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

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth gave Janius an enthusiastic nod. "Oh, yes, I happy to teach Jel, even more happy to learn. And we do wear...are-more. But no metal. We have bone and scales from prey. Very tough. Many hunters use wamasu hide. Very dangerous, but we get many scales and meat from one. I not earned my armor yet. My last test: kill wamasu with others, make armor. Then, I am real hunter." She said with a bit of a sigh. Even at first glance, it was easy to tell that earning her status as a hunter was something she was passionate about. She seemed to be trapped in her own thoughts for a moment before snapping out of it and focusing back on Janius with a more excited expression. "I earned tattoos, though. Last season, I still very proud. They have much mean-ing for me. You like them? You have tattoos?"

Julneen looked around at the others, then glanced back to his own hut. He did wish to stay, but looking at the gaze his wife gave him, he knew he could not. "I do have more questions, but I also have work to do. Others may wish to stay, but I must go. Perhaps later, we may speak." He said before standing up and taking his leave. Despite the fact that they could stay, many of the other villagers that had chosen to crowd around them started leaving as well, perhaps because they also had work to do, or because they were not confident enough to speak to the pack directly.

Meesei shook her head in response to Ralith. "No, I do not, but several friends of mine did. I would be careful not to underestimate your own influence on your brother. Whether he is trying to be like you, or doing all he can to be different, your actions will influence him." She advised. By this point, his brother had seen the scars Lorag could show, and their parents looked like they wanted the brothers to take their leave along with them. Meesei was uncertain of what else they would do while they waited on the preparations for Sabine's trials, but she was glad to have the chance to speak to the people of the village. Perhaps it would help to build some trust between them and the pack, though she doubted they would ever gain the trust of the Master-Hunter.

[Muttonhawk]

It was clear that Kaleeth was very interested in becoming a hunter. Taking down a wamasu was a particularly dangerous right of passage to earn that status. Janius glanced around to the hunters briefly. To think that all of the hunters guarding them, even with help, each had a hand in killing one, was testament to their skills and strength. "Mmno, I do not have any tattoos. They are not common in Cyrodiil." Janius shook his head, then eyed the swimming vine shapes on Kaleeth-Rei's body. "Your tattoos are very pretty though." He gestured to them with his finger, quickly and roughly tracing their shape through the air in the space between himself and Kaleeth. He wondered if tattoos were as painful to have inscribed into Argonian scales as human skin. "How did you earn them?"

"Farewell. It was good talk." Fendros said as the villagers dispersed. Even though they were still being closely watched, he felt a bit more comfortable now. He was glad to have a chat with Julneen, even if it was only for a short while. "Azura, speaking in Jel is tiring." He said to no one in particular, before looking around to the rest of the pack.

"Ralith-Ei, Caatot, come along, you have chores to do!" An Argonian female voice from one of the huts turned the heads of both the brothers. Ralith-Ei looked to Meesei one more time, "It was nice to meet you, Meesei," he stood up and walked over to Caatot, poking him in the shoulder, "Come on, it is your turn to bone the fish." Caatot clearly wanted to stay, but grumbled and got up to run off anyway. "See you later, hunters!" He shouted over his shoulder while he headed to the hut. Ralith started to leave, but stopped to say one last thing to Meesei, "Thank you for the talk." He didn't seem immediately prepared to admit that Meesei was correct, but the message might have come through. "Ralith!" "Coming, mother!"

Now it just appeared to be the pack, the hunters, the young woman Janius was talking to, and Reanaseer. Most of the pack was at a loss for what to do. Fendros grinned when he saw Janius fulfilling his habit. "I see you've still found a way to talk a female up here, Janius."

Janius' head jerked to Fendros in partial surprise. Then he squinted and pointed to Fendros with a smile, "You shut your mouth, Dunmer." Part of Janius actually wanted to err on the side of caution in regards to interacting with females now that he wasn't even allowed to bed them. That didn't mean he couldn't make a few friends at least. Kaleeth was a nice person.

[EliteCommander]

With how fast they spoke, Kaleeth did not understand most of what Fendros said to Janius, but it still seemed like he was paying attention to her, so she proceeded to answer his question. "I earn them in...test. We choose a test that...that..." She began, becoming visibly frustrated that she could not find the words to adequately describe what she was trying to say. The tattoos and how she earned them had a deep meaning to her that she simply could not express with her limited vocabulary. "Sorry, I don't know words for it. The test shows a...a part of, uh, us. A part of us. Something good about us. My...vines show...they show..."

Kaleeth stopped again to try and think of what she was saying. She wanted to describe how the thorny vines her tattoos depicted represented perseverance. She wanted to explain the analogy of how the resilient vines of the marsh thrived everywhere around them, no matter how harsh the conditions. No matter how many times they were cut down, they would inevitably return. It caused her no small amount of frustration that she could not give an explanation in Cyrodilic as eloquent as she could in Jel. "Tough...toughness. They show toughness. I can survive danger. My test had much danger. Hunters took me into marsh with no...bee-long-ings. No, spear, no clothes, no food. Just my...skills. I had to...not die, and find home again. I was away six nights. I got hurt, but I did not die. It was hard, but I am proud."

One of the villagers helped Reanaseer to her feet before leaving. The Elder approached Meesei with one final matter before returning to her hut herself. "It seems, at the very least, you have made our village less boring for the moment. As we mentioned before, you may stay in the common quarters. It is the largest hut, where all non-mated villagers, and guests, stay. You should be able to find a space large enough for your belongings. If I had to guess, I would say our Treeminder will be ready with the first trial in a few hours, but I would not expect more than one trial today. Now, I need to rest. May your scales be moistened by your stay here."

"Thank you." Meesei responded with an appreciative nod before Reanaseer left. She then motioned for any of the others not talking to one of the villagers to help her gather up their belongings to move to the common quarters.

[Muttonhawk]

"Six nights? Mara's mercy, that must have been difficult." Janius was very visibly impressed. He thought it rather cruel at first to hear that they would leave her in the marsh to fend for herself, but she must have been very capable to succeed in it. He glanced at the tattoos again, he wasn't exactly a botanist, so he didn't see the parallels between the vines and Kaleeth's ordeal, but he understood their significance now.

Before he could say anything else, the pack began to rise to carry their belongings into the large hut that the elder had pointed to. Janius got up as well with his baggage and looked to Kaleeth, "Shall we walk and talk?" he asked, offering a hand to help her up. As they walked to the hut, Janius resumed the conversation, "You are very brave and strong to live through such a test. Does every hunter have to do the same?"

Fendros kept holding hands with Ahnasha, helping her up to get to the common quarters. He thought before that perhaps the villagers would be uncomfortable with he and Ahnasha, but he was glad to have that worry alleviated by Julneen and the others. "You know, I don't mind it here. Everyone seems very friendly. Well, most of them." Fendros said, facing Ahnasha directly, "What do you think?"

[EliteCommander]

After taking a few moments to plan her words, Kaleeth-Rei tried to give the best explanation she could. "Not all, some do. We all pick test, but not always same test. Test is...supposed to show a thing we are good at. All tests have much danger, some die in them. Hunters are strong, though, and we are supposed to be strong."

As they entered the common quarters, the group looked around to find a spot empty enough for them to place their belongings. Despite being made of unrefined, natural materials such as compacted clay, the hut was quite large. It was circular and elevated slightly off the ground, with a dome on top. The entire hut was a single, open room with a single pillar in the center for support. The bedrolls that the villagers used were essentially the same as those of the pack, as they were made from the hides of local creatures. Kaleeth did not feel comfortable helping them with their belongings unless she was asked to, but she had no problem following Janius around. "You staying in...common hut? I stay here too; we...stay together, then."

Ahnasha watched the villagers around them as they walked to the common quarters, the hunters in particular. She wasn't quite as sold on their kindness as Fendros. It certainly seemed that some of them were welcoming, but she could not shake the stares of those who were more suspicious. "I don't know, the ones we were talking to under the tree were nice enough, but that was only a part of the village's population. I get why the hunters are acting so suspicious. From what it sounds like, they are pretty much the village's guards, so it is their job to protect everyone. Not to mention the fact that their leader doesn't seem to like outsiders in the slightest. Some of the hunters may just be acting distrustful, I don't know, but it's the rest of the villagers that have me feeling unwelcome. Other than the ones we talked to, it seems like a lot of the people here are just ignoring us. If you look closely, you'll notice that they give little more than passing glances to us. If you make eye contact, they will look away real quick. They don't seem comfortable around us. I don't think we have universal acceptance here, but I suppose that it is better than being universally denied by them."

[Muttonhawk]

With Kaleeth's words, Janius believed he understood. He wasn't clear whether the hunters as a group picked rights of passage for initiates, or if the initiates picked, but it was meant to prove the best in them as far as he could see. He raised his brow in minor surprise to hear that they would be staying in the same hut as Kaleeth. "It would seem that way, yes. Good, we can talk more, you might talk with the rest of us as well." Janius said with a smile, setting down his belongings in a vacant space on the floor, "Sorry in advance if Lorag snores."

Janius surmised that unless Kaleeth was a guest of the village as well, she was not mated. At least that would reduce the danger of their interaction being misconstrued by an as-yet unseen partner. Kaleeth-Rei didn't really seem like someone who would intentionally cause that in any case, but there was always the possibility of jealousies she didn't account for. "So, do you have family here in the village?" Janius asked slowly.

"Hmm, I mustn't have noticed," Fendros said to Ahnasha with an honest tone. "Well, in that case, I hope our welcome lasts as long as it needs to." The common hut was not much of a step up from sleeping out in the swamps, but it was still cosy. Fendros suspected that such shelters wouldn't be taken for granted in the rainier seasons. For now, there wasn't much to do but wait for Sabine's first trial.

[EliteCommander]

Once Kaleeth understood Janius' question, she nodded affirmatively. "Oh, yes. There is father and mother and...mother's father. Egg-brother died in his test...four seasons ago. Was sad, but brother will be...re-born when Hist wants. Father tried look strong, but he was sad." She explained, her tone becoming a bit more melancholy. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before her expression suddenly turned from slight sadness, to concern. "Oh! I remember, I have...small work to do for father. Need to when not-dark." Kaleeth exclaimed. She seemed disappointed that she would have to leave at first, but then her expression quickly turned to a much more upbeat smile. "I need go for now, but I come back in...what is word? Hours? A few hours. You can help my Cyrodilic."

After Kaleeth left, a few hours passed where the pack waited and tried to become acclimated to the village. They were not sure if it was normal for the residents of the village to go to the common quarters during the day, but very few did while the pack was there. Perhaps they were avoiding the group, or perhaps it was simply that they only ever used the hut to sleep at night. Either way, it was not long before Treeminder Thorantilth returned to them. The very moment Meesei saw him enter the hut, she walked over to Sabine. While the trials were for her, and her alone, the ritual itself would allow her to have a guide: a role Meesei intended to fill. It would be a few days still before it was time for the ritual, but Meesei still wanted to provide as much support as possible to Sabine.

Thorantilth approached Sabine with a serious, but friendly expression. He had picked up on her general anxiety when they first met, so he tried to appear unintimidating when he approached her. "I have prepared your first trial, if you would please follow me."

[Muttonhawk]

Hearing about Kaleeth-Rei's brother's death caused something of an awkward moment. "Oh... I'm sorry," Janius offered in a solemn tone, his face lowering. Janius found it hard to truly empathise in this case; he had passing friends from the Fighter's Guild die before. Some died before his very eyes by the stings of giant spiders. However, he never had any siblings, or really any of his loved ones die. Excepting his grandfather from old age, but that was a protracted affair. Kaleeth's case sounded like it happened more suddenly. Kaleeth broke the silence and announced that she had an errand to run, or something of that nature. "Okay, I will see you later then." Janius smiled and waved.

Hmm, friendly girl. Janius thought to himself as he looked over the rest of his equipment. Perhaps he would succeed in keeping it at a friendship. He had mostly succeeded in refraining from showering her with compliments... until he realised that he had made enough that such a point was moot. Well, it probably wasn't going to turn into anything more than a hunt and some language practice... until he looked at his bedroll. I am bad at this, aren't I? he thought between unwillingly forming fantasies in his mind. It's times like these that I realise how unhealthily my mind defaults.

In the few hours that they waited, some equipment maintenance and general resting and recovery was done after spending most of the day travelling. Sabine occupied herself by spreading out some alchemical equipment to produce some more insect repellant. After mixing enough to keep the pack supplied for a while longer, she detected some footprints behind her and turned to see Meesei and the treeminder. The first mysterious trial. Sabine took a shaky breath in through her mouth and stood up. Looking down, she followed Thorantilth without a word. At least Meesei was there, that was some comfort.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei walked alongside Sabine, placing a hand on her shoulder as a reminder that she was there to support her. It was easy to tell that Sabine was uncomfortable. Whether that was because of the coming trials, or simply because they were surrounded by strangers who were untrusting of the pack was uncertain, but either way, Meesei wished to provide her comfort.

The trio was silent as they left the common hut and walked in the direction of the Hist tree, but even one as inexperienced with humans as Thorantilth could pick up on Sabine's discomfort. He did not know her well, but he suspected that dread of the coming trials might be the cause of her problems. Certainly, there were some aspects of the trials that might not be pleasant, but this one in particular was not something to be worried about. "We will be heading to my home, near the Hist. I have prepared the first trial there." He explained, looking down to Sabine with a bit of sympathy. "I would not fear today's trial. There is nothing dangerous about this test, and if I am being honest, there is nothing particularly challenging about it either. Do not mistake me, the trials will become difficult, but this one is more of a...tradition than a challenge. I am sure you will have no problem passing it."

Shorty after Sabine and Meesei left the common quarters, Kaleeth returned from helping her father. It was evening, but not quite dark yet. There would be a few hours before night fell over the marsh, though that would not be near enough time for a hunt, so she decided not to ask about that until the next morning. Instead, she simply approached Janius with the same bright smile as she had when she left. There were a few spots of dirt on her scales, particularly on her hands, indicating that whatever work she had been doing was some form of manual labor. Nevertheless, she seemed excited and eager to speak to him. As she had not understood what Janius said when he explained his greeting to her the first time, and he had not clarified afterwards, she once again walked up to him and greeted him with a kiss. "Greeting! I finished work with father. Sadly, there is no time to hunt now. Will need to tomorrow...instead. I still want to talk to you. Do you like swim? I think it would be...would be fun."

[Muttonhawk]

The reassurance from Thorantilth didn't cause Sabine to be any less comfortable at least, but on the outside she didn't seem to react as she walked. Her head was still forward and her shoulders were still hunched. On the inside, however, her anxiety had stopped escalating on its own, at least for the moment. This would just be a harmless opening trial, apparently.

On the way to Thorantilth's quarters, an Argonian boy who looked about in his mid-teens, similar to Sabine, approached the three. His scale colouring was tan, like Thorantilth, but he wasn't covered in nearly as many tattoos. There were no fins on his head either, only a couple of stubby horns. "Father, I cleaned up as you asked," the boy said to Thorantilth in Jel, causing Sabine to look up a little. Apart from having her head lowered, Sabine stared at him blankly as usual. The boy was curious and looked blankly back for a moment, before continuing, "Is this the outsider who wants to bind with the hist?" He managed a small smile and extended a hand. "Hello. My name is Tunxeek," he said in Cyrodilic of all things. His accent was about as good as his father Thorantilth's, but his words were slightly slower. Sabine didn't do anything except continue to stare. Tunxeek had no idea about Sabine's disposition to strangers, so after a moment passed he looked at Thorantilth with confusion when she didn't react to his greeting. "Did I say something wrong?"

Janius was spending some time oiling his armour by the time Kaleeth-Rei returned. Janius smiled right back at her when he saw her, but was taken off guard with her greeting kiss. He had completely forgotten about that. Before he could properly explain, there was an offer to go swimming. He didn't see why not, the weather hadn't changed much after all, spending some time in the water would be refreshing. "Greetings. Yes, that sounds like a good idea," he said, putting down the shinguard he was cleaning and getting up. Janius began to walk, but spoke on the way, "By the way, I should properly explain the kiss, I am sorry for not making it clear earlier." He said slowly and seriously, but still with a smile on his face. It was an amusing situation after all. "In Cyrodiil, men kiss beautiful women on the hand for first greeting," He tried slowly, using gestures and pointing to either of them to indicate 'men', 'beautiful women', 'hand', and so on, "People only kiss other people on their lips when they are family, or they are courting." Janius realised that perhaps 'courting' was not a common word, and glanced around as he tried to think of another way to explain it. "Uh, courting is... when you, um..." his palms faced upwards, there probably weren't any obvious gestures for this, "Courting is when two people start being more than friends. Sometimes they fall in love." He awkwardly chuckled and grinned, "So it is funny, you see. We have only met today, so it is very unusual to be kissed by you."

[EliteCommander]

As usual, Kaleeth had to concentrate to make sure she understood everything Janius said, so she only broke eye contact with him to make sure they were still heading in the right direction. She nodded to him with each sentence she understood, and grinned once more when he referred to her as beautiful. It took her a few moments to understand his explanation of courting, by which point they had reached the swimming hole. It was close to one of the huts just outside the bounds of the village and close enough that it was perfectly safe. The water was slow moving, with few fish or other creatures living underneath its surface. At its deepest, it was just slightly taller than the average person, though only in a limited area.

Once Kaleeth understood the meaning of her greeting, her expression quickly turned embarrassed and she looked away awkwardly. She clasped her hands together, then slowly brought her gaze back to him to make eye contact. "Oh...I sorry. I not know. You were being so nice, I want to be nice back."

Crouching down beside the water, Kaleeth examined it for a few moments as a precaution to check for slaughterfish or other dangerous creatures. It was rare for them to be in this particular river, but not impossible. After she was confident it was safe, she stood back up, then removed her loincloth and placed it on a dry spot near a rock. Looking back to Janius, she continued to show a bit of embarrassment. "You...forgive me?"

Thorantilth quickly responded to his son. "No, it is why they wish to go through the ritual, from my understanding. Did you speak to Shaleer-Za about the preparations for tomorrow as well?" He asked. They reached Thorantilth's hut quickly, so after they finished speaking, they would proceed inside to begin.

Meesei knew well that Thorantilth spoke the truth about the trial. The first trial, the trial of mind, was rather trivial. The Cyrodilic word "trial" held a much more serious connotation than the actual test entailed. Most could pass it easily, it was the later tests which warranted more concern. They had more serious consequences, and could even be dangerous. Unfortunately, in order to preserve the sanctity of the ritual, Meesei could not give a detailed explanation of what she should expect beforehand. She could only provide comfort, support, and limited guidance.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius tried to hold back his laughter, but Kaleeth's expression was priceless. He snorted and heartily laughed when she asked for forgiveness. "It's quite alright." He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile, "You did not know, how could I blame you?" Janius let her go and undressed as well. As he waded into the water, he spoke further, "Is there anything that Argonians do when courting that I might accidentally do? I might save myself from embarrassment if I know." He looked back at her. He hoped that he didn't put her into shock with the realisation.

Tunxeek slowly closed the fingers of his extended hand and lowered it. He didn't quite understand his father's meaning, but he understood enough that perhaps it would not be appropriate to greet the Breton girl just yet. Realising his father's question, Tunxeek snapped back into the moment, "Er... well..." Tunxeek, suddenly became nervous and his eyes darted about. He had completely forgotten about talking to Shaleer-Za today. He hoped he hadn't made his father cross. He lifted one finger and looked at Thorantilth with wide eyes, "I will do that right now!" He exclaimed, before scurrying off in the direction of another hut.

Now that they were at Thorantilth's hut, they could begin. Sabine wasn't quite at the point of trembling, but her hands weren't so steady. Despite Thorantilth's reassurance, she still had no idea what to expect. She looked up at Thorantilth and waited for instruction.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth got in the water alongside Janius. Even if the water was fairly warm, she took a few moments to let her body acclimate to the temperature as she listened to Janius. "Uhh, I not sure. We talk together, take time together. I...I not sure what to say. I not know what Imperials do, so I can not know what is...different. We...when we marry, one mate give ring to other. It has...it has...I not know name for gem. Sorry."

Kaleeth could move around easily in the water, and she found it interesting that Janius did not seem to be able to move with near the agility. As she was swimming around him, she gave an audible chuckle. "You not move quick in water, do you?" She asked before quickly reaching dunking his head underwater, then darting away to the other side of the river along the riverbed. She surfaced, then looked back at him laughing with a playful grin.

Once Tunxeek left, Thorantilth led the pair into his hut. While not as large as the common quarters, it was sizable for a villager's home. It seemed like it would normally have a lot of floor space, but in this case, much of it was taken up by the items needed for the ritual. There were a total of nine pedestals situated in the center of the hut. On the frontmost row of pedestals were three, leather-bound books, each with a parchment resting on top of them. The center row held three unique objects, a potion bottle filled with a thick, golden-colored liquid, a strange stone, and an axe of a non-Argonian design. On the back row were three chests, engraved with the words inscribed with the words Awas, Betzi, and Jaraleet, respectively. They were written in Jel, but in front of each chest was a small parchment with the words written in Cyrodilic script.

"This trial is a puzzle, of sorts. All you need do to pass is simply to solve it. I can give no further details, but I doubt you will need them." Thorantilth explained. Meesei placed a hand on Sabine's shoulder and gave her a smile of encouragement before releasing her to allow her to begin.

[Muttonhawk]

Hm, fair enough. If she has been so isolated from Imperial culture then it would make it difficult to compare. Perhaps there aren't so many differences anyway. Janius thought, before lowering himself into the water.

Kaleeth was a very swift swimmer, like all Argonians. Janius opened his mouth to answer her question and instead had it filled with water as his head was shoved under the surface rather suddenly. Kaleeth was stronger than Janius had originally thought. When he resurfaced, he coughed out the drops of water that he had breathed in and wiped his eyes. Kaleeth was initially nowhere to be seen anymore. Then there was a splashing sound from over Janius' shoulder and he turned to see her grinning and laughing.

Even though it had felt like a bit of an ambush, Janius returned the grin and chuckled. She got him good. "I may not have a tail for swimming like you do, but let's see if I can't get you back for that!" Janius shouted across the water. He dove forward and tried to swim and catch Kaleeth-Rei. He knew about Argonian gills, so he figured if he could snatch her by the ankles and pull her a short distance backwards through the water, it might make for a similarly uncomfortable experience to having her head dunked under without such gills. However, if she decided to swim to avoid Janius further, there was little chance that he would catch her. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the challenge.

---

Over in Thorantilth's hut, Sabine reluctantly stepped up to the puzzle that had been laid out. She reached and took one book with its parchment companion, looking it over. The small book was written completely in Jel, gibberish to Sabine, but the parchment was something she could understand. It was probably a translation. Before reading the books, she looked over the other items. They were seemingly unrelated; three labelled chests, an axe, a stone, and a potion. It didn't seem to make immediate sense, but Sabine tried to calm down and focus. She put the book and parchment back and inspected the other items more closely, one by one.

The potion was a viscous deep orange. Sabine thought it was some kind of sap or insect ichor. Or perhaps it was a glue. A salve? She curiously took the bottle and opened it to smell its contents. It was definitely Hist sap. Fresher and sweeter than any she had smelled, but it was unmistakable.

The stone was less obvious. It was smooth and otherwise unremarkable. Sabine thought it was a river pebble, but it was lighter than she thought, and river pebbles were often much more flat. She replaced it on the pedestal not knowing much more about it.

The axe was even more of a mystery. She wasn't knowledgeable about weapon crafting, but it was not like any she had seen before. It was made with materials from black marsh by the looks, but it was different to the weapons that she saw the villagers carrying, and it was old. Very old.

The chests themselves were each labelled with a parchment that had Cyrodilic letters written on them, but not any words that Sabine reckognised. It looked like the books held the final hope of any of this making sense.

Sabine collected the book she had first picked up and read the parchment carefully, following the lines with an index finger and mouthing out the words. The Fruit and the Stone was a very short story, almost an anecdote. It felt like an excerpt from a longer story. There were a couple of things that Sabine quickly realised, however: the focal character of the story, Betzi, had her name labelled on one of the chests. Most of the excerpt also spoke of a 'Zaht Stone', as resembling a Hist fruit? And that it would provide protection to someone or something named Hissmir. It was a connection that made some kind of sense. Sabine noted it in her mind.

Moving onto the next book; The Lost Communion, Sabine read it through and found a similar connection between the character of the book, Jaraleet, the object in it, the hist sap, and the label on another chest. This story concerned one Jaraleet discovering and using Hist sap as a medium for communicating with the Hist.

The final book was simply titled The True Balance. Just like the other two, it connected an object to a name. The axe to Awas. The book read a profound line: "To truly understand a foe, fight them with their own weapons." Sabine got the feeling that there was a significance in each of the books beyond the simple connections between the objects and the named chests, but for now she saw the simple logical connections clearly. Thorantilth was correct, this didn't appear difficult at all.

Wordlessly, she arranged the items according to their connection to one another. The Fruit and the Stone and the strange plump pebble were placed in the chest labelled Betzi. The Lost Communion and the Hist sap were placed in the chest labelled Jaraleet. Finally, The True Balance and the axe were placed in the chest labelled Awas. Sabine's mind whirred, trying to work out what it all meant. She looked over to Meesei and Thorantilth to see if she had succeeded in the trial, or needed to discover more.

[EliteCommander]

Instead of simply swimming completely out of reach, Kaleeth decided to make things interesting by swimming tight circles around him. Every time she would move in range of him, she would dart away before he could grab her. She kept going for quite a while, so he had to surface a few times to catch his breath. She surfaced alongside him as well, swimming backwards around him just out of reach. "You try hard, but I fast. You never catch me." Kaleeth said confidently.

Janius dove underwater one more time to attempt to catch her, while she continued to swim close to him. She was laughing and generally enjoying herself the entire time, as she assumed Janius would be if he could do so underwater. Since she guessed he would tire soon, she grew more bold and swam closer. Unfortunately for her, that overconfidence proved to be her weakness, as she was caught in the middle of turning while far too close to him, meaning her tail was moving slowly, and well within his reach.

---

Thorantilth smiled upon Sabine's success and nodded to her once she looked at him. "That is indeed the solution. As I said, this test is none too challenging. There is nothing more you need to do to complete this trial, but I do have a question for you, to help you understand more the purpose of this test. From the short excerpts I translated, what seemed to stand out to you the most? From your eyes, what would you consider important from the stories?" He asked, hoping that her success, coupled with his friendly demeanor, would help her to be more open.

[Muttonhawk]

It was suitably challenging to try and catch Kaleeth in the water. Janius persisted with futility for so long that he was nearing the point of giving up. Fortunately, Kaleeth-Rei had underestimated him after a while and Janius found an opportunity. His arm shot through the water and snatched Kaleeth firmly by the tail. Anchoring himself on the riverbed to the best of his ability, he stopped her forward motion dead and reached with his other hand, grabbing her by the leg. At this point, he pulled her back towards him through the water. Without her main form of propulsion, Kaleeth wasn't like catching smoke anymore. Janius followed through by releasing her tail and reaching to grab her by the arm and lift up to break the surface of the water.

He met the tropical air with a deep breath, letting go of Kaleeth's leg, but pulling her arm up high so she couldn't immediately dive right back into the water to get away. "Hahaha! You slippery eel! Finally got you!" Janius shouted with mirthful triumph. His laughing died down while he caught his breath. He lowered her arm, looking at her closely with a grin. "That was a lot of fun," he said in a quieter tone, "it's not often I get to fish for Argonians."

---

Thorantilth's question caused Sabine to look down and away. Not out of anxiety, but because she was thinking. All three of the stories had some virtues to them, some lessons that could be taken away.

"...The Fruit and the Stone..." Sabine started quietly. Her tone was slow and mumbling, but more confident than usual. She seemed to be less worried about the world at large and was more focussed on pondering the stories. "The fruit was small and simple, but it was important. The small thing, that Betzi didn't think was important, turned out to be the answer. I think."

Sabine took a breath before continuing to think out loud. It wasn't often that she thought out loud. "The Lost Communion... Jaraleet did many useless things, but he kept going. Then he was inspired by his wife's suggestion, and rewarded for persisting." Sabine shrugged, "He... he kept persisting, and experimenting. Trying new things. He kept going to his goal."

Curling her lips in thought, Sabine rubbed her upper arm for a moment while she explained her interpretation of the final book. "The True Balance said... to understand something, you must become it. You must fight with their weapons. So when you want to understand, you have to... think like them. You... you have to... see what they see."

Sabine looked at the treeminder, "All the stories. They found answers to their problems in... where they... wouldn't normally look. They... found it in unexpected things." Sabine thought she understood better now. Thinking outside of the box for solutions was something that she didn't think she was very good at. But, if it would prepare her for the ritual, she would keep it in mind. She waited for Thorantilth to confirm this before she left it at that conclusion.

[EliteCommander]

Due to his excitement, Janius spoke to quickly with his first statement for Kaleeth to understand, not that she was focusing too heavily on his speech at the moment. She did, however, understand his last sentence and laughed along with him. "I not fish...I just as fast as one. But yes...you catch me. Still..." She began, leaning in close enough that her snout was just touching his nose. She looked him in the eyes with a jokingly intimidating stare and a mischievous grin "...I get you back."

Suddenly, she quickly swam back away from him, then stopped and started to float lazily on her back. With a much more lighthearted expression, she grinned at him once more. "Just not now. I get you when you not...expect it." Slowly, she floated over beside him, then wrapped her tail around him to anchor herself to him. "You not at all like what others say outsiders are. You...more fun, and friendly. I excited to hunt with you. You want to go hunt tomorrow morning?"

---

Thorantilth seemed pleased at Sabine's understanding. He nodded to her affirmatively, then sat down on a mat nearby, motioning for her and Meesei to take a seat as well. "Indeed, that is one of the lessons those stories provide. Even from the few short sections I translated for you, there is wisdom to be held. But the greatest wisdom is not in understanding the lesson, it is knowing how to apply it. For a long as those stories have been a part of our traditions, they have only been just that: stories. The true strength in them, and our traditions as a whole, is in how we use them in our lives. If you have traveled in the marsh for any time, then you can imagine the perils of living here. Every day is a struggle for survival. The marsh is chaotic, unpredictable. It is, in a way, an excellent representation of Sithis, the perfect chaos. It is by our bonds with the Hist and our willingness to learn the lessons they teach us that we may survive here. With this ritual, that is a bond you too will share, if only for a short time."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius quietly laughed with a hint of nervousness at Kaleeth's... threat. With how well the hunters hid themselves when the pack first approached the village, Janius had no doubt that Kaleeth would succeed in ambushing him in some capacity. Still, he wondered what impression Kaleeth had been given about outsiders that they would not be as fun loving as they both were. Perhaps it was by virtue of Janius being part of an... abnormal group. Or perhaps Fendros was right; the scars have run deep for such a long time now that it would be another era at least before they healed. Especially in isolated villages.

"It would be a pleasure to hunt with you tomorrow morning." Janius replied, this time keeping his speech slower for her, "Who knows? We might find your wamasu if we are lucky." With more subdued movements, Janius lowered himself into the water and leaned back to float as well. He looked up at the sky as it began to tint a bright orange-pink, then looked over at Kaleeth. "How do I say, 'it would be my pleasure' in Jel?" Janius asked.

---

Somehow, just the mention of the ritual quietened Sabine again. Not that she had much that she wanted to respond to Thorantilth with. His words made sense, Sabine just wondered if she would be able to apply the lessons as Thorantilth had said.

"Um, father," a quiet Argonian voice sounded from the door of the hut. The three turned to see Tunxeek poking his head through cautiously. Evidently he did not want to disturb any rituals in progress, but there appeared to just be discussion at this point. "Shaleer-Za says everything will be ready by morning." His voice was soft. In the time he was away he surmised that perhaps it was shyness that kept the Breton girl quiet. He didn't want to exacerbate it by speaking loudly. "Uhm, is the first trial finished? I can make tea if you like."

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth shook her head slightly. "Oh no, that would be...not-lucky. Wamasu hunt is for big group, not pair. I not want you to die helping me." When he asked to translate the Cyrodilic phrase he said, she seemed to think for a moment, as she had misunderstood the meaning of his words by her understanding of the word "pleasure". "You say hunting make you feel good? Or hunting with me make you feel good? The words would be: It would be pleasurable.

Kaleeth did not entirely understand the strange phrase and in the back of her mind was wondering if she had understood him properly. Nevertheless, she very much liked the idea of them helping to teach each other about their respective languages. "Want to help me with Cyrodilic, while I help you with Jel?" She asked.

---

"Yes, if you please. Be sure to use canis root instead of nightshade, this time." Thorantilth answered to his son.

Looking back to Sabine, he continued from where he left off. "Anyway, I would keep this lesson in mind for the next two trials. "In more cases than not, the correct path is the straightforward one, but sometimes, it is not. One purpose of the trial of mind, even in its simplicity, is to show that your mind is your most valuable tool in any case. The other two trials will test other aspects of you, but your judgement will be a powerful weapon. Now, this trial is finished, but if you wish to stay for tea, or ask more about the trials, ritual, or our people in general, I will be here to answer."

[Muttonhawk]

"It woult be pleazurable." Janius repeated without complete success, "Hmm. I enjoy hunting, but yes, hunting with you would make me feel good." He smiled at the simplicity of the words used. Even though Janius had a long road ahead if he wanted to bring his Jel up to the level of Kaleeth's Cyrodilic, he also liked the idea of teaching one another. "Id would be bleazurable," He replied with a smile, somehow butchering the pronunciation even more the second time.

"I have not helped anyone with a language before. Where did you want to start?" Janius asked after a moment, looking to the sky again, "We could just keep talking if you like. And ask questions to make the words clear?"

---

Tunxeek nodded and crept inside. The canis root tea was the expensive kind, but it was understandable that father would want some brewed for guests. As the others talked, Tunxeek poured water into a small kettle and took it outside to set it over a fire.

Again, Sabine nodded, joining Thorantilth on the mat and staring at the space on the floor inbetween them. While they were in the village, there were no pressing tasks that she had, so she gravitated towards staying for tea. It was not often that she got good ingredients for tea, or the time to make it herself on the road unless it was for medicinal purposes. There was a small debate in Sabine's mind as to whether she wanted to talk. In the end there were a few things that she knew she couldn't work out on her own. "How many more trials?" She asked, still not looking at Thorantilth directly. It was toned more like a statement than a question, but Sabine didn't normally inquire about things vocally.

Tunxeek joined them shortly while he waited for the water to boil. It would take a few more minutes yet. He smiled at Ariel and Sabine, trying to be friendly but still feeling out of place.