EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan paused in thought at what his father explained to him, though just like Kaleeth, he had no immediate answers. "Are you...sure they're still like that? Since it's been so long? They could change in all that time, probably."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Julan tried to reason out how to avoid making anything worse for Aurana. He did not have the life experience to look at the problem from all of the angles that his parents had tried to approach, but he did have the unique perspective of a child with experience keeping himself out of trouble.

"Well...let's just make sure they don't blame her. If we talk to them, and they try to punish her for standing up to them, then you can just say that you made her say all those things. Just make it seem like it wasn't her idea. Then, they'll blame you instead. They'll be mad at you, but they can't punish you or anything so...it doesn't matter." He suggested.

---

"Are you asking if I have seen my tribe since my initial departure? No, I have not." Meesei answered, shaking her head. "Both of my parents had died by the time I left the village, and I had no brothers or sisters. I did have a few uncles and an aunt, and some cousins, but I was not particularly social with them growing up. Certainly, I did not leave much behind that would prompt me to try to go back. It was easier for me to leave than it is for most lycans. I have no doubt that my village is surviving as it always has. My successor was capable, and the rest of the clan were a resilient people. They did not need me. For me, and most other lycans, it is best to leave our former lives behind, for various reasons. It is never safe for a novice lycan to remain among civilization, but even afterwards, it can be difficult to go back. We are seen as monsters, as you know, and not everyone is capable of seeing past that. For my village, I doubt they would approve of my devotion to Hircine, though not out of any particular hatred of him. Rather, they would not approve of me placing any other being above the Hist. Otherwise, Hircine is a sort of...neutral force in the world. He is neither good nor evil; he simply exists as a force of nature. His sphere is the natural cycle of life and death. Predator and prey. His only goal is to foster strength among his followers."

After a moment's pause, Meesei gave a quick chuckle. "At the very least, he is not always attempting to conquer Tamriel, as other Daedra are wont to do. For me personally, it does not matter what others worship. Hircine is not a Daedra who demands that all follow him, so if others wish to worship the Hist, another Daedra, the Eight, the Nine, anything else, or nothing at all, it does not concern me. So as long as they can leave me in peace. I do not mean to preach to you, though. I am sure you were well-aware that the Champion of Hircine worshipped Hircine."

Thinking for another few moments, an idea came to Meesei's mind. "When was the last time you have been to Alinor? Would you like to go there tomorrow, just for the day? To relax?" Meesei asked, making no mention of how they were going to traverse half a continent in a single day.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan did calm down noticeably, even if he could not entirely shake his anxiety. For as long as they were in Bravil, he would likely be nervous about being punished for visiting his grandparents. But, for the moment at least, he could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Um, thank you." Julan responded, still calming from his initial anxiety, but obviously genuine in his tone. "I don't think you have to be afraid of them, I just want to help Aurana. I would hate to be locked up in one building like that. She seems so nice. But...do you really think we might make things worse for her? I really wouldn't want to do that."

---

Meesei chuckled. "Everything you say here, you say in confidence. The most I will say to Marod, or anyone else, is that you are in the process of recovering."

For Meesei, Lunise's descriptions of her friends and family did not sound terribly different from what she had been expecting. Lunise, while not entirely isolated, was also not terribly close to many people. The way she spoke about her friends was almost more like friendly acquaintances. Although, Meesei supposed she could not be completely certain of what her relationships were like. Regardless, Lunise was curious about Meesei's family, and she had quite a lot she could say about them.

"Assembling my pack was something that took years, and there is a unique story behind all of them, but there is a common thread between most of them. Even before I became Champion, Hircine communicated with me through dreams. Through my beast blood. It is not something that is entirely unique to me, but neither is it common. It is something that he only does to those with whom he has specific intentions. For me, he helped me find nearly every member of my pack. Lorag was the first. He was a former Legionnaire who was infected during the Skyrim Civil War, then lived out in the wilds for years before Hircine directed me to him. Actually recruiting him was fairly simple. I was one of the first lycans he had seen since his infection, so I needed only prove my strength, and prove myself worthy of leading. If lycans did not heal so quickly, I likely would have given him a few scars. Ahnasha was next, a year or two later. I did not find her, but it was still Hircine who guided her to me. Like me, she worshipped Hircine before becoming a lycan. She was young, frustrated with city life, and wanted to make herself stronger. She was a young woman of only sixteen years, I believe, when she slew a local minotaur single-highhandedly and sacrificed it to Hircine. She was gifted with an audience with an aspect of Hircine himself. He guided her to my pack, and I personally gifted her with the beast blood. Aside from myself, I believe she was the only one of my pack to receive the beast blood on her own terms. The next two, Janius and Sabine, were not so fortunate. Janius was the son of an Imperial noble family, and a member of the Fighter's Guild. He was contracted to clear out a cave of bears, but he and his group were trapped by a collapse and attacked by a nest of giant spiders. I never asked him to describe the details, but I imagine it was a horrifying event. But, he slew all of the spiders and was the sole survivor of his group. Hircine led me to him, and in exchange for his rescue, he joined my pack. Sabine went through...incredible trauma in her childhood. I do not wish to share all of the details without her permission, but she was not infected willingly, and went through a great deal of pain before she finally escaped into the wilds. We were led to one another by Hircine and, over time, I came to think of her as my adopted daughter. Certainly, I love her with all of my heart, with a bond closer than any blood relationship I have had. I helped her overcome her childhood trauma, and...I would say she helped me in similar ways on several occasions."

Even thinking about all that Sabine had done for her over the years gave Meesei a warm smile, but she quickly moved on with her explanation. "Fendros was next. He was attacked while hunting by a feral werewolf. He managed to kill it, but was infected in the process. Again, Hircine led me to him. I collected him while he was still unconscious and helped heal what his regeneration had not already taken care of. He did not take quickly to the pack, but he slowly grew to accept it. Last was Kaleeth, who was something of a unique addition. We came into her village in Black Marsh on business related to the Hist, and over the course of our stay, she and Janius ended up falling rather quickly in love with one another. How she came to be infected as a werecrocodile is still something of a mystery. As we were nearing the point where we were going to leave the village, she went out into the marsh with the intent of trying to commune with Hircine. She does not remember what happened afterwards, but when we found her, she was a werecrocodile. I can guess that she succeeded in her goal, but that is still speculation. Rhazii and Kaj-Julan were, obviously, born into the pack. Rhazii is the son of Ahnasha and Fendros, while Julan is the son of Janius and Kaleeth."

Meesei still needed to answer Lunise's question about their families, but she had been talking long enough that she wanted to give Lunise a chance to respond.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan had been a bit more silent on the way back to the Aetius manor than he had been speaking to Aurana. Not only was it stressful to go back to the manor in the presence of his father, but he did have a worry in the back of his mind that her parents might unexpectedly be awake, which could get her in trouble. Fortunately, it did not seem like they had any trouble getting back into their house. He supposed he would only really know if her parents found out when they contacted her again the next day.

Julan was content to stay quiet on the way back to the castle, but his father seemed to have something else in mind. Now that Aurana was gone, he was not sure what Janius had in mind. A part of him was afraid that he was still in trouble, and that his parents had only avoided bringing it up because Aurana was present. It was a fear that certainly showed in his expression as he looked up to his father. "Um, okay. Is there...anything wrong?" He asked.

---

"Hmm, I have to wonder if the ideals of your leadership that threaten us now existed in the beginning, behind the scenes, or if they developed later?" Meesei mused. She did not wish to linger on the subject of their current troubles for too long, so she decided to shift the conversation in a somewhat different direction. "History says that they came to power off of their great successes defending against the Daedra hordes. Certainly, they performed a great service for their people at the time. Indeed, in a short time, the Thalmor were able to create an impressive, unified nation spanning most of southern Tamriel. In terms of their public policies and goals, I would find the Thalmor to be effective rulers...apart from the notion of 'Elven superiority'. Though, no doubt you would expect that objection from me."

Though Lunise's story was abbreviated, it gave Meesei a good sense for how her life had progressed. Meesei's knowledge of history could fill in some of the gaps for events that Lunise was likely involved in. While Meesei was sure that there were plenty of interesting stories from her life, it would likely be better to ask about those later, when it was less likely to remind her of what she had lost. "As for my life, it has progressed in a shorter time frame, of course, but I could fill tomes with my life story. I am currently...what is it now, forty-four years of age. I have been serving Hircine since my seventeenth year, shortly after my father died unexpectedly. I was placed into his role, and immediately into a crisis. My village's hunters were unable to find enough prey to sustain our needs, and our Master-Hunter suspected that there was a curse or some other magic to blame. I never found evidence of a curse, but I solved the problem by communing with Hircine. At first, I merely bargained with him, much like a business deal. But, I was soon inspired to serve him. I became a lycan willingly, and gladly. My motivations for serving him seem so...distant now. What Hircine demands of his followers is strength and skill. The ability to be a dangerous predator, and even more dangerous prey. I was young, and a mage far beyond my years, so I am sure you can see why that appealed to me. I was powerful, and wanted to prove that I was the strongest, like so many others that age. Of course, I actually succeeded." Meesei said with a lighthearted chuckle. "I have been Hircine's Champion for just under sixteen years now. I claimed the title by killing a lycan hunter in service of Clavicus Vile. The war had not yet started at that point, though Vile's plans were already in motion. Back then, we had clans scattered all over Tamriel, much like we do now, but they were much smaller and entirely disconnected from one another. It was my idea to organize our clans more closely, so as to be able to coordinate our attacks against Vile more effectively. Then, I proceeded to lead a war effort that has consumed almost half my life, but even knowing that, I would do it again. There is now a chance, however small, that my people, lycans, could one day live a kind of life they have never known in the history of Tamriel. One where they do not have to live in fear. If I had to sacrifice my life to make that happen, I would do it. For them, and for my own family."

By this point, Meesei felt that it would be at least somewhat awkward to continue to hold on to Lunise so tightly, though she also did not let go completely. She kept her arms around her, but pulled back enough that she could at least look Lunise in the face. Meesei was smiling. "What about you? Your friends and family back home, what are they like?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan had hoped that his parents' return would give him some closure to the questions that had been racing through the back of his mind for the entire time he had been talking to Aurana. Whether his father decided to speak to her parents, or that they could not help, he thought he would at least have a good answer. Unfortunately, his father's answer to Aurana was much more vague than Julan had hoped. He did at least say that they would try to help her...somehow. It was slightly encouraging, but it left Julan with even more questions and worries than he had started with, and he guessed that Aurana was probably feeling the same way.

Regardless, they did still have some time left that night, and Julan did not want to waste it. "Okay, I...hope we can help you tomorrow, Aurana. And we still have some time to talk now, at least. What was I saying...right, the oasis. Well, we weren't completely in the desert, so I guess it wasn't really an oasis, but it was a big pond. Rhazii bet me that I couldn't trick them into thinking there was a crocodile in the water, which was a completely unfair bet since, apparently, the Redguards didn't even know what a crocodile was. But I didn't know that then. Anyways, I hid under the water..." Julan continued. He had been telling as many stories as he could think of from their travels, edited for Aurana. This particular story did involve him shifting into a werecrocodile, but he would, of course, leave out that detail. Aurana, by contrast, hardly had any stories of interest to share, but Julan hoped that would change eventually.

---

"Thank you, but we need not discuss such details of our mission at the moment. There will be ample time tomorrow, and I find it is usually good not to make such decisions in moments of emotion like this." Meesei said, intentionally avoiding using the word "weakness." Despite what Lunise might have felt about her own actions, Meesei did not want to do anything to discourage them. Lunise's tendency to emotionally isolate herself from those she worked with undoubtedly allowed her to more easily see herself as their better. But, Meesei had a feeling that was changing.

"For now, I find myself somewhat curious about you, Lunise. Almost every interaction we have had through the years we have known one another has been entirely professional. Diplomatic. And I am sure you might find something interesting to learn about me as well. Are you from the Summerset Isles, or is there another place you would call your home? For me, as you likely guessed, I was originally from Black Marsh. I was from an isolated village; nowhere truly noteworthy for any particular reason. I was raised to become my father's successor as Treeminder. It is a position you may think of as a shaman, so magical training started at a young age. Different villages have different traditions, but in mine, a Treeminder was one of the leaders of the village leaders, along with an Elder and the Master-Hunter. I suppose it made for a good foundation for my current position, but I have grown much in so, so many ways since those early days." Meesei explained. The pair were still embracing one another, but Meesei was in no particular rush to bring that to an end. She wanted to give Lunise comfort for as long as she needed it, but Meesei would also be lying to herself if she did not admit that she rather enjoyed holding on to her in such a way.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth stepped up close in front of Janius and took his hands in hers. She smiled warmly at him, then gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Love, you will always have my support, no matter what. Maybe a good night's rest will help you clear your mind? We will have to send Aurana back tonight, I suppose, but it will be easy enough to find her again when we decide what to do. If you decide to meet your parents again, we can just knock on their door. Otherwise, we can just...put a note on her window, or something like that. Anyways, we should probably head back in and rejoin the others."

---

Over the course of only a few minutes, Meesei could practically feel the tension melting away out of Lunise. Meesei could not be sure if Lunise had ever been given a proper chance to release her emotions to someone else. Possibly as a child she may have, but Meesei could not know what kind of parents she had.

"I have to trust you, Lunise. We have to trust each other. In the times we live in, with the enemies we face, trust is one of the few precious things we have. You are not weak for wanting support; it takes strength to admit that. Without the support of my friends and family, I likely would have been dead years ago, or at the very least, touched by Sheogorath. No matter what people may think, no one is stronger alone. We will need each other if we hope to keep this world intact. Elven or Human, Dominion or Imperial, it does not matter your politics. We all have a claim to this world, and we all have a need to protect it. Whatever help and support you need from me, you will have it, because you are a friend. You are my friend." Meesei said, still not releasing Lunise from her embrace. Short of Lunise being the most impressive actress in Tamriel, Meesei felt that she could be experiencing a genuine change. It was a change that would fly in the face of the majority of beliefs she had held as a Thalmor, but that did not mean it was not possible. Elven superiority was one of the primary public doctrines of the Thalmor, which would account for potentially centuries of prejudice that Lunise had been living with. However, in Meesei's experience, prejudice only tended to thrive in isolation. When Lunise lived among Thalmor, and only tended to emaciate with other Elves, it would be easy to reaffirm those beliefs. But, Meesei suspected that even just her capabilities and actions alone were likely challenging those beliefs.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Kaleeth did not immediately have an answer, she did find herself more easily able to reason through some potential solutions to the problem. While it had been quite a while, she did still have some memories of what it was like to be a child. "Let's see...she is still young. In my village, she would have been closer to a young woman than a child, but I don't think Aurana's upbringing would really encourage her to be mature. One of the biggest things I was afraid of as a child was being punished by my parents, so that is probably what is keeping her from saying anything now. If she isn't afraid of being punished, then she might be brave enough to speak out to her parents. But, I don't know if there is a way to keep her from being punished without you showing up to talk to her parents."

---

While most who knew Lunise would be shocked to see her in such a state, Meesei's sympathetic expression did not waver in the slightest. "Do not be ashamed, Lunise. I have been in your shoes before; breaking down from stress, extreme loss, or any other number of reasons. I have found myself in such hopeless despair, but...i still remember vividly the first time I was caught in such a state. I remember my daughter lightly stepping into my chamber, at first shocked and horrified at whatever could bring the Champion to tears. I remember her hugging me as tightly as she could and just...feeling calm. I remember feeling the love and compassion she had for me; it reminded me of what I was fighting for."

Leaving her own memories, Meesei focused more completely on Lunise. "I know your situation is different. You do not have as close of relations to others, but that does not mean you deserve to feel alone. We have known each other for years, but as Elves reckon time, I know we would barely be considered acquaintances. Strangers. But, well, I believe you may find yourself surprised at the capacity some 'strangers' have for compassion. It may be true that your world is going to change irreversibly, that you may be burdened with some of the greatest challenges that any mortal has ever faced. But, I say with no uncertain terms..." Meesei began, finally moving her hand from Lunise's shoulder so she could reach around her body to give her a hug. "...you are not alone." She said with a certain, undeniable confidence.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I wouldn't worry about running into me on the street. The Northwest may as well be a world away from me. Though, we might be able to play something online together without international ping. East to West coast servers aren't as bad. I don't play Smite anymore, but I have been playing a *lot* of Overwatch. Also been getting somewhat into Heroes of the Storm.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sounds like it should pay well. Do you know where you're going to end up moving to?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Nice, what will you be doing in the US? Particularly good that you got the job, since you went through the trouble of flying in for an interview. Though, you have my sympathies in advance for having to deal with the TSA when you come here.

I have a job lined up myself...probably. The professor who set up the job doesn't understand paperwork.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

We probably don't need to continue playing out the conversation with Aurana for now, unless she has any other kinds of things to ask.