Grolak, Caleb, and Caldris each nodded in agreement to Meesei's plans. Grolak even gave a curt, "Understood." Looking away in silent thought, Najirra seemed conflicted for a moment on Meesei's plan. Instead of looking at her with his comforting smile, he raised his eyes to meet Meesei's with a serious frown, but his tone was still agreeable. "This one will trust the ability of your pack mates. But, see that you visit them each periodically. This one smells that we may have yet to see the last betrayal before the guilty one is snared." He raised one index finger from its position atop his walking stick, "Of particular importance is the secret of Jerrick's fate. If the culprit is clever enough, the rumours of his absence and of his death will conflict. You three," Najirra shifted to face Grolak, Caldris, and Caleb, "You must propagate the Champion's rumour as soon as you can tomorrow. The first to reach the ears of this place will hold the most weight." The three nodded once again, understanding the situation. After a few more seconds evidencing that Najirra had finished talking, Caldris spoke up to Meesei. "Will that be all for tonight, Champion?"

Meesei nodded to Najirra. "My pack mates are capable, but I will warn them to be cautious and to stay in the company of others as often as possible. At the very least, with all of them sleeping in the same room, they should not be taken off guard." Since she had no more orders to give for the moment, Meesei again nodded to Caldris' question. "Yes, I have no more orders to give for now. As for keeping the situation quiet, my best advice would be not to call too much attention to Jerrick's absence. Spread the rumor, and as Najirra said, spread it soon, but do not make his absence seem too important, or peculiar. Hopefully, the clan will not think it strange for him to be away on important business. It is for the safety of the clan that we need to keep it secret, but if suspicion does arise and people start asking about Jerrick, I cannot lie. I have to keep the clan's trust, and people will look much more harshly upon a direct lie than simply not mentioning it. If that happens, I will take the next best course of action. I will give an announcement to the clan telling of Jerrick's murder, but I will not disclose the suspects. Jerrick warned that the division in loyalties between lieutenants would create chaos; however, if the clan believes that the lieutenants are all working together to help find some other assassin, then there will be nothing to divide them. Since most of the lieutenants are still loyal, they would likely cooperate with such a plan, so the traitor would have to as well if they do not want to reveal themselves. If it becomes too difficult to gather information in secret, I may need to take that option anyway." Once Meesei was finished with her explanation, she thanked Jerrick's trusted for their assistance, then left to return to her own pack's quarters. Between confronting the lieutenants, questioning them, and speaking to Najirra and the others, much more time had passed than Sabine said she would need to identify the poison. She walked through the halls as quickly as she could, though attempted not to rush so fast as to seem suspicious to anyone that happened to see or hear her. It did not take long for her to reach their room, where Sabine and Kaleeth were waiting. From the expression on her face, it was easy to see that she was anxious to know what Sabine had learned.

What Meesei found when she came upon her pack's chambers was a very hunched and distraught Sabine. Normally whenever she performed alchemy, she was in her element. Nothing seemed to agitate her while she was so focussed. Here, though, her every action suggested that something was not right, that she was trying to salvage a rapidly deteriorating situation. Kaleeth was nearby, but any approach to work out what was wrong was met with a rapid swipe of Sabine's hand. She didn't want anyone to interfere. Sabine had become so flustered that when Meesei made her presence known, Sabine turned around and burst into tears in the space of a few seconds. She dropped the pestle in her hand and buried her eyes in the inside of her elbow, sobbing in frustration. Jerrick's waterskin was still half-full off to one side, but there was also a bucket on the opposite side of Sabine's equipment that was full of a thin black water. Failed tests. Sabine didn't respond in any way that explained what exactly the problem was, but the tightness of her breathing and sobbing told of overwhelmed frustration more than grief and loss. In the meeting room, the lieutenants were gathered once again. The reality of the situation had made them quiet and solemn at first, but the idleness was starting to wear on their nerves to varying degrees as time passed. Harriet was picking at a splinter on the table. Darahil had his arms crossed and his eyes closed, but it was hard to tell whether or not he was sleeping. Vera stared forward, breathing lightly and looking hollow. Oswall also had his arms crossed, but he was sitting low in his seat and fidgeting his legs, his lips pursed behind his beard with his waning patience. He couldn't hold out much longer before he had an outburst. "Mmmn..." he growled, shaking his head, then looking to Lorag. "How much longer is the champion going to be? Are we expected to sit here awake all night?!" he spat.

When Meesei saw Sabine's reaction to her presence, she was fairly certain something was wrong. Sabine was quite obviously distraught over difficulties with her tests. Even without words to confim it, Meesei guessed that she had not been able to determine the information she sought. Once Sabine started to sob, Meesei approached wordlessly and gave her a hug, something to try and calm her anxiety. After a few seconds, she pulled away, keeping both hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "It is alright, Sabine. You said before that the poison is slow-acting, right? All I need is to know how long it would take to kill. Nothing else matters." Lorag returned a glare to Oswall. He expected the lieutenants wouldn't be complacent forever, though it did not make him any less annoyed by the outburst. "She'll take however long it takes." He retorted in his usual, undiplomatic manner. "Your alpha has just been murdered, Oswall." Ahnasha added, her tone carrying a bit more tact. Lorag had many skills, but speaking to others was not one of them, so she decided to at least try to calm him down. Of course, with Oswall, she doubted he would respect calm or reassuring words, so she might need to be more forceful. "This is an...extreme situation, for everyone. One of the worst things that could happen has happened, and the fate of the clan itself is in danger. We haven't had much sleep either, but we'll bear through it because it is what is required of us. We are going to do everything possible to preserve the clan, and right now, that means waiting on Meesei to gather what she needs for the investigation. You want justice for Jerrick's death, do you not?"

Thankfully, Sabine managed to calm down a little in Meesei's arms, but she was still upset when she responded. "That's what I am trying to find. The tests are failing! Nothing is working. I keep ruining it." Sabine stopped to breathe for a moment, then continued, "This poison, it was made with a method I don't know about. The tests I've done turn it into this useless thing," Sabine gestured to the partially filled bucket. Her next string of words were beset by her frustrated tears returning like a tide, "The only other tests I would know would take even longer, but I know we don't have time, and I don't even know if they would work, and I would need some other ingredients from the scholars, and..." Sabine lowered her head and started to jolt her shoulders with more tight, quiet sobs, "...I feel like nothing has worked. I feel...scared, like I was before the ritual. This isn't supposed to happen." Where Oswall had been braced to stand up from his seat, Ahnasha's words brought him slowly back down. "I...of course I desire justice," he said with a calmer impatience, "This sitting around makes me uneasy. Any one of us could have committed this crime. Disgusting." Oswall scanned his eyes over the lieutenants present again. Over by the door, Fendros was leaned up against the wall with his hands clasped together in front of him. He caught Ahnasha's eye and unclasped one hand to give her a quick thumbs up and nod. Oswall seemed to be the most reactive of the four, so keeping him quiet would likely keep the others similarly placid.

Meesei maintained her calm attitude while keeping her hands on Sabine's shoulders. She pulled her closer in an attempt to console her. Certainly, Sabine was not accustomed to failure with anything alchemical, but it was not as if she was familiar with every ingredient in Tamriel and beyond, so it was bound to happen eventually. Regardless, she doubted Sabine would give up so easily, and Meesei would do whatever she could to help with her tests. "Tell me what you do know about the poison. If you cannot identify it, then do you believe it is made from something exotic? If Vile is involved, the ingredients could be from Oblivion itself. In any case, if you need something, we will get it for you. We have all week, and perhaps longer for the investigation, so you will probably have time for whatever you need. I may even be able to come up with a way for the scholars themselves to help you, depending on how my investigation goes." Meesei said reassuringly. Ahnasha crossed her arms, trying to maintain something of a firm demeanor. She obviously had his attention, and Fendros seemed to think she was doing well, so she decided to continue. "None of us want to sit around and do 'nothing,' but you know just as well as I that you, or any lieutenant, cannot do the investigating, not yet. You know whether or not you're the traitor, but no one else does. Think about it, do you really want the traitor having free reign to build a case against one of the others? Oswall, you're brash, headstrong, and have been working your way up the ranks for decades. You would be real easy for someone to blame, but Meesei, she doesn't care about that. She will base her suspicions on fact and evidence alone; not something that everyone else will do. There is no telling what the traitor would do if given the chance. What we're doing is just as much for your protection as anything else. None of us want to blame the wrong person."

"It has...something, maybe two things in it that I have not seen before," Sabine began, slowing down her emotions so she could explain. "I don't know how to identify them, but I can try to do another test tomorrow to test how long it would take to kill. I can make a mixture that would make the poison react like it was in a body, and it would tell me when it would kill. It would take as long as it would in a real person, though. If I set it up tonight, I would have to watch it all night and I don't want to fall asleep if I do that." Sabine seemed to be past her frustration for now. She merely sounded tired and gravely. She sniffed, swallowed, and looked up at Meesei properly, "I will need some more things from the scholars, something to time the reaction with, and a lock of hair or a piece of fingernail from Jerrick's body. If I make it tonight, someone will have to stay awake to watch it. I don't know if I can." At first, Oswall seemed mistrusting. He stared daggers at Ahnasha for assuming authority over him. However, by this point Darahil had opened his eyes and was giving Oswall a look that told him to see the truth, or more specifically not to make any more of a fuss. It was cross in any case. Oswall's eye was caught by Darahil, causing the old Nord to shift in his seat and sigh. His expression was still belligerent, but he was done complaining. "You speak truth," he said reluctantly, bringing his eyes to the table again.

"This is very important, but we are not in so much of a rush that you have to do this all tonight." Meesei answered. She had hoped to question the lieutenants further that night, but she did not want to do so until she had more information on the poison. However, the hour was late, and her, her pack, and the lieutenants were likely all fatigued. As much as Meesei wanted to solve the murder quickly, a night's rest would help her keep herself from making mistakes. Meesei finally released her grip on Sabine, then stepped back and looked at both her and Kaleeth. "You two can stay here, get some rest, and take care of Rhazii. I am going to go back to the others and tell them they may retire for the night. I am going to have all of the lieutenants, and the rest of our pack, sleep in the same room so we can keep an eye on them all. I will likely join them. Tomorrow, I will come back here and take you to the alchemist. Oh, and Sabine, I want you to make sure to stay with one of us at all times, alright? We are doing everything we can to keep an eye on the lieutenants, but that does not erase the fact that all of us are now targets of this traitor. I want to make sure you are safe." Ahnasha gave a silent nod to Oswall, making sure to say nothing more so that she did not inadvertently cause another problem. After Oswall's outburst, no one in the room was quite keen on talking, but neither she nor anyone else in the pack could exactly go to sleep when they were meant to be watching the lieutenants. Eventually Ahnasha made her way over to Fendros and leaned herself against the wall beside him. The room was too small for anyone to talk privately, so instead, she let out a sigh, then took his hand in hers and leaned herself against him.

For all of Sabine's urgency, a part of her made her exhale in relief to hear that she would be able to finally sleep. She nodded affirmatively to all Meesei said afterwards. She didn't really feel like she was in much danger, but she didn't mind being in Kaleeth's company at all. She was sometimes easily scared, but she was strong. "I'm sorry I couldn't find out what you needed from the poison," Sabine said to Meesei, looking down. She also turned her head in Kaleeth's direction, also with eyes to the ground, "I'm sorry if I got angry, Kaleeth. It was my fault." Fendros lightly ran his thumb over Ahnasha's hand as he held it. He had hoped both that there would be more of a break to visit Najirra on their terms and that their stay in this clan would be safe, but this first night had offered little enough respite. They would just have to wait for Meesei and hope that whatever she was doing would wrap this up quickly. In the time they waited, part of Fendros wanted to try and comfort the nearly completely still Vera in her seat. Losing a loving partner was something Fendros could scarcely bear to think about. Would he be in Vera's state if they never found a way to prolong Ahnasha's life, or lose her even earlier? The thought made Fendros squeeze Ahnasha's hand protectively.

Once Meesei left the room, Kaleeth answered back to Sabine, finally breaking her silence. "It's alright. You just wanted to find out what the poison was. Everything that is happening is...frightening. I hope we catch the killer. They killed Jerrick without him even being able to fight back. I...I'm glad I don't have to worry about poison. The Treeminder told us we were immune to almost all of them because there were so many of them in Black Marsh. Apparently, some of the most deadly poisons there are come from there." She said, though she was not really certain where she was going with her comment. She was speaking more through nervousness than anything. She was glad that they would finally be able to get some sleep, even if it was not a whole night's rest. Rhazii had already woken once, and would probably wake again before the night was over, but at least for the moment, both he and Leaps were asleep. By this point, Meesei was familiar enough with the layout of the halls around their own room that she was able to navigate her way back to the meeting room easily. Some of the lieutenants, and even a few of her own pack, looked half asleep when she walked in, but most of them snapped awake when they noticed her. "Since we have all had a long, stressful day, I will not waste any time. Before I say anything more, I have an offer to make, to the one among you who killed Jerrick. You have compromised the future of the clan, you have brought suffering to his friends, and unimaginable pain to his family. It is a crime whose punishment can be no less than execution and, if this thought has not crossed your mind, I will remind you that we are all lycans here. As such, your soul is bound for Hircine's Hunting Grounds. Your actions have served our enemy, and you will be bound to the realm of the one you betrayed for all eternity. I say this because I am offering one chance to avoid that fate, a way to pursue some hope of redemption. If the traitor gives his or herself up now, the punishment shall be exile, not death. On my honor, and in the name of Hircine and the title he has granted me, I give my word that you will be allowed to leave with no harm brought to you. From there, you will have your life to make amends to our lord. This is a generous offer which I will not make again. Now, will you accept it?"

As soon as Sabine received forgiveness from Kaleeth and Meesei left, a wave of fatigue overcame her. Even though Kaleeth was still talking, she crawled over to her bedroll and slid under the cover. She thought she might respond to Kaleeth once she opened her eyes, but she was unconscious faster than she realised. Everyone's attention went to Meesei as soon as the door to the meeting room scraped open again. Janius was thankful that she turned up before Oswall or any other of the lieutenants felt like stirring up trouble again. There was barely a time for another greeting before Meesei began her proposal. By the time she was done, the notion that Jerrick's murder was a direct betrayal and that she culprit would suffer for it hung heavy in the air between the lieutenants. They held stiff frowns, glancing between each other and the ground. All except Vera, who still looked hollow and wrecked and continued staring at the centre of the table without flinching. A moment passed, then another, and another. It became clear that none of the lieutenants were going to step up. Whoever the killer was among them, the confidence held in their motives was not faltering. The only sound in the room was eventually an almost silent sigh of disappointment from Fendros by the door.

Meesei waited in complete silence as she allowed the traitor to consider her offer. As much as she wanted to make sure the traitor was punished, it was best for the clan if the situation was resolved as soon as possible. Therefore, she was honest in her offer. As an exile, the traitor could no longer cause harm to the clan, or at least, not from within. However, after a short time, it became clear that the traitor was not willing to step forward, so Meesei uncrossed her arms and stepped forward closer to the center of the room. "Very well." Meesei said, her tone firm and disappointing. "If you do not wish to admit to the betrayal in front of the others, you may approach me any time before the end of tomorrow. Until then, the offer stands, and you will be allowed to leave unharmed. However, after that point, your fate is sealed. Now, as for right now, I acknowledge that the day has been long, and stressful. There is more I need to do before I can question you further, but since I cannot do them until tomorrow, then we are done for today. We can all retire for the night and get as much rest as we can. First thing tomorrow, I am going to need enough coin for one of my pack to head to Bruma for food, so as to eliminate the possibility of another poisoning. I will not stop you from eating what is already here, but you do so at your own risk. Also, to prevent harm from coming to any of you, or my own pack, we should all sleep in the same room. I can have one of my pack up as a lookout at all times to ensure the traitor is unable to enact any plans in the night. Tomorrow, you will need to go about your duties as close to normally as possible. We need to be careful not to cause any alarm among the clan as a whole. According to Jerrick's warning, it is divisive chaos among the clan that will threaten to tear it apart. If you are wondering what you can do to help in all of this, that is it: preserving the peace, keeping the confidence of the clan. I need your cooperation. One of you is a traitor, but the rest of us are all on the same side. Ideally, the clan should not know of Jerrick's death until after the full moons have passed. I will not directly lie to the clan, but word will get around that he is away on important business. Do whatever you can to avoid contradicting that rumor. If it becomes necessary to tell the clan before the full moons, then be sure not to indicate that any of you are suspects. If the people do not think we are divided, then they will not be divided either. Now, are there any questions before we retire for the night?" Meesei did not want to reveal too much of her plans to the lieutenants, but there was no way they could be successful without their cooperation. As well, if the traitor wanted to reveal the truth to the clan, they would have to take a heavy risk of exposing themselves.

Apart from some sounds of mild frustration at the inconvenience of sleeping amongst Meesei's pack and waiting for bought food, the lieutenants didn't have any further responses. They all shuffled up slowly from their seats and prepared to find a spot to sleep. There was a small discussion as to which room would be used to house them all, eventually concluding that the meeting room was spacious enough compared to any of their own quarters or Meesei's pack's quarters. Once the bedrolls and belongings were ported, the tense quiet began where everyone tried to sleep except Janius, who took the first watch. The knowledge of a traitor being in their midst did not do great things for their relaxation. Fendros' final watch finished with no apparent incident. He was told of the morning despite the underground environment by distant noises of early risers in the nearby dining hall readying themselves for the day. He had no idea of the position of the sun, but his stomach started to complain of hunger. It was more than enough to want to rise and find breakfast. Though, he knew he had to stay a little longer. The others would get up soon.

Through the night, each of the pack, including Meesei, took turns on watch, with the last being Fendros. Thankfully, it was a boring night for all involved, as they each started to awake in the morning with no one having been harmed. Meesei was among the first to rise, and she did not delay a moment in starting on her business for the day. As everyone did not awake at the same time, she was able to take a brief moment to speak to each of her pack individually while the others were either still asleep, or preparing for the day. With each, she made sure to stress that they keep an eye on their charges at all times, but to also be cautious. She warned them to try and make sure the lieutenants did not take them to too secluded of locations and, if the traitor did reveal themselves, to run instead of fight. As long as the traitor could be identified, their power to harm the clan would be diminished, so her pack's safety was more important than capturing the traitor. Eventually, everyone awoke in varying states of fatigue and general grogginess. It was fair to say that no one in the room was in a good mood, and there was no indication that would improve anytime soon. Regardless, out of duty to Hircine, Meesei would press on no matter what. After everyone looked to be reasonably awake, Meesei spoke up to the group as a whole. "This will be the first real day of the investigation. Hopefully, it will also be the last, but be prepared for it to go on regardless. To reiterate what I said last night, the lieutenants are going to need to go about their duties in as normal of a manner as possible. Obviously, you cannot leave the ruin, and I would strongly advise against going into the uninhabited sections as well. I am sure you can imagine how the traitor could take advantage of that. The clan knows I am here to bolster our defenses against Vile, so if anyone inquires on any kind of unusual behavior, you may cite that as the reason. Again, I need your help in maintaining order through all of this. You all can help to prevent the clan from falling into chaos, and for that I will be grateful. For now, I need enough coin so one of my pack can buy food for us all. You can choose to eat food from here if you cannot wait, but in doing so, you accept the danger that comes with it. Ahnasha, I will send you to Bruma for the supplies. Vera, can you acquire the coin for her? Another of my pack, Kaleeth, will stay with you while she is gone. We can go to collect her on the way."

In particular, Vera looked as if she had slept the least of anyone present by far. Her puffy eyes were drooping and struggled to hold attention to Meesei and her request for funds. She nodded tiredly and began to walk without a word to a locked room nearby that held the clan's coffers. She didn't even bother to count out the gold for Ahnasha, but what she handed over was roughly enough to buy a couple of days of food for four people. "I can fetch some extra arms if you think you will need help. Anders and his packmates are probably heading back to Bruma this morning. The storm has to have passed by now," Vera suggested with a voice as dishevelled as her hair. "Given the circumstances, Vera, I don't believe that assigning anyone would be transparent for that task," Darahil wheeled around the corner with some parchment and a quill in his hands. He seemed to have silently followed them and was eyeing the money handed to Ahnasha. The writing he was scratching was likely to record the transaction. The way he looked at them both angrily requested that they step out from the veritable closet of a treasury the clan kept secure. The others proceeded to breakfast with their chaperones in tow, working out the morning fatigue to get ready for the day. Harriet and Oswall, soon enough accompanied by Darahil and Vera, all walked out to the dining hall to mingle with the morning crowd. They all separated as soon as they could to accompany their packs, but they stayed in the same room as if to keep an eye on each other. Before joining his own kin, Oswall spoke to Meesei while they were on the mezzanine. "I could shut people up if you need to make an announcement during a meal time. Did you want to say anything now?" Oswall asked casually, as if out of courtesy more than expecting Meesei to speak.

After Vera produced the gold for Ahnasha and Darahil recorded the expense, it seemed as if everyone was ready to move, but before they left Meesei quickly approached Ahnasha. "You can go ahead and be on your way. I will stay with Vera for the moment. On your way out, stop by our room and get Kaleeth and Sabine. Send them both to the dining hall to find me, and be sure to remind Sabine to gather everything she will need for today. Also, stay safe, Ahnasha." Ahnasha nodded in understanding, splitting off from the group as they all left the meeting room. Meesei stayed within sight of Vera, but also made a point to approach Darahil and speak specifically to him as they walked along. "We did not get a chance last night, but just as a reminder, I still need to see that rune in the meeting room." She said quietly before quickly returning to Vera's side. Once in the dining chamber, Meesei remained close to Vera. She was hungry, but she, and the rest of her pack, could wait for Ahnasha to return just as well as the lieutenants. Indeed, the likelihood of this specific meal being poisoned was almost none, but Meesei wanted to get into the habit of relying only on food she knew was safe. When Oswall asked if she wanted to make an announcement, she shook her head. "Thank you, but I do not have anything I wish to say at the moment. I will notify you if I do." Kaleeth had been awake along with Sabine for a short while before Ahnasha arrived, thanks to Rhazii. When she stepped into the room, she saw Rhazii, freshly clothed and freshly fed from the spare milk Ahnasha liked to keep among their supplies, in case someone else needed to feed him. He was sitting propped up against Kaleeth, playing with her tail. It seemed that there was still some food left over among the pack's supplies, as Kaleeth was just finishing up her breakfast. Ahnasha had gathered up as many empty bags and pouches as she could find from in and around the meeting room before she left, which Kaleeth immediately noticed. "What is going on? Are we going somewhere?" She asked. Ahnasha shook her head. "Not all of us, just me. Meesei tasked me with heading to Bruma to pick up food for us and the lieutenants. She's afraid the traitor might try to poison someone else. She wants you to stay with Vera while I'm away, Kaleeth. You're supposed to both protect her if the traitor tries to hurt her, and watch her closely to make sure she isn't the traitor. I also think she is supposed to teach you about the clan and her duties as a sort of...cover. Both of you are supposed to head to the dining chamber and find Meesei. She will tell you what to do from there. " There was a brief pause where Ahnasha's attention shifted to her son. Being separated from Rhazii brought back memories of Black Marsh and the cult of Molag Bal; memories that she wished she could be rid of. Since then, she had been dreading any sort of separation from Rhazii, but at least this time, one of her pack would be watching over him. "And...take good care of Rhazii, okay? You should have enough milk for the day; I'll try to prepare more when I can."

Even Sabine's exhausted mind was not spared from Rhazii's occasional cries during the early hours of the morning. The sound of Kaleeth's movements eventually roused her, bringing her attention to her jaw. It sore from clenching in her sleep. She would have liked to snooze away her stress, if that was possible, but she mustered the will to get up and assist Kaleeth with Rhazii. Sabine didn't eat anything for breakfast, as she wasn't particularly hungry. Ahnasha's arrival caught Sabine's attention as it had Kaleeth's. It seemed a difficult task for Ahnasha to carry so much food up the mountain, but given the circumstances, there were few enough alternatives that Sabine could think of. Before Ahnasha could leave, Sabine stood up and placed a hand on her arm to halt her. "Wait, Ahnasha, is there anything I should do?" --- Meesei's quiet tone with mentioning the rune did not keep Darahil from taking the reminder gingerly. At least, the few cues that flickered across his expression told of it. Still, he responded to Meesei before they separated. "Whenever you need. I would just appreciate that you do not go spreading around the existence of that particular measure." In the walk to the dining hall, Vera seemed to make an effort to try and breathe more evenly, stand up straighter, and even rub the residual moisture from her eyes before confronting her packs. She even somehow wore a smile as they greeted her. Anders, the alpha that escorted Meesei's pack up the mountain the day before, was the first to stand and wave. "Hail, Vera. We were waiting to say farewell before heading back down to the city. I'm pleased to inform that the weather has cleared up overnight." "That's good to hear, and good morning everyone," Vera responded with a surprisingly level and friendly tone, "Travel well, keep the city watched, and thank you again for bringing Meesei here and her pack to us." "It's an honour," Anders nodded, then craned his neck to look past Vera's shoulder. "Is Jerrick around? I thought I might check if he or anyone else needs anything from Bruma before we go." Vera's expression faltered for only a moment, in the form of swallowing hard, but she quickly recovered. "Oh, I'm afraid you missed him. He left early this morning on important business. You know how he can be with sudden decisions." To this, Anders chuckled and grinned knowingly. "I see, when will he be back?" "I cannot be certain. He said at least a week, perhaps more. I was cross to hear of it at such short notice, and I won't be forgiving him soon." Vera said, speaking like a displeased teacher. The smile a moment later showed that it was at least in good nature. "Very well," Anders moved to leave with his pack in tow. He turned to Meesei before he set off out of the room. "It was a fine honour to meet you, Champion. May you succeed in tracking Vile's agents." --- "Hail, Oswall! How goes the hunt for Vile's peons?" A boisterous young man called out from where Oswall's packs were dining while Oswall and Janius approached them. Oswall gave a gruff grunt and smiled as he found a seat for himself, not bothering to even look at the rations to one side of the room. "It's only been one night since the Champion arrived, Lars, what do you expect of us? Pah!" The familiar sight of Gallus beside his charge, Tzirret, sounded from nearby. "Some people have been curious. A couple of us were woken up and spotted you, the other lieutenants and some of the champions packmates wandering the halls late last night." "None of your business," Oswall said dismissively, but still in good nature. --- Harriet also assumed a position amongst her own followers to greet them during breakfast. Unlike the other lieutenants, however, she didn't put on a face. She still held the same glower as she had when she woke up. Some in her packs weren't so discouraged, however. "D'you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Harriet?" One of her Argonian followers said. One of the few Argonians amongst the clan, Lorag may have noticed. Far from being wrathful, Harriet waved her hand broadly and sounded her disapproval casually. "Aaah, I'm just a little annoyed that I've been given some duties on short notice. I'll not be going out on the hunt we planned today with you ladies and gents." Harriet turned and pointed to one of the burlier wood elves in her packs. "Tariam, you'll lead the hunt today." "Yes, Harriet," the short but strong looking figure said. The Argonian from the start glanced at Lorag and half-smiled at Harriet. "You having Lorag here join us for the hunt?" Harriet grinned and almost laughed. "Nah, he'll be sticking around right here. He can't get enough of me, isn't that right, big boy?" By the way Harriet's packs seemed to react almost obliviously, they didn't seem aware of Lorag and Harriet's follow up encounter from the previous night. --- In contrast to the social intimacy that the lieutenants had with their packs, Fendros observed that Darahil sat amongst his retainers with a disconnected coldness. "Greetings, Darahil," Hadryn, the Dunmer that Fendros, Ahnasha, Kaleeth, and Janius spoke with the other day, spoke in a friendly enough tone, to which Darahil simply nodded. A few more people greeted him, such as the other two that Fendros and the others had spoken with, but Darahil responded the same way. Darahil simply sat and leaned his head on this finger in deep thought while his followers chatted and ate around him. By the way they acted, Darahil seemed to hold his aura of respect in a different way to most. "Do you normally stay this quite during breakfast?" Fendros asked carefully. Darahil didn't shift at all, but he responded in a tone that did not appreciate the implied judgement. "Only when I have important matters to ponder."

After gathering up enough furs to make the cold bearable, Ahnasha was stopped by Sabine. “Like I said, just head to the dining chamber with Kaleeth and find Meesei. Make sure to get whatever you will need for the day. Just…do the best you can with whatever Meesei needs from you, Sabine, but don’t fear failure. If you worry yourself too much, you will make yourself make mistakes. Take care.” Ahnasha said, finally departing from the room and heading towards the ruin’s exit. Kaleeth gathered everything she thought she might possibly need, especially her weaponry. She carried her shield on her back and her weapon at her side so that she did not look as if she was expecting a fight, but she felt she was practiced enough to reach them quickly enough. Once ready, she picked up Rhazii, then made sure to set out something for Leaps to eat and drink while they were away. Everyone was too busy to look after the wamasu personally, so they would have to keep him locked in the room most of the day. They could clean up after him later. Kaleeth stood by the door as she waited for Sabine to finish getting whatever she needed, already starting to become anxious about the day ahead. --- Meesei was pleased to see that Vera was able to at least maintain the appearance of normality, and even somewhat of an upbeat attitude. Cooperation from the lieutenants was greatly helpful, and she would be sure to pay close attention to anyone who did not. Trouble from any of the lieutenants would not necessarily be proof of guilt, but it would certainly push suspicion onto them. If it turned out that Vera was not the traitor, Meesei was going to be sure to find a way to express her gratitude to her for her efforts. Like Vera, Meesei smiled in response to Anders. “Thank you. Be assured, I will be working tirelessly to keep the clan secure. Take care in the city.” --- Lorag gave a smirk and a chuckle. “Not yet.” He responded, giving no more hints as to what happened before adding his own comments to the conversation. All this subterfuge was really not his element, but he could at least give Harriet’s pack something to believe. “Wish the Champion wouldn’t at least given us a full night’s sleep, but there’s always somethin’ to do. All these preparations and everything; she’s really on top it when it comes to defense. Vile’s lackeys won’t know what to do once she’s finished. Hopefully we won’t end up needin’ all this preparation, but at least we’ll be safe.”

Sabine was consoled enough once her direction was clear. She nodded and let Ahnasha go so that she could begin her journey to Bruma. "See you soon," Sabine said before she was out of sight. Rather than pack away all of her equipment to take it with her all day, Sabine only took her empty shoulder bag and a few implements of glassware so that she could store and retrieve ingredients for her tests as needed. She would likely head back to their sleeping chamber to resume such things. Once Sabine was ready, she headed out with Kaleeth, locking the old Ayleid gate behind them to keep Leaps in. The hatchling ran up to the gate and propped his forelegs up onto it, chirping in protest for being left alone, but he would settle eventually. Kaleeth seemed to hold herself tensely as she and Sabine headed to the dining hall. When Sabine noticed this, she wished that she could help in some way, but she was still slightly anxious herself. She couldn't really think of anything to say. After a short while, Sabine tried something that was often used by Meesei to try and calm her; she reached up and placed a hand on Kaleeth's shoulder and rubbed it lightly. It was more awkward than she was expecting, not only because they were moving side by side, but because Kaleeth's shoulder was at about the same height as Sabine's chin. The pair entered the dining hall and spotted Meesei nearby Vera, who was talking with a number of other lycans around her. Sabine found it strange that she seemed to look and act the same even though she had just lost her husband. --- The Argonian nearby Harriet attempted to probe further into Lorag's comment. "Preparation, you say? What kind of preparation?" "You'll get more details if you actually need to do anything, Galsek," Harriet answered before Lorag could elaborate. "Oh? And why's that?" The Argonian, Galsek, crossed his arms and raised one brow to Harriet. Harriet grinned and answered casually, "'Cause you might be a spy, stupid." Harriet faced Lorag again, "Seriously, Lorag here's gonna help me with a few things today, so you kids play nice, alright?" Breakfast proceeded without any notable events, apart from one of Harriet's packs heading out on a hunt. No one amongst Harriet's packs seemed to spot the fact that neither their alpha nor Lorag ate or drank anything, and the only time Jerrick was brought up was in a passing query about timetabling amongst the lieutenants or something of that nature. His impromptu 'journey' was not mentioned as it was unnecessary.

Meesei patiently waited with Vera for Sabine and Kaleeth. Mostly, she allowed Vera to talk to the others and simply observed, chiming in when addressed, or when she felt she had been silent for too long. The others around them seemed to accept Vera's explanation for where Jerrick had gone, which made sense. After all, what reason would they have to doubt her? As well, no one seemed to pay attention to the fact that neither of them were eating, which was also sensible, since the clan had no particular reason to scrutinize them at the moment. If someone did ask about it, she could simply say they had already eaten. Eventually, Meesei spotted Kaleeth and Sabine entering the dining chamber, prompting her to wave them over to her. It took a few moments, but Kaleeth noticed, then joined Meesei and Vera along with Sabine. "Ah, good morning, Kaleeth, Sabine. I trust Ahnasha told you about what you will be doing? You will be with Vera for the next few hours. She will be teaching you more about the clan, just like the other lieutenants. Do not worry, myself and Sabine will watch after Rhazii." Meesei explained. Her voice was loud enough that others around them could hear, but not so loud as to call attention to it. "Did you get everything you will need from our room, Sabine?" She continued.