EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I didn't really hurt his family. Never intended to; like I said, pain is meaningless. But I'll never kill an innocent like that, you have my word. That was never something I would do." Ahnasha answered in a tone that was meant to be reassuring. She had not yet really admitted any wrongdoing.

Ahnasha put her arms around Fendros' neck to bring him into a hug. "Now, I really wouldn't mind just finding a spot to sit down and relax a while, maybe by the lake. I think we could both use some rest before starting up the next interrogations. I doubt we'll get anything more useful than we already have, but you never know. So, is everything alright?"

---

Kaleeth tried to rub Sabine's back comfortingly. She was certainly able to hold on to her tightly. "I'm sure it wasn't anything terrible like that. Fendros and Ahnasha are our friends; they wouldn't purposefully do that. Just, um, try to relax. We can both go talk to them in a bit." She suggested.

Kaleeth let go of Sabine for a moment so she could bring her lumbering body to lay down on the ground by the lake. She motioned to the ground beside her for Sabine to take a seat. She was having some trouble keeping her mind calm while she was doing nothing, but her recent meal kept her well-enough in control.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While not quite as confused as before, nor as combative, Ahnasha still was not conceding entirely. Her stance was more neutral, and she still held on to Fendros' hand, but she also still defended herself. "What do you mean? Who should I have sympathy for. If you're talking about the woman and the child...yes, I can agree. The child definitely can't be blamed, and the mother...is redeemable. But, well, some of the enemy might be desperate, yes. However, that doesn't excuse their crimes. Don't forget that a lot of these people who were 'just' tricked, or supposedly don't know any better, still willingly kill defenseless people just for being lycans. They gas them out, hand their souls over to Vile, just for being lycans. They don't care which ones fight back and which ones don't; they just kill them all. Is it really wrong to want to kill anyone and everyone who is willing to do that to us?"

Ahnasha lowered her head briefly and let out a sigh before pointing to the room with the captives. "And that man, that enemy soldier, don't even for a second think he's innocent. He wasn't even killing lycans; he was hunting Talos worshipers. He was hunting down and killing defenseless townsfolk just because they wanted to worship some old Emperor. Whether or not he did any of the killing personally, he was still helping them. Don't you think those townsfolk had families that cared about them? Children that relied on them? Do their families matter any less than his? He made a deal with a Daedra to help kill them because he needed money. If you're asking if I have sympathy for him, then no. I don't have the smallest shred of sympathy for a man like him." She said resolutely.

---

Kaleeth had a hard time believing that what Sabine said was true. She did not think that Sabine would lie to her, of course, but her first thought was that she was mistaken somehow. Confusion did not show too clearly in a werecrocodile's expression, but there was a hint of it in her voice. "That...can't be right. Are you sure that's what happened? That doesn't sound like them at all. Is there any other way it could have happened? An accident, or..." She asked, her deep voice trailing off.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There we go, edited it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, forgot to respond to Sabine.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha was actually fairly confused when Fendros' shouting stopped, coupled with his words. She was not entirely sure what kind of point he was trying to make to her. "What are you talking about? I'm not 'being' like anything; I'm the same as I've always been. I'm just as devoted to ending this war as ever. Just as devoted to you and Rhazii. I'm not going to pretend that it is easy or something that I want to do, but it's what I need to do. Like I said, it wasn't about the girl; it was about her father. I didn't hurt the girl, not really. You have to understand, pain...pain doesn't matter. I have had to pour months and years into studying all aspects of the body for my research, so I know that pain is just a way for the body to tell the mind that it is in trouble. Pain itself doesn't do anything. The place I put the knife, it was a flesh wound. Ran it between the tendons, avoided the bone. Not even a chance of permanent harm. It's not going to give her nightmares or traumatize her; you're overreacting. I just used some temporary pain to learn something that could do some permanent good in this area. That's all."

Stepping forward, Ahnasha grabbed a hold of Fendros' hand tenderly with a far softer expression than the anger that had preceded it. "Nothing about me has changed. I just want what's best for the clans, and ultimately for us. Everything I have done, all of the fighting, all of my research and soul gathering, all of the missions I have been a part of, it's all been for you Fendros. Because I love you."

---

Sabine and those she had brought with her had recovered the letter they had sought to find, but Malithus was handling it for now, leaving Sabine to do as she pleased. Kaleeth had remained in her werecrocodile form, just in case it was still needed for any reason, such as moving the wagon again. As it happened, she gone for a swim in the lake during the interrogation to try to help keep her beast spirit placated, so she had not heard the scream entirely clearly under the water. She noticed some discomfort among the members of Malithus' pack, but she had not taken the time to ask them about it.

Naturally, Kaleeth was entirely confused when Sabine came running up to her in tears to hug her. She placed her massive hand on Sabine's back and looked down on her with the closest expression to concern that she could currently produce. "What's...wrong?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Don't shove me." Ahnasha snapped back, shoving Fendros in kind. She was now certainly on edge, and certainly not relenting to him. "What, you want me to play nice with the enemy? Remember, he is the enemy, not just some unwitting mercenary. He knew who he was working for, and he did it anyway. I think it's a mistake to let him go at all. Who knows what he might do after he leaves here? Anyone who knowingly works with Vile deserves whatever we do to them; they started this war, not us.'

Ahanasha clenched her hand into a fist once her mind turned to Rhazii. "If someone stabbed Rhazii, I would kill them. Just like that man probably wants to kill me. Fortunately for me, he can't. Am I being 'fair' to him, no. But this life isn't fair. If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that there is no such thing as fate to make sure everyone gets what they deserve. People just do things, good or bad, and then good or bad things happen to them. There's no rhyme or reason to it. I don't want to be 'nice' to Vile's minions anymore. I just want to kill them all so that we can go back to our lives in peace. Do you really think this war will ever end if we don't?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha's eyes narrowed, making her appear somewhat cross with Fendros. She paused, taking on a more severe expression. "Seriously, Fendros? Are you really going to try to compare what happened in there to what happened to me? I went through a waking vivisection. That man tore open my body like a butchered deer, under the 'care' of mages to make sure I stayed alive, but could still feel everything. That man was a sadistic torturer who was in it just as much for his own pleasure as he was our information. Me? I put a knife in her hand, and I didn't even leave it in that long. Then, I brought in Sabine to heal her right back up. When I was tortured, I was in periodic, terrible pain for weeks, and I still get sharp pains occasionally. Years later. That girl isn't even in pain anymore, and she'll be left with little more than a scar."

Crossing her arms, Ahnasha was intent on standing her ground. "How could you even begin to compare those two? I did nothing permanent to her, and I assure you, I took no pleasure in it. It offends me that you would compare me to him."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha shrugged. "Even if they do go to ground, it is still something of a win for us. We might be moving on back to Blackreach soon, but the Evermore clan can keep the pressure on them with this information. They won't be able to use the same Talos hunters, else they'll be identified. And they won't be able to use the same people in the city who sell out Talos worshipers, since they can keep an eye on them. They'll have to move in new hunters, but then, we can just focus on investigating new arrivals."

Overall, Ahnasha's mood did not seem like it had been affected in the slightest by the interrogation. All that seemed to matter to her was the fact that they had gained the information they sought. She did not acknowledge her willing torture of the child, and just continued to smile. "But, what really interests me is the fact that we can pretty much confirm that Vile isn't working with the Talmor. It makes the situation a lot more confusing, but it is at least a bit reassuring. I would not want to have to make an enemy of the Dominion."

Leaning in, Ahnasha gave Fendros a kiss on the cheek. "We did good."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Just, um..." Jespric started. He was not actually expecting any choice in what his captors did with him. Part of him was still expecting that they would just be executed. But, there was one thought that came to his mind. "I suppose anywhere with a port really. Vile's people are not allied with the Thalmor, so maybe we can hide in the Summerset Isles? I don't much like them either, but we're not Talos worshipers, so at least we'd be safer there. We don't have coin to pay for the voyage, but I guess we can figure something out." he reasoned.

There did not seem to be much left to gain from interrogating the family, so Ahnasha was content to leave them be. There was still potentially something to learn from the others, but it would likely be best to wait to see if the letter could be recovered. As such, she felt she could relax. She stepped up alongside Fendros in an overall good mood. Despite everything, she was smiling. "I think this has gone well, all things considered. Even if we don't learn anything else, I think we already have enough to have made this worthwhile."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Goodnight. Ahnasha can continue making everyone very uncomfortable tomorrow.