EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It's not about trust, Fendros." Ahnasha answered. At least by appearances, she did not appear to be regretful nor remorseful, and she did not hesitate to reply. "I stand by everything I've done, all I've accomplished. But, I know what it could mean for me if all this was discovered by the wrong people. That's why I go through all the trouble of hiding it. Multiple hideaways, burying the thralls, scattering around Falmer totems. I know I have been a bit reckless in the past about showing my abilities, and I can only thank Hircine that it hasn't yet come back to bite me. And if you and the others didn't know about it, then you couldn't be blamed if I was found out. All this was to protect you, and I hope it does end up helping us when we end up facing down Vile's daedra."

Ahnasha turned towards Fendros and slowly wrapped her arms around him. "Just think about it. After all this is over, after we win, we won't have to worry about all this fighting and...planning a war. We'll all make it back from this, and finally be able to just live as a family. You're the second to the most influential Champion that Hircine has ever had; we can give Rhazii a better life than any lycan could ever hope for. I'm sure there will still be plenty of work for us, but we'll be able to have so much more time to ourselves. We could go explore all new parts of Tamriel, or go re-visit ones we never had a chance to really appreciate. We could go back to Elsweyr and visit old friends, maybe show Rhazii some of his cultural heritage. Then we could go to Morrowind and do the same for your side of his family. We won't have to rush, or have impending death looming over our heads. We can finally just...live, together. So, please don't fault me too much for wanting to make sure that will happen."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Okay, very well." Ahnasha replied cautiously. "Just...let's be careful not to get in Neesa's way of doing whatever it is she's doing." She warned.

Ahnasha had not expected Fendros to actually want to see the results of her work, and she was not sure if she should be worried about his intentions, or what he hoped to learn from it. She supposed that seeing the thralls would show him that she had been honest, but it did not seemed to her like he much liked the truth, regardless.

Nevertheless, Ahnasha led Fendros outside, and they did not need to do any more than round the corner towards the back of her hideaway for Fendros to see what she had been hiding all this time. On their approach, Fendros would have seen a fairly plain, open area with a few clusters of mushrooms, but there had been far more than that just under the surface. Now, the dirt was riddled with holes from the small army of thralls that had dug themselves out from the ground. Now, there were almost two hundred undead thralls standing like soldiers in formation in front of Hal-Neesa. The vampire was standing with a glowing violet hand raised high, scanning her eyes from one end of the formation to the other. Just as Ahnasha had described before, the majority of the undead were either Falmer or chaurus, along with a small variety of animals, and more than a few humanoid forms. Some were zombies of dead flesh, wrapped in linen like draugr, while others were entirely skeletal. It would be difficult to tell without closer inspection, but some may have even been collections of flesh and bone pieced together from different creatures and given life through Ahnasha's necromantic enchantments. At the moment, though, all of them were bending to Hal-Neesa's command.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Aside from anything Fendros might have left to talk about, I'm ready to move on, which would be to a point where the opening of the first portal is within a day or two.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Yes...probably the most unintentionally wise statement you've made thusfar. Considering the overwhelming dangers of the Walking Ways, it can wait." Hal-Neesa commented, standing to her feet. "For now, I have thralls to inspect. I expect your wife is done with her preparations by this point."

Regardless of any response Fendros might have had, Hal-Neesa headed outside, followed shortly by Ahnasha returning inside with a brief, but unmistakable look of anxiety in her expression. Alhough by the way she was looking at Fendros and the others, it might have been them, rather than Neesa, who were the source of her worries. She was absentmindedly rubbing her hands together, giving nervous glances to both Saras and Fendros before she finally spoke. "Listen...I know none of this is ideal, but you don't have to worry about anything else after this that might upset the clan. I'm not going to be needing any more thralls, and I'm going to be focusing on conjuration training up to the invasion. After this is dealt with, you can just put this all to rest and focus on more important things."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hal-Neesa chuckled ever so briefly, still keeping her eyes locked on Fendros'. For the moment, at least, she was not acting as if she was annoyed by Fendros' questioning, though one could never know what might prompt her to abruptly change her mood. "How perceptive. He does not fit with my court. At least, not in our philosophy. I do not worship Molag Bal. I deal with him. Service, for knowledge. I gained my superior Vampiric form long before I entered Molag Bal's service. I have every reason to believe that he possesses information that could help a mortal achieve their perfection and surpass the gods, much as the likes of Vivec or Talos. The lord I currently serve may hold the secret to a power that he, ironically, may not possess by his very nature as a divine being. Only mortalkind has that potential."

"Your wife has an open mind, a strong will, and the power to delve deeply into the study of Aurbis. She would be well-suited to my court; It is a life of far greater purpose than any other you could possibly hope to have. Of course, there are many others like her among those in my service. She is not a unique person, and I am far from 'needing' her, but she would fare well in my court, regardless." Neesa paused, taking the final sip of her tea, then placing the cup down gently next to the half-rotten head of the soon-to-be thrall. "I just wonder...would you?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

At least at first, Hal-Neesa matched Fendros' expression as she answered. "What, are you concerned for them? Do you suspect me to enslave or enthrall them when they fail me? Do you think that I slay them without thought when they are of no more use to me?" She asked, pausing briefly for a sip of tea as a grin crept across her face. "How many would say the same of a den of werewolves?"

Neesa leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, now speaking more plainly and clearly. "No, the truth is that to earn a place in my court is to earn the right to leave. If someone decides that they no longer want to be in my service, then they may simply leave. No one will stop them, and many have done so through the centuries. If someone consistently fails me and is no longer of use to my court, then they must leave, but unless they betrayed me in some way, then they are not harmed. As difficult as it may be for you to accept it, I do care about my own. The people who serve me have shown that spark of potential to become something...so much greater than most mortals can even conceive of. Something infinitely greater than even myself, at the moment. That potential is...beautiful, honestly. More beautiful than anything else I have seen in my lifetime. I may be an ancient being of near-divine power, but no god nor Daedra can even come close to that potential in every single mortal soul. That is what is going to become of us."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hal-Neesa leaned in towards Fendros, locking eyes with him without a hint of any of her former amusement. "I do not suffer fools, nor foolish beliefs. And I will not inconvenience myself for them. This thrall will be my property, and I will not be parting with it. Make up whatever story you like, if you fear your people hurting themselves trying to seek revenge on me. Tell them the body was lost, or whatever else you feel like. Just don't trouble me with it. And speaking of thralls..."

Neesa turned her head towards Ahnasha. "Have you prepared my thralls for inspection, or do you still have work to do?"

Ahnasha let out a quick breath. "Right. I will go raise them from the ground. It will just be a few minutes."

Ahnasha stepped outside without delay, leaving the others with Neesa. She paused, taking a sip of the tea Sabine had prepared, then pushing one of the other cups along the table towards Fendros. "Find something to sit down on. It's irritating to have everyone standing around and staring awkwardly. Your wife speaks of you as someone exceptional, Fendros, but if you are, then you're quite good at hiding it. Even in this place, far removed from 'proper' civilization, I find myself annoyed by close-minded fools. It actually confuses me, in a way. The ways of your people, Hircine's followers, are so...close to actually being something respectable. Influence through merit, individual strength and skill, yet still in service to the whole...you know, we are not as different as you may think. I have to admit, there are some among you, like your wife, that have that certain...spark. The potential to be something more. It is something I look for in people, and do find from time to time. They are the types of people I occasionally bring into my court to...foster their potential."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Saras gave a simple nod towards Fendros. "I am glad I do not have to convince you of that. We are in a pivotal time, and we cannot afford controversy. To stain the reputation of your pack now, so close to the invasion, could compromise the morale of our armies."

Again, a silence hung in the air as Saras' eyes settled on Ahnasha. He did not show anger, nor was his tone particularly threatening, but it did carry a cold lack of emotion. "If there is a punishment, it will have to wait until after the invasion has concluded. But, that still does not leave us a resolution to this matter. Our people will want our answer for why our dead have been disturbed."

From the center of the room, Hal-Neesa sat with her arms crossed, chuckling lightly. "Graverobbing...what a petty and superstitious 'crime' that the ignorant get so worked up over. Granted, I am many centuries beyond being willing to sully myself digging around in the dirt, but...that's what servants are for. But, if you care so much about your vaunted 'reputation', just tell them the mean, scary vampire stole their corpses. They already hate me. What are they going to do? Hate me more?"

Neesa did not seem to care about any negative repercussions of accepting the blame for the graverobbing, or indeed, even acknowledge that they might exist at all. Nor did she address the fact that she would be doing them a favor in doing so. "If there is one silver lining to these adventures, it's that they do give me something to laugh at occasionally."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Like I said, my business with her is done once the invasion starts." Ahnasha answered without hesitation. She was either being honest, or a confident liar. Regardless, she let out a long breath and looked back towards her hideout. "Though I really should get back in there. She can actually be patient, but I don't want to wear that patience thin. I know it's not right to trust her, but...maybe it couldn't hurt for you to just try talking to her? As long as you're capable of ignoring some snide comments, she's not completely unapproachable. If nothing else, you might learn more about her, and having more information is never a bad thing, right?"

Ahnasha was already moving towards the door as she finished speaking, and did not wait before returning inside. Though, it was hard to tell if anything at all had happened since they stepped outside. Everyone was silent, and in almost the exact same spots as when they had left. The only thing that was even somewhat different was that the air now smelled like both dead flesh and tea.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmph, now you're just being paranoid." Ahnasha remarked, seemingly unfazed by the scenarios Fendros suggested. "Don't get me wrong, you're right not to trust her completely. She is definitely self-serving, but that doesn't mean she's always going to be malicious. I made a deal with her, a fair exchange, something we both benefit from. She doesn't betray or hurt people just for the sake of doing it. There has to be a motivation. And even if there was one, she wouldn't be free to act on it right now. Don't forget, she's not here out of the kindness of her heart; she's here because her master instructed her to be here. Molag Bal has his own designs for Vile, and Neesa can't defy him. Right now, Molag Bal's orders for her mean she has to cooperate with us. After this is all over, you might have a point, but I'm not going to be training with her then. I'm just taking advantage of what I can learn from her while she has to cooperate."

Ahnasha reached out and took Fendros' hands in hers. "I thought you would have been happier with this. I'm not going to be performing necromancy in front of our friends and allies. We're not going to have to deal with everything that would cause; we'll still be able to live in the clan and keep our positions. What happened back in Cheydinhal with me and Rhazii, I...I just know now that I want, more than anything to make sure that both of us come back safely. We need to end this war, and make sure that we can stay together as a family. We deserve it, and Rhazii especially deserves it. That's why I'm going to avoid using identifiable necromancy, and why I so badly want this training. If I'm not going to use half of the skills I have, then I need something to make up for it. The stronger I am, the more of a chance we both come back from this."