Altogether, Ahnasha was disappointed, but not surprised. She had heard all about Fendros' parents from him, so she had mentally prepared herself for this outcome. Just as she hoped that Fendros had prepared himself as well. She largely ignored Rossarm's words as the conditioned reaction of a stubborn old man. What she paid more attention to was the reactions of his mother, and even his brother. Calia's reaction was not one of rage, like Rossarm's. Being a mother herself, Ahnasha knew well how much of her life was invested in her child. She had an idea of how much of Calia's being must have been devoted to raising Fendros. For the kind of love a mother held for her child, Ahnasha doubted this would be enough to break it. Even Monderyn had not been nearly as outspoken as she had expected. Perhaps it was the fear of speaking up in front of his parents, but Ahnasha wondered if enough time had passed since their meeting in the Imperial City for him to have his own doubts. Ahnasha still guessed that if Rossarm changed his opinion, the others would as well, but perhaps there was another way to go about it.  

Ahnasha reached over and grabbed Fendros' hand, holding it tightly. "Let's just...be patient. Bide our time for a bit. We're not going anywhere." Ahnasha said with a certain amount of confidence in her voice. Regardless of how bad everything looked, Ahnasha still had her stubbornness about her. She still wanted to make this work, and had an idea in her mind of how to do it. "Your mother is the person to talk to first. There is no denying that she still cares about you, still loves you. A mother never really abandons her child." 

Looking over to Llarasa, Ahnasha's expression was sympathetic, and her voice soft. "When do you think we would be able to talk to your mother alone?"

---

Meesei, for the moment, was wholly focused on Harriet. Any other implications of what she was saying, particularly involving Lorag, she let pass by for now. "What you did after the attack on our stronghold, when you ran, there is no way I can blame you for that. Were I in your position, I would have done the precise same thing. As I said before, it would do no good for me to kill you now, regardless of how easy that would be." She said, holding up her hand bearing the bonded ring. "I may be doing a disservice to Vera and Caleb by making that decision, but it is my decision to make. There is no denying that you were manipulated into murder. But, there is still no forgiving you for what you did to them. Do you honestly believe that I should just ignore you? That I should leave and pretend this did not happen? If not your death, what justice does Jerrick's family deserve." 

Meanwhile, Lorag's head was darting around between Meesei, Harriet, and the others. What he found important in Harriet's explanation was, of course, far different from what Meesei found important, and her lack of a reaction made him feel somewhat crazy. He normally was not an exceptionally articulate person, but now he was simply speechless. "Wait...what?"