"You think two is bad? This isn't the first time it's happened." Gallus said dryly in response to Ri'vashi's warning of their 'wrath'.

As for the rest of Ri'vashi's words, Gallus leaned his forehead on one hand and poked at his meal with a frown. "I'm quite sure I want to be with them, clan leader." Gallus' voice was lowering in volume as he spoke. "It is just that...I've been thinking. I can't keep doing it this way. I'll betray too many people and...get old and die lonely. I'm afraid. I feel as though I can't trust myself to stay committed. I'll just...make more mistakes." By the time Gallus finished, he was virtually mumbling.

He didn't know why he had decided to confide such personal issues in an ally he had only met a week ago. Perhaps because Ri'vashi had been so open with herself, or perhaps it was because the hulking Cathay-raht was one woman that he was afraid of getting too close to.

After an awkward silence, Gallus' eyes flicked up to Ri'vashi again and he swept his other hand through the air. "Bah," his voice tried to gather some levity, "I thought we were here to get our minds [i]off[/i] dark matters. Feel free to change the subject."

[hr]
By the time dinner rolled up, Tzirret had finished all of his duties for the day. His body was sore from training and bruises inflicted by Gallus that morning, but his few errands in the afternoon meant that he had plenty of time with his friends. With how enjoyable the day was, Tzirret even worked up the confidence to ask Ma'tanza if they could takes some time for just themselves that evening. There was no solid plan, but it would no doubt devolve into simple chatting and kissing. However, for all his mirth, the upcoming march was still weighing on Tzirret's mind. Not everything was resolved with his training with Gallus.

Instead of having his meal with Ma'tanza, as was usually the case lately, Tzirret sought out Peiter in the dining area to sit with him and eat. No doubt Sabine was nearby as well, retrieving her own meal.

"Um, hello Peiter," Tzirret said when he approached and sat opposite him. "How was your day?" Tzirret spoke nervously, no doubt because he was skirting around what he really wanted to ask about. The two had not been around each other as much as usual lately.