"Oh..." La'tahne started, lowering her head to look down at the prisoner. Meesei had already drained enough of her energy that she was struggling to keep her eyes open, and was likely delirious. "Well, she will need to be alive for this, and for her recovery. Her face will not look right if she does not have time to regenerate. Healing magic can accelerate it, of course, but..."

As La'tahne's voice trailed off, Dar-tzesa's eyes finally closed completely, and she became entirely unresponsive. She took up her small, sharp knife, turned the prisoner's head to the side, and pressed it against her cheek. Before making any incisions, however, she raised up her head and looked closely at Meesei's face. "Okay...this one will have to narrow her cheeks a bit first. Just have a seat across from this one, if you could, Champion. Stay close, and try to stay still."

La'tahne pierced through the scales with the knife, but hesitated before completing the cut. She did not make eye contact with any of the others, but instead spoke up nervously. "This will help the clan, right?"