EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza let out a sigh and started shaking her head. She still bore quite a bit of frustration, but her disappointment was starting to show even stronger. "That isn't an excuse to get yourself killed, Tzirret. What does getting shot by a stray arrow, or an errant spell prove? This one knows you are a few years younger than her, but she thought you were more mature than that. You know you don't have as much training as the others. Ma'tanza doesn't want you getting hurt, especially for no reason. She is surprised you would lie to her just to try to prove something like that. You have never needed to 'act brave' around Ma'tanza before, why start now? This agreed to be with you because you were kind and considerate, not brave."

Giving another pause, Ma'tanza ran her hand down the side of her head. "So what are you going to do now? Are you still going to try to get yourself on the frontlines?"

Watching the argument from the sidelines, Peiter became increasingly uncomfortable, for a few reasons. Tzirret, at least, recognized that he had made a mistake, but only time would tell how it would affect him. Peiter did not expect that Tzirret would make any attempt to join the fight again, but only time would tell how this would affect him. Looking over to Sabine beside him, he grabbed her hand and moved himself a bit closer to her. They had not really had an argument like this before, so he was not sure what to say when Tzirret would inevitably ask about it later.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As one might expect, Tzirret's mostly directionless stammering did little to dissuade Ma'tanza from her opinions. He was not combative, and did not try to justify his words, but neither did he give any real explanation. As such, her expression remained quite cross. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, and a persistant sneer.

"You are sorry? That is easy to say, because you don't have to put any meaning behind it. Were you going to tell Ma'tanza this, or were you going to walk into that fight without giving her the same chance to talk that she gave to you? It's not even the fact that you want to join the fight; Ma'tanza might have accepted that. It's that you didn't tell her that you could possibly get out of it. You say it wasn't 'like that'; then what was it like? What made you want to lie to Ma'tanza?" She asked in a tone that was shifting more towards disappointment than anger.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Evidently, Ma'tanza did not seem to mind Sabine and Peiter watching the conversation, as she started quickly after Gallus left the room. "Yes...what are you doing Tzirret? This one hates to insult you, but you're being such a...hypocrite! When we talked before, Ma'tanza told you that she was afraid for her sister. She told you that she was afraid of the battle, afraid of what could happen to her friends and family. She told you that she was thinking about joining in to help keep them safe. You knew that, and you had to know how much it was weighing on her mind, how agonizing it would be if something happens to them because she isn't there to help them. You knew all of that, but you still convinced her to stay behind. Ma'tanza asked you to help her decide what to do, and you told her to stay in safety with the wounded. Even though it means her friends and family might be in more danger."

Now that she had started, Ma'tanza's speech was gradually growing even more emotionally charged. She walked closer to him so that she towered even higher over him while he sat on the bed in front of her. "And now, Ma'tanza hears that you have decided to join the fight. Not that it was required of you, but that you outright refused to let your friends help you to get out of it. Ma'tanza should stay away from the fight instead of helping her sister, but apparently it is okay for you to throw yourself into the middle of danger for the exact same reason?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Unlike Sabine, Ma'tanza was not paying close attention as they approached the door to Tzirret's room, so she did not notice that he was currently in a conversation with Gallus. As such, she marched straight up to the door and flung it open. She first looked to Tzirret, but noticed Gallus moments afterwards. His presence gave her pause briefly, and caused her to open up with a bit more caution that she was planning.

"Oh...Ma'tanza apologizes. You are Tzirret's alpha, yes? This one did not know you were here..." She explained. Shifting her gaze back to Tzirret, Ma'tanza's eyes narrowed, and her anger started to show through her initial surprise. "Ma'tanza just wanted to...talk to Tzirret about something he said." She explained in an increasingly harsh tone.

Peiter continued his silence, and leaned himself against the door frame. Good or bad, he expected some sort of resolution would come out of this conversation. He expected this would be something of a private conversation, but there was a possibility he might be able to say something to help, so he decided to stay for the moment.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza was reluctant to agree, and indeed, did not actually give any verbal answer. But, after Sabine started heating the alembic, Ma'tanza let out a sigh and prepared the mixture she had been making. It was a potion of magicka resistance which, at its current stage, would not take more than ten minutes to finish.

Peiter was without much to say or do during the wait, so he simply tried to appear interested in what they were making. All the while, he kept an eye on Ma'tanza expression to see if it would actually change. The intensity of her anger did seem to lighten at least somewhat, but she still remained obviously irritated, even as they were getting close to finishing the potion. Peiter had a few ideas about what specific aspect of the situation could be making her so angry; however, he could not be sure without directly asking, and he was certainly too nervous to attempt that. At this point, he was becoming increasingly frightened that they were making a mistake. He was not sure how Tzirret would handle an argument, and the last thing he wanted was to inadvertently cause the pair to split up.

Once the potion was finally finished, Ma'tanza quickly corked up the bottle and hastily labeled it, not even bothering to sort it with the rest of the potions. "Okay, now let's go find Tzirret. Where do you think he would be?" She asked impatiently.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose- Catacombs

---

Ssarak did not waste any time as he saw Khan approaching. When he had sent his doppelganger to Khan as a messenger, he could not change the message it delivered after it moved too far away, and it had warned that Tyrael was a possible danger. He had recognized that there was a possibility that they could talk Tyrael down, which would still leave Khan expecting a fight. But, at the time, Ssarak had felt that would be a preferable problem to face than to be forced to face down Tyrael with no help in sight. At the very least, Ssarak had thought about what he was going to say and reacted quickly to defuse the situation before any problems started.

Before Tyrael had even had a chance to speak, Ssarak had already sent a telepathic message to Khan: ”We managed to talk him down. He saw reason once we all spoke up. The danger has passed, or at least the danger from Tyrael. A master Vitamancer also attacked us, and may still be in the area. I can explain everything I witnessed regarding Tyrael, but I can understand that you may not wish to discuss it in the presence of the Naga. They are survivors from Mesa Gaan, and both they, and some of the students, received injuries from the ridge hounds we were fighting. Fortunately, Tyrael did not actually harm any of us.”

Since the headmaster possessed powerful wards that Ssarak would not even attempt to break, for multiple reasons, he could not read into Khan’s mind for any response that the headmaster might have unless he specifically allowed Ssarak into his mind. Regardless, as long as he could deliver his message, the situation could hopefully resolve peacefully.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Through Sabine’s explanation, Ma’tanza quickly started to show surprise, moreso than Peiter had been expecting. She had known that Tzirret was joining in the battle, but once she learned that he was doing so willingly, she immediately stopped her work on her potion and looked at Sabine with widened eyes.

For a few moments, Ma’tanza was silent in her confusion until she spoke up hesitantly. “Wait…do you mean he doesn’t have to join in the fight? And he actually refused to stay back in safety when you tried to talk to him? So he can try to protect his friends?”

Again, there was a pause, and Peiter again noticed something he was not expecting. He had anticipated that she might be worried about him, but she started to narrow her eyes and bare her teeth. She tightened her grip on the edge of the table, raking her claws across its surface. “Ma’tanza very much wants to talk to Tzirret. Can you help her find him?” She asked with unmistakable emotion. It was possible that she was concerned about Tzirret, but what was showing through her demeanor at the moment was the fact that she was angry.

---

La'tahne nodded graciously. "It was no trouble, Gallus. La'tahne will serve in whatever way she can; she just wishes she could ply her trade under less unsavory circumstances. People tend to be afraid of going under this one's knife. Ah, but anyway, why is it that you think this one and La'khay were so destined to meet? There are many people in this clan now."

La'khay started to laugh. "This one thinks you know the answer to that, La'tahne. Though we just met, La'khay can already see you are a woman after her own heart. Though, this one does wonder if Gallus had his own, more...selfish reasons for wanting us to meet one another? Perhaps he wants to stay around with us after he speaks to Tzirret?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza made room for Sabine at her table, glad for the help. Sabine was easily more knowledgeable than herself in matters of alchemy, so she started paying close attention to Sabine's mixtures as she continued her own work. Though, it was not long before Sabine moved on to the true reason they had sought her out. Ma'tanza's ears lowered noticeably with the mention of Tzirret, and the attack. "This one knows he is coming; he told Ma'tanza earlier. We talked about the attack, and what Ma'tanza should do. This one's sister is going to be on the front lines, which is terrifying to Ma'tanza. She was thinking about joining her to help protect her, but Tzirret convinced this one it would be better to stay back and help the wounded. This one should not be in such a battle. She only wishes Tzirret could do the same. He told Ma'tanza that his alpha ordered him on the march, but she hopes Tzirret can convince him to let him stay back, perhaps with Ma'tanza? This one did take some time to teach him about anatomy." She explained.

---

La'tahne continued to smile. "Oh, this one is a face sculptor. She can change a person's face to look like anything within reason. Almost like carving a sculpture. She can make an ugly man handsome, and a handsome man flawless. It is an art, and your face would be a good canvas. So young, free of scars and the years of stress found on anyone older. It would be enjoyable. But, that was just an observation; this matter with the attack is much more serious."

La'khay's gaze, for a few moments, was fixated on La'tahne in much the same way as she had been looking at her. But, she remained focused on the conversation. "Yes, aside from your handsome face, it does not sound like your friends to treat you badly. But, this one supposes she wasn't there. Are they angry with you too, or did they just upset you?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza's ears perked up once she heard Sabine's voice. She was surprised briefly at the interruption, but smiled as she looked at Sabine, and Peiter behind her. "Oh, hello. This one is making healing and magic resistance potions. The warriors are going to need the protection for the attack, and Ma'tanza will need the healing potions to help treat the wounded. Hopefully, she will not need to use many of them. Are you going to make something as well? This one does like to watch you work; she always learns something."

Peiter did not speak up yet, other than to return Ma'tanza's greeting. Like with Gallus, he did not yet know how Ma'tanza felt about Tzirret joining the fight, or if she even knew. It could be that she fully supported him, in which case they might have a difficult time persuading her.

---

La'khay gave Tzirret a skeptical gaze. "That does sound an awful lot like you're doing it for pride. La'khay doesn't necessarily think there is anything wrong with trying to build up your pride, this one just wouldn't do anything dangerous for it. Anyway, La'khay won't tell you not to, but...why do you think your friends are wanting you out of the fight? You're obviously upset with them for it, but what do you think their motivation is? Do you think they want to do something good, or do you think they don't respect you?"

La'tahne finally broke her silence after reaching out and pacing a hand sympathetically on his shoulder. "It is hard to believe anyone wouldn't respect someone like you. You seem to be a kind and handsome man. This one would just love to work on your face."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter let Sabine take the lead in searching for Ma'tanza, looking in the closest spots first. She was not in the common areas, nor in the training room. Neither of them were completely sure on exactly where Ma'tanza's room was, so it would take a while to locate her if she was there, but luckily, they eventually managed to find her in one of the more research-oriented rooms that the clan's mages tended to use. It appeared as if she was doing something alchemical, though Peiter could not tell at a glance what exactly she was doing.

Ma'tanza was focused on her work, and facing away from the entrance, so she did not notice the pair enter. Peiter gave a brief nod to Sabine to let her be the one to say something first, as she was more familiar with Ma'tanza, and would be able to recognize if whatever Ma'tanza was mixing was something that could be interrupted.

---

"That is...a bit of a specific question." La'khay commented with a slight amount of uncertainty. "La'khay is not a competitive person, and she has never really felt the need to prove herself to others. She had some competitions with some other girls in the brothel, but she was never upset with herself if she lost. People have said a lot of bad things about this one, but she lives her life as she wants. There is always someone who will judge you poorly no matter what you do, so you shouldn't worry about upsetting people. La'khay might compete with someone for fun, but never just to prove herself. What reason do you think it is that you want to fight? Is it more for your friends, or just for your pride?"

La'tahne remained silent as Tzirret and La'khay spoke, but she was obviously taking more of an interest in La'khay the longer the conversation went on. Her gaze was curious, and Tzirret might notice her staring at La'khay.