Matron Plevan stuck the point of the pot-sticker into the piece of cheese, staring at it as she lifted it up, moved it to the simmering spiced mint jelly and dunked it. She rolled the stick to make sure the cheese completely coated, then lifted it, letting the bouncing motion of the thin wooden stick wave it about to cool. Her three companions watched her closely, each of them holding a crystal flute of fine wine, and Plevan smiled before putting the piece of cheese into her mouth. She closed her eyes and made a pleased humming noise as the hot peppers in the cheese popped between her teeth. She relished and savored the cheese and the dip as she slowly chewed it to almost liquid before swallowing. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at her guests, each of which being attended to by one of her husbands, while two of them attended her.

Skin rubbed with soft pampered skin, lotion rubbed into jangled and tense flesh, muscle tremors eased with gentle touches, sparks of arcane eased and comforted with soft skin.

The four women relaxed in Matron Plevan's baishin, the door shut, the windows shuttered and the draped pulled, all of the Phealana relaxing through an entire flute of wine before the first spoke.

"That was..." Matron Oldami started.

"Terrifying," Matron Stella answered.

"Edifying," Matron Plevan added.

"Exhilarating," The Daughter of Steel and Blood finished. She shook her head. "After this meeting, I will be unavailable for some time."

"Oh? Why?" Matron Plevan asked.

The Daughter of Steel and Blood touched beneath her eyes with the spread fingers of one hand. "I have seen a bound titan, an unarmored War Machine, a burned out war-mage, a blind witch, and stood in the presence of a war-souled Warlord. I have gone beyond youth and take my staggering, uncertain steps into adulthood."

The other three Phaelan looked at each other and nodded as she continued.

"I will forge my mask, weave my hair, and pluck my eyes from my skull," She said. She sipped the wine. "And I will reside in the House of Steel and Blood until I can no longer feel that unbound War Machine's touch upon my soul."

Again, more nods.

"He whispered my name I did not know as of yet and I can still hear it within my soul," The Daughter of Steel and Blood said softly. She picked up a sticker and lanced a small cube of habenaro pepper spiced cheese.

"As the Consortium loses, so does it gain," Matron Plevan smiled. She looked at Matron Stella. "And you, young Stelancia?"

Stella shuddered, looking up from the chicken breast she was shredding with her nails.

"You seemed disconcerted by the Warlord's mage. Is there a reason?" Plevan asked. She had always been curious about magic, especially during the war, but had kept her distance from it beyond ensuring that the caravan and the Consortium was well outfitted with the arcane.

"The mage is her sister," Stelancia said. "I recognized the marks upon her. She was captured by the Stygian Wave, bound upon an iron cross, and had her magic torn from her to fuel the Choir of Night," Stelancia shuddered again. "She survived, like I did, the death of Herself, but her magic almost consumed her, leaving her full of nothing but burning fire."

Plevan nodded, noting how Stelancia was becoming more and more distressed.

"But she has gone beyond what most have, has learned to wield the arcane burn, has learned the inner mysteries," Stella rubbed her arms. "Skyler will be able to learn much from her, far more than she could beneath my hand. Beneath the tutelage of such as her Skyler will reach heights that she never could learning from me."

Plevan nodded, swallowing the piece of cheese she had been chewing. "Will Skyler remember us with fondness or anger or will she forget about us beneath this woman's hand?"

Stelancia took another cheese cube to give herself a moment to think. The others waited politely for her to swallow.

"Skyler will remember little of us," Stella said. "As we say, the burned hand teaches best."

Plevan nodded, motioning her husbands to refill the wine flutes. She waited until the wine had been poured before looking at the Daughter of Steel and Blood.

"What of Hridare?" She asked.

"He stands in the shadow of the War Machine," The Daughter said softly. "His memories will be of steel and blood, not for the uninitiated to understand."

Plevan nodded again and sipped at her wine. While Skyler could be dangerous, she would takes years, perhaps decades to fully master the arcane and come into her power. Hridare was dangerous, as all humans who chose the way of Steel and Blood were dangerous, but Plevan felt that there was less danger of Hridare holding any animosity toward the Consortium than Skyler or the last of the trio.

"And Little Jak, as you call him?" Matron Plevan asked.

Matron Plevan nodded.

"Little Jak will look fondly upon his time spent with us. He may even seek us out in decades hence, his memories pleasant of his time with us," Oldami smiled. "He presents no danger to the Consortium in the present nor in any foreseeable future."

Plevan relaxed at that news, leaning back in her chair.

"We are but a small people, like the Naramani or the Ssteslil, doing our best to survive in this life," Plevan said gently. "Titan blooded live lifetimes beyond most humans, and full Titans can live eons beyond even elves, their footsteps can cause empires to collapse."

The other three Phaelan nodded slowly, nothing that had been said was new knowledge.

"Hopefully, our destinies part from our three guests' fates," Matron Plevan said. "I would be most comfortable with that outcome."

Oldami nodded, as did Stella and the Daughter of Steel and Blood.

"I will miss Little Jak," Matron Oldami said, smiling.

"That's because you're greedy and you're thinking with your loins," Matron Plevan smiled.

"And they are greedy too," Matron Oldami smiled, making a triangle over her lap.

All four of the Matrons laughed, and Plevan's husbands giggled.