EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

We should probably skip ahead a bit soon, just need to decide to where. Rukeewei would be ready to talk to Ariel by morning the next day. I don't have anything else specific in mind to do in the city. I would, however, like to go through their eventual arrival at Blackreach, rather than summarizing that part.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei placed her hand gently on Ariel's shoulder after she lowered her head. "I am sure you did what you felt was best. It might help you to try to get your mind off of it for a while. It is probably too late in the day to accomplish anything as far as preparations are concerned, so you should take the time to relax. Do something you want to do. Perhaps...is there anywhere in the city you would like to show us, now that you have lived here a few years? Or perhaps you would just like to catch up with your sister alone?" She asked

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could sympathize with Ariel, particularly the uncertainty of what Rukeewei was going to do or think about the whole situation. Meesei had left her home without a word, so she had not experienced it herself, but she had seen the effects of fear and uncertainty before among members of the clan. "For people who have only known a normal life since hatching, it takes time to come to terms with this kind of information. All of us, our lives have been filled with turmoil, but I suspect this is all new for Rukeewei."

Standing up from her bed, Meesei approached Sabine and Ariel. "Is there anything you need from us? Anything you feel that might help? I have always found that people are more accepting of us the more they can relate to us. You would know better than I what your husband might find the most sympathetic about us." She suggested. Of course, that was only if Ariel felt that any further action was needed. Doing nothing could be the best choice to allow Rukeewei to calm down.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei stopped only briefly to turn back towards Ariel. His expression held both fear and regret, for different reasons. He was not quite as afraid of Meesei or the rest of her pack as he was when their conversation began, but he was still afraid of how this was going to affect their lives. He was afraid that he was going to be leaving his life behind, but at the same time, he understood completely why Ariel was doing what she was doing. His personal wants, the needs of his family, and the needs of his wife were all pulling in different directions. Needless to say, he was feeling torn and wanted to find a way to calm himself down.

"I know, I know, I just...still need some time, okay?" Rukeewei responded as he continued out of the door.

Meesei knew that there was little she could, or should, say in this situation. She was much more of a stranger to Rukeewei than Ariel, and it was Ariel who would be able to reach him most effectively. "If you need any time with your husband, we are not in any rush that would require us to take action today."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It's just...I never expected this. I thought you left all that crazy stuff in your life behind when you came here. I knew you didn't have a normal past, but I didn't think that would be coming back here to us. I thought we would just live in peace." Rukeewei said, speaking as much to himself as he was to Ariel

Rukeewei breathed out slowly and deeply. "I think I need some time. Just some time to myself to think, to figure things out. This is all just so confusing." Quickly letting go of Ariel, Rukeewei stood up to his feet and took a few unsure steps towards the door. "I just need some time."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Rukeewei was embracing Ariel, he spoke in a nervous, somewhat stuttering voice. "I...I guess I will have to. Be there, I mean. There's just...so much to do, and who could we possibly hire, even with enough coin? Who can we trust? I mean, I don't know any alchemists that are nearly as good as you, and my brother doesn't get along too well with strangers. This is all just so much so fast."

Between his words and his overall expression, it was quite clear that Rukeewei did not want to leave. He was still afraid of the prospect of being around lycans, and he was not going to be happy leaving his business. It was only become of his love of Ariel that he was agreeing, Although, he did start to look at Ariel with some uncertainty as well after a few moments.

"If they had not come along, when were you going to tell me all of this?" Rukeewei asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei brought his hands up and slowly ran them down his face. "I...I don't know. This is a lot to ask. Even if it's not forever, a year is a long time. How would I explain this to my brother, or the rest of my family? They aren't going to just accept us going all the way across Tamriel to live with a whole clan of...lycanthropes. I'm still not comfortable with that, really."

"I know lying is not particularly pleasant, but it is a necessity for us." Meesei pointed out. "I would not recommend mentioning what we are to anyone. You could say that we are bringing you traveling as a...vacation, or something of that nature. Out of gratitude for how you helped us before."

Rukeewei was silent for a while, not really acknowledging anything Meesei had said. Eventually, he opened his eyes as he spoke. "It's not going to matter what I say, will it? It's your sister; I'm not going to be able to stop you. No matter the danger, no matter...anything else, you're going. Aren't you? I..." Turning towards her, Rukeewei pulled Ariel into a hug. "I don't want you to be there without me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While he was not quite as confused as when their lycanthropy had first been revealed to him, Rukeewei still had quite a bit to take in with Ariel's explanation. Her story matched up closely enough with everything Ariel had said so far to him about her past that he could see she had not been directly lying, but she had obviously withheld quite a bit from him. Regardless, he now had answers, even if it was going to take him a while to process it all.

"So you went through...all of that before coming here. And that's why you trust all of these lycans?" He said before turning his attention more directly to Meesei. "But are you really sure you need Ariel for this? I know she is a skilled alchemist, but...there are a lot of alchemists in the world. Do you want her help because she has worked with lycanthropy before?"

Meesei lightly shook her head. "It is more than that. We destroyed Ariel's notes on the original suppression gas, but that could only delay them for so long. After a few years, they were able to create a new formula for the gas. Then, they modified it into the weapon we are facing today. We need Ariel because that weapon is still based upon her original creation, and she has the best chance of finding a solution."

Rukeewei looked away, still largely uncertain on everything that was being so quickly presented to him. After a few moments, he looked back to Ariel. "So...what do you want to happen?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei had thusfar been in too much shock from everything he had been told to consider what he might want to ask them. He had only barely come to terms with the fact that he was still in the room with multiple lycans and not making his way out of the door. Even though his fear was steadily diminishing, the notion that he might willingly travel to en entire clan of lycans still seemed insane to him. Regardless, after Ariel suggested that he ask some questions of his own, he paused to collect himself and simply asked the first question that came to his mind.

"Okay, okay, so...just how did this all happen? All of this doesn't make sense to me. Why are you friends with lycans? Why is Sabine a lycan; why did you come to Black Marsh with them to begin with? If you didn't tell me about this, then is everything you told me about your past true?" Rukeewei asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei held his hands up and almost recoiled back in surprise from Ariel's suggestion. "Wait, wait, you want me to come along with you? All the way to Skyrim? All of this just seems so bizarre, so...insane. I mean, you're saying that you're friends with werewolves, and...crocodiles, and they want to take you away to a frozen, far-away land so you can earn a fortune making some kind of antidote. This all has to be a joke, right? A prank that you are all conspiring to play on me?"

Meesei shook her head. "I wish it were. If so, we would not have to face this danger that is always looming over us. The poison that I want Ariel to help cure, it rips our souls from our very bodies and sends them directly to the Daedra Clavicus Vile. It is a fate worse than death itself, and it is only because of the severity of the situation that I would even think of asking this of you and your family."