EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." Peiter answered. They held themselves closely together as they laid down, not that there would have been a choice otherwise with the size of the bed. He closed his eyes and relaxed, glad to have just had that conversation, as uncomfortable as it was. Even if he had been hoping for a different answer to his last question, he was content with the knowledge that they could both be more comfortable with one another. He honestly had no problem waiting at the moment.

---

The next morning, most everyone was allowed to sleep as long as they needed. Several were resting well-past dawn, but Meesei forced herself awake as soon as the first light shined through her window. Although, she had managed to get to sleep early enough that she was reasonably well rested. Gallus was still asleep when she awoke, but as he was going to be needed for the meeting, she could not give him the luxury of a longer night's sleep. Once she had the chance to get up and stretch out her muscles, she knelt down next to Gallus' bedroll and started shaking him lightly. "Time to awaken, Gallus. There is much we need to do today."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter looked into Sabine's eyes, staring for a few moments before he started to smile. "Now, how could I be angry at you? I promise, I will do everything I can to keep from hurting you. I care about you, Sabine, and I don't want to hurt you physically, or mentally. You don't need to be worried about what I'm going to think, or worried about what you should or shouldn't be doing for me. You just need to worry about what's right for you."

Pausing briefly, Peiter hugged Sabine for a few moments, then gave her a quick kiss. "If you just want to lay down and relax in each other's arms, I promise I will be happy with that. But...if you do think you're ready to try. If you think it would be something you'd enjoy, I'm ready too."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With Sabine's explanation of what happened, Peiter rubbed her back in sympathy, but his expression became mildly angry. "Inderal should not have pressured you like that. Even if you did agree to it, he was still wrong to have...demanded it like that. I'm...glad he's not here right now, because I don't know what I'd say to him if he were."

Peiter closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he paused to calm himself. "I'm...sorry you went through that. It sounds like he took advantage of you. Don't feel bad about Inderal; it sounds like he didn't deserve to be with you. I just...I want to promise you that I'm not going to do that. Any of it. I won't pressure you, and, when you do feel like you're ready, I won't do what Inderal did. I'm...not an expert on this by any means, but I have heard that, um, for girls, it does...hurt the first time or two. I don't think that can be avoided unless...well, magic might help, but the point is, I won't be that rough. I'll listen to you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei had laid down when prompted and closed her eyes. She listened carefully to Gallus, though his words seemed strange to her. She supposed that with each item he listed, she was meant to attempt not to worry about it. As such, she tried to just focus on Gallus' words themselves. She found they had a strange, hypnotic rhythm to them, something that made it hard for her to focus on any of the actual concepts he was talking about. Instead, she was focused, but on nothing. Once free of thought in the trance-like state, it did not take long for Meesei's fatigue to take over, allowing her to fall asleep before Gallus had even finished speaking.

Peiter sat down next to Sabine and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. He tried not to let on to how nervous this conversation was making him, but he supposed that both of them were showing some signs of unease. It made sense, considering the topic. At the very least, they would be able to get their problems out in the open. Although, once Sabine mentioned Bruma and Inderal, his expression became notably concerned. He was not aware that her troubles were stemming from a recent event, and it worried him that something bad may have happened to her. "Yes, I believe so. Did something happen?" He asked with obvious concern.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's about time for me to go to bed. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled, returning her gaze straight up to the ceiling. "You know, I have practiced many forms of meditation in my time, but I can honestly say I have not heard of anything close to what you are describing. Overall, I would say you should not worry about me. With the responsibilities I have, stress is an unavoidable fact of life. But, I know I can manage it. There are times when I will end up exhausting myself and losing sleep, but it is a worthwhile sacrifice. Regardless, you have captured my interest. I am always willing to learn something new, so if you wish to share this technique of yours, please feel free to try." She answered.

Peiter's eyes narrowed into a quizzical expression. "Frustrating me? I can't think of how you'd be frustra...oh, you mean...what we talked about before, during our run?" He continued rubbing her back gently as his features became sympathetic. "You don't need to worry; I can wait. You're not really frustrating me; not my mind. My...body has become frustrated as you can, um, see at the moment. But, I care too much to try to force you into anything. Maybe to ease your mind we can just...talk about it openly? We're...mature, we can talk about this. If you don't want to, of course, just say so, but anyway. What do you think is making you hesitant to want to go through with it? I can think of plenty of very understandable reasons, but I'm just curious."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shook her head. "For now, I do not suppose so. Everything else will have to wait until we can have the input of our Anequina natives." She answered. Closing her eyes, she breathed in a moment, then laid down on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Her mind was still racing with her thoughts and worries, which likely meant another restless night for her.

After a few moments, Meesei looked over to Gallus without the same sort of dire expression that had dominated their previous conversation. "Of course, I have a great deal on my mind at the moment. If you have any more questions for me, just in general, now is the time. Thusfar, I feel my interactions with your pack have been almost strictly professional."

Peiter returned Sabine's kiss passionately. Now that they finally had privacy, he did not have to hold back in his displays of affection. He put his arms around her, rubbing her back while they were locked in the kiss. To him, it felt like it went on for ten minutes straight, though it was mostly likely much less. When he finally pulled back, a wave of concern came over his expression. He cocked his head to the side slightly and gently brushed her hair to the side. "Is everything alright? You look...sad, almost."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Pushing the issue would likely take quite a long time, but just asking about it could likely happen if the conversation steers towards it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei thought back to the reports she had read in the days before they left Bruma. "Orcrest? Their last correspondence placed them in a rather strong position. There were no indications that Vile had located the clan's stronghold, as their messengers were having no trouble. They had just made an expansion to their stronghold, and were about to secure a supplier for more raw materials. Taking on this many new lycans at once will of course cause them problems, but based on the last reports, it would be possible for them. They will need to ration and increase food production, but their leader is not the type who would turn away a fellow clan in need, as long as he has the means to help. I cannot say if anything has happened to them since those reports, but that is a risk we are going to have to take no matter what we do."

"You mean why I don't treat you like some of the others in the clan did?" Peiter began. He lifted up his hands between them as she held onto them, and smiled as he looked into her eyes. "You're my friend, first and foremost. There is more between us, of course, but I believe that any good couple should also be good friends. As for why you're my friend...I don't like to just dismiss people based on the impressions they give. Some people are just so judgmental, or presumptuous. I just wanted to get to know the real you, at your pace. And once I did? I saw that you are a beautiful woman, inside and out. You're kind, passionate about the things you care about, and dedicated to the people you care about. Me, your mother, the rest of your pack, I've no doubt you would do anything to help any of us if we were in need. You're the kind of person I hope I can be. You're not normal, but that's not a bad thing in my mind. If you were to ask me if there was something I would change about you, I would say not a single thing."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Nearly done with my post. Got a bit distracted.