EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei simply focused on approaching each problem as it was presented. There were, of course, many, many details that Ariel would need to consider, and Meesei had to be prepared to offer advice on all of them. "Well, as I said, you would not need to remain with us forever. It would be prudent to share resources and collaborate directly with the others who have been studying the poison, but if that does not produce results after enough time, then you will likely be able to work at least mostly as well from here in Thorn, with communication through one of the local clans. You could give Rukeewei a limit of, say, a year for how long you two would be away. If you needed to provide an explanation to others, you could say that your friends have given you the opportunity to travel Tamriel for a year. As a...vacation. It is the kind of travel that those with wealth sometimes undertake, so I am sure anyone that knows you would understand why it would be an opportunity you would not want to pass over."

"As for his brother." Meesei continued, bringing her hand up to her chin. "He helps to run the inn, so I would assume he would take over in the interim. He does not need to know all of the details, but we could tell him that this is an opportunity for the both of you to make a great deal of coin. Presenting it as a business venture to him may be more successful than styling it as a vacation. Regardless, the coin I can provide should be able to handle hiring someone to help work at the inn, not to mention the profits that his business already makes."

---

Yizan did not give any direct confirmation that Gallus was correct, but as he continued, it became obvious that he was. "So you can't feel them? I always heard that; it makes me feel bad for all of you Humans. The Hist is peace, just...a part of us that is as important as our hearts or our lungs. I can feel it; their presence surrounding me. It just makes me happy. Without everything weighting down on me, I feel so close to them. It is just the most beautiful feeling. I...I wish mother was with them. I wish she hadn't gone, and I wish she could be a part of us again. But I can still be happy. I feel like I don't have to worry about everything anymore; I don't have to spend all the time being worried about mother. I feel like I can just...let go."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave an understanding nod. "It is an understandable worry. I know that the last thing you want to do is to leave him, especially for any extended time. I should mention that non-lycans are not as strange among the clan as they used to be. Those who are trusted are permitted to live among us. Given his marriage to you, he would be permitted to come along with you, if you felt you could convince him. Of course, that would require that he know what we are."

Meesei tried to think back on what she could remember of Rukeewei. Unfortunately, even combining both of their visits to Thorn, Meesei had only been around him for a few days. "Do you think that the coin we can offer would make him more receptive to such a trip? We could also define a strict limit for how long you could be away. If it starts taking too long to find an antidote, then you probably would have already exhausted all of the advantages provided by working closely with our other alchemists."

---

Najan looked to be both astounded and irritated with his nephew. "Yizan-Lei, what are you talking about? You cannot go anywhere with this beast! Once they are gone, I can take you to the root."

Yizan simply shook his head lightly. "It doesn't really matter what he is. He already said he would go if you ask him, right? And if he's one of those werewolf things, then we couldn't stop him if he wanted to stay. I just want to go to the root, and I want everyone to come."

Najan lowered his head, running his hand slowly down his face. There was a few, tense moments of silence before he finally gave an answer. "Fine. Fine, we can go outside. You can say what you want to say to him, then he can leave." He said, briefly giving an intense glance towards Gallus. "Then he will leave."

Najan's wife slowly and carefully picked Yizan up off the bed in her arms. With how frail his condition had made him, one could only imagine how light he actually was. Certainly, she had no problem lifting him. She and Najan headed back out the front door, with Najan reluctantly motioning for Gallus and Cuts to follow. There was enough space between their home and the one behind it to give a small back yard, across which cut a large root coming straight from the Hist tree at the center of the district.

Yizan's aunt cautiously laid him down on the ground with his head resting up against the Hist root. Almost immediately, Yizan closed his eyes, and actually seemed to smile. "Can you feel it too?" He asked. He did not say directly who he was speaking to, but from the way he started to move his head, he was likely talking to Gallus.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

sorry for the delay. Only just got home for today.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei made sure to keep her demeanor confident, yet calm. She wanted to leave no doubt that the sums of gold she was speaking of were of no great concern to her, just to make sure that there were no doubts in Ariel's mind. "We have purchased properties much more expensive than your business. Taking portions of the required gold from several clans, we can pay any debt you or Rukeewei have with no significant impact to our own operations. We can help pay for an employee if you have anyone in mind that you would trust. Otherwise, every clan has alchemists, and it would be no trouble to assign one from the nearest clan to your shop. We do like to have at least one or two people in every major city, after all. While you are with us, we will take care of your basic needs, like any member of the clan. Members of the clan are given additional allowances for whatever else they wish to buy based on the work they do, and given the importance of your work, you will be given very reasonable payment. Beyond that, I will offer you, or anyone for that matter, a sizable reward for a permanent solution to counter this poison."

"As for Rukeewei, what does he know about us?" Meesei asked, her tone now more inquisitive than confident.

---

Najan-Ja crossed his arms, still remaining quite defensive of Yizan. "It shall not happen at all."

It seemed that Yizan and Najan were mutually ignoring one another, as Yizan did not seem to react at all to his uncle. Rather, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh before saying something unintelligible to himself. Eventually, he spoke up more clearly. "Aunt, uncle, I want to go out to the root."

Najan raised his brow towards Yizan in confusion. "What? This is not the time for that."

"Yizan-Lei, you need to rest. We can-" His aunt began, but she was interrupted when Yizan spoke up with a surprising strength to his voice.

"I've been resting for months. I want to go out to the root now. I really need to." Yizan said before turning his gaze straight to Gallus. "Will you go to the root with me too?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei, despite Ariel's frantic anxiety, tried to keep calm and speak reassuringly. "I have had quite a lot of time to think on all of the questions you are asking. Believe me when I say that, after all of the effort to help you claim this life in Thorn, I would not want to take that away from you. I cannot claim that it will be easy or convenient, but I believe there are ways to solve or mitigate all of the problems this could create. To start, we are not the isolated, independent pack that you once knew. Over the years, we have built up a network of growing lycan clans that communicate and coordinate with one another. To keep our clans supplied, we have seized certain economic interests and have accrued resources. Quite a lot of resources, on the scale of our combined clans. I can offer to pay every debt you have in the city. Completely. I can also offer to compensate you for your work on the antidote, and help to ensure that your business here continues to operate while you are away."

"As for the more personal problems..." Meesei began, looking sympathetically to Ariel. "...I was hoping we could all talk together and try to find the right solutions for you."

---

Yizan-Lei was silent, and perhaps confused at everything Gallus was describing. Although, he was also possibly still trapped in his thoughts about his mother. Najan-Ja, however, was much more definitive in his response. Unlike Yizan, he had knowledge of the "beasts" that Gallus was referring to. "No! Absolutely not!" He shouted before quickly switching to his more comfortable language of Jel. "I will not let my nephew be taken like my sister, not by them, or monsters like you! My sister told me what they wanted her to become for their deal. One of those werewolf monsters. But they didn't tell her everything; they didn't tell her that it would take her away from the Hist forever. That it would bond her to some Daedra. I read the books in the An-Xileel's library, I know it is true. They took her soul away from the Hist, and now you want to do the same to my nephew. I know you outsiders know nothing of us, but you can understand this: I will die before I let you lay a finger on him.

Najan-Ja stepped between Gallus and Yizan as a show of his protection, while his wife simply looked frightened, but Yizan himself was surprisingly calm. While Najan was shouting at Gallus, he had taken the time to think, and evidently had come to some conclusion. He was peaceful, almost, and looked around his uncle at Gallus with what might have been curiosity. "Is that true? Does it take our souls away from the Hist?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Before Ariel had too much time to wonder what Sabine was whispering about, Meesei gave a nod. "Agreed."

Looking back up to Ariel, Meesei transitioned into a more serious demeanor. "While it has been wonderful to simply catch up with you, I do feel that I should not go too long without telling you why we have come here. We actually traveled here specifically to speak with you, Ariel. There has been a...development in our struggle against Vile. I am sure you remember the suppression gas. It has been re-created by the enemy, likely with a slightly different formula since your old antidote no longer works. But, that is only a small portion of the troubles we face. The real threat is that our enemy has managed to modify the gas into a more deadly concoction. They call it the soul-tearing gas. It rends any soul with a bonded beast spirit straight from the body, killing almost immediately as soon as the lycan has inhaled a lethal dose. We have been doing everything we can to research this foul creation, but given the magnitude of the threat, I felt it would be irresponsible not to come to you."

---

Yizan turned his head away slowly, looking down out into space at the foot of his bed. Hearing even an edited version of Dar-Tzesa's final days did nothing to improve his mood. In fact, it served to bring tears to his eyes the more he thought about what he had said. "She...died from you capturing her. Y-you killed my mother. I..."

Needless to say, Najan-Ja was not pleased overall, and was especially irritated when Gallus asked to speak with him and his wife separately from Yizan. His wife actually started to stand up from her chair when Gallus made the request, but Najan raised up his hand to signal for her to stop. "No, I'm sick of these delays and vague words. If you have a cure, or solution, or whatever word you want to use for it, then just tell us. Yizan-Lei's struggles have turned him into a fine young man, and he can hear you just as well as we can. No more context or questions, just say what you came here to say."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded. "Yes, it is a general rule to keep them away from any glassware unsupervised. Especially if they also have Leaps with them. Part of me is reluctant to want them to teach him any commands. I imagine the trouble they could get into with a tamed, trained wamasu would be...magnified."

Pausing a moment to finish off the last of her tea, another thought crossed Meesei's mind. "I do not suppose you have gained any pets over the last few years? We are always careful to keep Leaps away from any potential prey animals that we would like to keep alive." She commented. At the same time, she was also starting to wonder at what point it would be prudent to bring up their reason for visiting Black Marsh to begin with. For the sake of secrecy, none of the letters to Ariel had mentioned that they would be there specifically for her.

---

It was difficult to say how Yizan was taking all of the information that Gallus was describing to him. as it was difficult for him to be expressive in his condition. Even some of the muscles in his face had started to atrophy from his malnutrition. "So those people...didn't have a cure at all? And my mother, she acted like your leader to help the cultists take your souls? That sounds horrible; mother would never want to be a part of that. But if they had a cure then...well you were able to stop them, right? H-how did mother die?"

Seeing the fear start to form on Yizan's face, Najan interjected in a less hostile, but still firm tone. "Outsider...Gallus, I want to know what happened to my sister, I really do, but please do not force my nephew to wait any longer for the news he has been awaiting. If you have a way to help his condition, please just tell us."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a light, amused huff. “Sabine has certainly matured quite a lot over the last few years. Hircine knows I had to deal with that realization very quickly. Regardless, I am nothing but proud of her.”

As the conversation moved on to the children, Meesei was curious how Ariel would react to seeing Rhazii again, and Newt for the first time. “Oh, Rhazii and Newt have grown quite a lot. Rhazii may actually be bigger than you might have expected. He is a Cathay, so he is larger than your standard Khajiit. Honestly, I’m not sure if he will remember you, given how young he was when you saw him last. He is an outgoing child, though, so I am sure he will love to meet you. A consequence of living in such a large clan is that he meets new people quite frequently.”
---
Yizan-Lei was both immediately interested and somewhat confused when Gallus said that she had “perhaps” found the cure. He was not sure what kind of shades of grey could exist between finding or not finding a cure. Regardless, he answered as best as he could. “It…does a few things. It stops my scales from having…pigs? Pig-ments? I think that’s the word. But the worst is that it keeps me from eating. No matter how much I try, no matter how hungry I am, I just can’t eat. It just…comes right back up. I could eat some at first, but it’s got worse. I can drink some, and the alchemists made me something that is kind of like food, but I…can’t drink enough of it. They said I’m going to be able to live on it for a few more…months…maybe…”

Yizan seemed to have trouble continuing. Meanwhile, his uncle had his eyes on Gallus. His gaze made it very clear that he was critiquing every single thing that Gallus was saying and doing.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei's expression remained just as encouraging as it had been when Sabine had broken down back in Cheydinhal. "Your sister is completely correct. Personally, I believe Ariel could have some good advice for you. Honestly, I think siblings possess an extra sense devoted to helping each other."

Meesei chuckled. "Last time we spoke about this, Sabine turned the tables on me and started questioning me on my romantic tastes. You are clever like that. I do not think that will work on your sister, though. It is already established that she has a taste in kind, handsome Argonian innkeepers." She said as she turned her head back to Sabine. She was keeping her tone light to preserve levity in the conversation. Meesei felt that the more times Sabine could approach this type of conversation lightheartedly, the easier it would be for her to move past Peiter completely.

---

Najan's irritated expression gave Gallus a very clear answer to his uncertainty. "Do not draw out his feelings any longer than you have to."

Quickly shifting to a much more solemn tone, Najan brought his hands together and looked down at Yizan. "According to this man, your mother perished on her quest. I am sorry, nephew."

"I know she did the very best for you." The Argonian woman at his bedside added. She was obviously affected by the news as well, but as Najan had said before, they had already come to terms with her fate.

Yizan could not bring himself to make eye contact with either Gallus or his uncle for at least a minute straight. He was silent for a while before finally speaking up weakly, but clearly. His Cyrodilic was accented, but better than that of his uncle. "Did she find the cure?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei rubbed her chin. "Hmm, it is hard to say if their motivation truly is the rumors of your magic, or if it lies with you being non-Argonian. Not without knowing them. In either case, you may yet be able to warm up to them. Argonians do have the reputation to be slow to trust, but very loyal to loved ones. Once you do gain their trust, you would have to do something very drastic to lose it. I have to resist the urge to offer my help, as I know it is a personal matter for you and Rukeewei. I would not want to involve myself where it would not be appropriate."

Looking over to Sabine beside her, Meesei put on a smile and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I think I shall focus my efforts into giving Sabine here all of my advice on love. She has had some setbacks recently, but I think she is beginning to look ahead to the future."

---

While he was startled at the number of weapons Gallus possessed, the Argonian did calm down noticeably once the weapons were in his possession. "Yes...well you may call me Najan-Ja. Dar-Tzesa was my sister. If you are going to speak about her, I ask you be sensitive to her son. The rest of us accepted her likely fate long ago, but...he has still been holding hope. Just...come in."

As Najan allowed them in, he guided them to a small room just to the left of the entrance. Inside, there was only a single table, a chair, and a bed, on which lay Yizan-Lei. If Gallus had any preconceived notions of what he was like, the reality was probably as bad or worse. Yizan was wearing only a simple pair of worn cloth trousers, so his overall condition was readily apparent. His scales had lost most of their color and were actually slightly translucent, much like an elderly Argonian, although he was only an adolescent, perhaps slightly younger than Sabine. Additionally, he scarcely had any muscles left on his body. His arms and legs were little more than bone, to the point where it was questionable that he could even stand, and his ribs were plainly visible above his seemingly malnourished stomach. Beside him in the chair was a dark-scaled Argonian woman of the same age as Najan in a plain cloth dress.

"This man is here with...news about your mother, Yizan-Lei." Najan-Ja announced.