Ma'tanza patiently listened to Tzirret with a smile slowly growing on her face. Despite his stammering, she simply listened for as long as it took to convey his meaning. She had heard his compliments before, but she certainly did not mind hearing them again. Being that she was covered in fur, he could not see her blush, except for a slight flush of red on her nose. 

"You're just too sweet, Tzirret. A bit inarticulate, maybe, but you're so nice to Ma'tanza. And not just nice...a lot of people have been nice. You're...genuine. This one can really believe everything you say about her. She doesn't ever get the feeling that you're just lying to her so you can get what you want from her body. Thank you for that, Tzirret." When Ma'tanza finished speaking, she leaned forward further to give Tzirret a kiss on the cheek. It was not quite the passionate kiss on the lips he might have been wanting, but it was a definite display of affection. Although, in Ma'tanza's expression, there had been a hint of nervousness as she leaned in. It was possible she might have wanted something more as well, but if she did, Tzirret would have to be the one to find out.

---

"Ri'vashi...would not quite say that. Dro'cahi has never really been in a position of military leadership before, true, but she does not have a reason to believe he could not command our soldiers. She is just not sure if he would put as much focus on our warriors as we need right now. We are in a war, and that has to be our priority. Many of the things we have disagreed on have been sacrifices made in the name of the war. Limited conscription for able-bodied men and women, purchasing more metal instead of extra food stores, those sorts of decisions. Honestly, Ri'vashi does not think she is any great military leader, but she is doing what needs to be done for the safety of the clan. That is why she cannot step down." Ri'vashi answered. 

Against Gallus' attack, Ri'vashi once again proved her innate skills. Gallus did manage to trap Ri'vashi's sword in his initial strike, but her composure was as touch as steel. As he had struck, she had, almost on reflex, brought up her free hand to put it in a better place to defend herself. As such, when he made a wild swing up towards her head, she did not blink, but instead shot her hand out to grab his wrist while pulling her head back to avoid the swing. She then attempted to twist his arm around behind him and pull him in for a grapple. Ri'vashi did not seem to have too high of an opinion of herself, but her actions were telling the story that her words were not. She had excellent observational skills, and in combat, could plan ahead almost on instinct. Of course, that did not [i]necessarily[/i] mean that she could lead troops, but it spoke of her familiarity with combat.