Fendros gave an understanding nod at Ahnasha's pause. That much was a relief.

As for her last comment, Fendros smiled back. It was encouraging. "In either case, I will have probably have plenty of time to grow accustomed." He paused, looked at Ahna for a moment, and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "I was not lying when I said I couldn't do this alone. At this point, with all we've overcome together, I couldn't imagine doing anything like this without you."

He let the words linger for a few seconds. Even though he still held uncertainty and tension, Fendros' soft smile at Ahnasha spoke in the opposite direction. He nodded his head in the direction of the hallway. "Come, let's get some sleep before any more life-changing news springs up today."

[hr]
"I've never seen him without the hair on his chin before," Rhazii said. "It's hard enough to imagine him around our age." In spite of Rhazii's comments, he was grasping the arms of his chair firmly enough to show his own anxiety. This place was so full of space and so full of things, yet there were hardly any people.

A set of shoes gently tapped down the stairs behind them. Rhazii turned to see the lower half of a neat black dress descending via white-stockinged feet covered with shiny black slippers. The upper half was cut off by the archway out of the sitting area, though the descenting figure was revealed fully within a moment. She had a white apron, highlighting the rest of her dress and tan furred arms as they held up a teapot in her hands. Her Khajiit face, exactly as Rhazii had described from peeping into the window, looked at the two boys with mostly hidden dubiousness. By her uniform, she was clearly a maid, with youth describing her age as close -- if not younger -- than Rhazii.

"Jatinha, these are the young masters Rhazii and Kaj-Julan," Harald said to the maid. "Look after them while I consult Lord Remus, if you would."

"Yes, Harald." Her accent was from Anequina. She approached the table between the sitting furniture and began to pour hot brown tea into the cups. She did not make eye contact.

"Uh, hi there," Rhazii managed to say. He had a dumb, nervous look on his face.

"The lord and lady shall not be long," Jatinha said with just as level a voice as Harald. Once the tea was poured, she placed the pot on the table and stepped back, facing them with one hand folded over the other and impeccable posture. "Please, enjoy some tea."

Rhazii's eyes went from Jatinha, to Julan, to the tea, and back to Julan. He awkwardly pulled himself forward and leaned to reach one of the two filled teacups. The armchair creaked in the most obnoxious manner possible, only making the pair feel further out of place.

"Hey, Kaj," Rhazii whispered, even though everyone could hear him in the huge, echoing room. "Didn't you say that your father said he was raised by a maid?"