Janius returned Kaleeth's look. His response was as decisive as it needed to be. A single nod and he was walking confidently to the stairs, not slowing for any further doubt.

The footsteps of the whole group made enough noise coming down the creaky stairs to make the nearby sitting room quiet of its voices. When they descended far enough to look in, Janius found himself pushing a stair back at two figures he had not seen in one and a half decades. They had aged as he had aged. While Janius had come to resemble what his father had looked like when he first joined Meesei's pack, his father was a glimpse into his future. Greying, balding, stern. They stared one another down as he walked into the sitting room.

Each was dressed in fashionable clothing. Their outing was likely one of high class, as was to be expected.

Janius hadn't even noticed Remus and Aeramina stand up by the time he stopped walking. They frowned. He frowned. No one else spoke.

"Mother." Janius' eyes skipped over to Aeramina and back. "Father."

Remus' eyes similarly skipped over Janius' more recent family. "Janius," he said tersely in return.

That was the first step out of the way. Remus clearly recognised him.

"Son..." Aeramina's stoic brow contracted. Her knuckle flew up to her lips and she sobbed. "You were away for so long," she squeaked. Her breathing was already made shallow by an uncomfortable looking corset. The shallowness that her sobbing made audible was nothing short of unhealthy. As if glued to the floor, her feet did not move. She barely made a motion to approach Janius and his family.

"I'm sorry," Janius said, clasping his hands behind his back and looking around uncomfortably.

Remus did not speak with a scolding voice yet. Though he was impatient in his next question. "Who is this you have brought?"

Janius turned to whom Remus was referring. "This is Kaleeth-rei," he said quickly. "She is my wife. Of many years now." Janius gestured with one hand to the boys to formally introduce them as well. "You have already met my son, Kaj-Julan, and his good friend Rhazii. I am sorry for any trouble they might have caused."

"You, Khajiit," Remus' rumbling monotone droned. He turned his gaze to Rhazii. He felt it like a pair of invisible fists gently pressing against his chest. "Wait upstairs. This is a family matter." His eyes turned again. "Jatinha, watch him."

Rhazii flicked his head between Remus and Janius. "I...but..." Remus' look had put a fear into him. He was deprived of words.

Janius was more gentle, but still serious. "You should probably wait upstairs, Rhazii. We'll send for you."

Quiet footsteps came up to Rhazii and took him by the arm. Jatinha whispered a beckon to him and he slowly complied. There was nothing else for it. Although, by Jatinha's pace, she was keen to stay out of the matter entirely.

The rest of them stood quietly while the two exited up the stairs.

[hr]
Pircalmo weaved his fingers together in front of himself, gently letting his arms hang. "I am glad it is you, then. Lunise is unlikely to tell you, but perhaps why she makes such a canny justicar is that she is always on the lookout for betrayal. Of course, you could immediately understand how that makes it difficult for her to remain attached to others on a personal level. A simple slight by a friend or loved one, whether intentional or not, can cause her inordinate amounts of stress and doubt. She pushes people away when that happens."

He angled his head and rubbed at his neck. "It was not until a century into Lunise's life that I reflected upon how I contributed to that disposition. I admit that I was a busy man back then. I neither had the patience for her nor the expertise to raise her differently. In addition, she was betrayed at times by those that tried to get close to her. We have made peace and spoken on the matter at great length, though I do not think Lunise's 'scanning for threats' will ever truly stop."

In a mirror of Meesei's apologetic face, Pircalmo frowned and turned the middle of his brow up. "I do not wish to speak for my daughter either, but if you have grown close to her, I ask that you exercise patience if something should go awry between you. She may trust you now, but when that trust is strained, even for a moment, well...please do not let her salt the earth between you. She needs close ones more than she will ever admit. Call it a father's request." He managed a soft smile once more.