Aurana laughed. "I look forward to it. Come back to visit any time, okay?"

"There there, Mother," Janius comforted Aeramina's emotional display. Even with his own feelings on leaving again, Aeramina let hers be known almost to the point of melodrama. "I'm sorry for all the trouble this has been," Janius continued. "I left without saying goodbye. That was wrong in the end, no matter how I felt at the time. I might be back, but...goodbye for now."

"You are forgiven, Janius," Remus said. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, son," Aeramina finally stepped back. "We are proud of you. Of what you have become."

Janius pursed his lips and nodded. "Come, everyone." He addressed his packmates. "We should head back to the keep."

"Goodbye, Remus and Aeramina." Rhazii remembered to add. "Thank you for the meal."

He was given an acknowledging nod from Remus. "Farewell, all of you."

"Farewell," Aeramina repeated, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

As Janius, Kaleeth, Rhazii, and Julan walked from the Aetius manor, the residents filed back indoors out of the cool air. Aurana remained outside to watch them with a smile.

The walk was quiet until they had lost sight of manor. Janius took Kaleeth's hand in his and gave her a smile. "Thank you, dearest. Thank you for your support. And for putting up with my parents." He raise an eyebrow. "You were very assertive back there. I liked that."

[hr]
"The lycan queen without a mate for so long. I would not have predicted it." Lunise took Meesei's hand, eager to embrace her again with her arms around Meesei's shoulders.

"Naturally, I shall cure myself," Lunise acknowledged. "It is not the first time I have contracted the disease. The preliminary stages, that is. Not full lycanthropy."

Lunise's upper diaphragm twitched with a single, stillborn laugh. She stifled a smile. "No, what gave you away was your look of surprise when I did this earlier..." Lunise's hand drew over the side of Meesei's neck and charged with a simple restoration magic. Under Lunise's caress, Meesei's scales became unusually sensitive for several fading seconds. "I thought it was a pejorative stereotype that we Altmer use magic for everything. You are clever enough to know that, are you not?" She teased.