Rossarm did not so much as lower his guard until Neesa was finished. He stood up straight, swallowed hard with a grimace, and brought his hands together to channel a healing spell. The blotches of blood under his skin cleared up very gradually, almost as if they were evaporating.

Fendros wiped his eyes. His vision returned, but the point of the flash was still marked in his sight and was fading slowly. "I think that is the first time I have heard Hal-Neesa approach sincerity in praising someone," he said to Meesei. "I don't know how I feel about that."

Pausing for a moment, Rossarm wiped his lips on his arms and eyed Meesei. He asked in a low voice. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

[hr]
Narsi's actions were surprisingly controlled. Rather than halt her momentum, she stepped low behind her shield, ducking the spell and rising up to slam her bodyweight shield-first into Julan's chest. His sword deflected off her shield, though the impact was not as strong as Julan might have anticipated. Julan was stronger than Narsi; her shove was not powerful enough to put him off balance. Indeed, she had exposed herself in that moment, despite trying to step back to a safe distance.