Ansaari's ghosts

It is night out. Crickets chirp in the distance. A certain khajiit leans against a tree in the evening breeze staring at the moons between the branches as they transit across the sky. Her eyes world weary and showing a depth far beyond her apparent years. A depth often hidden from all behind her apparent insanity.

She was free of the circlet, a cursed item that silenced the voices, and took away her feelings. It had been hellacious after so long with the others in her head. They were her family, her constant companions. Even the Kyn, Hysteria, was missed. Thankfully, Lucrezia had finally saved her.

Even without the circlet, the khajiit known as Ansaari remains uncharacteristically quiet, calm. She often does this, when no one is around. Letting "the child" sleep, her proper mind taking hold fully, though no one would likely know if they came upon her, she was, after all, known as a trickster in her own right, well before the Daedric princes took her. Even her brother never knew her well enough to recognize the truth of her personality when he saw it, or perhaps he merely did not care. No one knew just how much there was to her, how much she saw, how much she felt despite the apparent madness.

The air shimmers nearby and an elderly, matronly khajiit, a specter or perhaps a shadow, motes of moons light dancing across a pond's surface, appears sitting there looking up at the moons as well with a wan smile. It is a trick Ansaari shows no one, not even Sheogorath knows of it, though it is his "experiment", and the Daedra in her head that allows it, she believes. Perhaps the figure is not truly even visible, since no one has ever seen the shades to mention them to her.

"It has been a long season ...." the Khajiit specter, A clan mother named Tsavri from the days of the First Mane prompts softly.

"This one does not wish to speak of it." Ansaari replies with a frown.

Tsavri chuckles softly, "Child you only bring us into the light when you need to talk about something ..."

A deep rumbling chuckle comes from the other side of the tree, where another shade, An Imperial, Proentus Barasus, bathed in a golden glow stands, "And ever do you prompt her to talk at times like these, when you know she will say no word of her troubles until she is ready."

Ansaari sighs speaking softly, voice more melodic then her norm, "What do we do now ..."

A Nord specter, Astasl, is heard even before her likeness becomes visible, a wash of frost and snow, "I say you beat some sense into that brother of yours, then take him to the local tavern and get drunk enough to regret the next morning!"

A slight smile comes to Ansaari's lips tail twitching in amusement, "He always could use a good beating."

A nearly hissed comment floats from the shadowed limbs of the tree itself where Dar'Ahdnni, the thief seems to lounge, "Sneak in and kill the Thalmor leader, the snake often dies when the head is severed from the body"

Ansaari shakes her head her lyrical voice again rings out softly, "The head of one body was already nearly taken, instead his heart was ripped out with Ja'Amore's death. More death will solve nothing."

Tsavri speaks again "It is a heavy burden, hiding yourself to protect others. Aspiring to calm the rage of others while doing so, even harder."

The chirping of crickets is all that is heard for a while, all the present specters watching the quiet night for a while before fading. The lone khajiit purrs softly, eyes closed, a gentle smile on her face. Talking to the others, without the pretense of madness, always made her feel better. Even if it was only a fleeting feeling.

The night is dark, and quiet. Even the moons hide their faces in the night. Guards pass in the night, following their patrols and paying little heed to the lone figure sitting under a tree, staring out at the darkness. Concern painting her face.

A phantom forms near the Khajiit known as Ansaari, a figure made of ash and flame. It's voice whispers out, filled with disdain and the typical dual tones of a daedra, "Well the trip to the Shivering Isles for cheese was nice."

Ansaari shakes her head sadly "It is a problem, if we can be banished there at an mage's whim, though."

The phantom snorts derisively, "We can come and go as we please, what does it matter?"

A new phantom, seemingly made of leaves and dust, appear slowly taking the form of a redguard, his voice coming upon the still night air "The master's whims change quickly, if we appear in his midst he could prevent us from leaving. Even you could not return us to Nirn if he chooses to hold us."

The familiar form of the clan mother, made of moonlight upon a still pond, answers as she too fades into view, "The concern isn't the master, as there is naught that we can do against him but endure. The concern are those here who might see such effects of their magic as a sign we are daedra. They tend not to accept such creatures, and could alienate us because of it."

The firey phantom answers with a harsh chuckle "All of us, we are so tightly bound together now that the kitten is Daedra. How else could death hold no fear for her, for us?"

Ansaari sighs sadly "Ansaari would lose all her friends if they knew, for now they just think she is odd, and crazy..."

Ansaari stands and quickly climbs into the branches of the tree for a spot to sleep, banishing her ghosts for the night.

(This takes place right after Ainoath was tied to the tree in the middle of town for losing control of his wolf, before Qa'iit decided to leave the town)

A different night, the clouds doing little to hide the bright moons, both bloated, almost full.

A familiar Khajiiti woman sits upon the ground under a familiar tree, staring out into the torch and moon lit night.

About her float some of the now familiar phantoms. A creature of shadow and flame the center of the group, surrounded by others. none hold distinct forms, but all give the impression of other, red guard here, nord there, khajiit clan mother in sparks of moonlight upon a calm pond, the smoke and flame giving the impression of daedra. Around and through them all, zipping and weaving, almost constant in motion except when it stops, as though sitting, upon the Khajiit's lap, a pink and blue ball of energy wanders, giving the impression, child. The troubled expression seems unconsciously to fade from the woman's face whenever the bundle of blue and pink stops upon her lap.

The phantom of icey mist, swirls, a mini blizzard, its ire directed at the figure of flame and smoke "You are a fool of a daedra, the big cat could have slain us had he wished it!"

The little ball of blue zips up to the icey figure, bouncing excitedly "There was a puppy!"

The phantom daedra snorts, a torrent of ash seeming to flow from it "He did not, and would not, Ri'sari would have had his head, and We would not have been killed."

"I got to pet the puppy!" is volunteered by the child, mostly pink and seeming to compete for the center of attention.

A deep baritone voice emits from a phantom seeming formed from sparks of gold and silver dust, the Imperial, "Just because we need no longer fear death, does not mean we can ignore it's consequence."

"I want to play with the puppy!" squeaks out the little orb, now an equal mix of blue and pink, yet still shifting, as it zips back to float on Ansaari's lap. "Can I play with the puppy again?"

A whispered voice floats soothingly from the equally soothing presence of the moonlit phantom, the clan mother. "Perhaps later child, if the 'puppy' is amenable." The clan mother's attention seems to shift to the others, though no actual movement is seen "Dwelling on what could have been leads us nowhere. Would it not be better to focus on what will be instead?"

A phantom made of dust, of desert sands, the redguard seems to nod, "Indeed, as a whole we presented ourselves as a potential threat, the big cat could call us on it, alienate us with the clan. We should prepare for the eventuality, besides 'we' have shown the truth of ourself to several already, despite the original consensus of keeping this ability secret." The dust cloud seems whole focused on Ansaari with the last.

The khajiit woman smiles slightly to the little pink and blue orb in her lap before it zips off again squealing about needing treats for the 'puppy' then looks pointedly at the phantoms. "Ansaari does as she must, many in the clan would leap to protect us, because they see us as an innocent. Those who have been shown Ansaari's ghosts will not use the knowledge poorly, if at all."

A howl in the distance, and scream of "PUPPY" cut off any further conversation as the noise is enough to cause Ansaari to banish the phantoms and slip away into the night before any wayward guards can investigate.