Neither Ma'tanza nor Tzirret knew exactly where to go find what they were looking for. She guessed that the largest pool of water would probably be lower in the ruins, where she guessed the source would be, but their search was really little more than random. Still, they were learning their way around the stronghold, so it was not wasted time. She was focusing enough on searching that she did not notice how Tzirret was behaving until he spoke up once more.

Ma'tanza looked to Tzirret with obvious confusion. "What do you mean? There isn't anything wrong anymore, why do you ask? Did Ma'tanza make you think something was wrong?"

---

Ri'vashi leaned forward towards Gallus. She allowed her elbows to rest on her knees, then clasped her hands together in front of her. She stared him down, as if she were giving him an examination with her eyes. In particular, she focused on his face and the changes in his expression. It seemed like minutes of silence before she spoke, though it was only seconds.

"Hmm...this is not about them, is it? You haven't really experienced the pain of loss as you fear he will, have you? Ri'vashi can say that it is a growing experience, no matter the age at which it occurs. It is not a pleasant experience, by any means, but letting go is an important lesson to learn. Ri'vashi sees that you want the best for them, which is far more mature than you describe yourself. Try to look at yourself honestly. Do you think your own experiences color how you see theirs?" Ri'vashi asked.