Gallus' explanation of his plan created some surprised glances between the lieutenants, and even Ri'nakhad. It was not something that any of them had come close to considering. "You want us to...act like slaves?" Miranor said, almost exasperated with widened eyes. 

Meesei simply nodded calmly. "Slaves and slavers, yes. I have been putting thought into the story we could tell to the scum we hire. We could act as if we captured the majority of one of the desert's wandering tribes. As such, all of the Khajiit members of the clan would play the role of slaves, while everyone else would play the role of slavers. They would be transporting all of us, along with our supplies.  We could promise them a portion of our...stock, as payment, which they could keep upon delivery. We could trade them weapons and armor as well, if necessary. It does not matter what we promise them, since we will be turning on them after departure. Their equipment, supplies, and ships themselves will be ours. It is not a comfortable ruse to enact, I understand, but it solves both our time and supply problems. With us covering most of the distance by sea, we can cut what would be multiple months of travel down to less than one. We will still need to barter with the clan's resources to buy the supplies we need, but according to your report, it should not be difficult to do so."

"This one does not think this ruse will be easy to carry out." Jo'akith commented. His gaze went over to Ra'jorr for a few moments before continuing. "We have Pahmar among us, not to mention Senche. Those are not Khajiit who are taken as slaves; they are too dangerous. How could we ever convince them that the clan's members are legitimately slaves?"

"I have also been considering that issue." Meesei answered. There were some aspects of the clan that would be unusual for slaves, for which they would need to provide suitable explanations. "My thoughts are that we can say we have a special buyer for them among the Telvanni. Their wizard-lords are known for being eccentric at times, especially in their use of magic. Whether or not it is actually possible, it would be believable for us to say that a Telvanni wizard would be willing to attempt it. Of course, we will also need to have chains and other bindings to make their captivity seem reasonable. Mentioning threats towards their family would also explain why they are passive. But yes, overall, we will need to do everything we can to make the ruse as believable as possible while out at sea."

Miranor let out an uncomfortable sigh. "Alright, saying we do attempt this...plan, what would we need to do to make it believable?"

---

La'khay grinned widely at Sabine, patting her back as she hugged her. "Ah, La'khay knew he would love it, and give you some love because of it." She whispered to her with a chuckle. "You simply must tell La'khay all about it. Is he skilled? How long did it last? Do you want some advice?" She asked, not even hesitating to delve into the array of personal questions. Though, for La'khay, it was very easy to believe that she did not even see the questions as being personal at all. 

Peiter could not help but to smile with Tzirret's question. He was a bit curious to see his friend's reaction if he were to actually hear the truth, but he was not certain if Sabine would appreciate him mentioning it. She had not given him the full story when he asked a moment ago. He shot a glance to Sabine, who seemed preoccupied talking to La'khay, then returned his gaze to Tzirret. "No, it was a...test of endurance. Rather exhausting, overall." He answered.