Gallus bit on his lower lip for a moment. For all his excitement over the plan, his knowledge was limited. "I must admit that growing up cooped up in the snowy wilds with a lycan clan has largely removed me from the very concept of slavery. I do not know how exactly it is meant to work." Gallus nodded to Meesei, "We will need bindings to give the illusion of security, I suppose, but nothing we cannot force out of by transforming. I would guess that there are not many buyers out there, so we would need a name for a client as well. Hmm...civil clothing for those dressing as slavers, I should think. We do not want them suspecting something different. We may even need to research this black market personally." Gallus took a slow breath, but found himself qualified no further. He instead turned to Colours, their contact, "What do you think, Colours? Have you seen how slave transport works?"

---

"I...think I lost count," Sabine continued to whisper, "but we 'made a day of it'. With breaks." Sabine seemed a little nervous to talk about it, but she was actually excited that she could talk with La'khay about it at all. She felt she could be accepted by her now.

Sabine glanced to Peiter again, thankfully he was caught up in his own conversation. The whispers continued in La'khay's direction, "The first time was in the river, the first time for both of us. I took a while to...be ready, and it hurt, but it got better when we went to our room and tried it more." Sabine giggled, "Much better. We tried new things, but we were too tired by dinner to keep going." Sabine's grin shrank into a smile, "Maybe...I will ask advice when we do not have to whisper."

Tzirret smiled in understanding to Peiter and nodded. "A test of endurance...well," Tzirret snorted, "If Sabine made Peiter this tired, perhaps she is getting close to outrunning him." Tzirret let out a small laugh in spite of Peiter, but didn't dwell on it.

"This one went to the river again yesterday. He met some new friends in the clan," Tzirret said happily, making light of his usual crippling anxiety in such matters. "They are very nice Khajiit."

Colors nodded to Gallus. He had seemed at least somewhat nervous being at the meeting, but once he was asked about something he actually knew about, he felt more comfortable speaking. "Yeah, I've seen it. And no, I've never traded in slaves before. No matter what you think of my...profession, even I was above that. Still, I saw what the ships were like. The slaves were stripped of everything: clothing, belongings, dignity. They were chained up below decks to each other, and to the ship. They were tightly packed, shoulder-to-shoulder when standing. The whole scene left a bad taste in my mouth. For the clan, we will probably need at least two ships for transport, but that won't be a problem for the contact I have."

Meesei clasped her hands together, looking straight ahead with a severe expression. "If so, then that is what we will have to attempt to recreate. Fortunately, it is not an illusion we will have to endure for too long. Once we are out at sea, and safely away from any Dominion patrols, or means of escape for the slavers, then we can turn and capture the ships. Although, we may not be able to bring enough clothing and bedrolls for everyone. I am certain that any cargo we bring aboard will be searched, and it would be suspicious if we brought enough for all of the 'slaves' to be comfortable. Hopefully, we will at least be able to craft enough bedrolls from the leather and cloth we scavenge from aboard the ships. Everything else, we should distribute to the children, elderly, and if necessary, wounded first."

"Ri'nakhad..." He began, giving a heavy sigh as he looked down at the map once more. He traced a claw across their new planned route, comparing it to the one they had proposed before. "...may see the wisdom in this plan. Being able to keep this one's clan safe and supplied during the journey is his greatest concern. Ri'nakhad recognizes that it is not as dangerous as it would first seem to submit ourselves to such captivity. The chains they would give us would not be designed for lycans. We could escape at any time, and on a ship, they would be no match for us. This, Ri'nakhad recognizes. But, there may be some in the clan who will not. To submit not only one's self, but their family and children to such conditions, even for a short time, is an understandably terrifying prospect. This one wants you to understand that."

---

La'khay was leaned in towards Sabine, giggling along with her through her explanation. "All day, you say? My, the energy of youth; it makes this one jealous. La'khay is glad to have helped you experience it. She is certain she can give you the advice to make the next time better. Just find her after breakfast."

Meanwhile, Peiter chuckled at Tzirret's brief taunt. "Well... the 'race' was fun, regardless." He responded, scarcely keeping himself from laughing. When Tzirret mentioned that he had actually went off and made new friends on his own however, it certainly piqued Peiter's interest, and brought La'khay back into the conversation. She was about to find a way to ask him about it, but he actually brought it up himself.

La'khay looked over to Tzirret with a genuine smile. "You went and made friends? That is great news; it had been terrible seeing you always look so alone and anxious. La'khay imagines they would be around here somewhere, maybe you should introduce them?"

What Colours described was worse conditions than Gallus had expected, but it made sense given the general attitude towards slaves.

"I...can understand your reservations, Ri'nakhad," Gallus offered, speaking carefully, "If it will help the matter...we need not necessarily keep extend the ruse for longer than it takes to steal the slavers' ships. If we simply commandeer their ships, we will risk suspicion from any patrols we encounter, and we will not have the slavers' expertise in that matter, but then no one need be in chains at all. The important part is to get the ships and the supplies." Gallus angled his head and looked to the table, "Although, there will still not be very much personal space for everyone."

---

A hint of Tzirret's former self came across his demeanour, making him lower his ears and bend forward. "Oh, uh, Tzirret would not want to impose. They have breakfast with their prides, he thinks."

Sabine had brightened up and looked to Tzirret when he mentioned making friends as well. It was no wonder he had been in such a good mood. Nonetheless, she was not going to let him keep himself down. She wanted to meet them as well. "Come, Tzirret, we will not make them hate you!" she encouraged, "Where are they? It will only take a moment to exchange names."

Tzirret knew Sabine wasn't being entirely true. They would chat and possibly share just how much of a coward Tzirret normally was. Still, looking at Sabine and La'khay, they would not be letting this go if he argued. Tzirret instead straightened again and looked around the cooking fires. "Um...there is Ma'tanza and M'ibasa...and Bheja," Tzirret said as he spotted them, "I do not know where Qa'habi is, probably nearby."

With a friendly look, Sabine stood up and gently tugged on Peiter's hand to do the same so they could speak with Tzirret's new friends. Tzirret frantically tried to stand up faster and ended up stuffing the rest of his breakfast in his mouth so he could hopefully prevent any embarrassments unimpeded. They approached the group with Tzirret's cheeks puffed with food and taking under-chewed mouthfuls.

"It will be cramped, I don't doubt, but it will get better once we take over the crew quarters." Colors commented, somewhat reassuringly. "All of the non-Khajiit will need to look the part of slavers. Just look tough, basically. If not armor, then at least some more 'civilized' wilderness clothes. The biggest problem I can think of right now is what to do about the non-Khajiit children. It isn't exactly common for slaver bands to bring their families along, you know?"

There was a few moments of silence at the table as they thought about that particular issue. Much of this plan relied on giving proper appearances, else the slavers could possibly flee with their ships before they could be boarded. And, any non-Khajiit children would be out of place, unless they too were slaves.

"Hmm...is there any way to justify those children being among the slaves as well?" Meesei asked Colors.

Colors scratched his head in thought. His expression was at first worried, though it did become more encouraging the longer he considered the question. "Well, the specific contacts I have in mind don't really care about race. Some of them are Khajiit themselves. It's just about the gold for them, so if we said we did some pillaging along the way, maybe took the children from some caravans while we were making our way south, I doubt they'd be too suspicious. In fact, they've done the same thing before. They might start putting things together eventually, but we'd have turned on them by then."

Meesei nodded. "Good. It will only be temporary, so no one will need to remain in bondage for long. Ri'nakhad, are you comfortable enough with this plan that you would agree to it?"

Ri'nakhad was silent, and instead looked to his council. Miranor seemed hesitant, but eventually nodded. "If it means we will all get to Orcrest safely, then I can agree."

Jo'akith held a similar expression, but he too agreed. "As long as we ensure none of those slaver scum survive, Jo'akith will help with this plan."

"Ra'jorr and his warriors have the strength and humility to play the role of both slave and slaver. He is worried about our civilians, but will do everything he can to allay their fears." The Pahmar added.

Ra'kalesh was perhaps the most uncomfortable at the table when he spoke, as his thoughts brought him back to very unpleasant memories. "Ra'kalesh and his pride have experienced the terror of bondage in all too recent of memory, but...for the sake of the clan's safety, he can put on this illusion."

Ri'nakhad gave a final nod. "Then it is decided. This is the course we will follow. There will be many details to plan, and we will need to move the clan closer to Senchal, but with Hircine's blessing, we will face no losses in this journey."

---

The first to notice Tzirret and the others approach out of their group was Bheja, as he was facing towards them. In addition to his loincloth, he was wearing several pouches, along with a knife on his hip and a spear leaned against the log next to him. In all likelihood, he was going to head to training shortly. He waved at Tzirret, and looked curiously at Peiter and Sabine. Seeing as there were non-Khajiit present, he spoke in Cyrodilic. "Ah, hello Tzirret. Are these members of your pack?"

Ma'tanza had been facing the other direction, so she only turned around once Bheja pointed him out. While Bheja looked like he had been up for a while, she had likely only woken up a few minutes prior. Her fur was bedraggled, and she gave a yawn before she waved and spoke up. Notably, she had not yet gotten dressed, so her full proportions were plainly visible. "Good morning." She greeted. M'ibasa was sitting next to her, though he was simply looking up at them, wondering what they were actually saying.

La'khay stood slightly back from the others and simply observed. She actually felt proud of Tzirret for following her advice, even moreso when she saw who it was he had befriended.

"Excellent," Gallus gave a respectful smile, "Now, as for those details, there is a list of things to go through, but for now, we might allocate a group to pick up the clothes and shackles we'll need. My pack is available, as always, but anyone appropriate would do."

---

Tzirret returned Bheja's wave while he chewed and approached. It took a few more moments to finish his mouthful, but once he did, he spoke on behalf of those he had brought. "Yes, well...Peiter here is Tzirret's pack brother," Tzirret gestured to each person as he shared their name, "Sabine is part of the champion's pack, and La'khay is part of Ra'kalesh's pack that we rescued on our way here." Tzirret smiled nervously, "They are all friends."

Turning to one side, Tzirret spoke to the others, gesturing to his new friends similarly. "This is Bheja, M'ibasa, and Ma'tanza." Tzirret looked to M'ibasa, with Ma'tanza's body as an involuntary way point, "M'ibasa does not speak Cyrodilic, I think. Good morning, M'ibasa." Tzirret switched to Ta'agra to greet the younger sibling.

"Good morning," Sabine said with a bright look, "It is nice to meet you. I am glad that Tzirret got over his fears and made new friends."

Tzirret very slightly cringed uncomfortably at Sabine's words. Exactly what he feared was taking place. Of course it would be the reserved but blunt Sabine that would reveal his anxious nature. He only hoped that Peiter and La'khay would not exacerbate it.

Ri'nakhad nodded in agreement. "Anyone who will not raise suspicion is a good choice. If you are volunteering, then you can take that role. This one would just recommend that you bring Colors with you. He can help you to obtain those items without drawing attention. It will, of course, have to wait until we can move the entire clan closer to the city. Senchal is several weeks away from here by land after all."

---

Bheja looked up to La'khay once she was introduced. He had giver her a curious look before, as if he could not decide on something in his mind, but he seemed to reach a conclusion once he heard her name. "Yeah, I thought I recognized you. You're from Ra'kalesh's pride? I heard yesterday that he was made a lieutenant. A Whispering Fang monk seems like the perfect person for that kind of a role."

La'khay smiled back at Bheja. "Yes, all of us were proud of him. Though, La'khay is just glad to be back safely."

As for Peiter, his eyes widened ever so slightly when Ma'tanza turned around. His gaze moved downward briefly, though fortunately, the fact that she was sitting meant he had to look down anyway. Otherwise, he simply waved with a smile and did not yet join in the conversation.

Ma'tanza gave Sabine a curious glance. "Really? What would Tzirret have to fear. He is a big and strong werewolf; he demonstrated that quite well when this one's brother tried to wrestle him at the river." She commented, grinning as she rubbed the top of her brother's head. "Although, both of us together were able to pin him down."

Tzirret's eyes went to Sabine worriedly. He could not think of how to interrupt just yet.

Being oblivious of Tzirret's approach with the group, Sabine frowned and raised an eyebrow with confusion at Ma'tanza's description of him. "He was not nervous at all?" Sabine asked with a hint of surprise, "Are you sure it was Tzirret you met? Tzirret has always been nervous about talking to new people. I did not even know he was capable doing as much on his own-"

"Hey, Why must Sabine doubt Tzirret?" Tzirret said in a high pitched, defensive tone, "He was not scared. Just..." Tzirret clutched his forearm and looked away, but kept a defensive tone, "He was a bit nervous. Who wouldn't be?"

Sabine was quietly astonished for a moment, but then she smiled and chortled at Tzirret's overreaction. "We are proud of you anyway, Tzirret."

Tzirret let out a huff. "It is just meeting new people," Tzirret mumbled without making eye contact. He then looked to Ma'tanza and felt as if he needed to try and restore his veneer. "These ones like to tease me sometimes," he said, managing a weak smile, "That is all this is."

It was only then that Sabine took the hint about the situation. For Tzirret's sake, she did not want to ruin it for him. "So..." Sabine asked with friendly eyes. Her gaze landed on Bheja and his equipment, "Are you going on a hunt today?"

Ma'tanza laughed. "They tease you? Well, then they remind Ma'tanza of her brother here." She said, putting her arm around him and pulling him close. He started to grumble, likely because he was annoyed at his sister continually touching him without knowing why. "Pushing Ma'tanza into the river, stealing her clothes, or soul gems, throwing spiders in her fur. He loves causing trouble." She turned and looked at Peiter and Sabine more directly. "Though, this one guesses your schemes are more elaborate. Be careful, this one might just help Tzirret even the score." She joked.

Once Sabine asked about Bheja, he reached over and grabbed his spear, then set it across his lap. "Not exactly, I'm not really a hunter. I just have training today. A lot of us in the clan are learning how to fight; I don't really want to be a warrior, honestly, but we aren't in need of as many farmers right now."

As they spoke, the group might have heard heavy, ponderous footsteps steadily approaching behind them. Sticks and leaves crackled under its feet, until it walked up directly behind Tzirret, blocking the sun and casting him in shadow. When Peiter turned around to see what it was, his eyes widened again, though for an entirely different reason. This being was none other than a Senche-raht. It was a Khajiit twice the height of a normal Senche, and even more massive. The Imperials often referred to them as "battlecats," and with good reason. This Senche-raht looked like it had more muscle just in its thighs than Peiter had in his whole body. It was almost hard to believe that such a being could exist, let alone be an actual person.

Once the Senche-raht stopped, Ma'tanza smiled. She quite literally jumped up from where she was sitting and walked to Tzirret, then past him to reach up and hug the massive Khajiit around the neck. "You're back! Those patrols always take way too long." She said before turning her head back to the others. "This is Ma'tanza's big sister, S'nishi."

Sabine grinned at Ma'tanza. It actually might be some fun to have some competition from Tzirret if this girl would help him. After that, Sabine was about to respond to Bheja when the sun was blotted out behind her. She turned around and took in a breath at the sheer size of the Senche-raht that crept up to them, but she was not overly fearful.

On the other hand, Tzirret's reaction was to tense up as he slowly rotated to look at the monstrous Khajiit. His mouth hung open and he stood, paralysed. He thought the Senche from yesterday was big. He could not have imagined this. He was brought to his senses by Ma'tanza lovingly embracing the behemoth.

"Your...big sister?" Tzirret said, failing to sound unafraid. To describe S'nishi as 'big' seemed redundant. Tzirret took a breath and laughed uneasily. "Tzirret has...never met a Senche-raht before." He almost extended a hand, but retracted it as he realised the idiocy of trying to shake hands here, "It is nice...to...meet you, S'nishi."

"So, this is what Rhazii would have grown up to be if he was born early," Sabine said to herself, fascinated. She grinned and waved, "Greetings."

S'nishi have a deep grunt and a nod in response as a greeting. Just as with all quadrupedal Khajiit, she could not speak naturally, so she would have to rely on body language and writing. Ma'tanza charged a spell in her hand for a few moments, then used a light wave of telekinetic energy to brush away the leaves on the ground in front of her so she would have a place to write.

"Ma'tanza's sister is the only Senche-raht left in the clan. She is one of our warriors. Or, a scout, right now. She helps to keep us all safe, and Ma'tanza couldn't be more proud of her." She explained, prompting S'nishi to lightly brush against her shoulder with her forehead.

Ma'tanza gestured towards the others as she looked to her sister. "This is Tzirret, Sabine, and Peiter. They came to the clan with the Champion."

Upon the mention of the Champion, S'nishi's expression turned to obvious surprise.

"Wait, do you...right, you've been away. The Champion of Hircine is here. She has come to help us, and they are part of her pack, and the one that came with her." Ma'tanza explained.

While the others were speaking, M'ibasa was slowly creeping up behind Ma'tanza with a mischievous smile that was easily recognizable. He was carrying something in his hand, but until he was right next to Ma'tanza, it was difficult to tell what it was. He held it up next to her head, just in the periphery of her vision. When she turned her head to look what it was, she saw his hand holding what appeared to be a scorpion by its stinger. Immediately, she let out a deafening, high pitched scream, and quite literally began to run away while M'ibasa chased her in circles around the group.

Tzirret still had his eyes fixed on S'nishi as M'ibasa was creeping up, so he jumped in place when Ma'tanza shrieked. He lowered his stance and looked this way and that, searching for danger, but found none. The situation slowly dawned on him and he couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

Sabine noticed a bit too late, almost asking M'ibasa what he was trying to do, but not before the scream. She didn't laugh like Tzirret did, instead opting to watch on silently. She wasn't familiar enough with the dynamic between M'ibasa and Ma'tanza to know what to make of it.

In their next lap around, Tzirret thought to try and help and walked towards where M'ibasa was coming past. As swiftly as he could, he snatched M'ibasa's wrist to stop him. This had the unfortunate effect of allowing the scorpion to be struck free from M'ibasa's grasp and straight onto Tzirret's arm. When the tickle of the scorpion's legs grasped Tzirret's fur, he remembered in that instant that he wasn't too fond of scorpions either. M'ibasa was released. Tzirret's face contorted in terror. He yelped and leapt back in reaction, frantically brushing the creature off his arm. The scorpion tried to skitter away as soon as it landed and Tzirret clutched his arm with wide eyes, watching it and taking quick breaths through his teeth.

Now Sabine felt right to laugh a bit. "It is just a scorpion," Sabine commented.

Tzirret did not change his demeanour. "Yeah...just a scorpion," he repeated, trying to reassure himself more than Ma'tanza. He looked over to her anyway, "Is Ma'tanza alright?"

Throughout the entirety of the chase, S'nishi did nothing but laugh. Although, the deep, bellowing vocals would likely have been intimidating in any other context. Even Peiter could not help but to snicker. He attempted to hide it at first, but once he noticed the Senche-raht laughing, or what he assumed was laughing, he became more comfortable showing his amusement. Bheja's reaction was similar, as he stood and watched from the other side of them, though he knew from the beginning that he could laugh without fear.

Once M'ibasa had lost his scorpion, he quickly scampered off around the tents, hiding himself away somewhere else in the camp. Ma'tanza did not notice at first, so when she finally stopped, he was nowhere to be seen. She growled in annoyance while she looked around for any sign of him, but resigned herself to let out a sigh and walk back over to the rest of the group. "Well, that...wasn't embarrassing at all. You can see why this one says her brother is a troublemaker. He loves doing that around strangers. If mother were here, she would straighten him up in a second. Don't worry, Ma'tanza will get him back, though. This one doesn't like spiders, and scorpions, and those strange, bug-like things with the big claws that live in the river...but he is terrified by centipedes. Ma'tanza thinks he will find one in his bedroll tonight."

Ma'tanza took in another deep breath to calm herself. Looking down at her own body, she started to grumble. "Great, now her chest is sore. This one hates running without her wrap. M'ibasa knows it too." She commented.

While Tzirret was about to ask about what clawed creatures Ma'tanza was referring to, he couldn't quite take in breath all the way in before the subject turned to something more awkward for him. He found his eyes going down to Ma'tanza's chest again and found that he did not have any words to respond.

Sabine being Sabine, she was not discouraged in the slightest. "Oh, that would be painful," she commented sympathetically, "I had a friend in the Bruma clan with a similar problem. She had to wear a tight leather jerkin whenever she did any running. It looked like it made it hard to breathe." Oblivious to the awkwardness, Sabine looked down and cupped her own chest. Although she wore a light hide top that supported her, the lean build she had was nowhere near as endowed at Ma'tanza. "I count myself lucky, not being too big." Sabine put her hands down and looked up to Ma'tanza again, "You know, if the pain gets too much, I could make an ointment for you to rub on the surface. It helps to keep away soreness and inflammation. It is good for joints as well."

Tzirret was agape as only certain words from Sabine filtered into his mind. Tight leather jerkin...hard to breathe...too big...rub on the surface...At that point, Tzirret had to close his eyes and shiver his head to come back to his senses. "U-um, what was it Ma'tanza said about clawed creatures in the river?" Tzirret said quickly, trying not to dwell on the previous subject, "Do you mean dreugh? This one did not know they were in the river." Tzirret's face turned concerned, "By Hircine, and we were swimming in it like there was nothing..."

Ma'tanza listened with interest to Sabine. She was about to speak up when Tzirret suddenly mentioned the creatures she was talking about. Although, he started to say something about dreugh, which just caused her to laugh and shake her head. "No, no, there are no dreugh in there. The water is much too shallow for them. No, these little...monsters are bottom feeders. They're like...underwater scorpions, just without a stinger. They're terrifying to look at. Everyone is always telling Ma'tanza that they won't hurt her, but she doesn't believe it."

Bheja let out a sigh. "Ma'tanza, crayfish aren't dangerous. Even if you step on one, it will probably just scurry away."

"Hmph, says you." Ma'tanza retorted. Although, likely to Tzirret's dismay, she had not gone away from the prior topic. "Anyway, this one knows exactly what you're talking about. Her breasts are far too large. Bheja thinks it's a good thing, but this one doesn't see how. They're too heavy, and hurt if they bounce around. Ma'tanza usually had a length of cloth that she wraps around them for support. It definitely helps, though it's uncomfortable in its own way. This one wishes hers were like yours. You say you have an ointment, though? Are you an alchemist? Ma'tanza would love something like that. Maybe she wouldn't have to wear such a tight wrap."

Peiter, in all honesty, found it more entertaining to watch Tzirret's reactions rather than anything else. His experiences the previous day made him surprisingly apathetic.

Sabine smiled and confirmed with a nod. "Yes, I am. It is my passion. Actually, I have some with me here..." Sabine looked into her shoulder bag and rummaged through until she pulled out what looked like a waterskin, but much smaller and evidently filled with something thicker than water. She held it out to Ma'tanza, "A small amount of this might help. I normally make some for when we travel long distances, but I can make more. It is easy."

That was the point at which Tzirret knew he had to escape. If Ma'tanza started applying Sabine's ointment right in front of them, he knew he would be caught staring. As much as he might have wanted to watch, he did not want to insult Ma'tanza a day after meeting her. The last thing he wanted was to alienate his new friends after going through the adversity of actually walking up and talking to them. "Uh...Peiter!" Tzirret said, walking up to Peiter and taking his arm, "Tzirret was wondering if you could spar with him, he needs to practice." Tzirret attempted to pull Peiter away somewhat forcefully, but as they moved, he leaned to his ear and rasped quietly, "Can Tzirret ask you something quickly?"

Ma'tanza was glad to accept the ointment. She looked at the small waterskin curiously for a few moments before untying the top of it and taking a few sniffs of the contents. It did not smell like much of anything, though she did not know what she had been expecting. It was not as if it was meant to be drank. "Ah, thank you. Ma'tanza hopes this works. This one is a mage, and not an alchemist, but she isn't entirely unfamiliar with it. Could this one have the recipe? Do you think it would be an easy one to follow?" She asked. As she spoke, she poured a small amount of the ointment into her hand and began to apply it on one side.

Pieter did willingly start to follow Tzirret, but he saw straight through his hastily spoken lie. It was easy enough to see why he was uncomfortable. They were only a few steps away when Tzirret whispered to him, and Pieter stopped right where he was. To be courteous, he whispered as well, though the others did not seem to be listening. "Yes, Tzirret? I think I might be able to answer your question."

Sabine furrowed her brow awkwardly. "I could give you the recipe, yes, but I...do not have any parchment or ink with me. They are back with the pack supplies." Sabine raised her brow and her voice turned to be more consoling, "I could write it out for you later, though. The recipe is not difficult once you have practiced it, but there are one or two details to be mindful of."

While Ma'tanza finished applying her ointment, Sabine peered over her shoulder to Peiter's back as he walked off. "I wonder what Peiter was smiling about just before? Is there something in my hair?" She asked Ma'tanza.

"Well..." Tzirret began one they were out of earshot of Sabine and Ma'tanza, understandably nervous. He took a peek over his shoulder and he took in an audibly strained gasp through his nose at what he saw. His face shot forward, frowning with embarrassment and wide-eyed. Sabine almost spotted him. "Ma'tanza said just then that Bheja thinks Ma'tanza's large...ness...is a good thing. Does that mean they are..." Tzirret paused and weaved his hands together in front of him, "...as one?" Tzirret looked to Peiter's face, "You know more of this than Tzirret does."

"Thank you. It will be a great help." Ma'tanza said, looking over at Peiter and Tzirret once Sabine mentioned them. She shrugged her shoulders, then poured out another small amount of ointment onto her hand. "No, you have nothing in your hair. He was probably just laughing at Tzirret. He has been trying to keep himself from staring at this one's chest since she met him yesterday at the river. This one has saw him trying to make himself look away. It is nice that he is going through the effort. It's something that happens a lot with Ma'tanza when she meets new people, mostly male. Bheja was like that when we first met. Only difference is that he didn't even try to hide it." She explained.

Bheja was nearby next to S'nishi, reaching up and scratching the behind her ear when Ma'tanza mentioned him. He looked over to them and gave a quick shrug. "Eh, what can you expect? I'm not that polite."

Peiter leaned in towards Tzirret with a smile and whispered quietly enough that he could feel safe no one was listening in. "You're wondering if they are together, aren't you? Well, I can't say for sure, I suppose. It is possible, as that is something a lover might say, but they could also just be close friends that are comfortable with each other. My advice? Just try to be friends with her. Don't try to force anything else, just get to know her. It will be easy to tell what their relationship is if you spend more time with them. Just...be aware that we might not be staying here long, alright? We still don't know for sure what the Champion is going to do. Don't...let that discourage you from making friends, of course."

"Oh." Sabine looked to Bheja and a number of dots connected in her head in rapid succession. She found herself letting out a small laugh after a moment. Sabine covered her mouth as she stopped herself before talking. "Right. That explains a few things. I imagine that is also why Tzirret left so quickly." Sabine tightened the corner of her mouth, catching a curious glimpse at Ma'tanza's chest as well, but didn't linger like the boys did. "It is probably best to be direct with him if it is annoying. He does not get...intentionally offensive. Does it get annoying?"

Tzirret made an indecisive groan as he nodded his head from side to side, "Tzirret knows, really. Ma'tanza is not one he knows well enough to...like, like her. It's just..." he released his breath and tried to calm himself. "La'khay has been giving me...advice, and she said that there might be some girls in this clan that I might mate with for fun and...she is very beautiful. This one does not want to tread on paws." Tzirret touched his fingertips together nervously. He didn't even notice that casual mating was something he had never broached with Peiter. So much time talking with La'khay just made it sound normal to him.

Ma'tanza shook her head. "No, this one is not really annoyed. It's really just about how they act. Tzirret is trying to be courteous, and this one appreciates it."

Once again, Ma'tanza's gaze went over to Peiter and Tzirret nearby for a moment before she looked back. "Besides, that conversation seems like it would be far worse for Tzirret." She chuckled. "This one has some time before she needs to go for magic training, maybe we could all do something together? It has been a long time since she has been able to meet new people."

Peiter raised his brow at Tzirret with a fair amount of concern after his explanation of his intentions. "Um...well, Tzirret, uh...La'khay might not be the best person to go to for that kind of advice. Her life has given her a...particular set of views that a lot of people might not appreciate. If you want to do that with someone, it should probably be someone you care about. You're someone who wants, well, an actual mate. You've said so before. You want that kind of attachment, so if you try to act like La'khay, you might just end up hurting yourself. Not...physically, but emotionally." He advised.