"Oh, sure, [i]now[/i] you say you want to fight. Just a few seconds ago, you were refusing to even challenge me." Julan retorted, with him too taking up a fighting stance. Narsi had successfully pushed his agitation over the edge into outright anger. Although he was no longer under the influence of his beast spirit, the time he had spent in his beast form had certainly made it easier for her to get under his scales. "Have you ever even fought anyone other than your mother? Or did all the other kids back in your city just run away?"

Despite his taunting, Julan was at least not acting [i]too[/i] overconfident. The stance he took was more than simply raised fists, it was one that he had practiced and drilled with his mother. In Elsweyr, Ri'kalesh had trained both Kaleeth and Janius in his unarmed fighting techniques, and as such, the Khajiit martial arts had been a part of his own training. He was, of course, very much a novice, but he was still trained beyond just throwing punches on instinct. 

[hr]

Both of Ahnasha's parents showed their confusion in the silence that followed Fendros' comment. Ahnasha did everything she could to think quickly, though S'nashi still had time to question what was going on. "I'm...not sure I understand. What is he talking about, dear?" 

"Fendros, you...really don't need to frighten my mother like that." Ahnasha began, frantically piecing together her story in her mind as she spoke it. "Mother, he has always just been somewhat dubious about teleportation since Meesei first told him about it. Supposedly there have been some mages that have made mistakes using it, but they weren't Meesei. I [i]assure[/i] you that we are perfectly safe, mother. She's teleported hundreds, if not thousands of times, with no mistakes."

S'nashi took hold of Ahnasha's hands. "I'm sure she has, but if there's a chance it could be dangerous, maybe you should..."

"It's alright, mother." Ahnasha interrupted. "If you really are worried, we can make sure to only ever use it sparingly. I promise." 

Ahnasha's web of lies were becoming more and more twisted and complex, and it did not seem that she was stopping. The look she gave Fendros as soon as she turned away from her family made her anger quite apparent. "Fendros, maybe you should head back now. You know your mother is expecting to meet up with you before heading back home, and it is getting late."