Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ti'drissi and Pudaga sat in confused silence for a while. They gave Meesei and each other questioning looks.

Pudaga began to answer, "This one doesn't know why we-"

"We will not say a word." Ti'drissi's interruption was firm and clear.

There was no protest from Pudaga, but he was still uncertain. "What should we say if someone asks?"

With a small smile, Gallus gave some help. "Well, you'll have to work out the specific details on your own, but it could be that you simply migrated to try and get work. That is, if you wanted to stay in Cyrodiil." Gallus offered a hand, "If you would prefer Elsweyr, you could claim that you were trying to trade with the empire and your ship ran aground. You just have to get creative."

Pudaga looked ahead, overwhelmed. "This one is just a potter, he does not know about ships and trading," he said in a defeated tone.

Ti'drissi looked to Gallus and added, "We will come up with something. You are already being more generous than we could ever wish for. If all that you ask is that we remain silent, no one will know about you from us."

Janius' initial thoughts had been stoic, but as time went on, that began to fade. Kaleeth's question prompted him to give up. "Alright, yes, it is rather cold." Janius lifted Newt back onto Kaleeth's lap, and then took Kaleeth's hand and closed her fingers around the rope he still held. He grinned at Kaleeth, showing just how much his jaw was quivering, and spoke, "I'll see you inside for dinner?" He gave her a kiss, "Be careful. I love you." Janius didn't forget Newt as he ran a hand over his head, "Have fun, son."

With that, Janius made his way back to the hatch that lead below decks just as carefully as before. This time, he was a little stiff from the cold. He would get out of these clothes as soon as he could and try to warm up once under shelter. While he was facing away from Kaleeth, Janius actually looked a little regretful that he couldn't enjoy something with her due to his elemental limits, but at least Newt and Kaleeth could value moments like that together. The back of his mind still had the pang of worry that a large wave would sweep them away, but even he convinced himself that such an event was unlikely eventually.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

No problem.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I know that she can treat the early onset of our condition, but as for diseases in general?" Gallus took on a thoughtful look and peered up at the rafters, "I should think so. Her training as a healer began before she was turned. Although, I think it best that you try after this meeting anyway. Getting either Sabine or Irenya over here will be difficult to impossible in this weather."

The guard did not know how much to interpret of the discussion, so he kept silent. Pudaga and Ti'drissi also sat quietly, but were growing increasingly anxious. "Can you help her?" Pudaga asked.

Gallus nodded after hearing the translation, "We will do our best."

The couple seemed to relax a bit.

"I believe, if all else is in order, that we should confirm secrecy," Gallus said to Meesei carefully. The tone seemed to make the couple tighten up again, but the guard did not translate unless prompted to.

Janius nodded, "I was wondering that myself. The rain and the wind are a combination that makes anyone I know cold." Although Janius' jaw began to shiver, he didn't motion to get up yet, "I'll be fine."

It wasn't long before the soaking wet from the waves and the rain became so unpleasant to Janius that watching the ship rock didn't seem very worth it, but at least Kaleeth was warm. He wanted to stay until she either tied a rope around herself or decided to go back under the decks.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Pudaga seemed unsure about it all, but when Meesei mentioned home, he put up his hands. "Ah, we cannot go back home to Senchal, not now." He looked at the table and put his hand around to hold his other arm, "People who we owe money are there. They know our names and our faces. It is why we were put in the crate in the first place." Pudaga made a sideways glance to Meesei, "But, if you would show us mercy, if you would let us go...we have nothing to give but our gratitude."

"Dear," Ti'drissi spoke up for the first time, "Ask them about F'sresa. She is sick, she needs medicine." She stopped abruptly when the guard began interpreting her words as well.

Gallus spoke to the guards again, "Have healers been tending to the girl?"

"Yes, but...making medicine is not a commonly used skill amongst the healers, and there was none we could find on the ship so far," the guard responded.

With that, Gallus turned to Meesei and Ri'nakhad, "Surely we have someone that can make medicine for a fever? Who are our best alchemists on board?"

Although Janius was still not entirely convinced that Kaleeth was properly respecting the power of the seas in a storm, he decided to let the matter go. "Fine, we'll just hold onto each other, then." He brought his arm around her back and held onto her side, leaning his head on hers. Her body was surprisingly warm here. Janius still gripped his hide sheet in one hand, but with how it flapped in the wind, it wasn't offering much protection from the rain.

After taking a moment to try and just enjoy Kaleeth and Newt's presence, Janius half-smiled and shot some words back, "It is probably similar to why you are so uncomfortable standing out in the snow. Aren't you cold out here?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The guard translated Meesei's words for the couple.

Again, the man and the woman suspected a trick. They looked to one another unsurely, but when the guard offered to help the woman, they eventually made their way to the seats. They did not sit comfortably, cringing from the strangers that surrounded them.

The man spoke in Ta'agra with the same guard interpreting, although Ri'nakhad did not have to listen to the translation. "This one is named Pudaga," the man croaked while gesturing to this chest, "His wife is Ti'drissi, F'sresa is his daughter and Gati is his mother-in-law." Pudaga seemed to gather up enough courage to look at Meesei directly with more questions, "Are you Cyrodilic? Who are you all? And what was that great yellow beast on its hind legs that opened our prison crate?"

Janius closed his eyes and sighed. He was tempted just to let Kaleeth have her way so she wouldn't get annoyed about him being overprotective. He was about to respond when another wave crashed against the side of the ship and sprayed them all with water. Once the water washed away, he answered, "If you fall into the ocean this far out, during a storm, the water will carry you away and you will not reach the ship again. You have already transformed today, you will not be able to shift into a werecrocodile to get back." Janius bowed his head forward and almost gave up, "Just tie the rope, okay? Then I will shut up."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh, yes, hiding them will be an issue." Gallus became a little more concerned, "I can't say I would know how to hide these big ships on that river, but we will consult Colours."

At the end of Gallus' sentence, the door to the cabin opened and let in the loud sound of the rain and wind for a few seconds. Gallus turned his head to see a number of figures shuffling in as fast as they could. Supported by the shoulders of two clan warriors was the man and the woman of the family they had found. They were now dripping wet as well, but since they were found, they had been bathed and clothed in simple shirts and breeches. The woman was allowed to lean on a support as her legs were still unsteady, but the man lightly shoved himself off the guard so he could stand on his own, albeit weakly.

Gallus was the first to speak, asking the guards that brought them in, "Where are the other two?"

"The girl is sleeping. She has a fever," the guard explained, "The older one wanted to watch over her."

The man glanced to each of the three in the captain's cabin. He had a hint of fear in his face, but he looked like he was just trying not to give people excuses to beat him. Flogging scars still peeked out from the top of his back collar.

Janius paused, really quite amazed. That Newt would find this roiling sea entertaining was something Janius didn't expect. Still, no matter what Kaleeth said, Janius still saw this as incredibly dangerous without a safety precaution. Kaleeth was simply reaching and grabbing a rope every now and then. Not only that, but Janius didn't know how they were not freezing cold in this wind.

Thinking himself partly insane, Janius lowered himself to be seated next to them. If he got too cold, he would go back inside, but really, he was there to make sure Kaleeth and Newt were safe. After that, he supposed he could try to enjoy the show like they were. "Kaleeth, I need you to tie this around your waist, just to be safe," Janius shouted more diplomatically, holding out his extra rope.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

G'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

At the mention of customs and docking, Gallus brought the side of his fist up to his mouth. He hadn't even thought about that. "Hmm, so how do these customs people pick ships to check? Will we only be searched if we stay too long? Or is it only if we deal with cargo?" Gallus made a non-committing gesture and a shrug. "If we cannot stop at Leyawiin, we could just anchor further up the Rumare and take them to the shore with a row boat. We could walk them into the city with a small group and not have to deal with the docks at all."

Gallus also gave Ri'nakhad a lingering curious look. He had not expressed an opinion yet.

Janius saw Kaleeth before he heard her. He stood still for a second at the surreal situation. She didn't sound like she was in any danger, but sitting out in the middle of a storm on a rocking ship was hardly the calming experience that she was making it look like. Janius decided to get a rope from the nearest mast to tie it around his waist as he had seen other crew doing, but also uncoiled another rope as he slowly and carefully approached Kaleeth. In this time, he remembered her mentioning enjoying the rain. This was probably the closest thing to a Black Marsh monsoon than anything in Cyrodiil or Elsweyr's dry season.

Once he reached Kaleeth, Janius took a knee beside her. "What are you doing out here!? You need a rope or you'll be swept away by a wave!" Janius shouted, holding out the end of the rope he brought with him. He was barely holding onto his sheet of hide in the wind.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Gallus, dripping wet, held onto a support in the cabin. His sea legs were not the most steady as of yet. When he spoke, he had a tremble to his voice due to the cold, but he was confident as always. "I have had a think about it today. No matter where we put them, they are going to be a liability. Joining us to Orcrest will make them an extra set of mouths to feed, not to mention they are not lycans. If we do drop them off at Leyawiin with a few coins, they might give away our movements, but it would be the humane thing to do. One thing is clear; it is distasteful to simply kill them." Less surely, Gallus continued, "Personally, I would like to drop them off in Cyrodiil somewhere. They can make a better life for themselves if they put in the effort, and if all we ask in return is that they never speak of us to anyone, then I could trust them. We saved their lives, they would know that."

When the rain started to get heavy, Janius shortly sought out Kaleeth and Newt. He had left them to help make tents, but he wanted to make sure that they were below decks. It started as an inconsequential worry, but as he traversed the interior of the deck over and over again, he began to worry more. Eventually, after asking around to no avail, he stepped up and out into the slick top deck to brave the weather. He had since dressed himself, but only held a small hide against the wind. "Kaleeth!?" He shouted into the wind, "Newt!?!" No sooner did Janius take two steps that he stumbled up against a mast. The ship was rocking heavily. He took his time searching for them both so he didn't slip over. "Kaleeth!? Where are you!?!"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The last thing that Gallus wanted to do was impose. He gave Colours a nod and spoke, "I'll leave you to it."

It was true that there was plenty of work do be done, but Gallus did not know where to start. He ended up spending the rest of the day simply offering help wherever it was needed. He only stopped on occasion, when he reported to Meesei or checked up on the navigator.

"Oh," Tzirret said after seeing Bheja shoulder into the crowd, "That works." He seemed dubious as to the need to lift Ma'tanza in the first place, but he supposed that it got S'nishi's attention.

Now at a bit of a loss, Tzirret turned to Qa'habi and Ma'tanza. Something did come up in his mind after a moment, thankfully. It seemed strange to bring it up all of a sudden, but Tzirret wouldn't forgive himself if he forgot. "Er...this one should say. Back in the hold, Ma'tanza...helped this one when he was panicking," Tzirret curled his lips, looked to one side, and scratched at his cheek nervously, "He does not remember saying thank you, so...thank you, Ma'tanza. Tzirret has faced many fears recently, so he thought he could handle that one, but he couldn't." Tzirret took an exasperated breath, "He feels guilty for making trouble."