EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As the group approached Jatinha's door, Julan could hear the movements inside the room, most likely more clearly than either Aurana or Harald. He was curious what they were doing, and became even more curious after Harald opened the door. The room was smaller than Julan had thought it would be, and they were sitting around some kind of game. He had no idea why they would have been moving so much in such a small space.

Julan took a step inside the room, though there was nowhere really for him to stand aside from in the doorway. "Um...hello. We, uh, all had a dinner together, after my parents talked to my grandparents. It went great, actually. There was some shouting and...anger at first, but Remus actually agreed to let Aurana do more things. Everyone is getting along now, so we don't have to be nervous anymore." He explained, though he certainly seemed distracted. It was Jatinha's nervous behavior in particular that caused Julan to be on-edge. He looked around the room, and his nostrils flared out slightly. Rhazii would be well aware that Julan's sense of smell was just as acute as his own.

"Is...everything okay? You look tired." Julan said to Jatinha. He honestly did not know what was wrong, but the situation just gave him a strange feeling.

---

Meesei's immediate reaction to Lunise's next request was a toothy grin. All of this was strange, and certainly not what she had expected at the start of the day, but Meesei had already made up her mind on what she wanted. Lunise, in some ways at least, reminded Meesei of someone from her past. Her confidence, her determination to achieve her goals. Most of all, she was not subservient to Meesei in any sense. Meesei had neither official authority over her, nor did Lunise simply defer to her for any other reason. That was something that Meesei quite liked.

Seeing as she had permission, Meesei quickly rolled herself over onto Lunise, staring into her eyes the entire time. Moving a hand behind Lunise's back, she started to tug at the strings to begin removing the last pieces of clothing that Lunise had remaining. "With pleasure." Meesei responded, just before pulling Lunise into a long kiss.

---

It was after dark by this point. Meesei and Lunise had migrated back on shore, through the course of events. Meesei could not maintain the air bubble forever, and even if she could, it would not have remained easily breathable forever. They had remained underwater for a while before ending up on the sand, the waves occasionally brushing over them. Meesei was not sure where Lunise's underwear had ended up, not that she particularly cared. Mirroring Lunise's thoughts from before, Meesei did not think she needed the.

They were laying together, facing one another, with Meesei holding tightly onto Lunise. She had her eyes closed and her forehead pressed against Lunise's, her breathing light and relaxed. "So, are you...convinced?" Meesei said, speaking lightly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan did not understand Carajjo's expressions, and was particularly confused about what it meant to give "many eyes" to someone. Given his education as a hunter to use every part of the creatures they killed, it would not seem strange at all for Julan to take Carajjo's words quite literally. They had just eaten dinner, after all. Carajjo could have also been confused, as he seemed to be an eccentric man. He had referred to him as an "Argonian Kitten", which did not make much sense to him at all.

"I guess we're going to the quarters then?" Julan commented as he started to walk right behind Aurana. "Let's go, you're walking slow."

---

Meesei started to move her hand on Lunise's shoulder down her back, softly and rhythmically rubbing it. Her hand that Lunise was holding on to was glowing slightly as a result of the magic she was using to maintain their air bubble. For a few moments, there was silence as Meesei took in a deep breath, and Lunise's scent along with it. For someone with an acute sense of smell like an Argonian lycan, scent could communicate just as much information as someone's words or body language. Even moreso, usually, since it was involuntary.

Meesei nestled her snout comfortably against Lunise's neck. "I think there is much I could prove to you about your true opinions and your...passions. Particularly about non-Elves." Meesei moved her hand from Lunise's back, pushing it underneath Lunise, then wrapping her arm upwards across her chest to let her hand rest just beneath her neck. Meesei wrapped Lunise more tightly into her embrace, closed her eyes, and smiled as she spoke quietly. "Is that what you want?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan was obviously perplexed by Aurana's sudden concern. Although, his mind did not think to make any connections beyond the surface of what was presented to him. "Why would he be nervous? Well...I guess there was a lot of yelling earlier. That made me nervous too, but...that's over now. Everything is fine now, so we can tell him there's nothing to be afraid about."

Julan stood up out of his chair, once again looking in the direction of the stairs. "Where do the servants eat upstairs? This house looks big."

---

Despite the direction that Meesei had taken their conversation, even she was somewhat surprised by the...abruptness of Lunise's request. Meesei could admit she had been 'playful' with Lunise, but she could not have imagined anything would come of it. She had not even been entirely sure that she would want something to come of it. However, looking at Lunise now, hearing her weords, it gave Meesei pause enough to think about the possibility. She did not think for terribly long before deciding she was not opposed.

"Oh, well..." Meesei began as she slowly moved herself closer to Lunise until she was firmly pressed against her back. Meesei put one arm around her at her waist to hold her tightly against her, then gently rubbed her shoulder with the other. She leaned her head forward closely to allow her to whisper in her ear. "I can...most certainly do as you ask. But, is it that you want me to prove something about myself to you...or that you want me to prove something about you to you?" Pausing a moment, Meesei started to rub Lunise's stomach. "And, is it working?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For Julan and Kaleeth alike, their thoughts had not gone too far beyond assisting Aurana. Now that they were finished with that task, it seemed just as challenging to decide what they should do next. Kaleeth was quite cognizant of the fact that spending more time with them meant a greater chance of compromising their cover story. However, Julan's mind shifted quickly enough to his brother to distract their attention.

Julan turned his head, looking in the direction of the stairway. "It's been a while...should we go get my brother now?"
---

Meesei raised her brow. "What, am I not allowed to admire the...physicality of other races? Besides which, the general physiology of an Elf is not too terribly different from that of an Argonian. At least, the form of Argonian that I am. There are other kinds of Argonians that are much more dissimilar to Elves and Humans. At any rate, you have a pleasing figure, an athletic physique, and I am sure you know that scars can be attractive, particularly to those who value strength in combat. I may not know what high-class Altmer find attractive, but you need not be self-conscious about your appearance around anyone else."

"Do not worry, though, you will not need to plausibly deny anything. All of your wonderful compliments will be our secret." Meesei added.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Aurana's veritable glee was reflected in the hug that Julan gave her in return. While he was still somewhat nervous around Remus, he felt vindicated about his decision the previous night. He had met his family, and done something good for his sister. Indeed, it was not merely good, but rather life changing for her. As long as she could prove herself to her father, then she could actually have a life. She would be behind other people her age, but at least she would now have a chance.

Kaleeth felt warm inside as well, perhaps not to the extent of Julan, but she was glad this had not gone as badly as they had feared it might. She and Janius had been prepared to take on all of Remus' anger themselves, but it did not seem like it would be necessary. After Aurana had given all of her hugs, Kaleeth looked over to Janius beside her and placed her hand on top of his, smiling at him. They had accomplished what they came to do, so they were free to do as they pleased for the remainder of their visit. "I am grateful as well." She said, turning back to Remus. "I hope this will make your family as a whole happier."

---

"I am simply glad to have been able to help you." Meesei remarked, though as she glanced away from the water, she caught Lunise's eyes, noticed them looking at her. Meesei took it as an invitation to do the same.

"Oh? Well, thank you." Meesei responded with a light grin. "I would say the same is true for you, if I am being honest. The uniform certainly makes you more intimidating, but it also hides that Elven beauty of yours. Is there anything in particular that...inspired your compliment?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, I don't think you quite need to become a battlemage." Kaleeth said to Aurana with a slight laugh. "I think you might be focusing too much on that part. Like I said, you don't really want to be fighting anyone; it's just the responsible thing to do to be able to defend yourself. It helps keep you safe. What you really want to learn is how to talk to people, how to, uh, be a part of society." There had been shouting and anger between Aurana and her parents, but Kaleeth wanted to try and keep everything as civil as it had been. And Kaleeth was sure that Aurana's mother would appreciate less of a focus on risky behavior.

"There is a lot you can do in the world. Plenty of places to go, people to meet, things to see. It seems you'll have a chance to do that now, but it might get overwhelming. It might help to have a goal in mind. Maybe...if you had to say one thing you would want to do for a living, what do you think it would be?" Kaleeth asked.

---

It did not seem to take long for Lunise to relax among the placid expanse of the ocean around them. Meesei turned her head to observe the creatures they could see, as well as the water itself. Aside from some of the sand that was still floating around, the water was quite clear, so they could see the rays from the sun piercing through the water from above. Meesei had seen similar sights before, but it seemed that it was a less common experience for Lunise.

Meesei gave a light chuckle. "I am surprised we did not frighten off all of the fish. Perhaps they are as curious as us? You know, after having met your father, I think he would enjoy walking along the bottom of the ocean like this, observing the creatures in their natural environment. Perhaps you can try it with him if you ever have the time."

Slowly and deliberately, Meesei sat down on the sand, then laid down on her side so she could stretch out comfortably, reshaping the bubble as she went to accommodate herself. She rested her elbow in the sand, then propped her head up on her hand. She looked up at Lunise, waiting to see if she would want to take a seat as well. In the brief silence, Meesei had a chance to take a better look at Lunise. It was even stranger seeing her like this than it was to see her in her nightgown the previous night. She had on only simple underwear, and the water had erased any effort she had put into styling her hair. In contrast, Meesei's waterproof scales and feathers just made her look shinier than usual. And of course, there was that scar. Meesei was sure there would be a story behind it. Hopefully it would be one that Lunise would have no trouble sharing.

"I find Tamriel's waters to be some of the most beautiful places on Nirn. Perhaps I am biased, but I think I could spend days in a place like this. I am glad you enjoy it as well. After yesterday, I thought you deserved a good day today." Meesei commented.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, goodnight.

Since IRL things caused some delays, I'm going to summarize their return to Blackreach after all these scenes conclude (though, no rush on them), then move on directly to the hunt for the Rueful Axe. That should make up for lost time.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"She will be okay. She may pick up some scrapes and bruises along the way, but she will be better off in the end." Kaleeth answered, attempting to be reassuring. "Aurana will learn how to understand and deal with danger, which will let her make herself safe."

Kaleeth focused more directly on Aurana. "Just...try not to make yourself too excited about it, okay? It's not like you're going to be going out trying to find fights. The best thing to do is to try to avoid having to fight anyone; you just want to know how so you don't get hurt if something ever goes very wrong. Fighting is...well it's not like storybooks you might read. It's terrible, painful. You want to be peaceful whenever you can, okay?"

---

Meesei was unfazed by Lunise's persistent and seemingly unending pride. No matter what Lunise said openly, she could not truly lie to herself about Meesei's capabilities. "If there is ever more time in the future, I certainly would not mind more challenges. It likely does not surprise you for me to say that lycans enjoy challenges. We always challenge each other to be our best, and I suppose I am no different. I suppose we could learn much from each others' techniques, and I would not be ashamed if you were the one who managed to finally defeat me in a magical duel."

After a moment, Meesei gave another chuckle. "Well, I suppose I cannot say that I have never lost a magical duel. I of course lost to my father during my initial training, and after that, I did end up losing a duel to an ancient vampire lord from the second era. Fortunately, it was only a practice duel. Also fortunately, she did not end up being an enemy to us."

Although she was also having to maintain their air bubble, Meesei was able to dedicate some of her magic to trying to push away the sand they had kicked up in their duel. No doubt there would be a wonderful view around them once it all settled down.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Now that he knew what Janius intended to get out of his questioning, Julan tried to think of a more helpful answer. "Well...it would have been boring to spend all that time there without anyone to talk to. There were some people who seemed to already have friends there, but there were also people who didn't have anyone to talk to. So...I talked to them. The next day, one of them taught me how to make a slingshot with a certain piece of a chaurus shell. I chased Rhazii around with it later." He said, smiling.

---

Meesei ceased her spell at the same time as Lunise. In contrast to Lunise's scowling, Meesei seemed to be in a good mood. Since Lunise did not look to be going anywhere, Meesei looked up towards the surface and raised up her hand. Although, instead of moving anywhere herself, Meesei charged yet another telekinesis spell. This time, Meesei was pulling apart the water from the surface to form a bubble, then pulling that bubble of air down below towards them, then to the sand beneath them. Meesei swam down to the bottom and stepped into the air bubble, then moved it closer to Lunise.

It took only a slight telekinetic tug to pull Lunise down to the bottom as well, though it was probably obvious what Meesei intended by this point. If Lunise did not step into the bubble herself, then Meesei would bring the bubble to her. It was large enough to hold both of them, though they would need to stand somewhat close to both be within it.

"Quite an impressive showing, Lunise. It has been quite a while since I have had this kind of competition. I will admit, you surprised me. You Justiciars really are as adaptable as you say. Or perhaps it is your individual determination?" Meesei commented once they were both within the bubble.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan rubbed his head, seemingly confused. "Um. yeah...I'm pretty sure I remember. Missus Vera started to teach us about, well, everything. Everything except fighting and hunting and those things. We started out with words and writing and those kinds of things. I could already write when I started, since mother had been teaching me all about Jel. But Vera wanted us to write in Cyrodilic letters. She also started telling us about counting and numbers, then...history. Things that happened in the past, what cities used to be like, and what they're like now. And, um, laws in cities." He explained, avoiding the details about the fact that a portion of what they learned focused on how to properly behave when visiting cities, instead of lycan clans.

"But, um, what does that have to do with the Fighter's Guild and Aurana?" Julan asked.

---

Meesei had to admire Lunise's quick thinking. Even though she had pridefully charged straight into a challenge out of her element, she was showing herself to be adaptable, and of course, capable with magic. Unlike many, she could actually backup her arrogance with action, and even when faced with a powerful foe, she was determined not to allow herself to be defeated. It was a kind of confidence that seemed a bit familiar to Meesei.

When Lunise charged straight at Meesei with a surge of water ahead of her, Meesei decided to change up her approach as well. Instead of precise manipulation of currents, she decided to make it a contest of raw telekinetic power. Meesei charged an equivalent amount of magicka into a telekinesis spell that pushed the water back against the underwater wave Lunise had created. The two walls of water met between them, pushing out water on either side of them. She maintained her spell at the same strength as Lunise's, intending to maintain it until one of them faltered.

Meesei wondered for how long Lunise would attempt to best her in a competition of raw magical power, particularly since Lunise had witnessed the depth of Meesei's magicka reserves firsthand when she had created the portal earlier.