Janius gave Zharan a brief look of surprise. It turned into mild concern but he did not play it up. [i]"So, you heard of how he's been conducting himself around us."[/i] He turned to Kaleeth. [i]"I'll admit, if there's a way we can get Deerz off our backs, it could be worth considering. Do you just need to fight him, or...?"[/i]

[hr]
Rhazii lifted his lower lip and blinked a few times. He took a slow, deliberate breath.

After calming himself again, Rhazii continued. "I'm okay now. I know you only did that because you thought I was out of control." He closed his eyes tight and opened them. "Mother, I should have spoken up more -- I did not want to come out here and kill anyone. Even if they were criminals, it didn't feel right and I should have trusted my gut. I just went along because I didn't want to disappoint you or...or make it seem like I couldn't be a warrior. I wasn't ready. I should have said so."

Once again, Rhazii let Ahnasha speak. The primary issue was not raised yet, but he and Fendros would not have spoken for so long unless there were a number of things to say.