EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Zyausak nodded back at Lunise. "Yes. Well...I am not entirely sure that she was ever officially dismissed, but I highly doubt she would be welcomed back here with open arms. She left after disagreements with some tenets of our order."

"That would seem quite apparent. Although, I would never have guessed her to have once been a part of the Psijic Order. Aside from her power, she certainly seems to have changed entirely." Meesei commented. "I have seen her lair, heard her philosophy, and it all seems entirely different from the Order. I suppose she has not done so in my presence, but she seems willing to kill innocents without hesitation or remorse. I do not think she places much value on life anymore."

Zyausak shifted in his seat, somewhat uncomfortably. "I...am going to have to stop you on that. I simply do not think that is true. I admit, I cannot watch her as closely from here as I can watch you, or most others on Tamriel. She has ways of making herself difficult to observe through scrying. But, from what I do know, she still seems to be much closer than you might think to how she was when she left here. Her philosophy takes the tenets of our order to their most extreme interpretations. The Hal-Neesa I knew loved life, and valued it above everything. But, her...definition of life has changed. She no longer sees death as the ending of life. The soul, a person's essence and identity, persists for potentially eternity beyond death. To her, life simply continues in a different state, in a different place. But, as long as the soul survives, death means little to her. It is how she justifies killing. That, and she wants to elevate mortals to godhood."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Don't...call her that." Zyausak snapped back. For a few, brief seconds, he actually looked to be legitimately angry. Although, that emotion, and any others he might have been showing, subsided just as quickly. "What I mean to say is she hasn't always been the way she is now. That place we were born, I wish I could forget the memories of living there. In the Order, we are supposed to consider the needs of all of Nirn's people equally...but I am not ashamed to say that the Ayleids were a cruel and vile people. Neesa had to be strong enough for the both of us, because I would not have made it out of that place alone. Quite literally. The war never made it to Silyanorn, but Neesa managed to get both of us assigned to serve an officer that was being sent to aid one of the king's allies in Cyrod."

Zyausak let out a sign, allowing himself to calm down and think through exactly what he was intending to say before continuing. "Look, I know our lives went down different paths after we were freed, but for most of her life, Neesa has been a person I would be proud to call a friend. Vampirism did not change that. It was...something else. She has always been ambitious, but also compassionate, caring, and dedicated to helping the world. That's how I was able to get her accepted into the Order in the first place. She had such a love of life, and in her own, twisted way, she still does."

Meesei glanced to Lunise beside her, though she tried to hide her reaction from Zyausak. Even she had a hard time believing what he was saying, despite having no reason to distrust him. At the very least, it did explain why Zyausak had inexplicably taken such an interest in them. As he had said, it was no coincidence.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Zyausak answered casually, finally pulling his gaze from the flowers towards Meesei and Lunise. "Oh, well, we have the Eye of Magnus here, which is far more dangerous on its own than the Staff. But, if the Staff were to be used on the Eye, that could prove even more dangerous for the Aurbis. If the Staff were to be kept in the same place as the Eye, that would only increase the likelihood of it being used, even if it were being held in as secure a place as Artaeum. Relics have been stolen before, and one would only need to take a walk through the Traitor's Vault on the other side of the island to see that Psijics have...misbehaved before. I simply believe it best that the Staff be kept far from the Eye. Granted, I could construct and seal it away in a protected quasi-plane...but I doubt the Staff would tolerate being isolated for more than a century or so. Even I could not countermand its will indefinitely. Besides which, it will be more useful to you."

Even Meesei could not keep up entirely with Zyausak's explanation. He referred to events and concepts that she had no way of knowing, but at the very least, she could understand his intention. "I cannot admit to understanding everything you say...but I shall not object to holding on to the Staff. As for here and now, though, I suppose I should not keep you waiting any longer. You mentioned back in your quarters that you had something you wanted to tell us, and I do not want to be rude and make you delay any longer, especially with how courteous you have been to us."

With a rather sudden shift to his demeanor, Zyausak had some nervousness of his own show through. "Oh, well, I um, wouldn't call it rude, or anything. I am in no hurry, but...I really should just come out and say it. I know someone in Tamriel who may have the expertise required to help you with this matter of your soul. An old friend of mine."

Meesei had a feeling there was more to this than it first seemed, as having a friend who could help them would be quite a strange thing to be nervous about, unless there was some sort of complication. Nevertheless, Meesei did not let on to her own concerns. "I would certainly appreciate any help I could get. Is this person someone who would be difficult for us to contact?"

"Um, no, not at all. You, well...actually already know her." Zyausak answered, rubbing his hand along the side of his neck. "Yeah...as you can probably guess, it was not coincidence or boredom that made me take an interest in you two. I suppose I did have my own motives. I wanted to mention this before, ask you about her and how she is doing, but I felt you had other things you needed to worry about. She used to be a close friend to me. We were born in the same place, around the same time, as slaves in the Ayleid city of Silyanorn, now known as Stormhold..."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei, upon Lunise's reminder, was quick to dress, though she likely would have done so anyways since they departed shortly afterwards. Initially, Meesei suggested going on a walk along the shoreline, but Nytala insisted on leading them on a detour. Evidently, she had an inkling of exactly where Zyausak would have gone after he left them alone, as she took them straight to him once they were out of Ceporah Tower.

Zyausak had been waiting closer to the center of the island, sitting on a bench among what appeared to be a flower garden. They approached him along a small, but neatly-kept path, with even Meesei being careful not to disturb the carefully cultivated flora. Lunise would recognize most of the flowers as being native to Summerset, though there were a few select plants that may not have been native to Tamriel at all. One of them looked almost like a starfish, and seemed to have no trouble growing even on the short stone wall that separated the garden from the path.

Naturally, Zyausak noticed their approach, so he was already gesturing for them to take a seat and join him by the time they reached him. "Well, I am surprised to see you so soon. I thought it might have taken longer for you all to catch up."

"We were just going out for some fresh air and to go for a walk. They have been stuck inside for most of the day." Nytala commented.

Meesei nodded in agreement as she took a seat just across from Zyausak, before speaking up as well. "And not to mention to thank you. I did not know it was your chambers we were using. We did not mean to impose on you."

Zyausak lightly chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. I am hardly ever even in my chambers, except to sleep and in the evenings. When I am not working, I much prefer to be out here."

"I can certainly understand that." Meesei replied, taking in the sights of the garden around them. "Although, that does have me somewhat curious about something. I had at first assumed you were with the others we spoke to back in the meeting, but they mentioned you were not among those assigned by the council to deal with Vile, yes?"

It was possible that Zyausak may have expected the question, as he had no problem answering quickly. "Correct. Like I mentioned before, I simply took an interest in the two of you. All of my responsibilities as Relicmaster are well taken care of right now, so I am free to do as I will. I will admit, it would be a lie for me to say I have not been watching you as well for years, much like Nytala. Though, for different reasons. You have, after all managed to gain access to three separate Daedric relics, and one Aedric relic. That is not a common amount of power to be concentrated in one group, but, thusfar, I have not deemed it necessary for the Psijic Order to take any action. In fact, if you could keep the Staff of Magnus specifically away from Artaeum, I would appreciate it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded. "Indeed I do. My role is just as much about morale as it is leadership. Of course, it does make it easier that I am the best." She laughed briefly.

After a moment, Meesei's body started to transform once again, shifting back into her Argonian form. She kept her arm around Lunise's, now with a more recognizably cheerful expression. "Perhaps we should all three go for a walk around the island? That colosseum we visited earlier today had plenty of fresh air, and a great view of the sea. Not to mention, plenty of space for one to...practice their magic. It would probably be better than staying inside all day, drinking Zyausak's tea. And speaking of Zyausak, we might also be able to see what he was wanting to talk about, if we catch him anywhere."

Nytala was smiling at Meesei's suggestion, though she was also not-so-subtly averting her eyes from Meesei herself.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Thank you, I will be sure to get it to you before you leave." Nytala answered back. Even she seemed to be holding herself back from losing herself too much into her emotions. As much as she may have regretted all of the time she had lost with Lunise, the precious little time they had together now would not be best used lamenting that fact.

Nytala cleared her throat, now seeming to divide her attention between both Lunise and Meesei. One could still see some of the natural unease that came with being around a werewolf in her expression, but she was at least making a conscious effort of suppressing it. "So, um, is it normal for the two of you to challenge one another to contests of pride? Though, if it helps you to bond, then who am I to judge?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I wish it all could have been different, but...trust me when I say it could not. I had to be here, and you had to be in Tamriel, doing all of that important work you are doing. I do wish your father could have been here with me, but...he needed to be there for you, when I couldn't be." Nytala replied, not releasing her grip for a moment. "I just want to say that I am proud of you, and I am glad that I have had the chance to tell you that in person."

Nytala did eventually pull back from Lunise enough to be able to look her in the eyes. They were both in tears by that point, but Nytala was still smiling. "There are some things I want to say to your father as well. I still cannot speak to him in person, or even as a projection, but if it is not too much trouble for you, I would appreciate it if you could give him a letter from me when you do go back to Tamriel."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Nytala did not react quickly, but was instead patient. Though Lunise spoke only a few words, she listened closely, and paid attention to all of the subtle emotions that Lunise was trying to hide. Along with those that were not so subtle. The fact that Nytala had always been scrying into Lunise's life likely gave her context for how Lunise was feeling, even had Lunise been successful in hiding it.

Moving directly in front of Lunise, Nytala placed her hands on both of Lunise's arms, looking her straight in the eyes. Her tone, while compassionate, also felt like a command. "Lunise, dear, we are not in Tamriel. Not your superiors, nor anyone you have to impress, are here. There is no punishment for showing 'weakness'." Nytala pulled her fully into a hug. "Stop trying to hold back."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lunise would know very well that Meesei loathed to refuse a challenge, so unless something or someone stopped them, it was all but assured that Meesei would be expecting that challenge soon. However, Meesei did not yet say anything about it, instead taking a metaphorical step back from the conversation, which seemed to be taking a more personal turn for Lunise and Nytala.

Nytala bowed her head, simply breathing slowly for a few seconds. Lunise had obviously touched on a deep regret for her mother, but she did not avoid addressing it directly regardless. "I know, if only it were possible. I do honestly believe your father was a candidate as well, but there are so many highly qualified candidates that are never offered the chance to join, through no fault of their own. The Order simply does not accept many, and only rarely do they accept anyone at all. I didn't want to leave him; I didn't want to leave either of you."

Again, Nytala started to appear nervous. She looked around the room, despite the fact that there was certainly only the three of them, before continuing. "I am not sure how much of this the council would want me to say. But...I was not always sure I would stay, especially early on. I did not want to leave either of you, and I probably would have come back, were it not for the future I saw ahead. I...can't reveal details, and I have to be careful what vague words I say, but I decided to stay once I saw your role in this, Lunise. Once I saw that you were going to be involved in something so important and dangerous as this, I had no choice but to stay. I could not speak to you, I could not interfere directly, but...I hope it is enough for me to say that I have done and are doing things here that help you. I cannot tell you about it, and you may never even see the effects yourself, but I had to do this. For you, and your father."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei slowly and carefully lowered her cup back down onto the table. "I have done my best to make Lunise's task as easy for her as possible, but I still do not envy her. Not only do you have to deal with judgment from the Imperials, and the more Imperial-supporting members of my clans, but you have to deal with how your own superiors as well. I know you have been doing your best to try and improve our standing with them, and make it possible to actually have the lasting peace we are wanting. An especially difficult task, as I know my people are not perfect. There are those without control, who are dangerous against their will. And those who let the power go to their head, and become dangerous willingly. But, our clans serve a purpose, and if they are allowed to persist in the Dominion after this is over, it will almost certainly be because of you, love. Your experience in magic does impress me, but your experience in diplomacy has done so much for us."

Reaching around Lunise's back, Meesei hugged her somewhat tightly with one arm. "Although, speaking of experience...you have long claimed to be more experienced than I. But, as we have learned, I have thousands of years worth of experience in my mind to call upon. Apparently."