EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Lunise might have expected, Meesei was at a loss for words for a short time. She took a step back, staring straight ahead, though not looking at anything in particular as her mind tried to come to terms with the reality that Lunise was proposing. "No, that does not sound...possible. I, well, I suppose the Hist could do such a thing, possibly, but I could not see them going through with that. Forging an unstable soul, that is...inconceivable. Inhumane. There has to be a mistake."

Meesei's hand clenched into a fist, her tears now stemming from a different source. Her voice was constricted to the point that she seemed like she could hardly speak at all. "It is wrong. It has to be wrong. Your mother, whoever came up with that theory, made a mistake. My soul is not some kind of patchwork abomination. I earned my power. I worked for it, trained, studied, and became powerful on my own merits. My success was not just...handed to me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"My...soul?" Meesei replied, looking perhaps more confused than Lunise had ever seen her before. Lunise's tone alone was enough to make her show her concern, but her initial thoughts gave her no hint on what she could possibly be referring to. "I, um, will admit, that is nothing close to what I thought you were going to say."

Scratching her head in thought, Meesei slowly pieced together an answer to attempt to address the question. I am Saxhleel, so I have a Saxhleel soul, created by and connected to the Hist. And I am a werewolf, so I also have a Daedric vestige, one of Hircine's wolf spirits, bonded to my soul, which gives me an even stronger bond to Hircine. I suppose that makes this body somewhat crowded compared to most mortals, but I...I really do not know where you are going with this."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a few, brief moments, Meesei simply allowed herself to become lost in Lunise's embrace, satisfied with the fact that the risk of visiting Artaeum had paid off. However, Lunise's apologies served only to confuse her. There was only one piece of information the had received since their arrival that even might be considered negative, and Meesei was not sure why Lunise would feel the need to apologize for it.

Meesei's smile faded into concern as she reached up, resting her hand onto Lunise's cheek. "You have nothing to apologize for. Whether or not you end up joining in the invasion personally, you have already helped me more than I could have asked. You do not need to feel ashamed of keeping yourself safe, especially with what you will have to face after Vile. It has been a good day, and I think we deserve the chance to rest and just...be happy together."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Indeed, and even rarer that I am allowed to show it." Meesei replied. "But you are going to be able to re-connect with your mother, and for days longer than I ever anticipated. I am simply happy to have been able to give you that chance. My blood relatives back in Black Marsh, they are not really my family anymore, if they ever were to begin with. Beyond my father, I was never close to my family there, by Saxhleel standards. But, I have more of a family now than I ever did then. The brash, bold, and secretly soft-hearted Lorag. Ahnasha, the flawed, but caring mother, and my second, Fendros: a man with the willpower to be able to rise to what his challenges demand of him and far more potential than he even realizes. I have the cheerful and kind-hearted Kaleeth, and the level-headed, loyal, and dedicated warrior Janius. I have their children, who will hopefully be able to carry on into a world we have made safe for them. I have my brilliant and beautiful daughter Sabine, who means more than any world in Aurbis to me."

As she spoke, Meesei moved around slowly to Lunise's front, locking eyes with her the moment she could see them. "And I have you. My loving, talented, and divinely gorgeous mate. You are part of that family, my family. No matter how much we have to work to keep it secret, you are not an outsider to me. You are not just my lover, you are a part of my pack. Beast blood or no, it does not matter." There was another, brief pause as Meesei's voice became somewhat choked up and the tears in her eyes became more obvious. "It is as if I feel a genuine pain every time I have to pretend you are anything less than that. One day, we will be able to live as a family, openly, with no more lies. No more pretending, no matter how long it takes. Mark my words, I will make it happen."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

After a quick moment of thought, Marcaano nodded his head. "Yes, of course. I suppose that would be needed for you. I shall go arrange to have some clothing and supplies brought to you at once."

Zyausak shook his head lightly and started to chuckle to himself. "We have planned to allow you to visit here for at least the last thirty years, yet we did not already have everything you needed prepared when you finally did arrive. I suppose that demonstrates just how infrequently we receive visitors here. If nothing else, perhaps we can learn the proper etiquette of a host from you during your stay?"

Zyausak's joking response did not elicit much of a response from Marcaano, who gestured for Zyausak to follow him before glancing quickly to Lunise and Meesei. "Yes, well, we will give you some time to yourselves to settle in while we arrange for what you have requested."

Once Marcaano and Zyausak stepped away, Meesei and Lunise were finally left alone together, even if it would only be for a short time. Their room was not the most furnished or well-decorated, but Meesei still had to stop and take in her surroundings all the same. The mere reality of staying in Artaeum as guests was enough by itself to excite her. In stark contrast to the act Lunise put on in front of the Psijics, Meesei showed a simple, genuine joy in her smile as she stepped up behind Lunise and put her arms around her waist. "I know that what your mother had to say to us was not completely pleasant to discuss, but I do think I am confident in saying that I am glad we came. Whether or not you end up personally on the battlefield when the time comes, you should know how grateful I am for all of the help you have given to my people, and me in particular. Your support has meant the world to me, Lunise, and I am just glad I could give something back to you by bringing you here."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Master Marcaano was, perhaps, less invested into the conversation, but he was polite enough to answer when Lunise questioned him. "I am a Master Sage of the Order. My particular role is to assist the Ritemaster in maintaining and adjusting the Isle's magical defenses. Hence why I was among those to greet you. As you well know, Artaeum, in addition to its magical barriers, can be moved quickly and easily to nearly any position in Aurbis. Although you have been permitted to stay, I had to ensure that no others could learn from how you tuned yourself. There is no longer any trace of the magic that allowed you to come here in either of your bodies."

Soon enough, the group turned down a hallway, where Master Marcaano stopped at the first door they came to on the left side of the hallway. The door itself was solid stone, yet when Marcaano placed his hand upon it, it seemed to move aside with ease. The inside of the room was simple, though did appear comfortable. There was a single bed on the far side of the room, two small stone tables, and a nearly full bookshelf. As they were underground, the room was lit by magical lanterns, though their design was quite strange indeed. Instead of magical flames, they consisted of glowing orbs contained within a frame. They had an appearance almost like orbs of water, though they were made from some other material Meesei could not quite identify from sight. Perhaps crystal.

"Here are your quarters for the duration of your stay here. I apologize if they are too bare for your liking, though I do believe Sage Nytala arranged to at least have some books for you. The lighting orbs can be activated or deactivated with a simple alteration charge at their base. Is there anything that you require?" Marcaano asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, I suppose it would depend on how much of a student of history you are." Zyausak answered. "It is true that my kind no longer exist in Tamriel, though not because they were destroyed, precisely. I am a Nede. I was born into slavery near the height of the Ayleid Empire, just before Alessia's rebellion. It was not an ideal time nor place to be a Human, but, obviously, my life's prospects have improved considerably since then."

The group had finally reached the College of Psijics, which was a structure built into a mountainside close to the center of the island. Compared to Ceporah Tower, the building felt much more familiar. Its architecture was distinctly Altmer in origin. Ancient Altmer, granted, but it closely resembled several ancient ruins on the island of Summerset. Though, this structure was, of course, in close to perfect condition. It was made from finely carved white stone both inside and out, which they soon discovered after they headed inside.

Meesei spoke up, though with her eyes still examining each of the carvings they passed as they headed down the stairway deeper into the structure. "I would certainly say so. I could hardly think of a better place for a mage to study than here. The island is safe from dangers, you are in the constant company of brilliant scholars of magic, and I would have to imagine that Artaeum is probably a repository of ancient, current, and maybe even future knowledge."

"Yes, I would say that is all true. Though, I still do not discount the ingenuity those outside the order. Take you, for instance, Meesei. Even without all those resources, I know that you have made some particular discoveries that the Council is interested in." Zyausak commented, which certainly elicited some surprise from Meesei, who was briefly wide-eyed as she glanced back to him.

"I...had not heard anything about that." Meesei replied. She could not begin to imagine what she might have discovered that the Psijic Order did not already know.

Zyausak quickly took back on the nervous demeanor he had shown earlier, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck and glancing away. "Oh, well...I would have thought Sage Nytala would have mentioned that by now. But, well...it is not as if it is a secret to be kept from you. I am sure she will explain it in detail later."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Soon enough, Master Marcaano's spell subsided, having evidently completed whatever tuning he needed to do. "It is good that we completed renovations on several areas of the College of Psijics rather recently. Had you arrived a decade sooner, we would not have had a place for you. Come, it is just across the field from Ceporah tower, a short walk uphill from here."

While Artaeum was quite a beautiful island, there were, perhaps, few surprising sights for Lunise. Aside from the peculiar sky and the strange architecture of Ceporah tower, the island did look much like Summerset. Zyausak, meanwhile, obliged Lunise's request once they began to walk off of the beach. "Of course. I can only imagine what curiosity you must have about our order. Few outside the order have been granted the privilege to even see our isle. Normally, I am what you might think of as an assistant or a second to Relicmaster Glenadir. He is a wise and profoundly experienced scholar, and my mentor. He has been a part of the order thousands of years longer than me, and I myself have been here for over four thousand years. The Relicmaster is currently taking a much-needed rest from his duties, so I am the acting Relicmaster in his stead. As the title implies, my responsibilities involve identifying, locating, and if necessary, collecting and safeguarding relics too dangerous to allow into the wrong hands. I am aware that you have obtained a few unique relics in your journeys, particularly the Staff of Magnus. But...with the Eye safely secured on Artaeum, the damage the staff could do on its own would be limited."

Meesei had a difficult time not reacting to the realization that they were speaking to someone who was practically ancient compared to her. He did not even look to be elderly. Previously, she had only ever met one person who had lived such a long life, but she had a feeling that many, if not most of the Psijics on Artaeum were thousands of years old. And some were older than history itself. They clearly had sophisticated methods of extending mortal lives, and it was not as if the Order frequently encountered dangers that could end those lives early. It was a thought that Meesei would need to become accustomed to during their visit.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Marcaano's spell started to wash over the both of them, though neither of them could feel any sensation from the magic. Meesei was familiar with what he was doing, though without knowledge of the kind of "tuning" that he was adjusting, Lunise would not be able to sense anything at all.

The Human, meanwhile, looked briefly nervous by being put on the spot, but still responded quickly. "Oh...sorry, I don't have anything I need to say or do. I was just eating with Master Marcaano when he had to leave and come meet you, so I decided to tag along. I'm sure you understand how rare it is for us to have guests here; I do not think I have spoken to someone I did not already know in over a century. I simply...thought it would be nice to meet someone new. My name is Zyausak. I am currently serving as Relicmaster of the Order. Temporarily, at least."

Meesei's knowledge of the Psijic Order was not detailed enough to know the significance of the title of Relicmaster, or what his standing was in comparison to any of the others they had met. She was not even sure what sort of Human he was. He did not look to be a Breton, Redguard, or Nord, and his name was certainly not Imperial. In fact, his name did not sound like any culture's she was familiar with.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Agreed." Meesei gave a brief nod and stood up alongside Lunise, with a friendly smile down towards Nytala. "It has been an honor meeting you, Nytala."

"The feeling is mutual, Meesei." Nytala answered. She stood up just the same as the others, brushing some sand off of the bottom of her robe. "I will take the time to go tend to a few other matters and give you both the chance to settle in. But, we should certainly all meet again, perhaps in an hour or two. I would love to show you around the island."

Meesei did not seem as worried about whatever it was that the other two Psijics needed to discuss with them, though she did not have the context of what Nytala had revealed to Lunise in private. The excitement of being in Artaeum was still enough to keep her close to being cheerful as they approached the Psijics by the water. She did not hesitate to be the one to greet them. "Hello, I am Meesei, and this is Lunise. Nytala told us that we needed to speak to you regarding the quarters that were prepared for us, and that you had another matter to discuss with us?"

"Yes, it is exceedingly rare for Artaeum to entertain guests, but I do hope we are able to make you feel welcome. I am Master Marcaano. Unfortunately, there is one issue we need to address before you can be allowed to leave Artaeum, but it should just take a moment to rectify. We know you were able to tune yourself to Artaeum in order for your portal to find this place, and while the council did decide to allow this visit, it does come with the condition that we not allow you to repeat the same act. I will need to re-tune your bodies to ensure you cannot return here again without invitation. Again, it will just take a moment, and it will not at all be unpleasant, I assure you." The Altmer man explained. He lifted up one hand, which started to glow, though he did not yet start to actually cast any spell.

Meesei answered with a nod. "I understand. In truth, I did expect this, even in the event that we were allowed to stay. You may go ahead and do whatever you need to do."

In comparison to everything they had been told so far, Marcaano's concerns were likely a relief to Lunise. Though, as the Altmer began to cast his spell over the two of them, she might notice that the Human Psijic was looking somewhat nervous for unknown reasons. Several times, he looked like he was about to speak, but ended up saying nothing.