Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With no apparent interest from Ahnasha, Fendros slowly took a bite from the wrap and hummed in approval at first. The second bite came with the onset of whatever fell spices were spread across it. It was bearable at first, but Fendros' attempts to hide weakness in this case were quickly foiled as he began to cough through his nose while he ate. After swallowing a third mouthful, he gave up on hiding it. "She's right, this is really spicy," he groaned. Sabine was already finished and was licking her fingers. She was doing a very good job of hiding her amusement. "How do you eat this Sabine?" Fendros asked, "How does anyone eat this?"

The corner of her mouth twitching, Sabine extended a hand towards the wrap, offering to finish it for Fendros. It was at that moment that Fendros read the subtle look Sabine held that indicated a sort of teasing at his reaction to the wrap. His response was to hold the last piece of the wrap closer towards his chest and replied "No, hold on," with a slightly insulted face. "I can finish it," He said as if he was accepting a dare. Sabine slowly withdrew her hand, her shoulders moving in little jolts as she silently chuckled through her nose. There was a real smile on her face at that moment, one that Fendros wasn't used to. While Fendros was surprised as ever to see Sabine this emotive, he was more focused on trying to ignore the burning pain on his tongue and his mouth. There wasn't much of the wrap left at this point, but by proceeding quickly he was able to eat the entire thing.

Ariel returned with a horn of dark ale and a relieved smile. Ale seemed an uncharacteristic drink for her, but she probably chose in a rush while in line. "I'll be sure to watch that I don't have anything that spicy again, I think." She said as she sat down, "How did you like it, Fendros?"

Fendros swallowed and found that no matter how long he waited, the burning of the spices didn't seem to go away. His eyes glanced between Ariel and her drink, unsure whether he wanted to admit again how difficult it was to eat. He knew that Ariel was not one to judge on such things, in fact he probably didn't have anything to worry about before someone inevitably told Lorag. Still, he couldn't quite think straight with the burning. "Hey Ahna," He said, quickly turning to Ahnasha, "How about we find something else to eat?" His words were fast and did not hide his state well.

The Argonian couple listened intently and continued the conversation. "Hmm, a bit of both, I think?" The female said, glancing to the male for a moment before looking at Meesei again, "The city does conduct a lot of trade, so interacting with all sorts of seafarers has brought many non-Argonian immigrants, but Argonians are still a majority. I think the reputation of the wine from this region is what brings so many from elsewhere to prove themselves. And of course to market to all of the wine lovers in the festival. The wine is the reason why many people visit the festival in the first place." The female smiled and properly introduced herself, "I am Deesia, by the way. This is my husband, Saabo-ma. What is your name?"

Saabo-ma took out a small hempen bag, reached in and pulled out a smooth brown pointed nut. Before he ate it, he held the bag under his arm and started to removed the darker brown outer shell of the nut with his fingers to reveal a softer flesh inside. As he tried to remove the husk, he continued talking to Meesei, "It is good to hear that you are helping a friend move in. Where is this friend of yours from? What does he, or she, do?" He held the bag forward and Deesia took one as well, shelling a nut for herself. Saabo-ma smiled to Meesei and nodded to the bag. "Would you like a chestnut? They grow on trees far to the northwest and are roasted. They're my favourite discovery today."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius simply laughed in return. He had meant to say that he should slow down so he could enjoy the wine, but then again, Lorag wasn't exactly a connoisseur. The samples that he got to try caused Janius to become envious of the judges for having virtually free rein over the wine. However, at the same time he most certainly was not envious of the responsibility they had to actually pick a winner. They were all so unique and enjoyable that Janius thought that picking out a favourite was an impossibility. Still, he harboured some bias toward Rukeewei's wine. When the winner was announced, he couldn't say he was surprised, but in retrospect it was a difficult result to predict.

When Ahnasha returned, Fendros eyed the food she had brought back. "Assassin beetle, eh? Interesting for an insect to be this..." Fendros angled his head and tried to discern what cut of meat it could possibly have been, "... substantial. Mind if I try?" He reached out and tore a morsel with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed without any observable reaction for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this isn't just guar? No, hold on." He licked his teeth, "It's different from guar." He raised his brow and nodded, "You're right though, not bad. How big are these things? And what cut it this exactly?"

Up near competition stage where the samples were being handed out, Meesei was approached by an Argonian couple who came up to try samples for themselves. The female was a green with orange flecks on her snout and down her neck, while the male was a more consistent and brighter green and had a pair of almost straight horns protruding from his head. Noting which sample Meesei had in her hands, the female casually spoke in Jel with a smile. "Is that Rukeewei's wine? He really put forward a good entry for this one, didn't he?" The male continued, "They all did, I wonder how the judges made a decision." He glanced up at the stage as the bottles and glasses were packed away, "Are you in the city for the festival, or are you a resident? We've been here for so long, but it's still impossible to keep track of all of the new faces. Especially at this time of year."

Sabine and Ariel stayed close as they waded into the crowds that surrounded some of the vendors. It was hard to discern any particular scent amongst them, but enough of it was delicious that what they spotted was enough to make their mouths water. Before too long, Sabine tugged on Ariel's dress, causing them to stop. Sabine pointed over to a stall manned by a couple of Redguards and a Nord. The Nord was making fresh flatbreads of some description, and the two Redguards were leaning over a large metal cooking pan which held a bubbling and creamy looking lamb dish. As Ariel and Sabine approached, the taste of the dish began to dominate the air so powerfully that it almost made their eyes water. "Two for you?" One of the Redguards asked in Cyrodilic as they approached. Ariel nodded and immediately the Redguards took a cooked flatbread each, ladled an amount of the lamb and sauce into the breads and folded and rolled them shut them such that they could be held easily.

As Ariel began to reach for her purse, one of the Redguards interrupted her, "Ah ah, hold onto your coin. The first ones are free. Festival rules."

Ariel nodded in realisation and replied, "Oh, right, okay. Thank you." With that she smiled while she retrieved the wraps and passed one to Sabine. The first bite each of them took was a bit hot, as was to be expected, but once they were able to chew it, it was a wondrous and overwhelming flavour. Not to mention exotic. It was quite possibly one of the best things that Ariel had ever tasted, but then another sensation came about. The spices had heat of their own. Sabine ate hers happily, but it was a bit too much for Ariel. She was trying her best but wasn't built for spicy foods. They brought the food back to the rugs and found Ahnasha and Fendros, but Ariel was only halfway through her wrap and tears were streaming down her face and she was constantly sniffing from a runny nose. The heat was not forgiving.

"Are you alright?" Fendros asked. Ariel didn't seem upset, but the tears were certainly contradicting.

Ariel chuckled and waved Fendros down dismissively. "I'm fine, it's just these wraps Sabine spotted." She glanced to one side and saw Sabine take another bite from her wrap. "It's so spicy, I've never had anything this strong." Ariel laughed through her tears and sniffed again, "I don't know how Sabine does it. You certainly seem to be enjoying it, hey Sabine?"

Sabine looked up for a moment. Maybe it was the distraction of food, or just become accustomed to the crowd, but she already looked more relaxed.

She considered taking another bite, but Ariel stopped and shook her head. "I can't even finish this. In fact..." She sat up straighter and looked around, spotting a shaded vendor serving drinks, "I think I need to find something to put out the fire in my mouth. Could you hold this for me?" She pushed the wrap into Fendros' hands, who didn't know exactly what to do with it. "Try it if you like," Ariel said, standing up quickly, "In fact, finish it for me, will you?" Fendros couldn't even give an answer before Ariel quickly walked off to purchase a beverage.

Fendros stared at the half-eaten wrap for a few seconds, then brought it up and sniffed. He glanced to Ahnasha, "Smells good."

All the king's men.

Here's the scholar.

Name: Ilario Falegname

Picture(Optional)-

Ilario

Backstory+how Hawk found and recruited you:
Some might call Ilario a traitor to the Colameri Union, technically being the third heir to a member city state named Salices Luco. In reality, Ilario has no vested interest in any domain in the region, his desires being confined to simple tastes and scholarly pursuits.

While his four brothers were all educated to be politically minded despite what Ilario would rightly describe as their 'Manipulable, narrow, meat-filled minds', Ilario himself was a self driven learner for the most part. He became fascinated by the chemistry and engineering that had been pioneered by learned men in his area. He wanted to know how the true magic of the world worked, and it was found that he had a knack for it. All his spare moments were spent either experimenting and constructing various apparatus, or reading about said apparatus, science, or engineering.

As he matured, Ilario's brothers found themselves scheming against one another. Without him realising it, Ilario's seclusion had caused him to harbour a naivete that the slyest of his brothers, Pietro, sought to manipulate. Pietro convinced Ilario to construct a mechanism to deliver a sleeping poison to his eldest brother Marco. A week later, Ilario's completed mechanism was stolen and Marco never woke up from his sleep that night. Having carefully constructed his plan, Pietro was able to angle sufficient blame on Ilario to force him to pack up and run away. He managed to slip away on his nineteenth birthday on a trading cog that travelled to a border city state near Veronia. He left his naivete behind and replaced it with a perpetual cynicism.

His new home was a hotbed of political intrigue, but Ilario was able to survive the next seven years by making medicines by day, and poisons by night. Underworld connections around the city spoke of Ilario as the man to talk to if you wanted to buy a lockpick that would defeat any lock, a crossbow that could fire five bolts consecutively, a poison that could replicate a sudden onset of consumption, or even such mystical things as a pair of wings that would allow someone to glide like a bird. Any foreign spymaster worth his dagger would see Ilario's potential, and soon enough he was scooped up for Hawk's private commissions.

At first, Ilario's work was for the same purpose as it always had been; making a living. But as the pay went beyond satisfying Ilario's living requirements, he found fulfillment in solving new challenges brought before him by Hawk.

Skills/role in the group: The Multi-Disciplined Scholar
- Brings the forward the perspective of one well versed in academic texts and methods.
- Provides mechanical devices of all manners for the team and expertise to use them, including: Explosives, poisons, compasses, watches, concealable weapons, hand drills, lockpicks and other such devices.
- Researches and scrutinises the designs of various buildings for weaknesses in structure through which to infiltrate and/or sabotage.
- Provides private medical treatment for wounded, sick or poisoned members of the King's Players.

Miscellaneous:
Ilario does come with his flaws, as much as he is loath to admit it. He is a tactless individual, and will be pedantic about any reasonable ignorance of others, often being chiding and venemous in his dealings. Those he despises the most, however, are those fixated on power. He sees such people as slaughtering others for what is essentially a hollow goal in most cases. Hawk was able to convince him to be employed by Veronia merely because his agenda is more grounded in stability. At least that's what he's been told.

In a conflict of words or steel, Ilario has to rely on others, as he has little skill with either.

He tends not to go out of his way to help others, but for trivial favours, he may be bribed with a bowl of dates. He seems to have an affinity for the exotic fruits.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It was fortunate that the pack was able to find a spot with a view of the competition amongst the throng of other festival goers. As soon as they set up, Janius eyed the free wine and followed Lorag to grab a glass for himself. He had no idea which one he had picked, but nevertheless he took his time swirling the liquid around to make its smell propogate, then brought it up to his nose in the spirit of the wine tasting. Normally he would just swig, and having not swirled and sniffed since he had turned into a lycan, the smell was far stronger than he anticipated. After stifling a cough, he shrugged and took a sip. He could see why the competition was competitive. It was the best wine he had tasted in ages. Granted, most of the wine the pack came across was not of fantastic quality, but he enjoyed it all the same. He turned to Lorag, who held a sample in each hand, "Hey Lorag, take your time with these, they're something special." He said in a sincere tone, though not expecting him to discontinue drinking for the sake of drinking.

Fendros wasn't feeling ravenously hungry, so he decided to wait around at sit himself on one of the rugs and observe the competition. He considered following Ahnasha to wherever she was undoubtedly sampling the feast for herself, but as soon as he looked around to find her, she had disappeared without a trace. He felt disappointed, but she would be back. In any case, he would listen to Ahnasha's recommendations if there was anything he positively had to try. They had the entire day to eat, though, so he just sat and watched for now.

Even though they had eaten breakfast not long before, all of the swirling smells had caused Ariel to become hungry again. She spotted Sabine still looking withdrawn and tried to catch her eye. "Do you feel like something to eat, Sabine?" she asked, craning her head down to look at her.

Sabine did not look at her directly. She simply shrugged in response. She seemed tense amongst the dense crowd.

With a sympathetic smile, Ariel placed a hand on Sabine's shoulder and tried to encourage her. "How about we have a look around, and if something catches your eye, point it out we'll try it together."

There was a pause where Sabine seemed to consider this. After a still moment, she looked at Ariel and nodded.

"Alright, come along then." Ariel replied, standing up straight again. Before they left, she looked down at the two seated on the rugs, "Would you like us to get you anything, Meesei, Fendros?"

Fendros smiled and shook his head, "I'll get something a bit later, thank you Ariel."

Looking at the stage, Fendros hoped that they wouldn't take too long if they wanted to watch the competition. It looked like it was mere minutes from starting.

All the king's men.

I'll go for Tuesday.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The breakfast proceeded for most with simple conversation. Once Ariel finished her last mouthful she rose from her seat and told everyone that she was going to get some things from her shop and come back to the inn before they left. As she left, she wondered whether she would get used to calling it 'home', but she supposed more nights spent sleeping in a bed inside of it would help. Having her own room last night was certainly a strange thing to come back to after travelling for so long. The pack didn't have to wait long before she returned, and by that time, they were all ready to go.

On the walk there, Sabine walked close to Ariel. She kept her head somewhat low though. It made her seem more withdrawn than usual. Ariel attempted some conversation with her, and Sabine managed to give some answers, but she was quiet and didn't say anything else than just answers, as usual.

The festival grounds in the city's main square was once again transformed today. Whereas yesterday had many lanes for parades and areas for music, art, dance and all manner of other sights, today was less focussed on cordoned off events. There were a few areas in the centre for some events; competitions, music, and even a dais for a theatre play. The rest of the square was a hodgepodge of vendors attending to cauldrons full of stew, grills covered in sizzling meat and vegetables, or simply displaying freshly prepared other foods: cakes, pastries, salted or otherwise preserved foodstuffs, drinks of every kind, everything. It would have been hard to believe, but there was a greater diversity of food than the opening day. Less hard to believe was the increase in quantity. But even these vendors appeared sparsely placed amongst the crowds of people, most of whom seemed to be sitting on a sea of thin rugs of various colours that had been placed on the ground. Unlike the activity and excitement of the previous few days, this appeared to be a toned-down affair, despite the persisting noise from chatter. Apart from the vendors, event participants, or anyone purchasing food, everyone was sitting and eating something with their friends and family and generally enjoying themselves. In one part of the event areas, some tables with goblets and bottles were being set up within the view of the pack. The wine tasting was beginning soon.

The pack didn't get far into the square before they were stopped by a group of three Argonian men, each pulling a small two wheeled cart stacked with rolled up rugs. The one in charge addressed them with a smile while the other two each pushed a rug into the hands of the closest two of the pack. At the time this was Meesei, and Lorag. The rugs appeared to be big enough together to comfortably seat the entire pack.

The leader spoke clearly in Jel to explain. He must have been a greeter of some sort. "Welcome to the day of feasting! Fill an empty spot on the ground with a rug and your buttocks and fill an empty spot in your stomach with food! We kindly ask that you return the rugs to us or anyone else pulling the carts today once you are finished. We will remain at the main entrances to the square until the feasting is done." The man raised one finger, "Remember the rule, you must talk to someone you do not know today and share your food with them. There are no ranks here, the highest merchant to the lowliest commoner are all seated on the same level." For what was probably a shtick that he and the others pulling the carts had to repeat to everyone arriving, he seemed to be rather passionate about it. A question could be raised as to how they intended to enforce this 'rule', or even if they expected the rugs to return. The rule itself seemed to be more of a spirited guideline however, and the quality of the rugs suggested that they were prepared to lose at least some. Still, it was better than dirtying one's clothes on the ground.

The pack stood awkwardly for a moment. Ariel understood most of it, but Fendros had spent less time with the language and found himself lost. It didn't help that none of the others but Meesei knew a word of Jel.

Janius broke the silence, "What was that he said?" The pack looked to Meesei expectingly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sleep well. G'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius took a deep breath and expressed his interest. "As long as the wines there don't all cause us to end up like Lorag did with that sledge of a drink you served us the other day, then It'd be a pleasure."

Even though Ariel had originally had a rough plan to see if anyone would turn up if she had opened earlier, she conceded that it wouldn't be terrible to postpone for a few hours. She wanted to show Rukeewei some support after all the help he had provided her. It could also be an opportunity for extra publicity. "I'll come along. I could take the opportunity to get rid of the last of the fliers."

Fendros felt like going along as well, if Ahnasha was up for it. She seemed upbeat this morning, but just in case, he looked over to her to ask what she wanted to do. "Feel up for a day of feasting, Ahna?" He knew that the wine was not an option, but if the first day was any indication, then there would be some fantastic food to try today.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Ah, thank you." Ariel said regarding her breakfast. She had taken quite a liking to Rukeewei's food over the past few days. It made her wonder whether he had a secret to properly stewing saltrice or whether he had just had more practice than her. Probably the latter. "Yes, with the larger equipment we moved in yesterday I was able to make enough stock to start. I would have liked to get the fliers out earlier, but I'll make do, I think." She glanced at the pack around her, "I'm certainly glad for all the help I have had."

Fendros looked up from his meal. "Well, it's made for a nice little change to the usual travelling and such," Fendros commented with a smile.

"Aye, I haven't had to decorate a room since..." Janius started, but looked up and was lost in thought, "... I actually can't remember."

Ariel nodded, "Your input was very helpful, Janius." She looked over to Sabine, who was eating slowly this morning, tired from brewing late into the night with Ariel, "And I couldn't have made all the stock I needed without the help of Sabine here."

Sabine didn't give much of a reaction save for glancing up for a moment with a blank face. As if the light from the windows was still too bright, she rubbed her eyes with her thumb and her forefinger before resuming her meal.

It was acknowledgement enough for Ariel, who looked back at Rukeewei. "So are you making anything for the feasting today Rukeewei? Oh! Also, we were so busy, we didn't ask before: How did Neercana-Rei go with her entry into the day of beauty?"

In reality, a nervousness was slowly building in Ariel. Not necessarily because of the shop opening itself, but whether her business would survive if word had spread about her background from her An-Xileel interviewers. They might have meant to be confidential, but there was still a worry that the populace would become apprehensive if they knew that she used to be a witch. At least it didn't appear to have spread as far as Rukeewei and the Wamasu's Nest or she probably would have noticed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I thought I could stay up for a post, but I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open. Sorry, g'night.