Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Like Fendros, Janius had assumed that Ahnasha would be completely open and honest with her family. That, unfortunately, was not the case. Janius gave a sympathetic look to Ahnasha and thought about what to say. After a moment, he surmised that Ahnasha had her reasons and he should respect them.

Janius extended a hand to Ahnasha's shoulder. "I'm sorry it went that way. What did you tell them?"

Not knowing what else to do to comfort his mother, Rhazii let go of Fendros' hand and hugged Ahnasha around the waist.

"Well, we apparently are opening a shop in Bruma now," Fendros said reservedly. He went up against the railing next to Ahnasha and leaned to speak to Janius properly. "Hunting supplies. The reason we're going to Senchal is because we are trying to find moonstone to make bows. We'll be writing them letters as well. There are a number of other details that we'll need to keep consistent as well."

"Hmm." Janius supposed that it could have been worse, but he could imagine Ahnasha's grief. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros didn't have any words of comfort for Ahnasha as they walked back to the ship. He knew that none were really fitting. She was leaving her family again after years apart. He simply put an arm around her and held her close while he kept Rhazii's hand held in the other. Apart from Rhazii pointing out mildly interesting things or asking questions, there were not many words.

When the three found their way back to the ship, they were greeted by Janius standing on the deck near the gangway. The strange silhouette on his head turned out to be Newt sitting on Janius' shoulders. Janius held onto the small Argonian's feet to keep him stable, but let one hand go for a moment to wave.

"Welcome back!" Janius said to them with a smile. Given how long they were gone for, he had assumed the best. The red around Ahnasha's eyes did not deter his assumption yet. "How was the family reunion?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The cloud of unease that manifested from the lies continued to grow during the day for Fendros. There were times where he could ignore it, but it was always there. By the time they had to leave, a part of Fendros was relieved, despite Ahnasha's family being enjoyable company.

As for Rhazii, he continued to hide any notion of lycanthropy, but he mostly became bored by the middle of the day. He wanted to go play. Still, he enjoyed using new words, like 'uncle', 'aunt', 'grandma', and 'grandpa'. He even interchangeably used the Ta'agra equivalents sometimes.

Fendros took the candlestick in both hands as S'nashi handed it to him. He didn't have much need of a candlestick, but the gesture was heartfelt and symbolic. Unfortunately, he had to make an effort not to notice the pain that the silver caused by contacting his skin. As swiftly as he could, he pulled his sleeve slightly and used it to cover his other hand and grasp the candlestick with the fabric as a barrier. "Thank you, S'nashi. It warms my heart to know." Fendros looked to everyone else, "And thank you too, Gwindir, Vasiq. It was a pleasure to finally meet you all." Fendros then leaned towards Vasiq and Gwindir to each shake their hands. He then gave a quick hug to S'nashi.

Rhazii did his rounds as well. He excitedly embraced each of his new family members and addressed them with uncle, grandma, and grandpa, like he had been taught.

"We'll write you a letter as soon as we return to Bruma," Fendros added. Beyond that, he gave space for Ahnasha to say goodbye - properly this time.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fair enough.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rhazii let out a small, tired groan and rubbed his eyes. He had also been woken up by a nightmare during the night, but he was able to get back to sleep quickly after a little comfort from his parents. It was nothing out of the ordinary. This morning, he seemed slightly groggy, keeping a frown as he nodded to his mother's question.

Fendros didn't awaken quite as quickly as Ahnasha, but he was the first to slide out of the bed and onto his feet. At a leisurely pace, he started getting dressed. "Good morning," he said to Ahnasha and Rhazii, "No reason to stay in bed if Shevari is cooking again." Fendros flashed a grin.

That much seemed to motivate Rhazii to sit up and perk up his ears. "Can I have more sweetfish for breakfast?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros took the time to undo his boots and remove anything he didn't want to sleep in while Ahnasha did the same. He returned her hug without any trace of his previous anger. "I love you too, Ahna," he responded.

Fendros was still standing and undressing when Ahnasha asked about the detail of marriage. He chuckled nervously and tried to concentrate on not tripping over his breeches and losing balance, but he managed to reply slowly. "That just...kind of came out. I referred to you as my 'partner' to Gwindir before he knew it was you, then he referred to you as my wife, and then I just went along with it."

The suddenness of the topic and the multitasking that Fendros was attempting caused him to lose balance. Through no intention of his own, he dropped to one knee in front of Ahnasha with a mildly painful sounding thud. Fendros looked up at Ahnasha, dubious about the position he was in, and tried to play it off. "...Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, with your family being religious and all. We've been together so long that marriage just seemed a formality." Fendros looked to one side and continued to talk, "And there's the whole process with the pendant of Mara that the temple hands out, and the rings that would break if we transformed, and I wouldn't even know how a tribunal temple marriage would work, or if there are even marriages in the eyes of Hircine..." Fendros continued as if talking would not escalate the issue at all somehow.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was a moment of pause where Fendros ran his hand through his hair and looked up to a corner of the ceiling. His face was still tense with frustration, the kind where he wanted to burst out and raise his voice. He didn't because he knew he shouldn't. He ended up leaning his elbow on his leg and pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut.

"Alright," Fendros finally opened his eyes and gestured forward with the hand that was on his nose, his tone levelled, "I had a different understanding of how tonight might go. Your family seemed nice, and they were ultimately glad to see you. I'm...disappointed. However, I understand why it has to be this way."

Had Ahnasha's justification for lying been different, Fendros might not have been so understanding, but he could understand traditional values prohibiting difficult truths. His own parent's wouldn't react well either, he had to admit to himself that much.

Despite his anger, Fendros knew that this wasn't all about his feelings. Now that he was somewhat mollified, he looked at Ahnasha and put a hand on her shoulder. His face softened. "Still, I'm glad you were able to learn that your family cared after all. I can't fault your bravery for coming in the first place. How are you feeling about all of this?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"They would really do that?" Fendros lowered his voice to Ahnasha's whisper, but he still sounded distressed, "They wouldn't accept you for who you are?" Fendros looked at the floor and sighed, unhappy that his previous assumptions had been correct. "I don't like this, Ahna. I don't like it at all."

Fendros wanted to trust Ahnasha's knowledge of her parents, but there was still a number of issues swirling around his mind. "What of your brother? Is he just as religious? And what if they decide to travel north to visit for whatever reason? They'll assume the worst after a day of wandering around Bruma with no trace of a 'hunting supplies' shop." Fendros showed his frustration a little more, "And another thing, how are we meant to explain this to Rhazii? He's already confused as it is. This whole thing..." Fendros curled his lips and held out his hands with his fingers curled, keeping back his anger. He lowered his hands and closed his eyes, "...I can't see it lasting."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

G'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros gave his farewells and goodnights to the rest of the family with a smile. Rhazii was just about nodding off in his chair by the time they decided to retire. With another thanks, Fendros took Rhazii's hand and followed Ahnasha into Vasiq's room.

The bed itself would be small for all three of them, but it was no worse than they were used to. Fendros helped Rhazii out of his shoes and over-clothes, laid him down on the bed, and then tucked him in. He was asleep almost instantly. Fendros didn't regard Ahnasha during this time.

Once Rhazii was settled, Fendros sat down carefully next to Ahnasha on the bed. He thought he would be angrier about the situation, but after the hours spent perpetuating it, he was just tired. Still, he wanted to talk about it. He put his hands together and looked to Ahnasha sadly. His tone was more quietly pleading than cross, "We just replaced a lie with another lie, Ahna. Wasn't one of the reasons you came back because you were sick of living a lie? Why didn't you tell them?"