Fendros scrunched his eyes shut at Ahnasha's whispers. "It will be one thing at a time, Ahna. Trust-"

"It is rude to whisper secrets between yourselves," Calia interrupted. "Speak plainly or we need not speak at all."

For the first time since they sat down, Monderyn cleared his throat and gave Fendros a sideways look. "If you're really here to tell the truth, Fendros, don't dodge away from where your soul is going."

Fendros peered over at Monderyn, and then to the mouth-full-of-needles expression on his mother. They did not appear to pick up on Ahnasha's words but it made sense that Monderyn would know Fendros' white lies. He had known about his condition for the longest in the family and may have read more. He had brought a silver dagger when he found Fendros in the Imperial City after all.

"Very well," Fendros sighed. "Mother, you should be told. When one contracts lycanthropy, their soul is taken upon death to Hircine's hunting grounds in Oblivion to join the eternal hunt. Unless any of my ancestors are lycans as well, I will not be joining any of them at the end of my life, no matter how repentant I am."

Calia held her breath and her scowl. "And why have you lied to me?"

Fendros wiped his hand down his face and leaned his forehead on his fingers. "I wanted to put it off until a better time. I've come back and put a lot of tidings on the table, I didn't want to shock you into...well, disowning me, like father just did."

There was a second of silence while Calia's jaw began to quiver. "I will be the judge of that. Your father may be cruel and ill-tempered at times, but it shall be more than simply wasting a century in the arms of a lesser woman that convinces me to do the same. I am saddened to hear that your soul has been doomed. Lying to me about it almost offends me enough to think otherwise." She drew a breath from her nose and turned to firmer words. "Do not do so again, Fendros."

Calia angled her head to Ahnasha. "So you wish to know what I think of you, Ahnasha?" Her tone was not as firm, but still equally as cross as moderated to elegance. "I am grateful that you helped my son in his time of need. I cannot blame you for his hardships, but I find your actions selfish and naive. You are not worthy of Fendros, soul damned or no. My son deserves better than a short-lived beast and an aberrant spawn that was never meant to be."

Closing his eyes bowing his head forward, Fendros' fists clenched to the point of crackling and pallor. By the time Calia was done, he was all but shaking in contained fury.

[hr]
Harriet proceeded from the fireplace to a sack next to what served as a kitchen bench. "Okay," she murmured after a moment. She bent down and produced some potatoes from the sack, putting them on the bench. She stopped to turn to Meesei with a slackened jaw. "Just one more thing, champion. Did you want your ring back? It's...not the most comfortable thing."

If Harriet's behaviour was still anything like Lorag's in that moment, she wasn't likely expressing how uncomfortable it really was.

[hr]
Janius spent a moment looking at Lorag before going up to him. He needed to think carefully of how to approach the situation without making him angry. He decided to take the route of mirroring his actions. Janius walked up to Lorag and crossed his arms, looking off in the direction that Lorag was staring.

"Quite a shock, huh?" Janius began. "That was the last thing I expected to see today." Janius glanced to Lorag's eyes. "You know, I wouldn't know what to do in this situation to be honest, so I won't assume anything, but..." Janius hissed a sigh out between his teeth. "You've got time to think. What's going through your head right now?"