EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I know you have not seen Artaeum in your own memory, but...your father has." Meesei remarked. "I understand your apprehension. I share it, in some ways. I have never attempted to create a portal between two planes of existence, though there is nothing to my knowledge preventing me from doing so. Artaeum is not in Oblivion, so those barriers to not exist between them. And I know that the Psijics are famously reclusive, but...I had a thought on that matter. The Psijics, despite being apart from the world, still watch over it in some capacity. They accomplish that through their scrying methods; their ability to magically see across both distance and time. They can see into possible futures and, on very rare occasions, use that ability to judge when it is necessary to intervene."

Finally bringing herself to release her grip on Lunise, Meesei stood up from the stool and sat down on the edge of Lunise's bed. She leaned back comfortably, supporting herself with her arms. "My question to you would be: your mother, having access to that kind of ability...would she use it to keep an eye on you and your father? If she was looking into your futures and knew that you were going to visit a particular spot in Artaeum, at a particular time, what do you think she would do?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei let out a slow, deep breath as she held tightly to Lunise. She felt genuine comfort for more than one reason; Lunise's words were kind, and the fact that she was saying them in the first place was even more comforting. If any of her pack were to speak to the same Lunise that Meesei was currently embracing, they would likely think she was an entirely different person. Nothing about the cold, intimidating image that Lunise liked to project was present now that they were alone together. Meesei had the pleasure of knowing the kind of person she was beneath the Justiciar title. Inwardly, Meesei hoped that, one day, Lunise would have the chance to be herself at all times.

"Thank you, I...I am just glad to be able to look ahead. My pack, I trust them wholly and completely, with my life. They are family in every way that matters. I hope you come to trust them too; if they could know you in the same way that I do, then I know you would get along well." Meesei explained, her tone hopeful.

After a few moments, any pain that had surfaced from Meesei's memories had vanished. She had a warm smile, and was tenderly rubbing Lunise's back, though she did pull her head back so she could look her in the eye. "Indeed, I would not be one to follow all the tenets of the Psijic order; particularly those of non-intervention into world events. They prefer to wait until a crisis is almost upon the world before acting. Still, it does not diminish the elegance of their views on magic. They are powerful beyond any doubt." Meesei responding, pausing a few moments before posing her next question. "Would you want to visit your mother?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"The cruel irony of it is that it did not." Meesei commented, somewhat despondently. "I was never able to find the knowledge I needed to combat the gas in Mora's realm. I found tomes of knowledge on a multitude of other topics, but no matter how close I felt that I was getting, I did not find the answer to the gas. Sabine's sister was the one who was able to create the potion we use to resist it, and of course, you and Marod have helped us secure the means to produce it. Even if the knowledge I desired existed, I doubt Mora would have let me find it. That knowledge was what was keeping me in his realm, obsessed with searching through the endless mountains of tomes."

Meesei squeezed Lunise's hand lightly, fully embracing any comfort she was willing to give. "The book itself was just a sort of portal. It kept me between this world and Apocrypha. I spent so much time there that my body started to wither, as I was so...obsessed with finding the cure we needed that I could not focus on anything else. My pack managed to convince me that my efforts were not worth the sacrifices I was making. I had hardly spoken to them at all for the better part of a year by the time they all confronted me together. And even before that, I had been growing more and more reclusive. But, my pack is my family, and I love them all. When they managed to convince me of how I was hurting them, I gathered the willpower to throw that cursed book off of a waterfall. I would have destroyed it more permanently, but Daedric artifacts are notoriously durable."

Pausing, Meesei took in a slow, deep breath. "So, I have been left with ancient, forgotten magic, and quite a lot of pain. I just hope that the power I gained from Apocrypha comes to serve some meaningful purpose. I am more effective at fighting our enemies now, at least. And I have been able to apply my magic to aid my clans' logistics. Again, I would not repeat the experience, but there is no reason not to use the power and insight I have already gained. My experiences and studies did teach me new ways of approaching magic that I did not consider before. The Psijics in particular have an enlightening view on existence."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei breathed a sigh, and leaned back somewhat as she clasped her hands together in her lap. "Something I would not repeat, if I had the chance to do it all over again. You guessed at the origin of my power before, and your guesses found their mark. I walked Apocrypha, and managed to return to tell the tale. Or give the warning, as the case may be. Mora originally game to us about a decade ago with an offer of information, of assistance. And he did indeed live up to that offer; nothing we have learned about him or his followers has given any indication that he is an ally of Vile. The actions Vile has been taking recently has upset many of his Daedra brethren to varying degrees. Even Molag Bal, a Daedra for whom I carry no respect, has been acing against him."

"But, at any rate..." Meesei continued. "Mora did not only give his assistance, he also left his...gift." She explained, her tone carrying a certain amount of venom to it upon speaking the last word. "A black book; a portal of sorts into his realm. I refrained from using it for years, as I was well-aware of the dangers of associating with Hermaeus Mora. But, then the war became desperate. The soul-tearing gas had a devastating effect on our morale through all levels of our clans, from the lowest hunter, all the way up to myself. It was...well, you can imagine being on the edge of everything collapsing around you at a moment's notice. At that time, if they attacked us, we lost. There was no contest. The gas was an unstoppable, unbeatable weapon. Any clan that was discovered, was destroyed, usually with heavy casualties. It was in that...environment that I decided to use the book. It was a source of potentially limitless knowledge, and a potential cure for their weapon. I used it sparingly at first, but over time, I grew obsessed. I had thought that, given the threat that Vile posed directly to Mora, he would not be as eager to destroy my mind, as he often does to those who seek his knowledge. I had thought that, given my importance to the war effort against Vile, he would allow me some of the power his realm could offer. Indeed, I doubt he would have let my body perish before Vile was defeated, but I know now that my mind would not have been my own by the end. I spent years walking Apocrypha, studying the knowledge contained there. Contrary to what some may think, Mora does not give his knowledge easily. His realm is harrowing, and I still had to perform the research myself. Make no mistake, I was powerful before I entered Apocrypha, it was just that my magic was more...conventional then than it is now."

As Meesei was thinking about her experiences with Mora, she closed her eyes and started to shake her head lightly. "It was my pack that saved me. They managed to convince me of what I was doing to myself before it was too late. I rid myself of the book, and hope that I never have to see it again. I spent years studying the secrets of Mora's realm; I learned magic that has not been seen in Tamriel in thousands of years, but I would give it all up to have those years of my life back. If you ever locate an artifact of Mora, lock it away and destroy the key. Mora will always win in the end."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave an understanding nod to Lunise. “I know, though I have considered what might happen should another find it. One would need to be versed in an extinct form of ancient Dumer magic to be able to identify the purpose of the enchantment, let alone to use it. I also recognize that it may not always be safe for me to teleport to you, for various reasons.”

Meesei slipped her enchanted ring onto her finger, pulled the stool from the corner of the room over beside Lunise, then took Lunise’s hand in hers as she sat down beside her. “If you shape some magicka into restoration energy, then channel it into the ring in just the right way…” She began, demonstrating on her own ring. “…then the ring’s counterpart will start to feel warm. That will be my signal to you that I want to teleport to you. If you channel raw alteration energy into the ring in just this way, then the ruby in the counterpart ring will briefly light up.”

Once more, Meesei demonstrated the technique on Lunise’s ring, which caused her own ring to light up for a moment. "If you were to do that, say twice, three times in a row, then I would know it is safe. If responded with the light only once, or not at all, then I would know to wait until some other time. We can discuss and perfect and exact system, but most of all, I do not want to have to spend months apart from you with no word, or exchanging only letters. I want to be able to speak to you face-to-face, to be able to touch you, to be with you. I want to be able to be a...couple, as you might say."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei did not only return Lunise's smile; she also stepped up to her and embraced her with a quick hug and a kiss. They had to keep their relationship a secret the majority of the time, but whenever Meesei was afforded the opportunity, she was eager to show her affection. "Indeed I have. I returned to Skyrim for a few hours to complete a particular...project I had in mind. A gift, for you."

As Meesei gave her explanation, she reached into a pouch on her belt and retrieved a small, gold ring. It was not an exorbitantly expensive item by any means, but neither was it a simple, cheap ring that mages often chose when enchanting jewelry for a practical purpose. It had a single ruby at its center, with a few simple designs etched around it. When Meesei placed it in Lunise's hand, she would feel the unmistakable charge of an enchantment within it. "Many years ago, I used an enchantment to bind two rings together, and used it to track down a traitor. Although, it only worked across a short distance, relative to the size of Tamriel. Since then, however, my research into teleportation has allowed me to improve that design."

The enchantment that Meesei had placed into the ring was a simple, modified version of the enchantments she placed on her propylon chambers. It, of course, did not have the capacity to teleport a person, but its enchantment bound it to the other ring she had selected to be its counterpart, which she also pulled from her pouch a moment later. It was not identical to the ring she had given Lunise, but it was also a gold and ruby ring. "These two rings are bound together, and will remain bound together across any distance. With that bond, I am able to form a connection with the location of the other ring, just as if I were able to visualize it. Essentially, for as long as you have that ring, I will be able to teleport to you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For much of the next day, Meesei spent her time with Areldril, Lunise, and Marod refining their plans for the coming days. Areldril gave a detailed account of everything he knew about Vile and his plans, along with his own suggestions for how to proceed. They would, of course, need more than just the Rueful axe to invade Vile's realm, but it was a vital piece of the puzzle. Since Meesei's pack was the most free to act, and did not require approval from the superiors that Marod and Lunise were bound to, it was decided that her pack could undertake the task of searching for the axe. It would not be easy to find, but Areldril was able to give a few leads as to where it might be. Marod and Lunise also agreed to give whatever assistance they could, once they were able.

The three also discussed what to do about the Thalmor documents, and Areldril himself. Meesei maintained that it would be unsafe for the Thalmor to know that the documents had been recovered, or that Areldril had been found. She recommended reporting the mission as a failure and allowing Areldril to be taken somewhere safe and hidden.

For the remainder of the day, Meesei also had her own, personal project that she was in something of a rush to complete. Luckily, she had all of the knowledge in her mind on how to complete it. She simply had to find the time to teleport herself back to her chambers in Blackreach in order to retrieve the supplies she would need to create it. She had managed to do so as discretely as possible, so as not to raise any questions among anyone else, even her own pack.

It was near dark by the time Meesei was able to make it back to Bravil. To ensure her return was subtle, she had to open her portal to a place outside the city, then walk back in on foot. Fortunately, she had been gone long enough that no one who saw her realized that she had never actually walked out to begin with. She made her way into the castle, then straight to Lunise's room without any distractions. Meesei maintained a professional demeanor for as long as she walked through the halls, but her business with Lunise was quite personal. She knocked on Lunise's door, and could not help but to smile.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I don't think there is anything more I really have to accomplish for the current day. There is one quick thing I will have Meesei do before they leave Bravil, but otherwise I am ready to move ahead to the next part. I think when they head back to the Blackreach clan, I will only have us play out the meeting with the leaders, and summarize everything else.

Is there anything else you would find important to play out before they leave Bravil?

Also, I think I am tired enough that I need to get to bed. And probably not the fake kind of tired where I still post anyways.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan shrugged his shoulders. "I mean...I don't know." He answered, actually quite honestly. He was not sure what to make of the situation. He had no personal experience with romance, and had only recently started feeling any desire for it. He did not understand why Rhazii would apparently want to be the mate to someone they had just met, and he did not know what to say about it.

Kaleeth glanced back at the children behind them. While she had been talking to Janius, she had heard them when their voices raised behind them. However, they had been quiet enough that she had not quite been able to understand what was being said. Although, Janius had better hearing than her, so she was not sure what he might have heard. "Is there anything wrong back there?" Kaleeth asked.

---

Meesei did not say another word as she stood up from her bed and walked up slowly behind Lunise. She placed her hands on her shoulders and rubbed them gently as she leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I am going to go walk down to the barracks and tell my pack I am back. I am going to let them see that I am safe, so they are not concerned about me being away all night, then I am going to tell them that I have some more work to do tonight, and that I will probably be back in the morning. Then, I am going to come back here." She explained, softly but clearly.

Meesei gave Lunise a kiss on the cheek, then turned away towards the door. Despite Lunise's general tendency for caution, she was not expecting any objections.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Potions? I guess, then...I mean..." Julan stammered, still surprised by Rhazii's admission. He was aware of the uses of alchemy for a variety of forms of protection, but, although he had been educated about it, he was not yet at a point in his life where he would need to apply that knowledge. Rhazii, however, was a few years older, and at their age, those few years meant quite a lot in terms of their maturity.

With Rhazii's reassurances, Julan was now significantly calmer, though no less confused. "I guess there's nothing to worry about, but...you kissed her?" He repeated, though he did not actually expect an answer. The real concern now was whether or not his parents had overheard them.

---

As Lunise started to speak in her normal, proper tone, Meesei looked around towards the door and walls. She lifted up one hand, which started to glow lightly with an alteration spell. She was magically exhausted from creating the portal, but there was still enough left in her for a simple life detection spell. It had enough range that she could pick up more than just Lunise, but she saw nothing that concerned her. "There is no one nearby, you need not worry." Meesei said reassuringly.

When Lunise mentioned her bed, Meesei leaned back, supporting her upper body with her hands and grinning at Lunise. "Indeed. While the beds in the barracks are far from terrible...these castle walls simply do not insulate. It just gets so chilly in that room. Personally, I much prefer to have something to keep my bed warm."