EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi stumbled through her embrace with Gallus rather awkwardly. She did not know exactly how to kiss him, so she just hoped that he did not have another Khajiit to compare it to. She held him a bit tightly at a few points, and overall demonstrated that she could easily be unintentionally forceful. Over the course of a few minutes, she undressed one piece at a time as her mind became more in tune with the passion of the moment. Unfortunately, that passion, combined with her inebriation, made it even more difficult to temper her strength. She accidentally shoved him down on her bedroll hard enough to perhaps knock the breath out of him.

"Oh...Ri'vashi is sorry." She said as she laid down beside him. Already, she had potentially given him a few bruises by accident. "This one is, um, not sure what she should be doing."

---

Elsewhere in the camp, Meesei had decided to check on her own pack, which had ended up turning into a larger gathering. Meesei, Lorag, Janius, Kaleeth, Fendros, and Ahnasha were all sitting around their firepit, though the fire had been extinguished hours before. Irenya and Uthri were also present, along with Ra'kalesh and Do'ajee. Only Sabine, Peiter, Tzirret, and Gallus were missing. They would be too busy later to have any sort of informal gathering, so this would likely be their last chance to talk before the attack.

"Hmph, so I guess we really are doin' this, huh?" Lorag commented. "Never thought I'd be going' up against my old commander. Probably 'cause I thought he was dead, to be fair. Anyway, at least we'll finally get to knock some heads. Been too long since we've faced down Vile's people."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi looked down onto Gallus, running her hands down his side. She was not yet standing close enough to be pressed against him, but the way she was looking at him was quite intimate. "Ri'vashi thinks so, yes. She has never had a mate before. Even if we can't stay together, she would like to know what it is like to have one. Maybe knowing what it is like to be intimate with someone can help her find another?"

Putting her arms around Gallus, she pulled him close. Her heart was racing, though it was more out of fear than anything else. The way she was looking at him spoke of far more than just a desire to have a romantic partner. It was not something she would normally consider, but the moon sugar was making her considerably more impulsive than usual. "Since we have the time, maybe we can...go ahead and mate right now? Ri'vashi doesn't know what it is like, and...well you're not Khajiit, but...you seem experienced."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

In her normal state of mind, Ri'vashi might have accepted Gallus' answer and left the situation as it was, but with the thoughts that her inebriated mind was having, she had a different goal in mind. There was a mix of sadness and uncertainty in her expression for a few seconds, but it was eventually replaced with one of determination.

"Ri'vashi understands. She would never abandon her clan. Looking for a mate, someone she can be with in the long term, that's something she do with people from her own homeland." Ri'vashi admitted. However, she nevertheless stood up from her chair and placed a hand firmly on both of Gallus' shoulders. "But maybe something...temporary wouldn't be so bad?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yes, I'm inspired with an idea that make me chuckle mischievously.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I was about to head to bed, personally. I may or may not be able to post again tonight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While not quite as inebriated as Gallus, the wine was taking its toll on Ri'vashi as well. Of course, her response to Gallus was about the same intoxicated as it would have been while sober, except that her stammering lasted a few seconds longer. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously and refused to make eye contact for a few seconds. Regardless, after enough time allowing her mind to settle, she managed to think coherently for long enough to make a decision.

Looking to Gallus once more, Ri'vashi reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are the closest friend Ri'vashi has had in a long time. She remembers what you said about the women back in Bruma, but...she doesn't care. The Gallus that Ri'vashi knows doesn't seem to be a person who would do that. If you did do that, then you must have changed since then. If you have changed...maybe you should pick someone who appreciates who you are now?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi sighed, grabbing the bottle, though not yet taking a drink. "Ri'vashi's answer to that question would change depending on the point in her life when you asked it. Back when she was a cub, she hardly thought about it at all, but that's normal. When she got a bit older, the thought was certainly in her mind. She wondered what it would be like to have someone to be close to, like some others she knew. Unfortunately, this one knew few people that were even around her age, and none of them were Khajiit. Ri'vashi would not care if her mate was her race or not, but...they did. At least, none of them showed any interest in a Khajiit. After that, when we came to Anequina, plenty of Khajiit joined us, but Ri'vashi's priorities had shifted. She was focused on her duty, and improving herself as a warrior. It did not help that Ri'vashi was terrible at getting to know new people. Having a mate was just never something Ri'vashi was able to do."

"As for right now..." Ri'vashi started, but she paused as she looked over at Gallus, staring for enough time to be awkward before turning her head away again. From her silence, it seemed she forgot to continue her thought.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi turned her head, though she was staring off at nothing in particular. She just looked off into the empty space on the walls of the tent as her increasingly dulled mind wandered on the topic. After a few moments, she sighed and shook her head. "As she said, Ri'vashi has always just focused on duty. Those thoughts have crossed her mind before, but the 'now' always seemed more important. Back when she was younger, it was after she became a warrior that she could make a life of her own. After she became a warrior, it was after she attained her ambitions to lead the clan's warriors. After she became clan leader...well honestly, Ri'vashi has not been thinking that far ahead over the last two years. The war has been a great distraction, in that regard."

As she continued through her own memories, Ri'vashi started to smile. "This one remembers her father speaking to her about grandchildren before. Then, he quite literally slapped himself for sounding like such an old man. Still, Ri'vashi knew he wanted to see that his family would go on. He loved Ri'vashi enough that the fact that she was not his daughter by blood was never even an issue in his mind. At least, not after the first few years. But, this one having a family of her own was never very likely..." She began, looking down and turning her head away slightly in embarrassment. "Especially for someone who has never had a mate."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi did not hesitate to take another drink. She would need to drink more than Gallus to attain the same effect, though there was certainly enough for both of them in the bottle. "Sure, Ri'vashi thinks about her future all the time. Of course, it always revolves around the clan, and what she is going to do to lead it. She has thought about how to direct our expansion, places we might move if we ever grow too large. She has thought about what members of her clan would be the best replacements for different council members if any of them happen to retire or...pass. Ri'vashi plans ahead all the time, but...that is not what you want."

Letting out a sigh, Ri'vashi passed back the bottle. "You want to know if Ri'vashi ever thinks about her own future. Before her father died, she always saw herself being a proud warrior. Afterwards, she looked ahead as the leader of the clan. This one's identity has always been defined by what she does. But..." She said, making eye contact with Gallus. "...maybe there is more for her to think about?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"The same can be said of most any place, really." Ri'vashi commented. She took her drink, then held the bottle close to her chest for a few seconds as she was absorbed in thought. "This one can not blame those outsiders completely, she supposes. There is the hint of truth in those stereotypes. Moon sugar can be addictive, especially if taken as skooma. Some lose their minds to it. And our culture is not always quite as...strict as some others in terms of physical pleasures, but there are some like La'tahne that take that too far. Those are things that outsiders can latch onto and focus on, but there is just so much more to Elsweyr, and the Khajiit."

With a smile, Ri'vashi reached over beside her and handed off the bottle back to Gallus. "Ri'vashi is not sure she agrees with you on the weather, though. The heat can be annoying, but it won't kill you as quick as the cold. This one does not know how you deal with living in a frozen mountain. From what Ri'vashi has heard, Bruma is even colder than where this one was from in High Rock."

For Ri'vashi, she could feel the effects of the wine as well, though not as strongly as Gallus was. Being both a Cathay and a Khajiit, it would take longer for both the alcohol and moon sugar to get to her.