Inwardly, Gallus felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders to hear a sort of forgiveness from Peiter. Although, it was still clear that he was having great difficulties. Gallus went back to what he had been doing beforehand, folding his arms again and putting on a small smile.

"You can decide to blame yourself if you really want to," Gallus suggested. "If you ask me, I would blame luck, but I wasn't the one who lost an arm. No." He shook his head and took a small breath in. "What I would like you to tell me, Peiter, is whether blaming yourself is useful right now. Is it?"

---

Sabine was quiet in Meesei's arms for a while. When she eventually sniffed and pulled back to wipe the tears from her face, she had at least calmed down, though she was still upset. "Okay," Sabine mumbled with a knotted brow. She didn't bring her eyes up to Meesei. "I just...you almost died when you pushed yourself in the battle. I thought you had died when I tried to heal you." Sabine held her upper arm. "I am scared that you would try something like that again. Everything is so stressing now."

Peiter let out another, long breath and curled his lips. He seemed to be thinking, rather heavily, on Gallus' question. It was hard to tell at first how he had taken it, but after he clenched his hand into a fist and gritted his teeth, it became clear that he had not taken it well.

"No, nothing I can do is useful anymore. I just want to get back to Bruma and...I don't know, maybe I'll clean the floors for the rest of my life. I can probably still hold a broom." Peiter answered, dejected.

---

To Sabine's worries, Meesei actually gave a brief chuckle, though she retained a serious expression. "Ironically, this ordeal has made me much more confident regarding my health. As you might imagine, I have learned a great deal about the limits of my body, and what happens to it along every step of the way as it nears death. I know what it feels like to come close to death, so that is why I am confident that my treatment is not dangerous to me."

Despite Meesei's explanation, she was still feeling guilty for causing Sabine to worry. She had been hugging her since the moment she approached, so that was evidently not doing much to calm her. "I know there is a lot to be stressed about for the future, but...well, I believe you have given me lectures before about overstressing myself. What do you think you would want to do right now to get your mind off of it all?"

"Hey, Peiter, come now, you know what I meant," Gallus answered calmly, keeping his arms folded. "Look, I can tell you don't want to linger on this, so I'll be straight with you. You have a number of options open to you when we get home. None of them are going to be easy, but you need to decide what's best for you rather than what you think you deserve."

Gallus slowly unfolded one arm, still supporting his elbow with his other hand, and presented a finger. "The first is that you take up a trade or a job that you can still do with one arm, which is more than you might think. Farming, carpentry, masonry, bookkeeping, whatever you can think of. You can learn to do these things with one arm at your own pace." Gallus raised another finger. "The second option is that you go up to the scholar's loft and start expanding on those tricks that Sabine taught you. You never needed two arms to do that, but it's not going to be any easier." Gallus raised a third finger. "The third is something you might not have thought of and is probably the hardest. I've talked to the head blacksmith about false arms that you can strap a shield to. If you can learn to use a spear in your left hand, you can stand in a formation. And we're going to need all the men we can get in the coming years, so don't think you'll be unfair to others if you decide on that."

With a backwards tilt of his head, Gallus slowly folded his arm back against his chest and lowered his voice. "All three roads are hard but you still have a choice to be useful if that's what you're worried about. Your pack will support you in any decision you make." Gallus suddenly raised a tight smile. "So, what'll it be, Peit?"

---

Sabine was looking down, but peered up to Meesei with a bit of surprise. "Take my mind off it all?" she repeated, apparently more confused than saddened at this point. She looked to one side in thought. "When we talked about that three years ago, we went to have a swim. There is no water to swim here." Sabine seemed somewhat lost. "I am not sure that I should just try not to worry, anyway. It does not change..." Sabine trailed off and pursed her lips. In her mind, she knew that Meesei had a point simply because she had argued it first, back when they first entered the Bruma clanhome.

Instead, Sabine tried to think of how she would unwind. Her obvious answer became clear quickly and it was not reassuring. She sat back at a right angle to Meesei and brought her knees up to wrap her arms around them. Then, quietly, she found the words while she looked at her legs. "To take my mind off it, I would...want to be with Peiter and just laugh with him. But...Peiter has not been acting the same." There was a pause where she blinked a couple of times. "He is sad about his arm. I do not know what to do. It just makes me more stressed in the end."

Again, Peiter was silent for a while after Gallus' question. He had to admit, to himself at least, that he had not been thinking too heavily on the specific tasks he might be able to perform once they returned home. For a short while, he actually thought seriously on the suggestions Gallus was making. The idea of learning to fight again in his current condition was not appealing to him. He already found fighting to be difficult enough when he was in prime condition, so he could only imagine the danger he would be placing himself in if he tried fighting with a disability. Perhaps it would be possible for a particularly talented fighter, but he knew that was not him. He had put some thought before into trades he could pick up, but it was difficult for him to reason out which one would be the easiest for him. For every trade he considered, the first thoughts to come to his mind were the problems he would have to deal with, which did not serve to encourage him. Pursuing magic was the option of which he had the least understanding, though that also meant that he had the least negative thoughts about it. His practice with Sabine thusfar had given him only a cursory understanding of magical concepts, so he did not know enough to think about what problems his disability might cause him.

"I...I don't know, alright? I don't know much about any of this, or what I'm going to have to deal with. It's all anyone ever talks about, you know? Ever since this happened, everyone has something to say about it, and it's usually the same thing. I know what's wrong with me, and I know everyone things there's something I could be doing." He said before lowering his head and letting out a sigh. "But...thank you for at least being specific. I'm guessing I don't have to decide right this second, right?"

---

Meesei nodded in understanding. She too had noticed Peiter's sour mood since the attack, but had rarely been in a position to speak to him about it. Even if she had, she had no doubt that her voice would simply be one among many with advice for his situation. It seemed that, currently, the greatest threat to his health was his own mind, and that was not something she could easily heal. "I see. I am afraid there is no easy solution to his problems. His injury is lifechanging, and at his age, a terrible tragedy for him. But, it may not be wise to speak to him about it too frequently, at least not for quite some time. Undoubtedly, there have been many who have tried to give him advice. To them, they may have only spoken to him about it for a few minutes, once or twice. But for him, there are always people wanting to talk to him about it; to remind him of it. Perhaps the best thing you can do for him in the short term is to give him something else to focus on. In that way, you may be able to help each other."

Gallus let Peiter voice his thoughts with the same small smile throughout. He did not hesitate to respond to him regarding deferring until later.

"Of course not," Gallus said. "It's no small thing to think about. Sleep on it, give it consideration. I'll give you until we get home to decide."

Gallus pushed off the rock he was leaning against and unfolded his arms, putting one fist on his hip and regarding Peiter with a soft expression. "Alright, I think I've bothered you enough about that. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" Gallus glanced back at the camp. "There's something important that I have to talk to the pack about in a moment." Gallus tilted his head slightly and decided to provide a starting point. "How are things with you and Sabine?"

---

"Yes, he does not like to talk about it," Sabine confirmed without looking up. "It just...he is tired all of the time. It is like he is not completely conscious." Sabine sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "I feel like he is trying to hide from everyone sometimes. Even me. It...just hurts."

When asked if there was anything else he wanted to talk about, Peiter quickly shook his head. Even when Gallus mentioned Sabine, Peiter remained dismissive. "No, things are just fine between us." He lied. They had not spent time together in the same way as they had before in the weeks since the attack. There were some occasions where they talked and laughed together, but they were much more rare than usual. His mood swings tended to keep them from enjoying their time together. They had not mated since before the attack, and, quite strangely for him, Peiter had not so much as hinted that he actually wanted to. "If you want to talk with the pack about something, I probably shouldn't hold you up."

---

Sabine's description of Peiter's behavior followed with what Meesei expected from someone in his condition. Or at least, it was one of a few types of reactions she would expect. "It is perfectly understandable that you feel bad seeing Peiter in this position, but be careful not to blame yourself. His mood is not being caused by anything you have done. It is also understandable that he feels this way. You cannot force him to be happy or outgoing, nor should you attempt to, but you still may be able to help him. In fact, you may be one of the most likely people among us to be able to reach him. Try to think back on what used to make him happy before his injury; you might be able to use it to cheer him up once more. Just make sure not to approach it as a simple tool. Spend time with him in a way that would make you both happy, instead of solely making an effort to cheer him up alone."

Gallus wasn't about to start bothering Peiter about his relationship with Sabine. Even if Peiter's words were contradicted by his actions, Gallus knew that it would do no good to sort it out for them.

"If you say so," Gallus said with a nonchalant shrug. He began to walk back to camp, but stopped to put a hand on Peiter's shoulder. "One last thing, Peiter. Thank you for speaking with me. I can see you've been patient and I know it's hard."

With that, Gallus removed his hand from Peiter's shoulder and caught Tzirret's and Uthri's eyes on the way back. He had nearly reached the centre of the camp when he lifted an arm to beckon his pack. "Tzirret, Uthri? Time for a quick huddle, if you please."

Tzirret lifted his eyes and dropped what he was doing to follow Gallus. He exchanged unsure looks with Peiter and Uthri. He didn't know what the huddle was about, exactly. Uthri was in a similar state, but did not look at all distressed.

Gallus didn't lead the pack as far out as he did Peiter. They were merely at the edge of the camp; not so far as to be private from the others, but enough to be separate from them. Gallus sat himself down cross-legged and Tzirret did the same.

"Alright, well, time to get started," Gallus said, staring at the sand in front of him. He took a moment to consider how much background he would give, but for the sake of getting the hard fact out of the way, he gave everyone something to react to. "I'll not be staying in Bruma for long after we get back. I'll be travelling somewhere alone."

---

Sabine listened on while continuing to stare at her knees. She blinked a few times with the blame she put on herself, in spite of Meesei stating that she shouldn't. Still, Meesei's advice seemed sound. Sabine simply spent a moment in silence trying to think of a way to spend time with Peiter that wouldn't seem forced. It was not the most obvious thing to answer, but Sabine nodded anyway. "I will try," she said without much hope in her voice.

Sabine didn't move for a few moments. She eventually spoke up in a mumble. "What if he stays this way?"

Peiter felt at least slightly more comfortable with the focus of the conversation off of himself, though that relief quickly became concern when Gallus got to the point of the meeting he had called. Peiter's first thought was that it had something to do with Irenya. Even being in her pack, Peiter did not know a great deal about her past, but he was aware that she had family in Cyrodiil. Not to mention, she had always been a bit more open with Gallus about such matters. Still, there was something about Gallus' plans to leave that made Peiter nervous.

"Where are you going; is it about Irenya's family?" Peiter asked. Even the brief mention of her was enough to inspire a bit of sadness within him at her memory. If there was one thing that he was feeling worse about than his arm, it was the loss of their pack member.

---

"He will find his peace eventually." Meesei answered. She moved herself closer to Sabine and placed a hand on her back. "It might take time, but he will not live like this forever. I know it has been a few weeks since the attack, and that may seem like quite a while, but try to keep in mind how often he is reminded of his injury. It will naturally take longer for him to recover, mentally. Just do not give up hope that he can improve, and that you might be able to help him. You can go try to speak to him now if you wish, or I can give advice on any questions you might have, to the best of my ability."

Gallus peered up to Peiter, looked for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, Irenya never really told me where her family was." Gallus looked ahead and leaned his mouth on his palm to think. He continued after bringing his hand to his chin instead. "But now that you mention it...no, I'm not sure her family would appreciate some Imperial coming out of nowhere and telling some tall tale about a Daedric war."

Uthri crossed her arms, unimpressed. "What is this about, then, Gallus?"

Rather than get defensive, Gallus sat up straight and put his hands on his crossed-legged knees. "I made a promise," he answered. "Back when we imprisoned the imposters at Orcrest, I was in charge of interrogating the Argonian that was impersonating Meesei." Gallus flicked his eyes briefly to Peiter's severed arm. "To be honest, she tortured herself more than I would have ever needed to. With her arm torn out and all. I didn't need to do anything but question and reward with pain relief to find out that she wasn't really a long time follower of Vile."

Gallus thought back to the way she pleaded and screamed and had to rub his eyes to distract himself. "She did it because of a false promise. They promised that if she played Meesei's part, they would give a cure for her son's degenerative disease. She finally told me her son's name and the city he was from and that he wouldn't have anyone else to take care of him."

"And you believed her!?" Uthri interrupted. "Gallus, she was..." she bared her teeth and rubbed a temple, trailing off in anger. "What reason do you have to believe any of that when she is just as likely to be lying to you to try and gain sympathy!?!"

Gallus responded surprisingly calmly. "Because her spirit was broken, I could see it. And she knew she was about to die. She didn't plead for her life. Only her son's. I promised that I would find him."

---

Sabine let out a long sigh. She closed her eyes for a silent few seconds and then spoke. "I do not think I have any more questions for now."

Sabine reached with one hand around Meesei's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," Sabine said. Then, still with a tired frown, Sabine made her way out of the tent.

For Peiter, he was not entirely sure what to think about Gallus' intentions once he explained them, but his first reaction was not wholly accepting of this plan. He was skeptical of anything said by their enemy, and while his overall mood may have influenced his skepticism, he had always felt it a good idea to be suspicious of Vile's agents.

"But...are you really sure about all of this? Are you that certain she was honest? Maybe she wasn't trying to save herself; maybe she was just...trying to redirect your questioning? And if she was telling the truth, is it really a good idea to start telling strangers about us? They might not believe you, or might even call the guards on you." Peiter objected.

From his expression, Peiter was taking a few moments to think of more reasons that it was a bad idea. "And, do you think it will really be a good time to leave so soon after we get back? That impostor was from Black Marsh, right? You'd have to go all the way across Tamriel. Won't you have more important things to do in Bruma once we get back? Aren't we going to have to do something about this whole situation with that gas?"

Gallus sighed and nearly laughed at the torrent of questions from Peiter. He tried to calm him with a downturned hand. "Alright, slow down a moment now," he said. "Look, I can't say whether what she said was the truth. However, she knew well at that point that she was going to die. I had no more questions for her. There was no reason for her to lie, given her prior behaviour. As for telling strangers, I can keep a secret as easily as the next man. I wouldn't think to compromise us without considering the risks." Gallus turned his head to Uthri and Tzirret. "Even if I told one boy, he's not guaranteed to be believed if he tells other people." His eyes went to the dirt again. "As for the gas, there is little I can do about that except help ensure that the scholar's loft has all the resources it needs. I cannot know how long this child of hers has to live."

Uthri was still unconvinced. "This is ridiculous. How to you think you're going to cross Black Marsh on your own?"

"I'll only need to head in as far as Gideon," Gallus said flatly. "I can get a guide to help me if I need it."

Tzirret had been quiet until now, but he spoke up, more quietly than any of them. "How long will Gallus be gone?"

Gallus curled his lips to think. "Two months at most, probably less. I can travel fast on my own."

With a hand covering half her infuriated face, Uthri sighed heavily.

Internally, Peiter did not actually have any specific doubts on what Gallus intended to do in Black Marsh. He did not know much about the place, but since he had heard of it before, he was pretty sure that Gideon was one of the larger cities, which meant that it would not be too dangerous for a foreigner. It was not likely to be any sort of trap, and while Peiter was not really sure what Gallus actually intended to do for that woman's son, he probably did exist. However, Peiter still wanted to think of whatever reason he could to keep Gallus from going. He had essentially forgiven Gallus for what had happened during the attack, and despite his overall sour mood, he still wanted his pack to stay together. The loss of Irenya had devastated them, and he did not want to lose anyone else.

After another, brief pause to collect his thoughts, Peiter spoke up hesitantly. "I don't know, Gallus. When we were with the warband, I heard the talk around camp on the way back. Talk about how, if the enemy found their home near Orcrest, they'd have to give it all up and find a new place because of the gas. Well...Vile knows where our clan is. They've attacked us before, so they can attack us again with the gas. What if we end up having to move our whole clan? What if we have to move, and you're not there?"

Gallus had to look aside for a moment to think about Peiter's question. "I imagine..." he said. "That we will be organising our contingency plans soon after we bring this information to the council. Being that I was a witness to all this, I may be able to sit in on the meetings and be told where we would be heading."

"Gallus," Uthri still had her arms crossed, but was speaking in matters-of-fact. "If they even tell you, what makes you think that they'd let you take that information halfway across Tamriel, on your own, to something that you can't guarantee to be safe?"

There was a glance to Uthri, and a worried knotting of Gallus' brow. "A suppose I'll just have to find you myself, then."

"Don't you dare..." Uthri growled. She let her hands fall to her sides and raised her voice. "Don't you dare go running off after all that we've been through as a pack! Are we no better than those hens you ran away from in the clanhome? Is that what you think of us!?"

Gallus was speechless for the moment that Uthri left him to answer.

"I don't care about some sickly child miles away from us when we have our own problems!" Uthri's voice and expression turned from anger to pleading. She touched her fingers to her chest over her heart, tapping her hands to punctuate her speech. "Myself, Tzirret, Peiter, even you. We. Need. Each other right now, Gallus. You don't have to keep a promise to someone dead when your living family needs you. Please."

Tzirret turned his head from Uthri to Gallus, looking just as worried in his silence.

Uthri stared on, waiting for Gallus' answer.

Gallus stared back, blinked once, looked at the ground, and sighed. "I can see that this was put forth rather soon and suddenly. We'll have this chat again when we get home. I can postpone if we need to." He looked around to the pack's faces and tightened his lips back without smiling. "Perhaps I'll have to take you all with me."

Peiter ran his hand down his face and let out a very obvious sigh. He had not been in the room with the imposter during Gallus' interrogations, so he could not understand why he was so intent on finding this woman's son. "I don't want to lose the clan either, Gallus. If we do end up moving, I know the Champion is going to want to keep our new home a closely held secret, since they can just gas us out of any hideout we're in."

Despite all of his pack being against him, Gallus seemed rather stubborn in his desire to find this Argonian. Peiter understood that he would want to keep his word, but he wouldn't think that he would be willing to take such a risk for it. Peiter actually did not mind the idea of Gallus going to help this boy as much as he was letting on, but he wanted to say anything he could to keep Gallus from leaving, at least for a while. "I don't know what you hope to do for this boy, anyway. If he has some terrible disease, then you're not going to be able to cure it. You think he'll just want to turn into a lycan or something? People hate us; he's probably not going to want that. I don't know what happens to Argonians when they die, but he'll probably want his soul to be with his family, or friends, or something."

"I won't force the child to do anything," Gallus assured. "I will be upfront about what he will be giving up if he accepts my offer, and I'll be just as clear about what he will gain. I just want the boy to be given a chance, that's all. If he refuses, I might leave him with coin from a few hides I can hunt and be on my way. It's..." Gallus rubbed behind one ear. "It's important, however, that he knows what happened to his mother. It's unfair to let him assume that he was abandoned. I'll handle getting the location of the clan's escape."

Although he did so nervously, Tzirret spoke up while looking at the ground. "This one...does not think it is a good idea either, Gallus." Tzirret swallowed. "Please, just...can we just go home for a while? All of this is too much to worry about."

Gallus nodded. "Of course. Like I said, we will talk about this another time in the future." Gallus reached his arms to Peiter and Uthri's shoulders either side of him. "We've all been through a lot this past few months. Let's go home, find ourselves, then we can think about unfinished business. How does that sound?"

Uthri was hunched and looking away with crossed arms. "You're a pig sometimes, Gallus," she muttered, albeit with less disdain than before. Uthri's packmates knew this as enough interim forgiveness to accept Gallus' words.

The meeting between Gallus' pack ended on an at least somewhat acceptable note for Peiter. He still did not like the idea of Gallus pursuing this foolish idea, but the fact that they would be talking about it later meant that he could calm down for the moment. The sun set shortly afterwards, and one by one, everyone in the camp started to get to sleep.

---

By this point, everyone had become accustomed to long treks across the desert. At no point was it "easy", but they knew how to adjust their habits to make the trip as pleasant as possible. They knew how to keep themselves from overheating, while still protecting themselves from the sun. They knew exactly when to eat and drink to keep themselves from feeling consistently thirsty, which was helped by the fact that the Orcrest clan had given them more than enough supplies for the journey. Moving across the desert was as uneventful and repetitive as ever, which quickly became boring for the children in particular, but they were at least safe.

Thanks to the smaller size of their group, they moved more quickly in general and were able to reach the forest with plenty of supplies to spare. At a town near to the border, they were able to sell their camels, carts, and the barrels they had been using to store water, in order to purchase boats to bring them upriver to Bravil. They purchased three, and though it would be cramped, it would be enough to get them and their supplies to the city. They had to be cautious crossing the border; however, using the same strategy Colors had used to get the clan across before, it was fairly easy to sneak a much smaller group into Cyrodiil. The river was slow-moving enough that they were able to row themselves upstream until they finally reached the city. From there, they sold the boats quickly at a slight loss, then found a ship willing to take them as passengers to the Imperial City. It was not a long voyage, so the price was reasonable, and it left them with plenty of coin to hire a carriage or two to take them the rest of the way to Bruma.

After the Imperial City, the group's journey back to Bruma was almost identical to the first time they had made it months prior, except they were not attacked by highwaymen this time. Over the course of their journey, Peiter had shown slow, steady improvement to his mood. He was not depressed as often, and he was more willing to spend time with others, particularly Sabine. Although, he still had not even suggested any physical intimacy. He was by no means cured of his problems. He was more distant from everyone, physically and emotionally, than he had been before his injury. Ri'vashi and Marcaille, meanwhile, had become more open with the others during their travels. Ri'vashi was already quite familiar with Meesei and Gallus, but she had not previously spent a great deal of time with the members of either of their packs. After many long nights around campfires, however, she started to open up, no doubt under the influence of Gallus' advice. She could still be considered somewhat shy and distant, but it was a step in the right direction. Marcaille, on the other hand, had no particular anxiety about being social, but she also was not very open about private matters. She had no problem describing her past as it pertained to magic and alchemy, especially towards Ahnasha. However, she was largely silent on more personal matters.

Eventually, the time was finally upon the group to return home, or for Ri'vashi and Marcaille, meet their new clan. They had reached Bruma, and had quickly started on the path up the mountain. It had been many months since had seen snow, or felt the cold, and while it was not an entirely welcome sensation for some of them, it did bring back memories. When they finally came upon the entrance to the cave leading down to their home, even Lorag gave a subtle, satisfied smile. They had no doubt already been spotted by a sentry, so they were expecting that there was already a welcome ready for them inside.

"Seeing this cave again...it is almost surreal." Ahnasha commented.

Reaching the end of the deserts was a relief for a number of reasons amongst the group. Not least was the return to self-sufficiency granted by the forest. They could hunt again, instead of relying on rations and summoned imps. The Anequinans amongst them had a short period of adjustment but their beast spirits were well controlled and any trouble was short-lived.

From Janius, there was a brief period of nervousness when they group ran close to Bravil. He was quick to take up the responsibility of remaining in their camp outside while the others sold off their supplies. He was open to anyone who asked about his family that resided there. He was stubborn enough about avoiding them that no effort to convince him to take the opportunity to reconnect succeeded.

The getting-to-knowing of Marcaille and Ri'vashi was embraced by just about everyone in both packs. It was a surprise to witness how shy Ri'vashi was, given how stoic and confident she outwardly acted. However, this simply made everyone less intimidated to talk to her after a while. Gallus was glad that she was opening up; it would be great practice for when they reached the Bruma clan. Marcaille was fine company as well, but no one pressed her too hard about that which she did not want to talk about. They were personal matters, after all.

About halfway through the leg between the Imperial City and Bruma, Fendros finally remembered about his odd feelings regarding Marcaille. It was that one time in the reclamations temple in Vos, when they had a visit by a certain daedric prince. Mephala warned them about a Breton. Fendros shared his memory with Ahnasha, but at the point that he did, he was dismissive of it. Marcaille was a fine person and they had no reason not to trust her. If they did, then they would just as likely be within reason to avoid Sabine as well. Fendros simply asked Ahnasha to be careful, as she always was.

---

The group trudged through the wind and the snow before the cave mouth that led to their home. Fendros was the first to answer Ahnasha while he carried a clinging Rhazii on his back. They both wore thick fur clothing, just as they always had to at these heights. "I know. It's hard to believe that we were at a desert a time ago." Fendros took another breath, letting steam flow forth. "I never thought I'd miss this snow as much as I miss the desert heat right now."

Rhazii raised his face from Fendros' shoulder where he had been keeping his running snout warm. "Are we home?" he asked.

Fendros grinned. "Yes we are, little one. We're finally home."

Bringing up the rear, Gallus was also grinning. He turned to Marcaille and Ri'vashi with an encouraging tone. "Ah, just you wait. We'll have a hot, juicy roast waiting for us, and a lovely steaming broth to warm our bones." He vigorously rubbed his gloved hands together to warm them slightly. "And you'll finally get to meet the great extended family that is our clan."

Ahnasha smiled at Rhazii, placing a hand on his back. "And we're going to be staying home for quite some time." She added, a statement that was at least halfway true. She was just as aware as the others that they would likely need to move the entire clan to escape the danger that the enemy now posed, but they would still be staying with the Bruma clan. In that sense, they would be staying home, regardless of what ruin or cavern they were residing in.

Kaleeth, meanwhile, was holding Newt in her arms, wrapped in so many furs that his face was hardly even visible. "I think I like the desert better." She commented, shivering. Of everyone in their group, Newt fared the worst in the cold, except for perhaps Leaps. The wamasu was wrapped as warmly as he would allow and was following close alongside Meesei, who was maintaining a flame in her hand to warm the both of them. Meesei had been considering creating some enchantments to help Newt and Leaps deal with the cold. Since they had mostly remained in their clanhome until recently, it had not been an issue, but if they wanted to start bringing Leaps in particular outside more often, he would need something to reliably keep his body temperature up.

Heading into the cave, the group actually came across someone sooner than expected. It appeared that a new guard post had been added in their absence to give another line of defense, so the first people to greet them were two, heavily armored warriors. They were already standing at attention as they approached, so Meesei had been right in assuming that they would be spotted by a sentry. Security, at least, had not degraded in their absence. They both seemed to be in a particularly good mood upon seeing the Champion's and Gallus' packs, which was encouraging. They had not been in contact with the Bruma clan since their departure, so they were really not sure of what state the clan was in.

The packs passed through two more guard posts before they entered the Ayleid ruin proper. Ayleid ruins did exist in High Rock, where both Ri'vashi and Marcaille were from, but since neither had seen one of the ruins in person before, they were both interested in the strange architecture. For everyone else, it was the wave of warm air which greeted them that was the most comforting, at least until they walked far enough down the hall to reach the first minor chamber, which was an armory for warriors and hunters heading in an out of the ruin. Pretty much all of the clan's leadership was there to greet their returning Champion and her companions.

The welcoming reception for the group was not a crowded one. The entire council had gathered to greet them, as well as those that happened to be nearby and curious about what was going on. There was no doubt that word would spread of their arrival.

Gallus walked ahead of the others with a bright smile and his father Oswall reflected it behind his big, white beard. They spread their arms and embraced in a firm hug, thudding hands on the backs of one another amongst happy chuckling. "Welcome back, son," Oswall said in his usual gruff voice.

Vera stepped up to greet Meesei with a small grin. "It's good to see you again, champion." Vera was more gentle in embracing Meesei than the father and son next to them, but she also kept it brief. Without her volition, Vera's eyes were drawn to the towering Khajiit behind them wrapped in custom-tailored fur coats. "I see you've brought back some company?" Vera eventually noticed the new Breton as well. To them both, she clasped one of her hands in the other and introduced herself without delay. "I am Vera, the leader of the Bruma clan. Welcome to our home. Who might you be?"

In his regular fashion, Darahil was a pace back, looking over the council's shoulders from his Altmeri tallness, crossed arms, and neutral expression. His eyes were the only things on him that appeared to move. They danced around the various new details, from Ri'vashi's description, to Sabine and Peiter holding hands, to Peiter's limp sleeve, as well as behind the group as if expecting one more person. It was uncomfortable how closely he was watching everyone.

To Vera, Ri'vashi stepped forward and offered to shake her hand. Her time as clan leader had trained her to be able to deal with formal meetings in a more professional setting, and it had never been something she had a particular problem with. Her awkwardness mostly only surfaced in more personal, casual settings. "This one is Ri'vashi, the, um, former leader of the Orcrest clan." She answered. It was a name Vera would recognize since, as the Alpha of the Bruma clan, she and the rest of the council had reasonably frequent written correspondence with all of Tamriel's clans over the last few years."

"To allay any fears you may be having, the Orcrest clan is perfectly fine. We can go over all of the details of our mission's report in private." Meesei added.

Pierrette, another lieutenant in the council, nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I am sure there is much we will need to discuss in our meeting. Of course, we do not have to convene it immediately. You no doubt want to take a moment to rest after your journey, and reconnect with everyone. But, if you want to hold it soon, I can go find some officers to handle our more immediate duties." She offered.

"Yes, please. Thank you, Pierrette. It is best that we discuss my report sooner, rather than later." Meesei responded. Turning her attention back to Vera and the others, she gave a warm smile. "But, regardless, it is good to see you all, and good to be home.

Since she had not yet given her introduction, Marcaille also stepped forward. "My name is Marcaille. I would not say I'm anyone particularly special, just an alchemist."