The collective faces of Tescadji, Jenius, and Mericlou's family ran the full gamut of emotions as she and Aldrec wove the long tale of the events of the past two days. Despite the evident danger of which Jenius had repeatedly reminded them, they listened until its ending.
Though Mericlou took great pleasure in including the news of her marriage in the recount, and had had been relieved at her family's positive reactions, she had not been looking forward to revealing what she saw in Aldrec's silence room. Still, though Alaema's actions had hurt her deeply, she loved her sister, and wanted very much to understand her motivations behind it all. And as she came to this part of the tale, it was obvious by her brothers' expressions, along with those of Jenius, and Tesdcadji, combined with the deep guilt upon Alaema's face, that there was an even more involved story connected to what she knew.
And she had supposed correctly, as Tescadji and Jenius in turn, told of their own investigations: everything that had been going on under her nose for about half a year before. It soon became clear to her that Alaema had been busier than she had ever supposed. And rather than any challenge to the veracity of the elf and human, her sister's combined silence and tearful look of deepening culpability gave proof enough that she indeed had been the perpetrator of it all. By the time all explanations had ended, Skori was glaring menacingly at Alaema, who shook with guilty fear, seated alone in the couch with all eyes upon her.
"I think, sister," he said in his dreaded low voice, "that you are now the one who has some explaining to do."
"I … I was … just bored," Alaema at long last stammered after several false starts. Her voice was coming out barely audible. "I … didn't think any … harm would come of it, really! And I was getting sick of trying to be something I'm not."
"What mystifies me is how you were ever able to get such a busy man as Somiir Neska to listen to you," Garen said, trying with limited success to sound impartial. But once he saw Alaema's expression become even more downcast, he understood, as did everyone present.
Mericlou gasped, covering her mouth gingerly with the back of her hand.
"Oh, sister …" Noroa whispered disbelievingly. "You didn't …"
Alaema was now forced to confess that she had periodically been removing her memory buffers and satisfying her urges on the Republic News head anchorman, earning a profit in tandem while she provided him with information about Mericlou and Aldrec. Ironically, it turned out that the money that had allowed them to be able to afford their new house came not only by way of Mericlou's job in Aldrec's garden in Skainhart, but by the profits Alaema had gained through her repeated rendezvous with Mr. Neska.