Narsi and Rhazii both laughed at Julan's discomfort. Narsi's laugh -- the first they had heard from her -- might have been quiet enough to remain unnoticed had she not snorted noticeably on the inhale.

"Sounds like she liked [i]you,[/i] brother," Rhazii said. However, he didn't press the issue before Julan suggested they move on.

Narsi lifted her arms up a bit and felt moisture still in the crevices of her clothes, but she shrugged. "Didn't have anything else planned. But can we ride Leaps back again?"

One way or another, the three youths found their way back to the Silent City. Rhazii was keen to talk more about Julan's journey to Black Marsh, which allowed Narsi to listen along quietly. She remained mean-spirited and foul-mouthed but was much less reactive than before. Rhazii and Julan counted their blessings as they came.

When the conversation turned to Rhazii's stay in Cheydinhal, he took a long while of making faces before he simply said he did not enjoy it. All the details he gave appeared like a reasonably good time for a meeting with relatives, but he did not detail his hunt with Ahnasha and the subsequent events. Rhazii's clear discomfort kept the topic brief.

[hr]
"We're of the same mind. Saving the world sounds far more appealing right now."

Fendros glanced up but did not stop Ahnasha from leaving. He drank down the last of his tea before standing up. Between now and saying farewell to his family, he figured he could find her a gift in the city as a kind gesture. He was going to be in the doghouse for a while but Ahnasha was in need of as much help as she could get, and a chance at putting her in a better mood before she got back to work was worth it.

[hr]
While tasks varied amongst the clan, none were spared from the hubbub of the invasion's lead up. For instance, Fendros took on a broad administrative burden as Meesei's second. Every day had him travelling to five different corners of the cavern to act on reports and help direct decisions to plan out the camp supply and infrastructure. It was not a lonely job with the quartermasters and the rest of the council alongside him, but coordinating even between that many leaders was a mentally taxing proposition.

Elsewhere, Sabine was caught between three tugging responsibilities; directing alchemical production with Marcaille, working with Dwemer scholars to ensure the cavern would have enough ventilation for the sheer number of creatures it would soon house, and keeping Hal-Neesa happy during her project. She learnt overwhelming details of how Dwemer technology worked by the day. Too often she would be forced to switch between each task at a moment's notice, driving her to stress by the end of the day. The support of Karl, her pack, and her friends was invaluable, especially when memories of her capture left her momentarily incapable. She was present for consulting the enchantment of the portal at times but could not commit herself to it fully.

Narsi's attitude swiftly grew milder since her befriending Julan and Rhazii. For once, Julan did not have the hottest temper in the pack. Although, now Narsi appeared enthusiastic to turn up to training, and in it she proved to be an intuitive and unpredictable fighter, making up for her relative lack of strength and size with novel ways to misdirect and sneak in rapid strikes. She was still young and easy to rile up, of course. Her attitude towards Lorag remained resentful, if compliant.

Rossarm, Fendros' father, was something of an enigma to everyone save for Meesei. He was finally convinced to size up a formation of Dunmer mages, and by the end of the day had deemed almost half of them 'unfit' for battle with Daedra. Strangely enough, his tough love only attracted passing resentment by the Dunmer he criticised, such was the impression he made when putting Hal-Neesa on the back foot. This was tested when he started trialling other mer for his formation, and then humans, and then even one Khajiit mage. His standards were brutal, but some non-Dunmer made the cut. The Khajiit did not. Whether his bar for entry or his prejudice were stronger factors, it was hard to tell. What was certain was his formation was now one of the most strongly drilled, and most dangerous, magical unit in the lycan army. Rossarm ran a tight ship and commanded with a powerful presence, but his interactions with other officers did not go beyond official meetings. He remained antisocial, even coming off as emotionless. Fendros and Rossarm avoided each other deliberately and easily.

[hr]
On the walk to the forge, Fendros was somewhat less chipper than Ahnasha. "Well, whatever it is, it must be important," he said. "I'm told there's a labour foreman waiting on confirmation for the area he's supposed to clear for the Legion's south-western tent ranks and knowing him he won't take initiative. I feel like every day half my job is preventing set-backs."

"I am glad for the brief distraction," Sabine added. "I do not get to see the forges very often. Karl says they are a marvellous apparatus."

Janius shrugged. "Maybe they've made a set of weapons for us? Or they want to take our measurements for new armour. That would be a nice surprise."

Narsi nudged Rhazii's arm. "Do your pack just get gifts like this often?"

"Not really," Rhazii said with a shake of his head. "They get good equipment to begin with but its usually them asking for it or trading for it. I hope they get something made of ebony metal. Those are really pretty and stronger than just about anything short of...legendary stuff, I don't know."

"Did we at least get any hints, Meesei?" Janius asked. "The suspense is killing me."