EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could read Sabine's reaction perfectly, so she could tell that her words had been just as alarming as they had been convincing. Even among the others, the uncomfortable silence was telling. Nevertheless, Meesei maintained a smile, and offered her bottle of ale to Sabine. "I do not mean to sour the mood, I just wish to make sure that none of us squander any opportunities in any ways we might regret. We may very well succeed against Vile, but if there is anything I have determined from the last few days, it is that, even at the best of times, life can be unpredictable. So, perhaps it is best just to embrace that chaos from time to time. We are certainly going to cause some chaos for Vile when we invade his realm."

Once it was her turn, Ahnasha gladly accepted the wine before giving a chuckle. "Yeah, we're probably going to throw him completely off-guard. Daedra can be arrogant, Vile especially. He probably thinks us mortals to be too weak and afraid to do something so bold. That alone might give us a chance. He won't be prepared. Who knows, maybe we can convince Molag Bal to throw a whole Daedric army in with us? Maybe tell him that we heard Vile insult his horns, or...whatever Molab Bal has. And if we actually destroy Vile, even if it's just for a few centuries...well, we'd have to be the greatest heroes in Tamriel."

"Hmm, I do not think I would go that far." Meesei grinned. "After all, the Nereverine alone killed at least two or three gods by himself. We would only have one to our names."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a brief, somewhat amused huff. "I think you may be asking the wrong questions, Sabine. Or at least asking them for the wrong reasons. I would expect a few weeks before Saras' agents give us a more solid starting point to begin our search for the axe, but you should not see that as a limitation. If anything, you should see it as a reason to hurry. How much time do we all have to live in Tamriel? Not just us specifically, but people in general? I do not believe you should be content in waiting until afterwards, as there may not be an afterwards. We will do everything we can, but there is always the possibility we may fail. I do not wish to think about the possibility, but...Vile may take Tamriel. Or if not him, the Thalmor may destroy it. The time we have now is precious, and we should not waste any of it."

Despite the somewhat sobering nature of her words, Meesei's look towards Sabine was compassionate. "You should do what you believe will make you happy. Do not worry about whether or not it will be convenient. We now have the means to work around most of those issues. I can teach you to use portals, and even if you cannot, I will personally teleport you anywhere in Tamriel that you would like to go, should you need it. And if we do succeed, if we do stop Vile, then you will have even more time to enjoy whatever relationship you build."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei chuckled. "I think Fendros might be a few years away yet from being able to learn anything as complex as a portal. You have a much stronger foundation to build up to that form of magic, Sabine. Fendros would have to work from the ground up. Though, Ahnasha...you would be in a good position to learn, with your knowledge of conjuration. You can easily teleport Daedra between worlds at will. My portals have some of the same concepts. No, you just have a very particular form of magic that you need to concentrate on for the moment, Fendros. But we can get to that after dinner.

As much as she wanted to be open to her pack, still had to remain tight-lipped for Lunise's sake. "As I said before, I have to stay quiet on his or her identity until I can convince them that there is no risk with informing my pack. I can say that he or she gives me that wonderful kind of romantic affection that I have been missing for years. I simply wish we could be together openly. I know that you all would keep anything I say a secret if I asked you to, but I want to respect my partner's wishes regardless."

Meesei took a drink from her ale, then shifted her eyes in Sabine's direction. "Of course, you have no such restrictions. You have already disclosed his name. Karl, you said? I cannot say I know him personally, but I have no doubt seen him around. If you wanted to whisk him away for a romantic retreat to a remote beach, I could give you a portal." She grinned. "But in all seriousness, do you think you will speak to him about it?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, learn to open portals, and you can speak to him whenever you like. Provided you work up the courage to talk to him about it." Meesei responded as she was serving herself from the food she had made. She took a moment to uncork one of the bottles of ale she had brought with her. It was nothing exceptionally strong, so she had little concern in helping herself to it.

"With all the places we have been, there is a plethora of exotic locations to visit. Plenty of romantic places to visit. You could have dinner from a master Breton chef in Daggerfall, admire the architecture and city life of Stros M'kai, and spend some intimate time together in Eastmarch's hot springs all in the same evening. I have actually used the ability somewhat recently. When I could get away from my responsibilities, I had a nice, romantic evening in an isolated, idyllic cove. Just the two of us. I have to admit, I had not realized how much I missed that kind of attention." She added.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei remained coy, though she had an answer in mind that would hopefully accomplish her purpose for bringing it up. "All I can say is that I would expect me to be taking some time for myself a bit more frequently than before. Of course, I would like to tell you all everything about it. I trust you all more than any other being in any plane of existence, but I also wish to respect the requests of a certain other person. My position does still complicate matters, and it is safer to keep it a secret. I will try to make the case for being more freely open to at least my pack, though." Meesei explained. The food was finished by this point, so she took the time to serve everyone.

Ahnasha, meanwhile, was grinning widely. "Never thought I would see the day. I thought you had married yourself to your work by this point, which was a shame, since your work is such an abusive lover. Figures that you'd be keeping it a secret, though. I almost think you're just trying to keep us in suspense. Well, hopefully you can convince this mystery lover to trust us; you could teleport us all somewhere nice for a...couples' vacation."

Ahnasha's eyes moved to Sabine. "And speaking of couples, don't think you're going to escape this without giving anything else away. Who is this man you mentioned? What does he look like? He needs to be handsome to deserve someone like you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"You may not have the magicka to complete a portal on your own, but with a magicka potion for assistance, I would wager that you could accomplish it." Meesei pointed out.

As the conversation shifted back towards her, Meesei paused, leaning back somewhat. She, of course, could not mention Lunise, as she had given her word that she would not. She knew her pack was entirely trustworthy, but she did not want to betray her word to Lunise. However, that did not mean she could not approach the subject of having a mate. Even if Meesei directly told them that she secretly had a mate, the notion that her mate could be Justicar Lunise would be entirely unthinkable. They would place their guesses on every single man and woman they had met in every single clan in Tamriel before their thoughts would even come close to approaching Lunise. To them, she was still a cold, threatening, Elven-supremacist. That secret would be completely safe until Meesei decided to reveal it herself.

"There was a time when I considered it unwise to become romantically involved with anyone. I feared accusations of bias or favoritism, compromising the integrity of my position, those sorts of issues. However, I feel I have already made enough mistakes that taking on a mate likely will not cause any real issue." Meesei slowly started to grin. "Though, who is to say what I do on my own time?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave an understanding nod. "Indeed, our responsibilities can make it difficult to maintain relationships outside of the pack. Although, that is not quite as bad now as it once was. Between my portals and the propylons, we are home much more now. Still, I expect the search for the axe is going to take quite some time. I would understand if you did not want to attempt to start a relationship if you did not think you would be able to maintain it. Although..."

Holding up her hand for a few seconds, a few wisps of magic swirled around her fingers. "I could teach you how to teleport. How to open portals as I do. With direct instruction, it would not take you nearly as long to learn the power as it did for me to discover it. These portals are...freeing in many ways. It allows you to be anywhere you like, anytime you like. It makes it particularly easy for two mates to remain together under almost any circumstance. And I certainly think that you deserve the loving attention of another."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a lighthearted laugh. "Surely it is not still that embarrassing, Sabine? It has been, what, over a decade by this point? I did not physically see her in the room with Peiter, but, well, let us just say I was naught but a few seconds off. That was something of a wake-up call for me. That my little girl was grown up. In all honesty, I believe I may have been more distressed about that realization than you were embarrassed by it. Besides, I can promise you that I went through far more embarrassing situations when I was young. "

With another chuckle, Meesei gave Sabine a quick pat on the back. "And you certainly should not be ashamed of it. I have not seen him in some time, but I recall him being a handsome man. Situations change over time, of course, but he was a good mate for you back then. Although, it does make me curious, have you had any...attractions of your own as of late, Sabine?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei grinned at Fendros' explanation of the events, particularly Rhazii's encounter with Jatinha. "Hmm, so he at least did not rush into things quite as much as your first day or two together?" She remarked towards Fendros and Ahnasha.

As she had been cooking for a while before they arrived, the mammoth steaks were nearly finished, as the scent in the air readily indicated. "Though, I think this may have had something to do with that." She added as she reached over, grabbed a bottle of wine, and offered it to them. Ahnasha laughed, then took the bottle and placed it between herself and Fendros.

"I suppose he was a bit more reserved, yes. That thought did cross my mind when we were talking to him about it. I'm glad he never heard that story, else he definitely would have had a better argument to avoid stable duty." Ahnasha responded.

"Well, I am sure you have things well in-hand. You two have always been great parents to him. Even when he misbehaves, he misbehaves responsibly. And he has now given you plenty of warning that you should be talking to him about such things. I would wager that it will not be too long before he is walking around the clan with his arm around a pretty Khajiit girl. It is just your job to make sure that you do not end up with more cubs too soon." Meesei said. "I do envy you, somewhat. It sounds like you were able to learn through a calm, casual conversation. My experience learning about my daughter's growing maturity was much more...startling." She chuckled, looking at Sabine.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled at Fendros and Ahnasha. "I felt we could use some time to relax. There has been much to worry about these last few days for all of us, and you in particular. Being my second is no small responsibility, but it is not one that should consume your thoughts at all times. Besides, chaurus has been growing old."

Ahnasha sat down cross-legged across the campfire from Meesei, taking in a deep breath of the meat that was cooking. "Agreed. The food at the Bravil castle was a nice change of pace, but I don't think the guards had the best chefs."

"Hopefully, I am at least somewhat better." Meesei chuckled. "We do need to practice, but this need not be all work. How are Leaps and Rhazii? I heard Rhazii got into some trouble while I was dealing with my business in Bravil."