[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha sat as close to the fire as possible without risking igniting herself, as her fur always took forever to dry. Meesei too sat down by the fire and was about to respond to Janius when they were interrupted by the rather strange scene with Sabine and the sentinel. Meesei had never known Sabine to act in such a way, so it struck her as particularly strange. She seemed to be almost enjoying herself, and was close to expressing it aloud.

"I think she is. Has someone been slipping me moon sugar when I wasn't looking?" Ahnasha commented.

Meesei took a few moments to think on how to respond before saying anything. "I take it you remember these sentinels, Sabine? I'm glad to see it is not bad memories, at least. It is good to see you in a good mood." As she spoke, she poured herself a mug of sujamma from the keg. It was not strong enough to intoxicate her in any reasonable amounts, so there was no danger of her losing her judgement like last time. It would just offer a fresh change of pace from the water she was used to. Glancing up to Ariel, she motioned for her to take a seat, offering for her to join in as well.

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel was initially as surprised as everyone else when Sabine pushed over the skeleton. Memories came back to her as well, however, and her shock turned into a relieved smile. "I think I remember you doing that to the sentinels when you were a child, Sabine." Ariel said, looking at the sentinel's oblivious look, "You drove madam Florence up the wall with that behaviour."

Sabine turned around and made her way to the campfire without making eye contact with anyone. Her face kept twitching into a smile. She sat down as she normally did, with her knees up and her head forward, but she couldn't hide her face.

Upon being offered a seat, Ariel nodded and thanked Meesei. Janius leaned over, poured another mug of Sujamma and passed it around. "Would anyone else like a drink? We've got plenty." Ariel took her mug in both hands and sipped, she didn't drink very often, but at least the company was warm.

"I'll have one, Janius," Fendros put up his hand. He didn't really feel like going down the path of absolute intoxication tonight, as was the direction Lorag and Janius seemed to be heading, but a drink would be nice.

In response, Janius looked about himself rather cluelessly, before slowly getting up again. "Hold on a moment, I'll fetch another mug." He said, walking to search through the utensils again, "Ahnasha, how about you!?" He shouted back, "Oh wait, the child. Never mind." His search was a little louder and clumsier than the last time. The sujamma was stronger than he thought.

After another sip, Ariel faced Ahnasha with an enthusiastic look, having being reminded of the gift she brought. "Ahnasha, did you get my inflammation remedy? I know it's labelled to use on ankles, but it's good for any joints really. You may not be showing now, but later on, the salve will prove useful. I've sold it to a number of pregnant women." Again, Ariel's tone went wide-eyed and fast. Ariel felt she was a little more comfortable with Meesei after getting to know her better, but the rest of the pack were still mostly acquaintances.

Janius carefully walked back to his seat with not only another mug, but the second keg under his arm. After pouring what seemed to be the last of the first keg and passing it around to get to Fendros, Janius braved his thumbs to mallet in the next spigot into the second keg and topped up his own mug. He didn't end up hitting his finger this time. This time.

"So Alpha," Janius waved his finger in the direction of the still standing skeleton, "what do you plan to do with your new friend?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha of course did not accept the sujamma, but she did grab a mug to go get herself some water from the stream leading to the pond. It was annoyingly warm, but at least it was something. Ariel explained how the remedy she had given her would help relieve any of her aches, as she had guessed before. "I suspected that was the case. As it turns out, my lovely mate here is great at giving massages, so I can save the remedy for when I really need it. Though, I don't suppose you could teach your sister the recipe, could you? I could use it as long as we have ingredients, then."

"Well, first..." Meesei began after Janius asked about the skeleton. She glanced over to it and, with a thought and a slight motion of her hand, directed it to stand near the entrance of the chamber. "...I'll put it on watch for the night. I expended too much magical energy scouting the keep to examine it tonight. We might as well make use of it while it is here, after all. Once I am more well-rested, I will get to work examining the energies binding it together. Magical constructs such as those can be tough, but they have weaknesses. Different people create thralls in different ways, so the magicka animating them is often arranged differently. Since all of their sentinels are made within their coven, I am hoping they are all made similarly. If so, I may be able to construct an enchantment that can disrupt the magicka holding them together, allowing us to destroy them quickly and easily. It will make the job of providing a distraction much easier.

"Hmm, so we're going to have a bonewalker as a servant for a few days? I'm going to have to balance my need to crush the abomination's bones under my boot, and my desire to have a mindlessly obedient servant bring me drinks all day. You never make things easy, do you?" Lorag added.

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel glanced to Fendros, then back to Ahnasha. "I see, I see. Y-yes, massaging does help, but like I said, it's more for inflammation." Ariel dipped her head and gestured to Ahnasha's ankles, "After a while, the extra weight may irritate your joints and cause a sharper pain. Normally at the end of a day spent on your feet, walking around, it can affect your ankles, which is very common. That's where the salve comes in." She smiled reassuringly, "But, massaging the salve in may help it to work."

Fendros kept quiet as Ariel explained, occasionally drinking from the mug in his hand. He knew that massages weren't a cure-all for bodily pains, as Ariel had said, but at least now they would be able to make the remedy last until before the symptoms she described began to kick in.

"As for giving a recipe to Sabine," Ariel continued, her look turning a little less sure, "the ingredients are not very common outside of certain climates, so you would have to buy them if you weren't heading to where they grow, and it might be a little pricey. Nevertheless, I will scribe a recipe in case. Would that be alright, sister?" She looked to Sabine. Sabine looked back at Ariel and nodded, no sign of protest in her expression.

On the other side of the campfire, Janius was finally able to take his eyes off the skeleton as it walked further away. "Good, that thing was giving me chills," he said, going back to his drink. Lorag's comment was amusing however. "Now I see why necromancers do it, they'd never have to lift a finger again," Janius said with his half-smile.

"So, Meesei, Ariel, what can we expect from the coven? Is it very fortified?" Fendros was the next to ask, still curious about the happenings of the scouting run.

"It hasn't changed an awful lot since the last time I was there, so we don't have to work on just what we found tonight, but we didn't discuss a plan yet either," Ariel answered looking over to Meesei, "I think I'll let Meesei answer that, she would probably know how to approach it better from a lycan's perspective than I do." She hesitated, brushing some hair away from her face nervously. Ariel wasn't exactly a general when it came to assaulting a fort.

[EliteCommander]

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Ahnasha responded to Ariel. "Truthfully, I don't know too much about what I'm getting into. Meesei knows quite a bit about raising children, but seeing as Argonians lay eggs, she doesn't know too much about what I should expect over the next few months. I only know the basics."

Meesei's plan for assaulting the keep was still forming, but she knew enough to give the basics to the others. "There are still a few details that need to be considered, but essentially, most of us will be providing a distraction while a small group slips in unnoticed to sabotage their operation. It is an old Imperial fort, so it is well fortified. It has strong defenses, but a large portion of them rely on these undead guardians. If I can find a way to disrupt them, then we can eliminate their first line of defense. As far as other weaknesses in their defense goes, one of the towers along the walls has collapsed. The rubble would not normally be scalable, but in lycan form, I believe we could climb it quickly enough to be a feasible option. Also, Ariel has requested that we attempt to not kill the witches. We will comply within reason. If you find yourself in danger and know it is necessary, do not hesitate to kill your attackers, but otherwise, try to preserve their lives. According to Ariel, they have skilled healers, so they can survive serious wounds."

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel wished she could help Ahnasha more. Being pregnant while in a werewolf pack was not exactly the usual way to go about it. "Well, to be honest, so do I. I'm no midwife, or even a mother. I'm just a medicine woman. There are healers in the cities which may be able to help you though. If at least for more knowledge." Ariel looked to one side and tilted her head, "Maybe not Vos, though. I'm afraid the healers in that city are... well let's just say their attitudes to Khajiit are old fashioned."

It was then that Meesei explained the coven layout to the pack. Ariel found it surprising that such a vulnerability was present for Lycans to exploit in the place she had lived for so long. All the same, she was glad that Meesei was honouring her agreement to not kill any witches if possible. As least so far. Fendros wondered how easily the witches would go down without killing them. He had a feeling it would be a difficult task to fight and keep them alive, especially in werewolf form.

"An Imperial keep? You would think a better job would be done keeping those things empty up here." Janius commented, "It seems they get infested everywhere."

After staring into the fire and thinking for a moment, Fendros turned his head to Ahnasha and put a hand on her back. The fur was still damp to touch. "Ahna, before any plans are made, did you want to talk with Meesei about the fight?" Fendros said quietly. Judging by her embarrassment in admitting it to Janius and Lorag, Fendros considered that it may be just as hard to ask Meesei, if not more. Fendros was sure that Meesei would be understanding, however, and wanted to make sure that Ahnasha was safe.

[EliteCommander]

"Oh, I don't think she'll have a problem with that." Ahnasha commented. She turned to Meesei, who seemed curious as to what they were talking about. "I don't think I want to get involved directly in the fight. What you were saying before was true, it's too dangerous for the child. I don't want to just stay out of it entirely, though. I can't just leave you all to go into danger without helping in some way. You said a small group will be sneaking in, right? I could join in there. It would take me out of the fight, while still letting me be useful."

Meesei seemed pleased that Ahnasha was taking her safety more seriously now, though she was still concerned. "You do realize that sneaking in will still be dangerous; perhaps even more-so. If you get caught, we will not easily be able to help you."

Ahnasha nodded. "I know that, but if we do our job right, then we won't have to fight at all. On the distraction team, the plan going right means all sorts of spells, arrows and other dangers flying at you. You know I am excellent with stealth; this is really the best option."

Meesei crossed her arms, glancing down at Ahnasha's stomach. In an ideal situation, she would make Ahnasha stay in safety at all times, but she could not deny that they needed the help. It was not as if they intended to clear the fort, so this raid would not likely be as dangerous as the attack on the hunters, but it still had its challenges. Ahnasha's skill with stealth could not be denied, and honestly, she was probably the best fit for the role. "Well, I know you're going to fight tooth and claw if I tried to make you stay in camp, so I will say yes. Ariel, Ahnasha will join you in infiltrating the fort, while the rest of us provide the distraction. Her stealth capabilities are beyond even my own, so you need not worry about her skills."

[Muttonhawk]

"Of course," Ariel said, "If Meesei can recommend you to move unnoticed, then I see no reason not to."

"Hey Ariel," Janius said surprisingly without so much slur as his balance had implied, "Have you ever played this great word game. 'Tis one that Fendros introduced way back... It's called Questions?" There was an audible reaction of uneasiness that swept through the group, except from Ariel, who didn't really know what Janius was talking about.

Fendros put up his hand at Janius, "I think I'll sit out of this one, Janius. I don't feel getting that poisoned tonight."

"I... no, I don't think I've played such a game before." Ariel responded with a somewhat curious tone, "What does it involve?"

Janius didn't quite take into account this time that there were far fewer people drinking than last time, but it was probably the case that he didn't mind.

[EliteCommander]

"Last time, it involved me getting Ahnasha very drunk." Lorag commented with a chuckle. He wasn't planning on sitting this one out, although he had already been drinking, so his wits wouldn't be quite as sharp this time around. "If I remember right, you're supposed to ask someone else a yes or no question. They don't answer quick enough, or they laugh, and they have to drink. They also drink if they don't ask someone else a question quick enough. Mostly, it's an excuse to drink...like I need one of those."

While the others were discussing their drinking game, Ahnasha leaned over close to Meesei and spoke more quietly. "Meesei, there is something myself and Fendros would like to ask you more, uh, privately. Could we speak alone for a moment?"

With an understanding nod, Meesei motioned for the couple to follow her far enough away from the campfire that they could speak in private. "What is it you wish to ask?" Meesei asked as soon as they had all settled down.

Ahnasha began, albeit rather nervously. "Well, um, it's about us. Fendros and I, that is. We were talking, and there is something that both of us are pretty worried about. You see, with me being Khajiit and him being an Elf, he has about ten times the life expectancy of me. I know I should just want to enjoy the time I have with him, but...I don't just want to leave it at that. I want to find some way to solve this problem.."

Meesei crossed her arms and looked to her with a serious expression. "You're asking about life-extending magic, aren't you? Ahnasha, you are aware that is a potentially dark path to go down, do you not?"

"I know, I know, but...I can't just leave Fendros alone for hundreds of years. There has to be something that we can do." She responded, her tone pleading and desperate.

Meesei stared back for a few moments in silence before finally letting out a sigh. "Yes, it is possible, and it can be done safely, but I do not possess that knowledge. The only ways I know of to extend one's life is to become a vampire, an undead lich, or to pursue necromancy. The first is incompatible with lycanthropy, I highly doubt you would even consider the second, and the last comes with its dangers. Life extension in and of itself is not evil, but the prerequisite knowledge to attain that goal can lead someone to become power hungry. It can lead one to commit atrocities all in the name of gaining power. It does not always happen, it is very possible to resist the urges, but it is a possibility." Meesei warned before turning her attention to Fendros. "What are your thoughts on this matter, Fendros?"

[Muttonhawk]

What Meesei was describing was most of what Fendros was afraid of in this matter. He exhaled, feeling conflicted. He acknowledged that Ahnasha stated she wouldn't fall in blindly to whatever would be involved, but he couldn't completely put his worry to rest. "I don't know much about any of this, about what you mentioned," He said, showing a serious expression in an effort to hide his own fear. His tone became faster and similarly pleading, but for different reasons. "I love Ahnasha,-" He glanced to Ahnasha, "-and I don't want to lose her either." He looked to Meesei again, "But..." he let out a frustrated breath, "...this makes me afraid that I might lose her sooner if we're not careful. At the same time, if she could live longer I would have nothing else to wish for in life." Fendros looked down and his tone became more solemn, "I don't know what to think. I was hoping I would after finding out more about this."

Over by the campfire, Janius let out a low laugh at Lorag's enthusiasm in comparison to everyone else. After Lorag finished explaining the game, Janius spoke up before Ariel could agree to even play. "Remember, a yes or no question. I'll start. Ariel, is your hair blonde?"

Ariel taken off guard, tried to answer. "I- well- of course I'm not-"

"-Drink," Janius interrupted her, smiling.

"But I-"

"-Y'didn't say yes or no," Janius said in a patronising tone, "drink." He pointed his mug in her direction.

"Well, alright," Ariel sighed, before putting her mug to her lips.

"Now it's your turn."

Ariel pursed her lips in thought, before pointing across to Lorag. "Lorag, is... your knee feeling better?"

Ariel had some drinking to do before getting to the level that Lorag and Janius were now, so she had an advantage. How much that would diminish would likely depend on how quickly she could pick up the game.

[EliteCommander]

"Yes." Lorag answered immediately, simultaneously demonstrating the fact by bending his knee. It did not feel as if it was completely healed, but the magic and potions had brought him a long way. "Ariel, have you ever seen anyone as physically impressive as the Orc before you?" He asked with an arrogant grin. His question seemed motivated by pure pride, and that was mostly the case, but deeper down, there was a bit of worry in his words. Being that he was in his thirties, he wasn't as young as he used to be. He still had plenty of years left in his life, of course, but the number of years he had to be in his prime were dwindling. More traditional Orcs would go off to get themselves killed before their bodies started to wither. Lorag had no intention of essentially committing suicide, but the idea of losing his edge as a warrior was not particularly appealing.

Meesei understood Fendros' fears, as she shared many of them. "And I wish I could explain more clearly, but I do not understand the process myself. I know it involves souls, and I know it involves necromantic knowledge, but it would take years of study to begin to understand it. Magic, all magic, is a tool, and like all tools, it is only as good or evil as the wielder. However, some magic lends itself to evil much more easily than others. Necromancy is a powerful, powerful tool. There is a reason that the strongest, most feared mages in history have been necromancers. To adopt necromancy without corrupting one's own mind with a lust for power requires a strong mind and an iron will. Is that something you believe you can handle, Ahnasha?"

Ahnasha lowered her head, then closed her eyes and rubbed her hands down her face. "I...I don't know. Maybe? I just..." Ahnasha sighed, removing her hands from her face and looking to Meesei with a hint of tears in her eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe...maybe there's some other way we don't know about? I don't want to give up on this, but we have time, at least. Either way...there is something else I would like to do. I want to know more about conjuration, about summoning. It seems like it would be useful for someone in my condition, especially in a few months. If I'm ever in danger, I could just summon something and run away, instead of endangering our child. I probably wouldn't do it for every threat, but it would be nice to have that option."

Meesei eyed Ahnasha suspiciously for a moment before answering. "Very well, I can do that. I am by no means an expert in conjuration, but I can teach you basic summoning techniques. I am glad you are thinking about the safety of your child, at least."

[Muttonhawk]

While it sounded like a good idea for Ahnasha to expand her knowledge of conjuration, Fendros felt as if the topic of the necromantic magic had been left unfinished. Fendros didn't know whether he had a strong mind or an iron will either, but he felt strongly enough about it that he wanted to find out more. "Meesei, I would like to find out more about this life-extending magic, at least so we can find out what we're dealing with," He said firmly, "Is there a starting point? A book, or someone we can talk to?"

In an effort to try and get better at the game, Ariel didn't really think about her answer. "No." Her answer was immediately followed by small laugh at Lorag's behaviour.

"Drink," Janius grinned once again.

Ariel hung her head and smiled, before raising her head to Janius and sipping from her mug as asked. "Janius, do you intend to get me very intoxicated tonight?"

"Yes," Janius said with a tone implying that it was obvious, "Ariel, do you drink often?"

"No," Ariel shook her head, now getting into the spirit of the game, "Janius, how is... oh, for-" she stopped and drank again. "Janius... do you like magic?"

"Yes," Janius looked to Lorag now. "Lorag, is your favourite colour blue?" Janius felt like a bit of an amateur for falling back to something so out of place, but at least the game kept going.

[EliteCommander]

"No. Janius, could you possibly believe my favorite color could be anything but green?" Lorag responded immediately, his tone just the same as when Janius replied to Ariel's question.

Meesei's attention was now on Fendros, though she did not respond immediately. She did not like the path her fellow pack members seemed intent to walk, but she could not fault them for wanting to pursue it. Meesei knew well that Ahnasha did not fear death, and that she even anticipated her fate in the Hunting Grounds, but arriving there a few hundred years before Fendros would be difficult for either of them to bear. Meesei wanted to help, and she knew more about the subject than either of them, but that meant she understood its dangers even more clearly. "Those resources do exist, but it would not be easy for us to obtain them. No bookseller would carry such a tome, and those with necromantic knowledge are not often friendly. There exist organizations of mages who certainly have this knowledge, but I do not know of any who would share it with outsiders. The wizard lords of House Telvanni are legendary for their magical knowledge, but again, they are not welcoming to outlanders, even Dunmer outlanders. To find the information you seek, you would have to locate an organization that deals in such 'forbidden' magic. They would certainly have books on the subject, but it is not likely that they would be willing to part with them."

[Muttonhawk]

"Yes!" Janius retorted through a chuckle, drinking as obliged. "Ariel, is Lorag not the most stereotypical Orc you have ever met?"

"Well, yes, a bit."

"Drink!"

Ariel laughed, feeling a tingling of her extremities as the sujamma started to quickly set in. "This game is going to be the death of me..." she said with a grin after she drank again. She passed her mug to Janius to fill up before asking another question. "Lorag, do you enjoy walking around in the nude?"

Fendros looked away, thinking. He understood why such knowledge would be locked away, if not because of the power hungry nature of its curators. "Right," he said, "... well, how dangerous could these organisations be, right?" Fendros thought out loud optimistically, "We have fought our way through the den of a group of hunters trained to kill us. I'm sure we'll find a way around this." Fendros looked to them both again and half shrugged, "Perhaps we could investigate at some point? It won't be easy, but finding such an organisation might give some insight. It might be a glimpse into this area. I would at least like to know how to recognise the dangers. What do you think, Ahna?"

[EliteCommander]

Lorag gave a hardy, obviously intentional laugh just so he could drink. He stood to his feet, careful not to put too much weight on his knee, then pulled on one of the leather bindings on hie loincloth to let it fall to the ground. Given how long he had been a werewolf, he could scarcely even remember what it was like to live with the societal norms of his former culture. Still, he grinned, knowing his actions would throw her off-guard. Normally, he probably wouldn't have decided to mess with her in such a way just to distract her enough that she would have to drink, but his alcohol-influenced mind seemed to think it was a good idea. "Yeah, we're not like those judgmental city dwellers, why wouldn't I? Do you, Ariel?"

Ahnasha lowered her head, obviously conflicted. "I...I don't know. I really, really want this magic. I want to live for hundreds of years with you. I want to avoid the pain of being trapped away from Tamriel without you, just as I know you don't want to live without me. I want to find a solution for this, but...I just don't know.

Meesei was not particularly thrilled with Fendros' suggestion, but again, she could not blame him for wanting it. She just hoped to be able to dissuade him. "Think about what you are asking, Fendros. Our successes are because we approached this situation with thought and care, as well as our skill. Groups that possess this knowledge are usually very dangerous. As I said, necromancy is a powerful tool. There are also many guilds and magical schools scattered across Tamriel, but they usually guard that knowledge from the public, and with good reason. Even if we do find one of these organizations, would you really want to risk both yours and Ahnasha's life over it? Would extended life really be worth the potential to lose that life even sooner? It is possible this witches coven may possess this knowledge, but if it does not, I would not recommend seeking out such dangers."

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's words brought up Fendros' previous reservations. With more justification being behind her words, in that they were based on knowledge more than hunches, Fendros backed down. "You're... you're right, Meesei," he said, disappointed and a little defeated. "I just don't know what else there is..." Suddenly, they were back where they started, facing a problem neither of them knew how to approach. Fendros hung his head and reached out to hold Ahnasha's hand. It was upsetting and frustrating just how little he felt he could do. "Thank you for your counsel, Meesei," he said in a low voice, before letting go of Ahnasha's hand and heading to his bedroll. He had to have a serious think about whether he wanted to find out more about this magic. The dangers were real, but so was the hope. Whether he would be able to go through with it was no simple question to answer. He lay down on one side, awake on his bedroll, hunched and quiet. He was hiding just how uncomfortable he was with it all now, while at the same time trying to think over the noise by the campfire. Even if it was years ahead, to look to Ahnasha's death and the curse that would follow, and with so little control over it all, it was only taking away more of his spirit. He didn't realise at the time that he was worrying more than he was thinking, but it would likely not help him any more with getting to sleep.

"Oh!" Ariel went rather wide eyed at Lorag before looking away. She supposed she had no one to blame but herself for giving Lorag such an excuse to strip down, but it was confronting all the same. She was so distracted that she quickly forgot what the question was. "Um, yes- I mean no- I mean... oh I'll just drink." Ariel took a large swig of her full mug of sujamma and tried to think of a question for Janius, who was laughing heartily. "Janius, do you... do you all do this?" She asked slightly nervously.

"Well, of course!" Janius said proudly, before leaning over and putting his hand on Ariel's shoulder clumsily. "I can take off my clothing as well, if it pleases you."

With cheeks as red as beetroots at the entire situation, Ariel stammered. "N-no, that's- it's quite alright. Lorag, could you please dress yourself? I'm sorry, I'm-I'm not used to it."

[EliteCommander]

Lorag rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine, but only 'cause you asked nicely." He said, picking up his loincloth and tying it back around his waist before taking a seat once more by the fire.

Ahnasha was just as depressed as Fendros seemed to be. She had hoped Meesei would be able to provide some solution to their problem, but had to admit that idea was a bit optimistic. Meesei had never delved into the dark arts and never intended to. Why would she have any sort of in-depth knowledge on necromantic rituals? Still, the fact that their questions had gone unresolved soured her mood even below what it was before. There was still the hope that this witches' coven might hold a tome or something else that was useful, but otherwise, only time would tell if they would be able to find a way to extend her life. Shortly after Fendros left, Ahnasha followed and laid down beside him. Her fur was still a bit moist from their bath before, but she doubted he would mind. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. Despite the fears racing through her mind, she said nothing and instead just tried to focus on Fendros' warmth. Maybe she would never find a way to match Fendros' lifespan. Maybe she would die while Fendros was still young, and he would have to wait hundreds of years to see her again. Or maybe he would cut his own life short. Maybe those things would happen, but at least she was with him now, and that was all that mattered for the moment.

Meesei returned to the campfire to see Ariel quite obviously embarrassed, with Janius leaning over her. She sighed and glanced over to Lorag. "Do I even need to ask?"

"Probably not." Lorag answered, taking a drink from his mug. "Anyway, back to the game. Alpha, can I turn that bonewalker into my personal servant when you're not using it?"

Meesei chuckled as she picked up the mug she left behind and looked it over. "You know, I don't know what the point of me playing is when this drink cannot actually intoxicate me, but...why not? Sure Lorag, you can use it." She said before taking a drink, then looking over to Ariel. "Ariel, are you alright?"

[Muttonhawk]

When Ahnasha embraced Fendros where he lay, he put a hand on one of her arms and scrunched his eyes shut. For the first time in a month, his heart started to ache. His feelings for her became painful to bear, knowing that they would be lost. He was so tired now. So tired. He relaxed his eyes and let himself try to drift off to sleep instead of thinking. There were still plenty of tomorrows with Ahnasha, and it was no use trying to determine anything now.

When Meesei came back to the campfire, Ariel was at first a little too dazed and drunk to fully process her question. "Hmm?" She was still wide eyed when she turned her head to see Meesei, "Oh, I'm fine," She patted her hand on Meesei's leg reassuringly and grinned, before being interrupted by Janius.

"Drink!"

Ariel turned her entire torso around to face Janius, "What? But I didn't think we were still playing with all the other talk!"

Janius angled his head forward with a smile, moving his mug side to side with his wrist, "Drink..."

Angling her own head forward, but in a disapproving manner, Ariel lifted her mug for the umpteenth time. "Ah," her eyes were on Janius now, "Janius, can you drink more than Lorag?"

"Oooooh..." Janius leaned back and squinted. Ariel had opened a can of worms with that question, one that would be fully opened later tonight if they had enough drink left. Janius drank for his hesitation, then quickly answered, "Yes." He was far too intoxicated to regret saying such a thing. "Meesei, did you really ride a troll when you were last drunk?"

[EliteCommander]

Lorag laughed and took a drink the moment Janius answered Ariel's question. He did not say a word, but the look in his eyes showed that his challenge had been accepted, whether he actually intended to make one or not.

Meesei chuckled and, as per the rules of the game, took a drink. She looked down at the liquid inside her mug, her mind going back to that one night over a month ago. "I can honestly say I have no idea. Probably." She then looked over and eyed Lorag with a bit of a grin. "Lorag, do you intend to prove Janius wrong?"

Lorag did not laugh, but smiled as he answered. "Yes." He said, his confident gaze casting over to Janius. "You regret your answer, Janius?"

[Muttonhawk]

Janius tried but failed to suppress his laughter, "We'll see, big boy." He took yet another drink, then looked to Ariel with a cheeky grin, "Ariel, can I get a kiss for good luck from those beautiful lips, before this mighty clash?"

Ariel smiled, but hesitated, looking to the others. One could easily have mistaken her pause for thinking, but her mind was thoroughly clouded by this point. With Janius leaning forward from where he was sitting with one cheek turned to her expectantly, she answered "yes," before she quickly leaned forward and brought her lips to his eye, missing his cheek wildly. Whether it was simply overbalancing or intentional was unknown, but the former was more likely. Janius recoiled slightly at the kiss, laughing and rubbing his now sore eye. Some sujamma was still on her lips and it didn't agree with his eye upon contact.

Ariel sat back down and took a deep breath, recovering from her own bravery. "Lorag, shall we begin the contest?"