EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'll likely be getting to bed sometime soon. I may get one more, though I'm not sure.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once more, Ri'vashi smiled, and started to chuckle. "Oh Gallus...yes, Ri'vashi thinks she is. She thinks La'tahne is attracted to you as well, and Meesei, and everyone in both the Orcrest and Senchal clans. If you told Ri'vashi that La'tahne was attracted to that strange lizard the Champion's pack brought with them, she would believe you without hesitation. La'tahne earned her name more than most who bear it. She will, and has, mate with any kind of person, any race or gender. She is such a strange person, in Ri'vashi's opinion. She treats mating like it's a way of life. This one doubts there is anyone else like her in Elsweyr."

---

"I don't know." Peiter began, but as Sabine spoke, his eyes widened briefly with a flash of inspiration in his mind. "But you just gave me an idea. Ma'tanza, the one who he is infatuated with, she might be able to help. If Gallus agrees to let him sit out of the attack, then she might convince him to stay out of it willingly. I doubt she wants him to get hurt, so she will probably want him to stay out of danger. Depending on what the enemy fortress is like, I doubt it will be hard to convince her to help. We just have to convince both Gallus and her that Tzirret isn't in a good enough state of mind to be a part of the fight."

There was some hesitation from Peiter as he slowly looked over towards Sabine with a hint of doubt. "You...do think I'm right, right? That Tzirret shouldn't be in the battle? I don't want to doubt him too much, but...this just seems like too much for someone so inexperienced."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With an amused laugh, Ri'vashi leaned forward onto the table. She shook her head and took a few more bites before finally giving a response. "That is a good try, if you're wanting to find something to laugh about. Ri'vashi might be sharing a lot about herself, but don't think she's going to share everything. She would have to be much more intoxicated for that, which, as we discussed, probably isn't happening. That, or you would have to offer an equivalent exchange."

Ri'vashi did not expect that Gallus would be accepting her offer, so she moved on. "Do you question everyone like this, or did La'tahne put you up to questioning Ri'vashi. That woman has tried to do everything within her power to make this one's life more interesting, or 'somewhat less drab than Vvardenfell in an ashstorm', in her words."

---

"Not...really, no. He's been angry before, definitely, but he's never really been this bold. I just never would have expected him to actually want to put himself at risk like this." Peiter answered. He brought his hand up to his head and rested it lightly on two of his fingers as he stared down Tzirret from a distance.

Peiter continued quietly enough to keep Tzirret from hearing him. "Well...want might not be the word. He's acting like he needs to be in the fight. I can definitely understand wanting to keep his friends safe; I've had a few nightmares about that before, but he acts like one of us getting hurt would be inevitable if he isn't there. That...makes me afraid, honestly. He doesn't have as much training as us to begin with, but if he's distracted by this during the battle, I'm really worried he'll get himself hurt. I...think I will talk to Gallus about it. Whether he wants it or not, Tzirret shouldn't be in this attack. He might hate me for it, but I'm going to ask Gallus to keep him out of the fight; I'm not going to let him get himself killed."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi gave a shrug and curled her lips briefly in thought. "Well...that depends on the person. Our clan does not have to be as conservative with water as many other places in the desert, so dehydrating yourself with alcohol is not a great issue. If anyone is willing to spend their own coin, they can have one of our supply runners purchase anything they want from Orcrest. We don't stockpile alcohol, so you'll need to find someone willing to share if you want a drink. Well, we do have a small supply of it in reserve if there is ever cause for a feast, but we do have to be conservative with our food supplies, so that probably won't be used until the end of this war."

Ri'vashi took a few moments to eat some of her meal, which she had been neglecting with their conversation. She was actually surprised with how distracted she was becoming. "Ri'vashi honestly cannot say what the most popular local brews are. As she said, she does not really drink. Something sweet, she guesses. In Elsweyr, it is always something sweet."

---

Peiter was both frustrated and surprised with Tzirret's apparent stubbornness. The Tzirret he knew would be too nervous to willingly head into a battle of the scale they were discussing, but now, he was fighting to stay in it. If there was one thing Peiter was certain about, it was that Tzirret had changed drastically in the few months since they left Bruma. Given that they had not spent much time together recently, it was a change that Peiter was now experiencing all at once.

"Tzirret...I know you want to be there for your friends. That is admirable, actually, very admirable. But...you have to trust us Tzirret. You don't yet have the training you'll need for this kind of a fight. You need to keep yourself safe now so you can help us later on. What if we end up needing your help sometime in the future, but you ended up getting hurt in this fight? We can't know what is going to happen in this attack, or any other battle; all we can do is plan things out to the best of that ability. Sometimes that means being brave; sometimes it means knowing when to back down, and keep yourself alive to help your friends when they really do need it." Peiter explained, trying to sound as encouraging as possible.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi quickly started to chuckle as Gallus was speaking about his father. "Now, are you entirely certain you were not describing Ri'vashi's father? Other than being Nord, that sounds just like Ennond. The legacy, the fighting expertise. Granted, Ri'vashi embraced those ideals a bit more whole-heartedly. With how dull this one's personal life is, there is probably nothing anyone could find to stain her image. Ri'vashi did have a glass of wine once and told a bad joke about an Altmer, but in her defense, he deserved it."

By this point, Ri'vashi was noticeably more relaxed than when they had started talking. Given that she maintained a mostly serious disposition the majority of the time, it could be assumed that relaxing was not something she did often. "Ri'vashi does not drink often. For a Cathay at least, it does not take much to bring her mind too far out of sorts for her liking."

---

Peiter greeted Sabine with a quick kiss on the cheek before returning his attention to Tzirret. "Yes, I'm worried about the whole attack, of course, but I'm really worried about you. You're getting a lot better, Tzirret; don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But...this attack will be a major event. Vile will certainly have a large force marshaled at his stronghold."

Letting out a sigh, Peiter looked down at his food and hesitated with his uncertainty before continuing. "I'm sure there is some way you can be helpful on the march, but...are you sure you don't want to try to avoid the fighting? If you want to talk to Gallus and ask him to keep you out of it, I'll support you completely."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi shrugged her shoulders. "Well, this one does not see a problem with that. Though, she supposes she does not have many exceptional stories to tell. Nothing that you would not be familiar with. Ri'vashi has been training for combat for most of her life since father found her. He taught her how to use most common, and a few uncommon, weapons, and instructed her in battlefield tactics. This one does not know why he gave her any sort of training relating to the battlefield, since we did not actually have a war to fight back then, but perhaps it was just a way for us to bond? He claimed that Ri'vashi was a natural, but that was probably just his pride in his daughter talking. Some others have suggested that his training was the reason this one was selected as the clan's next leader, which could be true. Hopefully."

"What of you? Was your father's training the reason you were selected to accompany the Champion on her mission?" Ri'vashi asked.

---

Peiter seemed to be genuinely surprised when Tzirret explained that he would be joining the warband as well. Gallus had been training Tzirret to fight, but Peiter did not really think of him as a warrior, or a soldier. The thought of such a major battle was making even Peiter nervous, so he could only imagine what Tzirret was going through.

"Thad depends on where I am in the fight, honestly. If we're all close to the front, you probably don't want to be there. I don't know if we're going to be sticking together by pack, or splitting off into a larger formation. "But, um, I'm surprised you actually want to join in this attack. This attack isn't going to be like anything we've been in before. There was the attack on the clan a few years ago, but we were defending there, and I don't think either of us were really a part of the fighting. Are you sure you want to join the fight?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Okay, I lied.

Now I'm going to bed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi brought her hand up to her chin. "Hmm, this one would disagree. She can think of many situations where daggers would be subprime. Armored opponents come to mind first and foremost. Technically a dagger could find its way into a gap in the armor, but realistically, that is a difficult task. If the opponent is skilled, they can gain a very strong advantage. Though, Ri'vashi does suppose you do have a hammer for that task. Blunt weapons are much more effective against armor. Then, there are ranged opponents. Reach is unmistakably an advantage in combat, either with a bow, or simply a long weapon. Throwing knives can extend one's range, but have problems penetrating even light armor, like leather or thickly layered cloth. Effective for small group skirmishes outside of a military setting, but on the battlefield, armor would be a limitation for them."

Through Ri'vashi's explanation, it was clear that the subject was one she enjoyed discussing, and might continue discussing for some time. "Ah, but as for this one's weapons, she carries a sword for defense, and is well-trained with it, but it would only be her sidearm on a proper battlefield. Spears and other polearms are the dominant weapons in war. There are few weapons that can match their capability and versatility in group formations. On a battlefield, individual skill is eclipsed by unit tactics and cohesion."

---

By this point, Peiter was recognizing the origin of Tzirret's apparent nervousness, and this was one time that he could not blame him in the slightest for being afraid. "Oh, I see. Yes, we will be going. I'm meant to be a part of the attack; it is what I've been trained for, after all. Sabine, as far as I know, will be there as well. Did Gallus say you would be coming too? Are you nervous about it? Trust me, that's nothing to be ashamed of. It's the same for me." He answered reassuringly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think I might be too tired to respond right now. I'll do so in the morning, goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It's not a dark matter as much as just an embarrassing one, Ri'vashi thinks." She commented. "You do not seem nearly as certain as your words suggest, though this one supposes she cannot tell what you are uncertain about. Regardless, if relationships are such a dark subject for you, what would you consider a light one?"

Ri'vashi leaned back in her seat and looked Gallus over almost quizzically. "Perhaps...swordsmanship? You seemed quite interested in it during our last duel. How is it that you fight normally, anyway. We used blades last time, but is there another weapon you prefer? This one favors the sword, and heavy armor. As you know, she inherited her katana from her father. She inherited his armor too, but unfortunately, it does not exactly fit her."

---

Peiter had not expected to see Tzirret approaching him at dinner. He had been busy with his new friends for weeks by this point, so he had not been around him near as much as usual. Though, now that he was thinking about it, he actually did miss speaking with him. Once Sabine returned, they possibly would be able to just sit down and chat as they had many times on the way from Bruma to Elsweyr.

Tzirret was acting nervous, but for as long as Peiter had known him, that was nothing unusual, so Peiter did not see anything as being out of the ordinary. "I've been fine today. I've mostly been relaxing today, though I did help out in sorting some of the crates and barrels from the hallways into storage. The clan has had to be very...creative in finding storage space for all of the supplies we displaced when we arrived. What about you? I'm surprised to see you here instead of with Ma'tanza. Did you upset her?"