Sabine opted to take the approach of paying her respects in silence beside Peiter. There was nothing she wished to add that had not already been mentioned.

While a tear escaped Sabine's eye, she looked surprised when Peiter said his last sentence. She started to follow him, but stopped a short distance away with her fingers clasped in her other hand nervously. This was something that they should probably work out themselves.

Uthri looked up at Peiter cautiously, though Gallus' reaction to Peiter's hand was not immediate. He continued to breathlessly cry into Uthri's shoulder for a moment before bringing one hand up to take Peiter's. At that, he silenced himself.

Gallus lifted his head and turned to see Peiter, revealing his red, swollen eyes and tear-slicked face. His lips were tensed open in sadness, but upon seeing Peiter's face, they closed and Gallus held on tight. "My boy Peiter," he croaked, his blocked nose distorting his consonants. "As hard as it is for me to admit, you know as well as I do that I owe you an apology. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I have no excuse avoid making amends." Gallus managed a sad smile. "We will talk when I'm not a blubbering mess, how does that sound?"

Meanwhile, Tzirret was already weeping as he approached the shrine. He had made something on the side during the trip back to Orcrest that he knelt down to place with the shrine. It was a bone disc, barely the size of his palm. On one side was a picture of Irenya's face in profile, carved and painted simply with natural pigments. He propped the disc up against the paw of the wooden wolf. "You taught this one a lot, Irenya." Tzirret stammered as he continued, for the first time in a while. "Tzirret...m-misses you so much."

Peiter was having a hard time being as expressive as Gallus, but he managed to nod as Gallus spoke. Inside him, there was still some anger towards his alpha for all he had done after the attack; however, he had been thinking constantly about what Gallus had done during the attack. Sabine had said herself that she did not think she could have lifted the masonry, so as much as he wanted someone or something to blame, Peiter no longer believed it was fair of him to blame Gallus for it. "Yeah...yeah, that sounds fine." He answered.

---

Meesei had originally planned to depart later in the evening after the memorial, but given how long it had lasted, and the emotional state of some of her companions, she decided to delay until the morning. Some would be able to get a better night's rest than others, but the extra time would at least give their emotions time to calm without having to worry about trekking into the desert once more. The packs were gathering in the main chamber, along with the others joining them: Ri'vashi and Marcaille. Dro'cahi had provided to them two carriages and the camels to pull them, which were already prepared outside.

Many had come to see of the Champion, and their former clan-leader. Dro'cahi, Ra'kalesh's pride, Ri'nakhaad, and many more from both clans were present, so the chamber was reasonably crowded. While not the most emotional experience of the past few days, there were many for whom it would be difficult to say goodbye.

Ra'kalesh was the first to speak as he stepped forward in front of his pride. "You have all done...so much for us. It is impossible to thank you. We may have lost one of our own, but this one knows that without you, we all would have been killed, or worse. As bad as things may seem now, no matter how much tragedy has befallen us, Ra'kalesh recognizes that we would all have suffered far more dearly were it not for your actions. You are...heroes. There is no other way to put it."

The crowd that formed around the pack was something of a new experience. Some just ignored the attention, while others, such as Fendros and Tzirret, looked around and shifted in discomfort.

Gallus was standing up straight with his hands behind his back, but he was visibly more relaxed than he had been since the battle. He gave a smile and responded first. "Call it luck, Ra'kalesh, all of it. All we did was the same as you, and especially Dro'cahi." Gallus stepped up to give Ra'kalesh a robust hug. "...Showed courage enough to keep going and do the right thing." Gallus stepped back, just as quickly. "Farewell, friend." He peered to the rest of them. "It was an honour."

While Gallus was giving his farewell to Ra'kalesh's pride, Fendros lead Rhazii and Newt by the hands up to the pride as well. "Alright, children. Say goodbye to Jo'rashaad and S'ajira," he said. Rhazii waddled up to Jo'rashaad first. His excitement told of ignorance of how long they would be apart from their temporary guardians. "Goodbye, Jo'rashaad," he said in the little Ta'agra he had learned while hugging Jo'rashaad around the waist. He gave S'ajira a similar treatment. "Goodbye, S'ajira. Come visit us."

Jo'rashaad knelt down beside S'ajira, in front of Rhazii, while Newt was quick to run up alongside him as well. Like Rhazii, his mood showed that he did not fully grasp the situation. "Goodbye Jo'rashaad. Goodbye S'ajira. I had fun." He said with a smile, which Jo'rashaad gladly returned.

Giving a brief chuckle, Jo'rashaad briefly rubbed the tops of both of the children's heads. "This one is glad to hear that, and we were glad to have you. Take care of yourselves on your journey, and make sure to keep having fun."

Following Ra'kalesh, each of his pride started to give their individual farewells. Ciinriel approached Sabine and Peiter nervously with her hands clasped together in front of her, swaying back and forth slightly. "I will miss you; it was...nice having you around. I don't have that many friends, and...I hope I'll see you again someday."

Ma'tanza, Bheja, M'ibasa, S'nishi, and Qa'habi were all gathered to say their goodbyes to Tzirret. Ma'tanza held his hands in hers, and at the moment, was having a difficult time speaking. To give herself more time, she leaned in and gave him a kiss, but even after it was over, she could not bring herself to speak.

Rhazii squinted his eyes and grinned under Jo'rashaad's hand. With excitement, he raised a hand and continued to demonstrate his new Ta'agra vocabulary by shouting, "Very good!"

This elicited a chuckled from Fendros as he stepped forward and knelt as well. "I doubt that will be the last phase he'll be learning if Ahna has anything to say about it." Fendros moved to grip Jo'rashaad's hand in a firm handshake and laid his other hand on S'ajira's side. "You two have been great to us. I am glad to have befriended such wonderful people. All the best to you, you pack, your lovely daughter..." Fendros glanced back at Ahnasha and then ahead again. "If ever you find yourselves in Bruma, however likely that is-" he laughed. "-you're always welcome with us."

Sabine did not reciprocate Ciinriel's reluctance in the slightest. Once Ciinriel finished speaking, Sabine stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the young Bosmer tightly. "I think we will," Sabine said. "Thank you for being our friend." Sabine pulled back and kept her hands on Ciinriel's shoulders, giving her a broad smile. "You should talk to more people. You do not need to be scared." Sabine's eyes flicked to the gathering around Tzirret. "Maybe Tzirret's friends?" Sabine turned back to Ciinriel and refocussed. "Anyway, I will miss you." Sabine gave Ciinriel another hug, this one longer. "Be well."

On perhaps a rarer occurrence than most, Tzirret was just as lost for words as Ma'tanza was. He returned Ma'tanza's kiss and looked around to the people around him. He was honestly overwhelmed, and not just by the prospect of saying goodbye. Eventually, some words came to him, albeit nervously. "This one...has never had this many friends before." He exhaled sharply, nearly laughing at a memory. "He has had the best time with all of you. He will miss all of you." Carefully letting go of Ma'tanza for the moment, Tzirret stepped over to each of his friends and gave them a short, silent hug each. Even S'nishi got a hug on her neck, though Tzirret had no chance of wrapping his arm span around her. As for Ma'tanza in particular, Tzirret returned to her with reddening eyes.

He took her hand again and raised his other hand to place it on the back of her head. Stepping in close, he leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He spoke quietly, never minding those around him. "Tzirret is going to miss you so much," he said with sadness wavering his voice. "You are the first that...that liked him like this. He will write you letters, he promises and..." He stopped to swallow and tears soaked into the fur beneath his eyes. "He wants to see you again. He does not know when, but he will see you again. Thank you for everything, Ma'tanza. This one loves you."

S'ajira gave a brief grunt and a nod, while Jo'rashaad spoke for them. "And there will always be a place for you here. You just take care of yourselves on your way home. We will be safe here, because you have made it safe for us."

"Yeah." Colors added. "No one really knows how long it will be before we can get a new clanhome of our own down south in the Tenmar, but it's not like the people of this clan are in any rush to throw us out. Maybe one day we'll have our home in the trees; get the outposts occupied again. But, it looks like everyone will be happy here until then. Well, as happy as a Saxhleel can be in a desert."

Ahnasha chuckled. "If this fails, you could always turn back to piracy."

Colors grinned and feigned a defensive posture. "Hey, I was never a pirate, I was a smuggler. There is a distinct and important difference. Still, I can see it now. Pick one of the uninhabited islands out in the southern sea, get ourselves some ships, and become a band of lycan pirates. Honestly, I don't think that's something that's happened before. Too bad those ships we stole are probably long gone by now."

Ri'vashi and Marcaille returned to the group after giving their goodbyes to their respective friends and pride members. Others were still exchanging their final farewells, but it seemed like it would not be to long before they departed for good. The reality of the situation had truly set in for Ma'tanza, but there were at least a few details she could focus on to keep herself from breaking down in tears. Despite the danger they had all been through, Tzirret was safe, unharmed, and she had no reason to believe he would not continue to be safe.

Bheja gave Tzirret a few pats on the back almost hard enough to knock the breath out of him during their hug, while Qa'habi simply gave a standard "goodbye." M'ibasa seemed a bit downtrodden, but was otherwise enthusiastic in his hug. After Tzirret's final words, Ma'tanza took in a deep breath to try and calm herself. "Even though Ma'tanza knew this was coming, it is still hard. She doesn't have words to say how much she will miss you. She doesn't think she has ever met anyone so...genuine. Yes, that's a word. You are a genuine person. She knows you love her because she can trust you. You are an honest person, and Ma'tanza thanks you for everything."

Following Ma'tanza's response, she broke eye contact and began to cry far more than a few sparse tears. As much as she wanted to look on the bright side, she had reached the point where her sadness had overwhelmed her. Most of the others did not know how to respond, but S'nishi decided to take the opportunity to give her own version of a goodbye. She moved her imposing form directly in front of Tzirret, then reached up one of her front paws and placed it on his shoulder, though her paw was large enough that she could only rest two or three toes on it at once. She was also careful not to put too much weight on him to keep from knocking him off of his feet. She gave him an approving nod, then, after a few seconds of staring, suddenly licked across his entire face at once with her massive tongue.

S'nishi gave a deep, bellowing sound which was her closest approximation of a laugh, followed shortly by laughter from all of their friends. Even Ma'tanza was broken from her sobbing by laughter. She wiped away the tears from her eyes, then gave Tzirret another hug. "Ma'tanza loves you, and she will miss you. Just, more than anything, once you get back home, promise Ma'tanza you will be happy."

Fendros stood up and laughed along. "Instead, Colours, you'll just have to be satisfied with being a hero yourself. You may have done some dubious smuggling in the past, but smuggling your entire clan out of harms way deserves you just as much- if not more praise than us."

After that, Fendros toured to the rest of Ra'kalesh's pack with the children to bid farewells.

Tzirret's first response to Ma'tanza breaking out in tears was to hold her face close to his neck and try not to start sobbing himself. However, S'nishi's paw made him pull back for a moment. He did not expect to have S'nishi scrape her rough tongue across his head, so he recoiled slightly and held his mouth and eyes shut. He even had to take a step back to regain balance. Nonetheless, when he wiped his eyes and took a gasping breath, he began to laugh along with everyone else. The inside of his pert ears went momentarily red in embarrassment, but he was not so anxious any more that he assumed anything less than good nature.

There was barely time for Tzirret to wipe his face and give S'nishi a pat between the eyes when Ma'tanza hugged him again. He held on tightly this time, rocking from side to side. His mood was elevated by the little joke, but his heart was still so heavy that it was threatening to tear his diaphragm. "Tzirret promises," he said more confidently, turning his head to kiss Ma'tanza next to her ear. "As long as Ma'tanza promises to be happy as well."

"Hey, Tzirret," Gallus' voice sounded out behind him, not stern and intimidating, but laid back, like it used to be.

Tzirret did not let Ma'tanza go, but his ear did turn and he looked across to Gallus curiously.

"I know this is hard for you to say goodbye, but do you mind if I have a quick word with your friends before we leave?" Gallus' smile turned into a grin and he gestured to Ra'kalesh's pack. It was perhaps not a coincidence that La'khay was the particular person Gallus had his hand towards. "Besides, there are others that want to say goodbye to you. I swear, by my honour, you can have another goodbye kiss after I'm done."

For a few seconds, Tzirret looked a little confused at Gallus. He gave a glance to La'khay and La'tahne, and with a frown, slowly pulled back from Ma'tanza. "Is that okay?" he asked her.

Meanwhile, La'khay and La'tahne were themselves approached by Sabine with Peiter in tow. Their painting had been loaded onto one of the carriages already, but Sabine wasn't going to let La'khay get away without a goodbye hug. Sabine spoke while holding La'khay and La'tahne in one hug, an arm around each of them. "You helped me. I will not forget either of you."

Janius and Kaleeth had perhaps fewer personal episodes with the clan they were leaving compared to Sabine, Peiter, and Tzirret although Jo'rashaad and S'ajira were not the only people that gave them favours. After thanking the couple once again for caring for Newt and Rhazii, as well as wishing Ciinriel well, Janius approached Ra'kalesh and took him by the shoulders. "Now, Ra'kalesh, I know the two of us didn't have time to become masters like you, but we appreciate the lessons in your arts." Janius' smile pursed and his eyes flicked down. "And your sacrifice was...more than anyone asked for. So, thank you. Maybe we will see you and your pride again sometime."

Ma'tanza was just as confused as Tzirret, since she could not think of what Gallus might have to say to her. She assumed he would want to give his goodbyes, but that would not require them to speak privately. Regardless, there was no harm in hearing what he had to say, so she nodded in response to Tzirret. "Yes, that's fine. Just don't forget about that kiss, okay?" She said, placing her hand briefly onto Tzirret's chest.

Once Tzirret had stepped away, Ma'tanza looked up at Gallus curiously. Even S'nishi had her head slightly tilted as she listened to what he had to say. "Um, is everything okay?" Ma'tanza asked.

La'khay smiled and returned Sabine's hug just as enthusiastically, and though La'tahne did not know her as closely, she joined in as well. La'khay laughed, then placed her hands on both of Sabine's cheeks once they were done with the hug. "Oh, you're just so cute when you're happy...and just in general. La'khay did help you along, but just remember that everything you needed, you accomplished all yourself. La'khay just...nudged you in the right direction. La'khay might have fixed up your hair and made you clean, but you did everything else from there. La'khay doesn't think it is possible to make someone beautiful. The beauty has to already be there, or La'khay can do nothing. Both you and Peiter are very beautiful people, and there is nothing in this world, or the next, that can ever change that. La'khay hopes you will go on and share that beauty with the world."

Ra'kalesh nodded to Janius. "This one hopes so as well, but whether we see each other again or not, Ra'kalesh will never forget you. None of us will. Lycans may not have historians of our own, but this one will write down your story himself if he has to. He will make sure your deeds are remembered, if not by everyone, at least by his own family. His pride, his friends, everyone he knows will hear about you and your pack for as long as he has a voice to speak. And as for Ra'kalesh's art, well...he hopes his teachings will be useful for you. Admittedly, this one's decision to train you probably would have disappointed other Whispering Fang monks. Your training is incomplete, you see, and practicing alone tends to reinforce bad habits. Most monks only take apprentices who choose to dedicate the years required to master the art. But...perhaps you can find another teacher to complete your training?"

Kaleeth shrugged her shoulders. "We could try, though I wouldn't really know where to start."

Gallus had one eyebrow raised and was looking at Tzirret as he walked away, waiting for enough distance to be covered. With the voices of everyone else saying farewell, it wasn't long before he was out of practical earshot. It was then that he gave Ma'tanza a consoling smile and put a hand on his hip. "Oh, there's nothing wrong, I just didn't want to embarrass Tzirret like a cheek-pinching aunt. No, I just wanted to say thank you to you all." Gallus gave each of Tzirret's friends a look while he spoke. "It's probably no secret that Tzirret was much more withdrawn and nervous before he befriended you all. I can only assume that you were patient and kind with him. As his alpha, I've seen him come out of his shell, so to speak. For that, you have my appreciation."

As he continued, Gallus looked down to Ma'tanza, angling his head forward to look at her with a raised brow. "And you, Ma'tanza. Ever since Tzirret began spending more time with you, I have never seen him smile so much since I've known him." Gallus lifted a palm. "Now, I won't discredit whatever efforts he put forth himself, but I have to say...him becoming close to a young woman is the last thing I expected." Gallus shook his head and chuckled through his nose. "You've a kind heart," he said, reaching out to ruffle the top of Ma'tanza's head.

Gallus began to turn to leave, but stopped and raised a finger. "Oh, one more thing. I overheard you mentioning letters. If you address yours to Bruma for pick up, I'll be sure to have them brought to the clanhome. Shall Tzirret's be sent to Senchal, or Orcrest, or...?"

At seeing La'khay so happy and under the praise, Sabine couldn't help but grin and laugh as well. "I think we could do that," Sabine responded, before turning her head to Peiter and taking his hand again. "Perhaps I will try making Peiter like you did for the painting sometimes," she said with humour. Sabine's grin fell into a smile and looked to La'khay again. "You stay beautiful as well, La'khay. Goodbye."

Sabine let Peiter say any goodbyes he wanted as well before moving on. Afterwards, Tzirret approached.

A far cry from the cringed, hand-wringing, sad Khajiit boy he had arrived as, Tzirret strode over to La'khay and La'tahne with a straight back, open shoulders, raised ears, and a warm smile. He didn't even say any words at first, instead wrapping his arms around La'khay and bringing her into a tight hug. "Thank you," he said simply, holding on for a while. "You made this one meet new friends and Ma'tanza. Tzirret does not care if it was to pay him back for helping La'khay's pride. He can never repay you." Tzirret pulled away and stepped back, smiling to La'tahne. "And La'khay got to meet a new friend as well."

Janius raised his eyebrows to Kaleeth and shrugged as well. "Me neither," he said with a pouted frown. Though, that soon gave way to his previous smile. "Perhaps we'll get lucky." He put an arm around Kaleeth's shoulders. "We'll see. I know I'll keep practising, even if I still have bad habits, and I know Kaleeth wants to try setting up some sporting fist-fighting in our clan. Maybe something a bit less deadly than on that ship, but in a similar vein, I think."

Bheja shrugged his shoulders to Gallus. "You don't have to thank us. I mean, it's not like we befriended Tzirret out of charity or anything. He was shy, but interesting. If he was as fearful as you're thinking, then he put a lot of effort into putting himself out there to talk to us."

Ma'tanza nodded in agreement. "Tzirret is very kind, no matter how nervous he is at any point. He's someone who Ma'tanza would never doubt really cares about her. As for the letters...well, we're probably going to be staying with this clan for a while, so you can send them to Orcrest. This one will mention in her letters if we end up moving to a new place."

There was a pause, during which Ma'tanza seemed to appear uncomfortable. She glanced away from Gallus, took in a breath, then looked back to him nervously. "Tzirret is a very caring person. Ma'tanza doesn't think he will be very happy being a warrior. All the fighting and death...this one doesn't think it suits him at all. No one will make him be a warrior, will they? If he doesn't want to?"

Despite the fact that they were giving their goodbyes, La'khay almost seemed to be in a good mood from all of the pleasant memories they had all been discussing. With Tzirret, it was no different. "La'khay thinks you have that backwards. You and your pack did far more for La'khay and her pride than could ever possibly be repaid. Anything La'khay did for you was just to let out the natural beauty contained within you."

La'tahne stepped alongside Tzirret and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, La'khay has told this one much about you, and if any of it is half-true, you deserve the praise. Such a lively and handsome boy you are; this one thinks you will have no problems going forward in your life. At least, none you cannot overcome."

Ra'kalesh smiled as he shook his head lightly. "Well, whatever happens, this one wishes you well. And of course, he pities whatever unfortunate souls end up facing Kaleeth in an arena." He commented, chuckling as he turned his attention to Janius. "Out of curiosity, how many bruises does she give you on a daily basis?"

Gallus' first response was to shake his head, though the full answer became more complicated in his mind. "I've made it clear to Tzirret before that he is not under any obligation to fight alongside us. Any time that he does is either an offer, not an order, or him volunteering." Gallus looked to one side and sighed through his nose. "He was probably trying to prove himself, probably to live up to his brother. Not so much now, though. He seems far more enthusiastic about becoming a healer." Gallus' face darkened slightly. "Of course, I'll have to find him a new teacher."

Shaking the dark mood off somewhat, Gallus looked to Ma'tanza directly and dropped his laid-back pretence. "That said, Ma'tanza, there may be times where we all have to fight, whether we like it or not. I won't force Tzirret if I have the option, but for the times where I don't, I have to make sure that he is prepared."

Tzirret had met La'tahne before, but it still took some getting used to for another person to comment on his appearance out of nowhere. As well Tzirret didn't doubt that La'khay shared their experiences in detail. He dipped his head forward bit and displayed some embarrassment. "He, uh..." Tzirret half-lowered his ears and swallowed. "Thank you," he conceded.

After an awkward pause, Tzirret looked up and tried to push aside his anxiety. "Anyway, Tzirret hopes that your clan finds a home again. He wishes you both well." Tzirret managed to find his smile again.

Janius looked up to the sky and gave the question some thought. "Well, when we spar, it's a certainty, so...three?" Still with his arm around Kaleeth, Janius looked her in the eyes and smiled. "You also still have a nasty habit of holding onto me rather tightly in your sleep when you're anxious. That makes it four." Janius, of course, skipped over other bruises that he occasionally sustained while sharing a bed with Kaleeth these days.

Janius turned his smile to Ra'kalesh again and said, "It's worth it."

"Well, as long as he can be what he wants. That sounds fine." Ma'tanza responded to Gallus with an understanding nod. "Goodbye, and make sure you all stay safe."

La'khay gave Tzirret a smaller, quicker hug, as well as a brief kiss to his forehead. "Thank you. This one knows that our clan will be a little bit duller without you and your pack, but she hopes you will continue to lift the spirits of others once you get home." For the next few minutes, both La'khay and La'tahne gave Tzirret another barrage of compliments, mostly on his appearance. But, once he was finally able to steal himself away from them, Ma'tanza was eager to follow through on the promise of a last goodbye kiss.

Overall, the goodbyes drew out a few minutes longer than planned, but there were no complaints. No matter what was said in the moment, many in the group would likely think of more they wished they had said after they departed. Eventually, after everyone had the chance to give their farewells, Meesei had to give the order to finally leave.

Once outside, the group loaded the last of their belongings onto the carts, then headed east into the desert. The route Meesei and Ri'vashi had planned was intended to get them into Cyrodiil with the least trouble possible. They would continue east, stopping along at one Oases before making a turn north. From there, their goal was to reach a town near the rivers in northeastern Elsweyr, sell their camels and carriages, and use the coin to buy a few boats they could take upstream the remainder of the way to Bravil. They would need to be cautious sneaking across the border, but they had done so before with a much larger group. In Bravil, they could sell the boats and hire a ship to take them the comparatively short distance to the Imperial City, then continue along the same path to Bruma which they had taken in the first place months prior.

The group did not make as much progress as planned on their first day of travel, but there was no real worry in the camp as a result. This time, they were not in any specific rush to reach their destination. Meesei certainly had much to do once she reached Bruma, and she would not want any significant delays, but for the first time essentially since they had reached Elsweyr, there was no longer a sense that every day lost was vital. For once, they could rest and relax on their journey. They set up camp at the usual time between two dunes, far away from any roads where they might be bothered.

"You too, Ma'tanza," Gallus gave a smile to all of Tzirret's friends. "Farewell."

The way that Tzirret was put under constant praise from La'khay and La'tahne made him cringe in embarrassment so much that he could hardly find the excuse to walk away. He tried to fight back with modest comments and glanced over at Ma'tanza over and over until Gallus walked up laughing. He bid the women to stop torturing the boy and told Tzirret to see to his obligations.

Tzirret did not hesitate, jogging up to Ma'tanza, embracing her, and passionately locking lips with her. Their final kiss lasted for all of the time they had left. When Meesei gave the order, Tzirret reluctantly pulled back and suppressed the burning behind his eyes. He pulled her into one last hug and whispered a goodbye into her ear. They separated with their hands holding for as far as they would reach before he finally turned around and caught up with the others.

Tzirret strode quietly with the others, looking at the sandy ground before him. He didn't engage with anyone at all for a full half an hour or so. When Gallus finally checked on him, he burst into tears harder than he had since he first woke up in the Bruma clanhome, many years ago. Gallus put an arm around him and gave him some understanding comfort.

---

The camp that night had a familiar and enjoyable atmosphere. It was nothing like a crowded clanhome or a noisy warband encampment. It was just friends and nature. The packs and their new tag-alongs shared their first meal peacefully. Although Tzirret was quiet, he did not seem quite as despondent as he was on the road.

Gallus had been waiting for the right time to approach Peiter. Right now, with no great tasks to finish or other things to think about, it was probably the best time possible. Gallus approached Peiter from around the campfire and squat down to put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Peiter, I've done enough blubbering. How about we go and have a talk?"

Peiter was hunched over and had his eyes practically glued to the ground when Gallus approached. The mood between them had improved considerably since what happened at the memorial, but that did not mean Peiter's overall depression had entirely subsided. Sometimes, he would seem to be alright, but he had episodes of intense sadness. Right now, he was obviously downtrodden, but it was not the worst mood he had been in since the battle.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Peiter answered apathetically. He had not been speaking to anyone during their dinner, so Gallus certainly had not interrupted anything. He stood up and followed Gallus wherever it was he wanted to take him.

Meanwhile, Meesei was showing some odd behavior as well. She had been seated right next to Sabine during dinner, and while she had been perfectly sociable while they were eating, she had also become strangely quiet at the end of the meal. It was not minutes later that she stood up without a word and made her way to her tent. Since she had no duties to perform, she had been well-rested that day, and they had done nothing particularly exhausting, it was strange that she was retiring so early.

Gallus did not lead Peiter out of view from the camp, just far enough away for some privacy.

Leaning against a large rock and crossing his arms, Gallus regarded Peiter with a moderate look of concern. "How are you feeling, Peiter? How is your arm?" Gallus thought back to the screaming he heard from his previous Argonian prisoner and took a long blink to rid himself of it. "Not too many phantom pains, I hope?"

---

Sabine watched on with curiosity as Meesei stood up to go to her tent. It seemed abrupt for Meesei to be going to bed now. Sabine's first thoughts went to Meesei's silver poisoning. Even though they had been getting little pieces out and Meesei was only getting better each day, this looked like a sign that there was a problem.

It was once Meesei was in her tent that Sabine decided to stand up and walk after her. She knelt down and carefully pushed aside the entrance flap, looking inside with a knotted brow. "Meesei?" she asked. "Are you okay? Do you need me to make you medicine?"

Peiter looked away briefly, doing nothing to hide his uncertainty and discomfort. He rubbed his neck as he managed to make eye contact once more, then let out a sigh. "I...still don't really like...laking about it. It's fine; I'm fine. Don't worry about that, I just don't really want to focus on it, alright?"

Running his hand down his face, Peiter's expression quickly became more apologetic. "I'm sorry. I don't want things to go back to how they have been the last few weeks, really. But, unless there's something that can do some real, tangible good for my...situation, I would like to at least try to move on to worrying about other things."

---

Meesei did not notice Sabine open the tent at first, something she would quickly come to regret. In the center of the tent, Meesei was sitting on her knees, with her hand held over her heart. Her eyes were closed, with a glowing aura of restoration magic around her, though it was her hand in which her magic was concentrated. Her expression became strained shortly before her hand started to glow as brightly as a fireball.

Taking in a deep breath, Meesei started to pull her hand away from her chest, at which point the sight became much more horrible. "Aaahhhggg" She screamed, holding her free hand over her snout to muffle the sound. Tendrils of bright yellow restoration energy flowed from her hands into her chest, and almost seemed to tighten as she pulled her hand farther away. The pain it caused her was nothing short of immense. It was enough to actually cause her to give a quiet, but high-pitched squeal, which immediately turned to tears. Many restoration treatments could cause pain, and some caused enough that they could not be entirely numbed, but the pain this was causing Meesei was like that of someone trying to saw through their own limbs with a dull knife.

Meesei continued to struggle pulling her hand farther from her chest until the tendrils of magic finally disappeared, and she instantly collapsed onto her hands and knees. For a few moments, she simply sobbed, then clutched one hand into a fist and held it up to her heart. It was only after she finally noticed Sabine that she tried to regain some semblance of composure. "Oh, Sabine, no I...you need not worry about me. I am fine, thank you."

Gallus' expression didn't change for a few seconds after Peiter finished. He blinked, raised his brow, and shrugged, looking away while he responded. "Well, that's fair. If you don't want to focus on it, that's fine if that helps." Gallus furrowed his brow and gave Peiter a sideways look. "But its a hard thing to avoid, no? You've been down for a long time. I can only assume that's because you're focussing on it anyway. What difference does it make here to share? You know you can trust me."

---

Sabine's jaw dropped in shock. "Meesei!" Sabine crawled into the tent to assist. At first, she charged healing magic in her hands, but when she approached she stopped and tried to work out what was going on. Diagnosis before treatment was a principle driven into her mind since she began to learn healing magic. It was enough time for Meesei to finish her self-treatment and speak.

Meesei's words didn't do much to mollify Sabine, though the apparent passing of the pain did. Sabine took Meesei by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. She was clearly frightened. "What were you doing? Were you trying to get silver out of your heart? Why didn't you let me and Marcaille help?!"

Gallus did have a solid argument, but Peiter was still reluctant to accept it. "I...just don't think we need to talk about it that much. We all know what happened; we all know what's wrong with me. I'm not feeling anything that you wouldn't expect someone in my...position to feel. There are no surprises locked away in my mind. I'm just...depressed. Frustrated about what I've lost. I mean, it's not like I want to avoid talking about it entirely. If you can think of any real solutions to help me get better, or feel better, I'll be glad to talk about them, but I don't want to just talk about the problems."

Peiter looked away and weakly added another word. "Please..."

---

Meesei slowly raised up her head to look Sabine in the eyes, then gently placed a hand on top of one of Sabine's. "As I said, you need not worry about me. Nothing I was doing is dangerous, just...painful. Some of the silver remaining is buried deep within me, bound to my flesh. And...that is what it takes to remove it. It will be a very...slow process, but it is the only way I will ever be free of the silver entirely. There was nothing you or Marcaille could have done to help, so please do not feel guilty. I was able to move a few particles of the silver into my blood from where they were stuck, so I was successful. As for the pain, it is unavoidable. The procedure puts stress on my heart, and if I numbed it too strongly, it could stop beating altogether. I know it was not pleasant...and I am sorry that I allowed you to see it."

Gallus craned his neck forward and looked at Peiter with his head forward. He gave him another moment before continuing. "Let me put it this way, Peiter. I won't force you to speak about anything that you don't want to, but you have to know that I can't come up with anything to help unless I understand what you're going through." He nodded. "You're an adult now. I trust you to do what you need to do to help yourself. That includes asking for help if you are short on options. I'll always be here for that, so will Uthri."

Taking on a lighter tone, Gallus stood up straight again. "But I'll give you a break from that now. I need to make amends for my own behaviour." Gallus seemed strangely upbeat about the issue he was about to bring up. "It was out of line for me to strike you after the attack. I treated you like a soldier instead of a family member. I was out of sorts for a number of reasons. However..." Gallus returned to a serious tone. "I feel that I also need to apologise formally for cutting you out from under the stone that trapped you." Gallus had his eyes low. "We needed to get out before the gas reached us. Even if we all could have worked together to lift the stone, we would not have been able to before we breathed that infernal stuff. As well, I doubt your arm would have been usable again, even with regeneration. I have seen damage that maims lycans. You might have had your arm, but it would be dead weight. I hope you understand, but...I am still sorry, Peit."

---

Sabine only seemed to become gradually more distraught at Meesei's description. Tears were creeping out of her eyes by the time she responded. "You scared me," Sabine said in a high voice. "Do not hide this all from me!" Sabine brought her head forward onto Meesei's shoulder. "I do not want you to hide the pain from me. I do not care if I cannot help. Knowing that you are okay is better than thinking you are okay. Please. Not after that battle."

Peiter seemed to only grow more uncomfortable through Gallus' apology. He was holding his hand across his stomach with a hunched-over posture. "No, I...understand. I spoke to Sabine earlier; she said that the stone was just too heavy to lift. If a werewolf couldn't even lift it, then what it did to me..." He began, his voice trailing off uncomfortably. "I should have just been faster getting out of the keep. I was too slow. I can't blame anyone but myself."

---

Meesei wrapped her arms tightly around Sabine and pulled her into a hug for at least a minute. The tears in her eyes now came from more than just the pain she had put herself through, but also Sabine. They were coming from a mix of her sadness and regret, which was quickly starting to overwhelm her mind.

"Sabine...I am sorry. I just did not want you to worry about that which you could not change. I am safe now, please understand that. I have your potions to keep me alive, and nothing I am doing to myself will risk my own life. Please do not worry that anything else is the case. I am going to have to go through these treatments if I want to be rid of the silver, and I promise that I will not hide anything about it from you. But, you do not have to watch me do it." Meesei explained.