Stormhold, Black Marsh
20th of Midyear, 4E 205
Stalks-The-Stars and "S'arah"
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"Come, Lady Khajiit. I would discuss your prescence here further, less I am forced to revoke the right."

The Argonian led the Cat-folk towards a nearby inn, producing several gold coins and purchasing access to a room. No doubt there would be rumours about the strange precautions that the Argonian was undertaking, but the animosity between Argonian and Khajiit would probably dispel any of the more risque rumours.

When the door was closed behind the pair, the Argonian was the first to speak.

"You are not Khajiit. Lord Hircene has taught me the smell and taste of all the prey Tamriel has to offer, and you smell like none of it. Who are you, and what is your purpose here?"

Surprised by the Argonian's sudden inquiry, S'arah knew she was in for one difficult explanation.

"I- This one is only part Khajiit," the tigress lied. Stopping for a brief moment, she searched for the best possible excuse. "S'arah was born under a rare alignment of moons, a difficult concept for outsiders to grasp. Most of my life were spent on ships and islands, hence my unfamiliarity with the land of Tamriel."

Knowing that by dragging the conversation longer, she would eventually run out of fictitious stories. Taking another pulse, she went to counter the lizard. "Do you truly understand the presences of all preys, my lord? I have doubts for Hircine's teachings, the daedra are truly unpredictable ones."

The Argonian smiled as his quarry stuttered. He was right about the scent. "So which is it, were you born part Khajiit, or were you born under a special alignment of moons?" He looked in the tigress' eyes, toothy grin showing off the razor sharp fangs of the lizard-folk. "And as far as I recall: I never questioned your unfamiliarity with Tamriel." The grin turned into a chuckle, mostly at the Tigress' expense.

The chuckle ended when she questioned the teaching of Hircine. His fist clenched at the audacity of the Tigress, but he managed to settle himself quickly enough. "You would do well to not insult the lord of the hunt: lest you make yourself prey." There was a temptation, to be sure, for an aggressive show of force, however he couldn't really afford to explain to his people why their lord was throttling a Cat in the guise of a twelve foot tall bipedal crocodile. "No, I am certain you are not Khajiit, and that intrigues me: because no one else has noticed yet. Why do you attend this summit, strange one?"

Frustrated by the Argonian's inquiry, S'arah was tempted draw her dagger. By the looks of the lizard's armor, she knew that she was under-armed for this fight. From his repeated mentioning of Hircine and his beast-like expressions, the lord of Stormhold gave off auras of werecreatures. But just as like a double edge sword, the perks of being a werecreature cut both ways.

"I am not what a normal Khajiit is. Though I could try to explain, few would understand." S'arah continued. "Just like me, I have no doubt that you, my lord, have secrets as well. No matter what I am, I represent the free people of southern Elsweyr. But what of you? Would your people fare very well knowing their lord is a follower of daedra?"

Satisfied with her response, S'arah decided to end this conversation. "If you will excuse me, the journey had worn out my stamina and a private room should be in order." Looking out the window, she pointed to the gate, where several groups of foreigners now gathered. "I believe you also have businesses to attend to, my lord."

"My people would care little for my Daedric connections. As for worship, you are even more unaware of my people than I suspected."

The urge to cleave the Cat-folk's head off was growing, as she continued her blatant display of unwarranted arrogance. For the second time, she assumed his unintelligent in as small a time as a minute."However, I am sure the other representatives would be unappeased by the news of my affiliation.with the lord of hunters."

He turned to look through the window, over at the few representatives who were making their way through his gate. He would have to deal with them, for sure. He also knew the Altmer representative would arrive soon. A group he and his father had particular interest in: desperate allies made the truest of alliances. "I suppose we should probably part, as you suggest. It is a shame though, if you were some mysterious agent who had infiltrated Southern Eleswyr's hierarchy, I would have enjoyed discussing a...lucrative agreement between the two of us. You would make a fine ruler, if you don't mind me saying."

He turned towards the day, slowly turning the handle so as to give her a time to pull him back. Would she take the bait? Would she stop him leaving?

These Argonians, or at least this individual, demonstrated much more intelligence than the tigress expected. If her mission was her own decision, she would probably have further dialogue with him. However, S'arah wasn't ready to deviate from Abasi-Kil's original orders. The general spoke of no alliances, after all, the lizard might just be bluffing.

"I believe it would be time for us to part ways, for now" S'arah concluded. Maybe, when she acquired more information, they could actually have grounds to negotiate on. But the present time is not the right time, for the next few days should be devoted to observations. "However, we could have further dialogues...in the future."