What the pack had become accustomed to in Blackreach was nothing short of a natural wonder for the clan's new guests. Although, even a few members of the pack stopped along with them to appreciate the sight after months of being away. For Meesei, it was the kind of place that she had a hard time believing would be anything but spectacular.

Awestruck, Rukeewei looked up above them with his mouth half-opened. "W-what kind of place is this?" He repeated. "It doesn't seem real. Is this a cavern? The roof is so high up that it might as well be the sky. It's even glowing like the stars." Around them on the platform outside the lift, there was another group of guards and another two Dwemer spheres, but they could not draw any attention away from the splendor of the cavern itself.

Meesei kept calm in her tone, though she had to admit some satisfaction from seeing the reactions of the couple. "Most of the lights come from the glowing mushrooms and fungus that live in this place. I believe a few werevultures actually went up there to investigate. The other lights come from either Dwemer structures, magical torches we have set up, or a form of crystal that forms naturally in this cavern. As you might imagine, there is still a great deal left to learn about this place."

---

Ri'vashi clearly was not going to back down so easily, just as Gallus was probably expecting. "Ri'vashi is not going to tell you to see them; she is going to tell you to talk to her. This one knows you better than most, Gallus. This one knows the real you, the person who supported her and became her friend. You can lie and bluff your way past most others, but you can't escape this Khajiit.

ri'vashi stepped a bit closer to Gallus and pointed to her eyes with two of her fingers. "Nothing escapes these eyes; you know that. Sure, you are a focused enough person to still do your work while you are troubled, but that doesn't mean Ri'vashi is just going to let you stay that way. You went and confronted the son of an enemy agent that we killed. There is no situation that Ri'vashi can see where that would be easy. Cuts has given part of the story, but this one knows there is more to it."

Ariel kept her hands on Rukeewei's arm as they progressed from the lift. She had her eyes up and her mouth agape at all the various sights. She had a failed belief that Rukeewei would guide her steps, despite the fact that he was just as fascinated.

"You have...werevultures here?" Ariel remarked casually, in spite of her shock. "This is all...I am feeling rather faint." Ariel let one of her hands go so she could take a swig from her waterskin. Stepping into what felt like another world was more overwhelming than she could have anticipated the clanhome to be.

When she had finally swigged some water and wiped her lips on her sleeve, Ariel remembered to breathe once more. "This is hardly anything I could imagine. Have you not cast some vast illusion on us Meesei?" Ariel turned with a worried brow to Rukeewei, not able to give her last remark the tone it required to be conveyed as a joke. "There's-nothing-like-this-in-Black-Marsh, is there?"

---

Still side-on to Ri'vashi, Gallus looked up at her from a head tilted forward. He held her gaze and frowned for several seconds before letting his shoulders fall and sighing. "I should have known that I wouldn't be able to avoid you if I tried. Alright, I'll tell you."

Gallus strode over to a nearby bench and sat himself down. He spoke as he picked up a cloth to wipe the sweat from his face. "Cuts was a spectacular guide. We reached Gideon in good time and shape and a day of asking around the city found us the boy. I had a rough idea of what I wanted to say, but I couldn't have known what I would find, really." Gallus let the cloth hang from his hands as he leaned his elbows on his legs and stared at it. He spoke clearly, but sombrely. "His name was Yizan-lei. He lived with his aunt and uncle in a less-than-wealthy neighbourhood. His mother, the agent Dar-tzesa, she had told me that he had a disease that was wasting him away. Even knowing that...he looked barely anything but skin and bone. He couldn't even sit up or lift his head for long. He couldn't eat, or...couldn't keep any food down. He was starving, but for this stuff that the alchemists were using to keep him alive. Even that would only last a few more months, from what I heard from him."

With a half nod to Ri'vashi, he continued. "I gave him a red feather that I kept from his mother. I told him about what happened to his mother. About how she was tricked into a deal by some horrible people for a cure that they never intended to give. That she was wounded when we caught her, though I told him that she died of her wounds, and not what her wounds were, exactly. I didn't want to be graphic about it. I also kept our nature a secret. He...was upset, clearly, though at the same time relieved. Everyone but him had believed that Dar-tzesa was dead at that point and he was holding out hope."

Gallus bobbed his head and gestured with the towel. "Now, the entire reason I went was because I had promised Dar-tzesa to make sure that her son was being cared for. I told him that I could help him in any way he desired. I, uh...I then began to explain that there might be a cure to his condition in lycanthropy. The possibility of health, the challenges, and that I could teach him to live with it. I spoke without mentioning that it was lycanthropy, specifically, just so I could explain properly." Gallus took a short breath in and out. "His uncle knew what it was from when Dar-tzesa was told to contract it. He vehemently opposed that option on the grounds that his soul would be cut off from the Hist. Yizan-lei asked me if it was true, and I told him the truth."

It was at that point that Gallus blinked a few times and wiped his eye. "He was just a boy, not much different than my boys. I could have helped him, but he chose to turn down the offer. Not only that, he...he decided that he didn't want to live with the pain anymore. He asked his aunt and uncle to end his life."

Gallus clenched his teeth, remained leaning forward, and stared daggers at the ground. The fingers of his right hand pressed together on the cloth he held until they began to quiver.

"We have a few werevultures here, though not many. They emigrated from Valenwood after we arrived here. I doubt they expected to have room to fly when they were told they would be living in a cave" Meesei answered.

Lorag huffed at Ariel's last comment. "Probably ain't anything like it anywhere. Cave's massive, well-protected, though it's damned inconvenient to get anywhere in it."

Meesei gave a nod. "That is true. It may be best for us to sleep here for the night before making the trek to the Silent City. It takes the better part of a day to get there from here, and we have already been walking all day. There is a Dwemer building nearby that we have re-purposed into barracks that we can use."

Rukeewei held his thickest fur coat under his arm, as the air in the cavern was not cold enough to warrant wearing it. He had gone from looking up to the ceiling to staring out across the expanse of the cavern. "A whole day of traveling? Underground?"

"Not a whole day, precisely, but certainly long enough that we would not want to attempt it tonight." Meesei answered.

---

For Ri'vashi, Gallus' explanation of what had transpired in Black Marsh was worse than she was actually expecting. She sat down beside him, though did not make eye contact with him. She did not want to make it seem like she was putting much pressure on him as he was recounting such a painful memory.

"Okay...Ri'vashi can see why you did not want to talk about it. But, she is glad you are. This one cannot claim to know too much about Argonians, but she has known them in her old clan. They are...different from a lot of other people. Don't blame yourself for what happened; she is sure you did everything you could to help. Maybe...why do you think he made that kind of a choice?" She asked.

"We have another day of travel, then. Oh." Ariel rubbed her forehead with the fingers of one hand. She was evidently nearing the point of accepting that nothing would be normal for a while. "A city is one thing, travelling such a distance is another. Just how large is this cavern, exactly?"

Fendros answered. "There are some parts still inhabited by Falmer that cut off various parts. Though, there are many Dwemer ruins on the surface connected by this place. The last count we had when we left was here -- being the westernmost point, to somewhere in Hjallmarch."

"Hjallmarch, that's..." Ariel's memory of maps of Skyrim returned and her eyes bulged. "That's the hold with Morthal, isn't it? That's half the length of Skyrim!"

"That it is." Fendros nodded.

Ariel cast her eyes across the cavern again. "And this place was uninhabited? Nothing but Falmer and Dwemer automatons?"

Janius pitched in. "We found a few old bones of people long dead. It was otherwise empty when we found it. Apart from the Falmer and automatons, of course."

"There was also a dragon skeleton." Sabine added casually.

"Oh, is that all?" Ariel laughed sarcastically. "Tell me, please, if you were to name every wondrous, larger than life...insane discovery in this place, would we be finished before arriving at your new home? I don't know how much more I can believe without convincing myself that I'm hallucinating."

Sabine grinned at her sister's overwhelmed words. "I am not lying."

---

Gallus swallowed down what was a flash of anger over his averted face. "He kept saying things about rebirth, rejoining the Hist, ending the pain...he had accepted death. The Hist, whatever those voices sound like, might have been the only thing he had as his body had wasted away and his parents left."

While Gallus breathed in again, he had to pause to keep his anger back again. "I can see why he would want death after all that he had been through, but he was just a boy. He had a whole life ahead of him, free from that pain, right in front of him. That tripe about the Hist sounded like something that some selfish priest had convinced him of and might have manipulated his judgement. It was the easy way out." Gallus clenched his fists around the cloth. "It was a waste. A pointless waste. I don't care if he would have been reborn, the boy abandoned his mother and his life just to take the easy way out. It makes me too angry to give the Hist any excuses."

Since they were going to be staying the night, Meesei started to guide the others towards the nearby barracks, though she was finding Ariel's continued spree of surprises just as amusing as Sabine. Ahnasha gave a glance towards Fendros while they were heading off of the platform, hesitating a moment before speaking. "Actually, I think that tower to the west might still technically be in, or rather under, the Pale. Though, I guess the cavern itself still does extend a bit went of that. I did scout out that ways with a group once. Not all of the maps of the surface are identical, though so it's kind of hard to tell. It's definitely close, though.

"Regardless of the cavern's exact borders, it is certainly massive, obviously." Meesei added. "If you look out in the distance, you can faintly make out a glow over the horizon. That comes from the Silent City, our home. Also...the cave has a horizon." She chuckled. "From what we have learned of this place, it connected three or four of the Dwemer's largest cities in Skyrim. Although, I would honestly say that Blackreach itself was their largest city. There are Dwemer structures spread all across the cavern. It was a meeting place for them, and a mine for a magical crystal they called Aetherium. Some writings we have found suggest that the Falmer were brought here by the Dwemer as slaves until they rebelled. The records stop rather abruptly, likely when the Dwemer disappeared off of the face of Nirn. As for the dragon, I personally have no idea how it found its way down here. We have not found any use for the bones, as of yet. As mystic as the dragons are in both myth and reality, the bones and scales have no magical properties, and we do not have any smiths with the skill or experience to work with them. So, we just locked them away."

---

Ri'vashi had to pause to think back on what she had picked up over the years about Argonians, with Gallus' reminders to guide her thoughts. "Yes...Ri'vashi is pretty sure she remembers that. About them being reborn, that is. There were not many Argonians in our clan, but this one seems to remember that was a problem for every single one of them. They had a particularly hard time coming to terms with the fact that their souls would be bound to Hircine. Reincarnation is a very important part of their beliefs. There was one thing...Khajiit cannot remember what they call themselves, but she does remember what it means. 'People of the Root.' They believe that they are all connected to each other through their Hist. This one is sorry; she probably isn't the most qualified to talk about this. She just remembers some of the problems she had to deal with when her father was trying to teach her how to lead. But she can say for sure that it wasn't just one priest that was telling the boy all of that. Being reborn is a belief that all of them hold, no matter where they live."

In truth, Ri'vashi was not entirely sure where she was trying to go with her words, but she knew that she wanted to stop Gallus from thinking that he had made any sort of mistake. From what she could remember of speaking with the Argonians in her own clan, she could guess that Gallus had stepped into a culture that was very alien compared to his own.

"That's just what I remember hearing," Fendros responded to Ahnasha. "I've not been out that far west."

After peering out to spot the light of the Silent City, Ariel exhaled and allowed her raised brow to finally relax before it could get sore. "Well, I'd hate to sound grumpy, but all this information at once has given me a good reason to go and rest." She took Rukeewei's hand. "This is more than anyone could have bargained for. How exactly did you find this place?"

"Mora told us," Sabine explained. "He gave us a key."

Ariel scrunched her eyes and ran a hand down her face. "On a second thought, I shall leave that question for tomorrow."

Janius laughed and spoke to the pack. "We ought to spare Ariel and Rukeewei for now. There will be plenty of time to explain things on the way."

Now that she had forced her wits back, Ariel strode away a few paces with Rukeewei in hand and stopped to stand close in front of him. She looked into his eyes with some worry for his fear. "How are you coping, darling?" She murmured.

---

Gallus threw up one hand. "They can be connected, they can be reborn all they like. I don't see why they should have such contempt for a young life!" He jerked his face up to see Ri'vashi. For the first time, Ri'vashi saw Gallus' face in a state of pure fury. "It was just like that!" He clapped his hands. "Be reborn! Forget any other chance! You don't matter! You-" He shut his mouth and threw the cloth onto the stone floor.

"I apologise..." he said in a far calmer voice. He sighed heavily through his nose and leant forward again. "I just...he might have thought differently had I gone straight there from Elsweyr. He mightn't have given up. I'm angry at the Hist, I'm angry at him, his uncle -- Oblivion -- I'm angry at myself as well for blowing up in front of him about it. I failed. I failed my promise." He brought a hand up to cover one side of his face. "I failed the one thing that might have redeemed all those horrible things that happened to Dar-tzesa and Yizan-lei. I can't think about any of it without losing my temper."

Ariel stopped Rukeewei just outside the barracks Meesei guided them to. It consisted of a group of two small Dwemer buildings. They did not look like they could hold too many people overall, but one of the buildings would be sufficient if the beds were densely packed enough. Rukeewei himself looked more uncertain than anything. He certainly was amazed at the scenery, as any average person would be, but it was frightening all the same.

"I don't know, I just...I still don't want to be here. I want to be home with our friends and family. I want to go back to running my inn and serving drinks. This all just seems like insanity. I mean, what do you make of these machines? Even your friends didn't know about them." Rukeewei responded.

---

Ri'vashi hesitated, uncertain if she was even partially qualified to talk about any of this. If she said the wrong things, she could potentially make the whole situation worse for Gallus. Regardless, she had to show him some kind of support. "Ri'vahsi doesn't really know about all of that with the Hist and them being reborn. She never knew that many Argonians. But, you were offering to make him a lycan to cure him, yes? That is something that is universally difficult to come to terms with, no matter where you're from. Whether you're going to be reincarnated, or end up in somewhere in Oblivion, or Sovngarde, or somewhere else in Aetherius, being a lycan demands that you throw all that away. If someone didn't choose it, then you'd be asking them to eternally disconnect themselves from their families. For someone who is dying, someone who has spent maybe months or even years coming to terms with their mortality, this one can understand why he would make that choice. He was probably ready to pass on long before you arrived, but can you really blame him for wanting to stay connected to his people? Ri'vashi thinks you made the right decision in going to him, letting him know what happened, and letting him find some peace."

Ariel glanced down and up. "I admit, the machines unnerve me as well. But, it sounds like they have some very intelligent and qualified people working on them. That they are not attacking on sight means that they have to be functioning leagues more safely than they would normally."

Ariel gave a sad smile and ran a hand down Rukeewei's side. "I'm sorry to hear that you're missing home. I am as well." She tried to be more encouraging. "I have a feeling that things will get more stable once we reach the clanhome. I know a community of lycans sounds like the last place to be, but from what Sabine has told me these past few weeks, its sounds like a pleasant place."

---

"Ri'vashi," Gallus continued with his hand covering half of his face still. "When you have a means to save the life of someone who has given up hope. Someone who never had a chance before, and someone who never knew better to save themselves. You could lift that person from their death and have them live a fulfilling, healthy life. Or, as they have given up hope, you could let them go and be at peace from their pain, never to know what they could achieve in life, or what they could experience. Just give them relief."

Gallus lowered the hand from his face and wiped his eye. Turning his bowed head to Ri'vashi, his eyes were red, but his expression was stern and his voice level. "That's the question bothering me, Ri'vashi. What is the right thing to do in that situation?"

Rukeewei was still uncertain. "Yes, but how can we really know for sure? We only have their word to go off of. What if this place is great for lycans, but not great for us? We've hardly even seen any of the others that live here yet; just guards that we haven't really spoken to. How could we ever protect ourselves if something goes wrong. Sure, I do believe that Meesei and the others want to keep us safe. They've never done anything wrong to us. But if there are so many of them living in this place, how do we know that not a single one of them will do anything to us? It doesn't matter if Meesei punishes them afterwards, it wouldn't undo the damage they could do to us."

Breathing deeply, Rukeewei wrapped his arms around Ariel. "I just hope we can have a place to ourselves soon. I will feel a lot better if we can just have a safe place to stay out of sight."

---

Ri'vashi looked away slightly for a few moments, though for the sake of empathy, she resumed eye contact. Although, she was still quite uncomfortable saying what she wanted to say. She did not want to give the impression that she was criticizing Gallus, but that would be an easy thing for her to do accidentally. "You were...born into this, right Gallus? Born a lycan. That might make it harder for you to really empathize in this kind of situation. It's something that's hard to understand just from hearing it explained. Ri'vashi was very young when she was turned, but even she remembers it all being horribly frightening. Just, how to describe it..."

There was a flash of inspiration in Ri'vashi's eyes as a thought popped into her mind. "Wait, yes, that might be a good way to put it. The soul-tearing gas, you know it just as well as this one. If you are like Ri'vashi, you have lost sleep just thinking about it. Not only does it kill us outright, but it takes our souls straight into Vile's domain. It puts us in the control of a terrifying Daedra, and keeps us away from our loved ones in death. Dying is frightening enough by itself, but the thought that Ri'vashi would never be able to see her father again...it has been a part of her nightmares for months. That is what becoming a lycan is like for normal people like Yizan. It means taking them away from their families for eternity and being bound to a Daedra that they probably fear and do not trust. To answer your question, this one doesn't think there is a right choice. Giving him a full life would, of course, make his life here better, but we can't really know if he would have been happy in the hunting grounds. The only right choice would be...his choice. Whatever would make him happiest in the long term."

"We can't know for sure," Ariel conceded, returning Rukeewei's hug. "But, if it makes you feel any better, Meesei came to us because every lycan in that clan needs our help. I don't think they'll want to hurt us as long as that's the case."

Ariel pulled back enough to look at Rukeewei with a smile. "How about we stay optimistic for now and see what it's like when we get there. We can't be sure either way until then. And, Rukee, I'm glad you're here with me." She laid a quick kiss on his lips.

---

Gallus blinked his gaze away. He was quiet for a while, mulling over Ri'vashi's words. When he did speak up again, he didn't sound any more cheerful about it. "I hope you're correct, Ri'vashi. I want you to be correct. I just don't know."

After another quiet sigh, Gallus turned his palms to look at them and curled his fingers. "Perhaps I was being to idealistic about the whole thing. I've never had anything to separate from when I first turned -- I was a lycan from the start. Still, I hated having others suffer because of us. Mostly, it was just people turned by ferals or scoundrels, hence Tzirret and Peiter becoming my charges. This time, it was my own actions I wanted to make up for. I'd played a part in torturing and killing a mother who was manipulated into this conflict."

Gallus let out a hopeless chuckle. "It's ironic that I wanted to help by doing what I hate about the ferals, by turning him. Though at least I was better than them by not following through against Yizan-lei's will. Regardless, I couldn't do anything else..."

He cut himself off and pressed a fist against his forehead. "Sometimes, you can't save anyone. You can't even save your bloody packmates, or have your bloody adopted son keep his bloody arm! Sometimes, there's not much that you can do but be the same bloody monster that you're working against!" He ran out of breath and sucked another in through a constricted throat. "I've not got a good bloody score, Ri'vashi! I'm not doing well." A pat of a tear sounded against the cloth on the floor as it fell from Gallus' chin. He repeated, "I'm not doing well...I'm not doing well..."

It wasn't immediately clear how long Gallus had been holding back his emotions, but they were pouring out now. Even if it was the first time that Gallus had acted this way in front of Ri'vashi, his usually level-headed demeanour meant that she was one of the few to ever see him in such a state.

Only a few seconds after Ariel leaned in to give him a kiss, Rukeewei held his arms more tightly around her, pulling her in even closer. He held the kiss for some time, which also allowed her to feel his quickening heartbeat. Sadly, it was still motivated more by fear than anything. His hands were clutching onto her clothes tightly enough that she could feel his claws pressing into her, and his breathing became more unsteady. With all of the uncertainty they were stepping into, she was the only thing he could hold onto, literally and metaphorically.

"Let's just...make sure to stay together, okay? We need to be together; out of all times, we need to be together right now. I'll try to be optimistic about it all, as long as you're there with me." Rukeewei finally answered.

---

Ri'vashi reached her hand over and placed her hand on Gallus' back once he hunched over, silently allowing him to vent his emotions. It did not take long before he revealed the core of the issue. Yizan's likely death had certainly affected him, but the real problem he faced was failure. Failure to live up to his promises, failure to protect those he cares about, failure in his leadership. He was doubting himself and his own competence in his position. Those were feelings that were not alien in the slightest to Ri'vashi.

"None of us have a very good score, Gallus. It's not your fault. What you can say, though, is that you've been trying harder than almost all of us. Ri'vashi, she was so afraid of making mistakes that she fell for a cheap trick and almost walked half of her entire clan straight into Vile's hands. This one could have been more careful, more...thorough in vetting that impostor, uh...Dar-Tzesa's identity. But, she was so focused on pleasing the 'Champion' that she let her have free reign of the clan. And it's not only Ri'vashi. During the attack, Meesei pushed herself into a bad position and nearly died because she was so focused on killing their general. When you lead, it's your failures that follow you into your nightmares. When we fail, we get other people hurt. We lose friends, make the lives of those we care about worse. Leadership is a terrible burden, something that no sane person should ever want. But, the thing is, no one else does it better than you are right now, Gallus. Ri'vashi has made those kinds of mistakes, Meesei has failed. We just have to press on until we can make those failures more rare. Ri'vashi remembers looking at her father growing up and thinking he was so perfect. She always saw how effortlessly he seemed to keep our people united, safe, and happy. But, she didn't see his failures like he did. Last time Ri'vashi spoke to him about all of this, about leadership, he tried to tell her how not to make his mistakes." Ri'vashi breathed in slowly, forcing herself to make eye contact with him. "The point is, everyone you look up to, no matter how much larger than life they seem, has been haunted by their failures. Your father might have some stories about the things he's done wrong."

Ariel ran her hand over Rukeewei's back and placed her chin on his shoulder. "Of course. I'll always be here, my love."

They were in each other's arms for as long as Rukeewei needed. As soon as Ariel perceived that he was calming down, she carefully pulled away and took Rukeewei gently by the hands. "Come," she said quietly. "Let's see if we can get some sleep. At least we won't be as cold this time."

---

Gallus was still upset, but he spent a few moments after Ri'vashi finished to try and level his breathing. He brought a hand up and back over his shoulder and squeezed his fingers around Ri'vashi's large arm. "I don't doubt that he does," he said through his unsteady breaths and blocked nose. "I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling the pressure, at least."

After a few more moments, Gallus sniffed hard, swallowed hard, and audibly exhaled. "How is it..." he turned his tear-streaked face up to look back at Ri'vashi again. "How is it that you cope, then? Other than..." Gallus' eyes went to the heavily splintered training dummy that he had previously been demolishing. "...Training."

"Yes, I can at least be glad to be down here for that. I'm actually feeling a bit warm right now; I need to find somewhere to put my coat..." Rukeewei began before walking with Ariel into the barracks. It would be hard for him to stop worrying for quite a while, but he could at least find other things to occupy his time with.

The barracks were not exactly spacious, but they were much more comfortable than freezing in tents above ground. As such, they slept better that night than they had since they left the ship in Windhelm. They set out towards the Silent City first thing the next morning, or at least what they approximated to be morning. One effect of living underground was that they tended to lose concept of any normal day and night cycle, something that compounded the longer they stayed underground. Generally, any group sent out away from the clanhome on longer term missions would spend a day or two up in Raldbthar so they could re-acclimate themselves.

Just as Meesei had said, the journey to the Silent City took the better part of a day. However, it was by far the most relaxed part of the trip so far, considering that they were able to ride in the back of a carriage the whole way. Given the distances that needed to be crossed in Blackreach, the clan had brought down horses and constructed carriages to help traverse the road between Raldbthar, the Silent City, and any other outpost they decided to settle. It allowed them to still be well rested as they approached the City itself, which, much like the rest of Blackreach, was a sight to behold for Ariel and Rukeewei. The glowing orb at the city's center could be seen even before the city was in view, so they would know exactly where to look as they emerged from the veritable forest of giant glowing mushrooms. Since taking the Silent City for their own, the clan had cleared away any and all rubble from the area, as well as setting up fortifications of their own. They had built a gatehouse out of stone from collapsed Dwemer structures in the area placed it at the bottom of the massive staircase leading up to the towering city, while the gate itself was entirely metal and ad been scavenged from one of the same collapsed structures. On the surface, it seemed odd to have a gate for a hidden city far underneath Skyrim, but if they were ever attacked, they would be able to close themselves off completely.

---

Ri'vashi actually gave a slight chuckle. "For the longest time, Ri'vashi didn't cope well at all. She kept it all bottled up, broke things, cried alone in her quarters at night, slept with you..." Grinning, Ri'vashi nudged Gallus' elbow. She wanted to make an attempt to at least somewhat elevate his mood, but she quickly returned to being serious. "Anything to help relieve the stress. You remember what Ri'vashi was like back in Elsweyr, how she didn't trust herself? You did help her with that. In just the months since then, Ri'vashi has had a lot of time to think, a lot of time to gain experience with new people. The decisions she has to make are not getting any easier, but she has started to think about some things differently. Try asking yourself this: is there anyone you are currently in command of that you really, truly believe would do a better job than you at what you are doing now?"

While there was the occasional chatter from the other members of the carriage, Ariel and Rukeewei spent most of their time in silent wonder at the colossal fungi and luminescent features of the cavern around them. There were so many sights and sounds around them that Ariel commented that it was like Vvardenfell all over again, but like a dream. Other questions arose about the city they would be heading to, mostly filling out the extra details that Ariel had not been prepared for when they first laid eyes on the cavern. Though, there were also other things, like how they managed to convince horses to come down to such a foreign place and serve lycans. To that, Sabine told of the skilled Bosmeri tamers that had come to settle with them. That inevitably lead to mention the chaurus, which Ariel was surprisingly curious of. She was quite familiar with chaurus eggs but had never actually seen one before.

Even with all the descriptions, the orb above the Silent City held Ariel's gaze for their entire approach. As more and more of the city was revealed, she even let out a small laugh. "It's beautiful."

"It's home," Sabine confirmed.

---

While Gallus did show a small smile at Ri'vashi's humour, he lowered his eyes and gave her question some thought. He eventually shook his head. "Some people could do some things better than me but...as much as I dislike stroking my ego, I don't think they could do everything." He nodded his head sideways towards Ri'vashi. "I suppose you're right. How our situations have reversed since then, at least with self-confidence. I think I owe you this, Ri'vashi."

Gallus held his hands to his knees, stood up, turned to Ri'vashi, and threw his arms around her neck where she sat. The difference in their heights made the tight hug at eye-level, despite Ri'vashi sitting down. Gallus held her silently and still with his eyes closed and his nose to her shoulder for a long, tender moment.

He didn't have any words. Given the similar gesture that Ri'vashi had shown him in Orcrest when given similar support, there was not much that needed to be said.

"It loos safe...hopefully." Rukeewei muttered under his breath as they were disembarking the carriage. At this point, the surprise of each new, spectacular sight was starting to be lessened, since he was beginning to expect everything to be so exotic. Interestingly, it was not the Dwarven architecture or mechanical guards that impressed him the most as they climbed up the stairway and made their way towards the main courtyard. What caught his attention was that the Silent City felt much more...familiar than he was expecting. Dwarven buildings aside, it was not at all what he was expecting out of a settlement of lycanthropes. It was not some camp in the wilderness, but rather an organized settlement with proper buildings and homes. It felt crowded, with people walking through actual streets between buildings, or congregating and conversing in the courtyard. It felt like an actual city, albeit on a smaller scale than something like Thorn. It would certainly not hurt his chances of adjusting.

Meesei could not help but to smile as they reached the courtyard. After months away, they were home once more. "We have been improving the city ever since we first arrived. It was ruins and rubble when we first found it. Now it looks positively clean; even better than when we left, actually. The work did not cease while we were away. Unfortunately, I have some business I should really deal with, as I often do among the clan. I should inform the council of our return and schedule a meeting to update one another on everything that has transpired. I will see about getting them their own room in the Dwemer war quarters, near our rooms. Until then, you can stay temporarily with one of us. Sabine, you should show your sister and Rukeewei through the city, show them the important places, and perhaps introduce Ariel to Marcaille. I imagine our first meeting with the council will be more productive if our alchemists are able to confer with one another beforehand."

Sabine smiled and nodded quickly. She was visibly excited to give Ariel and Rukeewei a tour, even if they may have been nervous about this new place.

"We should probably unpack and get settled," Fendros said, taking Rhazii by the hand. He addressed Ariel and Rukeewei before making any motion to leave. "Our rooms are all relatively close to one another, you two. Stop in and we'll get you a hot drink."

Janius chimed in. "Indeed, I doubt we'll be moving around too much for the rest of the night. As for who you stay with," Janius gestured one hand. "We have some room, as much as anyone else. It's your choice. At any rate, it shouldn't be too hard to secure a room for yourselves."

"You could stay with me if you want," Sabine added.

"Or us as well, if you don't mind Rhazii waking up from a bad dream every now and then." Fendros said with a grin. "As Janius said, it's your choice."

Soon enough, the pack separated to go about their various tasks. Newt and Rhazii were no doubt looking forward to meeting their friends again. Sabine was in a similar position, though seeing Peiter again gave her a twinge of anxiety. Giving her sister and her husband a tour was a distraction she was happy to pay more attention to.

The three of them started with the basic ameneties; food, water, bathing, clothes washing, supplies, and the like. The clan was growing, but it was still hardly larger than a sizable village and as such, the living conditions were still very communal as in Bruma. Food was rationed, tasks were rotated, and people helped each other. Ariel wasn't sure what to make of the interdependence everyone shared. The city was a contrast in that regard. They moved on to the particular people that they could see for specialist help, such as the blacksmiths and the healers. Ariel tried to put on a brave face when meeting the new people, though most of them were friendly enough. Non-lycans weren't an unseen sight in the clan these days. Not to mention, Sabine's attachment to the champion gave her endorsement more weight than usual.

The time eventually came to show Sabine's primary workplace and what would soon be Ariel's as well; the alchemy lab. Technically, it was an annex of a multi-roomed building complex that had been claimed defacto by Darahil and the previous occupants of the scholar's loft in Bruma, though the greater area and separating walls meant that disciplines of magic and research could have their own spaces now. The Dwemer scholars had their own rooms, as did the magical scholars, the historians of Falmer and Ayleid, Darahil's private office, and of course the alchemists. It naturally followed that the scholars themselves would pick living quarters nearby.

The tour of the other areas would come later. Instead, the door to the Marcaille's chamber stood before them, bronzed as any other Dwemer metal door in the city. Sabine had come to befriend Marcaille in their hours of work together, and wanted to introduce Ariel in any case. Meesei's recommendation was secondary.

Ariel leaned down slightly to Sabine. "Remind me, Marcaille is the leader of the research into the cure, yes?"

"Mm, Darahil is the leader of the scholars," Sabine answered. "But, Marcaille knows a lot about alchemy, more than Darahil, so she is the leader for the cure. It is not written down that way, though." Sabine turned her head and smiled at Ariel. "She is nice. And really smart."

Sabine stepped forward and knocked on the door three times.

For the most part, Rukeewei stayed silent, and somewhat distant as Sabine guided them around the city. He was not accustomed to such a style of living and would have a hard time getting used to the idea of being able to use any good or service without any real payment, even if it was all rationed. He wondered how they kept track of it all. Given the size of the clan, he felt that it would be more efficient to just use gold, or something similar, to make rationing easier. Regardless, he did at least give greetings to the people they met while being sure not to give any hints to his overall nervousness.

A few seconds after Sabine knocked on the metal door, it slowly opened on its own, possibly under the influence of magic. It was certainly odd, but just as much of a clear invitation as a verbal answer. The quarters that Marcaille had been granted were, by her request, were much more spacious than those of pretty much anyone else in the clan. She wanted to have the space to perform any research or experimentation she desired at any time, and given her role in the clan, Meesei had granted almost every request. The chamber had obviously not been used as quarters by the Dwemer, as there was a fountain in the very center of the room that was connected to the city's water pipes. It produced the low, but constant noise of flowing water, but since water was needed universally for potions, it was quite convenient for an alchemist. The ceiling was tall, and there were two stone walls to the left and right of the entryway that extended from the wall to about halfway across the room, which divided the room into thirds. Marcaille had placed her bed on the far left of the room, though it was obscured behind a wall, an alchemy workstation in the center, and an enchanting work station to the far right. She had a small library worth of books spread between two bookshelves, as well as a large collection of ingredients and magical trinkets that would perhaps not be unfamiliar for a Breton witch. Interestingly, a large raven sat near the top of one of the tall bookshelves. Ravens, of course, not being a creature that lived underground in Skyrim.

"Hello Marcaille!" Sabine called into the chamber as they carefully stepped in. "We are back. Come and meet my sister Ariel."

Ariel peered at the various implements with recognition. The movement of the raven caught her eye. "Sabine," she asked. "You never mentioned that Marcaille practiced witchcraft."

"She is a witch," Sabine confirmed as if it was a minor detail.

While not exactly concerned, Ariel hummed a high acknowledgement. "Some things in this place I have not seen the likes of in years."

Sabine stepped over to look behind the wall of the enchanting chamber in search. Ariel stayed put near the door with Rukeewei and clasped her hands together.

As the group stepped into the room, the raven flew down from atop the bookshelf and happened to set down behind the wall to their left. Seconds later, Marcaille emerged from behind the wall wearing a plain grey and black dress with her hands clasped together, looking over Ariel curiously. The door behind them suddenly started to close, as if on its own.

"Sabine, I see you've returned from your journey. And I do not need to ask who this is; I can see the resemblance. Ariel, you must be. Your sister has mentioned you before. It is a pleasure to meet an alchemical prodigy as yourself. It is rare to meet one as young as you who could accomplish something as impressive as the suppression gas. I was a sister of Glenmoril Wyrd, so we always had a particularly close relationship with Hircine, but even I did not create such a thing." Marcaille said in a somewhat protracted greeting before turning her gaze towards Rukeewei. "Hmm, but I do not recognize you. Who might you be?"

---

After finally being able to stow away their belongings, and have a nice meal and bath, Kaleeth and Janius had agreed to help Newt find his other friends in the clan. Eventually, they found a few in one of the smaller courtyards, so Kaleeth and Janius decided to relax on a nearby stone bench while the children played. It was not particularly comfortable itself, but Kaleeth was still content leaning up to Janius and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I wonder how long we'll have here this time, before something else...takes us away. I can't complain about this last trip though; It was nice to return to Black Marsh. I wish we could have seen my family, but there is always later, I guess. I just hope the next thing isn't too dangerous. Maybe I should see if that blacksmith would still make me armor?" Kaleeth commented. Although, she had not actually mentioned anything about a blacksmith to him before.

Sabine returned from poking her head around the other wall and gave Marcaille a smile. Ariel, on the other hand, appeared uncomfortable with her smiling exterior while Marcaille addressed her. "It's good to finally meet you, Marcaille," Ariel said. She hesitated to answer further, but the question towards Rukeewei gave something else to say.

"Oh, this is my husband." Ariel turned her head to Rukeewei. "We both came here from Thorn."

In case Rukeewei was nervous to the point of silence, Ariel nudged him with her elbow and nodded to Marcaille while looking at him. She didn't want to introduce him on his behalf, even if the sight of a witch in her natural habitat was intimidating.

---

Janius had his arm around Kaleeth and was watching Newt when she spoke. He nodded and hummed with her words, though her last sentence made him turn his head and raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Have you been talking with a blacksmith?" He asked. "Well, a new set of armour is never a bad idea, especially where we might end up. What kind were you thinking? Did a blacksmith offer to make you a new set?"