After letting the rest of the pack walk off to Rukeewei's inn, Sabine was barely able to stop herself from briskly walking ahead of Meesei. She was a step or two ahead from Meesei for virtually the entire walk to the shop.

The shop itself was notably different to the last time they had seen it. Ariel had evidently commissioned a sign that jutted perpendicular to the wall so it could be spotted from the streets. The window was lined with rows and rows of glass flasks and jars. Most of the merchandise was labelled with printed Jel, though many had Cyrodilic as well. Even with the cloudy weather, the daylight was too bright to see anything else through the window.

Sabine grinned at Meesei when she spoke. She had been taking the lead most of the way until this point. "Okay. But I think she will be looking forward to seeing you as well, Meesei. You might take your time."

Sabine jogged up to the door and pushed it open. A small bell rang overhead to join what she saw in the interior. The small shop had been fully stocked at this point. Two Argonian women were separately perusing a dizzying array of glass cases and shelves with various remedies, cosmetics, and alchemical concoctions joined the occasional raw ingredient. There were so many things to see, even in the small place, but the smell hit Sabine the hardest. It was the smell of an alchemical lab mixed with a plethora of perfumes. It was a much stronger version of what she remembered the place smelling like four years ago. It made memories flood back.

At first, Sabine looked around for Ariel's face. Behind the counter, a door opened to the storage closet that revealed Ariel poking her head out to see who had rang the doorbell. Ariel immediately gasped. "Sabine!"

Ariel's surprise made the Argonian customers turn their heads curiously. Ariel stepped out from behind the counter with a simple silken green robe and nearly ran towards Sabine with her arms extended and a laugh on her lips. Sabine joined in her mirth and they embraced in a tight hug, laughing with joy. With her lycan strength, Sabine hugged Ariel so hard that she ended up lifting her feet of the ground for a moment.

"Oh, Sabine! Waiting to see you again has been unbearable! I've been watching the door ever since I received your letter!" Ariel swung Sabine from side-to-side in her arms.

What surprised Sabine the most was that she was now nearly as tall as Ariel. It was strange to see her from a shallow angle after all this time. Regardless, she responded in kind. "It is good to see you, too, sister."

"You have no idea, Sabine." Ariel pulled away, taking Sabine by the shoulders. "Welcome back to Thorn!" Ariel took a breath to stave her excitement for a moment. She peered around. "Are the others here?" She looked out of the door. "Oh! Hello Meesei!"

"The others are getting a room at the inn," Sabine mentioned with a grin.

Ariel released Sabine and walked out of the store to wrap her arms around Meesei in turn. "It has been too long! How have you both been?" She pulled away and beckoned Meesei. "Come inside! Come inside."

[hr]
Gallus had been investigating all day, so meeting one more stranger was not a particular challenge. However, he had a feeling he was getting close now. To try and gain the trust of the man who answered the door, he held his hands behind his back and stood with a strong posture. It would be more officious than any of the more thuggish types they had passed already. Unfortunately, there was only so much that Gallus could do about his armed leather and mail attire and smell of the wilds.

"Greetings," Gallus began with a clear tone to spare shortcomings in language. He trusted Cuts to translate if required. "My name is Gallus Oswallson. Does a Yizan-Lei live here? I need to speak to him."

Gallus remembered to expect some kind of crippled child. This man was not likely Yizan-Lei, but could be close to him.