"Right," Gallus stood up, more enthused than he was about proposing the overland crossing, "Meesei and myself spoke more after the meeting yesterday, trying to come up with ideas for securing supplies or wealth for the journey. In the desperation of this matter, we delved into the possibility of less savoury pursuits. It was suggested to possibly steal a cargo ship from Torval for the food supplies within. In a miscommunication, I thought Meesei was trying to suggest transporting the clan via ships, but it sparked some inspiration."

Gallus leaned over the map and traced a route from the southern coast up the river Niben. "Orcrest stands surrouded by desert, but a sea route may be possible most of the way. See here," Gallus glanced up, then traced his route into the inlet that Meesei had spotted yesterday. "This finger of water here is the Larsius river. It flows from the higher parts of northern Anequina and may accommodate large ships to the northern border of Elsweyr, perhaps a little further. The distance from this point-" Gallus drew a sharp line from the top of the river to Orcrest, "-and Orcrest has some rough terrain, but is a shorter route through the deserts, and closer to existing settlements. Not to mention, travelling over water will be far faster than over land with so many people." Gallus pushed away from the table and began to pace around the room by habit. He held his hands flat together as he gathered the words to continue.

"Now, in an ideal world, we would be able to procure a number of secure, new, crewed ships from Torval without anyone noticing and sail on our merry way." Gallus said with his eyes up at the ceiling. His pacing slowed as he looked to the others again, "This of course is impossible, short of divine intervention, but there are attributes of this clan that put it in a unique position. The majority are Khajiit. Some are Argonians, but most are Khajiit. It was many decades ago that slavery was abolished throughout Tamriel, and not even the Aldmeri have reinstated it, but..." Gallus put a hand in the air coyly, "It still goes on in some parts of Nirn. No one in any port nearby would take on the entire clan on a whim, much less keep it a secret, but there are smugglers in Senchal, at this moment, who would only see mountains of gold in smuggling this much working flesh. We may not even need a large upfront payment with such a deal!" Gallus raised his voice, obviously enjoying the sound of it as he came to the latter parts of the master plan, "Unbeknownst to them, however, we will not go on to Morrowind! Because, before they even enter the Topal sea, they will be set upon by their own cargo. They will think they had loaded slaves to trade in their lives, but these criminals we fool will realise too late that they had filled their ships full of lycans. We could take over at any moment at sea, steer up the Niben, and into the Larsius."

Gallus then lowered his voice, "Of course, travel by sea brings its own problems. We would need crew, food and water, a large scale hunt preceding cast off for the best chance of keeping order. There would be perils as dangerous as the long trek through the desert, but we will not be condemning everyone to die. We would not have to spend time carpentering furniture in the hope that we will find clients who do not ask questions. There are arguments for, and against." Gallus found his seat and lowered himself into it, leaning his forearms against the table, "Colours here may have a contact in Senchal to get us in touch with the slave market. First, though, I would hear what the council's thoughts are."

[hr]
Sabine curled her lips, but with an air of mischief. "More than that, much more," she whispered, "Sorry I did not take care of my hair, but...it was hard to keep it straight on the bed."

Although Sabine did so slowly due to her muscles being so sore, she wrapped her arms around La'khay and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you again, La'khay."

Tzirret stood up momentarily to retrieve his own breakfast and returned within the minute. He was expecting to be nervous upon seeing La'khay, but he was surprisingly comfortable with her presence now. He even shot her a smile as he approached. Tzirret resumed his previous seat next to Peiter and took a mouthful of food, but he was curious about yesterday. He addressed Peiter so as not to interrupt Sabine and La'khay's hushed exchange. "So, what did Peiter get up to yesterday? Was it another sword lesson?"