"I can't even imagine trees that high." Aurana was leaning forward. Julan quickly had her rapt despite of her previous sadness. "Jatinha's told me about the jungles in Elsweyr before, but even they didn't block all of the sky out, did they Jatinha?" Aurana held her head up to speak across the room.

Jatinha's eyes lit up in surprise. "Uhm, you could sometimes see the sky between the leaves. I do not remember seeing any with walkways and houses, though."

"They have them there as well," Rhazii added. "We've been there. There are smaller Khajiit that live in the forests. But they didn't have cities in the trees like the Bosmer. It's like The Bosmer controlled how the trees grew or something."

"Jatinha, Rhazii, come sit with us. It's awkward to call out to you from here." Aurana beckoned the young maid.

Jatinha raised both her hands and anxiously smiled. "I assure you, it is no trouble."

"Please? You look cold," Aurana insisted. "I don't want you to suffer. We're not at home, okay?"

Rhazii stood up from his chair. He stood a head taller than her, but he tried to be less imposing by staying in place and grinning. "We don't have maids, we have friends. Come sit by the fire. It's cosier."

Jatinha wasn't showing herself to be intimidated by Rhazii, but she looked back at him with ears back, peered to Aurana who was still encouraging her, and then closed her eyes. "If you all insist."

A few steps later and they were all gathered close to the fireplace. Rhazii put in a fresh log, releasing waving sparks, and sat down between Jatinha and the wall.

"So they made homes out of the trees and everything?" Aurana resumed their previous topic. "If they're so tall, how don't they fall over? do the Bosmer grow them into tall towers like on this castle? But wood? Do they have fireplaces?"

Meanwhile, Fendros stepped over to a wine cask and filled himself a cup to sip at. He turned to look at Ahnasha with another empty cup in his other hand, offering. On that side of the room, they could keep their eyes on the youths without being intrusive. The wine had been a long time coming.

[hr]
Janius returned the hug, but kept his face in thought. "That's just it. They're probably keeping her to marry her off so she's never independent. I don't know if learning has anything to do with it. As for showing them I'm alive..." He sighed and pulled back against the wall again. "...I ran away. They would still hold that to heart, because I'm certainly not going to be staying home if I return to reveal myself." He tilted his head. "That's another fear I have about going back, really. They would probably see me running away as just another disappointment. Another betrayal. I don't want them using that as an excuse to control Aurana further." He glanced at the door to the dining room they came from. "She's already sneaking away on her own. Just like I did. She can't have gone without being caught sometimes. Perhaps they would just...bar her windows and door. Serve her slices of ham through a little hinged flap, I can't know what they'll do."

After a moment, Janius stared at the wall ahead and lowered his voice. "I appreciate your sympathy dear, I do, but...What your parents did, it's got me thinking." Janius looked at Kaleeth. "Your parents. They grieved for your brother -- They grieved for you, I still remember the day we left your home tribe." He looked down and curled his lips in. "Do you think, maybe, my parents would be less controlling if they grieved for me?"

[hr]
About halfway through Meesei's answer, Lunise returned her face to lean on her palm, closing her eyes. She peeked one eye open when Meesei came closer and rolled the partly opened scroll shut on the desk. At the mention of worlds shattering, however, Lunise wrinkled her brow and scrunched her eyes shut until they were red.

She waited until Meesei was done. A deep breath went in through her nose and was slowly released from her pouted lips. The red shade faded from her eyes, for the most part.

"Champion. Meesei." Lunise spoke in a low monotone. "I have much experience in my role. I have lived for over twice your lifetime, building the Dominion. There have been moments like this where I have been treated as a friend and I always keep an arm's length from them. It is a means to prevent exploitation and abuse of such relationships." She lifted her head and opened her eyes, looking at the desk. Her voice quivered. "But I have [i]never[/i] been in the situation where my own superiors have abused..."

Lunise sucked in another deep breath through her nose, catching herself. "It stands..." she said, pausing to keep her voice level and eloquent. "...That you cannot truly understand my situation. I do not want to try burdening your mind with it."

At her side, where the bound dagger used to be, Lunise's freely hanging hand was shivering.