Lucien slept for hours, but Kedi, Nock and Veezara largely remained, leaving only to find food and tend to their other needs. Gabriella had quickly brought some Brotherhood robes, similar to what the old wizard Festus wore, and left them at the end of the bed. Astrid entered the room late into the evening, with Arnbjorn, to retrieve Veezara as it was time to meet with the contact. The Argonian lifted his lover's hand to his mouth and kissed her goodbye, leaving her alone with Nock once more. As always, Nock was silent, and Kedi worried that it was starting to rub off on her.

"I wonder what it must be like." She muttered. Nock turned her head to look at her quizzically and Kedi gestured to Lucien's sleeping form. "To be dead for two hundred years, and then be brought back to life."

"I imagine it is difficult to adjust. He did seem to have difficulty breathing, at first."

"Yeah, I noticed that. I guess you get used to not breathing in the afterlife." She glanced at Nock. "There is an afterlife, right? Where we serve Sithis?"

Nock nodded, her face serious. "Of course."

Kedi smiled. "Oh, I knew that, I… I just wanted to make sure." She rubbed her scars, subconsciously. "Have you ever died? I mean, I know you can't, but have the trees ever had to… revive you?"

Nock shifted in her seat, almost uncomfortably, before nodded slowly. "Once. I have lived for a long time, and I can almost always fend off an attack by myself. If I cannot, my beasts assist me. This time, though…" Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I was still relatively young, I believe, and did not understand how it… worked. I left the safety of the forest and entered an area comprised of volcanic rock and small geysers. There was no greenery, no beasts, but there was a bandit hideout. They attacked, and I fled back into the forest with several arrows piercing my skin. Not knowing the land like I already did, they eventually became lost, and I took the time to pull the arrows out. An ordinary person would have been unable to run, and even an exceptional person would have bled to death. The trees sustained me and I learned my lesson."

Kedi smiled again, despite the sombre topic. She enjoyed it when Nock spoke freely, instead of remaining quiet. "You said you were young… Where was your family?"

"I do not recall ever having one."

"How were you born?"

"I do not know. Living in the forest is all I remember. I have lived for thousands of years, and in my earliest memory, I physically appear only a few years younger than I do now."

"Hmm… Perhaps you were made from the land itself!" Kedi gave a short, quiet laugh.

"Perhaps." Nock replied, her face still serious enough to make Kedi wonder; but before she could question her further, Lucien sprang out of bed and into a fighting position, causing the robes to go tumbling onto the floor. The Imperial assassin shook his head almost violently, clearly disorientated.

"Where am I?!" He shouted, fear shining in his deep brown eyes.

Kedi slowly rose to her feet and held her hands out in front of her, trying to ignore the fact that he was still unclothed. "It's alright, you're in our Sanctuary. Do you remember getting here? "

He continued to stare at her, like he didn't understand the language she spoke. "I… I… Oh…" Lucien ran a hand over his face and nearly collapsed to the stone floor. Kedi rushed forward to catch him, and Nock helped her get him back on the bed.

Kedi shook him and he groaned; his golden face was now ashen. "You came from the water, do you remember? You said Sithis sent you here for me?"

His eyes widened and fixed themselves intently on her face. "Yes. Yes, Sithis. You… You are the Listener. Where is the Night Mother?"

Kedi frowned. "Her body is just down the hall, with her Keeper."

"Keeper?" Lucien blinked and finally some clarity appeared in his eyes. The colour returned to his face and he began to relax. "I… My apologies. Coming back from the dead after… It's quite disorientating." His voice was still shaky, but it was deep and pleasant, and quite gravelly. He sat up and ran a hand over his face again, before glancing down at his own naked body. "I fear I will never forget the feeling of the flesh being stripped from my bones by people I once called friend." He sighed heavily. "Is there something for me to wear?"

Kedi hid a smile as she handed him the spare robes, but he seemed unembarrassed as he accepted the robes and dressed. The women turned their backs to him nonetheless, so preserve his decency as much as possible.

"So… You really are Lucien Lachance?" Kedi asked quietly, still facing towards the wall.

"Yes. Sithis released me from service in his domain, so that I might serve him in life once more." He seemed to move silently, for the next moment Kedi heard his voice rumble at her ear. "So that I might serve you."

She raised an eyebrow and looked to Nock for confirmation. Lucien was a legend in their order's history, and this man unsettled her; she needed to know if she could trust him. To her relief, the elf nodded.

"See? The elf knows I am who I say." His breath tickled her cheek and she stepped away from him and turned. The robes were layered, with a shirt underneath a long open coat, and a pair of slim trousers underneath that fit his muscled legs like leggings. Each piece of clothing was made from thin black wool. Without a doubt, he wore the outfit better than the old wizard, Festus, did.

"Why? Why am I important to Sithis? Why bring a man who's been dead for two hundred years back to life just to help me?"

He smiled knowingly and Kedi noticed the corners of Nock's mouth turn upwards as well. They shared a look for the tiniest moment, a strange glint in Lucien's dark eyes. "Because… You are going after the Emperor. Or do you not think that's a big contract? Do you imagine it will be easy?" He grinned.

Kedi frowned and turned to Nock. "You're both in on… whatever this is, aren't you?"

The elf's large, strange eyes glanced away for a moment. "I am sure we do not know what you mean, Kedi." But the tiny smile remained hovering on her lips.

The Breton eyed both of them warily, before gesturing towards the door. "I guess you'll need something to eat, now that you're alive again."

Lucien nodded. "That would be much appreciated, Kedi."