Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius was reaffirmed by Kaleeth's small gesture. He straightened his head higher. "I'm glad I was able to see-"

"Tell us what happened," Remus' firm voice interrupted. "Tell us where you have been."

It took a moment for Janius to thaw his frozen up lungs. He began slowly. "Those years ago, I set out on a mission with the Fighters Guild to clear a bear den that was threatening the green road to the close north. I went with two other fighters, Tomlyn and Erabeth. We were expecting a mother and cubs at most. When we walked into the den, an abandoned mine, there was a cave-in that trapped us. And there were giant spiders. Many of them. Tomlyn was struck and succumbed to venom. Erabeth panicked and was trapped, killed by a bite before I could cut her out. I survived because of luck and the fire magic I had learned. I had to evade throughout the day, picking off the spiders. When they were all dead, I could not dig myself out, so I waited for rescue. Or do die."

For recounting such a harrowing experience as he was describing, Janius was surprisingly straightforward and clear about it. Aeramina continued to softly sob and Remus continued to frown and stare.

"After one day, when the air was getting unbearably thick, a party of men in dark Imperial legion uniforms dug through the cave-in," Janius continued. "They told me to come with them. They were ahead of a search party being called, or something of that nature." Janius lowered his eyes now that the story had truly fallen into complete fiction. "They were from the Penitus Oculatus. They said they could use me because I would be dead on the Imperial census soon. They started me on training, and then to operations. I...am not at liberty to elaborate on them." He glanced at Kaleeth, reminded. "I met Kaleeth on a mission in Black Marsh. She was unrelated to the particular objectives at the time."

The room was silent again. Remus was still, almost as if he expected more said.

"And why have you returned only now?" Remus asked, slow and droning.

---

"That is most gracious of you." Pircalmo's smile widened. "It will be no easy thing to commit to, especially for someone of your lifespan. But, even a decade or two of support in such a crux as this seems to be will be beneficial for her. I thank you."

Without any awareness of touching sensitivities, Pircalmo turned to pack up the tea set onto its tray and moved on. "As for not knowing, I have lived long enough to appreciate my family's need for professional secrets. It is to protect us, not just the interests of the secret keepers themselves. The important parts are still freely shared: Love, trust, support, and anything else family is for."

The door handle clacked and opened again. Lunise walked in looking just as prim and composed as she had been walking through the college grounds. Even the small smudges on her facial make-up from her tears were seamlessly repaired.

She walked up to them both. "Shall we take our leave, then?"

Pircalmo left the rest of the cleaning up for later. He turned back around and spread his arms. "As you wish, little moonbeam." The two closed in for another hug. "Thank you for visiting. Now go and conquer the world like you always do."

"Love you, father," Lunise whispered.

"I love you too, dear." Pircalmo said.

The pair pulled away. Lunise had a small smile again.

Pircalmo's attention turned fully to Meesei. He extended a hand and bowed. "It was lovely to make your acquaintance, Meesei. Divines be with you in all your future tasks."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sweeeeeet.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius returned Kaleeth's look. His response was as decisive as it needed to be. A single nod and he was walking confidently to the stairs, not slowing for any further doubt.

The footsteps of the whole group made enough noise coming down the creaky stairs to make the nearby sitting room quiet of its voices. When they descended far enough to look in, Janius found himself pushing a stair back at two figures he had not seen in one and a half decades. They had aged as he had aged. While Janius had come to resemble what his father had looked like when he first joined Meesei's pack, his father was a glimpse into his future. Greying, balding, stern. They stared one another down as he walked into the sitting room.

Each was dressed in fashionable clothing. Their outing was likely one of high class, as was to be expected.

Janius hadn't even noticed Remus and Aeramina stand up by the time he stopped walking. They frowned. He frowned. No one else spoke.

"Mother." Janius' eyes skipped over to Aeramina and back. "Father."

Remus' eyes similarly skipped over Janius' more recent family. "Janius," he said tersely in return.

That was the first step out of the way. Remus clearly recognised him.

"Son..." Aeramina's stoic brow contracted. Her knuckle flew up to her lips and she sobbed. "You were away for so long," she squeaked. Her breathing was already made shallow by an uncomfortable looking corset. The shallowness that her sobbing made audible was nothing short of unhealthy. As if glued to the floor, her feet did not move. She barely made a motion to approach Janius and his family.

"I'm sorry," Janius said, clasping his hands behind his back and looking around uncomfortably.

Remus did not speak with a scolding voice yet. Though he was impatient in his next question. "Who is this you have brought?"

Janius turned to whom Remus was referring. "This is Kaleeth-rei," he said quickly. "She is my wife. Of many years now." Janius gestured with one hand to the boys to formally introduce them as well. "You have already met my son, Kaj-Julan, and his good friend Rhazii. I am sorry for any trouble they might have caused."

"You, Khajiit," Remus' rumbling monotone droned. He turned his gaze to Rhazii. He felt it like a pair of invisible fists gently pressing against his chest. "Wait upstairs. This is a family matter." His eyes turned again. "Jatinha, watch him."

Rhazii flicked his head between Remus and Janius. "I...but..." Remus' look had put a fear into him. He was deprived of words.

Janius was more gentle, but still serious. "You should probably wait upstairs, Rhazii. We'll send for you."

Quiet footsteps came up to Rhazii and took him by the arm. Jatinha whispered a beckon to him and he slowly complied. There was nothing else for it. Although, by Jatinha's pace, she was keen to stay out of the matter entirely.

The rest of them stood quietly while the two exited up the stairs.

---

Pircalmo weaved his fingers together in front of himself, gently letting his arms hang. "I am glad it is you, then. Lunise is unlikely to tell you, but perhaps why she makes such a canny justicar is that she is always on the lookout for betrayal. Of course, you could immediately understand how that makes it difficult for her to remain attached to others on a personal level. A simple slight by a friend or loved one, whether intentional or not, can cause her inordinate amounts of stress and doubt. She pushes people away when that happens."

He angled his head and rubbed at his neck. "It was not until a century into Lunise's life that I reflected upon how I contributed to that disposition. I admit that I was a busy man back then. I neither had the patience for her nor the expertise to raise her differently. In addition, she was betrayed at times by those that tried to get close to her. We have made peace and spoken on the matter at great length, though I do not think Lunise's 'scanning for threats' will ever truly stop."

In a mirror of Meesei's apologetic face, Pircalmo frowned and turned the middle of his brow up. "I do not wish to speak for my daughter either, but if you have grown close to her, I ask that you exercise patience if something should go awry between you. She may trust you now, but when that trust is strained, even for a moment, well...please do not let her salt the earth between you. She needs close ones more than she will ever admit. Call it a father's request." He managed a soft smile once more.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Huh, quite a ways out then. Sounds like a new start. What's it like where you've moved, or do you reckon you'll need a while to figure the place out?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

No problem, haha, it's allowed me to have a productive day so far.

Have you moved far? How did it go?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius stood up and bared his teeth, sucking in a breath. "Oh, I know," he responded to Kaleeth, before breathing out. "After all of this planning, I'm perhaps unfairly trying not to think about it at all. Or at least not more than I absolutely have to." His hand took Kaleeth's on his arm and squeezed it appreciatively. He retook a seat to receive his tea like everyone else.

At first, Aurana didn't seem enthusiastic to Julan's request. After a few moments of Jatinha passing cups out, Aurana managed a nod. "I wouldn't mind. Maybe it will take my mind off talking my parents."

The time at which Janius and his family arrived was fortunate, as the gathering was not given long to relax before there were sounds from the front door. Barely half an hour more had been given. Enough for a few stories for Aurana, though there was no mistaking who had come home. Janius' ears prickled at the sound of familiar voices from downstairs.

Harald spoke up. "I shall receive the master and mistress Aetius. Would you prefer to see them here, Janius and Aurana, or would the sitting room suit you better?"

Aurana breathed in and halted. Janius was doing the same. They looked at each other, waiting for one to speak. Aurana gave Janius a small gesture.

"The sitting room, I think, Harald," Janius said. "If we come to them, we can do so on our own terms."

Harald bowed his head. "I shall see that they remain there. I trust you will not leave them waiting too long."

"Of course."

With a turn on his heel, Harald left the bedroom and his footsteps faded away on the wood.

Janius turned his eyes to Aurana. "You ready, sister?"

Aurana exhaled and looked away. "No," she said with enough petulance to be sarcastic.

"Come along. No use putting it off."

A few moments later and the family was treading to the stairs in a reluctantly slow line. Janius was leading the way. He stopped at the top of the stairs. The faint sound of Aeramina's quaint and oblivious voice conversed something too quiet to hear out of sight. Janius breathed in deep. His breath came out slowly as he stared straight ahead. "I am okay," he breathed to pre-empt the concern of those behind him. "My heart is racing, that's all."

---

"You never asked me, Meesei," Pircalmo mentioned. He still held the mischievous smirk. "I saw Artaeum from a distance, granted. They would not let me set foot on it any more than the next man. But, I still remember the day clearly. Lunise was barely three years old, I had to hold her hand. We both travelled with Nytala to see her off at the port closest to the island at the time. But that is another story. The tea yes..."

Pircalmo finished his own cup and placed it down. He then reached a hand over to lift the glossed clay lid from the tea pot. The steam poured upwards and spread a sickly-sweet smell up their noses.

"The reason that it tastes of Khajiit drinks is that it is a Khajiit drink. Well, my own blend, without moon sugar, but based on a Khajiiti-farmed plant." He nodded to Lunise. "It was the only drink that Lunise would take medicine with as a child. Hmph, years of botanical research leaves one with a few tricks up one's sleeve. This was so successful that Lunise had to move to Elsweyr to sate her habit of the stuff."

"I had assignments there, father," Lunise clarified. Her tone was not amused. "Your tea was a reason to come back to visit, if nothing else. I cannot find it in Anequina."

The light conversation rolled on for the rest of the afternoon. Lunise and Pircalmo had several decades to catch up on. Though Pircalmo was often blunt to the point of annoying Lunise and Lunise was much more serious and lacking in humour, they never raised their voices to one another. Whatever differences they had was obviously resolved to peace in another lifetime. Perhaps even before Meesei was born.

Reminiscing ages past was one aspect where Meesei's short lifespan was truly driven home. Even as far as her historical knowledge extended, the way that Pircalmo would describe things to her was unavoidably patronising, even if Pircalmo spoke as such subconsciously. Lunise did rein in his tone, though even the most toneless recount was from first-hand experience that Meesei would never have.

Nevertheless, the afternoon remained pleasant overall. The sun was reflecting bright orange from nearby buildings into the windows and the tea set was long empty and cold by the time their conversation began to run dry. Pircalmo had just finished explaining the article he had mentioned when they had first walked in, followed by a short discussion thereof, and then a half-minute of silence.

"Father," Lunise said, suddenly lowering her voice. She avoided eye contact. "We should be going soon, but...I want to tell you one last thing." Lunise wrung her hands. "I learned something yesterday. I cannot tell you what it is. It should be enough to say that I will be acting upon this knowledge and...it may prove especially dangerous."

Pircalmo leaned forward on his elbow, listening intently.

Lunise swallowed hard and clenched her teeth. Her frown pressed down. "It may also put me afoul of my usual ethics and motives. I would like you to know that if you should hear misgivings about me in the near future, it is because I am trying my hardest to do the right thing and nothing more. And I apologise in advance."

There were no words from Pircalmo. Not immediately. He lowered his eyes, leaned back, and looked to one side. He frowned and gave the words thought. His wandering eyes held uncertainty. In silence, he placed his fingers on the table in front of him and stood up. His chair sang back behind him along the ground. He took a step out. He took a step towards Lunise. He gently laid his hands on her shoulders and drew her head into a hug against his torso.

"I trust you to do the right thing always, my daughter. And I trust you to do what you must." Pircalmo's solemn words caused Lunise's eyes to hold tightly shut.

Meesei could see Lunise beginning to redden around the eyes. Contrary to the pure release of emotion in Meesei's arms, Lunise wept silently against her father. They stayed in their embrace for some time. Pircalmo smiled softly, occasionally returning Meesei's glances. They both were quiet.

Pircalmo eventually let Lunise go. "Come now," he said. "If you have work to do, I shan't fetter you here."

Lunise sniffed deeply and wiped her eyes. "Thank you." She stood up. Unceremoniously, she started for the door. "I will be back in a moment." She had reverted to her usual voice abruptly, albeit with a blocked nose. "I need to use the facilities."

With clasped hands, Pircalmo watched Lunise leave. He turned his smile to Meesei. "I apologise for our rudeness. Family matters are not normally what we share with guests." One of his eyebrows lowered. "Although, Lunise is normally stoic to a fault in front of others. Especially political figures such as yourself." Pircalmo waved one hand up. "Far be it from me to probe such matters, but have you two forged something of an emotional trust?"

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

@BBeast That one works as an uplifting track, I reckon. I'll keep it around and check out other stuff by that artist.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'll move Aurana's scene over to meeting the parents in my next post, I think. It's dragging on a bit.

Also, let me know when you think we've played Lunise's scene far enough. It's not meant to lead up to any real twist, so we can summarise the rest of the hours of conversation. Lunise and Pircalmo will still have plenty to catch up on regarding day to day stuff since they've been apart. I'm not sure if I could come up with everything they would talk about.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Aurana began to knit her brow. Her eyes started to glisten. "Look, I just don't know. I don't know if I can convince them at all. If it doesn't-"

"Aurana, look at me." Janius took a turn for the serious.

She reluctantly obeyed.

"This is your best chance. I need you to take it, even if you're uncertain." Janius stood up, stepped forward, and put a hand on Aurana's shoulder. "I think at this point all of this planning is just making you more scared of it. How about we stop to calm down and wait for mother and father to get home. Remember, we'll be here to support you."

"Okay," Aurana nodded.

With fortunate timing, Jatinha returned with a tray of tea. She laid it on a table and began to serve everyone. She and Rhazii continued to exchange smiles.

Aurana held her tea glumly in both hands. She wasn't getting any worse for now. "I wish you all could stay for longer," she said.

---

Lunise did not return Meesei's look. "It has only been recently that I have considered Meesei a friend. There was no time for social interactions over the past few years, even with all the work we have done."

Meesei's question caused Lunise's eyes to lower once more. "I never saw the island for myself, no," she explained quietly. "All I know was what mother told me. It was a similarly built place to an Altmer city by its architecture, but everything else was different. Buildings clung to precipices without regard to the gravity that would normally collapse them. Floating platforms were commonplace. It was always well lit with magic that had not dimmed in its entire history. There were many places for learning and teaching. Many, many secrets. And all else was about watching the world and the stars. The power that the order has drives many responsibilities that bring its members together. I always know that my mother is helping to keep the world safe." She sipped her tea again. "Even if the island is not present."

"She is still watching," Pircalmo said. "No one know when or if she will be back, but Nytala is still watching."

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

@Double Capybara Cheers, I'll give them a look.