EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Out of respect for Sabine's privacy, Peiter had remained on the bed and not attempted to listen in on the conversation. He appeared nervous as Sabine was approaching, and spoke with an equal measure of fear. "So...how did everything go? What did...she..." He began, only to find her sitting down on his lap and interrupting his words with a passionate kiss. Not one to argue, he returned the kiss, as well as allowing his hands to wander quite...intimately.

"I...guess it went well." He commented once she pulled away from the kiss.

---

For a few brief moments, the water was still and silent as the group looked to where M'ibasa had been thrown under its surface. The water was not quite clear, so they could only see his silhouette underneath. However, just as Bheja opened his mouth, M'ibasa righted himself and emerged from the water. Just as before, he coughed up a mouthful of water, then panted as he tried to catch his breath.

"Bah, by the twin moons, why can't M'ibasa ever win anything?" He grumbled, prompting his sister to walk up beside him, giggling as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Wow, you really are stronger than you look, aren't you?" She observed. "This one thinks her brother did not quite expect what he was getting into."

M'ibasa sighed. "Yes well...he's a werewolf. This one can smell it. But it would go much better if you'd help, sister! Come on, we can take him together!"

Ma'tanza looked to her brother sympathetically, then turned back towards Tzirret and shrugged her shoulders. "Ah, why not? Though, don't expect too much, brother. He is good enough to be traveling with the Champion herself, remember. You think you can beat us both?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei looked to one side and started rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "Well, 'frightened' is probably an exaggeration. It has just always been a rather personal, and intimate concept for me. My father never spoke to me about it, so I had to figure out the details on my own. Since I never talked about it with anyone else, it just feels...strange to talk about it now, I suppose."

There were some unpleasant memories surrounding the topic for Meesei, but she decided it was best not to bring them up for the moment. Instead, she took in another breath and collected herself before continuing. "Anyway, I suppose you are probably wanting to...get back to Peiter. I did interrupt you, after all. I did have some questions about some potions you may be able to make, but they can wait until later. Enjoy yourself, but...do so carefully, alright? Always remember your potions."

---

Ma'tanza laughed as the spell wore off and her brother slid off her back. "Oh, only when he is being a mischievous little kitten. So...yes, pretty much every few hours." She joked.

After pulling himself back up out of the water, M'ibasa coughed and spit out a mouthful of water. "Ah, come on, that's cheating! It's no fun to wrestle when I'm a statue."

[i]"True...it's much more fun watching you dodge fireballs!" Ma'tanza responded as she suddenly launched a small ball of flame about the size of her fist at him, which hit him straight in the chest. Of course, the flame she had used had been very weak and dispersed in the air, to the point that he scarcely even felt the heat of it by the time it hit him and dissipated.

"Ah, hey! That's no fair either. This one wants to wrestle!" M'ibasa shouted. Curiously he turned his head towards Tzirret and seemed to look him over. "Say...M'ibasa challenges you!" He said without actually giving Tzirret a chance to respond before he attempted to tackle him.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Is one of these the mission that involves the Naga survivors? If so, I'd like Ssarak to go on that one. Otherwise, he'd probably pick the hunt.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei's eyes widened in surprise, though it was not near the level of shock she had shown when she first stepped into their room. "So you've been mating...all day...then. I, um..." She paused briefly, clearing her throat. "...did not expect that. You must really be...enjoying it, I suppose. Forgive me, it is just...not what I am used to from my 'little girl', you understand. I do not want you to feel like you should not talk about this with me, even if it is not the most comfortable topic for me. If you ever have any, um, mating related questions for me, I will answer, even if it does make me as nervous as a frightened child." She said as she put on a more lighthearted smile.

---

Bheja let out a huff through his nose and smiled. "Really? I wish I knew how to do that. I ended up breaking quite a few tools at first; would have been nice to be able to replace them before anyone noticed. I hated being chided for that. Better than back home, though. Father was always quick to thrash me with a stick."

Ma'tanza was just about to speak up when M'ibasa suddenly leaped out from under the water and onto her stomach, pulling her under the water briefly. When she emerged, he tried to tackle her again from behind, wrapping his arms around her neck. However, she suddenly started to glow with a green aura, which spread through touch to her brother on her back and froze him like a statue. It was a paralysis spell. Granted, her abilities only allowed it to last for a few seconds, but it was enough that she was able to stand up in the water and walk around with him hanging off her back like a cape.

Ma'tanza started to laugh. "Serelian has been teaching Ma'tanza all sorts of useful spells. A lot of them for fighting, but she likes the other, more fun ones."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled at Sabine. "That is good to hear. I still remember back a few years ago when you were looking to me for help on how to even start a relationship. It was a shame that Caleb did not say yes, but he was going through a very tough period at that time. But, you did manage to get past it and keep trying. Indrel may not have worked out, but if he had, you would not be with Peiter now, I suppose. I believe...I am proud of you, for not giving up and finding someone you really care about. And not only that, but you have also approached the issue safely as well. Although..."

Furrowing her brow, Meesei cocked her head to the side and looked at Sabine quizzically. "Why...did you drink that potion before noon? It has been hours since then."

---

Bheja emerged from under the surface of the water just before Tzirret asked him something. He had not been able to hear what the others had been saying from underneath the water, but he assumed they were still talking about their roles in the clan. "Oh, I used to help grow the clan's crops, back at our normal stronghold. Now, though, we don't need as many farmers, since we can't clear the trees around here to make room. I've been training as a warrior for a while now, though. A spearman specifically due to my stature. As Qa'habi is always so eager to point out."

Qa'habi smirked. "Well, this one has to, else you start getting some delusions of grandeur. Anyway, this one has been a hunter for a few years, but he has been training to use a sword too, so he can be an archer with our forces. Since the attack, almost everyone has been required to learn something to defend themselves, and even before that, he was encouraging more and more of us to become warriors."

While the others answered, Ma'tanza had dove under to acclimate herself fully to the water, then leaned back once she emerged so she could float lazily on her back. She guided herself over in front of Tzirret and turned her head to him. "Well, what about you, Tzirret? What do you do?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think there's a daily quota for making Tzirret feel awkward.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a while, both Meesei and Sabine simply hugged one another in silence, apart from their now-loving sobs. It took a while for them to the most intense of their emotions, but Meesei did eventually release her hold over her. She knew that Sabine had not truly gone through any sudden, drastic change. She was the same person today that she was the day before; the only difference now was that she had a mate with whom she was willing to be intimate. No matter how old she grew, she would always be her daughter.

Meesei swallowed, and took in a deep breath as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Well...then. I am glad you have found someone you love, Sabine. You do love Peiter, right? You care for him in that way? And you took a potion for the mating, right?" She asked, though before Sabine could respond, she took another breath and collected herself. "Yes, you did. Of course you did. You told me you did. When did you take it?"

---

"Oh, sure, you can swim with us." Ma'tanza answered. She was the last to climb in the water, as it took her longer than the others to undress, since she wore a length of cloth wound tightly around her chest which needed to be unraveled. It was understandable why, as removing it revealed a very large bust size, more than enough to be impractical for any sort of physical labor. She walked in the river, up to Tzirret and the others, then stopped to allow herself to get used to the water.

"Ma'tanza? She is an apprentice, learning to become a mage and enchanter. This one's father used to teach her, but he...died in the attack. An Altmer named Serelian teaches her now. She is a nice person, though. Not like those Thalmor." She explained.

"M'ibasa doesn't know what he's going to do yet." He chimed in. "He might be an alchemist, or a mage like his sister."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

When Meesei finally pulled away from Sabine, she had stopped sobbing, but there were still tears swelling in the bottom of her eyes, just above her eyelids. She blinked a few times to clear her vision, then shook her head lightly as she stared into Sabine's own eyes. "No, no, you don't need to apologize, Sabine; you don't need to feel bad. You...you didn't do anything wrong. All of this is not really about you, it is...more about me, I suppose."

Meesei swallowed uncomfortably, trying to find the words for how she felt. "Sabine, I...I still remember back, years ago when you were barely more than a child, back in the forests in Cyrodiil. I could see that you were scarred, you were hurt and afraid. I did not do it openly back then, but...I cried the first night after we found you. I cried harder than I had ever since the day my father died. You were just a little, frightened girl who had obviously been through...gods knew whatever kind of terror. I made a promise to myself that night that I would do whatever I could to make you better. I thought that I would have fulfilled that promise with your ritual in Black Marsh, but...in the weeks after, I realized that it was not that simple. I had helped you with your trauma, sure, but I knew that you had been denied a childhood. You had lived in either torment or fear for so long, that you just could not have the one you deserved. No matter how much I wanted, I could not give that to you. It had been too long, and you were too old to ever be a child again, but..."

Raising up her hand, Meesei placed it gently onto Sabine's cheek and smiled. "I could give you the love and support those witches never did. I could give you...family. I knew it would not be perfect. I knew that most people would never see me, an Argonian, as your mother, but as long as I could give you the help you needed, it did not matter. And now...we are here. I have seen you as that little girl for so long, but...that is not who you are anymore. You got past your fear, you learned what you needed to learn from me. You are an adult now; you are a grown woman just like me. I am sorry for reacting like that, and intruding on a very intimate moment with your mate. I just never expected to be...faced with all of that at once."

Meesei closed her eyes a moment and let out a long, shaky breath. "Just...may I ask you one thing? Do you think I have...fulfilled my promise?"

---

M'ibasa looked over to the river once Tzirret mentioned it. "Yeah, it is. And speaking of the river, are we actually going to start swimming soon. We've been sitting here forever." He complained.

Ma'tanza gave a chuckle. "Alright, little brother. We can go for a swim.

"Hey, I'm not little anymore He retorted.

"Right." She responded. M'ibasa sprung up from where he was sitting, undressed, and quite literally jumped into the water, while most of the others started to stand more slowly. Thusfar, Tzirret's interaction with the group had essentially only been to relay to them stories about the Champion. But, if he wanted to join them and talk to them more normally, and not just as a storyteller, then he would need to take the initiative to ask.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was scarcely able to hold herself together as she and Sabine stepped out into the hall. Compared to a normal building on the ground, the hallway was rather compact, and Peiter would still likely be able to hear what they were saying if he made an attempt to listen in. But, at the very least, it did provide her with some illusion of privacy.

Meesei did not say anything in response to Sabine's apology. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her for a tight hug, ignoring the sweat, or anything else, that might have been on her. She hung her head over Sabine's shoulder and cried quite audibly, saying nothing for at least a minute. It was perhaps the more outward display of emotion Meesei had given in years.

"I love you, Sabine. I will always, always love you as my daughter; I want you to know that. No matter what, you will always be my daughter." Meesei finally said between sobs. Her words were charged with emotion and determination, but not a hint of anger.

---

Bheja looked back and forth between his friends. "So there was a traitor? I hope this Harriet never comes here. If she could escape the Champion, she would have to be dangerous."

There were a few nods of agreement from among the group before Qa'habi commented. "Well...the Champion is here now, and if she found out that Harriet traitor, then she wouldn't come anywhere near here. Qa'habi is sure the Champion will be able to help us, and keep us safe."

"We'll all be fine with her here." Ma'tanza agreed. "What about everywhere else? We haven't heard anything from outside the clan for months. Is anything else good happening out there...or bad?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Good, that is...good." Meesei said in response to Sabine mentioning the potion, though she was still overwhelmed by the situation she had walked in on. Peiter was sitting up on the bed with his legs handing off the side, and the sheets pulled over his lap, and seemed to be just as nervous as Sabine. As soon as the door was opened, Meesei could both see and smell the evidence of what had been happening within the room. "You really have been...and did you shave your..." She stammered as she brought her hand up to her head. The shock of it all was actually starting to make her feel lightheaded.

"I...came here to speak to you about some...I should not disturb you, but..." Meesei swallowed nervously before looking straight as Sabine, then reaching out and gently placing her hand on her shoulder. "Could we step out into the hall and speak...privately?" Meesei asked, but her expression was not quite like any Sabine would have seen before, and her hand was very obviously shaking. It was almost like she was afraid, but there seemed to be more to it.

---

By this point, Ma'tanza was leaning forward towards Tzirret cross-legged, with her elbows resting on her knees, and her head resting on her hands, and the others were showing similar states of attention. Evidently, his stories of the Champion had sparked quite a bit of interest in them.

"Ma'tanza heard about that fight. It was apparently the first big battle of the war. They say there were hundreds of lycan hunters that all stormed into your stronghold, and the Champion spearheaded the charge to kill every last one. Funnily enough, the ones who don't like her use that story as evidence of why she is a liar. They say it sounds too heroic, and is a lie. They also mention something about her letting a traitor go after the attack. This one doesn't think it makes any sense." She commented.