EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter let out another, long breath and curled his lips. He seemed to be thinking, rather heavily, on Gallus' question. It was hard to tell at first how he had taken it, but after he clenched his hand into a fist and gritted his teeth, it became clear that he had not taken it well.

"No, nothing I can do is useful anymore. I just want to get back to Bruma and...I don't know, maybe I'll clean the floors for the rest of my life. I can probably still hold a broom." Peiter answered, dejected.

---

To Sabine's worries, Meesei actually gave a brief chuckle, though she retained a serious expression. "Ironically, this ordeal has made me much more confident regarding my health. As you might imagine, I have learned a great deal about the limits of my body, and what happens to it along every step of the way as it nears death. I know what it feels like to come close to death, so that is why I am confident that my treatment is not dangerous to me."

Despite Meesei's explanation, she was still feeling guilty for causing Sabine to worry. She had been hugging her since the moment she approached, so that was evidently not doing much to calm her. "I know there is a lot to be stressed about for the future, but...well, I believe you have given me lectures before about overstressing myself. What do you think you would want to do right now to get your mind off of it all?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter seemed to only grow more uncomfortable through Gallus' apology. He was holding his hand across his stomach with a hunched-over posture. "No, I...understand. I spoke to Sabine earlier; she said that the stone was just too heavy to lift. If a werewolf couldn't even lift it, then what it did to me..." He began, his voice trailing off uncomfortably. "I should have just been faster getting out of the keep. I was too slow. I can't blame anyone but myself."

---

Meesei wrapped her arms tightly around Sabine and pulled her into a hug for at least a minute. The tears in her eyes now came from more than just the pain she had put herself through, but also Sabine. They were coming from a mix of her sadness and regret, which was quickly starting to overwhelm her mind.

"Sabine...I am sorry. I just did not want you to worry about that which you could not change. I am safe now, please understand that. I have your potions to keep me alive, and nothing I am doing to myself will risk my own life. Please do not worry that anything else is the case. I am going to have to go through these treatments if I want to be rid of the silver, and I promise that I will not hide anything about it from you. But, you do not have to watch me do it." Meesei explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Gallus did have a solid argument, but Peiter was still reluctant to accept it. "I...just don't think we need to talk about it that much. We all know what happened; we all know what's wrong with me. I'm not feeling anything that you wouldn't expect someone in my...position to feel. There are no surprises locked away in my mind. I'm just...depressed. Frustrated about what I've lost. I mean, it's not like I want to avoid talking about it entirely. If you can think of any real solutions to help me get better, or feel better, I'll be glad to talk about them, but I don't want to just talk about the problems."

Peiter looked away and weakly added another word. "Please..."

---

Meesei slowly raised up her head to look Sabine in the eyes, then gently placed a hand on top of one of Sabine's. "As I said, you need not worry about me. Nothing I was doing is dangerous, just...painful. Some of the silver remaining is buried deep within me, bound to my flesh. And...that is what it takes to remove it. It will be a very...slow process, but it is the only way I will ever be free of the silver entirely. There was nothing you or Marcaille could have done to help, so please do not feel guilty. I was able to move a few particles of the silver into my blood from where they were stuck, so I was successful. As for the pain, it is unavoidable. The procedure puts stress on my heart, and if I numbed it too strongly, it could stop beating altogether. I know it was not pleasant...and I am sorry that I allowed you to see it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter looked away briefly, doing nothing to hide his uncertainty and discomfort. He rubbed his neck as he managed to make eye contact once more, then let out a sigh. "I...still don't really like...laking about it. It's fine; I'm fine. Don't worry about that, I just don't really want to focus on it, alright?"

Running his hand down his face, Peiter's expression quickly became more apologetic. "I'm sorry. I don't want things to go back to how they have been the last few weeks, really. But, unless there's something that can do some real, tangible good for my...situation, I would like to at least try to move on to worrying about other things."

---

Meesei did not notice Sabine open the tent at first, something she would quickly come to regret. In the center of the tent, Meesei was sitting on her knees, with her hand held over her heart. Her eyes were closed, with a glowing aura of restoration magic around her, though it was her hand in which her magic was concentrated. Her expression became strained shortly before her hand started to glow as brightly as a fireball.

Taking in a deep breath, Meesei started to pull her hand away from her chest, at which point the sight became much more horrible. "Aaahhhggg" She screamed, holding her free hand over her snout to muffle the sound. Tendrils of bright yellow restoration energy flowed from her hands into her chest, and almost seemed to tighten as she pulled her hand farther away. The pain it caused her was nothing short of immense. It was enough to actually cause her to give a quiet, but high-pitched squeal, which immediately turned to tears. Many restoration treatments could cause pain, and some caused enough that they could not be entirely numbed, but the pain this was causing Meesei was like that of someone trying to saw through their own limbs with a dull knife.

Meesei continued to struggle pulling her hand farther from her chest until the tendrils of magic finally disappeared, and she instantly collapsed onto her hands and knees. For a few moments, she simply sobbed, then clutched one hand into a fist and held it up to her heart. It was only after she finally noticed Sabine that she tried to regain some semblance of composure. "Oh, Sabine, no I...you need not worry about me. I am fine, thank you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

That's fine. Though, I think I should make the mention that they are still in the desert, so Gallus may find it difficult to locate a tree.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hope your power comes back soon.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter was hunched over and had his eyes practically glued to the ground when Gallus approached. The mood between them had improved considerably since what happened at the memorial, but that did not mean Peiter's overall depression had entirely subsided. Sometimes, he would seem to be alright, but he had episodes of intense sadness. Right now, he was obviously downtrodden, but it was not the worst mood he had been in since the battle.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Peiter answered apathetically. He had not been speaking to anyone during their dinner, so Gallus certainly had not interrupted anything. He stood up and followed Gallus wherever it was he wanted to take him.

Meanwhile, Meesei was showing some odd behavior as well. She had been seated right next to Sabine during dinner, and while she had been perfectly sociable while they were eating, she had also become strangely quiet at the end of the meal. It was not minutes later that she stood up without a word and made her way to her tent. Since she had no duties to perform, she had been well-rested that day, and they had done nothing particularly exhausting, it was strange that she was retiring so early.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, as long as he can be what he wants. That sounds fine." Ma'tanza responded to Gallus with an understanding nod. "Goodbye, and make sure you all stay safe."

La'khay gave Tzirret a smaller, quicker hug, as well as a brief kiss to his forehead. "Thank you. This one knows that our clan will be a little bit duller without you and your pack, but she hopes you will continue to lift the spirits of others once you get home." For the next few minutes, both La'khay and La'tahne gave Tzirret another barrage of compliments, mostly on his appearance. But, once he was finally able to steal himself away from them, Ma'tanza was eager to follow through on the promise of a last goodbye kiss.

Overall, the goodbyes drew out a few minutes longer than planned, but there were no complaints. No matter what was said in the moment, many in the group would likely think of more they wished they had said after they departed. Eventually, after everyone had the chance to give their farewells, Meesei had to give the order to finally leave.

Once outside, the group loaded the last of their belongings onto the carts, then headed east into the desert. The route Meesei and Ri'vashi had planned was intended to get them into Cyrodiil with the least trouble possible. They would continue east, stopping along at one Oases before making a turn north. From there, their goal was to reach a town near the rivers in northeastern Elsweyr, sell their camels and carriages, and use the coin to buy a few boats they could take upstream the remainder of the way to Bravil. They would need to be cautious sneaking across the border, but they had done so before with a much larger group. In Bravil, they could sell the boats and hire a ship to take them the comparatively short distance to the Imperial City, then continue along the same path to Bruma which they had taken in the first place months prior.

The group did not make as much progress as planned on their first day of travel, but there was no real worry in the camp as a result. This time, they were not in any specific rush to reach their destination. Meesei certainly had much to do once she reached Bruma, and she would not want any significant delays, but for the first time essentially since they had reached Elsweyr, there was no longer a sense that every day lost was vital. For once, they could rest and relax on their journey. They set up camp at the usual time between two dunes, far away from any roads where they might be bothered.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, I'll move us to the right time and place. Goodnight

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do you think it is about time to end the farewells and have them move on? If so, I could move us to the next scene you have in mind, if you want.