EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It took a while for Sabine to collect herself enough to actually give a response, and even then, it took some effort for Lorag to be able to understand what she was saying. Particularly since he also had a hard time believing the words he thought he was hearing. "She what? She actually struck you? You!? By Hircine, what has gotten into that lizard?"

Lorag sighed. He assumed that he should allow Sabine to hug him for a while longer, but at the same time, it was clear this situation demanded action. If Meesei was far-gone enough to actually hit Sabine in anger, then they were probably on the edge of losing her altogether. "We...we need to do somethin' quick. That hardly even sounds like Meesei anymore. I should go talk to Saras, tell him everything. Do you, uh, need anything?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag had been trying to find some way to be useful while waiting, but there was little he could do while waiting for Sabine. He supposed he could have tried speaking to Saras, but there was a small risk of Saras not entirely agreeing with their plan, and he did not want to take that risk unless it was necessary. Granted, he also did not think there was a great chance of Sabine actually being able to persuade Meesei, but there was at least little harm in it. Or, he thought there was not.

When Sabine burst into Lorag's room in beast form, whimpering like a wounded dog, Lorag felt quite far out of his element. "Uhhhh..." He started, not quite sure what had happened, or where he could even begin to try to calm her down. "I, um, goin' to take a wild guess and say it didn't go well. So, um, what happened?"

---

Ahnasha put her arm around Fendros. "Well if you're okay with it, then I'm okay with it. I wish we could go relax, but all of this with Meesei...I doubt I'm even going to be able to sleep until we can do something for her. Hopefully Sabine has had some results just talking to her. I am sort of worried about having to steal the book. I'm sure I could get it out of her room quietly, but we would also have to make sure that Sabine's note has only her scent on it. Otherwise, it might clue Meesei in that we were also a part of it. Sabine might have to be the one to sneak in. I know she can go invisible, but that doesn't do anything against a life detection spell. Maybe we should go meet up with the others, see if anything has happened?" She suggested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

In the aftermath of Meesei's fury and her outburst, she was left standing by the bed with Sabine running out of the room in fear. Meesei made no effort to stop her. In fact, she could hardly bring herself to do anything at all. She was frozen in place, staring straight ahead with heavy breaths. Even after Sabine had ran out of the room, she could not move. In the moment, she had wanted to give the punishment she thought was appropriate for the betrayal she perceived from Sabine, but when forced to face the sheer terror in Sabine's eyes, everything that had seemed to make so much sense to Meesei mere moments prior suddenly started to seem more irrational.

Regardless of anything Meesei was feeling, she could not bring herself to follow Sabine. She just looked down, staring at her own slightly reddened palm for what seemed like an eternity.

---

Ahnasha lightly shrugged. "Honestly, we're talking in such general terms that I could say pretty much anything right now and I don't know how much it would mean. You want me to show mercy, except for to the enemy, or in life or death situations, or anything equally as important. That...essentially covers every situation that I would kill someone in. I suppose I can agree to that, then. Maybe one day you can show me what situations you want to see mercy in. Although, on the other hand, I also hope we don't end up in that kind of situation. It's a lot easier when there is a distinct, unmistakable enemy."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was now about as angry as she had been back in their meeting. She threw off her blanket and moved herself over to the edge of the bed so she could stand up. Glaring down at Sabine, she started to raise her voice. "I cannot believe this. I hope it was the others that turned you against me, because at least that would make some sense. My hope is not false; there is simply no way that the knowledge I need would be absent from Apocrypha. You should know that, with all I have taught you. I never wanted to push you away; I offered for you to join me. I gave you a chance to start using the book as well, and you refused me. With both of us looking, who knows what we could have found? This war might be over if you had just trusted me."

Meesei was practically at the point of growling at Sabine. Her mind was muddled by exhaustion, but that only served to rid her of her rationality and cause her to focus much more on emotion. "How dare you try to lecture me. I would never have imagined you capable of such ungratefulness, such...insolence! How dare you insult everything I have done for you, everything I have sacrificed!" Meesei's breathing became heavier as the rage grew within her. The culmination of each confrontation she had been through with others about the book had made her much more emotionally unstable. Now, she looked like a novice lycan being overwhelmed by a beast spirit, though her ring was keeping her beast perfectly in check. The anger was from her. "I have done everything for you; I have dedicated my life to raising you, to making you strong and happy. How dare you turn away from me. How DARE you!" She shouted. With her outburst, Meesei reared her hand back, then slapped Sabine across the face. Physically, Meesei was weak, but it was not likely physical pain that would hurt Sabine.

---

Contrary to what Fendros might have expected, Ahnasha looked more confused than anything. There were a few moments of silence between them before she started to speak. "I...can't say that. I mean, what is that promise, even? You want me to only kill people as if it were you? I...don't understand what you're asking of me. I only ever kill for important reasons. I don't kill trivially, and I don't know why you think I would."

Ahnasha showed some frustration, but not necessarily towards Fendros. She was more irritated at the apparent breakdown of communication between them. "I intend to kill our enemies and protect my friends, family, and allies. What more than that could you want?"

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

~|Nar Shaddaa, Veenra|~

~|Day 3, 6th Hour|~

---

Fa took the seat across from Zora, and was quite particular about how she moved in the process. She was careful to keep her hands visible and not to move them near her pouches or blaster. Of course, she was more than ready to react a few instants before Zora if she made any sort of attack towards her. The Sith certainly knew that she was a Jedi, but there was no way she could know the extent of Fa’s capabilities.

“I think you would be surprised.” Fa answered in a notably calm, but otherwise neutral tone. “I would just like to start off being honest. I am not here alone. I have a friend with me; the Zabrak over there.” She said, motioning towards Vebra. “I would like for him to join in our conversation, but I did not want to seem like I was trying to threaten you. No, I am here primarily because I have an offer for you.”

Fa brought up her hands and clasped them together on the table to keep them within Zora’s sight. “I think I shall start with what is likely the most appealing part of my offer: amnesty. You can be forgiven for all past crimes against the Republic. We know that you were an apprentice under Darth Nyiss, and we know that you have fallen…far outside her favor. We want to know about her, and are willing to allow you to start anew in exchange.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei started to bare her teeth slightly. "I am...shocked you would say such things about me. The others I might understand; they do not possess the magical knowledge to know the kind of power I could obtain. But you? You are one of the most promising mages I have ever seen, and you are educated with all of the history of past scholars that I gave you. You know what kind of power is out there, and you know what it could do for us. You are my daughter, the person I have cared about more than anyone else in my life. One of the primary reasons I am willing to sacrifice so much time in Apocrypha is to ensure you have a good future."

Meesei's anger was obvious, but it seemed to be mixed with disappointment as well. "How could you turn against me like this?"

---

"There were other ideas passed around before I said that. I think you just want to imagine me as some evil necromancer sacrificing children to Molag Bal or something. You are completely ignoring the fact that I specifically suggested pinning it on someone who deserved it, and that, honestly, we're pretty desperate right now. Our Champion, our friend, our family member, is in mortal danger that we've been trying to pull her away from for over a year. It's not like I tried to start killing people before we even talked to her." Ahnasha protested. After a few moments, she gave a sigh that showed from frustration beyond simple anger. "I'm not going to lie, it is getting frustrating with how you always have something to say about every single thing I do. I feel like you're trying to demonize me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei's expression started to become mildly agitated. "Of course I do not know those things. There is no way I could know them. There is limitless knowledge available in that realm, so it is not easy to sort through. But I know there is an answer there, somewhere. Probably many answers. Even if it is not a cure to the soul tearing gas, there is certainly some power, some knowledge that will allow us to end this war. I have already become drastically more powerful than I was before I started using it. I have had positive results, that cannot be denied."

Reaching out to Sabine, Meesei placed her hand lightly on her shoulder. "You cannot let the others get to you. You know me even better than they do; you know you can trust me."

---

Ahnasha raised her brow at Fendros. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you saying you wouldn't kill someone who deserved it for the sake of Meesei? I certainly would; I want to get her back in good health, like things used to be. I almost wish there was an enemy spy in the clan we could pin the theft on. That would make all of this so much easier; we could help Meesei without risking any of the rest of us."

Ahnasha crossed her arms. "I don't understand what kind of problem you have with it. I mean, our clan has had to punish people for crimes against the clan before. Having anyone killed is very rare, granted, but if there was a criminal like that in the clan, wouldn't you say that would be a good solution?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei took a moment to sit herself up in her bed, backing up against the wall to support herself. "It is not about enjoying it, but what I can learn. That said, it is the single largest library of information that exists in any world. It is like a paradise for scholars, and mages like myself. The only difficulty is being able to locate the information you are looking for. It would be easy to limit myself to just a few hours a day if I were merely wanting to learn whatever exotic information I happen to find. But, no, I am looking for something specific. Something to win us our war. That takes quite a lot more time and effort. I want to be able to protect you all, so I have to be able to make the necessary sacrifices."

---

Ahnasha took a seat and joined Fendros, though shelooked to be mildly annoyed, despite his cautious tone. "I don't know. I never said we'd have to pin it on someone in the clan, just on someone who deserved it." She said defensively. Of course, her clarification ignored the fact that there was simply no possible way to believably frame someone outside the clan when its location was a closely guarded secret. It was technically possible that Ahnasha had simply been brainstorming and had not put any serious thought into her suggestion when she said it, but such an obvious flaw would be one of the first a person would think of normally.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei rubbed the side of her head lightly. "Your birthday? Was that not next week? What day is it? I was sure it was the...twelfth of the month today. Or, did learning that spell take more than two days? I...apologize, I seem to be having some difficulty remembering things as of late."

Letting out a sigh, Meesei returned her gaze to Sabine, noting that she was hesitant to return eye contact. "Regardless, what I learned was certainly worthwhile. I am sure you understand."

---

Ahnasha was, understandably, rather distracted by the events of the meeting that had just ended. She almost did not notice Fendros until she heard his voice right beside her. "Oh, um, yeah. There isn't all that much I can do right now, unfortunately. There isn't any other way into Meesei's room other than her door, so I'll have to just be quiet if I need to sneak in."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fortunately for Sabine, Meesei was right where she had expected her to be. Meesei was already in her bed with her belongings, the book included, packed away, but she had only laid down a few moments prior. So, she told Sabine to let herself in when she heard the knock at her door.

Even for Sabine, it would be hard for her to gauge how Meesei was feeling when she stepped into the room. Other than being obviously fatigued, her expression was unmistakably serious, but not quite irritated or angered. She had been upset with Sabine before, but from the way she had spoke during the meeting, it seemed that she thought Sabine had been convinced to oppose her.

"Good evening...Sabine. Is there something you need?" Meesei asked.