Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The rest of the day was a memorable experience for everyone. With all that they saw some wondered how it would stretch into several days. Janius was slightly dissatisfied with the stalemate that the Bosmer dance left them in, but he couldn't have said he didn't enjoy himself. He spent some more of the day seeing the rest of the sights, but not spending much except for some food. Ariel was glad to Rukeewei for helping her to network. There were plenty of different people to meet, and some seemed more agreeable with others, but at least they didn't treat her with immediate suspicion like the citizens of Vos did. It made her wonder whether the people she was meeting would have reacted differently to knowing that she was, or at least used to be, a witch. Sabine continued to tag along, but spent time observing each game before deciding whether she wanted to play or not. With the amount of scams, she didn't play many. When the time came to head back, Fendros felt as if he had enjoyed himself. He hadn't been to a festival like this in a long time, and to share the experience with Ahnasha made it all the better.

Rukeewei approaching to see them off for the night turned the pack's attention while they sat at their inn table.

"I can agree to that." Janius added after taking a swig of some more conventional ale, "There's plenty to do in and around the city after all. Especially with the festival going on."

Fendros chimed in as well, "I wouldn't mind staying for longer as well, but, Meesei, Sabine." Fendros leaned his elbows against the table and looked over to them both, "When were you planning on..." he twirled his hand in front of himself, "... going out to a village and that." It still felt a little out of place to call Sabine by her real name, but the pack had agreed that they didn't need to display any more suspicious behaviour than necessary.

Still eating her soup dinner after arriving later than the pack, Ariel turned and smiled to Rukeewei, but before letting him go, she pulled a puzzled expression. "Middas? I thought you said earlier that the day of beauty was the day after tomorrow, that would be Morndas, right?" Ariel said in a confused expression.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sorry for the slight delay.

I was going to have Ariel head up to the keep and try and make an appointment with someone at some point. Apart from that, it's all good. You can write a timeskip including that detail.

SW: Edge of the Empire: Ep. I - Escape from Mos Shuuta

Struggling along, Tazzak stopped and pulled out his display. This was the vicinity of the fault, now, where was it? Tazzak took out a small motorised screwdriver and began to undo the cover to one of the pipes covering the power cables. As soon as he removed the first screw, there was a peculiar smell that emanated from inside the pipe. It was as if something died in there.

I swear, if a womp rat decided to crawl in here and chew through the wires... Tazzak's mind was speechless as he lifted up the panel. Latched by the teeth onto the power cables was the charred corpse of a womp rat. ... Really? Tazzak had nothing. This was the craziest day ever. With one of his tools, he poked out the womp rat, and recovered some solder and insulator to repair the wires so they weren't shorting anymore.

After a few moments, he was all done. He replaced the panel hastily and began crawling backwards to return to the switch panel. Now that he had the hang of it, he moved faster. Luckily is seemed that no one had decided to look for him down there, as he didn't feel any blaster shots when he crawled back and ascended the ladder again. Don't you dare blow a fuse again! Tazzak warned in his mind as he flipped the switch for the shield projector. The hum booted up again, and this time the readings were green. Tazzak pumped his fist in triumph. There was still some energy now that the fault wasn't draining the system, so now he just had to remove the fuel choke and they could escape! That is, if they had enough fuel in the first place...

He pulled the control to remove the fuel choke that he had kept for maintenance. Anyone in the cockpit might see some more optimistic signs on the displays now. Might.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Holding one hand in the other while she watched on, Ariel tried not to betray a nervousness in her expression. "No..." she replied slowly, thinking quickly to come up with a reason. At least she didn't have to explain why Sabine was as antisocial as she was. "... Sabine is... she hasn't come of age yet. Meesei, that Argonian friend of mine I arrived with, she's-" Ariel breathed in, knowing what to say now, "-a foster mother." Her tone was much surer with the last words. She looked at Rukeewei directly, "They will be travelling some more."

Sabine placed one foot back a little and held the next ball up behind her. She still kept her beady expression, but she aimed carefully for a harder throw. The Khajiit raised one eyebrow and smiled at the girl's attempt. He loved it when they got cocky with his little game, it meant me might not have to give a prize away. With a strength that contradicted her build, Sabine pitched the leather ball so hard it almost made a whistling sound through the air before slamming suddenly into the board. The board wobbled, threatening to fall forward, but stilled itself. The noise the ball made and where it had landed silenced everyone in the immediate vicinity, not least of which the now wide-eyed Khajiit. The ball hadn't quite gotten through the small hole, but it was lodged in firmly, past halfway. The ball bulged out either side and was stuck fast. Before the bewildered Khajiit could step up to remove it, Sabine reared and threw the last ball in a similar fashion. The last ball hit the previous one so hard that it shoved it through the board and out the other side, while somehow the last one bounced into the frame of the pavilion that the challenge was housed and back into one of the larger holes of the board.

Sabine didn't show triumph in her face, but she had a victorious confidence in her stance. Ariel looked rather shocked, not sure whether to be impressed or mortified. The Khajiit was also shocked, but tried to recover the situation. "Err, well, uhm... yes!" The Khajiit stammered, "Yes! This one knew! This one could see you had skill, remember?" he pointed to his eye again with a nervous grin, "And for this great skill, this one shall give you..." The Khajiit turned around and rummaged around the prizes, before turning around with a trinket in his hands, "... this! A charm bracelet that will provide you good luck!" He leaned forward and held out the cheap looking chain copper bracelet that held a few dainty symbols. Sabine carefully took the bracelet and walked back to Ariel and Rukeewei. The Khajiit's expression changed to one of relief once Sabine had her back turned.

Ariel laughed in an effort to dismiss the situation as Sabine returned. "Excellent throwing! What did you win, Sabine?" She asked.

Sabine glanced up at Ariel, but had her attention fixed on the bracelet that she held up in front of her. "Bracelet." Sabine said at a volume almost too quiet to hear over the crowd, "He was cheating."

"I think you might be right, that top scoring hole was too small for the balls to fit through. There was no way to get that dagger." Ariel replied, as they began to walk again.

Sabine shook her head and held the bracelet up for Ariel to see, "He said good luck. No enchantment." Sabine looked onwards as the walked, but kept the bracelet in her hand.

"Hm," Ariel smiled in response. She might have to fill Sabine in on the concept of monetary value if she had initially believed that a sideshow would have something like a luck fortification charm for one of their prizes. "We might take a look at some of the other games. Perhaps there are some fairer ones around."

Ahnasha was truly ravenous with the fish Fendros had bought. He wanted to warn her to slow down so she wouldn't get sick, but he doubted it would have made a difference. "Another thing to ask Meesei, I think. Unless you felt like asking the vendor." Fendros said, looking back at the grill for a moment. Maybe later, the vendor would still be there. For now, he walked beside Ahnasha casually to take in the sights. "So, is it harder to fish in the salt water? I've only fished around the Nibenay Basin most of my life, but you would have been by the ocean in Leyawiin, right?"

The next song made Janius look curiously upwards as if the instructions for how to dance to it were in the sky. "What on Nirn is this?" He said, but it looked like Meesei wasn't sure either. Deciding just to try and have fun with it, Janius tried his best to adapt to the rest of the dancers, most of whom were Bosmer at least a head shorter than him. It was full of movements that seemed to require more balance than Janius had practice to pull off effectively. On a couple of occasions he stumbled. He was glad for the Argonian alcohol that seemed to still be dampening his self consciousness. Soon enough it just came down to keeping up with Meesei, that was the real challenge here. Even if everyone else seemed far more familiar with the dance than they were, he didn't want to give up on this before she did.

SW: Edge of the Empire: Ep. I - Escape from Mos Shuuta

I'll wait... one more post before I post. Unless a couple more days go by.

I hope you don't mind if I restore power to the vessel in my next post. Perhaps we might skedaddle shortly following.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Well that post came out longer than I thought. A lot going on in this festival :)

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ariel and Sabine stopped and looked back at Rukeewei. After a glance at Sabine, Ariel smiled and nodded, "Of course."

With Rukeewei with them, they proceeded to the throwing challenge. It appeared to be made up of a wooden surface of planks painted with various scores and sawed out with holes of varying sizes. From a few metres away, participants tossed small leather balls to try and score enough points for one of the mundane prizes on offer. The smallest and hardest to hit hole was the only one that provided enough points to win the major prize; a dagger made from moonstone and quicksilver. Elven. The sign that the smiling Ohmes-raht Khajiit operating the game stood by read in three languages: two gold purchased three throws.

At first Sabine still stood away as the next few people tested their skill. Few people got anywhere near the difficult hole, and most conceded for the easier objectives and walked away somewhat unsatisfied, but nonetheless entertained. Fishing for eyes in the crowd, the Khajiit man quickly spotted Sabine, Ariel, and Rukeewei watching. His ears perked up and he grinned. "Would any of you like to test your skill?" He beckoned them forward, pointing to his eye with one hand, "I can see you have skill in your arms, yes, this one knows. This one can tell." His encouragement was likely something he told all prospective customers.

Ariel put a hand on Sabine's shoulder. "Go on," Ariel said, trying to ward away Sabine's anxiety.

Sabine looked left and right, then stepped forward furtively, trying not to draw attention to herself. She drew two coins from her purse and held them forward for the Khajiit man. "Excellent! Perhaps you will be the one to win the princess' dagger, hm?" He said, taking the coins politely from her hand and flourishing towards the grand prize. With a sleight of hand trick, the man produced three leather balls seemingly out of nowhere and handed them to Sabine. They felt overly springy in her hands, they would likely bounce easily. "Good luck to you, young mistress!" The Khajiit said, holding his grin the entire time.

"My sister is normally very shy. More so than your brother, I believe." Ariel explained to Rukeewei quietly while they watched on, "It is good to see that she is coming out to the world like this. Even if is just in little steps."

Sabine took her first throw. It was a carefully aimed overarm throw that seemed to be underpowered, but well controlled. It hit the smallest hole directly, but bounced off the rim and down the front of the board. Sabine creased her brow, that was a direct hit! It became clear in that moment that the smallest hole was actually too small to fit the balls. A classic trick by games like this, but a betrayal in Sabine's eyes. She still had two shots left though.

"Well, I'm not sure if I need another portion this big," Fendros said through his second to last mouthful of the lamia tail, "but if I pick something out..." he swallowed, "... I get to taste a mouthful, okay?" he smiled, bowed his head forward and raised his brows.

They walked amongst the food stalls some more. They came across some grills that had a strong aniseed-like smell coming from some fish that were being fried. They were each about twice the size of his hand and were plump with fat and meat. They weren't any fish that Fendros recognised, but they looked and smelled tasty. Fendros approached finned, dull-orange Argonian that was cooking the fish, he wore nothing but a pair of trousers and an apron, but had a friendly grin that had a few crooked teeth. Fendros smiled back and pointed to the fish, "What are these?"

"Opah fish, friend. Spiced with my own mix, but fresh from morning's catch!" The cook was loud and boisterous, but somewhat endearing.

"Is it safe for us to eat?" Fendros asked.

"What you say?" The Argonian angled one side of his head towards Fendros. The man must have been hard of hearing.

"Is it safe for us to eat?" Fendros said slower and more clearly, pointing to himself and Ahnasha.

"Ah! Yes! Good for you! Good for child!" He pointed to Fendros and Ahnasha's stomach respectively, "Eight gold per fish!" The Argonian said over the sound of the sizzling. He raised a finger as Fendros reached into his purse, "Just don't eat more than two in a day, or you'll throw up! Hehehe!"

The cook's antics made Fendros grin as he passed enough gold to him to purchase one of the opah for them to share. The cook took one of the cooked ones from near the edge of the grill and placed it in a large thick green leaf before passing it to them. Fendros was grateful for the leaf preventing the freshly cooked fish from burning his hand. Being careful not to burn himself, Fendros pulled back the charred skin of the fish and beheld the steaming scales of flesh underneath. The meat came apart easily, like cooked salmon. He lifted a chunk into his mouth with his fingers and the meat melted away with a fantastic taste. It wasn't strongly spiced, but it was rich and satisfying. Fendros suddenly felt as if he could eat the whole thing, but he had bought it for Ahnasha, and the warning from the cook might have been in regards to its richness.

"It's so rich," Fendros remarked with a chuckle as he passed the leaf to Ahnasha, "Try it. It's like... pork belly, except it's fish."

Janius couldn't help but taunt Meesei after her display of dancing prowess faded when things took a turn for the Heartland. He was surprised that they would even play such a song, but he didn't question fate this time. "Aw, where did all that grace go?" Janius said patronisingly with a grin, "Come now, you don't want to get shown up by your lesser, do you?" The last of the song finished with a signature changing of beats that threw most people off except those familiar with it. It was one last display of dancing skill that Janius could show off before it concluded. The audience clapped to the musicians, who had performed a superb and creative rendition of the song with their exotic instruments. Janius stood to catch his breath and clapped as well. "One more round?" Janius dared Meesei.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Okay, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Ariel said affirmitively. Unfortunately, it didn't do too much to help decide what to do next. Looking around, Ariel found Sabine's face. She seemed a little more nervous than usual. Ariel smiled comfortingly at her, "Is there something that you wanted to see here, Sabine?"

Sabine swallowed and blinked a couple of times, looking around as well. By the looks of her, she just wanted to get somewhere quiet, but eventually she spotted something that held her attention. It looked like some kind of ball throwing challenge that a group of people were gathered around on the edge of the various games and challenges. Sabine made no movement to indicate that she was enthusiastic about it. She mostly looked conflicted.

Ariel picked up on Sabine's apparent interest. "Ah, do you want to try the ball throwing game? Let's go take a look." Ariel started to walk, but halted and turned to wave to Rukeewei, "I'll leave you to your browsing then. I'll see you later, Rukeewei!" Ariel passed him one last smile before walking away.

It didn't look quite like anything he had ever tried. The thought ran through Fendros' mind as he took the Lamia tail carefully from Ahnasha's hand and craned his head to inspect it with an unsure face. Shrugging, he took a bite and chewed. "Hmm, you're right, that's interesting." he said between chews. He swallowed and licked the rest of the sauce from the inside of his mouth while handing the piece back to Ahnasha. Swallowing again, he reached a verdict that belied his initial uncertainty. "I'm getting one." Approaching the stall again, Fendros confirmed to the apprehensive stall owner than he knew the risks as well and purchased a piece of Lamia tail for himself. His mouth watered as he smelled the sauce again. "Blast what my father said about Dunmer food, this is the best food I've had in years." Fendros said to Ahnasha as he took a bite of his own portion. "What is lamia tail anyway?" He asked.

Even with his best efforts, Janius found himself completely outplayed by Meesei. Every time he tried to fit with the dance, it would change slightly. It got to the point where in the last few bars of the song, he stood still and began to laugh at his own ineptitude, shaking his head and closing his eyes in utter embarrassment. Before the song ended, however, the music changed rather suddenly into something that made him look up in surprise. It sounded different on the Argonian instruments, but it was the unmistakable tune of a traditional Niben summer festival dance. Wide of mouth, eyes and smile, Janius burst into an arrogant laughter directed towards Meesei. This was a song he had known since he was a child, and the dance was not an intuitive one. Indeed, it seemed as if Janius was one of the few around the musicians who was actually competent with the dance, and this time he was the one out maneuvering Meesei. In the time he had been in the pack, not much could make him forget this dance.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While her heart was warmed by the acceptance, Rukeewei's response made her wonder why she needed to make a big deal of it in the first place. She silently cursed her absent mind. "Of course, yes." Ariel nodded. As Rukeewei began to move, Ariel followed him for a moment, Sabine in tow. "So, what are you going to see next in the festival? There's so much to do, I want to see everything, but can never decide what to do next."

Fendros turned his head in the general direction of the stalls that were selling food. There were quite a few nice smells in the air, and the combination with the mention of food made him realise that he was hungry. "I could go for something to eat. Just so long as we make sure it won't poison us, like Meesei warned." Fendros said, moving to disperse with the crowd with Ahnasha. A short while of moving their way through the crowds ended with rows either side of them with various vendors. Sweet, sour, and hearty smells were had, but not much was familiar. Where the food was cooked, it was tossed about in large inverted steel domes that were suspended to a frame at three points by chains over fire pits. Steaming meats and plant matter were mixed around by Argonians leaning over the food. Other vendors were selling pre-made sweets and slices of roast from meats he didn't recognise. There were even a couple of stalls that were selling Imperial and Dunmer cuisine, though they were less prevalent. They were spoiled for choice. Fendros stood and watched it all for a moment, before addressing Ahnasha. "Where might your cravings taking you, Ahna? It looks like we have a quarter of Tamriel to eat right here." he asked.

In the next dance, Janius quickly found himself lost again, but after a short time mimicking movements, he felt as if he had a grasp of this next dance. Meesei moved by him like she was swimming through the air. She had a grace which came from a familiarity with this number, he suspected. Cheater, he thought, trying to keep up. As the music progressed, Janius did an admirable job of competing with Meesei at first, but started to lose his momentum after a while. Regardless, he was having fun.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Great, now Janius is going to get served xP