Ahnasha's ears twitched at the sound of creaking in the house. No doubt they would end up speaking to everyone again in time, but she wanted to make sure that their conversation was private regardless. Fortunately, it would be easy to tell if footsteps were approaching or receding, so it would be easy for her to stop talking before anyone might overhear what she was saying. "I just want to make everything as comfortable as possible moving forward. It's not easy, I know it's not going to be. I just hope we can leave having made something better between you all. Your mother...seems to be going through quite a lot right now in her mind. I'm hoping she was just in denial, and after having time to think, will come around soon. It's near impossible to destroy the love between a mother and a child."

Pausing briefly, Ahnasha let out a sigh. "Me and Fendros, we're happy together. I love him, and I love the family we have. You can't imagine how much I want to keep that from coming between him, and all of you. I want to be able to get to know you; I want our son to be able to know you. And I think getting to know me might surprise you."

---

Lorag huffed. "Got a better idea. How about I never talk to her again, never see her again, never think about her again. She doesn't matter anymore. She's an exile with no power over anything anymore. No matter who fathered that child, it doesn't matter. Nothing 'bout my life has changed since an hour ago. I'm Meesei's second, we have a war to win, and I say we go finish our business here."

Shortly afterwards, Meesei stepped out of the hut without another word to Harriet. Apart from perhaps one more visit from Meesei before they left, their business was finished. Harriet had agreed to help them, though that did not necessarily mean a great deal to Meesei. They would accept her information and assistance, and provide what Meesei promised, but that was not the primary purpose for her making the offer. Mainly, Meesei wanted to keep an eye on Harriet. She would not be given any information beyond the bare minimum, and until she could be proven, beyond a shadow a doubt, to be trustworthy, her information would be taken with some skepticism. Meesei was going to make sure that Harriet did not become a threat, and that she did not get away again.

Monderyn appeared tense. He was quiet for a short moment, looking to Ahnasha with his head down and to one side. When he spoke, it was with reticence otherwise not seen by Ahnasha before. "Huhm. I didn't think I would get an understanding answer." His eyes glanced off. "I suppose you're surprising me already. You don't lie."

After all the obstacles they had come up against so far, Fendros felt hopeful. Monderyn having apparently done some thinking since they last met was not exactly what Fendros had expected. Fendros gave Ahnasha a small smile before turning to Monderyn again. "What you said earlier about it being better if I hadn't walked in just now. I'm sorry if I've made things worse, I just..."

Monderyn spoke over Fendros' trailing off. "Things were bad before you walked in the door, that much you have seen. I think I overheard Llarasa say something about poison, so you've heard just how bad it is." Monderyn closed his eyes and leaned forward on his elbows, running his hair through his hands. "Mother wants you back, Fendros. She wants you back the way you were. The way things were before you left. I know that is impossible." Monderyn stilled his palms either side of his head, facing close to the table top. "I don't know if you'll be leaving things better or worse. I guess it depends on what she decides when she's done with her rest."

"And father?" Fendros asked, taking his turn to hesitate.

There was no wavering in Monderyn's voice. "You heard what he said. You know what he's like."

---

Janius poked out his lower lip and nodded. "Very well."

Given what kind of mood Lorag was in, Janius didn't want to test his patience. However, Janius had one last question that at least bore thought by Lorag. "What if the kid comes looking for you?"

Janius saw Meesei from the corner of his eye and turned his head to give her a half smile as she approached. Lorag was confronted, but he wasn't considering anything particularly rash.

Ahnasha gave a single, brief chuckle towards Monderyn. "Yes, well there have been plenty of people that have tried to kill me. You'll have to do better than that to upset me." She said, though that brief levity faded quickly as the conversation continued.

Ahnasha closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh of resignation. There was no use in her pretending that their problem was anything else other than what it was. "It's obvious that I'm the problem. Your family isn't like mine; they don't have some inborn hatred against the Daedra. Hircine wasn't the problem, lycanthropy wasn't a problem for more than a few seconds after you explained it. I think your parents would understand that it is still too dangerous for you to stay here. You never had a choice in any of that. Their problem is me. Your parents don't like me. I do not know if I can do anything to solve that, and it is hard for me to restrain myself from trying. You have to understand that I am not usually as...passive of a person as I am having to be right now." She said, looking to Monderyn.

"But...when I see a problem like this, I want to solve it. I am not some servant like your parents are accustomed to dealing with. I am far more capable than that, far better than that. I am a trained hunter and practiced archer. A swordsman, accomplished illusionist, and expert conjurer. I've done a lot with a life they would call short. What can I do to show them? What does your mother respect? And your father?"

---

Lorag remained just as dismissive towards Narsi as he was towards Harriet. "She better not. Wouldn't find me anyway."

Meesei had a good idea of the kind of emotional turmoil she might be stepping into with Lorag, but she started off with the important details of what had occurred regardless. "We will be able to keep an eye on Harriet. As long as she does not flee before we can get someone to Cheydinhal, she can be monitored. If she turns out to be honest in her agreement to help us, then I suppose we may even benefit. But, at least we know she is no longer a threat. We are not going to give her any important details on our clans, so maintaining contact with her will not be a serious risk. Now Lorag, is there anything you need to do? I understand that this may not all be easy for you."

Letting out a sigh, Lorag shook his head. "No, Alpha."

"Very well. We will be here in the city for a while longer, so you do have some time if you change your mind." Meesei responded.

Monderyn and Fendros both gave Ahnasha a despondent look, before slowly turning their heads forward and down. They were silent in thought for a while, and then silent in hopelessness.

"That's a good question," Fendros said.

Monderyn grabbed at his ear and ran his fingers over it. "I don't think there would be anything you could do, at least not in a day. I am sorry, but their thoughts are...fortified, as it were, regarding beast races. It's part of how they grew up. It's who they are."

"I'm not quite sure it's that simple," Fendros added. "Mother is just being traditional; she doesn't like the idea of me with a non-Dunmer because it's different. You say she wants things back they way they were?" Fendros looked across to Monderyn. "Back then, she would interact with beast races in town with no outward disrespect. She just has that Dunmer notion of being the superior race on her mind all the time like some kind of filter. Being with Ahnasha must make her think I'm degrading myself." Fendros traded looks with both Ahnasha and Monderyn, moving his head from side to side hopefully. "I have a feeling she'll come around if she's convinced that I'd take a Dunmer wife in a century or so. She may just end up accepting what she cannot control, otherwise." Fendros steepled his fingers and brought his lips forward to lean on them. "It's just father. I have no idea where to start."

"You know..." Monderyn mumbled in consideration. "He does respect magical skill."

Fendros raised his eyebrows for a moment, but he swiftly closed his eyes and shook his head. "No. Either he'll see Ahnasha as not good enough and decide that you're unworthy or Ahnasha will be too good, causing him to become resentful for being shown up by a khajiit and we're back to where we started. He may be an old mage himself, but that doesn't change his personality."

---

Janius raised an eyebrow at Lorag's answer. Perhaps he believed that the champion's pack was harder to find by a lycan than in reality. Regardless, Janius did not have time to consider it further before Meesei closed the distance.

"I honestly don't know what to think either," Janius said. "I mean, I don't think she would get a child just to appeal to your morality for protection. It's been years -- if she wanted to protect herself from you, she could have taken a ship to the furthest reaches of Tamriel, perhaps even further." Janius raised his upper lip in confusion. "Instead she took a hop, a skip, and a jump to Cheydinhal. Only Cheydinhal."

With a sigh, Janius dropped the subject and stepped to begin moving. He pat Lorag roughly on the arm for a bit of encouragement. "We ought to tell Kaleeth."

"Also consider that you do have quite a bit of time to convince them." Ahnasha added. "There is no reason for this to be your last time speaking with them. You may not be able to live with them, but letters, visits, all of those are perfectly possible for now. Even if they are infrequent. Your mother has known you are alive for less than an hour. Her opinions seem more likely to be swayed in time. I will say that I am not comfortable outright lying, but that is your choice. If I can find the method to extend my life without necromancy, that would give you even more time." She said, being sure to specifically mention that she could avoid necromancy for the task for the sake of Monderyn. Technically, the research she had conducted so far did suggest that it might be possible to extend one's life without the use of necromancy. If so, it would be much more difficult, so the majority of mages did not consider that approach, and she had not been pursuing it either.

Ahnasha gave a light sigh as another thought came to mind. "You know, we met a Dunmer not all that long ago that your parents kind of remind me of. She was a lycan like us, but also a very traditional Dunmer. Her name was Irenya. Things could not have been more tense between me and her on the way to Elsweyr. She did not mind working with Khajiit; there was even a Khajiit in her pack, but she did not like that me and Fendros were together, probably for the same kinds of reasons as your mother. There were a few arguments between us. Then, something happened with her while we were in Elsweyr. We met with an entire clan of Khajiit which...is a long story, but the important part is that the way they treated her changed her. They weren't what she was expecting. There was a little cub in particular that really got to her, I believe. By the end of it all, she had apologized to me for everything." Ahnasha lowered her head. "I wish she was around to speak to Calia. I wish your mother would agree to see her grandson."

---

Meesei nodded in agreement with Janius. "Maybe part of her hoped to be found? She does ascribe to an Orcish sense of honor, and her departure left her crimes unanswered. Or, perhaps she simply did not have the means to more far with the child. In any case, we now know that she is no longer an issue to us. Perhaps it would have been more just to simply kill her, but I saw no practical purpose in it."

Lorag, at this point, refused to say anything further on the subject. "I should get back to work. Daggers still need sharpened."

Monderyn appeared dubious at Ahnasha's mention of extending her life. He didn't speak up about it then, for whatever reason, but most likely to stay on-track.

Fendros raised his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "Yes, I would like to send letters. I am...concerned about the idea and showing Rhazii to them." Fendros turned his head to Ahnasha. "Showing him to mother, there's no problem, really. I can't guarantee that she'll react with as much...that she'll as affected as Irenya. She may. I don't know."

"You can't let father near that child," Monderyn said with widened eyes.

Fendros clasped his hands together on the table. "I know. I was about to mention that. I cannot see that even possibly going well." Dismissing the thought, Fendros changed his tone to be more hopeful. "We might convince mother to see Rhazii, though. Tell me, Monderyn..." Fendros knitted his brow and faced his brother. "Is there anything we can do right now to help mother? I'm as worried about her as you are."

"Short of finding a cure for her blindness, if you happened upon the right ingredients," Monderyn said with hopeless sarcasm, before leaning his hand on his chin and looking away. "I don't know about anything this instant, not while she's resting. I think it would help the most to stay and help her to heal. This may have been shocking today, but it was your de-...disappearance that lead all this off." He turned up his hand. "I know I can't make you, but if you could stay just a short while longer, a few days, a week if you can...we could try to fix things. You don't have to stay on the vineyard, but..." Monderyn swallowed. "Like I said, I don't know what to think and I don't know what is going to happen."

Fendros looked to Ahnasha. He wasn't sure how much time they had to stay in Cheydinhal. Enough for their wedding, but anything more was not certain.

---

Janius hesitated and glanced to Lorag, before turning on his heel. "Killing her would have been a tragedy in itself at this point." He motioned to walk towards their remaining business. "I wonder what the others will think about all this."

Even with the rather serious topic of discussion, Ahnasha could not help but to smile at a few of the thoughts entering her mind. "I don't know, despite what your mother said about Rhazii, I cannot help but to think that seeing him might soften her heart. A Khajiit he may be, but he is still a sweet, innocent child. He has those big eyes, that wide smile. He has all that energy and enthusiasm; not to mention that he has your eyes." She said, looking to Fendros. "Sure, there are people who would be unaffected by any of that, but I think your mother might be reminded of what it was like to have you as a child. Perhaps the wedding? If we can convince her to come, perhaps just to spend time with Fendros, or to meet the people that are helping keep him safe out in the wilderness, then we could have her meet him without seeming like we are forcing it upon her."

"And of course, we would like to have you there as well, Monderyn." Ahnasha offered. "I do not yet know exactly what we are going to be doing, but we intend to find a Dunmer priest willing to perform the ceremony by your traditions. In a Cyrodilic city, I do not expect that would be too difficult. In any case, it is just going to be a small event. Also, while I am thinking about it, what ingredients do you need to cure your mother's blindness? We have connections in all corners of Tamriel, so as long as it is not too rare, it will just be a matter of waiting on it to be delivered."

"Mm, the wedding would be ideal for that," Fendros agreed. "Let's hope she's willing to come along."

Monderyn was uneasy when offered an invitation himself, but his look of internal conflict was postponed by talk of the cure for Calia's blindness. "Well, I cannot exactly refuse the help. If I remember what the healer said, we require a chaurus egg, and...some kind nettle from High Rock. Those are expensive in themselves, but there's also the matter of finding a Daedra heart." He kept his eyes down. "We can't buy one in Cheydinhal, and any that we have found elsewhere have been too expensive to even consider right now. There are simply too few ingredients from Oblivion these days."

Fendros tried to be encouraging. "You never know. We've a very talented alchemist in our pack. If she doesn't have the ingredients on her, she might even find another way to bring mother's eyes back to health." Fendros smiled lightly. "She's quite creative. And like Ahnasha said, we might be able to work something out with our connections."

There was a quiet moment where Monderyn wrapped his fingers around his other forearm and squeezed. "That is very kind of you both," he said reluctantly. "Even with all the things that have been said, and the things I've done...You don't have to help us. I'm glad that you are."

Overall, Ahnasha felt that the requirements for this blindness cure were reasonably convenient for them. From her understanding, their alchemists and beast tamers had far more chaurus eggs than they could possibly use. There was such an abundance that they had even began to use them in cooking. Considering that Calia would only need one egg, that would not be an issue. Ahnasha knew of a method to obtain a Daedra heart, and as long as this nettle was not too rare, it would not be too inconvenient to transport it to Blackreach from a clan in High Rock.

Ahnasha spoke with a bit more confidence than Fendros, thanks to her conjuration knowledge. "None of that should be too difficult for us, provided the nettle is nothing exceptionally rare. Our alchemists like to use chaurus eggs, so we have those, and we know people in High Rock. Daedra hearts are quite expensive, but that is because it takes a master conjurer to be able to permanently bind a Daedra to Tamriel, which you then have to kill for its heart. I am not a master yet, but the mentor I am learning from is. Although, technically, if I had a soul gem to draw power from, I might be able to permanently bind a weak Daedra. I've never done it before, but I know the concepts. I don't think there's any difference between a powerful or weak Daedra in terms of their hearts. Though, there really wouldn't be much of a point to that without the egg and the nettle. We could always just then the heart along with those. Unless..."

An idea came to Ahnasha's mind, causing her to lean forward and speak a bit more quietly. "Do you think it might help your mother's view of me? To have me right in front of her, carrying out this summoning ritual for her benefit. It could show both that I am different, and that I care about your family."

Monderyn leaned back and angled his head sceptically. "It wouldn't be so easy a thing. If you succeeded, I cannot see it harming mother's view of you." Monderyn's eyes flicked down and blinked, his own tone lowering. "If you wish to do it, on the vineyard is not the best location. Father would take umbridge to summoning daedra near his home."

Fendros put a hand on Ahnasha's knee and spoke with some regret. "I think her problems with you run into tradition more than doubt of your skills. For Dunmer, it is an affront to our ancestors to even marry different mer, let alone humans or beasts." He angled his head forward. "I don't think any one act will have her see past that. What we can do, I think, is try everything. The cure, showing Rhazii, and a summoning, if it will not be too difficult."

Ahnasha stopped herself in thought for a few moments. It was tempting to try to find an easy answer, but Fendros' concerns were probably true. "Well, if we were to wait, my mentor could get us a Daedra heart essentially for free, if we don't already have one in storage. If I were to try it, I would need at least a filled common soul gem, and I might not succeed. It might not be worth the cost to try it, if it won't actually make very much of a difference. At the very least, we should tell her in person that we will collect the ingredients she needs.

"So...we can ask her to attend the wedding." Ahnasha continued. "If nothing else, it might be nice to have...most of your family there. Is there anything else we can do right now, or maybe just get Llarasa and take some time to catch up while we wait?" She asked.

Surreptitious footsteps against the wood of the stairs nearby heralded what was likely Llarasa returning from her watch.

"Well...how long are you going to be here at Cheydinhal?" Monderyn asked in response, going back to his previous words.

Fendros exchanged a look with Ahnasha before shrugging at Monderyn. "We don't exactly know. We're staying as long as it takes to be wedded, and probably not much longer. We're passing through on our way south and Meesei would probably rather we did not tarry if we can help it."

"Meesei is your leader?"

"Yes," Fendros confirmed quietly. He didn't even realise that he had mentioned her name until Monderyn asked.

It was at that point that Llarasa glided into the room as quietly as she could. "Mother is asleep," she murmured. "She tends to have long naps. I do not know when she will be awake next. It could be an hour, it could be dinner time."

Fendros nodded and addressed Ahnasha. "Should we stay for a while or go to the temple and come back later?"

"I can brew some more tea," Llarasa offered.

Ahnasha nodded along with Fendros. "Yes, we do have some...important things to do down south. Meesei will certainly want to get there quickly, but she did agree to made the detour to Cheydinhal, so I imagine she had planned at least a day or two to stay here. A priest might not be able to carry out a ceremony the same day as asked, after all. So, we probably have at least some time to stay here and talk. I think I would like some tea." She said, turning her head to Llarasa.

Letting out a sigh, Ahnasha leaned forward slightly. "Ignoring all of this unpleasantness...I don't feel I know you that well, Monderyn. After meeting you in the Imperial City, I wasn't expecting this kind of a reception from you. What do you do here? I know you work on the vineyard, but what do you think you are going to be doing with your life? What are you training for? Given what I know about your father, I imagine he is giving you some kind of training in magic?"

Llarasa managed a smile and moved to collect the tea set from the sitting room to brew another pot. It gave enough time for Monderyn to take an uncomfortable pause. His eyes were caught by Fendros, who encouraged him with a dip of his head to get him to answer.

"The magical training is a matter of course, not profession," Monderyn said. He looked to the opposite wall rather than directly at Ahnasha. "We were all taught...well, Fendros had trouble because of his birth sign, but we are expected to be able to use magic in our day-to-day lives."

A coincidentally perfect example was present in the way Llarasa was making the tea in front of them. Rather than boil the water over a fire, she was holding the pot in both her hands and heating it with an orange magical light.

Monderyn continued. "I don't know how much Fendros has told you about us and the vineyard. We're also expected to assist and eventually inherit the business. Fendros in particular was meant to be the master of the house after Father would pass, whenever that turned out to be. It's me in line now."

Monderyn didn't give any indication of wanting to ask Ahnasha any questions.

Ahnasha gave an understanding nod to Monderyn. "That reminds me of my family. They own a store down in Leyawiin, and that store was always their life. Wanted it to be my life too. Luckily for me, they had my older brother to train up too, and since he was actually interested, I could take on my own hobbies. It's why I was able to become a hunter. It didn't really matter what I did, since he was going to take over the store. Although, now he is starting up a restaurant with his wife, and he'll still probably inherit the store once my parents pass."

Ahasha glanced around the room quickly. "Objectively speaking, this house, this vineyard, it does all seem nice. Quaint, profitable, safe near the walls. Inside the city, you basically just get the ground right under your building; here, you have some space. If this is the life you want, I hope it goes well for you. If anything ever goes wrong, well...I can at least speak for myself in saying that I would be willing to help you. You're Fendros' family, and as he is my soon-to-be husband, I would consider you my family too."

As another thought came into her mind, Ahnasha ended up looking towards Fendros curiously. "I know you had problems learning magic, but I don't think you ever told me it was because of your birthsign. Granted, I don't think I asked either."

Monderyn kept silent to Ahnasha's offer to help should the need arise. It was unclear whether he did not want her to help or whether he didn't know how to respond.

The shift of subject prevented Monderyn being forced to respond. Instead, Fendros spoke up with a smile. "Really? You didn't know?" He let out a half-laugh. "I could have sworn I told you. I'm an atronach. I can't just sit still for a moment to regain magicka when I use it."

Llarasa spread a wide grin. "I think I remember that you didn't like the lessons anyway, brother." She stepped forward and poured them all fresh cups of tea.

For the moment, Fendros enjoyed the relative peace that had arisen. Even Monderyn couldn't help but smile lightly, despite still staring at the wall.

"It took a long while for mother and father to give up on me with magic," Fendros continued. "The potions were too expensive for long lessons. Meesei was a much better teacher."

"Oh?" Llarasa placed down the pot and took a seat. Her eyebrows were raised with curiosity. "Have you been taking lessons from her?"

"A long time ago, yes," Fendros said. "I learned only a few spells, but they've helped me in emergencies." He turned to Ahnasha with a smile. "A conjured dagger saved my life on one occasion. Likely more than one."

Ahnasha nodded in agreement. "Conjured weapons are essential when you can't rely on keeping your belongings. I think Meesei has taught every one of us at some point. At least those of us that use magic. Meesei is...well, basically the most powerful lycan in all of Tamriel. Studied magic all her life. I think the only mage I have met that was perhaps more powerful was this vampire that was probably a thousand years old or something. If your father could ignore the fact that she is Argonian, he would probably like her."

Again, Ahnasha quickly turned her attention back to Fendros before taking a drink of her tea. "Although, I wouldn't think that it would be your birthsign alone that kept you from being a mage. You probably just didn't have that much of an interest. When I was learning magic, I remember reading that atronachs tended to be some of the most potent mages, especially when fighting magical opponents. Atronachs have much larger reserves of magicka than other mages of the same skill level, and of course, part of the energy from any spell that strikes you is absorbed into your own magicka reserves. I think it cuts the effects of spells essentially in half. I don't really understand how the stars a person was born under can affect someone in such an extreme way, but I know that volumes have been written trying to figure that out. I've always found birthsigns strange. I don't even think I have one, and if I do, I wouldn't know it. The atronach sign is probably the most...obvious."

Monderyn's eyes were drawn to Ahnasha for an instant following her description of Meesei. Although, the mention of his father liking her elicited a small snort.

"You would have a birthsign, everyone does," Fendros answered. "Isn't that right, Llarasa?"

Llarasa smiled and began to explain. "Yes, it is hard to hide from the stars." She nodded to Ahnasha, "Most of the time, the signs only effect you subtly. It's so difficult, sometimes, that you wouldn't notice them for being anything more than natural differences between people." She gestured left and right. "Some people heal faster, some people are tougher or don't get sick as often. And then there are ones that are easy to notice, like Fendros' magicka."

"Correct," Fendros said. "I guess my little gift is squandered on me. I never had much talent for magic, Ahna, not just interest."

"I could look up your sign if you like, Ahnasha," Llarasa said, clasping her hands together. "When was your date of birth?"

Despite Llarasa's confidence in speaking, Ahnasha was still skeptical of everyone having birthsigns. She shook her head lightly. "I'm still not so sure. I was actually also born in Sun's Dusk, but I know for sure I'm not an atronach. I know that's what my sign would have been in that month, but I don't think every single person born in that month has those same magical attributes. I obviously don't, given that I've definitely explored my magical abilities."

Unbeknownst to Ahnasha, she was not quite correct in her assumption of what her birthsign would have been. While it was true that Sun's Dusk was associated with the Atronach sign, there was another sign that could manifest in that month. With the proper reference material, Llarasa would be able to determine that the wandering Serpent sign had appeared in the skies that month, which was the sign under which Ahnasha had been born.

"Personally, I think will and dedication does a lot more for a person than their sign. I know Meesei has never even bothered to ask us about them for anyone training with her. Granted, she practices magic much differently than the old traditions that started with the Mages' Guild. She performs magic that was lost to them...or that they never knew." Ahnasha added.

Llarasa had already retrieved a book from a shelf in the hallway and brought it back to the table by the time Ahnasha had finished her words. Llarasa flipped through the pages with her eyes glued to the daedric script within, flanking the pictures of constellations on each page. "That would be quite extraordinary to see," Llarasa commented. "I confess, I do not know magic widely enough to know beyond our own family's traditions, much less the mages guild. I've heard stories about amazing things that could be done with old magic." She shrugged. "I also do agree that there is more to one than their birthsign. It is merely a curiosity of mine."

Finally, after taking a sip of tea, Monderyn's curiosity overcame his withdrawn demeanour. He looked to Ahnasha with his brow lowered with scepticism. "How does an Argonian get taught ancient magicks? You make her sound like a Psijic monk."

"She's no Psijic." Fendros grinned. "She simply learned from the natives of Black Marsh. They have their own old magic, Meesei just developed it a bit further, I think."

Llarasa hummed curiously at the page in front of her.

Fendros turned his head. "What is it?"

For a moment, Llarasa did not respond, instead silently counting on her fingers. Fendros was about to ask again when she cast her eyes up to Ahnasha and spoke. "I do not want to sound rude, Ahnasha, but are you about twenty six years old? Give or take a year?" She raised a finger and placed it on a page depicting three stars connected by a central fourth star between them. "You could be a serpent."