Meesei let out a long breath, then nodded. "Yes, of course. There is still much to be done...as always. Perhaps at least one day before the invasion, we will have some time where this truly nothing to do." She said as she slowly started to grin. After another moment of silence, staring into Lunise's eyes, she finally turned to depart. 

[hr]

The day of the duel came quickly to Meesei. She was no more worried about her chances of winning than she had been before, but there were still plenty of concerns on her mind, even aside from the fight itself. This day needed to go well, as there truly was not much of a margin of error for how events could unfold. Their alliance with the Dominion, and their chances against Vile, hinged upon what happened over the next few hours. Meesei had gathered in their usual meeting chambers, as it was a suitably private location. Meesei's entire pack was present at the moment, though by the Thalmor's stipulations, she could only bring four witnesses. From their own clan, Meesei had originally considered Ri'vashi to be an appropriate witness, but she felt concerned about traveling to the heart of Thalmor controlled territory due to her father's association with the Blades. The Thalmor had no way of knowing of that relationship, granted, but she did not wish to take the risk unless it was necessary. They had eventually settled upon Vera as the clan's witness. From Meesei's own pack, she had selected Fendros and Sabine to join her, though Sabine was currently away collecting the Imperial representative. Since Marod was already present in the Silent City and was the usual representative, Meesei expected her to return with him, but she wanted to give the Empire their own choice regardless. Lunise, being one of the Thalmor's people, did not count among the four that Meesei was restricted to. 

Meesei had already explained to her witnesses how she expected the duel to transpire, so there was not much left for them to say while they awaited the Imperial representative. To say that the Thalmor could be difficult to get along with was an understatement, but Meesei wholly trusted the ability of those she had selected to maintain a cool head, even against the most arrogant of Altmer. However, Meesei was not fortunate enough to avoid the complication that quite literally manifested in the room before them. A familiar voice sounded out from the [i]opposite[/i] direction of the door, and was one that Meesei was not wanting to hear that day.

"Hmm, so I see everyone is all here and ready to go Almost at least, since I don't see the Imperial lackey anywhere. Personally, I cannot wait. I have been dying to see you in a duel again." Hal-Neesa said, staring intently at Meesei as she walked along the side of the table. None of them, not even Meesei or Lunise, had seen nor detected a trace of her before now. There was only one entrance to the chamber, and she had not gone through it. She had simply...appeared." 

Meesei glared at Neesa. "And how do you even know about any of this?"

"Because I spied on you." Neesa replied bluntly. "Now, I am sure it would be quite obvious to you that I might...no, [i]definitely[/i] have a stake in this. Considering that there's no way in Oblivion I'm agreeing to let a Thalmor, of all people, be in charge of the Axe that is the centerpiece of this whole invasion, it is pretty relevant to me, as well as everything I represent, if you end up winning this little duel. And since all of that should have been immensely obvious to you, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that my invitation to this whole party was lost by the courier. So, when do we leave?"