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

[EliteCommander]

"Well, she didn't win this year, but she placed better than last year, third to be specific. There are a lot of competition at those events, oftentimes from all across Tamriel. It can be hard to compete with some foreign materials. Still, she has won before, and I don't think she's upset. At any rate, I'll certainly show up the grand opening of your shop, if I am at all able to. My brother should be taking over for me shortly, so I'll have time for most of the day. Hopefully, I'll have a bit more luck than Neer at the wine tasting competition in a little over an hour. It's hard to compete with some of the exotic ingredients from outside the marsh, but I think I'm up to the task. If you find the time, I hope to see you all there." Rukeewei responded,

Meesei thought for a moment as she started on her breakfast. They had planned to help put the final touches on Ariel's store before departing the city, but in reality, they had no strict timetable. Starting in a few hours would be just as good as starting immediately after breakfast, so they could attend the competition if they wished. It would be the last chance Ariel would have to spend any time with her sister, as well as the rest of the group, so Meesei saw no harm in it. "I believe we could do that, if the everyone else wishes to join."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius took a deep breath and expressed his interest. "As long as the wines there don't all cause us to end up like Lorag did with that sledge of a drink you served us the other day, then It'd be a pleasure."

Even though Ariel had originally had a rough plan to see if anyone would turn up if she had opened earlier, she conceded that it wouldn't be terrible to postpone for a few hours. She wanted to show Rukeewei some support after all the help he had provided her. It could also be an opportunity for extra publicity. "I'll come along. I could take the opportunity to get rid of the last of the fliers."

Fendros felt like going along as well, if Ahnasha was up for it. She seemed upbeat this morning, but just in case, he looked over to her to ask what she wanted to do. "Feel up for a day of feasting, Ahna?" He knew that the wine was not an option, but if the first day was any indication, then there would be some fantastic food to try today.

[EliteCommander]

"You couldn't drag me from that feast." Ahnasha responded with a chuckle. She was starting on her breakfast of crocodile tail quite enthusiastically, and was looking forward to attending this feast. The pack was good enough at hunting that they never went hungry, but an actual feast was not something she had been able to experience in many years. In her current state, that was a very welcome change.

Rukeewei smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Like I said, it starts in a little over an hour. I look forward to seeing you there." He said before returning to his place behind the bar. Meesei wanted to stay in a good mood, but she recognized that they would be leaving relatively soon. She was mostly concerned about Sabine and how she would take it. With how long they had been traveling together, she could assume that Sabine had grown accustomed to the presence of her sister. While it was technically possible that they could return for a visit one day, there was a very real possibility that the two would never see one another again, at least not in person.

[Muttonhawk]

The breakfast proceeded for most with simple conversation. Once Ariel finished her last mouthful she rose from her seat and told everyone that she was going to get some things from her shop and come back to the inn before they left. As she left, she wondered whether she would get used to calling it 'home', but she supposed more nights spent sleeping in a bed inside of it would help. Having her own room last night was certainly a strange thing to come back to after travelling for so long. The pack didn't have to wait long before she returned, and by that time, they were all ready to go.

On the walk there, Sabine walked close to Ariel. She kept her head somewhat low though. It made her seem more withdrawn than usual. Ariel attempted some conversation with her, and Sabine managed to give some answers, but she was quiet and didn't say anything else than just answers, as usual.

The festival grounds in the city's main square was once again transformed today. Whereas yesterday had many lanes for parades and areas for music, art, dance and all manner of other sights, today was less focussed on cordoned off events. There were a few areas in the centre for some events; competitions, music, and even a dais for a theatre play. The rest of the square was a hodgepodge of vendors attending to cauldrons full of stew, grills covered in sizzling meat and vegetables, or simply displaying freshly prepared other foods: cakes, pastries, salted or otherwise preserved foodstuffs, drinks of every kind, everything. It would have been hard to believe, but there was a greater diversity of food than the opening day. Less hard to believe was the increase in quantity. But even these vendors appeared sparsely placed amongst the crowds of people, most of whom seemed to be sitting on a sea of thin rugs of various colours that had been placed on the ground. Unlike the activity and excitement of the previous few days, this appeared to be a toned-down affair, despite the persisting noise from chatter. Apart from the vendors, event participants, or anyone purchasing food, everyone was sitting and eating something with their friends and family and generally enjoying themselves. In one part of the event areas, some tables with goblets and bottles were being set up within the view of the pack. The wine tasting was beginning soon.

The pack didn't get far into the square before they were stopped by a group of three Argonian men, each pulling a small two wheeled cart stacked with rolled up rugs. The one in charge addressed them with a smile while the other two each pushed a rug into the hands of the closest two of the pack. At the time this was Meesei, and Lorag. The rugs appeared to be big enough together to comfortably seat the entire pack.

The leader spoke clearly in Jel to explain. He must have been a greeter of some sort. "Welcome to the day of feasting! Fill an empty spot on the ground with a rug and your buttocks and fill an empty spot in your stomach with food! We kindly ask that you return the rugs to us or anyone else pulling the carts today once you are finished. We will remain at the main entrances to the square until the feasting is done." The man raised one finger, "Remember the rule, you must talk to someone you do not know today and share your food with them. There are no ranks here, the highest merchant to the lowliest commoner are all seated on the same level." For what was probably a shtick that he and the others pulling the carts had to repeat to everyone arriving, he seemed to be rather passionate about it. A question could be raised as to how they intended to enforce this 'rule', or even if they expected the rugs to return. The rule itself seemed to be more of a spirited guideline however, and the quality of the rugs suggested that they were prepared to lose at least some. Still, it was better than dirtying one's clothes on the ground.

The pack stood awkwardly for a moment. Ariel understood most of it, but Fendros had spent less time with the language and found himself lost. It didn't help that none of the others but Meesei knew a word of Jel.

Janius broke the silence, "What was that he said?" The pack looked to Meesei expectingly.

[EliteCommander]

"He said that we should return these before leaving. He also mentioned talking to others and sharing food; I am assuming this is meant to be a very social event. In any event, we should find a place where we can observe Rukeewei's competition, then get some food for ourselves. We have been conservative with our gold so far, so try not to spend too much." Meesei explained. Once again, she started to feel lost in the crowd, especially with how much was going on around her. The air was so overloaded with the scents of various foods that there was no real point in trying to catch the scent of any specific thing, and with how packed the square was, they had to wander for a few minutes before they stumbled on to what at least looked like a wine tasting competition. There was a long table on a slightly elevated platform with a set of judges, both Argonian and non-Argonian. Each judge had an elaborately decorated wine glass and altogether appeared 'refined' in some form. Meesei could understand how the competitors would be excited about the event, but she wondered why anyone in the crowd would actually find it interesting to watch. At least, she wondered that until she saw that the competition had staff giving out free samples of the drinks to the crowd. At that point, it made perfect sense.

Meesei spotted Rukeewei waiting on the stage along with a few other participants, confirming that they were in the right place. They looked around for a few moments to find an empty spot on the ground, then laid down their rugs side-by-side. Meesei took a seat and looked up to the others. "I'll wait here while the rest of you get your food." She offered.

Lorag immediately went to collect one or two of the free glasses of wine, while Ahnasha headed to the center of the square towards the largest concentration of food. At the very center of all of the vendors was by far the largest booth. It was operated by two people, an Argonian male and, interestingly, a Dunmer female. They were surrounded by tables on all sides covered in food of all different styles, with crates in the center as well filled with what she assumed to be more food. There was quite a crowd collected around them, so Ahnasha waited in the shorter line, which led to the Dunmer. She had some time to look at the food and pick out what she thought was interesting. At the same time, she noticed someone else in the line beside her who seemed out of place. He was a small Argonian boy no taller than Ahnasha's legs. He seemed dirtier, and his clothes much more ragged than most of the others at the festival. Ahnasha had a hard time judging his expression, but he seemed nervous. When they reached the front of the line, the boy cut in front of Ahnasha, snatched up what looked like Khajiit pastry, then bolted away through the crowd. Ahnasha was caught off-guard, but when she looked to the Dunmer woman, she became even more confused. Instead of calling the guards, the Dunmer was simply laughing.

"Are you going to stop him?" Ahnasha asked,

"Only if he does it again. You see, this food is for everyone. To put up a stall for the day of feasting, each vendor has to contribute a portion of their food to the city. In turn, we put their food here and allow each visitor to the festival to select one item of their choice, completely for free. Go ahead, take your pick." The Dunmer explained, still with a bit of a chuckle.

Ahnasha did not waste much time in selecting the cut of meat she was interested in, especially considering that others were waiting behind her. The Dunmer quickly read a small label near the meat she selected, then wrapped up a slice in a sort of thin, light cloth and handed it to her. "Fried assassin beetle abdomen, good choice. If you like it, then you should visit Tharaja's stall. Redguard cuisine is certainly exotic."

"Of course, thank you." Ahnasha responded, looking at her choice curiously. She wondered what kind of creature it was that this meat came from. Considering that the cut she selected was the size of a steak, it would have to be quite a large beetle, especially since this was only part of its abdomen.

[Muttonhawk]

It was fortunate that the pack was able to find a spot with a view of the competition amongst the throng of other festival goers. As soon as they set up, Janius eyed the free wine and followed Lorag to grab a glass for himself. He had no idea which one he had picked, but nevertheless he took his time swirling the liquid around to make its smell propogate, then brought it up to his nose in the spirit of the wine tasting. Normally he would just swig, and having not swirled and sniffed since he had turned into a lycan, the smell was far stronger than he anticipated. After stifling a cough, he shrugged and took a sip. He could see why the competition was competitive. It was the best wine he had tasted in ages. Granted, most of the wine the pack came across was not of fantastic quality, but he enjoyed it all the same. He turned to Lorag, who held a sample in each hand, "Hey Lorag, take your time with these, they're something special." He said in a sincere tone, though not expecting him to discontinue drinking for the sake of drinking.

Fendros wasn't feeling ravenously hungry, so he decided to wait around at sit himself on one of the rugs and observe the competition. He considered following Ahnasha to wherever she was undoubtedly sampling the feast for herself, but as soon as he looked around to find her, she had disappeared without a trace. He felt disappointed, but she would be back. In any case, he would listen to Ahnasha's recommendations if there was anything he positively had to try. They had the entire day to eat, though, so he just sat and watched for now.

Even though they had eaten breakfast not long before, all of the swirling smells had caused Ariel to become hungry again. She spotted Sabine still looking withdrawn and tried to catch her eye. "Do you feel like something to eat, Sabine?" she asked, craning her head down to look at her.

Sabine did not look at her directly. She simply shrugged in response. She seemed tense amongst the dense crowd.

With a sympathetic smile, Ariel placed a hand on Sabine's shoulder and tried to encourage her. "How about we have a look around, and if something catches your eye, point it out we'll try it together."

There was a pause where Sabine seemed to consider this. After a still moment, she looked at Ariel and nodded.

"Alright, come along then." Ariel replied, standing up straight again. Before they left, she looked down at the two seated on the rugs, "Would you like us to get you anything, Meesei, Fendros?"

Fendros smiled and shook his head, "I'll get something a bit later, thank you Ariel."

Looking at the stage, Fendros hoped that they wouldn't take too long if they wanted to watch the competition. It looked like it was mere minutes from starting.

[EliteCommander]

"Don't worry, don't worry, I know my limits on this stuff....and they're a lot higher than yours." Lorag responded to Janius with a chuckle. Like most of the others, he wasn't exactly hungry, since they had just eaten, so he held off on a meal for the moment. Still, it was the day of feasting, so eating a bit extra at some point seemed appropriate.

Ahnasha returned to the group and sat down beside Fendros, laying out her food in front of her. The assassin beetle meat certainly looked, and smelled, interesting; she couldn't recall a time that she had eaten an insect before. After a few bites, she found that it wasn't exceptional, but it certainly wasn't bad. It was average with no real outstanding qualities. If they ever found themselves in Hammerfell, she probably wouldn't hesitate to serve up one of the creatures, but she would probably try something new next time. She shrugged her shoulders and glanced to Fendros. "Eh, not bad I guess. It's from something called an assassin beetle. I would like to see what size of an insect has this much meat on it."

Just as Meesei had predicted, the competition was not terribly exciting when it started, but she got the feeling that it wasn't meant to be. The staff did their best to make sure each group got at least one sample of each of the competitors' wines, so anyone in the pack who felt like drinking was able to try a sample. This did allow the crowd to select their favorite wine and see if their pick won, but the competition seemed more like just a chance to relax and talk with friends and strangers alike, though most of the crowd did pay attention when the judges announced their score for each wine they tasted. Meesei had a chance to taste a sample of Rukeewei's wine. She found that it was pretty exceptional in quality, but then again, so was every other sample. It would be a close competition.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius simply laughed in return. He had meant to say that he should slow down so he could enjoy the wine, but then again, Lorag wasn't exactly a connoisseur. The samples that he got to try caused Janius to become envious of the judges for having virtually free rein over the wine. However, at the same time he most certainly was not envious of the responsibility they had to actually pick a winner. They were all so unique and enjoyable that Janius thought that picking out a favourite was an impossibility. Still, he harboured some bias toward Rukeewei's wine. When the winner was announced, he couldn't say he was surprised, but in retrospect it was a difficult result to predict.

When Ahnasha returned, Fendros eyed the food she had brought back. "Assassin beetle, eh? Interesting for an insect to be this..." Fendros angled his head and tried to discern what cut of meat it could possibly have been, "... substantial. Mind if I try?" He reached out and tore a morsel with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed without any observable reaction for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this isn't just guar? No, hold on." He licked his teeth, "It's different from guar." He raised his brow and nodded, "You're right though, not bad. How big are these things? And what cut it this exactly?"

Up near competition stage where the samples were being handed out, Meesei was approached by an Argonian couple who came up to try samples for themselves. The female was a green with orange flecks on her snout and down her neck, while the male was a more consistent and brighter green and had a pair of almost straight horns protruding from his head. Noting which sample Meesei had in her hands, the female casually spoke in Jel with a smile. "Is that Rukeewei's wine? He really put forward a good entry for this one, didn't he?" The male continued, "They all did, I wonder how the judges made a decision." He glanced up at the stage as the bottles and glasses were packed away, "Are you in the city for the festival, or are you a resident? We've been here for so long, but it's still impossible to keep track of all of the new faces. Especially at this time of year."

Sabine and Ariel stayed close as they waded into the crowds that surrounded some of the vendors. It was hard to discern any particular scent amongst them, but enough of it was delicious that what they spotted was enough to make their mouths water. Before too long, Sabine tugged on Ariel's dress, causing them to stop. Sabine pointed over to a stall manned by a couple of Redguards and a Nord. The Nord was making fresh flatbreads of some description, and the two Redguards were leaning over a large metal cooking pan which held a bubbling and creamy looking lamb dish. As Ariel and Sabine approached, the taste of the dish began to dominate the air so powerfully that it almost made their eyes water. "Two for you?" One of the Redguards asked in Cyrodilic as they approached. Ariel nodded and immediately the Redguards took a cooked flatbread each, ladled an amount of the lamb and sauce into the breads and folded and rolled them shut them such that they could be held easily.

As Ariel began to reach for her purse, one of the Redguards interrupted her, "Ah ah, hold onto your coin. The first ones are free. Festival rules."

Ariel nodded in realisation and replied, "Oh, right, okay. Thank you." With that she smiled while she retrieved the wraps and passed one to Sabine. The first bite each of them took was a bit hot, as was to be expected, but once they were able to chew it, it was a wondrous and overwhelming flavour. Not to mention exotic. It was quite possibly one of the best things that Ariel had ever tasted, but then another sensation came about. The spices had heat of their own. Sabine ate hers happily, but it was a bit too much for Ariel. She was trying her best but wasn't built for spicy foods. They brought the food back to the rugs and found Ahnasha and Fendros, but Ariel was only halfway through her wrap and tears were streaming down her face and she was constantly sniffing from a runny nose. The heat was not forgiving.

"Are you alright?" Fendros asked. Ariel didn't seem upset, but the tears were certainly contradicting.

Ariel chuckled and waved Fendros down dismissively. "I'm fine, it's just these wraps Sabine spotted." She glanced to one side and saw Sabine take another bite from her wrap. "It's so spicy, I've never had anything this strong." Ariel laughed through her tears and sniffed again, "I don't know how Sabine does it. You certainly seem to be enjoying it, hey Sabine?"

Sabine looked up for a moment. Maybe it was the distraction of food, or just become accustomed to the crowd, but she already looked more relaxed.

She considered taking another bite, but Ariel stopped and shook her head. "I can't even finish this. In fact..." She sat up straighter and looked around, spotting a shaded vendor serving drinks, "I think I need to find something to put out the fire in my mouth. Could you hold this for me?" She pushed the wrap into Fendros' hands, who didn't know exactly what to do with it. "Try it if you like," Ariel said, standing up quickly, "In fact, finish it for me, will you?" Fendros couldn't even give an answer before Ariel quickly walked off to purchase a beverage.

Fendros stared at the half-eaten wrap for a few seconds, then brought it up and sniffed. He glanced to Ahnasha, "Smells good."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha decided to let Fendros have the wrap. She could handle foods that were slightly spicy, like the lamia tail, but if it was as hot as Ariel suggested, she probably would not like it. She much preferred foods with a more sweet taste. "I'm not really sure. I've never seen an assassin beetle before; all I know is what the vendor told me. She said this was an example of Redguard cuisine, so I assume they live in Hammerfell. This is a cut from the abdomen, so it must be pretty big overall. It seems a bit strange to eat such a large insect, but it is alright."

It was not often that Meesei spoke with strangers, but she was not uncomfortable doing so. As a rule, she tried to keep encounters with non-lycans brief, with Ariel and Rukeewei being notable exceptions. The accents of the couple were much like Rukeewei's, suggesting they were from Thorn, or one of the other nearby cities, as well. Meesei's own accent was stronger, indicative of her birthplace closer to the inner marshes. "I am a visitor to the city, with a group of my friends. We are helping another friend settle down here." Meesei answered. Normally, she would not be open at all about the pack's business, but in this case, talking to the locals about Ariel could prove advantageous for her. "In truth, we did not know there was a festival before we arrived, but I do not regret arriving when we did. This wine, and indeed almost everything at this festival, is quite exceptional. From the labels on these samples, I can see that there are only a few local wines being submitted. Is Thorn usually this diverse, or is it that the festival attracts people from beyond Black Marsh more strongly?" Meesei asked, deciding to make at least light conversation.

[Muttonhawk]

With no apparent interest from Ahnasha, Fendros slowly took a bite from the wrap and hummed in approval at first. The second bite came with the onset of whatever fell spices were spread across it. It was bearable at first, but Fendros' attempts to hide weakness in this case were quickly foiled as he began to cough through his nose while he ate. After swallowing a third mouthful, he gave up on hiding it. "She's right, this is really spicy," he groaned. Sabine was already finished and was licking her fingers. She was doing a very good job of hiding her amusement. "How do you eat this Sabine?" Fendros asked, "How does anyone eat this?"

The corner of her mouth twitching, Sabine extended a hand towards the wrap, offering to finish it for Fendros. It was at that moment that Fendros read the subtle look Sabine held that indicated a sort of teasing at his reaction to the wrap. His response was to hold the last piece of the wrap closer towards his chest and replied "No, hold on," with a slightly insulted face. "I can finish it," He said as if he was accepting a dare. Sabine slowly withdrew her hand, her shoulders moving in little jolts as she silently chuckled through her nose. There was a real smile on her face at that moment, one that Fendros wasn't used to. While Fendros was surprised as ever to see Sabine this emotive, he was more focused on trying to ignore the burning pain on his tongue and his mouth. There wasn't much of the wrap left at this point, but by proceeding quickly he was able to eat the entire thing.

Ariel returned with a horn of dark ale and a relieved smile. Ale seemed an uncharacteristic drink for her, but she probably chose in a rush while in line. "I'll be sure to watch that I don't have anything that spicy again, I think." She said as she sat down, "How did you like it, Fendros?"

Fendros swallowed and found that no matter how long he waited, the burning of the spices didn't seem to go away. His eyes glanced between Ariel and her drink, unsure whether he wanted to admit again how difficult it was to eat. He knew that Ariel was not one to judge on such things, in fact he probably didn't have anything to worry about before someone inevitably told Lorag. Still, he couldn't quite think straight with the burning. "Hey Ahna," He said, quickly turning to Ahnasha, "How about we find something else to eat?" His words were fast and did not hide his state well.

The Argonian couple listened intently and continued the conversation. "Hmm, a bit of both, I think?" The female said, glancing to the male for a moment before looking at Meesei again, "The city does conduct a lot of trade, so interacting with all sorts of seafarers has brought many non-Argonian immigrants, but Argonians are still a majority. I think the reputation of the wine from this region is what brings so many from elsewhere to prove themselves. And of course to market to all of the wine lovers in the festival. The wine is the reason why many people visit the festival in the first place." The female smiled and properly introduced herself, "I am Deesia, by the way. This is my husband, Saabo-ma. What is your name?"

Saabo-ma took out a small hempen bag, reached in and pulled out a smooth brown pointed nut. Before he ate it, he held the bag under his arm and started to removed the darker brown outer shell of the nut with his fingers to reveal a softer flesh inside. As he tried to remove the husk, he continued talking to Meesei, "It is good to hear that you are helping a friend move in. Where is this friend of yours from? What does he, or she, do?" He held the bag forward and Deesia took one as well, shelling a nut for herself. Saabo-ma smiled to Meesei and nodded to the bag. "Would you like a chestnut? They grow on trees far to the northwest and are roasted. They're my favourite discovery today."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha noticed how Sabine was slowly becoming more expressive. By this point, it almost wasn't a surprise anymore. Meesei was still elsewhere talking to the Argonian couple, but the rest of the group eventually returned to their places observing the competition. The judges had gone through over half of the submissions by this point, though Rukeewei's had not yet been judged. Ahnasha couldn't help but to chuckle at Fendros' response to the spicy nature of the wrap, even if she would have been the same way. She simply didn't bother taking the risk in the first place. "Well, I still need to finish this beetle. I know the vendor in the middle of the square will let you pick one item for free, if you like, though everything after that will cost. You should get something you've never tried before; there is definitely a lot to choose from. I even saw a few Khajiit pastries, and they smelled authentic too."

Meesei glanced down at the nut Saabo-Ma was eating. Given that she had been living in Cyrodiil for years, she was actually familiar with chestnuts. She did not eat them often, as she preferred meat, but they grew in the area. She looked back up at Saboo and nodded politely. "Certainly, I will have one. Actually, I have been to the area of Cyrodiil where they grow. It is quite a different place from Black Marsh. As for me, my name is Meesei." She answered. Based on how expansive the festival was, she had a feeling that the couple were a bit biased with the importance they placed on local wine. Still, she could not argue its quality. Like pretty much everything in the marsh, the local berries used to make most of the wines grew in abundance with little effort. The only difficulty came with transporting them before they could rot. "My friend is a Breton from Morrowind named Ariel. She has been working on opening an apothecary soon, perhaps even today. She can make anything from cures to cosmetics, and is quite talented."

[Muttonhawk]

Khajiit pastries? They would be sweet enough to get rid of the spice. Fendros considered waiting, but couldn't stand the burning for much longer. He replied slowly as he got up, "I think I might just go and get one." Fendros said. Once he was up, he walked off in a hurry to find the stall Ahnasha had mentioned.

At first Ariel was confused by Fendros' behaviour, but seeing Sabine's smile, she understood and stifled a laugh herself. Another realisation came to her when Fendros was out of sight. "Er, Ahnasha?" Ariel asked, "Exactly how... authentic were those pastries you spotted? They didn't have any moon sugar in them, did they?"

"What's this about moon sugar?" Janius interrupted as he arrived back to watch the competition properly.

Deesia seemed pleased to hear about Ariel's shop. "Ah, very nice. Saabo dear, we will have to see this place for ourselves. They might have something to get those oil stains off your sleeves."

"What? Only for new ones to come back the following day? I'm a chef, Deesia, it wouldn't be right without it." Saabo-Ma replied with a laugh.

Deesia simply shook her head with a smile before returning to Meesei. "So, Morrowind and Cyrodiil? You must be well travelled. I wish I could visit those places. What is it you do for a living?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha scratched the back of her head and thought for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure, actually. They smelled pretty much exactly right, but with all the scents in the air, the specifics were hard to pick out. Moon sugar is illegal though, so I doubt they would just let someone...well, I don't know. This isn't the Empire. The Imperials are strict about their rules on moon sugar, but I have no idea what those rules are like in Black Marsh. Would the Argonians even care? I know moon sugar is legal in the Dominion, so it's not impossible."

Meesei took the chestnut Saboo offered her and began to open it with her claws. "It is hard to define exactly what I do, really. I suppose you could say I am a travelling mage, a scholar. Not all of my friends are mages, but we travel together just the same. We have seen large portions of Black Marsh, Morrowind, and Cyrodiil, but I doubt we will ever stop traveling. There is always more to see. As for Ariel and her shop, if she does not have specifically what you need, you should ask her about it when you visit. I'm sure she could make anything with the right ingredients."

[Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, well we probably don't have to worry. It's not like they would just leave them out for anyone to take, right? I mean, there are so many different people here." Ariel assured herself.

Janius held a slightly clueless expression, not knowing the context of the situation. "So, what exactly has happened?" He asked, then craned his neck down with a frown at Sabine, "And what's amused you so much, Runt?"

While her tiny laugh had subsided, Sabine's smile was still slightly visible. She decided not to answer and looked away.

After taking another sip of ale, Ariel answered Janius. "Well, Sabine and myself found a vendor which sold this lamb with a very spicy sauce in these small bread wraps. They were tasty, very tasty, but I couldn't finish mine, too spicy. Fendros finished it. I think the spice might have hit him hard as well. He's going to get something to wash it down, if I'm not mistaken."

Deesia nodded to Meesei as she explained. Her reply seemed friendly enough, but there was a spark of interest in her eyes at the mention of Meesei being a mage. "I've always had respect for mages. I wanted to become one myself, but..." she looked at her palms, "Well, I learned a few things on my own, but it's really more of a hobby. There are so few places to learn it around these parts, and most are filled with tree-minders, I'm no tree-minder." She looked back up, "It's no matter though. I'll definitely have a look at your friend Ariel's shop though."

With a snort, Saabo-Ma added his own opinion. "Don't you talk yourself down Deesia." He said with a grin, before looking to Meesei, "She's found a talent in restoration magic. I always encourage her to do what she enjoys. I said we can sail to a place where there is an Imperial temple, they generally have healers that are willing to teach."

"Saabo, please. I told you no." Deesia said, turning to Saabo-Ma and taking on a somewhat tired and dismissive voice. "I like it here. Close to the Hist. No more of that talk, okay?" Deesia turned around again to Meesei and tried to brighten up again. "I'm sorry, my husband here-" she glanced back and nudged Saabo lightly with her elbow, "-keeps bothering me about it. Anyway, I think we should try some samples before they run out." She smiled widely, "It was nice to meet you, Meesei. Enjoy the festival!"

Before they walked off to the wine samples on display, Saabo offered the opening to the chestnut bag again. "Another? I have more than I can finish, I'll be sharing them all day I think."

Fendros returned and sat down next to Ahnasha carrying a light looking pastry crown in one hand with a bite taken out of it. He had a much more relieved demeanor and was still chewing. Despite looking less like he was going to breathe fire, his eyes were wide and giving an expression of thinking hard. His chewing was slowing until finally he swallowed.

"How is the pastry?" Ariel asked in absence of any other words.

It took a while for Fendros to respond. He looked up slowly and tensed up as if he was going to burp, but swallowed it down. He spoke slowly and quietly, "I think there was something in it. I feel odd."

It was at that moment that a noisy shouting was coming closer. "Hey! Hey wait!" A heavily accented Argonian voice was coming from behind Fendros. When they turned to look, they saw the Argonian man that Fendros recognised as the vendor of the stall he had just collected the pastry from. He was dodging frantically between seated people as he rushed towards them. "That pastry, it's for Khajiit only! It-" he stopped by them, breathing heavily. His heart sunk as he noticed the bite in the pastry. "Oh no. I'm so sorry I didn't catch you taking that pastry. It was in a section labelled as moon sugar treats." He pointed at the pastry, "That isn't for eating by Dunmer, sir. Was it you who took that bite?"

Fendros nodded, but he had his mouth slightly open, and his eyes were still wide and confused. "I was in such a rush I didn't see it," he said, again very slowly and deliberately. It was as if he was fighting a battle in his mind. "Oh, by Azura..." By the quickening of his breathing it seemed like he was becoming anxious in the realisation of his mistake. Fendros started to groan his words, "That would explain the sweetness... and the tiredness... and why I feel slightly sick..." Fendros' eyes darted around. He didn't intend to eat the moon sugar, and by the only other exposure to the substance he had -a small dose of skooma- causing him nothing but nightmares, he was on the brink of utter terror at that moment.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha reached over and grabbed the pastry from Fendros' hands. "If that's the case, give it to me. It wouldn't be a good idea for you to finish this." She looked at the pastry and took a few sniffs of its scent. "This definitely has moon sugar. Just...don't eat any more. Its effects are stronger on non-Khajiit. It is not nearly as strong as skooma...maybe expect some euphoria, a feeling of lightness, and some drowsiness after all that wears off. Just...stick close to me, alright?" She said with a forced smile, as she was quite concerned for him. Moon sugar could be addictive, especially to non-Khajiit, so she didn't want him trying to find more.

Meesei accepted the chestnut from Saboo, then bid both of them farewell. As she was returning to the rest of the group, she turned her attention back to the competition. Rukeewei's wine had been judged, and excitingly, he had the highest score so far. However, there were three entries remaining that had not yet been judged, so he was by no means guaranteed a win. One wine that the judges had not yet tasted, made by an Altmer participant, Meesei thought was particularly good, to the point that she really wasn't sure herself which she liked more.

As Meesei returned to the group, she noticed that Fendros had a worried look on his face and seemed to be acting strangely. "Is something wrong, Fendros?" She asked with obvious concern.

[Muttonhawk]

"I-I th- that pastry had moon sugar, I didn't know." Fendros managed to reply. It was the last he could interact with the world before it seemed to close in and become hard to see, then to hear, then to smell. Eventually he couldn't even feel. Well, he could, but it was as if he had forgotten how to discern textures. But for all the fear he had anticipated, he seemed to just float in space for a while, completely relaxed. He was so relaxed he couldn't move at all. He just slumped forward. Even though he could hardly feel anything, he felt warm and comfortable. The whole experience became pleasurable. He lost track of time, but it must have been a few minutes that he was in that state.

Back on conventionally perceived Mundus, the pack observed Fendros to take care of him. For the first few minutes, it seemed benign. Though he didn't respond to much, he just seemed to sit leaning on his knees with his head slumped forward. The vendor, still looking mortified, understood that Ahnasha was informed of the substance but wanted to take responsibility for what he had done. "I am so, so sorry. I will wait here until he recovers."

Unfortunately, the high was short lived. Things started to take a turn when Fendros' sense of touch came back. A tingling all over his body became a full-on crawling. He itched his arm with one hand, and the crawling spread and intensified. He felt as if he was covered in eels and ants and kwama. He felt like some of them were burying into his skin. His breathing sped up and he began to swat and swipe at random places of his body. "Ahnasha!" He shouted beyond where his senses were clouded, "Get them off!"

At the shouting, the rest of the pack moved in. Fendros had started itching and hitting himself in such a way that it looked like he might hurt himself. Janius caught one of Fendros' hands, twisted it, and pinned him to the ground. The vendor moved in to help, but Janius put up one hand "Hold on, stay back. He's stronger than he looks." Despite Janius' words, Fendros didn't appear to struggle directly against him, but he was clearly still distressed. "Come on, Fendros, back to the real world now, come on." Janius hit Fendros lightly on the cheek a few times with the back of his free hand to snap him out of it. There wasn't any clear signs of him recovering, so Janius looked up at Ahnasha, "How long does this part generally last?"

[EliteCommander]

"I don't know, he seems to have a particularly low tolerance or something. I haven't seen many non-Khajiit on moon sugar, to tell the truth. It was illegal in Leyawiin." Ahnasha responded, stuffing the pastry into her satchel. She looked into Fendros' eyes with worry. He seemed aware, but only slightly. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she lightly grabbed Fendros' hand to get his attention.

"Fendros, listen. I want you just do what I say for the moment, okay? I'm going to take you back to the inn, and we're going to wait in our room for this to subside. Don't worry about talking to anyone, don't worry about anything you see, just focus on me, and do what I say. Now, I'm going to help you up, so I want you to stand." She said, motioning for Janius to let go of his other arm. Her voice was firm, but nonthreatening. She hoped by giving him something to focus on, he would be able to avoid distractions. He listened to her and stood to his feet with her help. Really, he didn't seem to be putting up much resistance to anything she was doing. She just hoped it stayed that way.

Looking back to the others, Ahnasha tried to appear reassuring. She knew more about moon sugar's effects than any of them, so she was most qualified to deal with him. "I'll take him back to our room so he can rest away from the crowd. You all can stay here; I should be able to help him once it wears off. He didn't get too big of a dose, so hopefully he'll be better in time for the opening of Ariel's shop." She said before returning to making eye contact with Fendros. "Now, I want you to follow and focus on me. Don't touch anything with your hands except for my hands. Alright?"

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros' breathing was still shallow and fast. He heard Ahnasha's voice and opened his eyes enough to see her face. She was worried, but it was grounding and reassuring to see her. He was distracted from his crawling skin enough that he didn't even notice Janius releasing him. He complied with Ahnasha and stood up with her help and before he knew it he was walking. To her words, he weakly nodded. He did his best to focus on Ahnasha despite all the blurs and the noise around him.

Janius rubbed the back of his head, not knowing what to do, but worried for Fendros' health. At least Ahnasha knew what she was doing. As they walked away, Janius turned to Meesei, Sabine and Ariel. "Is there some kind of healing magic or remedy that can help him?" He asked.

Ariel and Sabine exchanged a glance, then Ariel replied. "I don't know, something to cure poisons, maybe? I haven't had much experience with moon sugar except with ways to mitigate its narcotic effect in potions, not in people. Even then, it was hard to get. It was illegal in Morrowind."

The vendor leaned in and added his own words, "With a dose that small, the effects shouldn't last too long, even if he had a strong reaction." He sighed, "If anything goes wrong, however, I would be willing to give compensation."

Ahnasha and Fendros managed to make their way far enough that they were away from the crowds of the square and from the busiest part of the streets. Fendros was just taking it in little steps, still trying to focus on Ahnasha as she led him through. At this point, Fendros' breathing became deeper, but still uneasy. He walked with his mouth slightly open and his skin was starting to pale to a lighter purple. "Ahna, I don't feel..." Fendros couldn't finish his sentence before his entire upper body had a wave of tension, ending at his throat with a retch. His focus was broken as his eyes darted around until they found a drain near the road's gutter. He broke away from Ahnasha and stumbled to the drain just in time to empty the contents of his stomach through the metal grate.

A few minutes later, once the last of his breakfast and the wrap he had eaten earlier were in the sewerage system, they were able to head back to the inn. Fendros didn't look as pale by the time that they arrived, and he had regained his senses back for the most part. He was just completely fatigued now. "Ahna, I'm so sorry. I should have seen the sign, that was so stupid of me," Fendros groaned, "I didn't want to ruin the day. I just need to lie down, you go back to the festival and enjoy yourself."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha put a hand on Fendros' shoulder as they were walking upstairs to their room. "How about I stay with you until you can get to sleep? After you wake up, you should at least be mostly okay." She offered. Once they were in their room, Ahnasha guided him to his bed and sat down beside him once he laid down. She rubbed her hand on his sweat-drenched forehead and gave him a concerned smile. "Just get some rest, it will be over when you wake up."

Meesei was obviously worried about Fendros, but unfortunately, she knew no magic that could help him. She had little to no experience with moon sugar, and only really knew about it by reputation. "I trust Ahnasha. I believe she will be able to take of him. She cares about him, so she would ask if she thought he needed any help."

Most of the pack seemed a bit anxious and slightly worried from the incident, but nevertheless, they remained. Meesei did her best to get back to enjoying the festival. The judging on the wines was wrapping to a close, and all but the Altmer's wine had been scored. Now that the competition was nearly over, most of the crowd was actually paying attention to see who would emerge victorious. Considering the quality of the Altmer's wine, it was actually a bit tense. A staff member went down the line, pouring a small amount of wine into each judge's glasses. One by one, they tasted, then gave their scores. Each one was just as high as Meesei would have expected, and by the end, the Altmer had accumulated a score a bit higher than Rukeewei's. Given the nature of the event, the clapping from the audience was rather tame to congratulate the Altmer. As the staff members were presenting the top three contenders with their rewards, Meesei saw that Rukeewei did not seem to be upset. Indeed, he seemed quite happy with taking second place in the competition. Most of the competitors exchanged smiles and handshakes, which demonstrated the civility of the event. Rukeewei seemed to be talking with the other competitors for the moment, but Meesei assumed he would approach them soon enough.

[Muttonhawk]

While the incident with Fendros was worrying, the awkwardness wore off after a short while. Janius dismissed the vendor, noting that it really wasn't his fault anyway, and the pack sat to observe the rest of the competition. It was slow, and some of them found it boring, but when it was too boring, they had a quick wander to find something to eat. It's not like there was a shortage of food.

Even though Fendros really didn't want to be an inconvenience, he had a feeling that Ahnasha wasn't going to be convinced to go back to the festival until he was at least safely in their room. Not lifting his foot quite high enough for the first step of the staircase made him grateful that she was there to steady him. Soon enough, they found their way to a bed and Fendros laid himself down. "Ahna, my skin was crawling so much back in the square. I felt like I was being accosted by insects." Fendros said tiredly, his eyes drooping, but still looking at Ahnasha, "You remember that time I told you that I tried skooma? It was like that, except with the skooma it lasted for the entire night. I was terrified that it would be the same with the moon sugar once I found out." He turned his head to face Ahnasha properly and put his hand on her arm, "The insects won't return again, will they?" By Fendros' tone, he was still slightly delirious, but at least he seemed to be past the worst of it. His eyes then started to droop shut as if he were about to fall asleep, but before he succumbed, he opened his eyes slightly and took another look at Ahnasha. "I love you, Ahna," he said.

Back at the square, the winners had been selected by the judges, and Rukeewei came in with a well earned second that was a nose away from first. "That Rukeewei may make a sadistic cocktail, but sure knows his way around wine as well." Janius remarked, crossing his arms, "I say he should have come in first place."

"The Altmers' wine was a fine one as well." Ariel added, "Did you get a chance to taste any, Sabine?"

Sabine kept looking at the stage and shook her head.

"Did you want to? I think there are some samples left." Ariel asked.

Sabine looked back at Ariel, her pause implied consideration, but she shook her head again.

"Which did you think would be the winner, Meesei?" Ariel turned to Meesei.