Ana Dolabra and Din Kol interview Immunis Kalista in the arbitration room. Kalista denies warning the Hazas directly about the investigation, but admits she contacted Commander Hovanes of the Apoths, her companion at the Haza party and the person who likely relayed the information. Kalista describes the event as an elaborate, carefully controlled ceremony; she saw Nusis only briefly, did not see Jolgalgan or anyone dirty, and reports a later commotion about a small second-floor hall fire followed by a strong “goat’s piss” smell.

Next, Immunis Uhad confirms Kaygi Haza has been dead for over two weeks and warns Ana that the Hazas will retaliate politically. Uhad delivers an overwhelming, engraver-like torrent of observations from the party, but offers no link between Blas, Kaygi, and Oypat beyond the shared dappleglass context. As Din escorts Uhad out, Uhad cautions Din about “displacements,” a psychological affliction where scents or objects forcibly trigger vivid memories, advising an ascetic life to reduce triggers.

Finally, Immunis Nusis reports she has made no progress identifying the reagents portal key via pheromonic telltales. When asked about the hall fire and the urinal-like scorch smell Din found in the fireplace, Nusis identifies the likely cause as blackperch mushrooms—an abandoned Apoth fire starter from Rathras that can flare unpredictably and smells foul afterward. Ana reacts as if this creates a troubling timing problem, because blackperch typically flares immediately upon contact with flame.

Ana then presses Nusis about why Oypat fell. Nusis explains the Empire attempted to create a dappleglass “cure” graft and produced twenty test vials, but scaling it required Preservation Board approvals; concerned cantons demanded studies and delayed deployment until it was too late. Oypat was evacuated, then destroyed with a phalm oil burn and sealed. Nusis adds that later retesting found some vials degraded, leaving the cure’s true effectiveness uncertain.

When Ana asks which cantons led the protests, Nusis names Juldiz, Bekinis, Qabirga, and Mitral—the same four destinations tied to Blas’s secretary’s money trail and Kaygi’s scribe-hawk messages. After Nusis leaves, Din notes the match, and Ana confirms she does not yet know the meaning, only that the pattern is “very interesting indeed.”