Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The food that was brought out was of better quality than Fendros had expected. No effort was wasted, but none was withheld either. It was clear that Shevari was very good at what she did. Fendros thanked her and prompted Rhazii to do the same.

Rhazii could sometimes be a picky eater, but from the first mouthful of his meal, he was hooked. He ended up eating so quickly that he accidentally inhaled a flake of his sweetfish, but he was able to cough it out and drink some water with no problem. With how much he liked the food, the coughing was the only sound he made while there was anything to eat in front of him. The only thing he couldn't finish, funnily enough, was his piece of caramel pudding. There were a couple of mouthfuls left that he simply couldn't stomach due to the previous fondue being so rich. Then again, he ate very quickly, so a burp would allow room for the rest of it.

While Fendros would not denounce his family's cooking on a whim, he would admit that Shevari's dish was the best Dunmer meal that he had ever tasted. Maybe it was a testament to Shevari's skill, maybe it was simply that Fendros' previous experience had been limited, but Fendros knew who he would cite as the best Dunmer cook he had heard of: An Argonian. The red wine that Fendros had with his meal complimented it well enough, but he kept to one glass only.

All in all, the night seemed to be going well. Casual conversation flowed on and there was no more sourness or grief that Fendros could perceive. It was likely that Ahnasha's family were just trying to enjoy the time they had with her rather than dwell on her loss. Fendros could understand. While things seemed amiable, Fendros purposely evaded questions of religion. He himself was not overly pious to either the Eight Divines, Hircine, or the Tribunal Temple that he grew up with, but he got the impression that Ahnasha's family were. It was ground that Fendros didn't want to step on.

Once the meal was done, Fendros addressed Shevari. "Thank you again for the meal, Shevari. That is the best food I have eaten in a long time. I think your restaurant will do well." Fendros looked to Gwindir and S'nashi as well, "And we appreciate the hospitality on such sudden notice."

It was only at this point did Rhazii let out a short, high-pitched belch. He took the chance to finish the last of his pudding.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm not sure if it was mentioned at all.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros' eyes and brow raised to Gwindir. What he asked was something less complicated to explain. Fendros had been expecting such a question and had an idea on how to proceed.

"Your doubt is correct," Fendros said after shaking his head and straightening up, "Before I went hunting with Ahnasha and the group, I was raised to mistrust and look down on beast races. Though, growing up in Cheydinhal rather than Morrowind didn't quite instil the attitude as permanently as my parents." Fendros took a deep breath through his nose, recalling a starting point, "I grew up on a vine yard outside of Cheydinhal. My parents were refugees from southern Morrowind. I am their only birth child, but I grew up alongside my adopted brother and sister. My parents trained me in vintage, failed to train me in magic, and were generous enough to allow me to train with the Fighters Guild. At that point, hunting was just something I did to get away from my family when they were too stifling. Life went on by a plan that I didn't exactly write myself, so I was drifting along until I was expected to help on the grapes." Fendros looked down at the table. "Unfortunately, my family and I had a falling out and I was forced to leave home. A personal affair, I would rather not get into it." After dismissing that detail with a wave of his hand, Fendros looked up again brightly, "No shelter and little money saved up meant that I was forced to make a survive however I knew. What I knew best then was hunting, so I joined Ahnasha's group." Fendros raised both his palms, "We travelled for a while, hunted, fell in love, married, and then sought a means to raise a child. I even had the opportunity to meeting my brother and sister again, though there's no going back to my parents now."

Clasping his hands together on the table in front of himself, Fendros leaned forward and addressed Ahnasha's parents. "What of yourselves? Are you both locals of Leyawiin?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Err...hunting...supplies?" Fendros' heart began to beat noticeably harder in his chest as the web they weaved became thicker. "There are smiths that cater to some equipment, but there's nothing specialised, and there is quite the hunting community in Bruma. We have a skilled bowyer that has agreed to manufacture bows while we handle the business, contacts, and other supplies." A second later, Fendros managed to come up with the contrivance to complete the shop in his eyes, "To find an edge, we were going to try and procure moonstone from Senchal or around the area. Our bowyer says that some of the best bows can be made in the elven style."

Fendros looked down. He didn't feel as though his on-the-spot idea was particularly robust, but it was the best he could do. He dreaded the prospect of having to act it out if any of Ahnasha's family decided to come and visit.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once Fendros and Rhazii were seated, the task of filling in the nine missing years was resumed. Gwindir's question was one that Fendros felt as if he should have thought about earlier, but he did not. He glanced at Ahnasha and found himself in the position of answering. He fumbled with his words until he found a workaround. "Ah, ahem, well," Fendros rubbed the side of his neck, "It was roughly five years ago now. It was actually...hunting, yes." A narrative spiced with the truth assembled itself in Fendros' mind and he looked directly at Gwindir with more confidence. "We both had a penchant for hunting, still do. I was a new member in a hunting group that Ahnasha is a member of, all close friends. The group has a sort of celebration for a first kill and I managed to get a rather large deer that day. There was a lot of wine and..." Fendros paused and looked sideways at Ahnasha. He decided to keep the details limited, "...I got to know Ahna. The friendship grew further in the following months."

Fendros found it much easier to come up with the details when they were close to the truth, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep making up explanations. If any disparate lies started to overlap, there was no knowing whether it would get picked up.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Listening attentively to Shevari, Fendros couldn't help but be reminded of a certain alchemist from Thorn that tended to speak on like this. It was as if she didn't need to breathe. Once it dawned on him that she was not likely to stop until she had named every cuisine in Tamriel and beyond, Fendros started to relent. Vasiq's little message caused him to breathe an exasperated laugh and raise his hand to try and halt Shevari's tirade. "Please, you're spoiling me for choice," Fendros said, "It's generous of you to offer so much, but I am not a fussy eater. It has been a while since I tasted any food from Morrowind, however. Far be it from me to pass up the opportunity." Fendros was glad that Shevari seemed so friendly.

Without forgetting his son, Fendros looked down to him. "What would you like for dinner, Rhazii?"

Rhazii stepped forward and looked up at Shevari with excitement. "Can I please have pudding for dinner?"

Fendros should have expected as much. Rhazii's ears must have perked at the second dish Shevari named. Fendros wouldn't quite allow him to get away with it. "You can have pudding for dessert, Rhazii, but you must have something more to make a meal."

Ears drooping slightly, Rhazii seemed crestfallen at not having nothing but sweets for dinner. He was silent in thought for a few moments before Fendros leaned over to look at him better. "You can still have something sweet if you like, in a Khajiit meal."

Rhazii looked up and Smiled widely again. He gave two exaggerated nods at Shevari.

Fendros gave a confirming nod to Shevari, "I think we had better find ourselves a seat."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rhazii seemed to enjoy the encouragement from his new grandfather. It was enough that he lowered his hand from his face and seemed more open.

Despite his disposition towards the lies, Fendros had to give Ahnasha credit for thinking on her feet. Her addition tied a few extra loose ends in the explanation of the past nine years. Now he could relax a little. Mention of food brought a grumble to what was either his or Rhazii's stomach, he couldn't quite tell.

The next arrival was the bewildered Argonian woman that they had seen ushered out while the family got to grips with Ahnasha's return. Fendros decided to be friendly. There was no need to keep things so highly strung any more. "Greetings," Fendros gave a light-hearted smile, "My name is Fendros. Sorry for arriving so suddenly."

"Hello," Rhazii said, sounding somewhat cautious given Fendros' insistence on him being quiet. In reality, Fendros was grateful that Rhazii was being so well behaved.

"If I may say, congratulations on your betrothal and your new shop," Fendros nodded to both Vasiq and Shevari. "What are you planning to trade?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"He was..." Fendros had to breathe to gather himself. The trauma of the event that resulted in Rhazii's scars was difficult at first to find a lie about. No matter what, Fendros knew that he would feel just as much shame about the scars. "When he was a baby, both Ahnasha and myself had to leave him in the care of a maid while we secured a business deal in...Cheydinhal." Fendros was improvising as best as he could, but at least his delivery seemed convincing. "It was only meant to be for one night, but...that one night was when some oil was spilled too close to a fireplace. The entire building went up in flames and we were not able to get Rhazii out until he was badly burned. No one died, thankfully," Fendros shifted uneasily as that last sentence was probably the biggest lie. "We were just thankful that Rhazii lived, after the healers saved him. It was a difficult time for us all." Fendros sighed, "It was a mistake that we shouldn't have made, but it is in the past now. After that, we never left Rhazii alone with someone we didn't know well."

Rhazii glanced up at Fendros numerous times during the explanation. What Fendros was saying did not sound exactly like Rhazii had heard it when he asked his parents before why he had marks on his face. Everything had been confusing ever since he walked up the stairs.

Now that it appeared as though things were calming, Fendros tried to steer the tone of the conversation to lighter matters. "I apologise if we interrupted if you were about to have dinner. I hope we aren't being a...an inconvenience, I suppose." Fendros let out an uneasy laugh. He was simply speaking out of politeness, but the ridiculousness of saying such a thing after presenting a nine-years-presumed-dead member of the family was not lost on him.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros was far less bothered with staying overnight than with Ahnasha's lie in the first place. The rest of the pack knew where they were, and the ship was not scheduled to leave during the night. He gave a pursed smile and nodded. "I imagine you have much to catch up on. I think it's a good idea." Fendros lifted his brow and looked to everyone in the family, "I would like to get to know you all better as well."

If Ahnasha really wanted to flesh out this cover of opening a store, Fendros knew that he would like to be around to hear it and keep it consistent. In the meantime, he contemplated on how thick the walls were in the house so that he might talk with Ahnasha in private later.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As might have been predicted, Fendros was internally disappointed and quite cross. Ahnasha was forging another lie, a problem that would haunt them in the future. He kept his temper in check, given the situation. He restrained himself to sighing through his nose and blinking as he glanced around the floor.

"Dada?" Rhazii mumbled, looking up to Fendros, "What are we going to-?"

"Shh, shh," Fendros tried to hush his son, "Another time, Rhazii."

Fendros wouldn't let Rhazii risk exposing the lies this time, but Ahnasha would definitely be having a talking to after this.