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So this boy is somehow a chosen one? Tariel thought to herself while pondering her next line of questioning. He is the one to stop the war? Would it be in her best interest to keep him on her side. She'd have to wait and see.

His last statement rang a bell in her head. He could be hallucinating. Tariel didn't know much of the island herself, because she simply couldn't survive on the land long enough with suffering from the dry air.

"Ocie, do you spend a lot of time on land?"

Tariel learned all she needed to know. Ocie is not fully naiad if he is dependent on air like this. And if he can go more than a few hours on land. He said his alliance was to this court, however, alliances can change easily depending on the circumstances.

She glanced towards the boy's chest at his gills, wondering how they functioned if he was not pure naiad. "If you enter the water through the temple's top room, you won't have to worry about breathing or being pressurized at these depths. You are free to go now, however, expect a message soon. When the recon team returns, we may need more information from you. I have business I still need to tend to, and don't have the time to spare to surface right now."

A normal trip to the surface was no quick walk in the park. The lake, despite being a lake, was still incredibly deep. And part of the business she needed to conduct was to send out investigators to validate Ocie's claims.

Sadron let out a chuff of disapproval. "Should we really have let that pipsqueak go?"

The naiad had flopped sideways over Tariel's throne, his tail flipping idly over one arm. His fingers were locked behind his head in a gesture of total though feigned relaxation. "Maybe someone should watch him. I'd offer, of course, but I now have trainees to handle... your majesty." He snarked with the raise of an eyebrow and a sarcastic grin that held no malice. Sadron was just being, well, Sadron. "Training tomorrow and whatnot."

He flashed Tari a cheeky smile.

Considering the circumstances, Tariel was stunned at how bold this boy was. And when he asked or the company of her bed, she was aghast. She may have a habit of keeping male company more often than any good girl would, but she was subtle about it, because it was her private life, not on display for any who seek to bed her. What happened between her and whoever she was with, stayed that way.

She jerked back when Turin's spear went towards Ocie's hand. She did not expect such action from him.

Tariel let Ocie leave without another word, knowing he needed the air. She turned towards her captain and commander. "If we had such a place to detain him and the forces to keep him detained, I would have. But for now, we have to trust our kind. Even half-breeds." She knew it was a bad idea, too. But she had no choice. Like Sadron pointed out, he was busy.

"Captain, keep an eye on him if he comes around the temple, or if you find him lurking around nearby. Do what you need to."

She moved towards her throne where Sadron had taken it upon himself to lounge. She considering grabbing his fin and flipping him to the floor, because she wanted to slouch herself, but she just stayed where she was, ready to retire to her own chambers for the remainder of the day.

But she remembered Turin's words, which she had not missed or ignored, but just wanted to conclude business first, and well, prolong the inevitable. Without looking towards him, she finally responded. "Right. Talk." She brought her hand up to rest on her forehead as she felt a headache begin to take over. This day had sucked, better to get all the pain out of the way at once, right? No sense in prolonging it.

She looked at Turin, who looked furious. Ocie was lucky he was dismissed. "I'm done here. I'll be in my chambers if anyone needs me. Sadron, try to not get your trainees killed."

The naiad queen gave kurt nods towards those still in attendance, and made her exit.

She regretted her actions, because losing the respect and admiration of her subjects meant a great deal to her. She tried to cover up her petty actions with noble, logical ones, even without the counsel of her court, but she knew in her heart it wasn't enough to convince anyone.

It wasn't until Ocie was likely near the surface before Turin let the tension relax from his taut stance, the sneer fading from his face. Dirty, little...

His thoughts were interrupted by the Queen's voice, and he was quick to acknowledge her orders. "Yes, Your Majesty," he nodded, silently adding '...it would be a pleasure...' Such dark thoughts did not normally make their home in the Captain's head, but it had been a stressful, trying day. He watched Tariel take her leave, and silently debated whether or not he needed to follow through with his intentions. Yes, they were both still likely upset, but....better now than letting things go on longer without resolution.

He sighed, letting his spear drop to his side. He gave Sadron a nod to acknowledge that he'd heard, but he really didn't have the energy for a clever response at the moment, only waved one hand dismissively at the commander. Turin's gaze cast over the throne room at any remaining Naiads, freezing as he caught Kelebek's eyes.

He had more than one woman to deal with regarding the aftermath of today's chaos.

Turin hesitated for a different reason, considering they'd not spent much time in public together...but was there anything left to hide anymore? Not really. Though, his first instinct was to go and give her a hug, because he knew it made her feel better...somehow, he wasn't sure if that would be the most appropriate action right now. It might just make things worse.

Instead, he'd dropped his eyes to his spear in his hands, then to the floor to the side. "I..." he started about the same time she did, and they both stopped as well. He looked awkward, then felt she was letting him continue, reached up to rub his neck awkwardly. "I'm...sorry about all this. I never meant to put you through this. You or the kids." Of course, he'd never wanted the truth to come out at all; then he'd never have had to put any of them through anything. But how realistic was that?

Turin's eyebrows shot up at the statement. Free? Did he want to be 'free?' What did that even mean? He couldn't just pretend like his children didn't exist. Even if they were grown, they were still his children. And hell, they were members of the Court now...or close enough.

Was this only a responsibility? Was that how he'd been treating it? In retrospect...he supposed he had. "Oh, Kel..." he murmured, setting his spear aside and placing his hands on her shoulders. He leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers and closing his eyes. There was still distance between them, but it was meant as a comforting gesture nonetheless. "I...I'm so sorry. I don't even know what the hell would make me happy anymore," he admitted honestly. There was so much damage done, so many hurt already, so much had changed...how could he ever hope to just be 'happy' again without it being tainted by all this?

Sadron sat on a rock outside the palace with a flask clutched tightly in his fist. He was exhausted, cranky, and pensive. The idea of the level of his bad mood made him chuckle dryly. With his tail he swirled circles into the murky lake bed, kicking up a fog of muddy water.

"What the hell do I do now?" he asked a passing fish. "Fish can't talk...Yep. I'm drunk."

The naiad let go of the flask, which settled to the bottom with its weight. With his elbows propped on his lap, Sadron let his head sink into his hands. He rubbed his weary eyes.

"THIS SUCKS!!!" He bellowed loudly, part stress relief and part drunken carousing.

As far as he was concerned, they might as well all die now. They were ill prepared for war. Hell, they could barely manage one court meeting without falling apart. He picked up the flask and thumbed at the cap.

"I, hereby, bequeath my darling disposition and my sexual prowess to you," Sadron roared at the poor brainless fish, raising the sealed flask in mock toast.