Gallus felt his wooden sword swipe cleanly through thin air right before he jumped back. He was thankfully quick enough that he didn't suffer a counter-attack and he had just had possibly the closest clash to defeating Ri'vashi than ever. However, the gains he had made were somewhat offset by Ri'vashi acquiring a means to parry without losing her other hand.

Now that he had lost his shield, Gallus changed his stance again. This time, he had his sword hand forward and his other hand held out slightly behind him for balance. There wasn't much he could do with his off-hand now unless he got in close. Still, he had the advantage of a weapon and he pressed it. He shuffled up and attempted a combination of slashes high and low to try and put pressure on Ri'vashi. He suspected it would now be as difficult for him to land a hit as it was for Ri'vashi to attack without retribution.

[hr]
"Okay," Tzirret said with a hint of helplessness. He wished that the situation would be resolved quicker so he did not have to keep second-guessing himself. There didn't seem to be anything else he could do.

Throughout the sitting, Sabine had tried her best to hold her pose. She had her eyes narrowly open and her mouth pressed up against Peiter's, but between La'khay's graphically recounted story and the time spent sitting still, her previous rush of affection had mostly diminished. She had no doubt that Peiter would probably be feeling similar but with the added affect of slowly numbing legs. Sabine had a very light build but she wasn't an infant. Anyone who had her on their lap for a protracted period of time would get a pinched nerve eventually.

The knocks and voices at the door caused Sabine's eyes to widen in surprise. She turned her head towards the door and wiped her lips on the back of her hand before it was answered. She didn't exactly feel the most proud of her position right now, although it was not enough to ask La'tahne to not open the door.

Meanwhile, Tzirret was just as surprised to hear La'khay's voice coming from behind the door. She was the last person he expected to hear. He wondered what on earth they were doing in there. When the door did open to reveal La'tahne's face, Tzirret's ears angled halfway up in confusion. "Um, hello again...La'tahne?" Tzirret said, cautiously remembering the gardener's name, "Are Sabine and Peiter within?"