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

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha shook her head. "Not really. I never questioned the legitimacy of him being my father. No, I was too preoccupied being upset with my parents over other things. I was the only Khajiit I knew of without a Khajiit father, so I suppose if I would have been thinking about it too much, I might have come to that conclusion. I really wouldn't have known if it was actually possible. Of course, now I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is." Ahnasha said, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a yawn.

---

Rukeewei smiled. "I'm glad to help. It's fortunate you came here during my shift instead of my brother's. He probably would have been too shy to talk to you about anything except business. That's probably why his wife sent you to me, instead of him. At any rate, do you have any specific questions about the city, or should I just start with the overview? I can tell you who to talk to...and who to avoid. There are a few of those."

Meesei gave a chuckle. "Well, first he put out the fires. That took precedence over pretty much anything else at first. Then, he turned all of my lessons for the next week into safety lessons. He was not a vindictive man, so his response to any accidents I had was always to teach me how not to make the same mistakes again. Given how well-respected and important he was, no one ever questioned him. I could tell some people were upset with me, but they never said anything."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros wasn't sure whether Ahnasha's case felt helpful to him. He certainly didn't want to upset the child in other ways to distract it from whether Fendros was its father. He slid down until only his upper back and head was leaning against the wall and put his arm around Ahnasha's head so his hand was on her shoulder. He gave her a meek smile and looked across at the wall. There wasn't really anything else he could think to say, but he still felt worried. For now he just took comfort in being close to Ahnasha. They both wanted to enjoy the festival later, so he would let her rest if she wanted to.

---

"Hmm, where to start?" Ariel looked about as if she was trying to find something, but settled quickly. "There are plenty of questions I have, but let's start with the overview and go from there."

"Haha, your father must have been far more patient than mine." Janius said, "I remember the worst I did was mildly scorch the furniture. And then being lectured for a solid three hours about 'how reckless can you be?' this and 'what would people think if my son' that." Janius made a mock deep voice in impersonation of his father, but grinned widely afterward, "Little did he know of dear Carol under the bedsheets. She had to be a stealthy as a mouse until my father stormed out of the room. He would have had a few more hours of yelling yet if he'd spotted her." Janius chucked again, hiding his own resentment of his father, "Of course, that was before he gave up trying to shout about every unsavoury activity I may or may not have committed. Anyway..." Janius took another sip, then squinted his eyes questioningly at Meesei, "So your father never sat you down and told you off? Never made you feel small and guilty?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha yawned once more, then turned on her side, put her arm around his waist, and rested her head against his chest. Laying down for a few minutes had made her realize how tired she was, so she reasoned that a nap would probably be a good idea. "I think...a bit of sleep would do me some good. I look forward to after this pregnancy when my body is back to normal, but until then, I think I might have to start taking a few extra naps during the day." She said, breathing out a deep breath and relaxing in Fendros presence. She was silent for a few moments before adding one last thing. "You better not make any cat jokes out of it."

---

Meesei wasn't at all surprised with Janius' story. He had shared enough similar ones that she had come to expect the kinds of exploits he had back in the Imperial City. She had not shared any of her...similar stories, though she seemed to have far fewer than he did. Most of the embarrassing things that happened to her were far more innocent. Mostly. "Remember, my father was the Treeminder of the village, trained from hatching not only to be a powerful mage, but to be wise as well. But...I didn't say he never yelled at me, never became angry. He did not punish me for accidents, but if I willfully did something wrong, then he made it abundantly clear. His punishments were always different, creative, and certainly...undesirable. There were a few times where I did something wrong without his knowledge, but the fear of him finding out punished me just as badly as if he would have known about it."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros let out a small laugh, "Not a word." He said, closing his eyes. He wasn't so tired that he felt like sleeping, but he thought he might as well relax.

---

While he listened, Janius raised his mug to take another sip and noticed himself overbalance a fraction. Even with the tiny sips he was taking, he needed to slow down. Instead of taking another sip, he carefully put the drink down again. It was intimidating how fast it was acting.

In Janius' opinion, Meesei's father seemed like a better person than his father. Even if his disciplinary methods sounded somewhat scary, at least they were effective. Janius wondered whether he would be a different person if his father had been more like that.

Janius nodded and turned to Lorag and Runt. "What about you two? Did your guardians only like to yell, or were they more like Meesei's?" Janius directed the question to both Lorag and Sabine in an effort to see if Sabine felt like talking after her sociable display a few days prior. A short moment of eye contact seemed to be Sabine's only apparent response, though.

[EliteCommander]

Lorag had a sort of glaze over his eyes and seemed to be having a hard time concentrating. but he heard Janius' question. "Well, uh, my father was a former soldier...and a blacksmith. My mother...was the toughest woman to ever lead the Cheydinhal...the Cheydinhal fighter's guild. I'll give ya two...or three guess on how I got raised. Basic training in the Legion was like...something really easy. My commander made up for that, though. He'd have gotten along with my parents."

Looking down at his mug, Lorag stared at the small amount of alcohol remaining. It was amazingly strong, to the point that even he recognized its potency. He loved it, but...it's effects were not like anything he had before. After an awkward amount of time staring at his mug, he pushed it aside. "I think...I think I'm done drinking."

Meesei's eyes widened in genuine disbelief. She glanced over to Janius, then back to Lorag. "What?"

[Muttonhawk]

A chortle sounded from Janius as Lorag tried to articulate his words. He had never seen him get drunk so quickly. Seeing him actively rejecting his drink was even more ridiculous. He would never do that under normal circumstances. Janius leaned over to see into his mug, not empty, but he had got through far more than he had. Had he finally met his match? Janius became concerned all of a sudden. He leaned down to get a better look at Lorag, "Are you alright, Lorag? There wasn't something else in that drink, was there?" Janius' concern was sincere in his voice, he knew that if something had gotten past Lorag's pride, it was worth worrying about.

Even Sabine was looking at Lorag curiously. She knew that this was unlike him.

[EliteCommander]

Lorag held up his hand and tried to give a reassuring look. "It's just...strong, alright. Don't...don't drink it all. I'm serious." He said. Coming from Lorag, that was not a warning to be taken lightly.

Over the course of a few hours, Rukeewei gave all the important information he could think of about the city. He explained all about local factions and groups, such as the Meetraxil-Ei-Mnett, which sort of served like the local equivalent of a mage's guild. He explained some of the laws and customs that most outsiders were unaware of, as well as how the local branch of the An-Xileel ran the city. Additionally, he gave recommendations of local shopkeepers and other people that she might be able to get along with, as well as elements of the city she should avoid. In particular, he warned her of which people he knew of that were likely involved in criminal organizations. Once he was finished with everything he could think of, he continued to answer her questions.

After a few hours, Rukeewei had pretty much exhausted all of Ariel's questions, and his attention turned to someone new who entered the inn. He was a pink scaled Argonian male with orange feathers and no horns, apart from a few along his jaw on each side. "Ah, there's my brother. He's going to take over for me now, so I think I'm going to head over to the festival. You should go and see it for yourself if you get a chance." Rukeewei said before bidding her farewell and allowing his brother to take his place behind the bar. He had the same friendly demeanor, but as Rukeewei had explained during his overview of the city, his brother would not be too keen on conversation unless Rukeewei directly introduced them himself. Even then, he was rather shy.

Meesei looked over to the stairway leading up to their rooms, wondering if enough time had passed that she should wake Ahnasha to go get her dress. It had been a few hours, so the alterations should have been finished. She had finished off both Janius and Lorag's drinks when they decided they had enough, but she was still quite sober. After what happened last time she drank, she had no intention of overdoing it.

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel listened attentively and soaked up every work Rukeewei had to say. As questions came up, she would ask and receive answers, and after a while she definitely felt as though she had a much better understanding of Thorn. Before she knew it, hours had passed and Rukeewei's brightly coloured brother entered. Ariel smiled and greeted him, but he only gave a smile and a nod in return. Ariel responded one last time to Rukeewei before he left for the festival, "I'll do that, maybe I'll see you there. Thank you again! Farewell!"

Noting Rukeewei's mention of his brother's somewhat antisocial habits, Ariel turned around and walked over to the pack where they were seated. They had passed the time with idle conversation from what Ariel heard. Funnily enough, even though two empty mugs were next to Meesei, Lorag seemed to be the one with a dark-green haze to his cheeks and a sway in his movements. "I think luck has favoured me in finding that barman. He's told me a great deal." Ariel said, before holding one hand in the other and looking over the pack's faces, "Anyway, Neercana-Rei should be done with the alterations if we're ready to shift. Should we collect Ahnasha and Fendros?"

Janius began rising from his seat almost immediately. "Yeah, sure, I'll knock on their door." He said, proceeding to the stairs before Meesei could volunteer herself. He had a thought while they were waiting that if Meesei didn't understand the concepts of a changing room, then she was liable to walk in on the couple during an intimate moment. While he thought it might make for a good laugh, he decided to do his friends a favour this time. Once Janius had found Fendros and Ahnasha's room, he rapped on the surface of their door and announced, "Hey, time to wake up you two! The alterations are done."

Despite Janius' suspicions, Fendros and Ahnasha were merely sleeping, just as they had mentioned. Fendros opened his eyes and took in a slow breath through his nose before bringing one hand up to rub his eyes. The nap had made him groggier than he was before, but he didn't doubt that he would be able to shake it off in the fresh air. He looked down and saw Ahnasha with her arm around him. She looked like she could continue sleeping until the next morning, but Fendros stroked her cheek with his thumb to wake her. "Ahna, I think it's time to go," he said softly.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha woke up with a heavy yawn, and only just managed to hear what Fendros said. She was still obviously tired, but hopefully after she woke up a bit more, she would feel better. She slowly sat up on the bed and ran her hands down her face, giving another yawn. "Alright, let me get into that dress." Once she got up, got dressed, and started to move around, she started to feel more alert, so she headed downstairs with Fendros to join the others.

After they all met up in the inn's main room, the group left the inn and returned to the Loom and Lapis. When they entered the store, they saw that Neercana-Rei was currently dealing with an Altmer couple who seemed to be browsing jewelry, so they found an empty spot in the store in which to wait while she saw to the needs of her customers. For a moment, Ahnasha worried that she had been too busy with customers to finish the alterations on her dress, but after the two Altmer made their purchase, she returned behind her counter and motioned for Ahnasha to approach.

Neercana-Rei checked her logbook a moment, then looked back up to Ahnasha. "Welcome back, Ahnasha. I finished the alterations on your dress, and you're all paid up, so let me get it for you, and you'll be good to go." Neer said before walking over to a shelf on her side of the counter and retrieving the dress. "Here you go." Neer said, handing her the neatly folded garment. "Have a pleasant day, and thank you for your business."

Ahnasha thanked Neer, then used the changing room to change out of her old dress and into the new. She emerged with the old dress draped over her arm, wishing she could just be rid of the thing. Unfortunately, with how worn it was, it likely wouldn't even be useful for materials. "I need to drop this old dress off by the inn, but I'll meet you at the festival." She said as she approached the others.

[Muttonhawk]

Despite looking drowsy at first, both Fendros and Ahnasha perked up by the time they walked to pick up the dress from Neercana-Rei. The day hadn't gotten any cooler, but it never seemed to out here. Fendros was just glad that he wasn't in Lorag's position, having to walk around in armour all day. He must have been gushing sweat like a walking spring, especially after drinking as much as was apparent in his unsteady walk. As least the ocean brought through the occasional breeze as they walked the streets.

Their business at the Loom and Lapis was slightly delayed by other customers, but it was brief enough. Ahnasha got her dress and looked far more comfortable in it than her previous apparel. Complete with a fitting tail hole, it didn't look as comical from behind anymore.

Before they left, Ariel approached the counter and addressed Neercana-Rei. "Speaks-With-Thread, or, Neercana-Rei, whichever you prefer." Ariel stumbled with her words, but collected herself as quickly, "I spoke with Rukeewei again, he agreed to help me. We also had a discussion about the city. He has been very helpful." Ariel smiled, "Thank you for recommending that I talk with him, you'll get your part of the bargain, I promise." Ariel's smile turned into a wide-eyed curiosity and she pointed her thumb to one side, "Are you going to the festival at some point? We were going to head there shortly."

[EliteCommander]

Neercana-Rei shook her head. "No, I have been to the festival many times before, and I need to keep my shop open. I always receive an increase in business when the festival is on. I hope you enjoy yourself, though. I remember I loved it the first time I experienced it as a hatchling."

With Ahnasha finally ready and at least a few of them eager to see the festival, the group bid Neercana-Rei farewell and left in the direction of the district where the festival was primarily being held. Ahnasha broke off from the rest of the group to return her old dress to her room, while the rest continued on. Once again, the streets became more crowded as they neared the festival. The music and pleasurable scents in the air grew stronger, and the decorations lining the street became more elaborate. This time, when they entered the large, open square where the crowd was congregating, they got a much better look at the events that were taking place. In the very center of the square were the musicians playing Argonian styled music, surrounded by finely dressed and beautiful dancers of several races. Similar to an outdoor market, there were stalls in another part of the square selling all sorts of goods, both local and exotic. Other parts of the square held shows, such as the troupe of Khajiit acrobats they saw earlier, and an Altmer demonstrating his magical prowess. Others had set up stalls with various games they had designed in which those attending the festival could actually participate. Overall, there was a lot to do, and they could begin anywhere, if they wanted to remain in a single group at all. After all, what appealed to one of them might not appeal to the rest.

[Muttonhawk]

The festival venue of the square proved to be a beating heart of life and activity. Everywhere in sight there were things to see and do. The experience would have been overwhelming to their senses if it weren't for the gradual progress towards it.

Janius found himself smiling at the atmosphere. He was brought back to festivals in Bravil. Even a town that shady and run down similarly held wonderful festivals, even if here the weather, the populace, and indeed the style was different. He found himself drawn to the music firstly. Fendros followed along after standing indecisively for a moment. With his personality the way it was, one could assume that Janius had joined the spectators to ogle the dancers, but by the way he was smiling and clapping along with everyone else, it seemed he was genuinely enjoying the music as well. Fendros didn't get quite as involved as Janius seemed to be, but he was enjoying the song and dance as well. He kept glancing in the direction of the street they entered to keep an eye out for Ahnasha while he watched and listened. It was somewhat difficult to see through the crowd, but he wanted to enjoy festival with her.

As if she hadn't noticed Fendros and Janius go off on their own, Ariel was still smiling and standing on her toes trying to get a look at everything. It was such a beautiful event. She wanted to see everything if she could. On the other hand, Sabine seemed to be slightly overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise. She kept close to Ariel and just stood quietly. "There's so much to see! Where should we go first, Meesei?" Ariel asked excitedly.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha returned her old dress to her room, then rushed to return to the festival as soon as possible. She had only been to any sort of celebration like this once in her life, as a child, so it was something she was curious to see. The crowd was just as thick as she remembered the first time they passed by, and considering that she wasn't the tallest of people, she had a hard time seeing around the square. She could faintly detect the scents of her pack members, but with how crowded the square was and how many other scents filled the air, they were drowned out by them all and nearly impossible to track. As such, she stood near the entrance to the square, trying to look through gaps in the crowd for someone she recognized. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to wander around aimlessly to find the others.

Much like Ariel, Meesei truly did not know what to do. She had been told of celebrations like this, but had not actually seen one herself. Right now, this city seemed more foreign to her than any she had been in outside of Black Marsh. Lorag was following along, but considering that he was having to put forth effort to even remain standing, he didn't want to do anything that required him to actually...do anything. Just looking at the sights would have to be good enough for him. Lorag glanced over to the part of the square where all the merchants were selling things and cocked his head to the side, staring at them for a few awkwardly silent moments. He wondered if they had anything that would help him stand...better.

"I'm not entirely certain. I am not accustomed to public gathering like this. The music does sound familiar to me, but everything else is new. What would you be interested in seeing first?" Meesei asked.

Rukeewei was browsing the merchants' stalls with a look of genuine confusion on his face. He was looking for something, but the problem was that he did not know exactly what it was he was looking for.

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel sighed and hummed as she continued to look about. She felt rather indecisive in that moment. She searched around and found Lorag's face looking over at the merchants with what she thought was a puzzled expression. "Why not try the market first?" Ariel suggested, before moving in that direction. Sabine's eyes darted between Ariel's and Meesei's, but she followed along. The thicker crowds there were a place she didn't want to get lost in.

The merchants were mixed and varied in appearance and wares. While there was an organisation to each of the stalls' layout, there didn't seem to be a grouping according to what they sold. And everything was on sale. To Ariel's left, an Argonian man was hawking jewellery, to her right, an wizened imperial craftsman was selling clay wares, including dainty marionette puppets. Looking around further, she could see potions, tools, weapons and armour, snacks, soul gems, clothing, and more. And that was just what she could see immediately around her. She was so fascinated that she didn't look where she was going and bumped into the shoulder of someone passing by. She looked up to apologise and saw that it was Rukeewei of all people. "Rukeewei! Hello there! I didn't expect to run into you so soon!" Ariel said over the chatter of the crowds. She smiled at him, but he had an uncertain look. "Is something wrong?" Ariel asked.

The song being played in the centre of the square ended on a crescendo. The crowd clapped and cheered, but Fendros still looked over at the street they entered, his face slightly concerned. He considered going to look for Ahnasha in the festival for a moment, but was interrupted by Janius. "Hey, what's the matter? Looking for Ahnasha?" He said, clearly in a cheerier mood than he was.

"Yeah, she said... wait, I think I see her now," Fendros smiled as he spotted a familiar dress in the direction of the square's entrance. He only caught a glimpse, but it was looked like Ahnasha. When the Khajiit woman turned her face for a moment, Fendros' smile faded. "Wait, nevermind. I think I'll go look for her."

Janius nodded, "Of course. I think people are partnering up to dance for the next song, I'm going to stick around."

"Very well," Fendros said, before beginning to weave his way through the crowds again. He tried to make his way to the square's entrance first to see if she was just coming up the road.

While he walked, he swore he heard an older looking Argonian hiss at him angrily. He was taken aback by the gesture, but the man disappeared into the crowds just as quickly. Maybe there were still a few open wounds in this culture after all.

Fendros neared the entering street and looked over the heads of the crowd. He eventually spotted Ahnasha trying to do the same thing. "Ahna!" He called out, waving one hand. It was nice to see her even if they were only separated for a short while. He made his way up to her with a grin. "There are troupes, shows, games, merchants, food, and I think Janius is dancing. I don't know where the others have gotten to though." He put his arm around hers, and gestured to square with his other hand, "Shall we?"

[EliteCommander]

Rukeewei initially seemed as surprised as Ariel, though it was the pleasant sort of surprise. Once he recognized who she was, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, glancing back to the market stalls. "Oh, yes, good to see you. I was just thinking, trying to figure something out. You see, Neercana-Rei's hatching day is coming up soon enough and I was trying to think of a gift for her. I forgot it last time and...I don't want to do that again. She is not an easy person to find a gift for. She has all the finest clothes, all the best jewelry. She has everything I can think of that she would need for her other hobbies. I cannot seem to think of anything."

Ahnasha put her arm around Fendros as well and smiled. Based on everything he listed, it seemed like they would have plenty to do. Not that she actually knew what she wanted to do first. She walked alongside Fendros, looking around the square as she did. "Alright, we just need to figure out what to do first. I cant really say I know how to dance, but-" Ahnasha began, but she cut herself off when she saw someone pointing at her out of the corner of her eye. When she turned her head to focus on the stranger, she saw that he was a Bosmer male with his own booth in the festival.

"Ah, yes, you there, Khajiit! You will make a fine competitor in this challenge. Perhaps you can alleviate the crowd's fears of challenging me. My challenge is tough, but fair, and oh so very rewarding." The Bosmer said, directing his last statement more towards the crowd than her. Ahnasha looked at Fendros and shrugged, not really sure she wanted to get involved in some game. The Bosmer, however, did not give her time to respond before approaching her, drawing the crowd's attention to both of them. "It is said that the Khajiit are skilled archers. Not as skilled as we Bosmer, of course, but still, a worthy competitor. And do win a prize challenging me, you need not even beat me. Tell me, my lady, have you ever used a bow before?"

Ahnasha crossed her arms. By this point, she was annoyed. She was not particularly fond of this Bosmer, and mostly, she just wanted to be rid of him. "I might have...once or twice." Ahnasha answered. Really, she just wanted to walk away.

"Ah, some experience then. My challenge has something for all skill levels. Depending on how you perform, you could win prizes from one of the two tables behind me. Or, if you manage to beat me, you win the very valuable gold necklace in the locked display case. Normally, the cost is ten gold to compete, but for you, my lady, I will allow you one round to compete completely for free."

Ahnasha looked at the tables, both of which were covered in trinkets. Knowing how these games usually worked, they were probably worthless, though the necklace looked real enough. He had an archery range set up in the corner of the square, with the targets against the wall of one of the buildings and a few distance markers on the ground in front of them. No matter what kind of challenge it was, Ahnasha was confident she could win, but from first impressions, she did not like the Bosmer, and did not want to give him business. The only reason he was letting her try for free was to get some of the crowd to give it a shot as well.

Before Ahnasha could answer, the Bosmer spoke up once more. "From the shape of your stomach, I see you are an expecting mother. You have my congratulations, and of course, give my congratulations to the father as well." He said, not even considering in his mind the possibility that the father was Fendros next to her. "I understand, though, that being with child can weaken a woman's body. If you do not have the strength to compete at the moment, I understand."

Now, Ahnasha was actually angry. She didn't care if it gave him business, she just wanted to embarrass the smug Bosmer. She glanced to Fendros, then back to him. "Oh no, I'll take that challenge." She answered. He really did not know what he was getting into.

[Muttonhawk]

"Oh, I see," Ariel replied to Rukeewei. Ariel wanted to help, but she wasn't so confident in making a suggestion at first. It was clear that she didn't know Neercana-Rei that well and with what Rukeewei mentioned, it all seemed very difficult. Her first thought came to the bars of soap that she used to sell and that many people in Vos seemed to want gift wrapped, but she quickly dismissed that idea. Bars of soap were horrible gifts, even she knew that. Still, perhaps Rukeewei was over-thinking this. Ariel began to think out loud, suggesting things as they came to mind, "Hmm, so you're sure there aren't any special pins or thread she might want? Some sort of decoration for her store? Oh! does she enjoy wine? I had friends in Vos who seemed to know how to appreciate it far more than I ever could, and not just for the intoxication. Taste, texture, all this jargon I never understood. I would often need to have the merchants make recommendations to me for what to buy, but getting a special wine seemed to garner appreciation for birthdays. Wait! I know! Perhaps a book?" Ariel paused for a moment, recalling something in that moment that might be more useful, "Neercana-Rei did actually mention that she was fond of her memories of the festival as a child, perhaps there's something special in an item that could bring that memory forth again." Ariel held her palms out while she explained, then shrugged, "I'm not sure what the common activities of hatchlings are at this place, but... it's a thought?" It wasn't until then that Ariel realised that she was probably being overbearing, she looked away nervously "But, sorry, I-I should let you continue..."

At first, Fendros didn't really mind the Bosmer. These sideshow types often made a living by posing challenges that appeared easy but had a hidden impossibility to them. It was a swindle most of the time, but it could be a bit of fun all the same. Fendros chuckled at how quickly Ahnasha became worked up by the man. Her competitive spirit came forth with a vengeance, especially after suggesting that Ahnasha was less capable in her pregnancy. Who knows, perhaps this Bosmer would have his challenge defeated? After all, Ahnasha was the best archer Fendros knew of. He smiled as Ahnasha accepted the challenge. This could be interesting. It wasn't as if they were losing anything by it, except possibly some of Ahnasha's pride. Before she stepped forward, Fendros held Ahnasha by her shoulder for a moment and leaned forward. "Spring this elf's trap before he knows you're caught and I'd say he'll be in for a surprise," he murmured before letting her go.

[EliteCommander]

Rukeewei did his best to give Ariel a reassuring expression "No, please, I appreciate the suggestions. Honestly, I probably need all the help I can get." He said with a chuckle. "Wine is a great gift, in my opinion. I wish I could get her wine. Drinks are a specialty of mine; if you give me any bottle of wine, I could probably tell you exactly what is in it and when it was made, just from its scent. Unfortunately, Neer cannot drink. She was born with a bit of an...extreme intolerance to alcohol. As for books though, I really like that idea. I wouldn't really know how to pick out a story based on nostalgia, though. Myself, Neer, my egg-brother, we were all childhood friends, but we didn't really have an exceptional childhood or anything. We liked to swim, fish, chase around small creatures, that sort of thing."

Ahnasha gave Fendros a subtle nod and grin, then walked with the Bosmer over to his range. There were two identical wooden targets, each with painted rings and a bullseye at the center. He approached one of his tables and grabbed his bow and one of the arrows from the quiver next to it. "This game is simple. I will take three shots, then you will take three at the same target. If one of your arrows is closer to the bullseye than my farthest, then you can get a prize from the first table. If two of yours are closer than the two farthest of mine, then you can take one from the second table. Lastly, if you manage to land all of your arrows closer than all of mine, then you will win the necklace. I'll even let you take a practice shot." He said, offering her the bow.

Ahnasha took the simple wooden hunting bow and nocked the iron arrow he gave her. She stood at the closest of the three distance markers to the targets, then slowly drew back the string. The draw strength was much lower than what she was used to on her bound bow, so it was good she was getting this chance to practice. She fired her shot, which landed on the outside edge of the ring closest to the bullseye. A fair shot, but not one that really showcased her skill. The Bosmer wasted no time in coming over to her and collecting the bow.

"A fine shot, a fine shot, I see you will make a worthy foe. now, for this challenge, you will need to shoot from at least the second distance marker, just as I will." The Bosmer explained. Walking back over to his table, he collected his quiver and slung it over his shoulder, then stepped up to the marker on the ground. One after another, he fired each of his three shots, taking his time with each one. Ahnasha watched him carefully the entire time, examining his technique. He actually did have rather good form indicative of someone with archery training. She could tell each of his shots were going at least mostly where he wanted. Two landed in the middle of the ring surrounding the bullseye, while one landed just on the border of the bullseye and the ring next to it. She could see why he could make gold off of this game. He was a good archer, not a great archer, but well above average. He could land his shots in such a way that it would be very possible to get the first or second reward tiers, but the necklace, which was the only prize actually worth more than ten gold, would be out of reach for anyone except an expert archer. Unfortunately for him, Ahnasha was just that.

Ahnasha took the bow and quiver once the Bosmer was done and gave him a confident, almost mischievous smile. Now that she was familiar with the bow's draw strength, she could hit the stationary target with her eyes closed. His skill was something earned through practice at a range; her skill was forged through experience in the hunt, and in combat. They were on different levels. Instead of stepping up to the second distance marker, she stood at the third, farthest marker. Before the Bosmer could say a word, she fired her three arrows in rapid succession. After the first one found its mark in the bullseye, it was easy enough to replicate the shot twice. The last one hit just slightly closer than the Bosmer's closest arrow. Ahnasha gave the Bosmer a smug grin as the crowd around them cheered, and even laughed.

The Bosmer seemed dumfounded at first. Ahnasha walked up to the target alongside him as he checked her arrows, just to make sure he knew she saw as well where exactly they hit. "Oh, well, uh, I guess we, uh..."

"I guess we have a winner." Ahnasha interrupted, still relishing in her victory. The Bosmer seemed to have a mix of confusion and slight anger on his face. Likely, he was upset both at Ahnasha, and himself. It was obvious he didn't hit all of his shots as accurately as he could have. Had he done so, she probably wouldn't have been able to get all of her shots closer to the center than his, but he wanted to make sure that she won something to encourage the crowd. He thought that by pulling a random, pregnant Khajiit woman out of the crowd, he would be able to give a little show with no risk, but that was not the case.

The Bosmer looked around nervously for a few moments before quickly collecting himself. He was still in front of the crowd, and still needed to keep up his act. "Yes, yes of course. We have a winner! Congratulations, my lady, on your new necklace." He said to the crowd before going to the display case and unlocking it. Despite his manufactured enthusiasm, Ahnasha could tell he was not happy to give up the prize. He offered it to her with a smile that couldn't have been any more forced. She accepted it with more genuine smile, but it wasn't the jewelry that was her real prize in all of this.

"Thank you. You were a worthy foe." Ahnasha said with a hint of arrogance in her voice.

"Uh, yes, likewise." The Bosmer responded before turning to the crowd and trying to salvage what was left of the night. "So, uh, as you can see, great richest are right around the corner for those who are willing to try..."

The Bosmer continued on his speech as Ahnasha walked away with Fendros. Her mood was positively jubilant by this point. Despite how much the Bosmer annoyed her, the situation couldn't have ended any better for her. "You have no idea how satisfying that was." She commented as she looked down at the necklace. "It looks real enough. I doubt it is pure gold, but it would probably sell for a fair price." Ahnasha looked over to Fendros and smiled before placing it around his neck. "Although, I have to say, it looks rather dashing on you." She laughed.

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel curled her lips in thought, then replied, "Well, it doesn't have to be on nostalgia. You might just find something by having a browse. Come, let's find a book stall." Ariel moved her fingers, gesturing for Rukeewei to follow her. They didn't have to walk far before they found a covered stall with a number of books on display on the counter, spine up and stacked in a few rows. It wasn't clear whether it was run by a local bookshop or a travelling merchant, but a green Argonian with orange flecks across the sides of his face seemed to be constantly busy haggling with various customers. The stall wasn't well sorted, but it made for an interesting mix of titles. Ariel spoke to Rukeewei as she looked across the titles written on the spines, "I can't say I'm a ravenous reader, but there might be something she might like."

Being so engaged in helping Rukeewei, Ariel almost forgot that Sabine was following her closely. Sabine could only read Daedric runes well and Cyrodiilic partially, but she looked through some books as well. Tracing the text with her finger slowly if she was having trouble making it out. The third book that Sabine picked out was one that she read the title of, then handed to Ariel. "Oh, Sabine, has this one caught your eye?" Ariel asked. Sabine's eyes didn't tell her much, but Ariel smiled and took it to have a look for herself. It appeared to be the first in a series of drama novels that followed the political intrigue of a fictional High Rock noble house. Ariel looked back Sabine and saw her pointing to Rukeewei. "Ah, do you think this will make for a good gift?" Ariel asked again. Sabine nodded. Ariel skipped the question of when Sabine might have read such a book and turned to Rukeewei. She still looked at the book's first page, though. There was a problem. "Er, Rukeewei. My sister here, Sabine, thinks this book might be good, but..." She showed Rukeewei the page she was looking at. It was covered in lines of Daedric runes rather than Imperial. "It was written in Morrowind, I think. Could she read it?"

Fendros clapped along with the crowd at Ahnasha's success. Part of him felt sorry for the Bosmer, but he doubted that he would have a hard time replacing the necklace with how easy Ahnasha made it look. "Nice shooting," He remarked to her with a very amused grin. He lifted the necklace that was around his neck to get a better look. Up close it didn't look nearly as impressive as the Argonian jewellery they had seen, but now it had a memory attached to it. Even though he wasn't normally one to wear necklaces, he thought he would keep it on for a while. "Thank you," He said modestly, putting his hand on the back of her head and kissing her forehead, "I love it almost a... tenth as much as you." He said, smiling mischievously.

As they walked away, Fendros took Ahnasha's hand. He wondered what they should do next. "I would suggest trying out some of the other sideshow challenges, but we'd probably either extinguish our own pride failing or get barred from playing them after a short while." Fendros laughed, looking around the square, "I think those Khajiit tumblers are putting on a show over there, want to watch?" Fendros pointed to their left where a crowd had formed around the troupe they saw coming into the city. Fendros hadn't seen many troupes of this kind, but what he remembered was always impressive.

[EliteCommander]

Rukeewei looked at the book, but he could not make sense of it. The runes on its pages were pretty much just random symbols to him. He shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. To my knowledge, she knows no languages other than Jel and Cyrodilic. Honestly, I cannot read it either." Rukeewei continued to look through the books, defaulting to the ones written in his native tongue. He was yet to find one he thought would work, but a few ideas did come to mind. "Thinking about it, I think she might like something with adventure, or romance. Especially something in a foreign setting, something exotic."

Seeing as she had no other ideas, Ahnasha followed along with Fendros to watch the acrobats. They had several props on a slightly elevated stage which they used to perform some admittedly impressive maneuvers. Under normal circumstances, Ahnasha was quite an acrobatic individual herself, but she had not practiced to turn her acrobatics into an artform as they had. Her technique was of a more...practical nature. If she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that she probably could not do the same things as this troupe, not that she would admit it aloud. If what her mother told her about Elsweyr was true, then these Khajiit were likely practitioners of some style of Khajiit martial arts. The various styles were not just meant to be fighting styles, but ways of life that the Khajiit who practiced them were meant to adhere to. Although its name escaped her, there was at least one style she knew of in which acrobatics were meant to be a form of expression.

"Three months ago, I probably could have done something like that." Ahnasha commented. Her pride in her abilities would not let her admit she was exaggerating, but still, she wasn't too far from being able to do the same thing as them. "Still, impressive."

Meesei wandered around the square with Lorag, who was following her mostly so he would not get lost. Initially, she had watched the Altmer mage's demonstration, but she quickly lost interest. He was quite talented with showmanship, but she could easily tell he was no exceptional mage, as he claimed. She could see how someone who was not a mage, or was not exposed to magic on a regular basis, would be impressed, but she knew his tricks too well. Eventually, she wandered into the center of the square near the musicians. After a few moments, she saw that Janius was about to participate in a dance. She grinned and watched from the sidelines, deciding that this would probably be far more interesting than the shows she had just left.

[Muttonhawk]

"Oh? Well in that case, there should be plenty to choose from, let's see." Ariel searched through the books at a greater pace. As she did so, she leaned down to Sabine, "I think you may have been spot on with that book, sister. If you can find it in Cyrodilic, though, you may have a winner." Sabine nodded understandingly and continued at a slower pace to read the Cyrodilic. It wasn't long before Ariel spotted something familiar. "Aha!" She pulled a book from the middle-most row, along its spine it read 'Beggar - Reven'. "This one is part of a series," Ariel explained to Rukeewei, holding the book out for him to see, "The first one isn't quite as good, but there are four books, and the series might be a good fit for what you described. It's set in Skyrim, has a bit of adventure. Take a look."

Over by the acrobats, Fendros looked on in awe. For all the stigmas he had inherited to do with Khajiit, he couldn't refute that they were amazing performers. Backflips, handstands, and runups that lead to a dizzying display of flipping between standing on their hands and feet before they sort of sprung into an fast and seemingly chaotic spin in the air only to land deftly back on their feet. Fendros joined the crowd in applauding their moves. "Hm, they put on an entertaining display." Fendros agreed, talking to Ahnasha but still watching the acrobats, "Did you ever have an errant dream as a young child to run away and join one of these troupes? I know I did for a short while."

Completely oblivious to Lorag and Meesei's eyes, Janius offered a hand to the first young woman he saw to partner in a dance. What he didn't realise before the music started were two details. The first being that he hadn't danced in a long time, not for at least two years. Secondly, the Argonians around him, including his behorned black and bright green partner, ran circles around him giggling with a communal dance of which he was completely unfamiliar. He stumbled around for several moments, rather abashed, before his partner grinned and took pity on him by leading him in the right directions with her hands. Thankfully for Janius, the dance was not difficult, in fact it was rather repetitive, but the music and speed made it fun. As he jumped and danced with everyone else, the music started to get faster, and so did the steps. Eventually, Janius spotted Lorag and Meesei standing aside. With an excited grin, he called out to them, "Meesei! Lorag! Come join in!" There was only a few moments before Janius passed them by, and when he did, he rapidly took them both by the arms and dragged in whether they wanted to dance or not. Unfortunately Janius didn't quite have the foresight to think of what would become of Lorag in such a state.