By this point, the sun had nearly gone down over the horizon. A small upper portion of it was still visible, and while there would still be some light for a short while, darkness would fall over the desert shortly. With the moons and stars above, coupled with their night eye, they would likely have no issue being able to see, but the air did become rather cool at night. 

Ma'tanza expression appeared uncertain. "This one...does not really like doing that. Not remembering them, but...dwelling on them. She loved her parents, and her old pride. She always will love them, but thinking back on them is painful, especially if she is alone. Ma'tanza feels better if she has her friends and family with her when she thinks about them. It reminds her that she still has people who care about her. Mostly, though, Ma'tanza likes to focus on the present. Like being here with you. We should find something more cheerful to talk about."

---

Ri'vashi's thrust was met with a parry as she had expected. She had intended to follow through with a different attack, but just as with his feints, her sharp eyes spotted his hammer. With a quick, deft step, she dashed to the side, on the opposite side of Gallus from his hammer. She kept her blade pressed against his to guard, then rushed forward in an attempt to use her weight to throw him off balance. 

"It's...not quite like that, not really. The arguments do not get heated in the sense that we start shouting at each other, it's more like...we relentlessly deconstruct each others' points. We argue about every detail, every potential failure in our plans. Ri'vashi cannot refuse to argue, because then she would essentially be acting without her council. Ri'vashi knows that he wants her to step down, and...he probably would be better at managing such a large clan. But Ri'vashi also needs the authority to keep her people safe. She worries about how Dro'cahi could handle the war." She explained.