"Because you are mates, and I asked Ariel, and she told me that it would depend on if you asked her to marry you." Sabine's answer was as blunt as her question. She looked at Rukeewei with eyes that demanded an answer, even if it wasn't polite to ask such things in front of everyone.

Ariel exhaled, and then bowed and shook her head. She knew that Sabine would reply in such a way. If only Rukeewei knew the depth of her curiosity beforehand. "Sabine, please," Ariel said, having recovered enough from her hysteria, but still giving off a little annoyance, "Marriage is an important decision, one that takes time and consideration. I trust Rukeewei, and he needn't say anything yet." The end of Ariel's sentence was punctuated by a friendly pat on Rukeewei's forearm and a smile in his direction.

Now slightly abashed that she might have gone a little too far with her questioning, Sabine looked back down at her meal. "Okay," she said quietly, before continuing to eat.

"Out of curiosity," Janius began, leaning back in his chair and holding his wine in one hand, "Are Argonian marriage ceremonies the same as Imperial ones? Amulets of Mara and all that? With the Temple of the Eight having a lesser presence here, I imagine it would have more to do with the Hist, correct?"

Ariel remained slightly mortified that the subject of marriage was being prolonged. However, for all the defence that she put forward to stop Sabine's question, there was still a part of Ariel that shared her sister's curiosity. All her looks with Rukeewei were slightly nervous from then on.