"Every city has corruption, but it is not like Senchal." Jo'akith answered. "It is our capital, however, and the seat of the Mane. Its port is not as large as Senchal's, but it of course has much trade. Its largest crop by far is moon sugar. There are fields of it farther than the eye can see, even beyond the Mane's private crop at the palace. Most of the naive businessmen in Torval try to purchase and export it, because of its low price in the city. Trying to trade in large amounts of food and other supplies might seem strange...though, this one supposes you might be able to evade suspicion by buying food with moon sugar. Even so, we have to consider the cost of this plan. We do have resources to trade, but they are not endless."

Ra'jorr nodded in agreement. "Yes, to make such a journey, even moving along the fastest route between oases, we will need to purchase a great deal of supplies. Food, water barrels, and not to mention something to keep them preserved. We would need to take stock of what exactly the clan has in its possession, but even if we do have enough, this one thinks that we will have very little left over afterwards. Few weapons, hides, materials for our camps. We will have nothing but scraps of food and empty water barrels when we arrive at the Orcrest clan."

Meese was glad to hear Ri'nakhad and his lieutenants at least entertaining the idea, but the points they brought up were certainly valid. "Based on the last reports, the Orcrest clan is in a strong position. They recently expanded their stronghold, and should be able to supply us once we arrive. I certainly understand the concerns of how it will affect us during the journey. To see where we stand, could you take stock of what you have available for trade?"

Although he was hesitant about the idea over all, Ri'nakhad nodded. "Of course, Champion, though it will take time."

---

Peiter began to laugh as he ran his hands across her form. "I don't know, I have to...think of some words to describe it. Enraptured, ecstasy? Those work pretty well. I feel closer to you than I've ever felt with anyone."

At the moment, it seemed like neither of them could speak for long without interrupting themselves with a kiss. There was still energy and passion between them, so even after he stopped his kiss, he showed no signs of wanting to let her go. They had already undone much of the work they had put into bathing themselves at the river, but that was an inconsequential concern at the moment for Peiter. "I feel energized, excited. I feel like I never want to let you go." He added, giving a brief pause as another thought entered his mind. He gave a grin, and another kiss before continuing. "You know, we [i]could[/i] try to make a day of this, if you think you can?" He suggested in much the same playful tone as he would if he were challenging her to something like a race. What they were doing was new, and exciting. Now that he had moved past the fear of trying it for the first time, he found himself approaching it differently. If they continued, it was possible that others might wonder where they had been all day, but that was the furthest thought from his mind, as he was too caught up in the moment.