As Fendros disrobed and lowered himself into the bath, he found his eyes wandering again, though not stealthily enough for Ahnasha not to notice. He tilted his head forward and smiled, "I can't help it, sorry, you're too beautiful," he responded, sarcastically putting on a tone a fault as he walked over to kneel down beside where she lay. "Now, where do I start?" He rhetorically asked as he probed her up and down the surface of her body for where her muscles had especially tightened up. Even though she looked relaxed, Fendros could tell that she was obviously very stressed, as certain muscles felt more solid and restricted than normal. It was no surprise with what they had talked about this afternoon. That was to say nothing of the yet unresolved matter of lifespans that she had been thinking about for so long, and probably still had in the back of her mind. All in all, Fendros had forgotten just how honest one's body could be to tell what one was feeling.
He decided to start high, rubbing his thumbs over the base of her neck until the tension started to loosen. "Let me know where the knots are, I'll untie them," Fendros said gently, working his way outwards to the space between her neck and her shoulders.
When Ahnasha and Fendros left the campfire, Janius' own thoughts went to relationships, though his mind was more focussed on the temporary kind. "Hey Lorag," He said after a few moments, leaning back and looking at an inconsequential spot on the ceiling, "What do you think of Ariel? Kind of sweet, isn't she?"
There was a pause for a moment in Sabine's rhythmic grinding that almost caught everyone's attention, but it resumed as quickly.
Once they were through the culvert, Ariel took Meesei's arm rather suddenly and slinked up to the wall of one of the towers, putting her finger up to her mouth and looking into the main courtyard. They remained for a few moments, the sickly grinding of bones accompanied the clomping of boots as two hunched skeletons in helmets and rawhide marched by, not having their glowing eye-sockets in the direction of their hiding spot as they patrolled. Each of them carried a wooden shield and an iron mace.
Now that they had a moment, Ariel checked her surroundings. The place hadn't changed much from the last time she had been there. Apart from the one she was up against, there were five more towers visible from where she was standing that were conjoined by walls, forming a skewed hexagon shape. Some of the walls were partially collapsed, but they all still denied entry. The furthest tower from where they were standing looked like a great meteor had knocked it down. It was a short stump compared to the others, and much of its rubble was still strewn in the central courtyard. On top of each of the towers and walking along the intact walls were sentinels, but no lit torches. The courtyard itself had a few lit torches. The foundations of an old central keep, the floors and a few sections of pillar, were the only remaining evidence of a central building that had once stood there, but now was replaced by plants and a number of strange artifacts and formations that looked important to the rituals of witches.
Once the sentinels were out of earshot, Ariel poked her thumb against the tower they were up against. "This is one of the laboratories, we'll check here first," She whispered with a serious expression. With that, she skirted along the wall, checking for any more sentinels as she went. This tower had a door with no visible light emanating from its base, and a check for life and death yielded nothing else of merit. Carefully, Ariel opened the door. It was pitch black inside, but her night eye potion alleviated that problem. While there were a few ingredients that were used in the gas present in the assembly of glass and ingredients, there was no direct evidence of the gas being made in this room. There were other floors they would need to quickly check though. Ariel raised her palm to Meesei to get her to stay where she was, then pointed to her own eyes and mouthed "Keep watch." She stepped inside, the downward stairway was caved in long ago, but there was additional equipment upstairs that warranted checking. She leaped up the stairs three at a time until she could poke her head over to look at the next floor. Still nothing out of the ordinary, they must have set up in another area. The top floor was the roof, and that had nothing she needed except for a sentinel, so she instead made her way down again to Meesei. "Nothing, let's try the one on the right from here. It's a storeroom tower."
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Dear Mr Curly,
I have done little travelling lately because I have been so dreadfully weary. Can it be true as the old Ecclesiastes said; that all things lead to weariness? Surely not. Perhaps the opposite is true: that all nothings lead to weariness. I have a peculiar feeling, Curly, that I am worn out from something I haven't yet done and the more I don't do it, the more exhausted I become. How strange. Could it be something I haven't realised? Perhaps it's something I haven't said? Something I haven't finished! It must be very large and true whatever it is and a lively struggle in the doing but I look forward to it immensely. I know I need it. First, however, I must curl up in my chair and sleep deeply with the duck. Perhaps I'll dream of this thing and wake up refreshed and do it. My fond wishes to you Mr. Curly, and to all Curly Flat.
Yours sleepily,
Vasco Pyjama
xxx
P.S. Not having breakfast can make you weary. That's for sure!
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Smiling back to Ahnasha, Fendros nodded. "Okay, I think I remember how. You'll have to help me out, maybe my memory will be refreshed if you give me one as well." He grinned with a hint of mischief. The idea of a bath tonight was becoming an attractive prospect now. First, though, he listened to Lorag.
Fendros licked his teeth of the last of the spices, trying to remember. "I knew that the blacksmith was an orc, but I never knew that the coot was your father. He probably would have made my sword then, it was a birthday present from father." It was then that his face became suddenly surprised and fearful as he recalled another detail, "Gharzal gra-Yurnol! Oh I wish I didn't remember her..." Fendros put he fingertips of one hand on his temple, before motioning to Lorag, "No offense intended, but your mother was the scariest woman I know. She retired a only few months before I came to the pack, she had a lot of energy for her age." He sighed through his lips as he recalled what images he had of the old Orc chapter head, "I've never seen a fully armoured man get thrown by the collar further than that she-orc pelted him." Fendros shuddered. After a pause, he wondered how he hadn't seen Lorag amongst the citizenry of Cheydinhal before. To be fair, he didn't go off the winery that often before joining the Fighter's Guild, so he was probably on duty during that time.
Laughing a little, Fendros rose from his seat. "The world seems a lot smaller now. I didn't even know those folks had a child, but you've got their look now that I think about it." Fendros gestured to Lorag's face, seeing some resemblance of his former chapter master, even with Orc features being very foreign. Then he turned around towards the pool and leaned down to place his hand on Ahnasha's shoulder. He leaned down further and gave her a kiss on the side of the head, before squeezing the back of her shoulder gently with his hand as if examining it. "Your shoulders are a bit tense. A massage is very nice in a bath, if you would like one now." He said quietly.
Ariel kneeled down, clearing away some detritus to get to the bed of soil underneath. With her finger she took a few moments to roughly draw the layout of the keep. "The front gate is here," She whispered as she pointed to a spot between two turrets on the drawing, "they normally keep that closed, but there are also sally ports here and here, they are locked and alarmed at this time of night." She gestured to one spot which appeared to be a gap in the wall. "Under here, though is a culvert that runs under the wall. The grate can be disintegrated, it's just made of steel and they don't lay so many runes around because of the water and the rodents. That's our best bet." She brought Meesei's attention to the inside of the wall, "I'm unsure where exactly they would be making the gas, but there are a number of places to look. These five towers," she pointed to five of the six turrets that made up the keep, "are still mostly intact and inhabited, but like most old Imperial forts, there is a considerable space constructed underneath them. The sixth tower is collapsed, but enough of it still stands that it is too tall to climb. The sentinels have regular patrol routes through the keep, so just keep close and I'll make sure we don't run into them."
Ariel then cast another spells in her off hand. A muffle spell, just as Meesei had done, but the casting was completely silent. After that, she took out one of the potions she carried in her pockets and carefully drank its content. After blinking a couple of times, she seemed to take in more details of her surroundings. "Right then, let's make our approach while this night-eye lasts." She said, waving for Meesei to follow as she made her way at an angle to the keep sufficient to avoid being seen by the slouching metal shapes that walked the walls and strode in groups around the forest. They were easy enough to avoid by the time they got to the culvert, which had a small mossy creek leaking out of it. Trying to make as little noise as possible, Ariel checked her surroundings and crawled into the small archway that was the culvert and charged red disintegration magic in both hands. "Can you disintegrate these? Do the other side." Ariel whispered, before grabbing two of the bars and rusting them away with her spell. Even though the bars were yielding, it was a slow process. Ariel had to stop and try to detect any patrols nearby from time to time. They seemed safe so far.
Fendros licked his teeth of the last of the spices, trying to remember. "I knew that the blacksmith was an orc, but I never knew that the coot was your father. He probably would have made my sword then, it was a birthday present from father." It was then that his face became suddenly surprised and fearful as he recalled another detail, "Gharzal gra-Yurnol! Oh I wish I didn't remember her..." Fendros put he fingertips of one hand on his temple, before motioning to Lorag, "No offense intended, but your mother was the scariest woman I know. She retired a only few months before I came to the pack, she had a lot of energy for her age." He sighed through his lips as he recalled what images he had of the old Orc chapter head, "I've never seen a fully armoured man get thrown by the collar further than that she-orc pelted him." Fendros shuddered. After a pause, he wondered how he hadn't seen Lorag amongst the citizenry of Cheydinhal before. To be fair, he didn't go off the winery that often before joining the Fighter's Guild, so he was probably on duty during that time.
Laughing a little, Fendros rose from his seat. "The world seems a lot smaller now. I didn't even know those folks had a child, but you've got their look now that I think about it." Fendros gestured to Lorag's face, seeing some resemblance of his former chapter master, even with Orc features being very foreign. Then he turned around towards the pool and leaned down to place his hand on Ahnasha's shoulder. He leaned down further and gave her a kiss on the side of the head, before squeezing the back of her shoulder gently with his hand as if examining it. "Your shoulders are a bit tense. A massage is very nice in a bath, if you would like one now." He said quietly.
Ariel kneeled down, clearing away some detritus to get to the bed of soil underneath. With her finger she took a few moments to roughly draw the layout of the keep. "The front gate is here," She whispered as she pointed to a spot between two turrets on the drawing, "they normally keep that closed, but there are also sally ports here and here, they are locked and alarmed at this time of night." She gestured to one spot which appeared to be a gap in the wall. "Under here, though is a culvert that runs under the wall. The grate can be disintegrated, it's just made of steel and they don't lay so many runes around because of the water and the rodents. That's our best bet." She brought Meesei's attention to the inside of the wall, "I'm unsure where exactly they would be making the gas, but there are a number of places to look. These five towers," she pointed to five of the six turrets that made up the keep, "are still mostly intact and inhabited, but like most old Imperial forts, there is a considerable space constructed underneath them. The sixth tower is collapsed, but enough of it still stands that it is too tall to climb. The sentinels have regular patrol routes through the keep, so just keep close and I'll make sure we don't run into them."
Ariel then cast another spells in her off hand. A muffle spell, just as Meesei had done, but the casting was completely silent. After that, she took out one of the potions she carried in her pockets and carefully drank its content. After blinking a couple of times, she seemed to take in more details of her surroundings. "Right then, let's make our approach while this night-eye lasts." She said, waving for Meesei to follow as she made her way at an angle to the keep sufficient to avoid being seen by the slouching metal shapes that walked the walls and strode in groups around the forest. They were easy enough to avoid by the time they got to the culvert, which had a small mossy creek leaking out of it. Trying to make as little noise as possible, Ariel checked her surroundings and crawled into the small archway that was the culvert and charged red disintegration magic in both hands. "Can you disintegrate these? Do the other side." Ariel whispered, before grabbing two of the bars and rusting them away with her spell. Even though the bars were yielding, it was a slow process. Ariel had to stop and try to detect any patrols nearby from time to time. They seemed safe so far.
"I see." Ariel nodded and curled her lip, "If it will help, then it sounds like a good idea." While she still didn't have a complete understanding of what the ritual would involve, or what might come out of it, Ariel decided to trust Meesei's judgement. The Hist were generally benevolent, as far as Ariel knew, it wouldn't be as if Sabine would be giving up her soul to a being that would lock it away forever.
They continued to walk until the topic subsided. "Now that you offer to answer questions, might I ask you some things about Lycans?" She started cautiously, "I have a few questions about them. I suppose you could say that I've garnered an interest in them on an academic level." She reassuringly but her hand on Meesei's arm for a moment, "rest assured, I won't be trying to find a cure any time soon, but it is..." She lowered her hand, "... an interesting condition."
Ariel went on to ask Meesei a number of different questions about both the physiology of lycans, as well as their behaviour, any effects on lifecycles of hosts, the way instinct plays a part, the amount of control that could be had over one's beast spirit, lycan society in general, and a plethora of other inquiries. Some of the questions may have regarded areas that Meesei either didn't know about or hadn't even thought about. They sometimes resolved to be inconsequential to most lycans, or were more concerned with a scholarly understanding rather than a practical understanding. While she asked all of these questions, Ariel was attentive to every answer, if they were given.
The questions were cut off as Ariel mentioned that they were getting close to the coven. In the distance, there were a few torch lights that illuminated the walls of and old keep. The area was still a mushroom forest, but it wasn't as heavily vegetated as the hunters' cave. In the air, various smells could be perceived by a werewolf nose. Alchemy, fire, ritual. The darkness that was washing over the area as the sun all but disappeared hid host other things. "Keep your eyes peeled," Ariel mumbled in warning, a detect dead spell brightening in one hand, "The coven has sentinels patrolling this wood in the night, they will be sending them out shortly."
Chuckling, Fendros wrinkled his nose at the smell of Lorag's ointment. At least it was probably helping his knee. Lorag's condition had continued to improve during the day, by the looks of it. Nevertheless, Fendros couldn't help but feel like it was Lorag getting ganged up on now. He decided not to compliment the young complexion of his knee today.
Instead, he finished his final mouthful of dinner and leaned over to Ahnasha to read the bottle over her shoulder. It did seem a bit strange to have a remedy for ankles in particular. "Maybe that's what her customers complain about the most when need something like this." He said, before cocking his head to one side, "I can't say I've seen my mother pregnant, but both of my parents preferred massages for their aches. Helped with the stress, they said."
"Hold on, I thought you had younger siblings," Janius interrupted, "Wouldn't your mother have born them?"
Fendros sat straight again with an amused grin, "If my mother had conceived that many children in such a short time, she would have been the first ever Dunmer to accomplish such a thing." Fendros shook his head and his smile faded, "no, my brother and sister were adopted." He paused for a moment to look into the fire and wonder what his old family were up to. The way his father and mother would react could have gone either way, but his sister and brother had most likely got past the grief by now. He wondered if his brother had changed at all without him around.
Feeling a slight pang of grief again, Fendros decided to turn the subject. "Lorag, Janius, I don't think I remember asking about your old families. If you don't mind?"
"Nah, I was an only child of a fighter's guild guardian and a courtier, not much to say. I don't particularly miss them." Janius said, staring into the fire without much of any sadness in his voice.
They continued to walk until the topic subsided. "Now that you offer to answer questions, might I ask you some things about Lycans?" She started cautiously, "I have a few questions about them. I suppose you could say that I've garnered an interest in them on an academic level." She reassuringly but her hand on Meesei's arm for a moment, "rest assured, I won't be trying to find a cure any time soon, but it is..." She lowered her hand, "... an interesting condition."
Ariel went on to ask Meesei a number of different questions about both the physiology of lycans, as well as their behaviour, any effects on lifecycles of hosts, the way instinct plays a part, the amount of control that could be had over one's beast spirit, lycan society in general, and a plethora of other inquiries. Some of the questions may have regarded areas that Meesei either didn't know about or hadn't even thought about. They sometimes resolved to be inconsequential to most lycans, or were more concerned with a scholarly understanding rather than a practical understanding. While she asked all of these questions, Ariel was attentive to every answer, if they were given.
The questions were cut off as Ariel mentioned that they were getting close to the coven. In the distance, there were a few torch lights that illuminated the walls of and old keep. The area was still a mushroom forest, but it wasn't as heavily vegetated as the hunters' cave. In the air, various smells could be perceived by a werewolf nose. Alchemy, fire, ritual. The darkness that was washing over the area as the sun all but disappeared hid host other things. "Keep your eyes peeled," Ariel mumbled in warning, a detect dead spell brightening in one hand, "The coven has sentinels patrolling this wood in the night, they will be sending them out shortly."
Chuckling, Fendros wrinkled his nose at the smell of Lorag's ointment. At least it was probably helping his knee. Lorag's condition had continued to improve during the day, by the looks of it. Nevertheless, Fendros couldn't help but feel like it was Lorag getting ganged up on now. He decided not to compliment the young complexion of his knee today.
Instead, he finished his final mouthful of dinner and leaned over to Ahnasha to read the bottle over her shoulder. It did seem a bit strange to have a remedy for ankles in particular. "Maybe that's what her customers complain about the most when need something like this." He said, before cocking his head to one side, "I can't say I've seen my mother pregnant, but both of my parents preferred massages for their aches. Helped with the stress, they said."
"Hold on, I thought you had younger siblings," Janius interrupted, "Wouldn't your mother have born them?"
Fendros sat straight again with an amused grin, "If my mother had conceived that many children in such a short time, she would have been the first ever Dunmer to accomplish such a thing." Fendros shook his head and his smile faded, "no, my brother and sister were adopted." He paused for a moment to look into the fire and wonder what his old family were up to. The way his father and mother would react could have gone either way, but his sister and brother had most likely got past the grief by now. He wondered if his brother had changed at all without him around.
Feeling a slight pang of grief again, Fendros decided to turn the subject. "Lorag, Janius, I don't think I remember asking about your old families. If you don't mind?"
"Nah, I was an only child of a fighter's guild guardian and a courtier, not much to say. I don't particularly miss them." Janius said, staring into the fire without much of any sadness in his voice.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," Janius joined with Lorag's sentiment, "if I had a child tied to my front I wouldn't want it in a fight either."
Fendros smiled in support. In a way it was a relief for him as well. Despite the Orc werewolf hunter being slain, he still had niggling worries about Ahnasha's safety, and that of the child.
Now that the sensitive matters were being brought up, it reminded Fendros of their talk on lifespans. It was frustrating that they had missed Meesei, she must have gone out with Ariel before they came back inside.
Satisfied that his dinner had been roasted for long enough, Fendros carefully lifted the spit from the flames of the campfire and began to tuck in. The spices were stronger than he thought they were going to be, but they gave the meat a wonderful flavour, one that broke up the normal monotony of their diets. Between mouthfuls, Fendros spoke to Janius, "so how did the trip to Vos go?"
"Not too shabby," Janius replied with a small shrug, "Ariel is a very charming woman, and very generous."
"What did you and up bringing back?"
Janius went on to explain the various things that Ariel had brought back, the ingredients, the equipment and the potions. "Though the spellcasting potions, I... can't really remember which one is which. Two were for illusion magic, one for destruction, one for... restoration? I can't remember what the last one is for." He held the last one up, Aether supplement wasn't much of a clue as far as labels went. "There was also this..." Janius put down the potion he held and picked up the small jar filled with a white paste, simply labeled Foot Ache Relief. as he turned it, Janius found instructions. "'Apply liberally to the surface of the affected ankles twice a day'" Janius read out loud, "Oh, right, Ariel said this was for you, Ahnasha. I'm not sure why... does pregnancy make your feet hurt?" Janius asked as he handed the jar to Ahnasha.
"Oh yes, that reminds me. Lorag, have you reapplied your special oil yet? I think it's about time." Janius said in a teasing tone, recalling Ariel's gift to him and Lorag's reaction to its smell.
"The Hist..." Ariel pondered for a moment, she had not had dealings with the Hist before. Her experience with deities had been limited to Aedra and Daedra. She knew what they were, though not much else about them. "And you are sure that the Hist will help? I thought they were only patrons to Argonians."
Ariel had a few other questions that hovered to the front of her mind in regards to Lycans, as she had taken an interest in their nature when trying to cure her sister, but for the moment she was more curious about the Hist.
Fendros smiled in support. In a way it was a relief for him as well. Despite the Orc werewolf hunter being slain, he still had niggling worries about Ahnasha's safety, and that of the child.
Now that the sensitive matters were being brought up, it reminded Fendros of their talk on lifespans. It was frustrating that they had missed Meesei, she must have gone out with Ariel before they came back inside.
Satisfied that his dinner had been roasted for long enough, Fendros carefully lifted the spit from the flames of the campfire and began to tuck in. The spices were stronger than he thought they were going to be, but they gave the meat a wonderful flavour, one that broke up the normal monotony of their diets. Between mouthfuls, Fendros spoke to Janius, "so how did the trip to Vos go?"
"Not too shabby," Janius replied with a small shrug, "Ariel is a very charming woman, and very generous."
"What did you and up bringing back?"
Janius went on to explain the various things that Ariel had brought back, the ingredients, the equipment and the potions. "Though the spellcasting potions, I... can't really remember which one is which. Two were for illusion magic, one for destruction, one for... restoration? I can't remember what the last one is for." He held the last one up, Aether supplement wasn't much of a clue as far as labels went. "There was also this..." Janius put down the potion he held and picked up the small jar filled with a white paste, simply labeled Foot Ache Relief. as he turned it, Janius found instructions. "'Apply liberally to the surface of the affected ankles twice a day'" Janius read out loud, "Oh, right, Ariel said this was for you, Ahnasha. I'm not sure why... does pregnancy make your feet hurt?" Janius asked as he handed the jar to Ahnasha.
"Oh yes, that reminds me. Lorag, have you reapplied your special oil yet? I think it's about time." Janius said in a teasing tone, recalling Ariel's gift to him and Lorag's reaction to its smell.
"The Hist..." Ariel pondered for a moment, she had not had dealings with the Hist before. Her experience with deities had been limited to Aedra and Daedra. She knew what they were, though not much else about them. "And you are sure that the Hist will help? I thought they were only patrons to Argonians."
Ariel had a few other questions that hovered to the front of her mind in regards to Lycans, as she had taken an interest in their nature when trying to cure her sister, but for the moment she was more curious about the Hist.
Sorry for the double post, but where did the second half of the cast go in the last week? Apart from the people who quit, or are out for a couple of days, are they all stuck waiting for other people to post? If so, there may need to be a bit of ignore and move on, as much as I hate to admit it. It'd be unfortunate to leave the posting to just four people right now.
Mkay, g'night!
Casting his mind back to the tall Khajiit that had died in the ambush on the rival pack, Fendros tried to imagine one in Legionnaire armour with a war hammer. It was an impressive image, even in his imagination. Lorag's suspicions that his commander might have survived was not hard for Fendros to believe. "Maybe you'll get a nickname at some point, Lorag," Fendros said.
"Teddy..."
Fendros looked over his shoulder, Sabine was still busily grinding bulbs into fibre, giving no indication that she had talked, but Fendros was certain that it was her voice. Fendros quickly exhaled with a grin on his face. He looked at Janius, who seemed similarly amused.
"A big huggable bear..." Janius muttered, looking over to Lorag. He lifted his chin and began to erupt into hearty laughter, "I'm not sure that we could do that to Lorag, Runt dear!" He said through his laughs. At the end of his laughter he waved his finger around, trying to compose himself, "It's a thought, though."
"I don't know..." Fendros added as he laughed along with Janius, "it seems a bit cruel."
Ariel looked at the ground, she was not really sure whether she would ever be fully redeemed.
"Oh Meesei, I know I cannot have Sabine stay. Her place is with your pack." Ariel assured her with a comforting face that hid her own grief, "I will be satisfied knowing that she is being taken care of. That she has found such a loving family is wonderful." Ariel looked ahead again, "Still, it will be sad to say goodbye."
She released a longing sigh, then looked at Meesei again, gesturing with one hand. "However, if you do come by Vos again, do come and visit. You will always be welcome at my shop. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to let go of so much stock as I have already, but this was a special circumstance," she smiled and put her hand on Meesei's shoulder and stopped for a moment. "You are a wise woman Meesei, I've seen that much. I cannot thank you enough, and I cannot think of anyone I would rather have raising my sister."
She let go and continued to walk, the mention of having Sabine's mind 'restored' was an interesting prospect, even if it was mysterious. "I'm curious about what you mean by 'cured', though. Is there a way you mean to treat her mental trauma?"
"Teddy..."
Fendros looked over his shoulder, Sabine was still busily grinding bulbs into fibre, giving no indication that she had talked, but Fendros was certain that it was her voice. Fendros quickly exhaled with a grin on his face. He looked at Janius, who seemed similarly amused.
"A big huggable bear..." Janius muttered, looking over to Lorag. He lifted his chin and began to erupt into hearty laughter, "I'm not sure that we could do that to Lorag, Runt dear!" He said through his laughs. At the end of his laughter he waved his finger around, trying to compose himself, "It's a thought, though."
"I don't know..." Fendros added as he laughed along with Janius, "it seems a bit cruel."
Ariel looked at the ground, she was not really sure whether she would ever be fully redeemed.
"Oh Meesei, I know I cannot have Sabine stay. Her place is with your pack." Ariel assured her with a comforting face that hid her own grief, "I will be satisfied knowing that she is being taken care of. That she has found such a loving family is wonderful." Ariel looked ahead again, "Still, it will be sad to say goodbye."
She released a longing sigh, then looked at Meesei again, gesturing with one hand. "However, if you do come by Vos again, do come and visit. You will always be welcome at my shop. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to let go of so much stock as I have already, but this was a special circumstance," she smiled and put her hand on Meesei's shoulder and stopped for a moment. "You are a wise woman Meesei, I've seen that much. I cannot thank you enough, and I cannot think of anyone I would rather have raising my sister."
She let go and continued to walk, the mention of having Sabine's mind 'restored' was an interesting prospect, even if it was mysterious. "I'm curious about what you mean by 'cured', though. Is there a way you mean to treat her mental trauma?"
There we go, all fixed. Now I have to make dinner. brblol
Oh damn it! I forgot to add an Ariel post. Editing...
Fendros looked at Lorag, glancing to everyone else for a moment. He wasn't quite sure whether he liked his new nickname, but he knew Lorag well enough that he wasn't going to have any control over changing it. "Well I just unstrung it-, oh alright then." He collected his bow, an arrow, and a short plank of wood from nearby. After taking a moment to string his bow, he handed the plank to Janius. Standing between Janius and a fairly open area of the chamber, Fendros nocked his arrow. "Toss it down that way, far as you can." He said to Janius, nodding to the space in front of him. Janius shrugged, then threw the plank overarm, high and far.
As it hurtled through the air, Fendros pulled back his bowstring and tracked it. A short distance past the height of the plank's arc, Fendros released and there was a loud tack as the arrow collided with one face of the plank. The arrow clattered to the ground with the plank. The shot had not pierced the solid wood, but when Fendros walked up to collect them, he held up the plank to reveal a fresh splinter on one of its surfaces. "A bit easier to hit than the ash yams Ahna was throwing, but I should hope I got it right after practicing all afternoon." Fendros said modestly. It felt more like a party trick at this point, but practicing on small moving targets was important. Rarely would his prey be standing still. It was true what Ahnasha said earlier though, doing this under more pressure was not something Fendros was used to at this point.
Janius simply nodded and pulled a sturgeon frown at Fendros' demonstration. Sabine was too distracted to care.
Feeling like he'd swelled his ego enough for one night, Fendros proceeded to put his equipment aside and grab his own meal. He wasn't even aware of the spices the hunters kept until Ahnasha found them. The smell of them over the fire drew him to do the same. "Never thought I'd see you cooking your meat, Ahna," he mentioned when he began to roast his dinner. Still feeling a little raw at being put on the spot by Lorag's nicknaming, even though he didn't have to be ashamed by it, he was made curious about it. "Hey Lorag, did you ever get any nicknames? Either in the pack, or when your were in the legion, or otherwise?" he asked. Almost immediately he prepared himself for a self-indulgent regaling about his time as the 'great hero of Windhelm', or the 'great stud of the medical tent', or other some such 'great' title. He might have an honest answer, though.
On Meesei's promise, Ariel nodded solemnly. It was really the most that Meesei could do in the circumstances, she understood that much.
Ariel had to angle her head upward and think about how Sabine was before she was infected. It had been a number of years, Ariel had almost forgotten herself. As the memories came back to her, Ariel slowly recited them. "Let's see... Sabine was... well she was still shy, but not completely withdrawn. She liked to play with the people she knew and trusted, but always hid behind someone's robe when meeting strangers." Ariel furrowed her brow as she remembered, "I actually remember her talking much more openly than she does now. An innocent child, as you would expect. Loved to make potions, was always interested in what the other witches were making, and we indulged her curiosity most of the time. It was a number of them who collectively raised us, you see." Ariel smiled suddenly, "I remember she had a penchant for tasting whatever ingredients were left out, even into her later childhood. The more dangerous ingredients were always kept hidden and locked away, naturally, so no real harm came from it." Her smile turned into a laugh, "One night she ate too many milk thistle seeds and she ended up glowing in the dark for the rest of the night. She must have liked the taste."
Ariel's smile faded as she was brought back to the present. "So, yes, she was playful and innocent, like most children, but shy."
As it hurtled through the air, Fendros pulled back his bowstring and tracked it. A short distance past the height of the plank's arc, Fendros released and there was a loud tack as the arrow collided with one face of the plank. The arrow clattered to the ground with the plank. The shot had not pierced the solid wood, but when Fendros walked up to collect them, he held up the plank to reveal a fresh splinter on one of its surfaces. "A bit easier to hit than the ash yams Ahna was throwing, but I should hope I got it right after practicing all afternoon." Fendros said modestly. It felt more like a party trick at this point, but practicing on small moving targets was important. Rarely would his prey be standing still. It was true what Ahnasha said earlier though, doing this under more pressure was not something Fendros was used to at this point.
Janius simply nodded and pulled a sturgeon frown at Fendros' demonstration. Sabine was too distracted to care.
Feeling like he'd swelled his ego enough for one night, Fendros proceeded to put his equipment aside and grab his own meal. He wasn't even aware of the spices the hunters kept until Ahnasha found them. The smell of them over the fire drew him to do the same. "Never thought I'd see you cooking your meat, Ahna," he mentioned when he began to roast his dinner. Still feeling a little raw at being put on the spot by Lorag's nicknaming, even though he didn't have to be ashamed by it, he was made curious about it. "Hey Lorag, did you ever get any nicknames? Either in the pack, or when your were in the legion, or otherwise?" he asked. Almost immediately he prepared himself for a self-indulgent regaling about his time as the 'great hero of Windhelm', or the 'great stud of the medical tent', or other some such 'great' title. He might have an honest answer, though.
On Meesei's promise, Ariel nodded solemnly. It was really the most that Meesei could do in the circumstances, she understood that much.
Ariel had to angle her head upward and think about how Sabine was before she was infected. It had been a number of years, Ariel had almost forgotten herself. As the memories came back to her, Ariel slowly recited them. "Let's see... Sabine was... well she was still shy, but not completely withdrawn. She liked to play with the people she knew and trusted, but always hid behind someone's robe when meeting strangers." Ariel furrowed her brow as she remembered, "I actually remember her talking much more openly than she does now. An innocent child, as you would expect. Loved to make potions, was always interested in what the other witches were making, and we indulged her curiosity most of the time. It was a number of them who collectively raised us, you see." Ariel smiled suddenly, "I remember she had a penchant for tasting whatever ingredients were left out, even into her later childhood. The more dangerous ingredients were always kept hidden and locked away, naturally, so no real harm came from it." Her smile turned into a laugh, "One night she ate too many milk thistle seeds and she ended up glowing in the dark for the rest of the night. She must have liked the taste."
Ariel's smile faded as she was brought back to the present. "So, yes, she was playful and innocent, like most children, but shy."
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