Meesei rubbed her chin. "Hmm, it is hard to say if their motivation truly is the rumors of your magic, or if it lies with you being non-Argonian. Not without knowing them. In either case, you may yet be able to warm up to them. Argonians do have the reputation to be slow to trust, but very loyal to loved ones. Once you do gain their trust, you would have to do something very drastic to lose it. I have to resist the urge to offer my help, as I know it is a personal matter for you and Rukeewei. I would not want to involve myself where it would not be appropriate."

Looking over to Sabine beside her, Meesei put on a smile and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I think I shall focus my efforts into giving Sabine here all of my advice on love. She has had some setbacks recently, but I think she is beginning to look ahead to the future."

---

While he was startled at the number of weapons Gallus possessed, the Argonian did calm down noticeably once the weapons were in his possession. "Yes...well you may call me Najan-Ja. Dar-Tzesa was my sister. If you are going to speak about her, I ask you be sensitive to her son. The rest of us accepted her likely fate long ago, but...he has still been holding hope. Just...come in."

As Najan allowed them in, he guided them to a small room just to the left of the entrance. Inside, there was only a single table, a chair, and a bed, on which lay Yizan-Lei. If Gallus had any preconceived notions of what he was like, the reality was probably as bad or worse. Yizan was wearing only a simple pair of worn cloth trousers, so his overall condition was readily apparent. His scales had lost most of their color and were actually slightly translucent, much like an elderly Argonian, although he was only an adolescent, perhaps slightly younger than Sabine. Additionally, he scarcely had any muscles left on his body. His arms and legs were little more than bone, to the point where it was questionable that he could even stand, and his ribs were plainly visible above his seemingly malnourished stomach. Beside him in the chair was a dark-scaled Argonian woman of the same age as Najan in a plain cloth dress.

"This man is here with...news about your mother, Yizan-Lei." Najan-Ja announced.

"Ah," Ariel gave Sabine a sympathetic look. "How have things been with Peiter?"

Sabine smiled sadly. "We separated," she said. "He couldn't travel with us, and he still has trouble with his arm, and...we were growing apart anyway."

"I see. I suppose it was still sad, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Sabine nodded. Has she been asked shortly after they set out for Thorn, she might have been in tears. However, enough time had passed that she could speak about it without breaking down. "It was...nice. I miss him a little. I miss...the love. Fendros and Ahnasha's wedding made me feel sad and lonely. They are so happy."

"Aww, Sabine..." Ariel knitted her brow and gave Sabine a comforting rub on the arm. "I'm sorry to hear that it made you sad. Look, sometimes comparing yourself to others with relationships is not helpful. Remember, it's as much about luck as it is about searching for someone who you want to be with. You will find someone given time."

Sabine was about as convinced as she had been with Meesei's advice. She gave a short hum of acknowledgement without looking up.

---

In an echo of Gallus' words when he began searching the city, he did not know what to expect but what he found was not it.

To Gallus, Yizan-Lei looked like he was about to starve to death. His skeletal appearance made Gallus hold his his breath for a moment.

As Gallus solemnly walked in and moved the chair to face the bed, he felt a pang for how he would react if Tzirret or Peiter were in such a state. It was no wonder that Dar-Tzesa was so desperate.

Gallus sat, weaved his fingers together tightly, and leaned forward to speak to the boy. "Yizan-Lei, my name is Gallus." He nodded to the door. "He is Cuts-Canes-Faster. We...well..." Gallus' tone softened. "I...met your mother, Dar-Tzesa. I have some bad news."

Despite having a general plan of what to say, Gallus paused to produce the red feather and gauge Yizan-Lei's reaction. He wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to be as direct as he was to Najan-Ja without Yizan-Lei asking as much.

Meesei's expression remained just as encouraging as it had been when Sabine had broken down back in Cheydinhal. "Your sister is completely correct. Personally, I believe Ariel could have some good advice for you. Honestly, I think siblings possess an extra sense devoted to helping each other."

Meesei chuckled. "Last time we spoke about this, Sabine turned the tables on me and started questioning me on my romantic tastes. You are clever like that. I do not think that will work on your sister, though. It is already established that she has a taste in kind, handsome Argonian innkeepers." She said as she turned her head back to Sabine. She was keeping her tone light to preserve levity in the conversation. Meesei felt that the more times Sabine could approach this type of conversation lightheartedly, the easier it would be for her to move past Peiter completely.

---

Najan's irritated expression gave Gallus a very clear answer to his uncertainty. "Do not draw out his feelings any longer than you have to."

Quickly shifting to a much more solemn tone, Najan brought his hands together and looked down at Yizan. "According to this man, your mother perished on her quest. I am sorry, nephew."

"I know she did the very best for you." The Argonian woman at his bedside added. She was obviously affected by the news as well, but as Najan had said before, they had already come to terms with her fate.

Yizan could not bring himself to make eye contact with either Gallus or his uncle for at least a minute straight. He was silent for a while before finally speaking up weakly, but clearly. His Cyrodilic was accented, but better than that of his uncle. "Did she find the cure?"

Sabine couldn't help but smile at Meesei's comments.

Ariel laughed lightly. "Not to mention, Sabine. I still owe you from the last time you were here. Remember when Rukeewei and me had an argument and you got me to go and sort it out?"

"Yes. I remember," Sabine said, continuing to smile. "But you have been giving advice with letters."

Ariel waved dismissively. "Oh, that was only for one or two." She leaned forward. "Still, I'm very proud of you, sister. You went out if your way and tried a relationship. It may not have worked out how you liked, but you have come out of it with more experience. You would have learned a lot, yes?"

"Yes." Sabine shifted in her seat. "I experienced many things for the first time."

"See? It's a profit in the end." Ariel grinned and ruffled Sabine's hair. "Now, how are the others? Are the children going well? I can't wait to see how they've grown."

---

Gallus hesitated, but not to spare feelings this time. He gently placed the feather on the bed next to Yizan-Lei while he answered. "Possibly. It depends. I will tell you after recounting what happened to your mother, but first...If you could, tell me about your condition. If you would prefer to speak Jel, Cuts here can interpret for me."

Gallus hoped that he might better judge whether it would even be a good idea to offer Yizan-Lei lycanthropy to possibly cure him. If not, he would have to try and help him some other way.

Meesei gave a light, amused huff. “Sabine has certainly matured quite a lot over the last few years. Hircine knows I had to deal with that realization very quickly. Regardless, I am nothing but proud of her.”

As the conversation moved on to the children, Meesei was curious how Ariel would react to seeing Rhazii again, and Newt for the first time. “Oh, Rhazii and Newt have grown quite a lot. Rhazii may actually be bigger than you might have expected. He is a Cathay, so he is larger than your standard Khajiit. Honestly, I’m not sure if he will remember you, given how young he was when you saw him last. He is an outgoing child, though, so I am sure he will love to meet you. A consequence of living in such a large clan is that he meets new people quite frequently.”
---
Yizan-Lei was both immediately interested and somewhat confused when Gallus said that she had “perhaps” found the cure. He was not sure what kind of shades of grey could exist between finding or not finding a cure. Regardless, he answered as best as he could. “It…does a few things. It stops my scales from having…pigs? Pig-ments? I think that’s the word. But the worst is that it keeps me from eating. No matter how much I try, no matter how hungry I am, I just can’t eat. It just…comes right back up. I could eat some at first, but it’s got worse. I can drink some, and the alchemists made me something that is kind of like food, but I…can’t drink enough of it. They said I’m going to be able to live on it for a few more…months…maybe…”

Yizan seemed to have trouble continuing. Meanwhile, his uncle had his eyes on Gallus. His gaze made it very clear that he was critiquing every single thing that Gallus was saying and doing.

Ariel grinned. "Rhazii was such a tiny thing when I saw him. I'm sure he is no less gorgeous after these years. From what I have heard of Newt, he sounds like a sweet little thing, too."

"They are growing up like brothers," Sabine added. "They love to play together. They can achieve more mischief together."

"Is that so?" Ariel giggled. "Partners in crime, are they?"

Sabine gave a small shrug and smiled. "Not much is out of their reach, for children. It was hard to keep things away from them on shelves when Newt realised that Rhazii could hold him up on his shoulders."

"How cute!" Ariel stopped suddenly with an open mouth. Her voice lowered to a thoughtful tone. "I suppose I should keep an eye on them in the shop, hm."

---

Gallus wished that Yizan-Lei's symptoms made him surer than he was before. Unfortunately, he was no healer. He was still running on half-baked assumptions.

Nevertheless, he knew what he was there for in the first place. He raised a hand horizontally to Yizan-Lei when he was having trouble. "Do not push yourself. I have heard enough," Gallus said. "Explaining everything is... complicated. I will start from the beginning. Do not hesitate at any point to stop me if you want to hear something again, or translated."

Gallus stared at the red feather and began. "The people who promised your mother a cure for her service are notorious for deception and trickery. They were cultists that were hunting certain people for their souls. What they asked Dar-Tzesa to do would have sounded simple, but it was not. They preyed upon your mother's devotion to use her for their own ends without having a cure."

Gallus' eyes flicked to Yizan's uncle briefly. He had to be careful about the secrets he would keep. While he had thought about what he would say beforehand, satisfying Najan-Ja might require some alterations on the spot.

"They travelled to Elsweyr, to a community that they were going to take souls from. I work for an organisation that had been fighting against these cultists, and they needed your mother because she had a likeness to our leader. They used her to deceive the community and gain control. By sheer luck, we got there before they could have their guards lead away to be ambushed. The cultists were captured, along with Dar-Tzesa."

Meesei nodded. "Yes, it is a general rule to keep them away from any glassware unsupervised. Especially if they also have Leaps with them. Part of me is reluctant to want them to teach him any commands. I imagine the trouble they could get into with a tamed, trained wamasu would be...magnified."

Pausing a moment to finish off the last of her tea, another thought crossed Meesei's mind. "I do not suppose you have gained any pets over the last few years? We are always careful to keep Leaps away from any potential prey animals that we would like to keep alive." She commented. At the same time, she was also starting to wonder at what point it would be prudent to bring up their reason for visiting Black Marsh to begin with. For the sake of secrecy, none of the letters to Ariel had mentioned that they would be there specifically for her.

---

It was difficult to say how Yizan was taking all of the information that Gallus was describing to him. as it was difficult for him to be expressive in his condition. Even some of the muscles in his face had started to atrophy from his malnutrition. "So those people...didn't have a cure at all? And my mother, she acted like your leader to help the cultists take your souls? That sounds horrible; mother would never want to be a part of that. But if they had a cure then...well you were able to stop them, right? H-how did mother die?"

Seeing the fear start to form on Yizan's face, Najan interjected in a less hostile, but still firm tone. "Outsider...Gallus, I want to know what happened to my sister, I really do, but please do not force my nephew to wait any longer for the news he has been awaiting. If you have a way to help his condition, please just tell us."

Ariel finished her tea and placed her cup down, shaking her head. "No, that won't be an issue. I've never been one for pets and, even then, it's hard to source anything in Thorn short of a little bird." Ariel squinted one eye. "I had a customer who brought in a pet parrot once. Noisy creature, that."

While the excitement of catching up with her sister was still there, Sabine did not want to keep any more secrets than she had to. She looked to Meesei and mumbled. "Meesei, we should ask about the gas."

---

Gallus closed his eyes for a moment, and then turned to look at Najan. "It is not a simple matter, Najan-Ja. I'm afraid that the treatment requires the context of the events that happened. I would ask that you would bear with me."

Turning back to Yizan-Lei, Gallus continued. "We did stop them. Unfortunately, in the capture, Dar-Tzesa suffered a terrible wound. That wound killed her after several days." Gallus had his eyes turned away and blanked his expression at the memory of real events. He needed to spare Yizan those or else get thrown out on the spot. "I was the one who interrogated the cultists. Dar-Tzesa, in chains, had all but given up hope. I did not need to trick her or hurt her any further for her to tell me what happened. And about why she came. About you."

Gallus shifted to lean on one knee. "Now, I have sons of my own. I knew that the pain she was in was not just her wound. Before she died, I promised her that I would make sure you were looked after, that you wouldn't be alone and that I would help you in whatever way I could." Gallus looked down and up. "I was heartened to see that your family here has been caring for you. However, Dar-Tzesa may have unwittingly found something to help your condition."

Taking a breath and standing up straight, Gallus spoke to Najan-Ja and the female Argonian directly. "Najan-Ja. You and your...wife, you are Yizan-Lei's guardians? What Dar-Tzesa found is not something to take lightly, even in the state her son is in now. Unless you think I should tell Yizan-Lei here right now, I would like to speak to you two about it privately so that you might help Yizan-Lei's decision."

Gallus did not deliberately call it a cure at this point. He knew that Yizan-Lei would take anything, so convincing his aunt and uncle would take a different approach, if they deemed it necessary.

Before Ariel had too much time to wonder what Sabine was whispering about, Meesei gave a nod. "Agreed."

Looking back up to Ariel, Meesei transitioned into a more serious demeanor. "While it has been wonderful to simply catch up with you, I do feel that I should not go too long without telling you why we have come here. We actually traveled here specifically to speak with you, Ariel. There has been a...development in our struggle against Vile. I am sure you remember the suppression gas. It has been re-created by the enemy, likely with a slightly different formula since your old antidote no longer works. But, that is only a small portion of the troubles we face. The real threat is that our enemy has managed to modify the gas into a more deadly concoction. They call it the soul-tearing gas. It rends any soul with a bonded beast spirit straight from the body, killing almost immediately as soon as the lycan has inhaled a lethal dose. We have been doing everything we can to research this foul creation, but given the magnitude of the threat, I felt it would be irresponsible not to come to you."

---

Yizan turned his head away slowly, looking down out into space at the foot of his bed. Hearing even an edited version of Dar-Tzesa's final days did nothing to improve his mood. In fact, it served to bring tears to his eyes the more he thought about what he had said. "She...died from you capturing her. Y-you killed my mother. I..."

Needless to say, Najan-Ja was not pleased overall, and was especially irritated when Gallus asked to speak with him and his wife separately from Yizan. His wife actually started to stand up from her chair when Gallus made the request, but Najan raised up his hand to signal for her to stop. "No, I'm sick of these delays and vague words. If you have a cure, or solution, or whatever word you want to use for it, then just tell us. Yizan-Lei's struggles have turned him into a fine young man, and he can hear you just as well as we can. No more context or questions, just say what you came here to say."

Ariel's face faded from a quiet smile to a saddened frown while listening.

"I see..." She turned her eyes down and wrung her wrist in her other hand. "I had hoped that the war would be over before such a thing could happen."

Ariel went silent for a short while. Sabine interrupted whatever was on Ariel's mind. "We need you to come to Skyrim with us, sister. We need your help again."

Ariel blinked and pursed her lips. "Did you bring any with you?" she asked, looking up.

Sabine shook her head. "We do not have much and it is too dangerous to carry this far."

"Right, of course." Ariel cleared her throat, but couldn't quite force herself into levity. She gave Meesei a pleading look. "I'm sorry, this is just a frightening prospect. If it means saving your lives, I would go in a heartbeat, but I..." She shook her head slowly and closed and opened her mouth. "I...I have so many things here that I would need to take care of, it is going to take a while to put everything in order. Oh, what-am-I-going-to-say-to-my-friends? Or-the-city-council?" Her nervous velocity of speech had apparently not changed since they last spoke. "What-do-I-say-to-Rukeewei?"

---

Gallus tried his best not to be affected by Yizan's tears. Najan gave him a task to focus on.

"Alright, alright, as you wish." Gallus lowered his tone to speak with Yizan-Lei directly again. "The reason that the cultists were after our certain souls is because there is..." Gallus wheeled his hand for moment. "...a beast within them. It makes our souls strong, but also grants us a physical edge. We are stronger, hardier, faster, we heal rapidly. Most notably for you, it renders us immune to diseases."

Gallus raise a palm. "However, I said it comes at a cost. Every so often, the beast emerges and takes over our body. We are rendered unable to think with more than the faculties of an animal unless given lengthy training and practice. You are driven by instincts to hunt, fight, and feed. If it takes you over, you may end up injuring or killing someone. That is why we live in groups, to help each other. And to protect ourselves and others from ourselves."

His tone had a slight turn for the uncertain. "Now, this is where the choice gets especially complex." Gallus gestured to Yizan's ribs. "I have never seen a sickness like yours before. I know that Argonians rarely if ever get illnesses in the first place, so it must be something strong or particular. I, personally, would have no idea whether putting a beast in your soul would cure you and I doubt any local healer would know either. That is why I was vague. I just don't know."

Gallus had a flash in his mind of Irenya's stern face. He wished she were here. She would have a better idea of Yizan-Lei's condition than him.

"If it does not cure you, I am afraid there is no way to remove the beast. I daresay it could make your remaining life worse. If it does cure you..." Gallus slowly gave Najan and his wife another look, before turning back. "I would have to teach you how to control yourself. You would have to come with me, out of the Marsh, for...a few years, at the very least, perhaps more. You would be away from your family, but it wouldn't just be me that helps you, it would be an entire community. There are many of us. It would not be easy, but it would be another chance at life."

Gallus angled his head and gave a look of sympathy. "Look, Yizan-Lei, I am not here to force you to accept my offer. I'm not here to force you to even believe me. If it were up to me, I would have brought your mother back, safe and sound, but it didn't work out that way. Instead, I promised I would help you if I could." Gallus clasped his hands together. "This is the best I can offer."

Gallus turned his eyes down and spoke with guilt. "Tell me to leave and I will go without another word. I'll give you time to think."

With that, Gallus slowly began to stand out of his seat, leaving the feather at Yizan-Lei's side.

Meesei, despite Ariel's frantic anxiety, tried to keep calm and speak reassuringly. "I have had quite a lot of time to think on all of the questions you are asking. Believe me when I say that, after all of the effort to help you claim this life in Thorn, I would not want to take that away from you. I cannot claim that it will be easy or convenient, but I believe there are ways to solve or mitigate all of the problems this could create. To start, we are not the isolated, independent pack that you once knew. Over the years, we have built up a network of growing lycan clans that communicate and coordinate with one another. To keep our clans supplied, we have seized certain economic interests and have accrued resources. Quite a lot of resources, on the scale of our combined clans. I can offer to pay every debt you have in the city. Completely. I can also offer to compensate you for your work on the antidote, and help to ensure that your business here continues to operate while you are away."

"As for the more personal problems..." Meesei began, looking sympathetically to Ariel. "...I was hoping we could all talk together and try to find the right solutions for you."

---

Yizan-Lei was silent, and perhaps confused at everything Gallus was describing. Although, he was also possibly still trapped in his thoughts about his mother. Najan-Ja, however, was much more definitive in his response. Unlike Yizan, he had knowledge of the "beasts" that Gallus was referring to. "No! Absolutely not!" He shouted before quickly switching to his more comfortable language of Jel. "I will not let my nephew be taken like my sister, not by them, or monsters like you! My sister told me what they wanted her to become for their deal. One of those werewolf monsters. But they didn't tell her everything; they didn't tell her that it would take her away from the Hist forever. That it would bond her to some Daedra. I read the books in the An-Xileel's library, I know it is true. They took her soul away from the Hist, and now you want to do the same to my nephew. I know you outsiders know nothing of us, but you can understand this: I will die before I let you lay a finger on him.

Najan-Ja stepped between Gallus and Yizan as a show of his protection, while his wife simply looked frightened, but Yizan himself was surprisingly calm. While Najan was shouting at Gallus, he had taken the time to think, and evidently had come to some conclusion. He was peaceful, almost, and looked around his uncle at Gallus with what might have been curiosity. "Is that true? Does it take our souls away from the Hist?"

Meesei might have calmed Ariel if she had not laid down as much information at once as she had. Ariel was shocked to silence.

"All...of the debt? How?" She stammered.

Sabine chimed in again. "It can be a commission."

"If that happened, it would..." Ariel hovered a hand over her still open mouth. "It would turn my life around! Wait, keep it operating? You would staff my shop?"

Evidently, Ariel was trying to take these matters one at a time.

---

Gallus let Najan-Ja shout and carry on, looking as if listening, but not understanding a word. He was going to wait for Cut's translation, before Yizan-Lei's question effectively summarised the main concern for him.

Gallus sighed and cupped a hand over one eye, leaning over. He felt like kicking himself for forgetting that detail. Still, there was nothing else for it but to be honest.

"I am no scholar of such matters," Gallus said, lowering his hand and looking to Yizan-Lei. "From what I know, you still hear the Hist while you are alive in Black Marsh, but upon death, your soul will go to Hircine's hunting grounds to join his eternal hunt. It is the fate of all that take in a beast spirit. Including Dar-Tzesa."

To Najan-Ja, Gallus raised both his hands. "I promise that no such thing will happen against Yizan-Lei's will."

Meesei made sure to keep her demeanor confident, yet calm. She wanted to leave no doubt that the sums of gold she was speaking of were of no great concern to her, just to make sure that there were no doubts in Ariel's mind. "We have purchased properties much more expensive than your business. Taking portions of the required gold from several clans, we can pay any debt you or Rukeewei have with no significant impact to our own operations. We can help pay for an employee if you have anyone in mind that you would trust. Otherwise, every clan has alchemists, and it would be no trouble to assign one from the nearest clan to your shop. We do like to have at least one or two people in every major city, after all. While you are with us, we will take care of your basic needs, like any member of the clan. Members of the clan are given additional allowances for whatever else they wish to buy based on the work they do, and given the importance of your work, you will be given very reasonable payment. Beyond that, I will offer you, or anyone for that matter, a sizable reward for a permanent solution to counter this poison."

"As for Rukeewei, what does he know about us?" Meesei asked, her tone now more inquisitive than confident.

---

Najan-Ja crossed his arms, still remaining quite defensive of Yizan. "It shall not happen at all."

It seemed that Yizan and Najan were mutually ignoring one another, as Yizan did not seem to react at all to his uncle. Rather, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh before saying something unintelligible to himself. Eventually, he spoke up more clearly. "Aunt, uncle, I want to go out to the root."

Najan raised his brow towards Yizan in confusion. "What? This is not the time for that."

"Yizan-Lei, you need to rest. We can-" His aunt began, but she was interrupted when Yizan spoke up with a surprising strength to his voice.

"I've been resting for months. I want to go out to the root now. I really need to." Yizan said before turning his gaze straight to Gallus. "Will you go to the root with me too?"

Ariel held some fingers to her forehead. She was having a hard time shaking the shop from her mind, even with Meesei's question. "Well, I would have to properly train them to make my wares. My formula books are not the most comprehensive things ever written. On top of that, I would have to make up some explanations for suddenly having strangers in the shop and...oh..." she held her eyes shut and took a slow breath through her nose.

"Rukeewei, I, um..." Ariel raised her eyes and her brow to speak to Meesei in a calmer voice. "He has asked about Sabine and the rest of you before. You are her foster family, so I had not changed that detail. As for why you travel, I believe I told him that Sabine has a condition that makes her unsuited for living within cities. I told him that I would rather not share the details without her permission. He has been respectfully quiet about it since then, though he may ask a few questions."

Ariel sighed and bowed her head. "I just hope his family doesn't think I'm running off from the marriage. On its own, I still don't know how I will explain this to him."

---

Gallus was made still and mildly surprised. He did not know what going out to the root entailed, but if it helped..."I'll do what ever you need me to do," he said with a nod.

Meesei gave an understanding nod. "It is an understandable worry. I know that the last thing you want to do is to leave him, especially for any extended time. I should mention that non-lycans are not as strange among the clan as they used to be. Those who are trusted are permitted to live among us. Given his marriage to you, he would be permitted to come along with you, if you felt you could convince him. Of course, that would require that he know what we are."

Meesei tried to think back on what she could remember of Rukeewei. Unfortunately, even combining both of their visits to Thorn, Meesei had only been around him for a few days. "Do you think that the coin we can offer would make him more receptive to such a trip? We could also define a strict limit for how long you could be away. If it starts taking too long to find an antidote, then you probably would have already exhausted all of the advantages provided by working closely with our other alchemists."

---

Najan looked to be both astounded and irritated with his nephew. "Yizan-Lei, what are you talking about? You cannot go anywhere with this beast! Once they are gone, I can take you to the root."

Yizan simply shook his head lightly. "It doesn't really matter what he is. He already said he would go if you ask him, right? And if he's one of those werewolf things, then we couldn't stop him if he wanted to stay. I just want to go to the root, and I want everyone to come."

Najan lowered his head, running his hand slowly down his face. There was a few, tense moments of silence before he finally gave an answer. "Fine. Fine, we can go outside. You can say what you want to say to him, then he can leave." He said, briefly giving an intense glance towards Gallus. "Then he will leave."

Najan's wife slowly and carefully picked Yizan up off the bed in her arms. With how frail his condition had made him, one could only imagine how light he actually was. Certainly, she had no problem lifting him. She and Najan headed back out the front door, with Najan reluctantly motioning for Gallus and Cuts to follow. There was enough space between their home and the one behind it to give a small back yard, across which cut a large root coming straight from the Hist tree at the center of the district.

Yizan's aunt cautiously laid him down on the ground with his head resting up against the Hist root. Almost immediately, Yizan closed his eyes, and actually seemed to smile. "Can you feel it too?" He asked. He did not say directly who he was speaking to, but from the way he started to move his head, he was likely talking to Gallus.

While trying to listen to Meesei, Ariel had her head between her hands and was looking more anxious by every passing moment. She responded first with a high-pitched groan before any words. "I could hardly convince Rukee to leave his inn. I don't even know whether the coin would help; that place is his love and livelihood. He's had it with his brother for years!"

Ariel's hands went over her face and ran over the top of her head, pulling back the loose strands of frizzy hair that had escaped her bun before they sprang forth at the end of their length again. "Maybe," she said flatly. "I do not know. It would have to involve sitting him down and telling him everything, especially the danger you are all in." Ariel cocked her head as her speculation changed her tone. "Now, he might be a little confronted. I'm not sure if he will like it -- leaving Thorn, that is -- but he knows how much you mean to me, Sabine. He might be receptive."

Ariel scrunched her face up and relaxed it with a sigh. "The thing is, Meesei, working out affairs with him my involve his brother as well. What do you think should be done about that? If Rukeewei ends up coming along, that is?"

---

Being solemn and respectful, Gallus clasped his hands together and walked outside behind Yizan and his family. When Yizan was placed on the root, he was standing nearby without knowing what was expected.

Gallus looked around unsurely when Yizan asked him a question. He wasn't sure whether anything new was gracing his senses. Gallus lightly shook his head. "I'm afraid I do not know what you are referring to. If it is the Hist, I am not sure that I share that sense."

It was Gallus' best guess. He had picked up a few finer details of Argonian culture from Cuts and the Hist was most likely what he was referring to with the context. Gallus looked on at the root and wondered if he should lay his head back on it like Yizan-Lei or whether he would have to drink some sap like Sabine did.

Meesei simply focused on approaching each problem as it was presented. There were, of course, many, many details that Ariel would need to consider, and Meesei had to be prepared to offer advice on all of them. "Well, as I said, you would not need to remain with us forever. It would be prudent to share resources and collaborate directly with the others who have been studying the poison, but if that does not produce results after enough time, then you will likely be able to work at least mostly as well from here in Thorn, with communication through one of the local clans. You could give Rukeewei a limit of, say, a year for how long you two would be away. If you needed to provide an explanation to others, you could say that your friends have given you the opportunity to travel Tamriel for a year. As a...vacation. It is the kind of travel that those with wealth sometimes undertake, so I am sure anyone that knows you would understand why it would be an opportunity you would not want to pass over."

"As for his brother." Meesei continued, bringing her hand up to her chin. "He helps to run the inn, so I would assume he would take over in the interim. He does not need to know all of the details, but we could tell him that this is an opportunity for the both of you to make a great deal of coin. Presenting it as a business venture to him may be more successful than styling it as a vacation. Regardless, the coin I can provide should be able to handle hiring someone to help work at the inn, not to mention the profits that his business already makes."

---

Yizan did not give any direct confirmation that Gallus was correct, but as he continued, it became obvious that he was. "So you can't feel them? I always heard that; it makes me feel bad for all of you Humans. The Hist is peace, just...a part of us that is as important as our hearts or our lungs. I can feel it; their presence surrounding me. It just makes me happy. Without everything weighting down on me, I feel so close to them. It is just the most beautiful feeling. I...I wish mother was with them. I wish she hadn't gone, and I wish she could be a part of us again. But I can still be happy. I feel like I don't have to worry about everything anymore; I don't have to spend all the time being worried about mother. I feel like I can just...let go."

"Okay," Ariel started to settle. "A year is good. A year will work, I think. With the coin, it will work." Ariel lowered her eyes. "I just feel bad to throw this upon Rukee so suddenly. I have to help, but I cannot escape imposing in the process."

"I am sorry, Ariel," Sabine began, only for Ariel to lean forward and frantically wave her hand out.

"No, Sabine, do not apologise," Ariel said. "None of this is your fault. Nor you Meesei. It is just...unfortunate."

---

Gallus listened on, despite not being able to relate exactly. He reluctantly replied. "It certainly does sound beautiful."

After a pause looking to one side, Gallus frowned and looked sympathetic. "I do at least know the connection between parent and child. I do feel regret to have you choose between such things."

"If it is any comfort, we do not have to leave immediately, or anything of that nature." Meesei added. "In coming here, I did not plant that it would be simple or easy for you to just leave the life you have, even temporarily. I know it will take some time to deal with the city government, and make arrangements for your businesses' continued operation. I cannot justify stretching out our stay here for too long, but I believe we can remain for as long as is needed to leave on terms you would find agreeable. You should have time to present this to Rukeewei in whatever way you think would be best. I of course would help you explain the situation if you like." She offered.

---

Yizan gave a subtle, but clear smile. "There isn't any choice to make. I'm never as warm and comfortable as I am when I hear their voice in my mind. It's always there to comfort me, and it's even more pleasant when I can come to the Hist like this. I hate that I can't walk or move around, and the hunger is just so...painful sometimes. But I don't feel like I have to be afraid. I...I'm not going to get better, but I'm not afraid of that."

Opening his eyes, Yizan made a concentrated effort to lift up his head slightly and look at Gallus more directly. "Do you know what happens when an Argonian dies?"

Ariel lowered her hands to her lap and frowned. "That would be appreciated, Meesei. And...thank you for allowing me time." She took a slow breath and almost straightened. "If there is anything to make this easier, Rukeewei knows that I used to be a witch, so he would at least not feel completely shocked that there are more strange things from my past."

Looking up at Sabine and Meesei, Ariel attempted to smile. "You mentioned that your pack is at the inn, yes? We might head over there now if you like. I have no more orders to fill today and it is best that we get this done as soon as we can."

---

Gallus got the impression that Yizan-Lei was more accepting of his fate than Gallus had originally expected. It might have been the closure of hearing of his mother's death or he had simply had enough time to work through it on his own. Either way, Gallus answered as honestly as he could.

"If I recall, the souls of Argonians return to the Hist," he said, continuing his solemn voice. "I remember vaguely something about reincarnation but, like I said, I am no scholar in such matters. I take it that is your wish?"