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

[EliteCommander]

Lorag thought for a moment. This was actually something he had been noticing recently. Runt's behavior now seemed odd, for her at least. For anyone else, it would be perfectly normal. "Actually, now that you mention it, yeah, she's been acting pretty strange. I've noticed her talking more, and she even started playing jokes on Janius. That's something she'd never done before. I don't really know what it means, honestly, Maybe it's from having you around, or maybe just knowing what happened with you a few years ago did something? I don't know, maybe this weird ritual thing Alpha's planning on doing will tell us. I'll be honest, though, I have absolutely no idea what she's going to do. Something with a tree is all I know."

Ahnasha laughed. "Well, you're pretty much obligated to say that, so I wouldn't expect anything less." Closing her eyes, Ahnasha let out a deep breath. This day had served to diminish much of the stress she felt from traveling through the marsh, so she wasn't really worried about growing agitated and snapping at someone for making her angry. Instead, she could just think about what she wanted to do to enjoy herself until it was time to leave. "You know, I think I might actually get some of those painting supplies while I'm here. I'm going to be having even more free time over the next few months, so I'm going to need something to fill the gap. I doubt I'll be able to learn by myself, but I might as well give it a try."

"Hmm, I suppose so. There are groups that are not friendly to outsiders in Black Marsh, but Thorn is a city that is used to visitors. Other races are common here, so I suppose it really is the best option. Lilmoth or Gideon might also work, but this city seems fine." Meesei stopped for a moment. She considered going back to her meditation, but decided that conversation seemed more interesting at the moment. "What about you? Black Marsh is my homeland, but this city is new to me. I still feel like I am out of place here. You have always been closer to cities and civilization than the rest of us, except for perhaps Fendros. I'm curious about how this city compares to the Imperial City, other than the obvious size difference."

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel looked ahead again. "I have an idea of what might be involved, but I don't know the specifics. I don't know exactly how the Hist operate." Ariel replied, noting Lorag's observations. "Whatever happens, I hope that it helps. Even with forgiveness from her, even after explaining everything and making contact with her and all... I still see a fear in her eyes that I know was my fault. I'm not sure if I can properly forgive myself while I still see it." Ariel looked down. While Sabine was of course very important to her, there wasn't much she knew to do except see if this ritual would make any difference. Her mind wandering in the silence for a moment brought up a tangential subject that she thought would be better to talk about then. She smiled and chuckled lightly, "So, are you going to be entering any beauty competitions tomorrow, Lorag?"

"Ah, how hard could it be to teach yourself that?" Fendros replied, looking at her for a few moments longer before closing his eyes as well. "Well, any way it goes, it sounds like it'll be fun. Did you want to start with a sketch book like we talked about, or jump straight into some canvasses?" Fendros felt glad that Ahnasha had the extra time to try out something that she always wanted to do. He doubted she would make masterpieces from the start, but everyone starts somewhere. As long as she had the patience for it, Fendros thought that she would enjoy it.

Janius lowered his book and looked up to the corner of the room with a creased brow. Comparing the cities in his mind was something which took a bit of thought. After twisting his lips in thought for a few seconds, he replied. "Well, there's a couple of big things I suppose. The first being how different the architecture is. The thing about the Imperial city is while it has Imperial buildings in its walls, it's structure is ancient. It's not really like anything, except old ruins. Here, it's also unique, but different. Another thing I've noticed is that in all the places I've been here in Thorn, I've felt very safe. No shady areas like the Imperial city, like the docks or the alleys." Janius shrugged, "Maybe that's because I haven't been to the shady parts of Thorn in the first place. Let's see, apart from that..." Janius nodded, "Well, there's of course the weather, the flowers, the big tree in the middle. So far, I apart from the weather, I prefer it to the Imperial city." His mouth curled into a grin, "And it's certainly many times more pleasant than Bravil."

[EliteCommander]

Lorag gave a mix between a laugh and a grunt. "No, but I'll get myself in a drinking competition if I can find one. It would be nice to have a guaranteed win, as long as they didn't mix Argonians into it. Probably wouldn't be fair. What about you? All this festival stuff been getting you to meet people? I think I remember seeing you with that bartender lizard. Or maybe I didn't. I don't know, I drank a lot."

Ahnasha moved closer to Fendros and rested her head on his chest. "I think I'll start small at first, stick with things that are simple and easy. I'll probably be terrible at first, so I would expect some poorly done drawings of you." She said, closing her eyes and letting out a yawn.

"I doubt Thorn is completely free of crime and decay. We haven't seen any yet, but maybe it just hides it better than other cities? Still, as long as Ariel is able to form connections to get supplies for her store, she should be able to settle here. I do find this festival to be interesting, and our dance was rather...entertaining, but honestly, I think it would have been better if we would have arrived at a different time. It would have allowed Ariel to see it in more of a normal state. Still, that is not the situation we are in, so we may as well make the best of what we have. And I suppose the festival may help Ariel to make connections. Is there anything in the festival you are particularly looking forward to? Tomorrow is the day of competition, then beauty, then feasting. I think there are more after that, but I'm not sure what they are. Are there any events or competitions you plan on attending?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Yes, I did accompany Rukeewei most of the day. He introduced me to a number of his friends, some of which might be helpful in future for the shop. He's been awfully helpful." Ariel sighed longingly, "Like I said, I'm very lucky to have found him. He's not so much the stereotypical suspicious closed-off Argonian, I think. A very nice person." Ariel steered the conversation back to Lorag, "I might have thought you or some others in the pack might enter the athletic or the martial competitions. Have you ever tried boxing, or wrestling? I wouldn't be surprised if there was a tournament for those tomorrow. There might even be one of those violent large scale melee's like they have in some places."

With a chuckle, Fendros put her arms around Ahnasha. He wasn't as much of a show-off like Janius or Lorag, so he wasn't exactly enthused about being sketched, but there was no real harm in it. He kissed Ahnasha on the top of her head and relaxed. Even though he had a nap earlier that day, he didn't feel he would have any trouble sleeping. Barring the occasional nightmares, of course, but he had come to expect them since becoming a lycan.

Janius wondered some more. He hadn't looked into what competitions were on tomorrow, but he suspected there might be a few he would be interested in. "Well, if there's a fencing tournament of some kind, I might try my hand for fun. Apart from that, hmm..." Janius kept his grin and held his whiskered chin, "Offering my services as a model for the day of beauty," he said half-jokingly, "Hmm... flirt with every girl in sight. Maybe I'll try once again to drink Lorag under the table." His grin turned back into a smile and he looked at his book again, "More seriously, I'm quite interested in seeing Argonian fashion," he said shamelessly, "If Speaks-With-Thread's store was any indication, the dresses and suits that the city produces are lively and vibrant, very interesting." Janius put his hand down and looked at Meesei, "What about you? Are you planning to show everyone what a real mage is?"

[EliteCommander]

Lorag shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. It would be pretty satisfying to win one of those things, but really I don't think it'd be a fair fight. I mean, I'm a lycan. I'm a lot stronger than I look...and I look pretty strong. Even your sister could match the strength of your average adult male with the boost her beast blood gives her. Well, maybe not an Orcish male, but...you get the idea. That kind of a difference might draw the wrong kind of attention. I know it'd be a pretty short notice, but are there any things you can enter a potion or something in? Winning a competition like that would probably get your name out there. Or at least get you some worthless prize you can brag about."

Meesei rolled her eyes at Janius. "You know, Janius, I'm not surprised. Every time we put you around a new woman, you end up trying to pursue her. Interestingly, I cannot recall a case where you have succeeded. I'm surprised you haven't started trying to proposition me yet or something. At any rate, I'm not certain on the magic competition. I don't know that I see the point of trying to win some contest against strangers. At the very least, I may learn something through observation if I show up. Perhaps I'll end up finding some reason to join in, though. We shall see."

[Muttonhawk]

Lorag had a reasonable point. Even for an orc, he would stand out due to his lycanthropy. Ariel bit her lip at the idea of an alchemy competition, "Nothing that I know of. Alchemy's not like other things in competition. Most things are what people can understand and appreciate, or have enough spectacle to be entertaining. Alchemy doesn't really have either of those traits. It wouldn't hurt to have a look, though I doubt anything I could make in just an afternoon would be competition worthy, unless the rules are to make it on the spot."

As Ariel finished, the door opened with a creak and Sabine crept in. Even though she looked at them both and saw they were both awake, she still padded her way to her bed as quietly as she could. Ariel smiled at her, "Hello."

Sabine nodded as she undressed for bed. She didn't appear as if she wanted to talk as she slid herself under the sheets.

There was a mischievous chuckle under Janius' breath. "I think you should join in, you'd have fun, and you'll be in a better position to learn, like you said. Also," Janius put his book at his side and looked over to Meesei with his head bowed forward, "it's not every woman, come now, be fair. And as for propositioning you, well..." Janius wrinkled his nose and threw one arm up, turning back to lean against the wall and looking forward, "... you're the alpha, it's undermining of the respect I have for you, and... I don't know, it wouldn't feel right." His put his arm across his torso and rolled the back of his head across the wall until he was looking at Meesei with an apologetic look, "I'm not making you feel left out, am I?" He said, as if the comment about Janius' success rate wasn't as true as it was. In truth, Janius didn't realise how blatantly defensive he had reacted. Had he realised, he might have acknowledged his own insecurity about it.

[EliteCommander]

Lorag did not pay too much attention to Runt entering the room, as her behavior at the moment was normal for her. She scurried off to bed, so Lorag simply continued to talk with Ariel. "Well, I remember you and Runt made those fire salt things that exploded. That was pretty cool looking. If alchemy can do that, then they'd have to make some kind of competition out of it."

Meesei have a chuckle, even as her expression became slightly melancholy. "I think I am going to be left out of a lot of things by the time my life ends. It is fortunate that you will not be under quite the same kind of scrutiny that I will be, else I would have to put a stop to your efforts with the women of other packs. I have been thinking quite a lot recently on how other followers of Hircine will view us. It is unfortunate, really, because the rest of you are overall more important than myself. I may be leading you, but I could accomplish nothing of meaning without all of you. Other followers may recognize that, but..." She began, lifting up her hands and staring at the ring on her finger. She had not even considered removing it since she first slid it onto her finger. "...they will inevitably end up placing more of their focus on the one wearing the Ring. For me to have their respect, I have to be respectable. I have to be cautious about everything I do, at least when I am in the eye of other packs. It would probably be acceptable for me to search for a more permanent mate, but I do not have time for such things now.. Honestly, I have no desire to have a permanent mate at the moment. Perhaps it will be that I will not share a bed with another again for the rest of my life. If that is a sacrifice I have to make for Hircine, then so be it. My responsibilities are far more important."

[Muttonhawk]

"Yes, impressive, maybe. Dangerous, most certainly." Ariel wanted to make that clear. With the thought, a few ideas also rushed through her mind. There were substances that would change the colour of fire and sparks. Arranged properly, they might make for quite the spectacle. Still dangerous though. "But I see your point," Ariel flicked her hand dismissively, "I'll have a look tomorrow. The fire salts would be expensive, but if I'm lucky it won't be a 'bring your own' competition." In that moment, Ariel's eyes drooped closed and she had to breath in deeply to keep herself awake. "I think I'd best get to sleep. It's been a big day." She said, sliding off her dress to counter the humid heat and pulling her sheets over herself. "Goodnight, Lorag. Goodnight, sister."

At first, Janius just listened as Meesei spoke, but as soon as she got to 'respectable', Janius turned his head to look the other way for a moment and looked to Meesei again with a slightly less impressed face. He had to stifle a chuckle by the time she got to sacrificing for Hircine. "Chaste for Hircine, my goodness," Janius muttered with a smile. Speaking more clearly, he responded, "Meesei, the last time I heard someone say that, like,-" she raised his hand in thought, "-being respectable, all that, it was the words of my own father. A toothless man, by all accounts. Also, I've come to realise, an anxious one, and someone hardly deserving of his position in the first place." Janius furrowed his brow, "Respectable? Pah, look..." Janius leaned forward and took on a firm tone, "I say this as a friend: I think you're missing the point with this title of yours. If the packs I've seen are any indication, followers of Hircine are not Imperial courtiers. I know you as a person; and you are an able leader, and a formidable hunter. If that doesn't garner the respect to deserve that ring you have, then nothing will." Before he allowed Meesei to respond, Janius put both his hands up in front of him, "Just think, if you will, that I had been the one to lead a pack to kill the Orc hunter and win the ring. That I had the leadership and the skills to do that. Also imagine that I remained as indecent as usual with finding mates. Would you be challenging my respect because you don't think I should be bedding everything with legs, or because you believe that I am not a capable hunter and leader?" Janius' tone became more sympathetic, "You just keep doing what you do best. And by the way," Janius leaned back again and resumed reading your book, "I promise that you will neither have the desire, nor the intention to find a permanent mate when you end up meeting yours, whomever that may be."

There was a pause before Janius held his head back and put one palm on his forehead. "Gods be good, I'm the Imperial rake! Why am I giving you this lecture?"

[EliteCommander]

"Alright, do whatever you think'll work. Goodnight." Lorag said with a yawn as he laid back on his pillow. Since he had already been relaxing for a while, it was not long before he fell fully asleep.

Meesei looked to Janius and gave a soft sigh. "Janius, you are absolutely correct. What you said is reasonable, and it makes sense...which is precisely why it would not work. Those who follow Hircine, lycan or otherwise, are people, and people are not reasonable. For everyone that would agree with you, there is another who would not. People do not always think rationally. People will ignore facts and reason that goes against their beliefs, they will make decisions which make no sense and judge others on prejudices that have no basis in reality. For some of them, it will be hard enough for me to gain their respect simply because I am Argonian. That is why, when I am around others who follow Hircine, I have to conform to their ideas of what a Champion of Hircine would be, not only in my mating habits, but in everything I do. I have to be a strong, powerful leader who can command the respect of those around me. No matter how logical your point may be, we will be dealing with people who are illogical. Now, when we are away from other packs, I can drink, dance, and enjoy myself as much as I want, but since I am not willing to risk infecting any non-lycans, it does not seem like I will have the opportunity for...anything else."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius curled his lips in frustration and looked back down at his book. He was hardly reading it at this point, he wasn't sure whether it would be his or Meesei's stubbornness that would give out on this issue first. "Don't make the mistake of trying to please everyone, Meesei. It doesn't work." His tone was level, but his expression showed disdain for the situation. "The people you're talking about don't deserve to judge you." Janius was speaking from personal experience when he mentioned these words, from days where his own efforts to go above and beyond were ignored by his previous family, causing him to give up and become as he was before he turned. Regardless, at this point he wasn't sure whether he would be able to convince Meesei to change her mind at all.

Finally managing to concentrate on the words, Janius got a thought that gave him pause, but sounded like a better idea the more he thought about it. I'll have to find her a mate, another lycan so she can be allowed to be herself. That might prove her wrong. Janius lifted a wry smile on the side of his face that was facing away from Meesei so she wouldn't get a hint at his thoughts.

[EliteCommander]

Janius did not seem to grasp the importance of their position as Hircine's chosen. While they were certainly going to help in the war through more traditional means, it was how they inspired the other followers of Hircine that would really make a difference. "Janius, we do not always get to choose our allies I need to do what I must to fulfill my responsibilities to Hircine. And besides, it's not even that important to me. There is far more to life than worrying about what to do with your loins, you know? I think that is a lesson you may wish to consider. No offense, but you seem a bit single minded on the issue."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius exhaled sharply and closed his eyes at that comment. Normally, he wouldn't mind, but he was so worked up about their discussion already that he couldn't leave it at that. He felt as if she had completely missed the point. He raised his voice with wide, angry eyes, "No! It's not about that! It-" he interrupted himself and pursed his lips before he made too much noise. He felt like going on a rant about personal honesty and pride, and how lying to herself and others would only be degrading. As he tried to form the words, however, he couldn't for the life of him come up with anything that would also be in the interest of leading people in this war. In fact, there was probably nothing he could say that Meesei wasn't already aware of. Keeping up appearances in her behaviour was a conscious sacrifice she was making, not one driven by personal inadequacy. Janius closed his eyes and sighed through his nose, admitting defeat.

With a solemn voice, he responded, "I think this is why you're the leader, Meesei. I don't think I could do what you do. Regardless of my blasted loins." He slowly put his book away, "Just... stay yourself around us and the pack, okay?" With one last glance of concern, Janius slid down and lay on his side under his bedsheets, facing away from Meesei. He was tired of talking.

[EliteCommander]

"Don't worry Janius, I wouldn't think about doing anything else. You all are everything I need. If I were to die tomorrow, I would be satisfied with my life." Meesei said before returning to her meditation. After an hour or so, she finally laid down herself.

The next morning, everyone seemed to awaken at around the same time, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, apart from Ahnasha. Even after Fendros had awoken, she was still fast asleep, and showed no indication of awaking on her own any time soon. Even with the light from the window shining directly in her eyes, she was sleeping like a kitten. Lorag, on the other hand, awoke almost immediately once the light touched him, but he wished he hadn't. He had a rather terrible hangover and, as a result, simply sat on the ground groaning and covering his eyes.

Meesei awoke normally. She stretched her muscles, then stood up and started to walk around the room to wake herself up. For the first time in quite a while, she did not really know what she should do that day. Living in the wilds, there was always at least some work to be done, but now, there wasn't really anything that anyone in the pack had to do. Ariel needed to go to her appointment, but beyond that, they could simply do whatever they wanted, or nothing, if they chose. When Janius started to stir, she looked over to him. "Good morning." She said in a friendly tone.

[Muttonhawk]

Had Meesei said the same thing a few months ago, Janius would have been distraught, but now it was slightly consoling. Don't jinx it, Meesei, Janius thought before he drifted to sleep.

The next morning, the sound of floorboards creaking and sheets shuffling was a sound that Janius had not woken up to in a long time. He squirmed a little to let the blood flow back into the limbs he had slept upon, and heard Meesei's good morning. He breathed in deeply and turned to see where she was with bleary eyes. "'Morning," he groaned. As was his habit, he stood up almost immediately and wiped his eyes. It also felt strange to get up from a raised bed rather a bedroll on the ground. Thankfully he remembered to dress before he proceeded downstairs for breakfast.

Fendros found himself thinking similar things to Janius as he got up. Normally he and Ahnasha woke up shortly after one another, but this time she was still fast asleep when he moved to get up. Figuring a sleep in wouldn't do any harm, Fendros carefully slid a pillow underneath her head and let her sleep while he dressed himself and headed out of the room. He spotted Janius in the hallway outside of the room and threw him a greeting smile as he quietly closed the door behind him. Janius returned a nod as he walked past him.

When Ariel awoke, her eyes opened to the bed across from her. Sabine had already awoken by the looks, and was nowhere to be seen. She considered snoozing for a little longer in the clean and comfortable bed, but a gruff groaning was cause for her to sit up and find Lorag sitting in the exact right position for the sunlight to shine into his eyes. The sound of his throat and the bags under his eyes made it clear that he was paying for his drinking this morning. After breathing in through her nose and stretching, Ariel addressed Lorag, keeping her voice down to spare his ears. "Good morning. Feeling a little down?"

Janius and Fendros descended to the ground level to see a few guests sitting at tables eating breakfast. It was likely that a number of them were others who had rented rooms, as not all of them were Argonians. Funnily enough, the table they had used the night before was occupied by Sabine, some basic alchemical equipment surrounded her. Janius and Fendros joined her, taking the nearest seats to them. "You're right where I left you last night, Runt. Did you sleep at all?" Janius asked.

The way Sabine glanced up from her task at Janius in that moment was rather dismissive. It looked as if the was mixing a hangover cure for Lorag. She resumed stirring the liquid mix in her mortar and pestle.

For a few awkward moments, Janius and Fendros sat silently and were at a loss. "I have a feeling we're going to have to find a butcher to get the usual breakfast," Fendros remarked. He couldn't remember whether they had brought the meat stockpile with them into the city, but he remembered hearing consideration of leaving it behind in case of the smell.

[EliteCommander]

Lorag groaned once more when Ariel spoke to him. Noticing that Runt wasn't in her bed, he got up and sat himself down on it to get out of the sun. "Ah, I need one of those potion things Runt makes, and some water, and...a blindfold or something."

Meesei dressed herself and headed downstairs to join the others. The main room was more crowded than it had been since they arrived, though it would most likely empty once the patrons returned to the festivities. Rukeewei was once again behind the bar serving his customers. Meesei took a seat at the table with the others, which was quiet until Fendros asked about breakfast.

"I am still not greatly familiar with customs here. Is it uncommon for inns to serve meat?" Meesei asked. Meanwhile, Rukeewei was quite proactive when he heard the table mention wanting breakfast. As soon as he served one of his other customers, he approached their table with his usual friendly smile. "Good morning everyone. If you are interested in breakfast, I can serve you here if you do not wish to have your breakfast at the festival. I may not have the same kind of selection, but most vendors elevate their prices during the festival. My prices on food are the same as they always are, at least for local foods. I have had to increase my price on anything imported, due to the increased cost of buying them."

Meesei returned Rukeewei's smile. "Good morning. Do you happen to serve meat at your inn?"

Rukeewei nodded. "Of course, I have a fair local selection, it will just take a bit of time to prepare. Guar chops, slaughterfish stew, histcarp, opah fish, crocodile tail, and hackwing legs are all inexpensive options. If you are looking for more expensive local meats, I do have shark fillets, and, true to my inn's name, I am quite good at preparing wamasu eggs."

"Hmm, I would like a bowl of slaughterfish stew." Meesei responded almost immediately. She did not put too much thought into her choice; she simply wanted something cheap, and it had been quite a long time since she had eaten any sort of stew.

"Right away. Would anyone else like to have something?" Rukeewei asked, turning his attention to the others.

[Muttonhawk]

"With what I've seen, I wouldn't be surprised if she walked in with one of those remedies right now." Ariel said, getting up and dressing herself, "Still feeling like that drinking contest is a good idea?" The question was more of a rhetorical one. Ariel knew that Lorag's love for drink was not likely to be diminished by such a hangover. Instead, she exited the room to head downstairs and see if anyone else was up.

She proceeded downstairs to find the rest of the pack, as well as Rukeewei around the usual table.

"I think some guar chops would go down nicely, if you please, Rukeewei," Janius said, "Nice not to have to prepare my meals for a change."

While all this was going on, Sabine poured the finished hangover cure into a small glass bottle. She was listening to every word and didn't quite anticipate having to order for herself. While Rukeewei responded, Sabine got up and carried the cure upstairs. Although she didn't intend to sneak up on Lorag, she was as quiet as she usually was as she approached him and held out the potion for him to take.

Fendros, still feeling adventurous after the culinary adventure on the previous day, made his decision as per Rukeewei's recommendation. "I'll try the wamasu eggs, if they're safe." Fendros didn't mean to offend by his comment, rather it was a habit he had got into while in the city to make sure he didn't eat something that was only suitable for Argonian consumption.

As Ariel approached the table, she quickly picked up on the event. "I... don't suppose you have a vegetable soup of some kind?" she hazarded. Even though she had eaten a lot more meat than usual while travelling with the pack, she felt as if something lighter would be better this morning. The anticipation of her meeting later in the day was making her stomach uneasy.

[EliteCommander]

Had the door not creaked when she entered, Lorag likely would not have noticed Runt entered. Although his face did not show it, he was excited to see her. He gladly accepted the potion and downed it almost immediately. "Thanks Runt." He said simply, letting out a sigh of relief.

Rukeewei greeted Ariel as she sat down at the table, then nodded to Janius. "Alright, guar chops for you. For you Ariel, I can make another batch of stew and substitute in saltrice instead of slaughterfish meat, if that sounds appealing to you?" He said before turning to Fendros. "Both wamasu eggs and meat are safe for non-Argonians, but as a fair warning, it is expensive. The eggs are rather difficult to obtain, so one will cost thirty gold, if you still want it. As for the rest of the meal, the total so far is twelve gold."

Meesei gave Fendros a bit of a stern look. She had killed wamasu before and had tasted of their eggs. While she was quite fond of them and could definitely understand why they would be expensive, she really did not wish to spend that much on their breakfast.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine turned to leave as soon as Lorag finished drinking the cure. As long as the entire pack didn't drink themselves half to death each night while they were in the city, making more of the potions would not become a problem. The rest of the pack weren't done with breakfast orders by the time Sabine returned to her seat at the table downstairs.

With a smile, Ariel nodded. She was somewhat surprised to hear that they had saltrice in Thorn, but it made sense that it was imported or farmed nearby. Saltrice was a staple for her back in Morrowind. She had a feeling that some comfort food would do her good.

Meesei's look seemed to burn into Fendros as he considered the wamasu eggs. Even if they sounded interesting, it didn't look like Meesei particularly wanted their funds used up too quickly. It didn't really matter though. "Perhaps another time," Fendros said slowly, glancing to Meesei and back to Rukeewei. "I'll try the crocodile tail then." he decided, pulling a tight smile.

The scrape of Sabine's chair as she sat down drew attention towards her. She had come back just in time to order what she wanted, but didn't quite prepare herself to deal with it. Everyone looked at her and her eyes darted between them all with confusion.

"What would you like for breakfast, Sabine?" Janius asked.

Sabine's eyes wandered to various details on the table. There was nothing to point to and nothing to get up and collect herself. The system of ordering food wasn't unintuitive, but she didn't like having to request food. She exhaled through her nose sharply. All the attention was making it hard to make a decision. She wasn't used to being put on the spot like this. Her lips tightened and relaxed for a few awkward moments, then she spoke in a tiny voice while avoiding eye contact, "Histcarp." Her response was so quiet that the murmur of the rest of the patrons, drowned her voice out.

"You're going to have to speak up a bit," Janius said.

"Histcarp," Sabine said more clearly, with an undertone of annoyance.

[EliteCommander]

"Excellent. The total for all of you will be twenty gold. I will get started right away." Rukeewei said before leaving to set up his cooking pots.

Since they had some time to wait before they could eat, Meesei figured it would be a good time to get a sense of what everyone else would be doing that day, even if Lorag and Ahnasha had not yet arrived. There were meant to be various competitions that day in which anyone could participate, although she was not sure exactly how one would enter. Meesei was still undecided on whether she wanted to actually enter anything or not, but she definitely was going to accompany Ariel to her meeting, if at all possible. She wanted to see for herself if Ariel could get the loan she needed, and help in any way she could.

"So, Ariel, you have your meeting with the An-Xileel today, correct? If you get the loan you are looking for, do you have any ideas on how you are going to get a supplier for your alchemical ingredients? That is the biggest unknown I see right now, and I think it is definitely something to think about." Meesei asked. There was no way Ariel would be able to gather all the ingredients herself, both because it would be too time intensive of a task, and due to the danger of the marsh. Many plants and animals that lived in Morrowind also lived in northern Black Marsh, so she wouldn't be completely out of her element in terms of ingredients, but there were also ingredients that were found only in the marsh that she would need to get used to.

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel took a seat for herself at the table as Meesei asked her about suppliers. "That might take a while to set up completely, but I have a few avenues to investigate." Ariel replied with a calm tone, "Back in Vos, my main suppliers were local hunters and farmers. The former to make a few extra coins on top of their game, and the latter wanting to make a profit on what were essentially weeds to them. I also had to network with caravans and sea merchants in order to get rarer or foreign ingredients. I was introduced to a couple of farmers by Rukeewei yesterday that might provide a starting point. Finding hunters shouldn't be too difficult. The travelling merchants will, of course, take a while to build relations with. However, there was also another possibility I saw," Ariel stopped for a moment to brush some hair out of her eyes that she had not kept restrained when she tied it up earlier, her face was contemplative, "I remember you mentioning that local Argonian villages were nomadic. That they moved around. I was wondering if they would be willing to trade if they came by Thorn. If I could get ingredients from deeper in the marshes, I might be able to make some quite exclusive things." She waved one hand, "If it's a good idea, I doubt it has not been done before, but it's no reason not to try."

Ariel smiled faintly, "I've had to deal with suppliers before, but finding new ones hasn't been something I've done in a while. And this time the locals just see me as a stranger, rather than... you know, my former position. That might change things."