The remainder of the morning's meal passed by neither incident nor conversation. Both Lao and his apprentices sat in almost total silence amid the cluttered sounds of surrounding talk from around the hall. Lao tuned most of the extraneous noise (and just about everything else) out, wrapping his thoughts on his more pressing concerns. The impending conferral with the priests weighed heavily on his mind and translated in his body through tension and labored-looking movements as he consumed his breakfast. Almost as heavy was the weight of where the day would go from the conferral; he might have to improvise if things ran too long with the wise men.
Without realizing it, he had hastily finished his meal. Still preoccupied with the matters at hand, his fork clan against his plate three times before he became aware that there was no food left on it. He rubbed his temple and threw his attention back to the hall and the people. His students in particular took the brunt of this attention. He had noticed it, albeit as glancing feelings, while he was eating: they were as troubled by the unknown news as he was, and, most of them, more anxious than he, to find out what that news was.
"The day isn't getting any longer I suppose," he said at last, breaking the silence. Sliding his seat back he came to a graceful, authoritative stand. Giving the hall a sweeping look around, he continued. "Breakfast is over. We're going to meet with the priests now." Leaving his plate and silverware in a bin for the castle's stewards, he proceeded out of the hall, retracing the steps he had walked that morning, returning to the corridor wherein his apprentices slept. A short way from that wing, he arrived where Victor had directed. Outside of the door he turned to his apprentices. "Be respectful of these men. They are, perhaps, of greater wisdom than my own. You are to speak to them as you might speak to me."
He turned back around and knocked on the door three times.
"Enter," as low voice replied. "We have left it unlocked."
Lao opened the door slowly into the room. As short as their stay had been, the priests had taken liberties with their decor: the lighting was kept low, the window blocked for an almost total darkness. The only light in the room came from candles placed around the room; each priest, three in number, had one by their bedside, with a set of nine set in a circle upon a round table in the center of the room. Around that table sat four chairs, three of which were placed on one side, and occupied by a trio of white-hooded figures. The fourth chair, to which Lao himself proceeded, sat on the side closest the door.
"Be seated," the figure in the middle instructed, nodding towards Lao.
"And close the door behind you," added the one on the right, pointing towards the apprentices as they entered.
"I thought we asked to speak with him in private." The figure on the left spoke, noticeably casting a gaze around at the apprentices.
"Worry not," Lao said, taking his seat as requested. "These young ones are my apprentices. I see this meeting as a valuable installment in their training."
The priests huddled together, murmuring to each other before the middle one looked up and responded. "Very well."
"So then." Lao pressed on, not wasting any further time. He leaned in just slightly, resting his arms upon the table. "Since that's cleared up, why have come here, and what news do you have for me?"
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