Lianda waves when she spots Ena and takes the last few steps quickly. "Hey," she calls, softly. "Thought you weren't hanging around?"

Ena shrugs. "I wanted to talk to you some more. About that issue earlier."

Her sister nods. "I know a place we can go. It's fairly discrete."

"That works," Ena says. "Lead the way."

The little cafe Lianda takes her to has music, and private booths, and enough background noise to make hearing other people nearly impossible, without so much that they need to raise their voices. The staff don't even blink at Lianda and her company, and fill Lianda's request for somewhere out of the sunlight without a fuss.

Serana situates herself in the darkest corner of the booth and pulls her ever-present hood back, tucking a stray lock of black hair behind one ear. Her skin's smooth, fuller than it was before, and she's relaxed and languid.

Lianda sits directly across from Ena, puts her elbows on the table, clasps her hands, and leans forward (so that's where Runa got that from). "So," she says, once their orders have been taken. "Talk."

Ena nods. "You need to get your family out of Solitude," she says. "At least for a little while. A vacation. Visit friends. - I'd almost suggest Hammerfell except the entire mess there."

Lianda levels her with an unimpressed glare. "Is this mystery assassin of yours a threat to my family?"

Ena makes a so-so gesture. "Probably not. But they won't be above using your kids to get to you. The city gives - too many opportunities."

"Ena," Lianda says, voice flat. "I'm not accepting that. Not without an explanation."

"I've explained! You pissed someone off, the Brotherhood's after you - " Ena says, exasperated (and hiding a mild worry).

"No. No, you haven't." Lianda cuts her off, making a sharp gesture. "Don't give me any bullshit about rumors. You know something. Something more than 'someone made a contract.'"

"I can't, not right now - you and Serana should leave, rather than dawdling, maybe with your family, maybe on whatever business - in secret, preferably - " Ena says quickly.

Lianda shakes her head. "The roads aren't safe. I was attacked nearly ten times coming back here with Runa, and that was months ago, before the dragon attacks got bad this far north, before the Civil War heated up, before people started vanishing in the night. Even if I could teleport them, there's nowhere safe to go. Hammerfell? One of these days those agents will figure out what happened, if they haven't already, and it's quagmired in its own problems. Whiterun? Is likely to be the first major battle-site of the Civil War. Raven Rock? I'd be trading one set of monsters for another. Dragonbridge? That's practically front lines. A pilgrimage? Almost all of the shrines for the Divines are contested in the war, and Meridia's shrine is too far from any backup if undead try to take it again. Markarth is embroiled in their own war with the Forsworn. Falkreath is close to the densest concentration of dragons. Windhelm doesn't like me. Winterhold doesn't even have walls. Riften is a hive of villainy, and the Thieves' Guild has connections to the Brotherhood. Dawnstar is probably the safest, and that's barely by anything at all - and it's also likely to be an early battle. Rural areas are being increasingly targeted by minor undead, by werewolves, by strange creatures..."

"Okay, I get it, the world's practically on Oblivion's doorstep," Ena says, cutting off the list of everywhere too dangerous for children. "But here's not much better - "

Lianda raises a hand. "No. It is. The Brotherhood wants to pick a fight with me? Let them. My blade is sharp enough. This, of course, would be easier if you would tell me who their assassin even is."

"I don't know," Ena says, but the lie is weak.

"Ena." Lianda's tone brooks no argument. "I know you're up to your neck in assorted shit. You always are. You always have been. Now stop lying."

Ena glances to Serana. No help there. And back to Lianda...

Ena gestures for Lianda to give her a moment, and leans back. Not only does she need to think, she needs to spin what she's going to say. Flat out deception doesn't seem to be working all that well. She's tempted to get up and leave. Storm out, even if Lianda might try to stop her. Plenty of arguments have ended that way before. Alternatively, there's a part of her that wants to just - put her cards on the table. Tell the truth. Possibly even all of it.

That feels risky, though. Ena's not sure it's rejection she's scared of - they've had the sorts of fights that would shatter the closest of bonds before, and they eventually recover. But, well, joining the Dark Brotherhood is a few steps past what Ena's done in prior times.

There's got to be a middle road, though, but - she's not sure there's any explanation that doesn't mention some link to the Brotherhood. But there's nothing saying she has to admit to full membership.

"I have connections. People I know, mostly in the Brotherhood's contacts but in the organization itself, too. People who like to gossip, especially when a high profile target's chosen. The assassin is Babette, an infiltration specialist, and a vampire who looks like a child. She's old, and she's powerful. If she attacked you, I think you'd win, but she's too smart to attack you openly." Ena takes a deep breath. "She's already here in Solitude, and she's spoken to Sofie, and possibly some of the others."

Lianda goes very, very still, in a way that makes the hairs on the back of Ena's neck rise. "So she plans to worm her way into my family, and kill me from there?" Lianda asks, voice deceptively mild.

Ena nods. "She's flexible, though, and there's another assassin in the area she can call on for backup - Festus Krex, a magic specialist, and the Brotherhood's second most experienced assassin."

"Well," Lianda says. "I don't suppose the Brotherhood takes messages?"

That makes Ena hesitate. "Some contracts are dropped or shelved, if they're deemed too costly in lives, but the leader very well might decide this one's worth pressing on - both for revenge and to rebuild the Brotherhood's fame."