Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Pulling his lips between his teeth in doubt, Fendros opened his own purse and saw little more or less than Ahnasha had. All of six septims was what he found. It wasn't much, but he could still bet. He figured that he wasn't going to be using the gold for anything else, so he could bet three on this game and three on his own attempt. Even if he lost it all, it wouldn't be devastating. He pulled out the three small gold coins he intended to bet and turned them in his palm while inspecting both contenders. The Nord had plenty of cuts on his fingers, so that could mean he wasn't very good at the game. This assumption was supported by the fact that he seemed to be unsure about facing Ahnasha and had little coin left. It could all be a trick, though. But for the meagre amounts they were playing for? It was unlikely.

"I'm in. I'll put three on Ahnasha," Fendros declared with a confident smile, dropping the coins into the pile of coins that encompassed the bets. Before the game began, Fendros put his arms out and carefully took Rhazii from Ahnasha's hands, holding the cub close. Rhazii smiled with an open mouth at some of the sailors, but seemed content to look around with a couple of fingers in his mouth rather than pay attention to the game. Fendros just hoped that the salt that was beginning to encrust Rhazii's frequently washed loincloth was not causing him too much discomfort.

For once in a very infrequent number of occasions, Sabine smiled widely at another's lack of experience and almost laughed. "They're not enchanted, they're just warm. You know, they're thick and lined with fur." Past an explanation that probably wouldn't help Kaleeth's understanding any better, Sabine realised that Kaleeth was serious and became curious. "Doesn't it ever get cold in the swamp? Have you ever worn so many clothes that you need to take some off because you can't cool down?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros brought the back of his hand up and splayed out his fingers so he could look at it. An uncomfortable sensation ran over the back of his neck as he started to regret the potential pain, but it was a matter of pride to stay true now. "When have I ever backed down to a challenge? What's say we see who can get the most wins." He kept as confident of an expression as he could muster, but his next words might have undermined it. "...You go first."

"Not really, unless you don't wear warm clothing. Frost spells are supposed to hurt, though. It's not like them." In truth, Sabine had only experienced snow once, when on higher elevations in Cyrodiil, but she liked it for her own reasons. "When the snow falls, it's pretty. The snowflakes float down like tiny petals, and melt when they land on you. The cold might not be nice, but the snow is still pretty."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros squinted an eye and inspected the game from where they stood. On the surface, it didn't seem too hard. Fendros thought that he would be able to keep up. As the crew playing sped up, it seemed a little more difficult, but Fendros wasn't going to back down. He leaned slightly towards Ahnasha and smirked, "That depends, is that a challenge?"

Sabine confirmed Kaleeth's impression with a nod. "I have seen the tower, but not been to the city. The lake is called Rumare. You might like snow, though. It's like water, except frozen. Here, I'll show you." Sabine retrieved her waterskin, now filled with ale, and poured a little into her palm. "Meesei taught me how to do this." With a face of fierce concentration, a pale glow emanated from Sabine's palm and the ale in her palm solidified with air bubbles going through it. Sabine smiled at the success of the spell, then held the frozen ale out to Kaleeth. "It's like this, except with water, not ale. It falls from the sky in soft little flakes."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hey Elite. So, I just had to properly evacuate to avoid a nastier bushfire today. Luckily the wind changed before it got anywhere near my house, so I'm back home and safe. Needless to say, I didn't really have the time to play Smite today. The fire is still going, but it's heading away and weather conditions are improving. I can't guarantee that it won't change directions and force me to drive off again, but it seems safe for now.

The Depths of Deception

It was with some nervous haste that Shiva stuck her boots to the ground, activated the magnets to hold herself in place, and went over her EVA drill. Visor down, seal up, check levels, pressurise, pray. It made for a far easier to remember rhyme in the main masulu language. Once the blast door opened, it was moments before all Shiva could hear was the comms and her breathing.

The jump-off was well enough executed, even if it still quietly freaked Shiva out. She wished she had thrusters, or telekinesis, or anything really to make her stop imagining herself hurtling out into space with no control or hope for rescue. Rareth's call of contact flooded her mind with the second big concern she had about space walking. Luckily enough, Shiva was facing the correct way to line up her weapon in the enemy's direction, but even shooting off a few silent plasma rounds pushed her off-course slightly. She was about to shoot in the opposite direction to correct herself before Rareth took her arm.

"WoaaAH! Shit!" Shiva shouted in alarm as she flailed at the sudden change of course. Looking around, she promptly realised the tactic and was quick to magnetise her boots to the large chunk of debris. She then squat and leaned her torso forward over the debris to send more plasma in the enemy's direction. It was nice to have some more control again. "Thanks for that, Rareth!" Shiva spoke through the comms for the first time since depressurisation.

Unfortunately, for the distance between the groups, the disorientation, and the unwieldiness of Shiva's weapon in weightlessness meant that Shiva wasn't exactly hitting anything. Her shots were keeping the militia pinned, though, and drawing their attention. The glowing killshots were mostly coming from Shuo, with his much more precision-oriented shifter rifle. Every few moments, Shiva had to lean back out of the firing line to recharge her shield. Forty seconds, just have to hold out for forty seconds. Shiva leaned over the debris to start firing again. Once her shields had been clipped a couple more times, she leaned back again. Barely seven seconds have passed, Might as well be forty years!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Mhm," Sabine hummed in acknowledgement, then bit her lower lip. Making friends didn't seem all that hard, at least not with Tunxeek, back in the tribe. That was really the only experience she had gained, though. She knew that once they were with the Bruma pack, she wanted to try her hand at making friends again. In that, she might forge friendships that last much longer. What scared and piqued her curiosity more was the other social aspect Meesei mentioned. Romance was not something that she felt pressured to engage in, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't have to deal with it at some point. "I don't know much about any of that. Some bits are easy, some are difficult, and...I don't know anything about love except what Ariel and Ahnasha told me. What mistakes should I...not make?"

Kaleeth's smile was returned with a tight lipped one from Janius. The essential message had been received, but he hoped that a broken nose wouldn't be dealt out without good reason.

Janius looked down at Kaleeth's dress and brushed a finger across his chin in thought. "Hmm. Might be that we can find you some clothes that you're less likely to trip over. I don't think the sailors would baulk whether you were in a skirt or trousers." He stepped and turned, letting the hand on Kaleeth's shoulder wrap around her back, guiding her towards the pack's luggage. "You can borrow our spare set," Janius suggested, before leaning his head close to hers and murmuring, "Though I still think you look best in no clothing at all."

Janius and Fendros had a spare set of clothes between them so they would be able to clean the articles they wore currently. Their sizes were similar, but the clothing might be a little big for Kaleeth. Not to mention they would have to accommodate for Kaleeth's tail. That detail had not crossed Janius' mind yet.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While it was interesting to hear about Meesei's mother, Sabine was more curious about how Meesei and her mother got along. It sounded like she was very busy most of the time, and Meesei was probably just as busy with her studies. For now, though, Sabine followed up with what she wanted to find out first. "Meesei, I feel like I should ask about more things. Things about the future, but...I don't know what to ask, so...what things did you ask your mother when you were my age? Was there anything you wish you had asked her about?"

Janius tried to stay calm and keep his voice down. Only a liar could say that this didn't bother Kaleeth, that much was clear, but he didn't want the issue to escalate too much. He held one hand up to try and console her, "I'm not saying it isn't a bad thing. It is stupid, I know, but this is their ship. We still need the crew to take us to Cyrodiil. If we attack them, they have an excuse to head to shore and drop us there. We can't afford that." Janius placed a hand on Kaleeth's shoulder and exhaled through his nose, "Right now, these are just the rules of a game we will have to play on this ship. Just ignore the jeers and the mutterings, don't inflame it, and we should be fine. If they try anything without provocation, then we can talk to the captain and he will put them back in line."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine's eyes moved in the direction of the quiet thanks that the nearby crewman spoke, but didn't turn around to him. She realised, then, just how uncomfortable she was making people and decided to leave the subject for later. The main worries had been addressed, anyway. "Okay. I'll ask later." Sabine said.

Even if she sounded a little disappointed, Sabine still wanted to stay to watch the waves. She tried to find something else to ask Meesei about, but she found that most areas referring to herself that she didn't know about to either not be of any importance, or be so unknown that they were just swirling messes of anxiety in her head. Her thoughts drove her to how Meesei might have dealt with such things at her age. After a pause, Sabine swallowed, then lifted her head to face Meesei. "Meesei, what was your mother like?"

There was nothing Kaleeth said that Janius could claim to be untrue. "Well..." Janius bared his teeth nervously and reached for the back of his head while he tried to put the words together, "You're right, he shouldn't matter, it's just...if there are more people like him, then they..." Janius' face relaxed as he recalled a memory of such behaviour. "I've seen it in Bravil, my home town. There were a lot of people who didn't get taught not to be afraid and hateful, and as a result, they jeered at Argonians, and Khajiit, and Elves, and whoever else was different. It started out harmless, but it escalated to treating them badly, and even violence in some cases. Guards had to be called in to stop gangs of youths fighting each other." Janius stopped and shook his head, he didn't need to explain every detail, "Look, the point is, we just need to be wary of them. Their captain is their leader, and while he's not around, the others might be...less civil."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

A sizable pocket of worry deflated in Sabine's mind as Meesei explained that what was happening was normal. She figured that she should have expected that it was to do with her fertility. In the space of a few moments, a constant source of worry for her had turned into another symbol of her growing up. She wasn't sure what to make of it. If anything, it was still uncomfortable and embarrassing. "But, other animals don't bleed like that, don't they? Why does it happen to humans?"

With a tense sigh, Janius let his head flop down onto the hammock again and breathed a curse. He had hoped that that kind of man would not be amongst the sailors. He shouldn't have been so reckless, and now it was probable that more ill would come of it. It was likely, with the general Imperial abundance of crew, that the man who saw them would not be the only one. It ruined Janius' mood, he clearly wore a face of frustration with himself. He tightened his lips, closed his eyes and took in a breath through his nose, before starting to sit up and talk. "It's okay Kaleeth. I think we should...be little more discrete, though. While on the ship, that is." Janius found that getting off the hammock was actually much less dangerous than he had anticipated, especially with Kaleeth still in it. He slid onto his feet and turned to her with a lower voice. "That man, and probably others here...I don't think they are fond of Argonians. That or they don't like the idea of an Imperial with an Argonian."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine took in each word that Meesei had while she stared at the undulating sea. For a moment, Sabine was afraid that she should have learned the way forward already. It was insinuated, though, that even Meesei could not simply tell her that. It didn't put her mind completely at ease, but at least it helped to be reminded that Meesei was there to guide her. Sabine didn't know how she would cope without her counsel.

For the next minute, Sabine silently thought as far into the future as she could, wondering what she would possibly grow up to be like. From the outset, she wanted to be wise and brave, like Meesei. Sabine thought she had become quite brave since her ritual, but she still experienced fear at times. She didn't consider herself particularly wise, though. Meesei always knew what to do, and while Sabine had sharp eyes for people's reactions, she didn't really know how to approach them all the time. Even when she did, she often made mistakes, like asking Rukeewei about marrying Ariel. That seemed to upset Ariel. It was certainly awkward. Sabine wished she had a specific question about conversational skills, but she couldn't come up with one. Other than that, Sabine was curious to know what it was like to be drunk, to be in love, to know what it was like to lead, and a number of other things. At this stage she expected that she would just have to be patient for most of those opportunities to present themselves. She couldn't really ask many questions about what she knew little to nothing about, no matter how awkward they might turn out to be.

Awkward. Sabine rolled the concept around in her head for a little while. She knew what it was, but not always where it would come up. There were some things that embarrassed her, though. One thing in particular cropped up in Sabine's mind. She breathed uneasily while building up the courage to ask Meesei about it. Meesei would understand, surely. "Meesei, there is one thing. I didn't tell Ariel because I didn't want to make her guilty about it." Sabine's head bobbed up and down while she talked, as she pushed it off her chin resting on her hands. Her voice softened with apprehension, "Every few weeks, something happens that I thought was caused by being locked up in the silver cage, but it didn't stop after the ritual." Sabine's eyes went down, thinking that something was wrong with her body, "There's one or two days each month where I...bleed. I wasn't hurt there or anything, and healing potions don't help. I don't know what to do about it."

Sabine had only known as much about human reproduction as was taught to her by her previous witch guardians. That was, conception, pregnancy, and birth, compounded by eyewitness experience of the latter two in Ahnasha. All answers had come from her direct questioning rather than a complete picture. As such, the other details of her developing body had not been addressed before she had turned. Sabine was red with humiliation over the matter; she had not had anyone to confide in about it for all this time, and those parts of her body were 'not to be touched', according to the witches of the coven. Unfortunately, the differences present in female Argonian biology meant that Meesei might not have been the most experienced in the process. However, Meesei's studious knowledge would probably suffice, given that she often played a pivotal part in Kaleeth and Ahnasha's contraception. At least, when Sabine did not have a remedy to do the job. Those kinds of potions were from recipe, giving Sabine no insight as to how they physically affected Ahnasha and Kaleeth beyond just...preventing pregnancy.

Janius' smile spread with Kaleeth's. "We might be here for a while, then," he said, sliding his arms around her in turn, "I wouldn't mind that." Janius brought his head forward to kiss Kaleeth and wondered exactly how much they could get away with in the hammock. There was no space to simply go off and be alone with Kaleeth, like in the wilderness, so they might have to restrain themselves during the voyage. Perhaps it would have to go even further than they could stand if even small public displays of affection were taboo in front of the ship's crew. Blast it all, Janius thought, Imperial culture can keep its clothes and etiquette if it means more of this here. Here, though, there wasn't any true harm. Janius let his fears go and relaxed for the moment.

Some footsteps passed occasionally, but a particular pair were accompanied by a head peeping through the opening of the couple's hammock. The face of the unenthused and gruff Imperial man startled Janius enough that he separated his lips from Kaleeth's and looked up at him with some fear. By the time the man moved on, Janius realised that unlike when his father caught him in similar acts, he didn't seem to need to escape, or explain himself to the man before he walked away. He only noticed then just how much the fear had caused his heart to race. Janius lifted his head up out of the hammock just to irrationally make sure that it wasn't his father.