08 Every Breath You Take

The Hearth finds out what Seven Fingers has been up to. 
"Once we've made a decision, we don't like to go back on it."
----With the reveal of Seven-Fingers being a member of House Iselsi, the Hearth question him: how did escape the House of Bells? How did he find them? Seven Fingers tells them that he had been ordered to find an escape route from the House of Bells and that, upon returning, had been shocked by the devastation. Pyres, Oresta, and Gale are suspicious of their professor, but step out to leave him to speak to Sientelle alone.
They discuss how they can possibly leverage Seven Fingers' reputation and skills in their fight against Vieren's legacy... until realizing that it's quiet in the dining room. Too quiet. Bursting in, Sientelle is on the ground, unconscious, and Seven Fingers stands over her. "Just cleaning house," he snarls as they leap for him. 
The fight is intense, with Seven Fingers lighting a blazing halo of fire above his head, raining devastation down on the others. Oresta is everywhere at once, defending her hearth, while Pyres, Fleuvienne, and Gale try to get a hit in on their opponent. Oresta manages to knock him down and keep him there, and while Fleuvienne and Pyres go down amidst the flames, Gale severs Seven Fingers arm to end the fight. "The Realm will fall because of your close-mindedness..." he hisses before dying. Oresta gets Veej in to fight the fire before taking the Hearth outside to rest. 
Gale reaches out to Bracken, who arrives to help them sort out the mess. Touring the scene of the battle and examining Sientelle, she confirms that Seven Fingers must have tried to poison her... perhaps even using the same kind of poison as Vieren did on Juwinn? The Hearth are at a loss as to how they need to report the death of Seven Fingers so as to not start a civil war between Houses Cathak and Peleps; perhaps by drawing Vieren out to investigate the fight, more evidence can be unearthed to tie Seven Fingers to his side in the conflict, thus undermining him?
At dinner that night, Oresta's family's servants, led by Veej, salute the Hearth for having saved their home, celebrating the Princes of the Earth. Gale and Fleuvienne commiserate over the fight, with Gale admitting that Sientelle's fate was too close for comfort. Meanwhile, Sientelle is telling Oresta that she believes her house is worth fighting for. "So are you," the Earth aspect tells her.
Oresta's father Cathak Dawan approaches Pyres to ask him what it is he really wants: he is, after all, supposed to be Cathak's great scion! Pyres asks for a private space, Oresta's old gym. But before he can start what he intends to do, Veej brings him a letter... from Maral!
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Category:EXA-Ep