Gallus raised his hands defensively and broke eye contact. "I see no reason not to be honest. Ri'vashi suggested I take this time to reach out and speak with you." Gallus answered. He lowered his hands and offered a smile, "I am aware that you and Ri'vashi's relationship over this table can get a little..." Gallus hummed until he found the right word, "Adversarial at times? Now, the last thing I would wish would be for you to let your opinions go before you had a good reason, hence," Gallus gestured to himself, "Why I'm here."

---

While La'khay's excitement was reflected with a grin on Sabine's face, she closed her mouth when La'khay offered her a hand. "Um, if you don't mind, La'khay...we just arrived here," Sabine explained regrettably, "Do you mind if I take a few minutes to bathe myself first? We could tell you where our room is and meet you there if you like."

"She sent you simply to speak with Dro'cahi, and nothing else? Very well." Dro'cahi answered skeptically. Nevertheless, he motioned for Gallus to follow as he walked a short distance from the table. "You only just arrived here a few weeks ago, so this one cannot blame you for any opinions you might have on Dro'cahi, or Ri'vashi. She was one of the first people you spoke to, and the person you have been dealing with throughout this military planning, and interrogations."

Once they were at a spot sufficiently away from most of the others in the chamber, Dro'cahi stopped, standing upright with his hands clasped behind his back. "How much would you say you know about Ri'vashi? Her politics, the choices she's made, what she has done with this clan as its leader? What kind of person do you think she is?"

---

La'khay curled her lips. "Hmm, yes, the painting will be better if you both are clean anyway. La'khay is going to need to get your hair fixed up again, so she will take the time to get what she needs. Where is your room?" She asked.

"It it on the level just below the main chamber, on this side of the stronghold. It's the third door on the right in the hall of rooms closest to the dining chamber." Peiter explained. La'khay climbed out of the pool shortly after La'tahne, showing excitement even in her stride. Peiter chuckled, and gave Sabine another kiss. "Not what I expected to be doing today, but it should be interesting. I wonder how big of a painting it will be? It will probably be a smaller one, else it would take too long to pain. But...anyway, didn't you say earlier that you wanted me to bathe you." He grinned.

Again, Gallus found no reason not to be honest. He answered amiably, "I have been in several conversations with Ri'vashi. I would say that I have gotten to know her fairly well."

Gallus rubbed a finger behind his ear and considered sticking to the facts that Dro'cahi might have only wanted to hear rather than everything. "Ri'vashi...certainly has large shoes to fill carrying on from her father. She has been well trained as a warrior and as a leader of soldiers. However, I feel as though she was thrown into the position of clan leader rather more suddenly. She only wants what is best for the clan, and she had since gained experience. These days? She has expressed frustration at times for the impression that...well, that she is still too inexperienced."

Gallus lifted a hand with his palm up in a half-shrug. "What would you say that she is like?"

---

Sabine watched La'tahne and La'khay walk off and then returned Peiter's grin. "Only if I get to bathe you as well," she responded, before pulling herself up close and giving Peiter a longer kiss.

It was another few minutes before Sabine was sitting forward in the pool with Peiter scrubbing her back. It felt good to finally be cleansed, but an errant concern resurfaced in her mind. "Peiter, how long do paintings take, anyway?"

Dro'cahi gave a huff. "Saying she is a 'well-trained warrior' is a massive understatement. Ri'vashi is the best damn military commander to ever grace the sands of Elsweyr. That, Dro'cahi says with no uncertainty. Her observational and tactical abilities are innate, unbelievably fast, and undeniably effective. In that, she eclipses even her father. There is no one that this one would trust more to lead our warriors...but that should be her role, not leading this clan. A masterful military commander she may be, but she cannot seem to understand that the rest of us are not soldiers."

Letting out a sigh, Dro'cahi gave a quick glance in the direction of Ri'vashi. "She does not know how to lead people. She does not relate to them, she does not understand them. She expects everyone to live like soldiers, and it has taken its toll. The people of this clan have never been so unhappy, so...frightened. Sure, you might argue that this war with Vile makes it necessary, but what happens when that discontent is allowed to fester? Dro'cahi does not want to see his niece torn apart by some...upstart usurpers who may take advantage of people's fear."

---

Peiter took to his task of bathing Sabine rather enthusiastically. Of course, they were technically still in a public place. There was no one immediately around them, and the others in the chamber were not paying particularly close attention to them, but they were still there. Nevertheless, Peiter did start taking some risks in how he was touching her.

"I'm...not sure entirely. I think it depends on the kind of painting, how big it is, and how detailed you want it to be. Some can take a few weeks worth of sessions, but I don't think that's what La'khay is going to do. I'm kind of excited to see what it will be like, though. I think I almost have you cleaned up." Peiter answered.

The first reaction Gallus betrayed to Dro'cahi was one eyebrow lowering slightly at the word 'niece.' For a fraction of a second, he thought that there was a relation that Gallus had not been told of. However, it was quickly dismissed. Ri'vashi was adopted and Dro'cahi was close to her father. Referring to Ri'vashi in such a way was not unusual. Although, it did hint that Dro'cahi was more fond of Ri'vashi than Gallus had thought.

"Yes, nothing you say is strictly wrong," Gallus said with a nod, "I had heard about the circumstances relating to her succession. If only her father had more time to elaborate his decision."

Mirroring Dro'cahi, Gallus gave a glance to Ri'vashi before putting a fist on his hip and turning his head back to Dro'cahi. "Do you believe this march will...not help matters regarding the clan's mood? If they are left without a stronger defence?"

---

Sabine didn't much mind the way Peiter touched her while she was being cleaned. It was all mostly hidden under the surface of the water and she redirected his hands whenever she felt that Peiter was not focussing on the job assigned to him. It was an amusing game to see how much he thought he could get away with. Though, with her back being cleaned, Sabine was not so distracted. She could easily process the weight of the answer Peiter gave to her question.

"A few weeks?" Sabine repeated with disbelief. "We will be on the march soon. We will not have time for a few weeks. With Peiter done cleaning her, Sabine turned around in the water to face him with a concerned expression. "How is La'khay going to do it?"

Dro'cahi appeared surprised that Gallus had even asked such a question. "Of course. It is not as if our warriors are a separate entity from the rest of our population. They are friends, family members, brothers and sisters that our people live with every single day, and they will be marching into danger. Potentially, to their deaths. With so many of our warriors leaving at once, there will be hardly anyone here who will not have someone to worry about."

With a pause, Dro'cahi sighed in growing frustration with the situation. "If it were just that, this would not be as much of an issue. Dro'cahi is not blind to the reality of this war. He knows our warriors must fight, and that they will be in danger. But with everything else our people have to deal with...the rationing, the restrictions, the forced training for people who will never fight. The war has pushed its way into every aspect of their lives, and having their friends and family members taken from them for so long, this one fears will only exacerbate the issues we have already been facing. If this march must happen, we need to loosen our hold over the people to give them some kind of reprieve from this war."

---

Peiter shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose she'll just make a smaller painting. She might just paint us instead of a complicated background, or find a simple background somewhere. I doubt it will be done quickly by any means, but it shouldn't take weeks or anything. We'll have to sit still for a while, but we can just take the time to talk to each other. Or her. I did find it kind of...strange how she was acting with La'tahne. How she was holding on to her, that is. I am sort of curious to ask about that."

Peiter ran his hands down Sabine's sides until they came to rest on her hips. "Anyway, do you want to clean me off, or just head up to our room right away?"

There was a short pause where Gallus considered Dro'cahi's words. "Hm," he concluded, "It doesn't sound like a bad idea on the surface. I mean, I can understand the rationing. That much is just pragmatic. But drilling everyone like soldiers?" Gallus shook his head, "It makes me wonder whether those decisions were made because of the war or because Ri'vashi does not know any better."

Gallus refocussed. "Perhaps we could use this as an opportunity to compromise. Ri'vashi should at least be familiar with the concept of morale. What happened the last time there was a proposal to relax this strict military structure on those who aren't warriors?"

---

Apparently satisfied with that answer, Sabine's worry turned into a wry smile as she put her hand to Peiter's chest and reached for the soap they were using. "Do not think you are getting away so easily," she warned.

Cleaning Peiter would not take too long. Sabine was gentle, even with the brush, and made no hesitations in being thorough as she went. "I think La'khay and La'tahne must both be intimate people. I do not know La'tahne but she sounded similar in words to La'khay." Sabine paused before deciding that she could share her thoughts with Peiter. "Or they could be lovers," she said bluntly.

"I wonder if La'khay will let me practice magic while she paints?" Sabine asked as an afterthought.

"This one has been fighting against these issues for the past year, with no real results. Just...fruitless arguing. She holds our people to standards they were never prepared to live with, especially those who were forced away from their old lives. Even the rationing is not as reasonable as you might think. Our food stores are always nearly overflowing, but people still can only eat the minimum. We may not be starving, but we never feel full. The only time anyone can have anything extra is when it is in danger of spoiling. We have more weapons than our warriors can use, more armor, more building tools, but our people can rarely purchase anything for themselves from the outside." Dro'cahi explained.

Dro'cahi still held a good deal of skepticism in his expression, but he was some hope in his tone. "If you believe there is some possibility of compromise, it will have to come from you, or the Champion. This one believes that Ri'vashi does not even listen to him any more. No matter what the idea may be, she may reject it simply because Dro'cahi was the one to suggest it."

---

Peiter chuckled. "I don't think La'khay has 'lovers' in the...traditional sense. Just people that she mates with on a regular basis. It's difficult to say without really knowing La'tahne, though." He commented. Despite the fact that it was Sabine's turn to scrub him down, he still was not keeping his hands off of her, which, by this point, was unsurprising.

With the suggestion that she could train her magic while being painted, Peiter appeared unsure. "It's possible, but I don't know. Maybe you could have her paint you performing magic, if that is something she can do? I know the light from spells isn't consistent in color, or brightness, or anything like that, so it might not be easy for her to paint something that changes like that. Still, it might work. Though, I think she wants the focus of the painting to be on both of us. I wonder what she'll want us to do in the painting?"

Gallus gestured his head towards the far wall while looking down, conceding to Dro'cahi. "If you say so," Gallus' breath in came with a realised opportunity. He narrowed one eye and angled his head as he looked to Dro'cahi. "I think there may be grounds for some generosity, however convincing Ri'vashi may be easier if we do it a particular way." Gallus' expression became neutral, "We are not exaggerating when we say that this stronghold represents the core of Vile's threat in Elsweyr. Once it is taken there will be little in the way of justifying such a strict lifestyle here. Would you be willing to take on some compromises, like...let's say as this march goes out the rations are increased to a reasonable level, or something to that effect. Once the warband returns, a line of other agreed-upon changes to the clan lifestyle are implemented. With the main fear against the clan destroyed by then, I believe that Ri'vashi will be more amenable to relaxing things."

There was an underhanded wave of Gallus' hand in the direction of Ri'vashi and Meesei, "Perhaps once I build a bridge for this issue, the two of you might sit down and try to fix the rift between you two. You clearly need each other to run this clan and I can see you bear no hatred. However, no good will come from reacting so quickly to each others' ideas."

---

"If you say painting takes a long time I am not sure I could cast anything but a very weak spell for that long," Sabine added.

Cleaning Peiter was only delayed by his wandering hands reaching ticklish surfaces on Sabine while she tried to scrub and rinse. It got to the point where Sabine was tempted to try and pin him down just so he wouldn't be mischievous for a moment. Although, she knew he couldn't overpower him if he really wanted to continue.

They were all done before long. Sabine took Peiter's hand after they had dried themselves off and headed back to their room to see what La'khay and La'tahne had set up.

Dro'cahi gave a simple nod towards Gallus. "This one did not come here today expecting any kind of compromise. He opposes Ri'vashi on these issues because he believes it is the right thing to do for the clan. If you believe you can convince her to bring forward any kind of positive change for the clan, then Dro'cahi will be glad for it. Speak to her, propose the suggestion during the meeting, do whatever you like. If Ri'vashi does agree to it, then this one knows she will not go back on her word. Even if she is misguided, she is an honest woman."

---

Peiter walked along with Sabine up to their room, allowing her to walk under her own power this time. Enough time had passed that people were starting to finish their duties for the day, so the hallways were a bit more crowded than before. But, it did not take long for them to return to their room. Inside, both La'khay and La'tahne smiled excitedly as soon as they saw the door open. They had already moved the table in the center of the room to the side and set up an easel beside it. La'tahne had evidently succeeded in gathering the supplies La'khay needed, as there were an array of paints and brushes scattered on the table. They had also cleared out a space in front of the easel next to the wall, presumably where they would need to stand, or sit, for the painting.

"Ah, you're here! Good, good. And you're both so clean; this one is glad you decided to be thorough. It will make it easier for La'khay to get you both fixed up. We just have to decide what kind of scene this one should paint. In La'khay's opinion, it should be something romantic. Something that really shows the love you share." La'khay explained, pausing to look the pair over contemplatively. "La'khay should paint you mating."

Peiter's eyes widened in surprise at the suggestion. Although, it almost made him laugh as well. He supposed that it should not have been such a shock to him that she would make such a proposal. This was La'khay they were dealing with, after all.

A smile rose on Gallus' face. "I will do what I can. The clan will be better off before this is all over."

Gallus leaned to step away, but stopped and addressed Dro'cahi again. He realised in his rush to get a solution that he didn't really know him much better as a person. "Before I see to this, we have a bit of time, perhaps you could tell me a bit more about your role in this clan. You were a good friend of the previous leader, correct?"

---

Knowing La'khay, Sabine was not exactly shocked by the suggestion. She laughed in good nature as if it was a joke.

The pause that followed brought a twinge of doubt to Sabine's grin. That twinge evolved into a turning of her head slightly from La'khay. "Do you mean that?" She asked uneasily. "That is...not something I am comfortable doing, La'khay." Sabine didn't notice until now that she had involuntarily begun folding her shoulders forward nervously and rubbing her upper arm.

“You wish to know more about Dro’cahi? He was a friend to Ennond for almost the entire time we were in High Rock, yes.” Dro’cahi answered. “Ennond was like a brother to this one, and the others in our sleuth. Our group was…much smaller back then. We had known each other for years before he found Ri’vashi, but we did not truly band together as a single group until a few months afterwards. No doubt it was her presence that made that decision for him; he had always said beforehand that he preferred to live alone.”

With his reminiscing, Dro’cahi briefly became less focused on Gallus, and more absorbed in his own thoughts. Although, it only lasted a few moments before he brought himself back into reality. “But…that is all ancient history by now. You want to know about the current state of our clan. Dro’cahi has been a lieutenant in this clan for as long as it has existed. This one and Atadia, the Redguard woman at the table over there, are the only ones from Ennond’s original council who still serve as the clan’s leaders. Two have passed on, and the rest simply decided to retire from the stresses of leadership. Dro’cahi’s official role in the clan, other than serving as a member of the council, is to handle the logistics of trading for our supplies, and to oversee any building or repair projects we may undertake. But, he also serves an an…intermediary between the clan’s leaders and its people. He tries to protect their interests, and give them the best lives he can.”
---
La’khay simply started to laugh as she waved her hand towards Sabine lightheartedly. “Oh, don’t be silly. La’khay isn’t asking you to mate right in front of her or anything. There is no way that would work for a painting, especially after you just finished mating. No, you would just need to act like you’re mating!” She explained, speaking as if she did not recognize that there was anything fundamentally wrong with her request.

Again, Peiter could not help but to internally laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Though, his expression showed some measure of confusion and embarrassment when La’khay mentioned what they had just finished doing before they went down to the pools to bathe. He wondered how she could possibly know about that, but a few sniffs of the air answered that question. They had not actually cleaned the room before they left. Regardless, he tried not to think about that particular embarrassment and focus on the matter at hand. La’khay was quite good at finding ways to embarrass others, but at least she was not intentionally malicious about it.

It was not an awful lot of new information but Gallus had no doubt that it would be useful to know. It was really no wonder that Dro'cahi was the one advocating so much for this kind of change. He likely heard the same complaints every day about the military strictness of the clan.

"Well, hopefully you'll have some good news for everyone soon enough." Gallus gave a half smile and then looked to Ri'vashi. "I think I had best use the time we have left to chat with Ri'vashi in earnest." He gave a nod in Dro'cahi's direction, "Thank you, lieutenant."

The walk around the table had Gallus displaying the hope on his face. He resumed a seat with a triumphant sigh. "Good news, Ri'vashi has now agreed to the march for a different compromise," Gallus said, leaning forward to address both Meesei and Ri'vashi. "This one might be a bit of work, but it will not lower the strength of the warband, which is the most important thing."

Gallus paused to try and read the reactions of Meesei and in particular Ri'vashi. Hopefully she wouldn't feel too adverse to a new road ahead for the clan from Gallus' mouth, even if he had just finished speaking to the likes of Dro'cahi.

---

La'khay might have been jovial about the whole affair but Sabine was no more comfortable than before. Her previous grin had disappeared, replaced by a deeply nervous expression and a tense brow.

She gathered a bit more momentum as she protested again. "La'khay, please, no," she said, sounding evidently upset this time. "That is...personal. Between Peiter and me." Sabine gave a sideways glance to Peiter. She was not happy that he wasn't speaking up, but she thought that it must have been out of embarrassment.

Sabine returned to La'khay again. "We can cuddle or...sit together, or something else." She gave a tiny shake of her head, "Not mating. Not pretending either."

Given Gallus' apparent mood, Ri'vashi seemed hopeful once he returned. She became even more interested, and quite obviously surprised, when he actually mentioned some sort of compromise. "Wait...really? You actually managed to get Dro'cahi to agree to something? This one has faced nothing but resistance from him for months. You must either be an expert negotiator, or have Nocturnal's luck. It is almost hard for this one to believe, but..."

Ri'vashi leaned onto the table, giving her gaze carrying a bit more concern. "You say this will be a 'bit of work.' What does that mean, in this case? What kind of compromise is he wanting to make? This one can hardly think of any significant things he has wanted over the past few months that wouldn't compromise our defenses in some way."

---

La'khay rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Oh, fine. No one will ever agree to that, except Colors. This one does not understand why people are so...timid about this. La'khay used to mate in front of others all the time. Ah, well we could still do something romantic, at least. What about painting you two in a loving embrace? Something that really captures your passion for one another. Would you mind holding onto him in a kiss for a while? Or do you have another idea?"

La'tahne, meanwhile, was laughing silently at the exchange for a short time before standing up from the bed and walking over to La'khay, placing her hand gently on her back. "If you can find her a partner, La'tahne wouldn't mind such a passionate painting...or we could be the subjects, if you can find another painter."

Peiter was obviously surprised with La'tahne's offer to La'khay, though with how the pair of Khajiit acted, he honestly was not sure if it confirmed anything about their relationship. Regardless, he was starting to become more comfortable with La'khay's suggestions for the painting.

Gallus lifted a finger, breathed in, paused, and then let the breath go and his finger lower. His second attempt had him tilting his head forward. "It...may have been such a long time since you and Dro'cahi have seen eye to eye that it may have been forgotten but...he's worried about your safety." Gallus started by explaining slowly but realised he was being confrontational. He tried to salvage the situation by explaining further before Ri'vashi could respond. "Let me put it this way. Morale is low inside the clanhome. Incredibly low. The way things are run? We would only have it this way in Bruma if there was an emergency, and not for any lengthy time. Dro'cahi sees problems with internal stability right now. Discontent, possible mutiny if unchecked. Things that will come up time and again without change." Gallus glanced to the door and back, "People are acting like soldiers when they are not. They cannot keep doing it. So...once this enemy stronghold is taken it will be a window of safety. An opportunity to change a few ways that the clan is run. Being in the mindset of a war can be useful. However, clans aren't armies."

Gallus turned his hand to show a palm. "Starting off, you only have to bring forward one change to lift morale. Increasing rations or reducing drills for non-combatants or something. Once the warband returns? Other changes will be incrementally brought in, under your proposal." Gallus brought his hands together, "I have seen these things Dro'cahi has mentioned myself, so I know that there is truth to his words. At the same time, our warband will be at full strength to eliminate its biggest threat. Right now I personally see it as the best compromise between internal and external security we can have right now."

---

Sabine was visibly relieved when La'khay conceded to a less intimate scene. "Those would be better. Thank you," she said quietly. It might be awkward to hold a kiss still for long enough to be captured in a painting, but Sabine would much prefer that to the original idea.

As she took up a position with Peiter in front of the easel, Sabine's spirits were slightly lifted by the dialogue between La'khay and La'tahne. She stifled a laugh at just how forward they both were to each other. The ridiculousness of having two such people in the same room helped to relax Sabine's self-consciousness as she wrapped her arms around Peiter's sided and up his back. "Should we...just kiss or kiss and hold still for a while?" Sabine asked unsurely. She was hoping that being in a kiss for so long wouldn't cause too much of a dribble down their chins.

Before they began, Sabine looked into Peiter's eyes and asked quietly, "Are you alright with this Peiter?" He had not spoken at all since they entered their room again.

Ri'vashi's concern turned to skepticism rather quickly as Gallus started to give details on the compromise. Her gaze became tense, and increasingly uncertain overall. "Ri'vashi is...surprised at you, Gallus. This one was sure you, of all people, would understand the need for these measures. We cannot afford to be caught without supplies, or otherwise unprepared. If we do not ration, then we will not last as long against an enemy attack. This stronghold can indeed hold off an army magnitudes larger than the defending force within, but that can only last as long as the people can be fed. As much as Ri'vashi would like it to be so, we cannot grow enough food within the stronghold's walls to support everyone. And the training...what could we possibly gain by stopping it? The people need to know what to do if our clan is attacked. Combat training may not be enjoyable, but it could save their lives if something goes wrong. It seems like everything Dro'cahi wants to do is designed to make us more vulnerable to attack." She protested.

---

Peiter grinned at Sabine. "Well, it's certainly a lot better than her first idea. Those kinds of...activities, I'd rather keep all to ourselves." Peiter answered quietly before continuing in a more normal voice. "Should we just stand here and kiss, or..."

"Hmm, well first, La'khay would like to get you fixed up. You're already clean, so she can just get your hair ready, and maybe trim up your body hair again. You'll hopefully have this painting to look back on for years to come, so you want to look as good as possible, yes? Besides that, you can just stand and embrace one another however you like. Or you can pull up a chair and sit down for it. That might be easier for you." La'khay suggested.

It was to be expected that Ri'vashi would react negatively to any suggestions of weakening the defences by helping internal happiness. Gallus wished he could have kept that in mind.

"There is more to this than defending from the outside. The clan stands to rebel if..." Gallus interrupted himself abruptly. "Wait." His eyes went to the table and his brow went down. "Hmm..." Gallus tongue clicked against the top of his mouth and he took a tiny breath in, looking at Ri'vashi curiously. "You've had this discussion many times before with Dro'cahi," a small smile crept onto his face, "in every form, in every way. Well...let's try something different then."

Gallus put his hands flat together in front of himself and pointed his fingertips in Ri'vashi's direction. "You are aware of the morale problem. What would you like to do about it?" Gallus gave Ri'vashi a nod, "Because something does have to be done. I know you know that."

It was his hope that Gallus would get Ri'vashi to admit that this was beyond her expertise. And if it was then she was in the best position to make a suggestion that wouldn't lower the clan's defences too much. He wanted her to try and assume Dro'cahi's mindset without knowing it.

---

As much as Sabine enjoyed the experience of being 'fixed up' by La'khay the last time, she thought it would be onerous to do something like that now. As well, it itched worse than anything short of insect bites for a week following. She tightened her expression for a while before conceding. "Alright." Sabine stepped up and allowed La'khay to do her work. She didn't know if Peiter was going to get the same treatment, as amusing as that would be.

While she was having her hair styled, Sabine curiously picked up one of the paint brushes and rolled the handle between her fingers. Without asking, she charged a telekinesis spell and begun to try and move it finely without touching it. She was going to get her magic practice in one way or another.

"I am sorry if I disappointed you before, La'khay," Sabine said eventually while focussing on the paintbrush. "I do not want to insult you. I just...do not feel comfortable with doing that in front of others." After a pause, Sabine's tone became more curious. "How long do you think the painting will take?"

Again, Ri'vashi was surprised, though for a different reason this time. Gallus' new line of questioning seemed to have genuinely caught her off-guard. For a few moments, there was silence as she had to think of how to actually respond. "Um...well, this one is sure you know that there is no way to keep morale at its maximum during wartime. At least, no way that would be worth the tradeoff. Of course, Ri'vashi wants to improve the people's morale. She wants them to be happy, just like Dro'cahi does, but she doesn't want them to lose their safety. They don't all recognize how much their sacrifices help to keep them safe, but Ri'vashi has to make the unpopular decisions for their own good. To improve their morale...Ri'vashi wants to show them what their sacrifices do to help them. If they can see clearly what we are doing for them, surely they will be more understanding. If we can succeed in this attack, it will make them feel safer."

With the new information Gallus had brought by speaking to Dro'cahi, Meesei had her own comments to add. "That is not always how people work. Actually, it is quite rare to encounter someone with that level of pragmatism. People like you and I are prepared to make any sacrifices necessary to achieve our goals, but you have to remember that their goals are not the same as ours. Where we want to defeat our enemy, they simply want to survive, and live as comfortably a possible. Many lycans did not choose this life, and want something at least close to their old ones. It is not ideal for defense, true, but it is what we have to contend with."

---

As soon as she saw that Sabine was in agreement, La'khay grabbed the bucket of water she intended to use to clean her brushes, which was still perfectly clean and clear at this point, and set it down next to one of the chairs. She motioned for Sabine to take a seat, grabbed one of Peiter's knives from the room, and used it in conjunction with her claws to start cutting some of the uneven strands of hair on Sabine's head.

La'khay had no issue conversing as she worked on Sabine's hair, as she found it to be quite an easy task, even while multitasking. "Oh, you didn't insult La'khay. Although, she doesn't really understand why mating is so taboo to people. This one never had any problems mating in front of her friends at the brothel. La'khay just wants you to have a nice painting, and she thought it would be nice. She did not want to offend you or anything. Anyway, the painting might require us have another session or two, just so you don't get bored sitting for too long. Don't worry, this one will make sure it is done before the march starts." La'khay answered, pausing briefly before adding one last comment. "Out of curiosity, why do you think you aren't comfortable mating in front of others?"

Not only was Gallus grateful for Meesei's input, but he was happy to see that he was challenging Ri'vashi's perceptions properly rather than have her put up a stubborn wall.

"Meesei is correct. Clans are not armies." Gallus tilted his head to one side, "You do not have to make this place a paradise by any means, but try to see it from the simpler perspective of someone living here. They do not know when this war is going to end. They don't know the danger either. The important part is whether they want to be here." Gallus pointed two fingers across to nowhere in particular. "There will still be those that are never contented, but again, nothing is perfect." Gallus leaned back a little and gestured to Ri'vashi, "Go ahead and try again. What is something that will improve morale? Remember, we only need one thing before the Corinthe stronghold is taken."

---

Sabine hummed unsurely as she felt a flush come up her face. It was a long while before she came up with any answer.

"Because it..." Sabine felt her stomach churn a bit. She tried to take a breath to keep calm. Her voice was still small while she spoke, "I am not afraid with just Peiter. I trust him." Sabine's concentration on her spell was broken and she had to hold onto her brush for a moment, "If I think of trying in front of others...with others...I just feel too nervous. I cannot do it if I am too nervous. I do not enjoy it." Sabine resisted the urge to turn and look at La'khay and disrupt the haircut. "Do you not get nervous?"

Ri'vashi continued to hesitate in her answer. She looked straight ahead, with growing frustration in her expression. Gallus was correct in that she had gone through this argument with Dro'cahi many, many times before, but he had not asked these questions. Gallus was asking her to quickly come up with a solution to a long-standing problem within the clan, but her mind was coming up empty.

"Ri'vashi...doesn't know." She answered, almost growling in her tone. "We have gone over a year without an answer to that question; at least not one that will not sacrifice our defense. Ri'vashi has tried making the purpose of the drills more clear, she has tried making public reports on how much extra time our food stores would give us during an attack, but that only seemed to make them more discontented. The way they think does not make sense. It is like the war itself is unacceptable to them, but you know as well as Rivashi that we cannot choose to be uninvolved in this war. There is nothing Ri'vashi can do. Would you really think it worthwhile to stop training our people, or stop rationing as diligently, just out of convenience?" She said, as if it was obvious that those measures were necessary. To Meesei, it seemed as if she did not understand that her clan was over-prepared.

---

La'khay's expression appeared to be almost genuinely confused at Sabone's question. "Well, of course not." She answered confidently. "Why would she be? It's just another way to enjoy yourself, like kissing your mate. It can be very romantic between two people that share genuine love for one another, but La'khay doesn't see it as any different from any other kind of affection. Back when she worked at the brothel, La'khay would sometimes mate with many people at once; it was just part of her job. La'khay might understand being nervous around strangers, but you would be nervous in front of friends too?"

Meanwhile, Peiter was simply obverving La'khay at work with Sabine's hair. He had not watched her at work before, back in Pelletine, so he was curious to see how she had made Sabine look so exquisite. This time, she did not have any special alchemical concoction to aid her, but La'khay could still do quite a lot with just some water, her claws, and a knife. Peiter was impressed with how quickly she was able to straighten out Sabine's hair to be near perfectly even and elegantly styled. Soon enough, La'khay was able to finish with the hair on her head, and move to trimming down her body hair. As for the conversation, Peiter found La'khay's opinions on the matter to be...interesting, to say the least. He had never met anyone who treated it so casually.