“I would not say…doubting myself is the best way to put it.” Meesei replied with, ironically, some noticeable hesitation in her voice. “I just…as much as I would like to be entirely optimistic, to be realistic is to admit that I could die tomorrow. Any of us could. I know my ability, and that of my family, and I know that I do have a good chance of surviving. But…”

Meesei let out a long breath and finally allowed herself to resume eye contact with Lunise. “…I accept what may happen. If you were in my position, would you do what you…needed to do in order to guarantee that you would be able to see your daughter’s future come to pass?”

[hr]

Kaleeth tightened her grip around Janius’ hand, then tilted her head towards him. “You know, I think it’s easy to feel that way. Like I said, I’ve always felt that way. But Meesei, Sabine, Fendros…they’re all just the best of the best. As a pack, we’re all supposed to be the best, but it’s hard to look at people like them and avoid feeling like you’re just not good enough. But…that’s just because of who we’re comparing ourselves to. I mean, being the worst of the best is still pretty good, right?”