EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"So...I have to get the tattoos." Julan replied in a slow and uncertain tone. Though, his worry was drowned out for Leeus by her rather overwhelming excitement.

Leeus gave Julan's shoulder a playful punch. [i]"Well, obviously you do. Why wouldn't anyone want them? They're the best looking marks too. A leviathan is just so ferocious-looking, with all those teeth and that spine. I've never seen one in person, but I'd love to try to hunt one. I think someone should get the leviathan marks for killing one too, but the Treeminder says it doesn't 'work that way'. Hmph, he's no fun. Anyways, maybe you won't be so lonely back home once you get those to show off. That would have to impress any girl."

Julan became quite quickly defensive. "Hey, I'm not lonely! And...there aren't any Argonian girls there. I told you, not our age."

"Well...are there any Argonian boys your age?" Leeus asked.

Julan was, overall, confused by Leeus' question, and was slow to reply. "Um, yeah, one or two I think. But I, uh, don't like boys...like that."

Leeus laughed. "No, silly. I mean...why don't you just become a girl!"

To say that Julan was confused was an understatement, and he just stared speechlessly at her as if she had gone completely mad.

---

S'nashi's ever-present grin still dominated her expression as she set aside her now-empty bowl of soup. "Indeed, we probably shouldn't keep boring the children with such discussion. We are staying at the, oh what is the name of that inn...the one nearest the western gate. We will be in the city for some time, so there is no rush. Just whenever you and your husband have the time."

Shevari was in the process of cleaning out soup bowls so she could serve her stew, though she did afford a quick glance towards Llarasa. "Oh, I know my family is quite proud of my financial success with my restaurant. And none of that would have been possible without Gwindir and S'nashi..."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth gave a nod, then sat herself down on the other side of Julan, facing the river. Janius would easily notice her sudden shift in attitude towards Leeus, at least as far as she was expressing outwardly. "Your friend is right, you know? The marks of the Leviathan are a great honor. Usually, anyone who is strong enough to receive them goes on to be a great warrior for the village. Not all Master-Hunters have them; my father didn't. But, anyone who has them is usually a serious candidate for the position. That, specifically, is not going to matter for you, but...I am just saying that you should expect those tattoos to earn you a lot of respect. It is an honor that you are not only going to be receiving from the people of the village, but from the Hist themselves. Before you get them, both you and the person giving you the tattoos will drink Hist sap, and they will decide the design of the tattoos. It will end up being unique, just to you."

Julan was still holding Leeus' hand even after pulling away from her, but the topic of the tattoos was actually enough to distract him from her. He was silent and conflicted, eventually looking straight up at his father. "So you...do think I should get the tattoos?" He asked, his tone anything but confident.

---

Much like Calia, Gwindir did not pay much heed to the concerns of the siblings. He was quite happy to be making definite progress on a potential deal. "Indeed, that is just about what I was going to suggest. I would like to have more than just a few bottles to send out, but I am more than happy to buy them from you, at just the same price as you would give to anyone else. That way, you will not personally be out any coin, should the test not work out as we would hope. I just want to make sure to have enough to be able to send to several ports."

S'nashi had actually been drinking her soup while they had been talking, but she soon set it aside once she had the opportunity to speak. "Normally, we take the role of middlemen in these sorts of deals. We buy the goods directly from the supplier, and resell them using our connections in foreign lands. But...you are family, and I think it would be more beneficial for your vineyard in the long run if we instead help you to make these deals directly with the distributors in the Dominion. We would just have to work it out so you could get access to our preferred rate with the shipping companies we deal with."

Gwindir nodded. "I agree completely. You would be able to keep the price of the wine lower, and I don't much want to profit off of family like that. Not when it would hold you back from expanding."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hal-Leeus had an energy and enthusiasm that was difficult to contain, as Julan could not get out a word before she took over the conversation with a loud voice and beaming smile. "Your marks! I almost forgot, I didn't really congratulate you. You actually earned the marks of the Leviathan! I've always dreamed of being able to earn them myself, like my father. You're even stronger than I thought you were. It's really hard to win that kind of a fight, but...my father did it, and you did it. I was just going to do the rite of the predator like everyone else, but now, I think I'm going to try it. I'm going to keep training, and try to earn those marks too." She explained. There were only a few seconds of silence before she interrupted anything Julan might say with a rather tight hug.

Kaleeth had, at first, intended to insist on speaking with Julan in private, but now, she was suddenly seeing some merit in allowing her to stay for their talk. As nervous as Kaleeth was about the two of them spending time together, the fact that Julan's temporary sweetheart simply loved the tattoos he was going to be getting was a fact that Kaleeth found undeniably useful.

---

Right away, S'nashi leaned over to Fendros with a quick pat on the back. "Oh, don't worry. We won't dwell on it long." She said, grinning.

Ahnasha could easily recognize that her parents were already becoming invested in the idea of a business deal with Fendros' family. Her father's enthusiasm was easy enough for her to see. She was worried that it would necessitate her parents meeting Rossarm, but she had no real way to interrupt at this point. Shevari, and some of the others, had finished their soup and appetizers, so she went ahead and started to get ready to serve the next course while they were talking.

"Naturally, I understand. I make decisions with my wife as well. As for the opportunity, I believe there is a particular market that your wine could fit quite nicely in. As I mentioned before, tariffs for imports into the Dominion are quite high right now, so, of course, the volume of trade has hit a lull. Prices on imported goods are high, and not enough people are buying them for many businesses in the Empire to even bother exporting to begin with. If they lower the price to the point that a large enough volume of people buy it, they don't see the profits as being sufficient enough to warrant the effort, at least in comparison to focusing their attention within the Empire, or to independent provinces. It's the same for wine, and most other markets right now. But, that also means there is currently little competition, in regards to imported wine, within the Dominion right now. I could use my preferred rate on shipping to bring down the transportation cost enough to...partially make up for the tariffs, but that's not the main point. Among the wealthy elite in the Dominion and, well, most other places, there is always a demand for imported luxuries. It would not matter if the absolute best wine in all of Tamriel was made right in their hometown, I'm pretty sure they would still import more expensive bottles just to make sure they have something the commoners don't."

Gwindir paused only to chuckle for a few brief moments. "Perhaps there is not always a demand for Imperial goods due to, um, cultural differences, but you would be exporting quality Elven wine, which is helpful. With so few competing imports, they would be certain to try your wine. The profits, even with reduced transport costs, would be modest at best at the current point in time. As I said, most Imperial businesses are not bothering with significant exports right now. They are looking at the next year, or the next few years, and seeing that they could make more septims elsewhere. But, we can operate on longer timescales. These tariffs will eventually go down to some reasonable number. Then, well, their markets will be practically flooded with new imports, wine included. But, you, and your wine, will have already been ready. You will already have your distribution sorted, and already have buyers for your wine. You will already have customers who know that they like your wine. While the other vineyards are competing for attention, you will already have a solid share of the market, prime to expand with. Now, I have no great love for high tariffs, but a silver lining is that they can create the perfect opportunity to to establish that kind of a foothold."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan tensed up when he heard his father's voice, but as he had not been doing anything actually embarrassing this time, it subsided quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine. We were just...talking." He answered briefly.

Kaleeth remained standing just behind Janius, doing her best to hide her suspicion and worry. After what Janius had told her about Julan and Leeus, she was uncomfortable with him spending any time alone with her, even if it was entirely innocent. "We could see that you were talking, son. I'd like to know what you two were talking about."

Before Julan could speak, Leeus answered calmly, and with surprisingly little hesitation. "It's nothing serious or anything. Julan was just talking to me about how he likes me and is lonely back home, but we can't stay together since he's leaving."

For a second or two, Julan was wide eyed, stammering as his mind tried in vain to come up with some way to undo what Leeus had said. "Leeus! What are you doing? You weren't supposed to tell anyone that!"

Hal-Leeus, in turn, looked surprised at Julan's reaction, and subsequent embarrassment. "What are you talking about? You didn't say anything about not telling anyone!"

"I thought it was obvious!" Julan practically shouted.

Once again, Leeus calmed her voice and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "Besides, it's not that big of a deal. Everyone knows you like me. You don't hide it well. And I know you're going back home. You're...just a visitor. I knew that from the start."

---

"There are certainly many words of wisdom in that." Gwindir replied, almost immediately. Pausing to take another, slow sip of wine, which he lingered on for a few seconds. "But, I daresay, I still agree with my wife. You do have a quality product. You mentioned you've been in the wine business for..." He began, glancing over to Fendros to make a quick judgment on his age. "...a few decades, at least. I'm certain you have already encountered many of the trials a small, growing business has to deal with. Distribution, I would say, is the greatest barrier that a growing business can face, if they want to move beyond just serving one single village or city. The ability to get your product, wine in your case, to a tavern, on display, somewhere that a customer can even see it, can be even more challenging than making a quality product to begin with. Transportation can be expensive, dangerous, you can lose entire shipments at once. Trusting the wrong people to move your goods can ruin a business. But again, you strike me as more than experienced enough to know all of that."

Gwindir smiled, leaning forward and holding his hand forward with his elbow resting on his knee. "And that, I would say, is my real strength. I've never been a man with the talent to make some sort of quality product. I've never produced a fine vintage, or cooked food fit for nobility like my wonderful and talented daughter-in-law, but the logistics of operating and growing a diverse business? That, I do know. To borrow your analogy, my web of connections and trade partners has matured quite nicely over the last few hundred years. I have preferred rates with two different shipping companies between the Empire and Dominion, and am on familiar terms with major traders in nearly every port city in southern Tamriel. What's more, I've done this before. Introducing a product to a new region, that is. I know how it might be accomplished with no financial risk to you. I think the tariffs, as they are now, might actually present a long-term opportunity."

Gwindir spoke with an abundance of both friendliness and confidence. Indeed, his business, as he described it, had an impressive of assets and connections that could take ages to build and maintain. Ahnasha was not surprised that business was one of the first topics that her father had latched onto. He had almost as much passion for trade as Shevari did for her cooking, and he was never one to pass on potential opportunities.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaj-Julan might have taken longer to find, were his habits less predictable. He was, of course, with Hal-Leeus, and was, again, by one of the many rivers and streams flowing by the village. He had practically been living in the water since the day after they arrived, though that seemed to be normal for Argonian children. Julan was, again, alone with Leeus, but this time, the scene they came across was odd in a different way. They were both sitting on the riverbank facing one another, either just before entering or shortly after getting out of the water. It could be difficult to tell, considering how quickly Argonians' waterproof scales could dry off. However, Julan looked like he could be close to tears, and Leeus was leaned forward with an empathetic hand on Julan's shoulder, consoling him about something.

---

"I...do believe I have seen the bottles before." Gwindir answered Llarasa. "Alas, I am not a frequent patron of the taverns, so I'm not too familiar with what they stock. And most the wine we drink, we just buy from Vasiq and Shevari. I'll be sure to look for it when we get back home, though."

S'nashi had been sipping on her wine, and quite clearly focusing on it contemplatively. Finally, she broke her silence at the first break in the conversation. "Well, if you believe this wine is a good representation of your other vintages, then I believe it could sell much farther than that. It takes a fine product to be successfully exported out of the Empire, else no one will want to buy it after the markup from tariffs. I think your wine is good enough to succeed as an export. You could find bottles of your wine in cities from Sunhold, all the way to Lilmoth."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"These are...lessons he has to learn. He can't just go through life thinking his actions won't have consequences, or that he can just ignore them if he doesn't like them. I'm not going to let him ruin his, and my, relationship with my family." Kaleeth replied, though she was mostly repeating the same points she had already made by this point, perhaps more to convince herself than to convince Janius. Julan did not yet even know that refusing the tattoos would be likely to cause such serious issues, so the argument she was making was purely hypothetical at the moment.

Regardless, Kaleeth looked to be getting more worried the longer she thought about it. "Maybe we should go talk to him, before he brings it up to anyone else?"

---

Once everyone had been served, Shevari sat down beside her husband with her own soup and spiced melons, though she was eagerly answering Llarasa and Monderyn before starting on any of it. Ahnasha had seen Shevari as being somewhat shy up to this point, but Fendros' family certainly would not be getting that impression of her. "Indeed. Most of the ingredients for it are seaweed and vegetables. The stock is usually made with trodh, but luckily, the sardines we found in the market are none too different from trodh, at least for the purpose of making stock. That usually isn't the case for Argonian cuisine, sadly; if you can't find the proper sort of meat, there usually isn't a good substitute from elsewhere."

Gwindir, meanwhile, grinned and sipped from his own wine. "The Altmer do take great pride in any cultural achievement. And there is some merit to it, I would not deny, but...even their Dominion allies are quite aware of their habit of exaggeration. I've witnessed many a late-evening tavern argument between Altmer sailors and locals on that topic. And wine is a popular part of that argument. Though, I am curious, how widely is your wine distributed? Leyawiin isn't too many steps away along the trade routes, I certainly must have seen it before." He commented as he started to look over and see if he could recognize the markings on the wine bottle.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth crossed one arm over the other, looking down at the ground. "He didn't have to do it. We did tell him about it, and if he didn't want the marks, he should have said something beforehand. It wouldn't have been a problem, then. Hopefully we can convince him to agree like you say, but...he already made the commitment. He was told everything, and still made his choice. I think he...he should have to learn to deal with the consequences of his choices, even if he doesn't like them."

---

"Oh, I would say it is running better than well." Gwindir began. Ahnasha could see a familiar and genuine smile across his face, likely out of pride. If there was one thing she knew about both of her parents, it was that they took great pride in their business accomplishments, particularly since neither had any significant inheritance to build from when they started. Their accomplishments were their own. "One of the reasons we are up here in Cheydinhal is to make possibly the most lucrative deal we've yet made."

While Gwindir paused to allow Rhazii to pour his drink, Ahnasha spoke up, finding it a safe topic for them to stay on. "I read about that in your last letter, but you never hared any details. Is that something you can talk about now?"

Gwindir briefly thanked Rhazii, then nodded. "Hmm, at this point, I think so. Yesterday, we had a productive meeting with Count Indarys' steward. We just have a few more details to agree upon. All goes well, and we'll be sending fine goods from Summerset to the Cheydinhal castle, at a good price. The count used to have deals to trade directly with merchants in the Dominion for such goods, since they could hire their own ships and caravans for transport, but that has been disrupted in the last year or two. Political nonsense, mostly; arguments over tariffs and that sort of thing. At any rate, the Counts are currently barred from trading directly with Dominion merchants, but they can still buy from private merchants in the Empire. And we already trade regularly with merchants at most major Dominion ports. We wrote back and came up here as fast as we could once we learned about it. There are plenty of other merchants in Leyawiin who would bite into that deal like ravenous slaughterfish if they caught wind of it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth opened her mouth, intending briefly to scold Janius' suggestion, but mentally reminded herself that he was not as familiar with her village's traditions. "It...doesn't work like that. Everyone's marks are different. Before they begin, the Treeminder, or whoever might be applying them, will drink Hist sap and apply to Julan the marks that come to him. The marks are meant to come from the Hist themselves, which is another reason you can't just...refuse them. You'd be refusing the Hist themselves!"

Kaleeth started to pace through the hut, clasping her hands on her head. "Why...why does it have to be like this? Why can't it just be easy, and all go smoothly? Julan has to do it. There's no way we'll be welcome here anymore. The whole village would feel insulted, and my father would be absolutely livid."

---

For now, at least, S'nashi and the rest of Ahnasha's family accepted Calia's brief answer, especially with Fendros ushering them towards the meal they had all been awaiting. They had made sure to acquire enough blankets for everyone to sit comfortably by the lake for their picnic, and Ahnasha had made sure to buy a few pillows in case anyone, like Calia, preferred to have any extra cushioning.

While everyone else was getting seated, Shevari started straight away on serving everyone. "I shall start us all out with a few appetizers. Redoran spiced melons, and a light soup: an Argonian recipe, actually. Though, it is popular in Leyawiin as well. I was surprised to be able to find the seaweed for it all the way up here. Rhazii, could you help me with the wine? Your father's family has brought us a wonderful vintage. I just wish we had glasses fine enough to match it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It took a few seconds for Kaleeth to process what Janius was saying, but once she understood, her eyes briefly widened. She quickly leaned in closer and hushed her voice, despite the fact that they were alone in Zharan's hut, with no one around to listen. "What? Please tell me he didn't mention that to anyone else."

Kaleeth looked progressively more worried as she ran her hand down the side of her face. "How? How couldn't he know? I am absolutely certain we told him about the marks. My father mentioned it, described them. Juran-Selth mentioned it, and I'm pretty sure he described them too. There's no way he couldn't know. You don't just...not get the marks. It's tradition, and it's a great honor. Especially the marks of the leviathan. So few people can earn those marks...I can't even begin to say how much of an insult it would be if he just...refused them."

---

S'nashi and Vasiq both introduced themselves in turn after Calia, and it was, of course, S'nashi who was the most enthused to continue. She wore a modest green dress, lightly embroidered as was fashionable currently among Imperials. She was clearly well-groomed, and Ahnasha had expected she had spent most of her morning brushing her fur until it was just right. Although, despite what were no doubt S'nashi's best efforts, she was at an age where she could not hide her grey hairs. Gwindir, by contrast, still looked just the same as he always had in Ahnasha's memory: not completely youthful, but far from nearing old age.

"It is wonderful to meet you all!" S'nashi smiled after introducing herself. "I can smell that Shevari has done an excellent job on our lunch, as always. I hope we have not kept you all waiting for too long. We just had to admire this beautiful place. The Blackwood forest does have a wonderful charm to it, certainly, but this northern Cyrodilic countryside is simply idyllic. Rolling hills underneath mountains, forests, this little lake and its little waterfall, oh and this view!" She remarked, looking out down the mountain towards Cheydinhall itself. "It's just perfect. I can see why we came here."

After taking another look around at the two gathered families, S'nashi looked back to Calia. "Will your husband be joining us? I've been looking forward to meeting him too."

Ahnasha had to avoid allowing herself to sigh. They had managed to go all of thirty seconds without bringing up Fendros' father.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius found Kaleeth not long after she left the Master-Hunter's hut. They had not spoken for long, but Kaleeth was not upset with the outcome, and was not uncomfortable sharing with Janius. Juran, it seemed, had grown in many ways since their childhood. He had tormented her in her youth, hurt her both physically and emotionally, but now, he was someone she could honestly respect as a village leader. Kaleeth did not exactly describe him as apologetic, but she did say that he wanted to treat her far more fairly than in the past, despite the fact that she had abandoned the village. Kaleeth was not certain, but she suspected that he might feel partly to blame for her leaving to begin with. Aside from that, he did not have much to say on Leeus. Kaleeth got the impression that he strongly believed in guiding her, but allowing her to make her own decisions, and potentially mistakes.

Julan spent most of his day with Hal-Leeus, or the other Argonian children. He ate dinner with Kaleeth and Janius, but quickly left afterwards, claiming to want to join in a game with Leeus and a few of the others. Julan had not yet returned after a few hours, though with Zharanthixil tending to his own errands, Janius did have an opportunity to speak with Kaleeth in private.

---

To say that Rhazii's question was sufficiently distracting was an understatement. Shevari, of course, could not bring herself to declare any one kind of food her favorite, and took it upon herself to specify the question down to her favorite food per each regional style. Even then, she sometimes could not decide. Nevertheless, she told tales with a clear passion for her first time trying each recipe, how she learned it, and any history for each dish that she might know. She had not even finished giving her answer by the time Ahnasha spotted the rest of her family walking up the trail to the lake.

Ahnasha stood up to meet them as they reached the lake and was, of course, greeted with a hug from her mother. They had not brought too many of their finer clothes from Leyawiin, but they were dressed respectably, to the standards of merchants. Vasiq quietly returned to his wife's side, while Gwindir took the initiative with their introductions. Calia, being the eldest, was the first one towards whom he extended a hand with a smile. "Greetings! It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Gwindir, Ahnasha's father.