Fendros resumed his packing, if slower than before so he could talk. He hummed unhappily about Ahnasha's question. "At best, he'll just remove himself from the interactions, ignore any approaches from your family, and keep to himself out by the vines. At worst..." Fendros stopped and stared at the bag in front of him. He continued packing after only a moment. "He'll demand they leave. He may threaten to call the guard. Anything in between that is purely up to how much leverage mother and Llarasa can manage. I don't think Monderyn will want to go against father in something like that."

Rhazii sat down beside Ahnasha to pay attention to the conversation.

Fendros gave him and Ahnasha a quick sideways look. "Did your parents plan to send word ahead to mine, Ahna?"

[hr]
"Kaleeth..." Janius gently guided her cheek until he could look her in the eyes again. "I still remember how upset your mother and father were when you said goodbye. I know the shame you felt – still feel. It's not wrong, what you're feeling, but...you're not being fair to yourself, either. You know why you had to leave in the end."

Janius' eyes went down and up. "Listen, I know that if Julan left on a whim somewhere we couldn't follow, I would want nothing more than just to know that he is okay. I want to know that he is coming into his own. To see him again? That would be a bright day indeed. You're going to give your parents that day."

In his answer, Janius deflected exactly what to say to Kaleeth's family. He only had one answer on the tip of his tongue that he hoped he would not have to suggest.