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

[EliteCommander]

"I cannot say exactly how long we will be staying, but it likely will not be as long as last time, unfortunately. I am afraid the...task we are undertaking is time-sensitive." Meesei answered. "We will probably end up staying as long as it takes to sell what we have gathered, then find a ship going to the Imperial City. Depending on when the next ship is leaving, it might only be a few days. As we mentioned before, we have been hunting and scavenging constantly for the past few weeks to scrounge up enough to trade. Even so, we will likely be cutting it uncomfortably close to not earning enough to book passage. If you would like to help, what we could use most is advice on where to get the best price for our goods, and where to get the most inexpensive lodging. We have also been collecting ingredients, but Sabine's alchemical equipment was destroyed in a fire, so she has not been able to make more complex potions. If you could allow her to use your equipment for potion-making, that would be helpful. Unless you want to purchase the ingredients from us yourself. Much of what we found is from the inner swamps, so we may have ingredients not found in this area."

[Muttonhawk]

"Yes, of course, I'll help however I can. I'm sorry to hear that you can't stay for very long, but I understand." Ariel looked a little disenchanted, but her tone of voice remained enthused. "Specimens from the inner marshes are incredibly difficult to procure, so any apothecary in the city would give you a good price for them," she placed the fingers of one hand to her chest, "not to mention myself. Though, I probably couldn't afford them all at once depending on what you have, so you might need to shop around. I can show you to other shops that would give you a fair price." Ariel then looked to Sabine with a smile, her chin dodging Leaps' snout as she turned her head, "And Sabine, you may use my equipment if you like, but I still have some orders to fill by the end of the day, so I'll need some components for a short while beforehand. Also, I have some spare glassware that you can take with you to replace what you lost. I can't spare a full set, but it should help you."

Even this amount of generosity was more than Sabine had expected. Her regular pastime of alchemy had been severely limited with just what she had over the past few weeks. Decent alchemical glassware was so prohibitively expensive that she never thought she would get any replacements until she spent time saving for them. Her expression was understandably wide eyed and grateful. "Really?" Sabine asked quietly. As soon as Ariel confirmed with a nod, Sabine leaned towards her and hugged her once more. "Thank you Ariel!" The movement produced an annoyed chirp from Leaps as Ariel returned the hug.

"That's quite alright, dear sister. It would be a shame to let them gather dust in a cupboard," Ariel said. Once they pulled away from one another, Ariel addressed Meesei once more. "Now, I believe I have a bit more time before I have to get back to the shop, so if you like we could order a meal, or spend some time searching for lodgings. I daresay it will be much easier than festival time." Ariel carefully tested Leaps' weight, then slowly lifted the hatchling up and handed him back to Kaleeth, "I would suggest getting rooms here, but I'm not sure if they are the absolute cheapest. If we can find one of the brothers somewhere, they might be able to direct you to something more suited to a shoestring budget."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Any advice you can provide for selling what we have will be immensely helpful. Just tell me whenever you have the time to show me. As for the ingredients we collected, I know we have quite a few that Sabine was able to identify some alchemical effects from, but without her tools, she wasn't able to explore all of the options. One ingredient which we collected a particularly high quantity of was this, admittedly disgusting, mucus from an eel-like creature in the inner marshes. Sabine determined that it could be refined into an exceptional insect repellent, fortunately without its...characteristic odor."

Meesei looked around the inn, particularly to Rukeewei's brother behind the counter. Lodging was still an issue they needed to deal with, but unlike other groups, it wasn't actually very important to the pack. "As for where we stay, we may just end up having to set up camp somewhere outside the walls. Staying in an inn is not vital to us, and it isn't as if we have not been camping in the swamps for the past few weeks. Although...if you like, Sabine, and if Ariel agrees, you might consider staying with your sister. I would guess there is enough space somewhere in your shop for her bedroll, and it would let you two spend more time together, since we will only be in Thorn for a relatively short time. What do you think?"

With all the people and movement around them, Rhazii's eyes wandered all around the room. He had only been in a city once before, and was only a few days old at the time, so even the moderate level of activity in the inn was completely new to him. Khajiit cubs, due to being born smaller, grew faster in their first few months than the children of other races, but even so, he was not at the point where he could crawl. Still, once Ahnasha noticed his curiosity, she set him down on the table in front of her with her arms on either side of him to support him. His wide eyes looked around, taking in all of the details of his environment. At the same time, he got a hold of his own tail and started chewing on the end of it.

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel nodded in agreement, "Certainly, there is room upstairs for a bedroll. What do you say, Sabine?"

A happy grin spread across Sabine's face. "I would love to, Sister," she replied. Normally she would be unsure about being away from the pack for even a night, as there were seldom times where she was alone for long. Though, Ariel was family as well. Spending a night or two with her would be wonderful, even if it would realistically take a week of solid talking to exhaust all avenues of conversation between them.

Fendros observed Rhazii as he took in the sights and sounds of the tavern. At first Fendros was worried that all the noise might upset him, but he seemed rather content instead. Janius leaned over to Fendros, also noticing Rhazii. "Not that it isn't utterly adorable, but is it healthy for Rhazii to be eating his tail like that?" he murmured.

"It's okay, he's done that before. From what I remember of the books before we lost them, its not uncommon. It's like sucking one's thumb, I believe Ahna had read." Fendros responded at a volume that wouldn't interrupt the main conversation.

Ariel placed her knuckles of one hand under her chin and hummed in thought. "I'm just trying to think if I've heard of the eel you mention. There are a number of different eels in the marshes, and a number of different repellents." She pulled a sturgeon face and shrugged, "Well, perhaps we might find out what else it could be with some extra analysis." She took a breath, dropped her hands to the table, and the topic disappeared, "Anyway, seeing as you have your luggage with you, how about we walk to the town square and see if we can find some good places on the main street for you to sell some of your things. I'll point out some of the better merchants for you and then head back to the shop to get on with my work."

[EliteCommander]

"Very well." Meesei said, nodding affirmatively as she stood up and began collecting her belongings. Not only would selling some of what they collected grant them much-needed gold, but it would also take some of the weight they had been carrying around for the past few weeks. "Much of what we have comes from creatures we killed, such as hides, bones, and other useful parts, so merchants who purchase those items would be a good first stop. We also have more fresh meat than we need, which could earn us some gold from the right merchants. I will also let you look through the ingredients we have so you can set aside the ones you would like to purchase yourself."

As the others started to stand as well, Meesei turned her attention to Janius. "While we are selling our belongings, could you go to the docks and begin the search for potential ships, Janius?" Meesei requested. "Do you happen to have any knowledge of passenger vessels? You were the only one among us to ever live in a city with a port, apart from Ahnasha, but she will be needed to help bargain the best prices for our goods."

Rhazii almost seemed disappointed when Ahnasha brought him back up into her arms, but as usual, her heartbeat was comforting to him in its own way. She wondered if it would be more helpful or harmful for her to carry Rhazii with her while negotiating with shopkeepers. For some, he might help create sympathy, or simply put them in a good mood, but others might be annoyed by him, or take him as a sign that they might be desperate for gold. In any case, she would do her best to get the best prices possible for their goods. As the child of a merchant, negotiating prices was often a role she found herself serving in the pack.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius didn't pause in standing up when he was asked about finding a ship. "Well, it has been a while, and the docks weren't exactly savoury places in Bravil or the Imperial City. However, I know a few things. I used to ride some ships across the bay between the cities." Janius began to shoulder the his luggage as he spoke, causing pauses in his speech as he readjusted his balance. "For one, there are less passenger only vessels that go east from the Niben river mouth. Partly pirates, but also less people travelling to and from the Marsh or Morrowind. We might have better luck just paying a trading vessel. The conditions might be less desirable, but it will probably be cheaper. I'll have a look around and meet you all in the square."

With a wave to Rukeewei's brother by the counter, the pack exited the inn and Janius broke off from the group to head to the docks. He wasn't sure whether Kaleeth was coming along. She was carrying items to sell as well, and the docks were probably smelly and full of leering types. It didn't run across Janius' mind that the ships might make for a magnificent sight.

Ariel led the pack to the town square that stood in the path of the main street leading through the city. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the festival time, but there were still plenty of people milling around shopping for food in the stalls that were set up. Ariel and the pack were more concerned with other vendors. "Right, now, most stores which would buy hides, meat, and bones are around this square and along the street." Ariel began to point out different signs around the square as she caught her breath from walking uphill. There was a butcher and a delicatessen which Ariel recommended for the meats. She frequented both shops for her own needs often and spoke of the kindness of the shopkeepers. For the hides, she pointed out a leather worker and a general store, both were manned by shopkeepers that wore smiles, but were wily and often stubborn in their pricing. The furs and rarer hides, Ariel told them, should be taken to clothing stores, including Neercana-rei's store. She explained that such stores were out of the way, but would definitely value the pelts more highly. Ariel wasn't sure what to do about the bones, but her best guess was to go to the general store for them as well.

Once the pack was briefed, Ariel stepped back to take her leave. "Now then, Sabine, you can stop by whenever you like and I'll get you settled in. As for the rest of you, good luck with your sales. I'll get back to work." Ariel partly turned away, but lifted one finger and halted, "Oh! Right! About the ingredients, come by the shop some time during the day and I'll see what you have." She waved a hand to their baggage, "But get rid of that heavy stuff first. Finally, do you have any plans for dinner? I understand you'll probably be partaking in your own stock outside the walls to save money, but I'd love to join you all. I'll even bring out some rice fried with vegetables for you all. It might make for a nice side dish?" It wasn't until now that Ariel that she was slowly increasing the speed of her speech, like she normally did when anxious, "...That is, if it isn't imposing, I don't want to be rude."

[EliteCommander]

Partly because of her curiosity, and partly because of a desire to speak with Janius, Kaleeth decided to join him in searching for a ship. Before they parted ways, Kaleeth traded some of what she was carrying with Lorag so that she had items they did not intend to sell, mostly cuts of meat from common animals. She also carried Leaps, as he would be less bothersome with her and Janius than he would be with the rest of the pack.

As they walked through the city towards the docks, Kaleeth could hardly believe the size of everything. Many of the buildings were larger than any she had seen before, and there were many more than she would have ever expected to see in one place. Although the majority demographic of the city was Argonian, Thorn was one of the Black Marsh cities with a higher percentage of non-Argonian residents. She had never seen so many humans or elves in one place, and just like with Ariel, it was bizarre to hear so many of them speaking fluently in Jel.

The way to the docks led through the center of the city, which meant they passed right by the city tree. Kaleeth paused completely to stare at it in awe from outside the fence which protected it. It was the largest she had seen in her life, moreso than the one in Stormhold, or any of the locations which her village stayed through the seasons. "This is...amazing. I have never seen the Hist grow so large. It must be a very old tree, and the city must take care of it very well. And look at the hatching pools; I have never seen so many eggs in one place. Have you ever seen an Argonian hatch?" She asked.

Meesei made note of each of the stores that Ariel recommended. All of the hides and furs they intended to sell were in great condition, as the pack was quite adept at killing their prey without excess damage to the hide. With Ariel's recommendations, they had the potential to make a decent amount of gold. As Ariel was about to leave, she asked about their plans for dinner later that day, albeit with a noticeable amount of anxiety in her tone, so Meesei gave a reassuring nod and a smile. "I do believe we will eat the food we already have once we make camp, but you are more than welcomed to join us. We have been staying in the swamp for weeks, so while I might find that pleasurable, for the sake of everyone else, I believe we will find a spot by the shore to stay for the night."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius was at first surprised to halt by the city tree. It was a magnificent sight, but he kept forgetting that just about everything in cities was new to Kaleeth. He turned and looked at the tree once more with Kaleeth, but didn't have much to comment on. Hist trees were not really as culturally significant to him. Kaleeth's question was curious, though. "No, I can't say I have." He looked sideways at her, "Actually, before Rhazii was birthed I hadn't really seen anything being born." Janius shifted to see the hatching pools and simply looked at them for a few seconds. He realised the naivety of expecting one of the many eggs to hatch before his eyes, not that it was easy to see any of them from here. "Do any of those look like they're about to hatch?" Janius asked as sincerely as he could.

"Very good, very good." Ariel nodded frantically, but still showed a glad smile, "Alright...well..." she looked around the ground and landed her palms against her hips as if she had still forgotten one last thing. After a breath, she at least thought to wave and say farewell, "I will see you all later then. Good luck!" With that, Ariel turned and began to briskly make her way back to her shop. She wished she could have stayed with the pack to help them find places to sell goods, but if she didn't finish brewing that sunburn cream for Ms Farla by the end of the day, there would be words she would rather not hear.

Before the pack started to move, Fendros turned to Ahnasha. "If you're the one who is going to be doing the talking, do you want me to hold onto Rhazii for a while?" For the moment, Rhazii was enamoured by the sights, sounds, and smells around him, but Fendros predicted that walking around all day talking to people and seeing so many new things would tire him out quickly. When that happened, they would need to pause to calm him and put him to sleep. It may not be an advantageous event while trying to haggle a selling price.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha nodded and handed off Rhazii to Fendros. She took the pack containing the most valuable of the hides first and looked inside at what she would be selling. The toughest of the hides they had was from a creature they killed a week or so ago that looked somewhat like a wamasu, but smaller, and was more of a scavenger than a predator. Regardless, it had thick scales that would make for good armor. Beyond that, the most valuable items were the quality furs, or hides that could be made into aesthetically pleasing leather. Hopefully, Neercana-Rei would remember them fondly enough to give them a good price.

"I...don't know. I would have to be able to get closer. I have seen it happen, though. The hatchlings are so cute, though. They are small and delicate like Rhazii, with only one little tooth in their mouths for breaking out of their eggs. Maybe you will see it happen one day, if you ever want a hatchling of your own. That Hal-Neesa woman did mention she had children with that Dunmer, so I guess it is possible." Kaleeth mentioned, giving one last look to the eggs before looking back in the direction they were originally heading. "Well, I guess we should keep going. What are these boats like? It seems like it is going to be really uncomfortable to sit in a boat for so long."

[Muttonhawk]

The only response Janius had to Kaleeth's explanation was a non-committal smile. To him, the hint regarding Kaleeth's desires didn't really drop subtly, but he was still apprehensive to the idea of a child. Thankfully, Kaleeth shifted the conversation to a topic Janius was more comfortable explaining.

Janius looked at the sky while he walked to try and think of a starting point that would be most appropriate for Kaleeth's background. "Well, they have oars, like canoes, but there's a lot more wind out on the ocean, so they use that as well." Janius raised an eyebrow and looked at Kaleeth with a question, "What's the biggest boat you have ever seen?"

In his mischief, Janius wanted to see the look on Kaleeth's face when seeing the scale of a seafaring ship for the first time. He would give a more thorough explanation once they reached the docks and the visuals sunk in. Janius spotted several masts visible from over the top of some buildings on the way there, and he pondered whether he should point them out.

[EliteCommander]

"Oh, well...father once helped to make this really big boat, bigger than the normal canoes we sometimes used in dangerous waters." Kaleeth began, pausing a moment to recall all the details she could. "It has been a while, eight years I think, so I was only eleven at the time. The rivers had been flooded for weeks, and we needed to move all of our supplies, so father and some of the other hunters built some really big boats for us. The biggest could hold seven or eight people without even feeling crowded." She explained.

Kaleeth was too distracted in thought to notice the masts as they made their way toward the edge of the district, to the gate leading to the docks, which were outside the walls. She was looking at Janius as they walked through the open gates, but when she turned her head to behold the ocean before her, she stopped in her tracks. She stared out across the docks, wide eyed and with her mouth partially open in awe. At that point, she saw the true size of the ships they were discussing, as well as the ocean itself. The sheer size of many of the ships was something that was simply unbelievable to her. It looked like it would take years to build a single one of them, and they looked heavy enough that she wondered how they could even float. As for the ocean beyond, she was now had a full view of its grandeur. Looking all the way to the left and right, she could not see an end to it. "It...really is an endless lake, and these boats..." She began, but she could find no more words to describe it.

[Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth's reaction didn't disappoint. Janius grinned and chuckled through his nose. He let Kaleeth enjoy the view for a few more moments before taking her arm and encouraging her along. "Impressive, aren't they? When they're this big, they're called ships. They carry a lot of goods and people a long way across the water. We won't be going out to the horizon there, but we'll be heading all the way around the edge of the marsh and then a bit further. I've been on ships before, but never for that long. I hope it won't be too boring."

While Kaleeth was awestruck, Janius still wore a smile, but focussed on the people around them. If there were any unsavoury types, as was often the case on city docks, Janius wanted to know before it would be a problem. So far it was mostly fishermen and dock porters shifting crates or barrels. At this time of the day, just about everyone was a worker. Janius proceeded left along the docks and inspected all of the ships from the outside. Most were small fishing boats, though probably still bigger than the canoes Kaleeth had seen. Some were already unloading catches of ocean fish to sell. The fourth ship along was a little larger; a merchant ship by the looks. Some questioning of the crew loading goods revealed that it was heading north. They continued up the dock to the next larger ship to find that it wasn't taking passengers. The cargo was possibly too valuable to risk any strangers on board, Janius thought. The search continued without luck until they reached the last ship. This was a dedicated passenger vessel, so they would be sharing the space with a lot more people if they took this one. Some asking around found that the price for passage seemed reasonable, but was higher than Janius was expecting. They were heading out at dawn, the day after tomorrow.

It was still worth looking around to see if there were any others, so Janius decided that they would head down to the other end of the dock to try the ships there. Janius wasn't setting a pace that was conducive to conversation up to that point, so he looked to Kaleeth. "Was there anything else you wanted to know about ships, or the ocean?"

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth followed along quietly while Janius led the way from ship to ship. It wasn't that she had nothing to say, but rather that she could not find a way to say it. With how foreign everything about the ocean and ships was, she was somewhat overwhelmed. Much of the time that Janius spent talking to the sailors, Kaleeth spent just looking off into the ocean, only breaking her gaze periodically to make sure Leaps did not escape her grasp. It was hard to believe that there was something so massive, so amazing in the world that she had simply never seen, nor would have seen had she not left her village. As for the ships, she was trying to wrap her mind around how they could be created when Janius spoke up again.

"Oh, well...yes, I there is." Kaleeth began. "These ships...how do they build something so massive? So impressive. Those...what did you call them, masts? They are so tall, and the ships look like they could hold...I don't even know how many people. How many years does it take to build one, and how do they even get them to float? They must be terribly heavy, especially with all the boxes these people are putting on them. And...we're going to be riding in one?" Kaleeth asked her barrage of questions, only stopping once she realized she hadn't given Janius a chance to answer them.

[Muttonhawk]

"Ahem, well, I wish I knew the answer to all of your questions," Janius responded, surprised at first, "We'll be riding in one, yes. As for how they're built, um...I'm not completely sure of the process, but I've seen partially build ships before, and they start off by making a sort of wooden skeleton, and then building around that. The masts are carved out of the trunks of single, tall, straight trees that grow in Cyrodiil and other places. Apart from that, how they float...it's, well..." Janius made strange gestures with his hands and curled his mouth in thought, but dropped his arms once he realised the difficulty in putting it to words. "I might be able to explain how they float, but I would need a bucket of water and a cup to demonstrate. That's the way it was explained to me when I was a child. I can tell you that it's not magic, though."

The other side of the dock did not have any more passenger vessels, but two cargo ships seemed willing to negotiate taking a party of seven, plus a pet lizard, with them to the Imperial city for prices that Janius could not guarantee to be constant, but were very slightly less than the passenger ship. Janius was a little disappointed to not find especially much in the way of savings, but at least they had left the dock with some options. Whatever questions Kaleeth had on the way back to the square, Janius answered as best as he could, but he hadn't realised until today just how little he knew about how ships worked.

Once the rest of pack finished selling the goods they had acquired on the road and reunited with Janius and Kaleeth, they headed to Ariel's shop again to deal with their alchemical goods. Ariel did indeed pick out quite a few things that were very difficult to get a hold of, and indeed bought from the pack a couple of specimens that she didn't even recognise. Ariel was grateful, but her business was not vast enough to buy up everything that the pack had if she was to give them a fair price.

When the pack left to sell the rest, Sabine stayed behind to set up her bedding and catch up with Ariel. They ended up preparing and making the rice and vegetables together while they talked. Conversation mostly revolved around recounting the time they had been separated in more detail. The subject of the ritual visions themselves brought Sabine and Ariel way back to the coven in their happier times there. Ariel was in a near constant state of amazement at how open Sabine had become. They were actually talking with each other, going back and forth. Before, you could barely get Sabine to speak. Conversation ebbed and flowed between the light hearted and personal, and before they knew it, it was time to head to the pack's encampment for dinner.

The last of the afternoon was spent visiting the two other apothecaries in the city that Ariel knew of to sell the rest. The other outlets were similarly surprised to find the ingredients in the pack's possession, but were a little less generous in buying them. The important thing was that most of the goods had been sold before the shops had closed. There was still a little to get rid of, though, and they were a few septims short of buying passage for all of them. Tomorrow morning would likely be made up of finding the last few coins and seeing how much else they could procure.

Nearly at sunset, The pack gathered around a campfire near to the shore. Not for weeks had the pack been so freely able to rest while breathing in salty and slightly dryer air than the marsh.

"So, we're either on a passenger ship, or one of two cargo ships?" Fendros asked Janius for clarification, "When do each of them leave?"

"One cargo ship leaves at noon tomorrow, at about the price of the passenger ship, the other leaves in three days, but is much cheaper, and the passenger ship leaves the day after tomorrow at sunrise." Janius turned to Meesei, "Will we be be embarking on the earlier one? I don't know whether we'll have time to get the gold for it, and even then, it didn't seem quite as safe or provisioned as the passenger vessel. They were shifty and ill-provisioned by the looks. They might be the types that go without food for the last stretch. The later one was better, but, well, I don't know if an extra day is worth the septims we would save."

Reacting to some noise nearby, Janius turned his head to one side. Ariel and Sabine could be seen wandering around trying to spot where the pack had said their camp would roughly be. They were heading in the right direction as lead by Sabine's nose, but Janius still stood up and called out to them, grabbing their attention and waving them over. In Ariel's hand was a bulbous cauldron with a lid and a carrying handle. It was about the size of her head.

Ariel approached a little out of breath, but still chirpy. "Hello everyone! I hope I'm not too late for dinner." She rang out once she was in earshot. Upon closer inspection, the cauldron she held had three little legs and the handle of a spoon sticking out from the lid. Once she opened the lid, a cloud of steam rose up and let forth a fresh and mouth-watering smell. "I hope you like it. It's just something we've thrown together." Inside of the cauldron was a large amount of brown rice, speckled with a few different vegetables that were available in the market that day. Some were familiar, like carrot and cabbage, and some looked a little strange, possibly native roots and herbs. It was different, but it looked worth a try.

[EliteCommander]

After selling what they could in the day, the pack actually had much more gold on them than they were used to, but the fact that it was mostly dedicated to simply buying them a place on a ship meant that they still had little to spend. Still, with the ships Janius had found, they did have some choice in how much they were going to spend. As Janius listed the options, Meesei weighed the advantages and disadvantages of each. In this case, the quickest option also seemed to be the worst, not only because of how Janius described them, but because they were leaving a bit too soon.

"I do not believe I would like to take the ship leaving tomorrow, as before we leave, I would like us all to go on a hunt together, just to be sure our beast spirits will be as satiated as possible. The passenger ship would save us time, but I am actually leaning towards the cheapest option, the one leaving in three days. It is true that our task is time-sensitive, but I feel that the coin we save will benefit us in the long run. If we are lucky, it might allow us enough gold to take a carriage from the Imperial City to Bruma, which would be faster overall. It is no guarantee, but I feel that it is the best option we have at the moment." Meesei explained.

It was not long after Meesei's response that Ariel and Sabine finally arrived at the camp. In addition to the rice and vegetables they brought, the had a few guar steaks cooking over the fire for those who preferred cooked meat, though most of the pack still preferred raw. "You are just in time, actually." Meesei said with a smile as they approached. "I believe the meat is nearly ready. Take a seat. We do not have bowls, or anything of the sort, but we do have some clean leather you could use as a makeshift plate. At any rate, have a seat by the fire. I look forward to catching up now that we have a bit more time and privacy."

Once the meat was cooked, everyone began to help themselves to the meal. Kaleeth still had difficulty bringing herself to eat raw food, so she took one of the cooked steaks, as well as a portion of the rice and vegetables. Fendros had Rhazii for the moment, so Ahnasha prepared his meal as well as her own. Lorag took a larger helping of meat, though he still tried some of the vegetables, while Meesei found herself in the mood for the opposite. Even Leaps had his share of the meal, though his interest was strictly in the raw guar meat.

"So Ariel, other than Rukeewei, have you made any new friends or acquaintances in Thorn?" Meesei questioned.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine's mouth had been watering ever since the dish she had made with her sister had started to cook, so by this point, she dug into her share enthusiastically alongside raw Guar steak. Fendros found it a bit awkward to eat while steadying Rhazii on his lap with one arm. Each mouthful had to be taken leaning to one side to not drop any food on the cub. With demanding babbles and movements of his arms, Rhazii tried to reach for his father's food whenever it passed nearby, but he wasn't quite at the stage of eating solids yet. Janius took raw meat as well, but didn't quite serve himself as much of the rice and vegetables. It wasn't that it was a bad dish overall, but he had always been a picky eater when it came to certain vegetables. Life as a lycan meant that it wasn't an issue most of the time.

Ariel answered Meesei as she served herself. Even if she had a taste for raw meat in the first place, her conventional constitution made it inadvisable. "Actually, there's a few, yes. I get to meet plenty of people through business, but also through Rukee's family and friends. I'm acquainted with a clique of fashionable ladies that were referred to my shop by Neer, and are now regular customers. We have friendly chats sometimes in the shop, but they mostly love to talk about the less flattering things that the others may or may not get up to," Ariel stopped to giggle, "As you can imagine, none of them have really worked a day in their lives. They're noble ladies, I suppose. You spotted one when you entered my shop for the first time today, that was Vutamna." Ariel brought a finger to her lips for a second to think of others, "I sometimes have exchanges with the folk who make my glassware or collect ingredients. They are more honest, hard working people, but they are not very sociable with strangers to the city, as you might understand. It was only a couple of days ago that I learned that the glass blower had a wife and four children to his name. Deon, his name is. A very kind hearted man. Outside of work, I often spent free time at the Wamasu's Nest and befriended a few of the regular patrons. 'Any friend of Rukeewei's is a friend of theirs,' they said with their introductions. They're more forthcoming than most of the locals, but I think the drink helps."

Then and only then did Ariel yield to begin eating. She hadn't anticipated using her hands, but thankfully the rice was just sticky enough that it wasn't a problem. Her guar steak was a little tough, but it added to the experience of reliving dinner with the pack again. Despite the hardships, her memories of such times were fond.

Fendros had the next question. He looked up from giving turns of attention to his food and Rhazii. "How has living in Thorn been so far? Do you think it's better than Vos?"

"Mmm, I like it. There are advantages and disadvantages. I think learning the culture has been most difficult. Even after you helped me, Meesei, being in it had me learn a lot. As opposed to Vos though...well it's a wealthier city, that's one thing. It makes it a little safer. The weather is nice, but I've not experienced all of the seasons yet. I imagine for all the rain, it's definitely better than ash storms. However, I haven't dealt with any flooding yet. Hopefully that isn't too much of a problem where I live." Ariel took another mouthful and thought that she would have to be careful that she didn't talk so much to let her food get cold. She doubted she would have the capacity. Once she swallowed, she thought of a question for the pack in general. "So, how has life been with a baby in your midst? Less sleep I'd wager?" Ariel asked in an amused tone.

[EliteCommander]

To Ahnasha, it was good to hear that Ariel seemed to be truly adapting to life in Black Marsh, as it was because of the pack that she had to move there in the first place. She, and most of the others, would feel rather guilty if they had caused her life to be irreparably ruined. That did not seem to be the case, however, as she had a new shop, new friends, and even a potential relationship. Her life in Thorn might not be perfect, but realistically, hardly anyone could truly call their life "perfect." Right now, Ariel was safe and, more importantly, seemed to be happy.

When Ariel asked about Rhazii, she smiled, then reached over and rubbed his stomach playfully, which produced a giggle from him as he grabbed at her fingers. "Well, it certainly isn't easy taking care of him, but myself and Fendros probably get a bit more sleep than many parents, nightmares not withstanding." Ahnasha said, immediately regretting her slip up in mentioning the nightmares. Hopefully, Ariel would take it to mean the nightmares that lycans naturally received as a result of their beast blood, though her and Fendros' night terrors were far worse than those. Nevertheless, she quickly moved on from the topic, so as not to draw particular attention to it. "Although myself and Fendros are the ones who take care of him primarily, the rest of the pack shares in the responsibility whenever it is appropriate. We're not always the ones that have to wake up in the night to calm him down when he starts to cry, unless he needs to be fed. In that case, I am the one who has to tend to that, though admittedly, I usually wake up every time I hear him cry, whether it is my turn or not. There is just something about hearing him cry that makes me snap to attention; instinct, I suppose. No matter how hard it gets, though, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Motherhood, that is. I...don't think I can put it into words, really. There is just something about having a child of your own, someone you care for and who you love unconditionally...it is simply indescribable. If, at any point in your future, you are deciding on whether or not to have a child, I would say that it is unquestionably worth it."

Just as Ahnasha finished speaking, Kaleeth made a special point to nudge Janius with her elbow and look at him with a grin before casually returning to her meal.

Shortly after Ahnasha withdrew her hand from Rhazii, his curiosity moved to Ariel, as she was still new to him. He reached out his arms and tried to grab at her, despite being all the way on the other side of the campfire.. Ahnasha gave a light chuckle. "It looks like you have his interest. Rhazii is much more of a curious cub than a frightful one, and I am glad he is. Having him be curious around new people is much better than him crying every time he sees someone he doesn't recognize. Although...I think my opinion might change once he learns to walk. I am going to have to keep a very close eye on him once he can move on his own. Anyway, would you like to hold him?" Ahnasha offered.

[Muttonhawk]

"I'll admit there have been times where I've thought about motherhood, though never for very long." Ariel gave a warm smile, "I'm glad that it has made you happy."

Kaleeth's nudge on Janius' side was timed just perfectly enough with him eating a mouthful of rice. The situation lapsed his concentration enough to idly take a breath through his mouthful, accidentally inhaling a grain of rice. Though he tried to shield his coughing with his mouth, the subsequent spray of rice out from the sides of his hand and mouth guaranteed that all of the attention he definitely did not want to attract to himself in this topic of conversation was drawn to him anyway. Janius desperately swallowed, coughed, and swigged from his waterskin until he could talk. "Pardon me," he croaked with almost teary eyes. He gave an acknowledging glance to Kaleeth-Rei, but nothing else to her hint.

Ariel, picking up on what the situation perhaps could have been about, stifled a laugh and redirected her attention to Ahnasha. "Sure, I'll hold Rhazii if he doesn't mind me," Ariel replied finally.

As his dinner was already at his side and Rhazii on his lap, Fendros repositioned Rhazii to hold him in his arms, then stood up and walked over to Ariel. He squatted beside her and she turned her body to receive the cub. "Say hello to Ariel, little one," Fendros said as he slowly passed Rhazii into Ariel's arms. Rhazii exchanged glances with Ariel, Fendros, and Ahnasha across from them with his mouth slightly ajar, but didn't seem too uncomfortable once secure in Ariel's arms.

"Hello Rhazii," Ariel said with a endearingly high voice while giving Rhazii a big grin. Rhazii moved an arm up and down excitedly, curling and relaxing his fingers. His scarring made his innocence slightly strange, especially up this close, but there was no denying that he was still an adorable little creature. Ariel and Rhazii sat staring at each other for a while, but for fear of holding him incorrectly, Ariel didn't really know what else to do. It seemed nice just to hold him like this though. It took longer than it should have for Ariel to notice Rhazii's eye colour, but she wasn't at all familiar with Khajiit children, so she didn't heed it as unusual. After a short while, Rhazii turned his head to other things. Ariel looked up with a thoroughly endeared smile. "Ahnasha, Fendros, you have a beautiful child."

Fendros returned the smile with agreement and looked at Rhazii. "Thank you."

After finishing a mouthful and pausing to burp through her nose as silently as she could, Sabine looked over at Janius and Kaleeth with innocent curiosity. "Are you going to have a baby as well, Kaleeth and Janius?"

Janius was quick to attempt answering first, clearing his throat noisily through his mouthful to buy time to swallow. Janius fumbled with his words all the same. "Well, it's not something we've really...well...I think it's a bit soon. There's a lot to consider with doing that, and...we have obligations with the pack ongoing, we would have to...ergh...make space for it and..." Janius began to trail off. It was clear enough that Janius was trying to avoid it, but with the pressure put on by Kaleeth, as well as other things on his mind, this was something causing him anxiety enough to have a sensitive reaction. Normally he was quick witted enough to deal with such things. Why did Sabine have to ask?

[EliteCommander]

Ariel held Rhazii in the same cautious manner as Ahnasha expected from someone holding another person's child. A few of the others, especially Lorag, seemed to have the same kind of fear about accidentally harming him at first, though Lorag did his best to downplay it. Rhazii was, of course, greatly interested in this new person until his short attention span caused him to look elsewhere. The only thing he did not seem to like to look at was the campfire, as whenever he would catch a glimpse of the flames, he would tense up and whine for a few moments as he turned and latched on to whoever was holding him, in this case Ariel.

After Sabine asked about the possibility of a child to Kaleeth and Janius, his nervous, stumbling response was enough to produce a laugh from a few of the others, though they were not all necessarily aware that Kaleeth had been hinting to Janius about that possibility. Kaleeth, however, seemed to ignore the obvious anxiety coming from Janius. Instead, her face lit up with a smile as she put her arm around him. While he looked as if he could have a heart attack from his anxiety, Kaleeth's mood could not be better. "I want to." She answered simply.

[Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth's response caused everyone to voice a laugh combined with an ascending tone, noting the escalation with some encouragement, and suggesting what Janius was in for.

With a raised brow, Janius closed his eyes and tried to take a breath to calm down. He was silent for a few moments as he tried to recover from his stumbling words. He knew he was not being at all clever or confident, and that was bothering him. He wasn't even sure he could bring himself to reciprocate Kaleeth's affectionate contact as his mind clouded with all sorts of thoughts.

Seeing Janius in such a state brought amusement to Fendros' face. It was rare enough to see him speechless like this, let alone flustered. "You'd better watch your drink from now on, Janius," Fendros joked.

Janius did nothing but force a smile. In honesty, he really felt like a drink. Nevertheless, Fendros' comment seemed to diminish any expectation to follow up on the issue. Things had come to a head here, though. He needed to talk with someone. He decided to wait until Ariel left so as not to make a scene. "All in good time, I'm sure," he managed to say with at least some level of stability. He then reached up a hand to his shoulder to hold Kaleeth's hand and gave her a quick smile. He was still finding it hard to hide the fact that he was bothered by something.

"So, tell me of the inner marshes," Ariel asked, thinking that the topic had moved on, "few enough have been there without catching horrid diseases or being felled by a dangerous creature. I suppose that makes lycans well adapted for exploring, now that I think about it. Did you find any interesting sights?"