of a fire. If you need water, there is a river that flows near the outpost, just to the east. Ri'nakhad said you can take anything you need from the storerooms, so you can go ahead and do that now, if you want."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Most of the rules would be no different from any civilized settlement." Ri'nakhad answered. "This one gives you permission to take as much food and supplies as you need from our storerooms. Normally, you would be required to dedicate an appropriate amount of labor for anything you take, but this one assumes that what you do for us will more than make up for anything you take."

Pausing a moment, Ri'nakhad turned his head to his assistant, a black-furred Suthay-raht around the age of Sabine and Peiter. "Please show our guests the important points of the outpost."

"But...sir, this one needs to help you..." He protested briefly before Ri'nakhad interrupted him.

"Ri'nakhad can get back to his room without needing help, he assures you. Please, give them a proper tour of the camp and outpost." He requested.

The assistant took in a deep breath before glancing over to Meesei. "Of course, right away."

Upon Ri'nakhad's direction, the assistant led the way out of the meeting hall, with Meesei and the others following right behind. However, as the first few stepped outside, they were met with a crowd of six, mostly different kinds of Khajiit. The one in front was a Dagi-raht woman. She was small, even moreso than a Suthay, and seemed to look up at the group with amazement. Her eyes darted between Kaleeth and Meesei until they settled on Meesei's ring.

"It is her..." She mumbled, mostly to herself. "Champion...this one is sorry if she is intruding but...we all decided that we wanted to volunteer our rooms to you while you are here. It...seems only right that you sleep up here, instead of in the tents in the camp below. Please, it would be an honor to help you and your pride...um, pack, however we can."

Meesei smiled warmly at the Dagi and gave a nod. "If that is what you all wish, then I would be honored to accept. As long as the rest of my pack agrees." She answered. It would be more convenient to have a room closer to the clan's leadership, but she would be lying if she did not admit that an actual room was not appealing for the comfort.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I am orange.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Anything we have is yours to make use of." Ri'nakhad answered to Gallus. "It seems word of your arrival has already started spreading through the clan. This one was even approached on the way to the hall by someone volunteering their own room up in the trees for your use for as long as you are here. Ri'nakhad does not doubt others will make the same offer. There are some here who see you and your pack as heroes."

Meesei could not help but to give a slight smile. "I do certainly appreciate that sentiment, but that is a praise I intend to earn, rather than receive on reputation. I believe we have found a way to disrupt Vile's forces in this region." She commented before reaching into her bag and producing one of her maps of Elsweyr. She unrolled it on the table between them, and pointed to one of the circles near Corinthe. "From what we have gathered, this is around the location of the enemy's fortress in Elsweyr. If we capture it, then not only could we eliminate their central command, but also learn more about their operations in the region."

Ri'nakhad leaned over the map, giving a sigh as he saw the marked location. "That was what we were attempting to do before the attack. We did not learn its exact location, but we did have scouts skirting close to that area. We know it will be very well defended, however. You would need a large force and a strong plan in order to take it, but this one is afraid that his clan's remaining warriors will not be nearly enough to stage such an assault. We simply lost too many during the attack."

Meesei nodded in understanding. "I know, I did not expect your clan to be in a position to face them alone. That is why I intend to enlist the aid of the Orcrest clan in this attack."

"That would give us enough forces, but it does come with another problem. Even before the attack, we were having problems with our messengers being intercepted. Now, since Vile's forces have such a strong grip on Pelletine, we are very unlikely to be able to send messages to coordinate the attack." Ri'nakhad said regretfully.

"Yes, that does present an issue." Meesei answered. "It will likely not be possible to use messengers without them being intercepted, but Vile's patrols would not be able to intercept a larger force by themselves. I am aware that you have the means to mask your scents, so if we can send a large force that can move quickly, while covering its tracks, then we can move straight by their patrols before they can organize a larger force. We would be able to stage the attack straight from the Orcrest clan."

Ri'nakhad stared at the map for a few moments in thought. "Hmm, this one sees how that could work, but since it would involve a large dedication of resources on the part of the clan, he would like to involve his lieutenants in this discussion. He could call for them now, but perhaps you would like to hold that meeting in the morning? Ri'nakhad sees the fatigue in your pack...and on yourself, Champion." He suggested.

When she had first taken on her role, Meesei had a tendency to work constantly through her exhaustion, and had erred in her judgment because of it. Now, while she was very focused on her responsibilities, she was at least willing to rest when it was a reasonable option. "Very well, we can have a proper meeting on this matter tomorrow, in the morning. I thank you for your hospitality."

Ri'nakhad bowed slightly. "No thanks are necessary, Champion. It is a pleasure, a privilege, and a relief to have you and your pack among us. Now, does anyone have any questions about this one's clan, or the outpost itself? This one will help however he can."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by Freeshooter92>

The funniest bit... I think Mar and Althalus is the most normal couple, aside from Ssarak and Mei.

@Fallenreaper

I think Ssarak and Mei got together under more normal circumstances.