Pudaga was about to accept the priestess' offer when Meesei interrupted. As to her question, Pudaga gave Meesei a grateful smile. "This one would appreciate if Meesei and her friends would stay with us to speak with this Brother Daranus. However, he understands if she must leave."

Given his apprehensiveness beforehand, Pudaga had tried not mentioned any names, but with the opportunity that the priestess had offered, he wanted to be more formal. He extended a hand to the priestess, "This may be a great help. Thank you. This one's name is Pudaga, his family is Gati, T'drissi, and little F'sresa," Pudaga extended a hand to point them out as he named them, "Might we know your name, priestess?"

"Tzirret does not keep up with such big matters," Tzirret remarked at the talk of Ma'tanza's impressions of Cyrodiil, "He hears that the Empire is not nearly as big as it was, but it is healing."

As for the altar that Ma'tanza had singled out, Tzirret found himself anticipating nerves. The bracelet he had made was still in Dibella's offering bowl, though Tzirret was not sure that Ma'tanza saw it. He had thought that Ma'tanza was distracted by the architecture. If that was the case, Tzirret hoped that Ma'tanza didn't recognise the bracelet as Tzirret's handiwork.

"Er, yes, La'khay is a follower of Dibella. Dibella is..." Tzirret looked up at the goddess' soft smile again and he began to rub his own shoulder with one hand nervously, "...she is a couple of things. She is the divine of art and beauty. You pray to her to spread beauty, or to make something beautiful. She also is...well...kind of the love goddess." Tzirret interrupted himself and gave a glance to the window of Mara, "...People call Mara the goddess of love as well, and people marry under Mara in the temple, but Mara's love is like family. Mara is the mother." Tzirret returned to Dibella and put involuntary pauses in his words, "Dibella is the love goddess as well, but for...when you love someone...in almost all other ways. So you pray to her for that as well."

Once she heard the translation, Meesei gave a quick glance to Gallus before responding herself. "We can come with you Pudaga, at least to make sure your family will be safe here."

After Pudaga's question, the priestess' eyes widened ever so slightly when she realized that they were not yet properly introduced. "Oh, my apologies. Where are my manners? My name is Haressi. Just wait here a moment and I will go make sure Brother Daranus is available."

Haressi left briefly and headed downstairs to the chapel's lower rooms, though true to her word, she was only away for a few minutes. Once she returned, she quickly led them all downstairs, through a long hallway running under the main hall. They were taken to the room at the far end of the hall, which, upon entering, appeared to be an office. It had bookshelves filled with scrolls and ledgers, likely for record-keeping, along with a few tables and desks. Behind one of the desks sat an Imperial man in similar robes to Haressi. While not quite elderly, he was an older man with a bald head and a thick, mostly grey beard.

"Ah, welcome. Feel free to pull up a seat. Sister Haressi told me you are escaped slaves. You have my sympathies for having gone through such injustice. She also said that you are in desperate need of aid. I suppose my first question is what kind of aid do you need. Is your intention to seek help leaving the city, or to find a place here in it?"

Ma'tanza looked up at the window depicting Dibella with a hint of confusion. "So they have two love goddesses? That seems strange to Ma'tanza, and a bit confusing. A goddess of beauty, though, that does make sense. It especially makes sense that La'khay follows her. Her reputation in the clan isn't very...flattering, but she is a beautiful woman who can create some beautiful things. She is one of the one who likes to help others, men or women, with their appearances. She is also probably the most talented painter that Ma'tanza has ever met in person. She can make a painting that looks real enough to fool your eyes into thinking they are looking out of a window. It is a shame that everything she made was lost in the attack."

Ma'tanza glanced back down to the altar. "La'khay said once that Ma'tanza would be good at the 'Dibellan arts,' but she doesn't really know what that means."

"Of course," Pudaga said as he watched the priestess, Haressi, descend the steps. The few minutes wait went by in relative silence, except for a few words between Pudaga and T'drissi.

When Haressi emerged and ushered them down, Gallus turned to Tzirret and Ma'tanza. "Hoy, Tzirret!" He said. He did not need to raise his voice very much to project the words through the large hall, "We'll be downstairs. Don't go wandering, now."

Tzirret snapped his attention to Gallus and gave a nod while Ma'tanza was speaking.

When the group reached Daranus, the family had to wait for Haressi to translate, but smiled and took seats when prompted. Gallus smiled and gave a nod in greeting, but opted to remain leaned up against the door frame with his arms crossed.

Again, Pudaga was the one to speak. He seemed a bit more comfortable now. "Greetings, priest. My family and myself have not decided what our far future should be, though we cannot travel until my daughter has recovered from her illness, and we do not have much to our names." Pudaga's tone was as modest as he could manage, given that he was effectively begging, "We are all prepared to work to live, as I told the priestess here. Any amount of help is more than we had expected, but right now we simply need paying work and shelter. This one hopes that we do not prove a burden, especially in language. Has Haressi told you our previous professions?"

When Ma'tanza mentioned La'khay's talent with painting, Tzirret gave a noted hum, finding it interesting. He remembered La'khay mentioning that she did paintings, but Tzirret did not know just how talented Ma'tanza was making her out to be.

As for the other art mentioned, Ma'tanza may not have known what it was, but Tzirret certainly did. In those arts, he had been a student of sorts himself, under La'khay's tuition. As he stared up at Dibella, he felt his face run hot for a few moments. "Dibellan Arts? Um...that's..." Tzirret didn't take his eyes off the window, but he awkwardly brought his hands up and jerkily clapped his palms together at different angles, failing at innuendo. With a tense frown, he just decided to use words anyway. "La'khay was probably not trying to insult you, but if you were known to be good at the Dibellan Arts...you would have the same...unflattering reputation that she does." Tzirret hazarded a sideways glance at Ma'tanza's face, but his eyes went to the altar in front of him. He added quickly, "Like Tzirret said, Dibella represents all other kinds of love."

Daranus shook his head. "No, but if it is within your will to work, then I'm sure we will be able to find what you need. I cannot guarantee that I can find you the exact kind of work you are looking for, but I know many of the faithful in the city who would be willing to hire you for a fair wage. I...do not know if you are followers of the Eight, but I firmly believe that Zenithar will give his blessing to the labors of any honest working man or woman. It is the works of the industrious that glorify him."

Pausing briefly, Daranus reached over to the edge of his desk and opened up one of the ledgers in front of him. He grabbed a quill and dipped it in ink before looking back up at the family. "Now, please tell me your names and occupations. I need to make sure to have you in my records. I can give you temporary accommodations here in the chapel for free for a short time, hopefully until we can find work for you."[/i]

"Oh..." Ma'tanza began, her eyes wide for a few moments after the realization. Although, eventually, she closed them and shook her head lightly with a grin on her face. "Ma'tanza cannot honestly say she is surprised. It is not the first time she has heard that. Usually, that particular...compliment comes from the more crude boys. But, this one can honestly believe that La'khay was trying to be nice. She is a very strange woman."

When Ma'tanza looked back up at the window, she could not help but to laugh. "Though, it also makes the Imperials seem even more strange. How odd is it that they have a goddess of mating when they are known for being so modest and prudish? It is as if their culture is designed just to confuse outsiders trying to understand it." She joked.

"Right, right." Pudaga swallowed and took another breath, "This one is Pudaga, he is a potter. Though, he will take any work he can..."

Pudaga went over the same details that he did when speaking to Haressi. He seemed a little tense with all the formal processing, but he also seemed over the moons to have this much help at all.

While the records were being taken, Gallus stepped up beside Meesei and murmured quietly to her. "Meesei, after all this, should we let the brother know why the family was taken into slavery? I remember something about a certain debt."

Tzirret grinned and failed to stifle his own chuckle as Ma'tanza laughed. He understood that it might have been confusing. "Well, they don't like to talk about that part of Dibella's domain. Tzirret thinks it is meant to be more about romance and friendships."

With a sigh, Tzirret looked down and recalled something that La'khay said. Something about saying compliments that make a person feel beautiful without saying it. La'khay only cited physical descriptions, but Tzirret knew that Ma'tanza would have heard them all by now. Still, there were other things that made her beautiful. Tzirret curled his lips as he thought of how to say it. He idly put his hand in his pocket and ran his thumb over his pendant. Now, don't overdo it like the first time you tried complimenting La'khay...

"You know, Ma'tanza," Tzirret turned his head to face her directly, "This one notices that...there are many things that people say about you. Unkind things." Tzirret felt his knees start to quiver already, but he tried to keep nervousness off his expression. "But, you don't seem to let them bother you. Other people would get angry or sad, but you don't get upset very easily. At the same time, you are not afraid to stand up for yourself." Tzirret smiled lightly and looked at the altar again, "This one thinks that makes you special. It is...more attractive than..." Tzirret's smile lowered and he trailed off, "...y-you know..."

Tzirret's trailing off was out of a fear that he may have overstepped. His mind was taken over by an insidious regret that was waiting to be validated by reprimand.

Meesei gave Gallus a subtle shake of her head. "No, it is no concern of ours how much they tell of their past. We are just here to help them feel comfortable in talking with the priests, and to make sure they will be taken care of."

Once Daranus finished writing down the names and occupations of the family, he started glancing through the other documents on his desk seemingly without direction. "Okay, with that settled, I can offer you some beds here in the chapel temporarily. As for work, I will need to look through my records in greater detail to be certain, but...I do not know if there is work for a potter at the moment. There are certainly potters in the city, but I do not know if any would hire you at the moment. I do know that the guard are looking to build more guard posts outside the city soon, and are looking for laborers. There is also a restaurant that was opened not long ago by members of a good, faithful family, and they may be hiring for cleaning and other labor. As for nannies, I will need to ask our wealthier followers if any have need of one. But please, take today to rest. I will speak to you tomorrow once I have had a chance to ask around. Haressi can show you to a room."

Based on the way Daranus was talking, it seemed to be fairly certain now that the family would receive the help they needed. No doubt they would still need a lot, especially in terms of language, but they now had others who could help them besides the clan. "That sounds excellent." Meesei commented. "I am glad you will be getting the help you need, Pudaga. Is there anything more you need of us?"

Ma'tanza looked to Tzirret with a grin. "Than breasts?" She added, giggling to herself. "Thank you, Tzirret, that is very kind of you to say. And this one thinks that you are not nearly as nervous or awkward as people say you are. You are a little nervous, but it is...oh what is the work? Endangering? No, that's probably not it. Well, anyway, you are still a kind friend, and not a cloudy-cat. Except for the part where your fur is cloudy and you are a cat." She joked.

Although Ma'tanza had not taken offense to Tzirret's comment, she still seemed to just view it as a friendly compliment. If he ever intended to speak his true feelings, he would likely need to be much more direct when that time came.

Pudaga started to blink more rapidly by the time Daranus finished. The end of the translation had Pudaga nodding, before he turned his attention to Meesei. When she was interpreted, Pudaga let out a small laugh and a quick sigh, looking to Haressi, then Daranus, and then Meesei. "Meesei, Gallus," Pudaga blinked and a tear ran down his cheek. He gave a tight smile, "This one does not think there would be any more ways he could hope to be helped. We promise that we will not squander this second chance you have given us. Thank you." Pudaga looked to Daranus and Haressi again. "And thank you as well, priest, priestess. All of you...none have been so generous in this one's entire life."

At this point, Pudaga tried standing up, but ended up bending forward slightly and leaning his hand on Daranus' desk. He brought his other hand up to wipe his eyes and sniffed. "He has been given more than he deserves," Pudaga said with strain.

T'drissi stood up from her seat as well, put F'sresa on Gati's lap, and went to put a comforting hand around Pudaga's back. "You have all been most kind," T'drissi said with a smile. She was more collected, but no less grateful. "We will never forget."

"You're very welcome," Gallus said with a warm smile.

Tzirret couldn't help but grin briefly at Ma'tanza's word confusion. Still, her response was kind enough for Tzirret to pause in consideration, and then say "Thanks."

For another few moments, Tzirret stared at the altar to Dibella and his smile shrank into a nervous frown. He dipped his hand into his pocket and felt his pendant again. Perhaps this would be a good spot to try and give it to Ma'tanza? They were alone, and this was probably the only time they would be alone until they next disembarked the ships. It was ideal, really, except for the time constraint. That, and there was still an anxious tide in Tzirret's head making him reel back and forth between confidence and reticence. He felt his heart begin to beat faster. Perhaps he could wait until they got back to the ship? There's not enough time here, right? He then clenched his fist and heard La'khay's words echo in his mind. He would get nothing unless he showed courage and took the chance.

After an awkwardly long time, Tzirret finally found his words. "Ma'tanza?" Tzirret asked with a quivering voice, "Could you show me your hand for a moment?" Tzirret stepped to turn and face Ma'tanza directly with his free palm offered up. His other hand was still in his pocket.

Meesei remained calm and collected, but allowed herself to show some emotion in the moment. She smiled, and nodded slightly to the family. "We did what I would expect anyone to do in our position. Slavery is a vile institution that destroys families, and anything that I can do to help its victims, I will. I regret that I cannot stay longer, but my responsibilities require that I take my leave of Leyawiin. Good luck with your life here, or wherever else you might go. Perhaps I will be able to write to you someday?"

Overall, Meesei's words were genuine. It brought her great satisfaction to see Pudaga's family have not only safety, but a decent chance at re-establishing their lives. Though she often keeps strong feelings to herself, Meesei did not lie nor exaggerate about her opinion of slavery. If it were her choice, she would free any and every slave she could, as well as personally punish their former owners. For the moment, however, she could be content with the fact that she had helped at least one family of would-be victims.

Ma'tanza had been observing the other stained-glass portraits when Tzirret suddenly asked for her hand. She looked at him and raised her brow with both curiosity and confusion. She could not think of what he would want with her hand at the moment. Perhaps some joke or trick? Nevertheless, the extended her hand towards him and continued to stare into his eyes to try and discern his intentions. "Um, alright? What do you need Ma'tanza's hand for? This won't be like that time Bheja tricked this one into holding a spider, will it?"

T'drissi nodded and smiled sadly, "It would be a nice thing to hear from you again. T'drissi regrets that cannot provide you an address, but if you try to send something to Leyawiin, we will try to find it."

Gallus decided to wrap things up then. He stepped forward and gave Pudaga a firm handshake and a hand on his shoulder, and then hugged the others in the family. Afterwards, he tried to be sensitive to the weight of the situation while still emphasising their limited time. "We should head off now, Meesei," he mentioned, "Good luck, all of you. I wish you all the best."

With that, they made their way upstairs.

"No, no," Tzirret affirmed as he lightly took Ma'tanza's hand and turned it palm up. Everything seemed so difficult to do. He was fighting an overwhelming desire to back off, and it was showing in anxious body language. "It is just that...well, Tzirret has never been good at keeping secrets, even his own. He has...been...fascinated by-...no..." Tzirret stumbled over his words. He stopped to take a breath, "He wants you to have something important. Because there was a promise he made to someone a while ago that he needs to keep." He took his hand out of his pocket with the pendant, but it was hidden in his palm apart from the leather cord. "He means to say...that-"

"Tzirret! Ma'tanza!" Gallus' voice echoed through the chapel as he came up the stairs.

Tzirret's head snapped to attention, looking to Gallus with almost panicked surprise.

"We're leaving," Gallus beckoned them both.

Suddenly looking incredibly defeated, Tzirret let Ma'tanza's hand go and put the pendant back in his pocket without showing it to her. He slowly stepped to join the rest. "N-nevermind. It can wait," he mumbled sullenly with his ears pulled back.

Ma'tanza was certainly confused by what Tzirret was saying, and her mind was full of ideas on what she thought his meaning could be. Some of them were distant guesses, while others were not far from the truth. However, before he could stammer out anything more, the others returned from the basement and beckoned for them to leave. She continued to give Tzirret a confused gaze for a few moments before catching back up with the group and following them out of the chapel.

Just as Meesei had indicated before they left, the group did not waste any time in the city. It was now late enough that shops were starting to close, and night would not be far away. Even going as fast as they could, it would be dark by the time they got back to the ships. They exited out of the same gate they had entered through and made their way north briefly before cutting west into the forest, then south down back towards their boat. It was about half an hour of a walk to reach the the coast once more, then another half an hour to get back to their ships.

In their absence, anyone who wished to trade ships had made the switch with the rope ladders, which were still hanging over the side on both vessels. Colors and the other "captain" had made sure that one ship did not take on too many more passengers than the other, so both ships were currently available to be boarded.

Once they stopped, Ma'tanza climbed out of the rowboat and looked towards the ship with her brother, sister, and now presumably Bheja and Qa'habi. She was about to head over to its ladder before she glanced back to Tzirret. "Oh, um, Tzirret. Were you going to switch ships with this one, or stay with your friends?"

Both the pace that the group kept and Tzirret's glum look meant that conversation was not lively on the way back to the ships. In his mind, Tzirret was cursing himself over and over for not getting to the point quicker.

By the time they rowed back, Tzirret had calmed himself down and was able to answer Ma'tanza easily. He had time to think about which ship he wanted to be on when they were approaching. "Tzirret will go with Ma'tanza," he said plainly, "he just needs to let Gallus know."

"Let me know what?" Gallus asked from behind where they were seated.

Tzirret twisted in his seat, "This one was going to board the other ship to stay with his new friends, is that okay?"

It only took two seconds and a thoughtful face for Gallus to decide. "Sure. Do you want someone in the pack with you?"

"No, Tzirret will manage."

Gallus smiled, "Very well."

Once Ma'tanza and Tzirret had climbed up the rope ladder and Gallus, Uthri, and Meesei were rowing to the other ship, Uthri spoke up. "Our grey kitty is doing pretty well for himself, don't you think?"

Gallus nodded to one side. "Yes. He hasn't come to talk to me in a while about anything, but so many new things are happening. He needs to learn this on his own so he doesn't depend on us, but...I just hope he's not trying to bite off more than he can chew."

"Well," Uthri chuckled, "Short of getting that buxom girl pregnant, I think there is little to worry about."

"Hircine forbid," Gallus said, shaking his head and grinning. When he looked up, he spoke to Meesei, "You know, I'm aware of our priorities, but I sometimes worry that we're getting too busy for our charges. One minute, they're just as you remember, the next, they're off finding new friends on their own and exploring the world." He hummed in mild astonishment, before levelling his tone, "Is it the same for Sabine?"

As Meesei and the others climbed out of the boat to help get it back up onto the deck, she heard Gallus' question. She could not help but to chuckle to herself as she mused on recent events. "More than you know." She finally commented.

---

The ships were back on track just as quickly as they had stopped. The two "trading" vessels were able to sail past Leyawiin without incident, as was common for ships bound for the Imperial City or Bravil. They would indeed be heading to Bravil, but would continue on past and head back down towards Elsweyr. From there, they would embark on the longest, but hopefully not the most difficult leg of their journey.

The remainder of the trip up the Niben was fortunately much less eventful than their departure from Elsweyr. The greatest enemies the clan faced along the river were boredom and uncomfortable beds. Although, both of those still took their toll on the clan's members. By the time they were within sight of Bravil, the clan in general was overjoyed to see that their time at sea was finally near to being at its end. From there, it was only another day of sailing at most.

Under Colors' direction, the ships were able to make it past Bravil without arousing suspicion, then head southwest along the Larsius river. The river could bring them a short distance into Elsweyr, though Colors stopped them before they reached the farthest point that their ships could take them. According to him, they would need to be cautious to avoid Dominion patrols when crossing the border, but again, he just happened to have the experience required to get them through.

The ships were finally stopped for good after just under two weeks of sailing. They had successfully moved the clan to the exact opposite side of Elsweyr, and had covered most of the distance to the Orcrest clan. However, the remainder of that distance would likely take just as long, so they were only at roughly the halfway point of their overall journey. Meesei ordered that everything of any potential use be stripped from the ships. If possible, she would send some scouts later to see if the ships were salvageable, but she honestly doubted that they would be there for long. Fortunately, the clan had been able to make enough tents to keep them protected in the desert, and they even had enough bedrolls that most of them would be able to sleep at the same time. They would simply need to have a higher-than-average number of lookouts at once. They were definitely short on clothing, and Meesei recommended giving it first to the children and elderly, as they would need it most in the desert. Even she relinquished her robe to Ri'nakhad, so as not to appear above the struggles of the rest of the clan. Luckily, their food and water reserves were looking much more promising. They were carrying with them enough food to get them to their destination, even with some delays, and they were able to completely replenish their reserves of water from the river.

As it was later in the day, the clan was setting up camp not too far from the ships. There was still some to be salvaged from the ships, but those who were working on that would be finished within a few hours. Most of the others were simply glad to finally be able to get off the ships and stretch their legs. M'ibasa quite literally took off running as soon as his feet hit solid ground, and it did not take long for Ma'tanza to give up on chasing him, instead returning to camp to set up their tent for the night. Nearby, Peiter did the same for himself and Sabine, after which he laid down on his back in the grass with his arms stretched out wide.

"If I never have to step foot on another ship again, I think I could die happy." Peiter commented to Sabine, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air around him.

Meesei's pack was united on one ship, allowing for the regular routines to take place when on a ship. The same went for Gallus' pack, short of Tzirret, of course. Tzirret spent much of his time as he had before Leyawiin; socialising with friends and carving wood and bone. He did not have much minotaur bone left that he hadn't traded away or made into things, but there were still little tools that he found were in demand. Sometimes, late at night, he would lay awake with his pendant in his hands and contemplate how he was going to tell Ma'tanza how he felt. Most often, it was just a rush of worry and over-thinking that wasn't useful, as she rarely separated from friends and family, and there were no private places on the ship anyway. He asked himself the same questions each time and found himself no closer to any answers until they made landfall.

While there was plenty of time, Gallus had approached a number of people around the ship to gauge the situation. He found that, thankfully, just looking across the banks of the wide Niben was interesting enough for some people. He also found time to talk with Peiter, just to catch up. His reaction to find out that he and Sabine had progressed their relationship back in Elsweyr did surprise him, but Gallus was not quite as shocked as Meesei was with Sabine. He just made sure they were taking proper precautions and left him to it.

The landing at the banks of the Larsius river did not come a moment too soon. The voyage was boring but manageable when the ships left Leyawiin, but between general cabin fever and restless beast spirits, the joy of planting feet in the grass at the end was not uncommon. Gallus made a distinct point to congratulate and thank the heads of the ships for carrying them successfully with unfamiliar ships and a novice crew. To Colours in particular, Gallus mentioned that he may have a reputation, but it should never be said that he isn't good at smuggling.

For the most part, Fendros and Janius spent their time helping to offload supplies while others pitched the tents for their packs.

Sabine's first action upon reaching land again was to stretch and wiggle her toes into the grass with closed eyes and a wide smile. She of course helped pitch the small tent that she and Peiter would be sharing. While she helped, she found it interesting that they might have some privacy without having to sneak off into the wilds. Although, being that they were still pitched adjacent to their respective packs, it wouldn't quite be complete privacy. Since there were no further instructions given to them, Sabine decided to join Peiter on the grass for a short while. She lay beside him with her upper neck propped up by one of his arms and looked up at the clouds. She enjoyed the texture of the ground as opposed to the hard wood of the ship. As well, the climate was more to her liking.

Sabine grinned at Peiter's comment, "You are very easy to please, love." She turned her head to look at him and slowly blinked her bright green eyes, smiling warmly, "Please do not get depressed if we have to ride a ship again."

Given his position on the other ship, Tzirret ended up helping offload a few supplies as well before reuniting with the rest of his pack. It appeared as though he would be sharing a tent with Gallus, but he did not end up spending much time after helping to raise it before he wandered off to find Ma'tanza and the others again. He eventually located where they were in the camp site by spotting S'nishi. He waved in greeting as he approached, now being used to S'nishi's bulk. M'ibasa was probably nearby, so Tzirret spoke in Ta'agra. "Tzirret is glad to be on soil again, how about yourselves?"

Peiter turned his head and kissed Sabine's cheek. "Don't worry, I won't be depressed exactly, just, you know, cursing fate for shoving me on board one of those cursed things. I know I'll probably be regretting these words later, but I think I'll prefer the desert to being cramped in a space like that again."

With a smile, Peiter tightened his grip on Sabine and gave her another kiss. "But, I suppose I should just be glad to be here now. This place is leagues better than Pelletine, but not freezing like home. I think I actually feel comfortable for a change. There aren't as many insects buzzing around everywhere, and the trees aren't thick enough to block out the sun. Mostly, though, I'm just glad we'll be able to do something more than just stare at wooden planks." He said before putting on something of a smirk. "And, you know, it has been weeks since we've been able to actually be...alone."

Ma'tanza had finally been able to get M'ibasa to settle down enough that they could have a seat. Though, she honestly felt like finding something more active to do after being trapped inside the ship for so long. She was sitting next to M'ibasa, trying to get a tick off of his back that he had somehow already managed to pick up. Qa'habi was nearby, stringing up his bow presumably for some archery practice, while S'nishi was laying down on her side, with Bheja laying against her.

"Oh, hello Tzirret." Ma'tanza answered, only briefly glancing over to him before returning her attention to M'ibasa's fur. "It is astounding how quickly M'ibasa can get into trouble. He already cut his leg on a thornbush and picked up a tick that...hold on." She started, interrupting herself once she spotted the insect. With the smallest charge of magic, she paralyzed the insect, then was able to simply pull it off of his body and incinerate it with a small amount of fire. "There you go. Now, try not to pick up any more."

Looking to Tzirret, Ma'tanza finally gave him her full attention. "How are you feeling? This one guesses you are glad to be back on land. Everyone else is, Ma'tanza included."

Sabine rolled onto her side, facing Peiter with her arms drawn up between their chests. She returned his smirk and spoke, "I did not think it would be very long before you mentioned that." She raised her brow and teased, "Are you sure you do not want to try another sword lesson? It has been a long time since we could do that as well."

Tzirret walked behind Ma'tanza and M'ibasa and leaned to watch what Ma'tanza was doing. He was impressed that she was able to spot the tick, but he suspected that the search had gone on for a while. Once it was caught, Tzirret walked to where Ma'tanza would not have to twist her body so much to face him.

Ma'tanza's question caused Tzirret to smile, look to the trees and fill his lungs with air. "Tzirret feels..." he let out his breath through his mouth, "...free. There is much more space again. It is good." Tzirret glanced at the spot next to Ma'tanza and pointed, "Do you mind if he sits?"

Whether Tzirret could sit or had to sit elsewhere, he continued. "This one does not suppose that Ma'tanza had duties tonight? Tzirret was thinking..." He glanced away and brought his hand up to scratch his chest, "It has been a while on the ship where no one but the werevultures could hunt in their beast forms. Mine has been restless, so Tzirret wondered if you would be interested to hunt with him? He knows a little about hunting in this environment. He could show you."

Peiter started to snicker as his smile grew wider. "Oh, you want another sword lesson?" He said, putting extra emphasis on the euphemism. "Well, it has been a while, and I do really enjoy them. In fact, I think it would be fun to head out into the forest and have another lesson right now. What do you think?"

Keeping his arm around Sabine, Peiter turned onto his side as well to face her. "You know, something I was thinking about on the ship, I wonder if it would be possible to do in beast form..."

Ma'tanza readily moved over slightly to give Tzirret room to sit. Overall, she was in a cheerful move now that they were off of the ship, so she smiled warmly at his suggestion. "A hunt does sound good. Ma'tanza has nothing else to do, really, so she can come. Honestly, she has been wanting to find an excuse to stretch her legs for a while. Ma'tanza is not used to being unable to run, or swim, or do much of anything else for so long. This one does not know how sailors stand it. Though, she supposes they do have to deal with their duties on the ship. Well, anyway, Ma'tanza would love to hunt. When do you want to leave? This one is ready at any time. Did you want to invite the others?"

Unfortunately, Sabine was not one to default to innuendo, so her smile was joined by a puzzled brow at Peiter's tone. Even he was not as enthusiastic about their lessons as that. It turned especially to confusion when he mentioned their beast forms. She looked down at Peiter's chest with an unsure frown, "You want to try a sword lesson in beast form? I...do not think I would have the control for it. If I tried holding a sword in that form, I would not do more than flail around...unless you..."

Sabine looked back up at Peiter and her face became neutral. It marked her as only just now making the connection. "Oh, you mean mating," she said clinically, "I know that Fendros and Ahnasha do that sometimes. I only saw it happen once, accidentally. They did not know I saw. It was..." Sabine looked a little more apprehensive, "They used their claws and teeth a lot, but I think they enjoy it." Sabine adjusted her shoulders to lay more comfortably, "I do not know how my beast spirit would react."

Sabine made no acknowledgement of how strange it was to watch her pack mates in such a manner, but it was before her ritual. Back then, she tended to snoop much more than usual.

"We can leave now, if you like," Tzirret answered. He frowned and shrugged at the second point, "Others can come if they feel like it, this one supposes, as long as the party is not too large." Tzirret looked to those immediately nearby, that being S'nishi, Bheja, Qa'habi, and even M'ibasa if he was old enough to transform. Even if all six of them hunted, it would not be too many, really. Mostly, Tzirret was hiding his gut worry about hunting outside of his pack for the first time. He hoped the line of dominance in beast form would order itself without issue.

Peiter was a bit disappointed that Sabine gave no real reaction to his jokes, even if just to roll her eyes at it. Regardless, he stayed in good spirits as he answered her. "Well, I only mention it because my beast spirit has been a bit restless and I feel I need to let it out. Our beast spirits are instinct-driven, and mating is pretty...instinctual. We are mates, so your beast spirit would probably just do what comes naturally." He reasoned.

Peiter made no comment on the fact that Sabine had watched her packmates in an intimate moment. She did not specify for how long she had watched them, so he simply assumed that she had saw them only briefly before leaving.

Ma'tanza turned around to ask the others, but before she could even say a word, M'ibasa was already taking off running, quite literally, through the camp. He may not have heard what they were talking about, or, had heard them and decided to get away before she could ask him. Shrugging her shoulders, she asked the others who were still present. "Say, would any of you want to join us for a hunt?" She asked.

Qa'habi had just finished stringing his bow when Ma'tanza posed the question. "Qa'habi was planning on hunting, but he really wants to use his bow. It sounds like you want to hunt with your beast spirits. This one would probably just get in the way."

Bheja had his attention occupied with S'nishi while Ma'tanza and Tzirret had been speaking. He had his arms wrapped around her neck and had just given her a kiss on the snout when Ma'tanza questioned him directly. "Huh? Oh, no, not right now. I think I'm going to spend some...quality time with my little kitten here."

Ma'tanza looked back to Tzirret, not acknowledging the irony of Bheja's nickname for her sister. "Hmm, looks like it will be just us."

Sabine looked up and seemed to think about it for a moment. "That makes sense," she thought aloud, "we...could try? I am curious now." Sabine's eyes lowered back to Peiter's and her mouth curled into a sly smile, "We can go and release some of your energy, just let me find a potion." Sabine tapped Peiter on the nose with one finger and kissed him quickly before standing up and walking to their tent. "Oh! Also!" Sabine called out while she had her head poked into the tent, "Yours is not as big as a sword! Sorry that I got confused!"

As Sabine was facing away from Peiter, it was unclear whether she was speaking naively or just teasing, but she was not shy about the volume she spoke at. She quickly brought her upper body out from the tent, kneeling with a leather potion vessel in one hand. She undid the stopper, drank down the contents, and tossed it lazily back into the tent. She then eyed Peiter knowingly and stood to walk back up to him.

It was a somewhat pleasant surprise to Tzirret that everyone else seemed to be occupied with their own activities. He couldn't have expected such a coincidence. The more paranoid part of his mind thought that maybe it wasn't a coincidence, but he did not pay the thought much heed.

Tzirret, after briefly chortling at Bheja's pet name for S'nishi, gave Ma'tanza a smile. "Just us, then," he repeated, as if he needed to confirm the reality he was faced with. He pat Ma'tanza lightly on the arm, "We'll catch something. If you do not mind, Tzirret will leave his belongings here."

Pre-emptively, Tzirret began to strip down, folding up his clothing and tools in a neat pile near one of the nearby tents. He regretted that he could not take his pendant with him, but he had a feeling that there would be other opportunities now that they were on land. Perhaps even after the hunt?

Once Tzirret was ready, he waited for Ma'tanza and motioned to accompany her into the woods.

"Hmph, well you certainly know how to raise my spirits." Peiter grumbled sarcastically, though he decided to take it as a joke. He watched her walk over to their tent, and was not ashamed to stare as she leaned forward into it. Once she had drank her potion, he stood up to his feet and stretched out his muscles before taking her hand. With a grin, he gave her a quick kiss before they started to walk hand-in-hand towards the edge of camp.

On the way out of camp, the pair happened to pass by the spot where Meesei had set up her tent. She was sitting on her bedroll, and looked as if she were about to start meditating. Regardless, she opened her eyes and looked at the pair as they passed. "Ah, hello. Are you heading out for a hunt, or a swim?" She asked casually. "Just be careful not to head straight south. Colors says there may be Dominion patrols in that direction."

Ma'tanza was not fortunate enough to have any of the clothing they had on hand, so she was simply able to follow Tzirret as soon as he was ready. They were farther away from her home than she had ever been, so she naturally had a certain curiosity about the area. The forest was far different from the jungle of southern Pelletine, so the creatures, plants, and even the air itself was all new to her. Once they walked out of the camp, her eyes scanned the whole landscape around her, to the point that she nearly tripped on one of the roots of a tree they passed.

"This place is...nothing like home. It's a forest, but it's so different. The air is just so cool, and the forest isn't nearly as thick. It doesn't even look like you could make a building in these little trees." Ma'tanza observed.