Lucien was tired, hungry, and irritable by the time he and Shadowmere returned to Cheydinhal. Slinking along the eastern wall, he didn't stop until the well was in sight, then slipped inside after a street patrol had passed.
The moment he was inside, he shrugged off the robe which was not yet dry from the rain he'd suffered through, dumped it in a nearby chair, then wordlessly made his way to the dining hall where he knew supper would still be out at this hour, thanks to Ocheeva, who always seemed to be prepared whenever he should chance to show up. He had quite a bit to thank her and Vicente for.
He was not unaware of the sudden silence that fell over the remaining dinner party as he entered the room, but he paid them no heed. As of this moment, his main focus was food. He sat down and immediately dug into the food on his plate.
It was after a few minutes that Ocheeva finally rose from her seat and sat again in a chair near the Speaker. She spoke to him quietly.
"What news, Lucien?"
"The offender is coming here."
"Coming--"
"I was told to give her the choice to live."
And that seemed to be the end of that. Ocheeva paused a moment longer, contemplating the new turn of events.
"How long until she gets here?"
"Unless she steals one, she's coming on foot. She's not rich enough to buy a horse, that's for certain. Can't even afford decent room and board..." he snorted. He tapped one finger. "Keep an eye on her, Ocheeva. There was something in her eyes..."
When he was done eating, he pushed away his plate and left the room as suddenly as he'd entered it, but not without giving Ocheeva's shoulder an almost familiar touch. He went down, to the dark hallway that was always unlit for lack of traffic. There was only one person who stayed down here, and most of the others avoided it. He knocked on the heavy door at the end of the hall, then entered. The room was lit by one candle, which meant that Vicente was probably reading.
"Good evening, Lucien." Came the voice of the reclusive man.
"Evening, Vicente." Lucien shut the door behind him, then slumped in the chair opposite his mentor and friend.
The two of them talked quietly for some time, until it was quite late and Lucien could hardly keep his eyes open. He excused himself then, and retired to a bed in the living quarters.