"Thorantilth, Tunxeek," Janius nodded to the treeminder and his son in turn. "We...yes, we thought we would sit in for a while, at least. Julan was terribly fearful that the boredom would kill him."

Tunxeek chuckled from the alchemy table. He was well into adulthood, much like Meesei, but his comprehension of Cyrodilic had not faltered. "That is fair. It almost killed me," he said in a deeper but still heavily accented voice. "But it was not boredom. It was father's fussiness."

Janius had spoked with Tunxeek on one or two brief occassions, mainly to catch up on Sabine's goings-on and his own life as the Treeminder's apprentice. Janius smiled at the humour he maintained.

Taking Thorantilth's invitation, Janius eased himself into a seated position. "As it happens, I have been curious to see the tattooing process with my own eyes. And, Kaleeth...?" He looked over at Kaleeth expectantly.

[hr]
It was hard to tell if Ahnasha's behaviour was visibly instilling confidence in Fendros. He gave her quick glances but kept his ward fully projected. His hands shook out in front of him.

"Ahna," Fendros whispered, "I can't-"

Rossarm turned both his palms upwards. A bright red glow burned out from the crevices of his hands, wrists, neck, and eyes. He called Ahnasha's gathering of power with his own, rivalling even Meesei in just how oppressively he charged the air. His feet slid up and off the ground as he hovered, darkening the evening light in his bright glow. Unlike Meesei, his magic flowed with a certain ease and efficiency that spoke of much greater power than Fendros or anyone had let on about Rossarm.

Fendros braced for another spell. Something greater than just a flicked instant.

Rossarm pointed his hand forward. Yellow lightning forked from his fingernails to the ground as magicka concentrated.

"Rossarm Avarul, that is quite [i]enough!!![/i]"

Rossarm's hand closed and the lightning stopped, his eyes flicked past Fendros and Ahnasha.

Calia trotted forward with her hands holding the front of her dress up from her feet. She stopped halfway between Rossarm and Fendros with a face twisted in indignant fury. "This is no time to debase yourself to the level of a drunken pig! Get back on the ground before you embarrass yourself further, you buffoonish man! Why must you behave the fool every time you are challenged!?"

The Dunmer woman left everyone speechless, not least of which Rossarm himself. His mouth parted in an initial shock. He blinked once, twice, and then he lowered his feet back to the earth. The glowing power faded back into him. He blinked and looked down. Without looking at anyone else, he stepped to turn around and walked solemnly away with a slouch.

Fendros did not dare lower his ward. He looked to Calia and Ahnasha with utter confusion as he caught his breath.