"Are you sure you won't just buy a house in the city?" Meralda asked worriedly as I stood outside the orphanage with my travel pack on my back.
I shook my head "If I stay here any longer it'll stifle my growth. I need real experience and it lays out there, in the rest of the world." I said firm in my decision.
"You might be mostly grown now but don't you dare forget to write." she said with a fierce glare.
A chuckled and scratched the back of my head "I'll try to remember. You know how I get when I'm engrossed in something." I said embarrassed.
She smirked "Lost to the world, how could I ever forget. Both a gift and a curse that." she said with a small laugh.
"Well I better head out, don't want to keep the merchant caravan waiting. Take care." I said giving the woman a hug before turning and decisively heading for the main gate.
With the empire in the process of trying to rebuild, traveling Khajiit(cat people) moved through the lands buying and selling as they did in the name of profit. The one I had paid to allow me to travel with was lead by an Alfiq moon-breed Khajiit named Dar-La. Alfiq Khajiit were a strange moon-breed among the Khajiit as they were for all intents and purposes housecats in size and appearance. They tended to be leaders among Khajiit as for their small sizes and relatively frail bodies they all make up for by being incredibly smart. They are all well spoken and barring small differences typically even natured and calm. Yes, it REALLY threw me off when I first met Dar-La. She was apparently used to it though and didn't take offense when I gawked.-
The really crazy part was that her son was part of the caravan and was a Cathay moon-breed. That is to say a legit cat person just like what you'd be familiar with from the game. The idea of a person sized being coming from a housecat sized one was mind boggling to say the least but after years of interactions between me and this specific group I was numbed to it. Ra-Do(the son) spotted me as I left the gate of the city and walked over with lips bared up in a grin.-
"This one is pleased to see you well. It is our most humble wish you cook the meals along the way. This one admits he has grown rather addicted to your cooking." the muscled tawny furred fellow said as he gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder.
I grinned back at him "I don't mind but I hope you are using your own spices. I've got limited stock you know." I said casually.
"Of course. This one wouldn't dare to impose on your own supplies. We have a whole set of sachets full of spice and mineral just for this occasion." he said proudly.
I raised an eyebrow at this.
"And Dar-La allowed this? I know you all don't make much profit from spices other than selling to me and a handful of others in the region." I asked curiously.
"This one would agree that there is little profit in spice trade at a small scale. But since we knew you would be joining us for a good while we chose to cut our profits a little for some extra comfort on the road. Money is everywhere if one knows how to sniff it out but fine cuisine is a treat rarely found on the road. Yours is a most honored art for us. This one is especially fond of those "powdered donuts" you made with crushed moon sugar and cinnamon." he explained with an eager look.
"It was a tricky recipe to figure out. Getting out that nasty side effect from the sugar was a real pain in the backside. A shame no one else was willing to try them just because it had moon sugar in it. I suppose Skooma is to blame for that." I said with a sigh.
"This one understands. So many look at Khajiit as peddlers of Skooma because it is made from our sugar. Many of us are equally just as disgusted by it." he said with an understanding nod.
We approached the campsite where the rest of the caravan was waiting a bit down the rough cobbled road with weeds growing through the cracks. The camp consisted of four stitched up hide covers that were using wooden supports to be held up. In the outside middle edge of all of these rough "tents" was a wooden wagon with an oiled leather hide tarp covering it to keep out moisture.-
There were three more "people" sitting around a fire at the center of this area. Dar-La, a Female Khajiit of the Cathay-raht variety I knew as Ko-Ra and finally a male Senche-raht variety named Dro-Qa. Cathay-raht were also known as jaguar or panther Khajiit because they were larger and fiercer in appearance than normal Cathay. Senche-raht on the other hand were the largest version of Khajiit that were for lack of better description massive muscular lions but with more bobcat aesthetics than lion. They were only more intelligent than a normal lion or sabrecat. -
"Ah! If it is not this ones favored company. Welcome, please warm yourself by the fire." Dar-La said waving a paw towards the crackling fire.
"Clear skies, good to see you Dar-La. I hope the journey was not too harsh." I said with a warm smile as I put my pack near the wagon before sitting on the ground next to Dro-Qa and leaning comfortably against his side.
The big cat just rumbled a purr but otherwise didn't react at all to my action. Ko-Ra just shook her head at that.
"This one is still in disbelief you get away with that. This one has seen that one take limbs for less." the large cat woman said with an odd look.
"It's called gratitude. Me and him have been thick as thieves ever since I saved his eye a couple years back. Rather than going blind he's just got a scar, that means everything as far as he's concerned. Isn't that right big guy?" I said patting the large firm feline behind me.
He chuffed at that before going back to resting.
"Hmph, Nords." the woman scoffed with rolled eyes.
"Senche-raht see clearly, his approval speaks well of your nature." Dar-La said with a wise tone.