The warmth of the courier's office was such a relief that Sabine let out a breath and felt like just standing in it for another half an hour. However, Meesei urged her on. Given some confidence by the success of getting directions, Sabine walked up to the clerk with a bit less anxiety and placed her palms lightly on the desk. She started out quiet again, but her volume increased once she gained momentum. "I am Sabine...Montgrave. Is there anything for me?"

The clerk looked up with a raised brow and stopped writing for a moment. "Let me just take a look, Miss Montgrave." He said as he put his quill away and stood up. With unintelligible mumbles and grumbles, the Imperial fingered through the various items on the shelves around him until he found a slip of folded paper that had been sealed with wax. Some writing had been scratched onto the front that the clerk read and reread before showing it to Sabine. "Is this your name?" The letter was addressed as such:

[i]Miss Sabine Montgrave
Care of Bruma Courier Service
Bruma, Cyrodiil[/i]

Sabine didn't know what the 'Miss' meant, but it was Ariel's handwriting. That much made her heart skip a beat. She didn't care about anything else on it, her name was Sabine Montgrave. She nodded her head vigorously and smiled. The clerk returned the smile and extended the letter over the desk to her. Sabine took it with both hands and turned it, trying to work out the best way to open it. It was a few seconds before Sabine remembered her manners once again and looked up at the clerk. "Thank you."

The clerk didn't respond with anything except a smile and a nod before he sat down and resumed his work.

In her rush to read the letter, Sabine didn't even walk away from the desk yet. She didn't quite realise that opening the letter would be as simple as snapping the wax seal, so she ended up tearing the paper slightly, much to her dismay. It was not ruined beyond reading, thankfully. Sabine ran her finger across the line of text as she slowly deciphered the Daedric runes written to form Dunmeris. The words were cramped on the small sheet such that Ariel did not have space to put paragraphs on the sheet of paper, but it wasn't a problem. She skipped over the date, but it was obvious that the letter was written in response to the letter Sabine sent in Leyawiin.

[i]My dearest sister,
This week has been the most wonderful week in my life. Business was good for a start, I made more returns than I had predicted for this month. I received your last letter, it was a relief to hear that your voyage was going well, despite the difficulties of living on the ship. To top it all off, Rukeewei gave me the biggest fright when he invited me to his inn and presented to me a ring of engagement. A gold band with three of the most beautiful amethysts you have ever seen! He even hired a bard to perform a ballad in my name. I could barely speak, but when I accepted, the cheer from the patrons was deafening. I can barely contain my happiness at this moment, but it is all I can do to keep focussed on work and help to organise the wedding. At first, I didn't know how we would pay for a ceremony, but it turns out that Argonians are community minded enough, even in cities, that we have received help from friends and family of Rukee's. Some friends I've made in the city and even some of my customers have pushed gold into my hands demanding that I contribute it to the wedding. It warmed my heart so much for all the support. We are to be married a month from now, enough time for Rukeewei's relatives to gather. It might be embarrassing to have no family there, but I have made some friends that I intend to invite. I wish you and the pack could be there, Sabine, but I know that the distance between us and the duties you have makes that impossible. Speaking of which, you must tell me of you journey from Leyawiin to Bruma. I want to hear everything, from the people you meet to the sights you see. How is the pack? Have Ahnasha and Fendros found some help yet? How is little Rhazii and Leaps-On-Elves? And most importantly, how are you, sister? Cyrodiil must be different under the light of your new perspective. I want to know how you have developed over this time. My address is the same as always. Please write back as soon as you can. All of my love to everyone.
Your sister,
- Ariel[/i]

"Do you need anything else, Miss?" The clerk spoke just as Sabine reached Ariel's signature and she was snapped back to reality.

"What? Um...no." Sabine's voice was jumpy, suddenly full of energy. She turned around to Meesei and her face spread into one of the widest grins she had ever pulled. She very nearly sprinted the two metres up to Meesei and held the letter up to her. "Read!" She demanded with excitement, too elated to remember to say please or to provide any more context.

---

The bearded Nord crossed his arms and frowned. He was not going to believe Lorag immediately, but he wasn't going to drive them all out of his pack's territory just yet. "Then I will stay to wait for her. Then we can find somewhere more appropriate," he responded, continuing to give suspicious glances to Kaleeth.

Janius had honestly hoped for a more warm welcome, but he couldn't blame the stranger for being as cold as the weather. He was dealing with a foreign pack that might present competition for their hunting grounds, or worse, present a threat to his own pack. Janius might have tried to engage him in pleasantries to try and lower the tension, but he figured it was best to follow Lorag's lead here.