"I see, so you were nomadic, then? That would make sense," Vera responded while she gave Kaleeth's tattoos proper consideration. "I guess one difference is that everyone in the clan is a hunter in some capacity. That's really because we have to be, though. Our beast spirits don't feed themselves. If you got tattoos for a trial to become a hunter, you must be good at it." Vera smiled, "Maybe we should start trials like that, it might make for some stronger hunters."

Vera looked forward and her smile started to fade for a moment. She didn't speak or even appear to listen for a few moments. After another swallow, she held her chin up and regained her smile. "We're almost there."

A short distance later, Vera came upon a room that was bubbling with childish voices on the inside and from a few short figures waiting outside. As soon as the children outside saw Vera coming, they skittered inside. Vera and Kaleeth found the room to be relatively spacious and well lit. At the sides of the room were shelves of roughly cut slate tablets, pieces of parchment, old books, buckets of chalk pieces and other stationary. The children, roughly fourteen in number, were sitting cross-legged on thin carpets spread on the stone floor. Their ages seemed to be spread between five and seven years old at a guess. They either wore furs or thoroughly repaired regular clothing. They were collected together, but not in any formation except to face one of the walls of the room. The wall they faced was blackened somehow, likely with a paint or a tar. There were markings on the wall make by white chalk, evidently from the previous lesson.

"Good morning, class," Vera announced on her arrival.

The class droned slowly in unison, [i]"Good morning Missus Vera."[/i]

Vera held out a hand to Kaleeth and beckoned her in front of the children. Some of the children whispered quietly amongst themselves, but they were quiet enough that Vera and Kaleeth couldn't make out what they were saying. Vera spoke again once Kaleeth was next to her, "This is Kaleeth. She is going to be joining us for a while, everyone say hello to her."

[i]"Good morning Missus Kaleeth."[/i]

Even though the end to Kaleeth and Vera's previous conversation seemed abrupt, the lesson started in earnest and didn't look like it was going to pause for a while. Vera found Kaleeth a chair to observe as she continued teaching the children about the Cyrodilic alphabet and how to properly write the characters. The older children were run through some spelling drills instead.

Sabine was still unsure, but she turned slowly back to Carana and began to explain what tests had been done already to the poison. The language they were speaking had so much alchemical jargon mixed among it that it barley seemed like Cyrodilic at all when heard. Even Sabine had to clarify what some of the words Carana was saying actually meant, but there was either a translation in Dunmeris to be had, or simply a concept that Sabine had found herself but was yet to find the name for. It took perhaps a solid twenty minutes of discussion, with Safina chiming in occasionally with her own insight, before they devised some tests that Sabine had not yet attempted. This would continue to be a busy morning.

Back in the main chamber, Harriet smirked at Lorag's critique, but didn't take her eyes off Gerald. She considered responding right then and there, but Gerald thrust his sword forward in an attempt to catch her while distracted. Harriet was far from it. She crossed her swords and sidestepped, catching Gerald's sword and redirecting it harmlessly past her. Harriet attempted to follow up by stepping up and slashing at Gerald's arm, but Gerald had already brought his sword back around his head to strike at Harriet's other side. With an uncanny lightness to her feet, Harriet's step forward floated back as if it was not committed at all. In an instant, one of her swords was in position to check the incoming strike with a resounding clack and the other was already prodding the padding in front of Gerald's stomach. He recoiled and coughed loudly in surprise, shrinking back a couple of steps. It was clear that Harriet had one that short bout.

"Big Boy, you legionnaires have no imagination, you know that?" Harriet quipped. Despite the validity of Lorag's comments, Harriet was using a technique that she had obviously developed enough to be an equivalent alternative. She wasn't as nonchalant towards Gerald, "As for you, use your reach more, kid. The end of your sword is as good as the part closer to your hands."