Siloune lowered her eyes. Though she kept her mouth in a neutral frown, Meesei could perceive her taking shorter, more frustrated breaths. The dark make up around her eyes only made her blinking more apparent. She was trying to think herself out of a corner, evidently.

One deep breath allowed Siloune to straighten and regard Meesei with just as much poise as her usual self. "Let me tell you how the near future shall play as far as I can estimate, Meesei," she said, using Meesei's name for the first time. "You shall gather your forces, make full use of Teroiah's well-earned expertise and experience, and lash together your invasion in spite of political tensions. I shall have to report to the Thalmor leadership of your capabilities, as is my duty, so they shall make overtures to exploit you. To Imperial, Marod, shall do the same, as is his duty, and just the same as us, the Emperor shall make overtures to exploit you. The likes of you -- a rogue element with the means to shift the balance of power -- will be pursued to your great discomfort, I am sure. Your breed only arrive on Tamriel scant times in each era."

Siloune peered across to Lunise's frozen expression. She sat with a cold indifference to the duel in front of her, in all ways except for her eyes turned away from what was the decisive moment.

"I have a feeling that such overtures shall be imposed upon you before your invasion begins." Siloune turned her head back across to Meesei. "In order to secure the command you need, you will make promises that you cannot keep. And this is all before the Psijic order turns your manipulation of time against you to kindly ask how you stole their secrets." Siloune paused to stare Meesei dead in her werewolf eyes. "Your willingness to sacrifice yourself to fight Vile is admirable, but are you willing to risk the security of your people? Your answer shall dictate my final decision on our agreement, for..." Siloune looked past Meesei's shoulder. "...Your decision to secure my support appears to have won you this duel by coincidence alone."

When Meesei traced around to where Siloune was looking, she saw a detail she did not pick up before freezing time. Out of one of Teroiah's hands was another dispelling chain snaking its way through the opaque rushing current of ice and cold. The power to create one more of her signature spells was surprising, given the amount of magicka poured into her last few spells. However, more pertinent was the momentary hole it would have put in Meesei's ailing ward and the subsequent debilitating frost that would have engulfed her.

"Now, it would be remiss of me to denounce the credit due to you for displaying such power, knowledge, adaptability, and so on. But Teroiah knew she was outmatched in all measures but experience. That is where you might have failed. It is where you may still fail in the future. [i]I[/i] need not say it; you must not fail."