Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"W-well you see, I'm trying to make friends in this new place." Ariel laughed through smile, "The pa-, the group that's helping me get settled are friends of mine, but they... travel a lot, so they won't be around for long. I haven't activity gone out to make friends in a long time, but you and Neercana-Rei have been friendly to me." Ariel looked away and shifted uneasily, knowing that Argonians were generally slow to trust, "I don't suppose you would mind it if I considered you and Neer friends of mine, would you?"

Fendros smiled and almost laughed, it would have been far less funny if he hadn't seen an example of Ahnasha's final point in person back in Cheydinhal. "You make a good point. I think back then-" He lifted a hand in the troupe's direction, "-I just saw these performers and thought they were having so much fun all the time. And I was probably right." He put his arm over Ahnasha's shoulder, "I think I like how things have turned out now though." He chuckled, "No... I'm sure of it."

He had realised that Lorag was a little unsteady, but Janius didn't think that he would fall so quickly. He covered his mouth and stifled a laugh in concern, but was carried away by the current of the dance. Thankfully, Meesei saw to him. He went through the rest of the dance looking around but not seeing either of them. eventually the music came to a finish and he and his partner smiled and bowed. She said some kind of thanks and comment in Jel that he didn't get a hint of, but waved her goodbye as she walked off. It was then as the next piece of music started up that Janius spotted Meesei off to the side again. He approached Meesei with a smile and a challenging squint, "Feel like joining in now?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh? Well in that case, there should be plenty to choose from, let's see." Ariel searched through the books at a greater pace. As she did so, she leaned down to Sabine, "I think you may have been spot on with that book, sister. If you can find it in Cyrodilic, though, you may have a winner." Sabine nodded understandingly and continued at a slower pace to read the Cyrodilic. It wasn't long before Ariel spotted something familiar. "Aha!" She pulled a book from the middle-most row, along its spine it read 'Beggar - Reven'. "This one is part of a series," Ariel explained to Rukeewei, holding the book out for him to see, "The first one isn't quite as good, but there are four books, and the series might be a good fit for what you described. It's set in Skyrim, has a bit of adventure. Take a look."

Over by the acrobats, Fendros looked on in awe. For all the stigmas he had inherited to do with Khajiit, he couldn't refute that they were amazing performers. Backflips, handstands, and runups that lead to a dizzying display of flipping between standing on their hands and feet before they sort of sprung into an fast and seemingly chaotic spin in the air only to land deftly back on their feet. Fendros joined the crowd in applauding their moves. "Hm, they put on an entertaining display." Fendros agreed, talking to Ahnasha but still watching the acrobats, "Did you ever have an errant dream as a young child to run away and join one of these troupes? I know I did for a short while."

Completely oblivious to Lorag and Meesei's eyes, Janius offered a hand to the first young woman he saw to partner in a dance. What he didn't realise before the music started were two details. The first being that he hadn't danced in a long time, not for at least two years. Secondly, the Argonians around him, including his behorned black and bright green partner, ran circles around him giggling with a communal dance of which he was completely unfamiliar. He stumbled around for several moments, rather abashed, before his partner grinned and took pity on him by leading him in the right directions with her hands. Thankfully for Janius, the dance was not difficult, in fact it was rather repetitive, but the music and speed made it fun. As he jumped and danced with everyone else, the music started to get faster, and so did the steps. Eventually, Janius spotted Lorag and Meesei standing aside. With an excited grin, he called out to them, "Meesei! Lorag! Come join in!" There was only a few moments before Janius passed them by, and when he did, he rapidly took them both by the arms and dragged in whether they wanted to dance or not. Unfortunately Janius didn't quite have the foresight to think of what would become of Lorag in such a state.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ariel curled her lips in thought, then replied, "Well, it doesn't have to be on nostalgia. You might just find something by having a browse. Come, let's find a book stall." Ariel moved her fingers, gesturing for Rukeewei to follow her. They didn't have to walk far before they found a covered stall with a number of books on display on the counter, spine up and stacked in a few rows. It wasn't clear whether it was run by a local bookshop or a travelling merchant, but a green Argonian with orange flecks across the sides of his face seemed to be constantly busy haggling with various customers. The stall wasn't well sorted, but it made for an interesting mix of titles. Ariel spoke to Rukeewei as she looked across the titles written on the spines, "I can't say I'm a ravenous reader, but there might be something she might like."

Being so engaged in helping Rukeewei, Ariel almost forgot that Sabine was following her closely. Sabine could only read Daedric runes well and Cyrodiilic partially, but she looked through some books as well. Tracing the text with her finger slowly if she was having trouble making it out. The third book that Sabine picked out was one that she read the title of, then handed to Ariel. "Oh, Sabine, has this one caught your eye?" Ariel asked. Sabine's eyes didn't tell her much, but Ariel smiled and took it to have a look for herself. It appeared to be the first in a series of drama novels that followed the political intrigue of a fictional High Rock noble house. Ariel looked back Sabine and saw her pointing to Rukeewei. "Ah, do you think this will make for a good gift?" Ariel asked again. Sabine nodded. Ariel skipped the question of when Sabine might have read such a book and turned to Rukeewei. She still looked at the book's first page, though. There was a problem. "Er, Rukeewei. My sister here, Sabine, thinks this book might be good, but..." She showed Rukeewei the page she was looking at. It was covered in lines of Daedric runes rather than Imperial. "It was written in Morrowind, I think. Could she read it?"

Fendros clapped along with the crowd at Ahnasha's success. Part of him felt sorry for the Bosmer, but he doubted that he would have a hard time replacing the necklace with how easy Ahnasha made it look. "Nice shooting," He remarked to her with a very amused grin. He lifted the necklace that was around his neck to get a better look. Up close it didn't look nearly as impressive as the Argonian jewellery they had seen, but now it had a memory attached to it. Even though he wasn't normally one to wear necklaces, he thought he would keep it on for a while. "Thank you," He said modestly, putting his hand on the back of her head and kissing her forehead, "I love it almost a... tenth as much as you." He said, smiling mischievously.

As they walked away, Fendros took Ahnasha's hand. He wondered what they should do next. "I would suggest trying out some of the other sideshow challenges, but we'd probably either extinguish our own pride failing or get barred from playing them after a short while." Fendros laughed, looking around the square, "I think those Khajiit tumblers are putting on a show over there, want to watch?" Fendros pointed to their left where a crowd had formed around the troupe they saw coming into the city. Fendros hadn't seen many troupes of this kind, but what he remembered was always impressive.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Will do. G'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh, I see," Ariel replied to Rukeewei. Ariel wanted to help, but she wasn't so confident in making a suggestion at first. It was clear that she didn't know Neercana-Rei that well and with what Rukeewei mentioned, it all seemed very difficult. Her first thought came to the bars of soap that she used to sell and that many people in Vos seemed to want gift wrapped, but she quickly dismissed that idea. Bars of soap were horrible gifts, even she knew that. Still, perhaps Rukeewei was over-thinking this. Ariel began to think out loud, suggesting things as they came to mind, "Hmm, so you're sure there aren't any special pins or thread she might want? Some sort of decoration for her store? Oh! does she enjoy wine? I had friends in Vos who seemed to know how to appreciate it far more than I ever could, and not just for the intoxication. Taste, texture, all this jargon I never understood. I would often need to have the merchants make recommendations to me for what to buy, but getting a special wine seemed to garner appreciation for birthdays. Wait! I know! Perhaps a book?" Ariel paused for a moment, recalling something in that moment that might be more useful, "Neercana-Rei did actually mention that she was fond of her memories of the festival as a child, perhaps there's something special in an item that could bring that memory forth again." Ariel held her palms out while she explained, then shrugged, "I'm not sure what the common activities of hatchlings are at this place, but... it's a thought?" It wasn't until then that Ariel realised that she was probably being overbearing, she looked away nervously "But, sorry, I-I should let you continue..."

At first, Fendros didn't really mind the Bosmer. These sideshow types often made a living by posing challenges that appeared easy but had a hidden impossibility to them. It was a swindle most of the time, but it could be a bit of fun all the same. Fendros chuckled at how quickly Ahnasha became worked up by the man. Her competitive spirit came forth with a vengeance, especially after suggesting that Ahnasha was less capable in her pregnancy. Who knows, perhaps this Bosmer would have his challenge defeated? After all, Ahnasha was the best archer Fendros knew of. He smiled as Ahnasha accepted the challenge. This could be interesting. It wasn't as if they were losing anything by it, except possibly some of Ahnasha's pride. Before she stepped forward, Fendros held Ahnasha by her shoulder for a moment and leaned forward. "Spring this elf's trap before he knows you're caught and I'd say he'll be in for a surprise," he murmured before letting her go.

Final Fantasy: Awakened Souls

BlazeGammaaaa! Where'd you disappear to?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fair enough.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ariel sighed and hummed as she continued to look about. She felt rather indecisive in that moment. She searched around and found Lorag's face looking over at the merchants with what she thought was a puzzled expression. "Why not try the market first?" Ariel suggested, before moving in that direction. Sabine's eyes darted between Ariel's and Meesei's, but she followed along. The thicker crowds there were a place she didn't want to get lost in.

The merchants were mixed and varied in appearance and wares. While there was an organisation to each of the stalls' layout, there didn't seem to be a grouping according to what they sold. And everything was on sale. To Ariel's left, an Argonian man was hawking jewellery, to her right, an wizened imperial craftsman was selling clay wares, including dainty marionette puppets. Looking around further, she could see potions, tools, weapons and armour, snacks, soul gems, clothing, and more. And that was just what she could see immediately around her. She was so fascinated that she didn't look where she was going and bumped into the shoulder of someone passing by. She looked up to apologise and saw that it was Rukeewei of all people. "Rukeewei! Hello there! I didn't expect to run into you so soon!" Ariel said over the chatter of the crowds. She smiled at him, but he had an uncertain look. "Is something wrong?" Ariel asked.

The song being played in the centre of the square ended on a crescendo. The crowd clapped and cheered, but Fendros still looked over at the street they entered, his face slightly concerned. He considered going to look for Ahnasha in the festival for a moment, but was interrupted by Janius. "Hey, what's the matter? Looking for Ahnasha?" He said, clearly in a cheerier mood than he was.

"Yeah, she said... wait, I think I see her now," Fendros smiled as he spotted a familiar dress in the direction of the square's entrance. He only caught a glimpse, but it was looked like Ahnasha. When the Khajiit woman turned her face for a moment, Fendros' smile faded. "Wait, nevermind. I think I'll go look for her."

Janius nodded, "Of course. I think people are partnering up to dance for the next song, I'm going to stick around."

"Very well," Fendros said, before beginning to weave his way through the crowds again. He tried to make his way to the square's entrance first to see if she was just coming up the road.

While he walked, he swore he heard an older looking Argonian hiss at him angrily. He was taken aback by the gesture, but the man disappeared into the crowds just as quickly. Maybe there were still a few open wounds in this culture after all.

Fendros neared the entering street and looked over the heads of the crowd. He eventually spotted Ahnasha trying to do the same thing. "Ahna!" He called out, waving one hand. It was nice to see her even if they were only separated for a short while. He made his way up to her with a grin. "There are troupes, shows, games, merchants, food, and I think Janius is dancing. I don't know where the others have gotten to though." He put his arm around hers, and gestured to square with his other hand, "Shall we?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The festival venue of the square proved to be a beating heart of life and activity. Everywhere in sight there were things to see and do. The experience would have been overwhelming to their senses if it weren't for the gradual progress towards it.

Janius found himself smiling at the atmosphere. He was brought back to festivals in Bravil. Even a town that shady and run down similarly held wonderful festivals, even if here the weather, the populace, and indeed the style was different. He found himself drawn to the music firstly. Fendros followed along after standing indecisively for a moment. With his personality the way it was, one could assume that Janius had joined the spectators to ogle the dancers, but by the way he was smiling and clapping along with everyone else, it seemed he was genuinely enjoying the music as well. Fendros didn't get quite as involved as Janius seemed to be, but he was enjoying the song and dance as well. He kept glancing in the direction of the street they entered to keep an eye out for Ahnasha while he watched and listened. It was somewhat difficult to see through the crowd, but he wanted to enjoy festival with her.

As if she hadn't noticed Fendros and Janius go off on their own, Ariel was still smiling and standing on her toes trying to get a look at everything. It was such a beautiful event. She wanted to see everything if she could. On the other hand, Sabine seemed to be slightly overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise. She kept close to Ariel and just stood quietly. "There's so much to see! Where should we go first, Meesei?" Ariel asked excitedly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite looking drowsy at first, both Fendros and Ahnasha perked up by the time they walked to pick up the dress from Neercana-Rei. The day hadn't gotten any cooler, but it never seemed to out here. Fendros was just glad that he wasn't in Lorag's position, having to walk around in armour all day. He must have been gushing sweat like a walking spring, especially after drinking as much as was apparent in his unsteady walk. As least the ocean brought through the occasional breeze as they walked the streets.

Their business at the Loom and Lapis was slightly delayed by other customers, but it was brief enough. Ahnasha got her dress and looked far more comfortable in it than her previous apparel. Complete with a fitting tail hole, it didn't look as comical from behind anymore.

Before they left, Ariel approached the counter and addressed Neercana-Rei. "Speaks-With-Thread, or, Neercana-Rei, whichever you prefer." Ariel stumbled with her words, but collected herself as quickly, "I spoke with Rukeewei again, he agreed to help me. We also had a discussion about the city. He has been very helpful." Ariel smiled, "Thank you for recommending that I talk with him, you'll get your part of the bargain, I promise." Ariel's smile turned into a wide-eyed curiosity and she pointed her thumb to one side, "Are you going to the festival at some point? We were going to head there shortly."