EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha knew that she should have expected that question, or something similar, in the event that she managed to convince Calia to be at least somewhat accepting of her. Of course, she felt it best to not mention her efforts into life extension. It was technically possible that there were other methods to extend one's life aside from necromancy or vampirism which she did not know about, but in essence, to admit to trying to extend her life was to admit to practicing the dark arts. She would just have to fall back on another explanation.

"I believe we have very different on our lives, Elves and Khajiit. Eighty, a hundred years, those are small parts of your lives, but I would be happy to live that long. Fendros will be able to know that his wife and child have lived long, happy lives. And after that? Well, that is when existence really begins. My body may not last as long as his, but our souls are equally eternal. Just as my life is short to you, even an Elven lifespan is, how to say it...it's like a blink of an eye compared to literal eternity. If, after I am gone, Fendros decides to live his life until we are reunited, then my soul will be waiting for him. If he decides to find someone else in all that time, then I will be content with the time we had. I could not expect him to remain alone for all that time." Ahnasha answered.

---

Meesei turned her head to Janius and nodded. "Yes, see if you can talk to him. I do not expect him to be very open, but...just do whatever you can. I will join you shortly."

With her attention back on Harriet, Meesei was had just as harsh of an expression as before. "Be aware that we will be keeping an eye on you. I cannot forgive you for what you have done, and I do not expect many others will either. For your sake, I will not tell those you are meeting who you actually are. Our clan has moved on from Bruma, so you will likely be meeting with people who do not recognize you. You may live your life as you see fit, and as long as you continue to help us, you will be afforded any protection we can give against Vile, if you are discovered. Just do not expect to be welcome in any clan again, barring direct intervention from Hircine himself."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For Ahnasha, she decided to continue with what she had intended to say, regardless of what Calia was saying. Between the bits of Dunmeris she could recognize and what Fendros had clarified, she knew what Calia was saying, but she did not care. “I knew this would not be easy, for you or for us. It is not usual for lycans to return to their families, and I know that our situation is not usual for you. But, this was the only thing to do that seemed right to us, no matter how hard it was. I remember when our son was in danger. We had been forced to leave him in the care of another and...a fire started. I remember rushing back with the fire all around me, but I don't remember the heat. I don't remember the pain or the burns. All I remember was devoting every single fiber of my being to reaching Rhazii and making sure he was safe. I think someone had to pull me away from the fire once I had him in my arms, because all I wanted to do was to hug him. I don't think I really understood before then what it meant to be a parent; to be a mother. When you have a child, they become your world. You still have all the other parts of your life, but they stop holding the importance you thought they used to. You love them unconditionally, before anything and everything else. I had heard people say those kinds of things about being a parent before, but after that point, I felt it as an undeniable truth. I think that's what caused me to want to do all of this; to return to my family, and to Fendros'. I felt what my parents felt when they lost me, and I couldn't stand it. I knew that any amount of suffering I had to endure would be worth it for you to know that your son is safe."

After she finished speaking, Ahnasha remained silent to allow time for Calia to think. She just hoped that her words had been enough to speak to the shared experiences between them.

---

"I will make note of that." Meesei responded. "We will send you enough gold to accomplish your tasks, so as long as you continue to carry them out adequately. You need not worry about impoverishing yourself to complete them."

As for Lorag, Meesei was just as uncertain as Harriet of what to do about him. Compared to others, he could be a more difficult person to speak to, as he was not exactly keen on opening up, even to her. "I am uncertain about Lorag. This is somewhat...unprecedented with him. Considering that he does not have any investment in his daughter, and he does not hold a high opinion of you, I would not expect him to pursue any involvement with her. His mental well-being is what I am concerned about. I expect he will keep his feelings contained inside himself, as he usually does, but I do not know if he will be able to ignore them so easily. We will need to speak to him."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I forget if Ahnasha has made any attempt to learn any Dunmeris. I think I remember Fendros doing so for Ta'agra, but I'm not certain if I'm mixing things up.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Is it your birthday? If so, happy birthday, if not Skype lies.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Again, Ahnasha expected that Fendros would need to be the one primarily who spoke to his mother, but she felt more confident to speak now than she did before. Now that she had a better feel for the people around them, and Fendros' father was not present, she could add her own input when she felt it was necessary. There was a way that she felt that she might be able to relate to Calia, but first, there was something she could say that might help to excuse Fendros to them.

"There is another reason Fendros did not come here to stay, aside from our marriage." Ahnasha began. "For your own protection, I should avoid telling you too many specifics, but we are in danger, particularly in the cities. There is a group intent on hunting us; on hunting lycans. We are experienced with keeping ourselves hidden away from society, so we can keep ourselves safe there. But elsewhere...they now have ways of picking us out from non-lycans. We can visit cities, but to live in them, it would be too difficult to stay safe." She explained. Of course, she did not want to share every detail of their war with Vile. She wanted to make sure to give the impression that Fendros could be safe in the wilderness to keep Calia from worrying about Fendros after they left.

---

"If so, then the first detail you may wish to keep an eye on is the city's water supply." Meesei warned. "If the enemy finds a way to get the liquid form of their weapon into the water then they could kill every lycan in a city without the rest of the population even being aware. It is doubtful that the city guard would simply allow them to release their gas into the air among the people, but they can use their weapon indiscriminately in any way that is undetectable. Here in Cheydinhal specifically, it will likely be quite a while before the enemy has any presence here. We have never operated in any meaningful way in this area, so if the enemy has competent information gatherers, they will not check here first. We dealt them a heavy blow when we discovered their weapon a few months ago, but they will recover eventually. I will have our alchemists create a method to test for their weapon in the water, and distribute it to all of our lycans working within society. Until then, be cautious."

Lorag, meanwhile, faced away from the others and spoke up somewhat softly. "I just can't believe all this." He said before finally heading out the door and slamming it behind him. He obviously was not easily coming to terms with what he had learned.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"There's nothing we can do about that now, Fendros." Ahnasha answered. "Barring something like an Elder Scroll, we can't do anything about time. We can't change the past. What we can do is change what's going to happen. Let's just take it one step at a time. We can talk to your mother and try to convince her to accept you and me, then maybe see if we can do the same with your brother. We can worry about making up for things later."

Stepping back over to Fendros, Ahnasha took his hands in hers. "Just don't try to trick yourself into thinking you had a choice in what happened. You were attacked, and there was only one real way to protect your family. It wasn't fair, but it was what fate decided for you. That feral destroyed the life you had, but now you can try to make the best of the life it gave you. Come on, let's go see if we can find her."

---

Meesei shook her head. "Oh no, your role in all of this would be minor. What I mean to say is that we, in general, have to succeed against Vile. He and his followers have the intention and means to easily kill any and every one of our kind in Tamriel. They developed a weapon; a gas that, when breathed, rends our souls from our bodies and sends them straight to their lord. There are only few, limited ways to resist that, and we have not found the antidote. They can expose themselves to it with no effects, so they can use it liberally against us. We no longer have the option to fight them conventionally, so we need every advantage we can find. What I would need you to do here, on a basic level, is to help keep an eye on the city. Perhaps serve as a representative for any of us looking to make other connections in the area, perhaps pass on messages or perform other tasks of that nature. Regardless of whether or not whether you want to have any contact with other lycans again, you may want to consider your own family's safety. Hiding may not be sufficient forever when the enemy has a weapon that affects only us."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Absolutely." Ahnasha answered uncompromisingly to Fendros before turning to Llarasa. "In all honesty, I expected something like this. I prepared for it. I am not afraid of anything they might say or do."

Ahnasha remained close to Fendros to keep him comforted, and try to keep him from getting too angry. Although, looking at Llarasa, she could not help but to be frustrated by how her father treated her. Fendros had been right to hold Ahnasha back, because she absolutely would have acted otherwise. "I don't think your mother will take too much convincing. If your father had not arrived, I think she would already be coming around. Just the way she reacted to seeing you...I've felt that way before. Towards Rhazii, back in Black Marsh. I don't think her opinions towards my kind are nearly as strong as her love for you, and if those two are in conflict, I think her mind is going to look for any excuse to keep you in her life. Besides, I think she and I might actually have some common ground. Maybe I can speak to that part of her, and maybe it might surprise her. And after your mother...I think it might actually be a good idea to talk to Monderyn. I wouldn't have thought so before, but the way he was acting was different from what I was expecting. I am not sure where our common ground might be with him, but maybe your mother can help."

Finally standing up, Ahnasha looked over Llarasa for a few moments before giving her a hug. "And...it is good to see you again, Llarasa. I am glad that Fendros has you. I really appreciate your support. No matter what happens here, I would be honored for you to be a part of our wedding."

---

"Look, I...I can't deal with this right now." Lorag responded, practically throwing his hands up in the air. He turned around, and looked like he was about to storm out of the hovel, but he ended up stopping at the door. He knew that he probably should not leave, but he was also having a hard time staying. So, he ended up settling on standing awkwardly by the door. For the others in the pack, they likely had never seen him so distraught before.

As for Meesei, she acknowledged that Lorag was confused, but she needed to deal with Harriet first and foremost. "Exactly, so perhaps you see the dilemma I face? Right now, I am looking at a traitor who murdered an honorable and faithful man. But, who was acting under the deception of our enemy. I am looking at someone who has a daughter that relies on her, but who murdered a boy's father. Regardless of the impression I try to give to others, I am not without compassion, and I cannot punish Narsi for what you did, no matter who her father is. But...perhaps you can continue your redemption to our lord? You are not welcome among our clans, but you are right that we do not have a presence in Cheydinhal. If you agree to report to us, and serve our needs in the city, then perhaps I can justify this. You would do well to consider it, because if we fail, you and your daughter will die along with us and every other lycan in Tamriel."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, forgot the second half. I'll edit that on now.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Altogether, Ahnasha was disappointed, but not surprised. She had heard all about Fendros' parents from him, so she had mentally prepared herself for this outcome. Just as she hoped that Fendros had prepared himself as well. She largely ignored Rossarm's words as the conditioned reaction of a stubborn old man. What she paid more attention to was the reactions of his mother, and even his brother. Calia's reaction was not one of rage, like Rossarm's. Being a mother herself, Ahnasha knew well how much of her life was invested in her child. She had an idea of how much of Calia's being must have been devoted to raising Fendros. For the kind of love a mother held for her child, Ahnasha doubted this would be enough to break it. Even Monderyn had not been nearly as outspoken as she had expected. Perhaps it was the fear of speaking up in front of his parents, but Ahnasha wondered if enough time had passed since their meeting in the Imperial City for him to have his own doubts. Ahnasha still guessed that if Rossarm changed his opinion, the others would as well, but perhaps there was another way to go about it.

Ahnasha reached over and grabbed Fendros' hand, holding it tightly. "Let's just...be patient. Bide our time for a bit. We're not going anywhere." Ahnasha said with a certain amount of confidence in her voice. Regardless of how bad everything looked, Ahnasha still had her stubbornness about her. She still wanted to make this work, and had an idea in her mind of how to do it. "Your mother is the person to talk to first. There is no denying that she still cares about you, still loves you. A mother never really abandons her child."

Looking over to Llarasa, Ahnasha's expression was sympathetic, and her voice soft. "When do you think we would be able to talk to your mother alone?"

---

Meesei, for the moment, was wholly focused on Harriet. Any other implications of what she was saying, particularly involving Lorag, she let pass by for now. "What you did after the attack on our stronghold, when you ran, there is no way I can blame you for that. Were I in your position, I would have done the precise same thing. As I said before, it would do no good for me to kill you now, regardless of how easy that would be." She said, holding up her hand bearing the bonded ring. "I may be doing a disservice to Vera and Caleb by making that decision, but it is my decision to make. There is no denying that you were manipulated into murder. But, there is still no forgiving you for what you did to them. Do you honestly believe that I should just ignore you? That I should leave and pretend this did not happen? If not your death, what justice does Jerrick's family deserve."

Meanwhile, Lorag's head was darting around between Meesei, Harriet, and the others. What he found important in Harriet's explanation was, of course, far different from what Meesei found important, and her lack of a reaction made him feel somewhat crazy. He normally was not an exceptionally articulate person, but now he was simply speechless. "Wait...what?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There we go.

I finished all the things, which is nice. How is everything for you? Busy as usual?