Janius did not broach further on the subject of Deerz. There would be no easy way to stand up to him if he was as stubborn as his behaviour suggested.

As for the matter of Leeus, Janius initially took a quick breath. [i]"Ah, yes, I meant to inform you about that,"[/i] he said, clutching his upper arm. [i]"She's one of his new friends. We spoke about it and...well, you can probably tell they are fond. It should not be a worry – I explained the boundaries he was in."[/i]

[hr]
"I understand all that, mother, I do," he said. "I just...I should have said no. I didn't. All the stress built up from being cooped up in the city, and all the pressure with the family, and I couldn't take it."

He placed a hand over one of his closed eyes. "And...then you crushed that woman's head. I didn't recognise you. Did you really not feel anything?"