Sabine was taken by just enough surprise that she stood dumbly for a pair of seconds before drifting to the food storage. She kept glancing up from filling up the kettle as if making tea in such a disgusting space was too absurd to do seriously.

She had hoped the silence after Fendros and Ahnasha stepped out would linger. Hal-Neesa's words ended those hopes and tied a knot in her stomach. "We have parties sent out further into the cavern." She breathed through her mouth to keep her nose spared, making her breaths in rather conspicuous. "And three more parties aboveground to other ruins. Still searching. There are too few Dwemer places that have undisturbed chambers."

Outside, Fendros did not let Ahnasha go without his eyes boring into hers at every moment she faced him. At first, he could feel anger welling up over the confusion, but he instead caught himself and took in the fresher air. Still, thinking on the words Ahnasha said made him run his hands down his face and breath loudly out into his palms.

"You gave her thralls?" He said as his eyes peeked over his fingers. "You gave [i]Hal-Neesa[/i] thralls that you made for fighting?" He was afraid to find out more. "How many?"