Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth's answer caused Janius to mirror her contemplative demeanour. "I do remember her being very pleasant," he said. "Reasonable, mostly, actually." He reminisced for only a second before refocussing. "Did she help you...make sense of all this?"

---

Rhazii lifted his head halfway up to look at Ahnasha when she backed away. His eyes were puffed out and red and his ears remained horizontally pointed. "What do you mean?" He asked, glancing at the scar. "Did you...hesitate to kill someone?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Janius was not particularly worried about the time Kaleeth took, the wait was unexpected. He resigned himself after eating to try and meet other tribespeople who emerged to eat. Success was varied, mainly because the villagers frequently had to leave and get on with their own tasks. There was not much time to relax for the adults.

Janius contemplated finding some way of making Julan and himself useful, or perhaps at least to take Julan to see Thorantilth if he was available. He did not make a decision before Kaleeth eventually returned.

"Quite alright, yes," Janius replied. "No more bad encounters with anyone. Julan's even making some friends." He gestured a hand to where Julan sat talking with the other teenagers. "I was thinking to ask for something that needs doing. Everyone being busy around me had me thinking I looked rude and lazy." He shrugged and looked directly to Kaleeth. "How are you? How was your talk with the elder?"

---

Rhazii at least followed Ahnasha's instructions to focus on his breathing. He did so with difficulty, but each breath out did ease his tension.

It took Rhazii a while to respond. His head moved in a little nodding motion. "I trust you, mama," he said through a blocked nose. His shoulders relaxed into a slump and he spoke through held-back sobbing. "I feel really bad right now. Really bad."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fair enough. I don't know when it'll be held, so I'll let you summarise up to that point. Janius will want to follow up with Kaleeth regarding Reanaseer, though.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Reactions to Janius and Kaj-Julan's approach was mixed. A few people stepped away though there were enough young and curious tribespeople who engaged with Julan over a meal. Janius' attempts to have Julan socialise on his own turned out easier than he thought -- some rather poisonous toads were on the menu and Janius had to excuse himself to find something he could eat safely.

---

Rhazii sped into a run. His voice broke into a saddened high pitch. "I don't want to talk right now!"

Fortunately for Ahnasha, Rhazii's emotional tilt prevented him from being too hard to pursue. He was clearly weeping while he was running and wiping at his eyes. Even then, he did not get far before he slowed to a stop and lowered himself onto one knee with his hands clutching his lowered head. He bared his teeth with such a tight grit they almost audibly ground together.

He mumbled to himself, almost in whimpers. He made little effort to make himself understandable. The only a few words came through. "Not now...not now...don't want to transform now..."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Whatever the hunters bring in and whatever the gatherers forage, that is what's eaten," Janius answered, putting a hand on his hip. He followed Julan's eyes to the people around them. "Food doesn't tend to keep long in the marsh, so people eat what's put in front of them. But..." He smiled at Julan and switched to Jel. "Go on and ask what there is to eat. Maybe having a chat with some other people will help calm yourself."

---

There was no telling whether Rhazii's distress was escalating because of his age, Ahnasha's choice of reasoning, or just the growing pit in his stomach. The certain detail was Rhazii's temper breaking. He bared his clenched teeth at the body, scrunched his fists, and noticeably held back his fuming voice. "That's not f-...Sorry, I need to go..."

He started in a walk with broad, brisk steps away from Ahnasha before he even finished speaking. He looked to the ground all the way. His fist twitched as he went until he reached the trees and broke into a jog.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius smiled. "It's one thing to transition in and out of Jel with those you know that speak Cyrodilic, son. It's quite another to hold your own against your grandfather you met for the first time in your life when he speaks no Cyrodilic at all."

The change of subject made Janius give Julan a discerning look for a quiet moment. "If you're worried about...revealing anything, I don't think you have to worry." Janius looked around. "This rite, it's not a test of just strength. Strength helps, but I doubt you will break any reasonable expectations unless you do something particularly wild. No, it will be a test of skill. Your opponent may conventionally have an advantage in strength that you will not have to worry about, probably. However, there is one thing they will have; a head start in years of experience. Your natural advantages can only do so much against that."

Janius stopped and half-turned before they reached the cook fires. "You hungry?"

---

Rhazii tried breathing in a few times to answer. He false started over and again, his face creasing with anger. He finally raised his voice. "I don't know, I just feel sick!" He loosely gestured. "The way he panicked and...died..." His mouth hung open, strangled. "I didn't fight here. I killed. I..." His head lowered slowly as his eyes closed. The rims of his eyes glistened. "I want to go home. This was a mistake."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius raised his brow and looked past Julan to think of an answer. Little came to be reassuring given their altercation just a minute beforehand, but Janius was not discouraged. "I do not believe we are unsafe night now," he said, before looking directly to Julan again. "But we need to stay alert. These people are not openly violent but tempers may run high with...well, with everything that has happened."

He placed a hand on Julan's upper back and started in the direction of the cookfires. "Just play things by ear and we'll be fine. Your Jel has been stellar, I must add. You really picked it up fast."

---

Rhazii took a moment to even register Ahnasha's presence, let alone respond. He still could not take his eyes off his kill.

"Mother?" he said between uneasy breaths. "I changed my mind. I want to go back to the inn now." He dismissed his bound sword. "My chest feels tight. My stomach feels like it's trying to swim like a fish."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I think so." Janius gave a reassuring smile. "You go ahead and see the elder. We can take care of ourselves for a little while, right Julan?" He looked to Kaj-Julan. His unspoken hopes that Julan was not feeling too anxious about this whole visit was wearing thin.

---

Rhazii's reaction was automatic. He stepped out of the sword's reach and stepped back in to uncurl his own cut against the side of his opponent's neck. Rhazii felt hot red droplets land on his ear and shoulder after his flourish. When he backed away from the bandit, still in a guarded stance as the man crumpled to the ground, he realised the damage he had done. The life faded from the bandit's wide, glassy eyes like an animal.

Rhazii lowered his bound sword. His quivering hand lifted up to feel at the liquid on his ear and he looked at his fingers to see fresh blood. He was not panicking, but he was having trouble breathing. He stared at the corpse in the growing puddle of blood before him and could not look away. Soft, invisible ropes felt like they were tightening around his chest and his stomach. It felt wrong. Everything smelled wrong.

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

I should probably return from the dead myself...

Maybe one day...

@Scarifar

DO IT!

Here, I'll help...

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

Sup, I am bout ready to get this started. Since posts are kinda on the slow side, I'd like to ask permission to post double, triple, quadruple posts. Is that alright? Of course, I'll wait a couple days between each post just in case.

Also excuse me if my writing is whacky, I'm taking the rust off and trying out my new wheels (my new laptop). Hopefully by getting back into my beloved Divinus I'll rekindle my creative fire back to its height.

@Frettzo

Pretty sure most of us are either busy or stuck in collab hell, so go ahead.

Good to have you back! I have something to read on the bus this morning, yay!