EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, I have to wonder what she has told them about us. I cannot imagine she has told them the full truth; children of that age are not terribly reliable at keeping secrets. Perhaps we are the eccentric mage aunt and her former master, wandering the world in search of adventure?" Meesei grinned. "At any rate, I suppose I will just wait and see what story Ariel has concocted for us. I also am looking forward to seeing what she has done with the shop. What we paid her was more than enough to repay her loan, and perhaps invest more into it. She deserves all of the prosperity we could give her after what she did for us. It is hard to appreciate how many lives you and her helped to save with the antidote you developed."

Meesei's gaze moved to the desk, and the letters that Sabine had been writing. Despite Sabine's efforts, Meesei had noticed the bandage, and she did find it curious that she was attempting to hide it. Minor wounds were far from uncommon in the pack, from training and the like, and Meesei would have thought nothing of it otherwise. "Did you do something to your hand? Or have you begun to use your blood for ink?" Meesei joked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded and greeted Sabine, closing the door behind her. She pulled over a wooden chair next to the stone one built into the floor at Sabine's desk and took a seat beside her. "Yes, I have a question. Or...more of a request, really. I know you are planning on taking Janius, Kaleeth, and Julan to Black Marsh today, and to visit your sister. I managed to convince Saras to handle the meeting with the Daggerfall alpha today, so I will also have some time to myself. I was wondering if I might join you today? I do not want to get in the way of you spending time with your sister, but perhaps before or after that, we could take some time together as well?" She suggested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could not help but to laugh. "I just knew you would have something to say about that. Well, I will be looking forward to it. Hopefully we can find the time sometime soon."

---

Despite completing their most important tasks leading up to the invasion, it still took about a week before anyone in the pack was able to carry out any of the plans they had made. Meesei still had to meet a few more times with the Empire's Legate General, as well as Teroiah, and introduce Ri'vashi to the both of them. Fortunately, once they were acquainted, Meesei merely had the task of teleporting Ri'vashi to the right places so she could handle the more detailed military planning. As for the rest of the pack, they still had their normal responsibilities, from which they would need to prepare to be absent.

As they had planned beforehand, Janius, Kaleeth, and Julan were going to join Sabine in traveling to Thorn, then make their own way to the likely location of Kaleeth's former tribe. She knew roughly where they would be, but expected to be away for at least a few days. Sabine, of course, could return home at will, but would need to check back in Thorn each day to see if they had returned. They were all finally able to coordinate their free time together, so they would be leaving within a few hours.

It was early in the morning, a few hours before the group intended to leave, when Meesei knocked on Sabine's door. She had been able to pull herself away from her responsibilities as well, so she felt it would be a perfect chance to spend some time with her.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Could double up on that. Meesei could go with Sabine to spend time with her before or after meeting with Ariel, while Kaleeth, Janius, and Julan go look for her tribe.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think we can move on. What scene did you want to go to?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a particularly curious look towards Lunise, thinking silently for a few seconds with a grin on her face. "Hmm, I actually find myself quite curious on what kind of an idea you might come up with. I have never thought about what kind of a gift-giver you might be. My hatching day is next month, after all."

Meesei tightened her hand around Lunise's, then rolled over onto her side, towards her, and rested her other arm on Lunise's hip. "Though, it is not as if I know for sure when my free time will be. My responsibilities always have the chance of demanding my attention. Regardless, I do not think I would mind a surprise from you, if you decided to give one. I can take us anywhere in Tamriel. Or beyond, if I was somehow able to form a connection with the destination."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei started to open her mouth, but there were no words to follow. In Meesei's professional life, she was a leader, one whose ideas and judgement were meant to be every bit as valuable as her magic. So, it was rare for her to look simply and completely lost, as she did now. She thought back on the last few months, on the wants that she knew she must have been having, but her mind came back empty. She could fill tomes with all she wanted for her pack and her friends, but when she needed to think about herself, there was nothing.

"I...do not know. I, well...I know I want to take some time with my pack, of course. It is such a rare opportunity for us to do so now, but I have not thought about doing something just for myself for...I am not sure how long. Nothing like what my pack are doing. Nothing that would take me beyond the clan." She replied.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I would think self-preservation would be as much of a motivator to Teroiah as her reputation. She is going to be in Oblivion with the rest of us, and I doubt she has any intention of dying there. Particularly since Vile could claim her soul if she were to die in his realm. A danger all of us will face, really. If we defeat him as planned, then he will lose his hold over any souls lost during the fighting, but if we fail..." Meesei's voice trailed off. The stakes of the invasion had never been in question, but even so, speaking them aloud never failed to be unsettling. She was quick to move on from the subject.

"I have not seen nor spoken to anyone from my family since my youth. I never had any siblings, and my parents both died before I left. The rest of my family, or indeed, the rest of the village, believes me to have died as well. I was raised to be someone of importance to my people. A Treeminder, a sort of shaman, as you may think of it. I was to be a leader of my village, but I ultimately found my purpose elsewhere. I faked my death, as I believed it would be easier for them in the long-run. It likely was, but naturally, I have not had contact with them since." She explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei hummed a moment, lifting up her hand and glancing down at her ring. "Hmm, it is sometimes easy to forget how much my ring does for me. Lycan spirits are restless, and most tend to suffer nightmares from time to time. I cannot remember the last time I slept without it."

Meesei laid back shortly after Lunise and just allowed the silence to fill the air for a while. It was peaceful, especially with the enchantments blocking all sound from passing through the walls. Though, she did eventually continue from the thoughts passing through her mind. "I am dreading the politics I am going to have to deal with for the next few months, but at least Ri'vashi will be handling most of the actual military details of the invasion. And perhaps she will have better luck getting along with Teroiah. She is Khajiit, a race I assume a Thalmor would be accustomed to working with, and she understands Imperials through her upbringing. I at least expect to be somewhat less busy than I have been. Most of my pack intends to visit their families and loved ones with their time...I am not sure what I should do."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Indeed, I have to wonder what she thinks of me. The way I first learned magic was difficult, more...obtuse than what most mages experience, but it ended with me approaching magic in a fundamentally different way to allow for such adaptations. I had to use twice as much magicka to attain the same power as her, but perhaps I can convince her to demonstrate it a few more times so I can pick up the details." Meesei chuckled.

Meesei stepped over and took a seat on the edge of Lunise's bed, letting out a long breath as she was sitting down. She leaned back somewhat, supporting her upper body with her hands and closing her eyes. "For the most part, I am just tired. For that entire duel, all the power we demonstrated, only one of us even received a flesh wound, and a minor one at that. But, it still took all of my focus and ability to face her. I knew I would win as well, but only if I did not make any mistakes. I accomplished what I needed to, though. I made the time to have a talk with the Invigiator, or...whatever it was that she held as a title. I should probably be sure to memorize it before we next meet. Although, I feel that I just wish to do...nothing for the moment. I believe I have earned it."