Fendros closed his eyes and brought the fingers of one hand to his forehead, "Lorag, this isn't about finding something to-" Fendros was interrupted by approaching footsteps. He turned and looked over his shoulder to see Ariel and Sabine approaching. Both were in a far brighter mood than Fendros and Lorag. "Alright, we're heading back to the city now. Fendros, Lorag, We'll see you tomorrow." Ariel gave them both a wave after recovering her now empty cauldron, "Bye then!" Fendros managed to smile and look up at them both, waving them goodbye as well. "Have a good time," given the situation, Fendros' words could have conveyed more joy. Sabine gave both Fendros and Lorag each a hug in turn, then followed her sister. "Bye!" she said in parting. Neither she nor Ariel seemed to pick up that Lorag and Fendros' conversation was amiss. Or at least they didn't show it. Once the sisters had walked far enough away, Fendros considered whether he should push Lorag about his issues further. After a few more silent seconds, Fendros looked into the fire and spoke. "I'm sorry if I'm being a bother, Lorag. I just wanted to know that you were alright." Fendros tightened and loosened his lips uncomfortably, "I may not be an Orc, but you're still family." --- Rubbing at the back of his neck, Janius looked down and motioned towards a spot out of the way on the outcrop. "I need to have a talk about...Kaleeth, myself, a number of things, I think. Can we move?" Janius began walking down the beach for a short distance, then stopped where the outcrop was low enough to sit down on. He held his head low and his forearms on his knees lazily. It took him a few moments to even begin. "Meesei, during this past month I've...I feel like things have changed. I'm not sure whether it's for better or for worse, but a few things have been bothering me." While he spoke, Janius only faced the sand beneath him. "I don't have my humour anymore, I've been...less confident with things, and I've been holding back all sorts of thoughts. That’s probably why, actually." Janius tried to find a better base to explain things from, and held out one hand, starting with a recount. "I fell in love with Kaleeth so quickly and so strongly that it was like a wound that kept opening. I fell in love with her because she was playful, endearing, enthusiastic, and more adventurous than she credits her courage for being. When she turned, she completely changed. She was hopeless, grim, and she hated herself. I still kept teaching her in the hope that she would gain control of her life again and display those things that I loved about her. After a while I began to lose hope myself and sort of...fell out of love with her, in a way. I couldn't just give her up, though. She was my student, my responsibility. Her condition was a mistake I made, and I needed to fix it. Still, I began to secretly resent her, and just as that happened, she started smiling again, and that seemed to be enough for me to get feelings for her again. Then she struggled further, I felt distanced, then I was brought back to her again. She began to accept what she was, then things just escalated. Each time that I felt as if I was falling out of love with her, it hurt a lot. It felt like my heart was trying to push itself out through my ribs. Eventually, the whole cycle was just anticipating that pain," Janius looked out at the sea and revealed a teary face, "Out exploring the sea tonight, even if it was fairly short, it was perfect. Being in her arms was bliss. And now I'm anticipating falling further than ever, and even thinking about it hurts me to the core." Finally, Janius faced Meesei, "I don't want to hurt Kaleeth, so I've had to keep all this back. I've never been so indecisive in my entire life, much less about partners. With her insisting on having a child, I can only see our relationship falling apart. I'm no father; I'm not a father figure. Not to mention, I don't see us raising a child without leaving the pack, and I can't do that. I just can't do it, at least not yet." Janius sniffed back further tears, "I know Fendros probably wasn't ready for the job, but he had to make the most out of the situation forced upon him. Me, I still have a judgement to make, and I can't be a father yet. I would just end up hurting Kaleeth to argue with her about it, so I've ignored and sidestepped as much as I can." Janius looked out to sea again, wiping his eyes, "I'm sorry to have laid myself bare like this, but you've always been wiser than I, Meesei. I don't know whether I should just keep on going like I am and hope that I don't become wroth at Kaleeth and break her heart, or be honest with her and potentially hurt her again, or try to find some other kind of understanding. Either way, I just want the cycle to end, and either love her, or want to leave her. Not both at the same time." Janius sat up straighter and looked at Meesei again, "I need advice, what do you think?" --- "Ariel, what is it like living in the city, and in a house?" Sabine couldn't contain her constant supply of questions forever. Ariel was quick to learn as much. "Well, let's see." Ariel always answered as best as she could, but this one was easier, seeing as she had some experience travelling with the pack, "You're under a roof much of the time, so you don't have to worry about the weather. The stove can make the entire room warm when it gets cold, but that doesn't happen as often in these parts as far as I've experienced. Hmm...you don't have to hunt or gather your food, you go out to buy it...um, there's a lot more people around as well..." "Do you ever get scared that you might get trapped?" Ariel raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister beside her, "What ever do you mean?" "In your house. Do you get trapped?" Sabine's face showed complete seriousness in her question. "Not particularly," Ariel replied slowly while shaking her head, "I keep a spare key in the house, but you would have to lock the door to make sure that you can't get out. Barring that, I know magic that can unlock doors such as mine." "What about other buildings?" Ariel smiled. Sabine came up with the strangest of scenarios sometimes. "No, I don't think that would happen to me. Even if someone locked me in a building, I can unlock the doors, like I said. Most people wouldn't do that on purpose, I should think."