Gallus, being nearly as worn out as Ri'vashi, if only to be spared by his relatively more breathable armour, was seated next to her after their practice. He slid off his helmet to reveal his head drenched in sweat as he placed the item next to him. He felt the various bruises he was afflicted with in every movement.

"Sorry to say, Ri'vashi, but what you heard is probably right," Gallus spoke in a regretful but frank response. "The air's thick and humid, you trip on a lot more roots, and don't get me started on the bugs." He tried to keep a good natured air as he faced her with an amused smile. "Then again, I'm just a sweaty Imperial from the mountains. I'm not the fairest judge. How do you like the cold?"

---

At first, Tzirret looked a lot more sure of himself when Peiter gave his advice about having a conversation. However, the first mention of Bruma had Tzirret slowly turn his head forward ahead again and flattened his ears. His face did not look angry, just blank, if darkening around the eyes.

As Peiter gave his apology and assurances, Tzirret did not seem to respond outwardly for a few seconds. He whispered "It is fine" with some strain in his voice. With only a blink disturbing his blank expression, he continued in a wheezing voice that was clearly holding something back. "This one will do that. Thank you, Peiter."

"For fighting, this one prefers it to the heat." Ri'vashi answered. "Her fur is better in the heat, true, but she is, or at least was, very used to the cold. Ri'vashi is from High Rock, remember. It's eastern mountains are no less frigid than the Reach. It has been a long time since she lived there, though. If she went there now, she would probably be shaking like a frightened kitten."

Leaning forward, Ri'vashi started to run her armored hand through the water. "Anyway, this pond is certainly looking tempting. Ri'vashi just has to spend the next twenty minutes getting out of this suit. It's joints are not as restrictive as most, but it's also more of a pain to put on and take off."

---

Despite Tzirret's words, Peiter was not blind to his demeanor. He had noticed the sudden shift in his expression, and could guess the reason behind it. "It'll be okay, brother. You knew it wouldn't be easy, but I know you can handle it. Just...try thinking about what you want the end of this to be. You've learned a lot, and you've grown a lot. When it's all over, and when it's time to head back home, what would you have wanted out of the whole experience? It doesn't have to be such a sad day when it happens."

The mental image of Ri'vashi's simile caused Gallus to laugh through his nose. Any sort of kitten-like behaviour didn't line up with Ri'vashi at all.

Gallus spoke after Ri'vashi, "It does look nice. I've been overdue for a good wash anyway. This training has made it desperate." Gallus sniffed under one armpit and only found sweat, "I have a feeling that I'll be heading to bed with endless itches if I don't."

Taking off his gauntlets to relieve them from the heat, Gallus turned his head to Ri'vashi and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a squire or someone to help you do all that off and on or do you do it all yourself?" Gallus offered a palm, "I could help you if you want to save some time."

---

After a swallow and a quick breath in and out, Tzirret tried answering. "I..." He blinked twice, and as he continued, the walls crumbled. His face dipped down and he lifted a hand up to his eyes. His mouth was slightly open, speaking in a saddened shiver. "It is going so well," he said, "better than this one ever could have hoped." He let in a sharp breath. "She is the first where things have worked and...he does not want to have to leave her..." Tzirret let out restrained sobs, trying not to draw attention to himself.

"Ri'vashi doesn't have anyone assigned to her specifically or anything. She usually just pulls in the nearest person who doesn't seem busy. In this case, that would be you." She answered with a grin as she set aside her helmet, then started unfastening a leather strap. "Start with the ones on this one's back. She'll deal with the front."

As the two started removing the pieces of her armor, Ri'vashi continued the conversation. "Are you sure you have everything you'll need for the attack? We brought spare arms and armor, if you need any more equipment. This one tries to carry something for any situation. A spear is the standard weapon of any infantry, with good reason. If you have never fought in a formation before, giving everyone the maximal reach possible is essential. Ri'vashi will have her katana as a sidearm, as well as a small hammer or mace, so she can at least have an option against armored foes. She is not particularly skilled with a bow, at least not enough to justify carrying one, but she does usually carry a scroll or two. Just in case."

Just as she was finishing speaking, Ri'vashi caught herself and sighed as she shook her head. "Oblivion, can Ri'vashi ever stop talking about fighting?"

---

Peiter pulled Tzirret closer, then smiled encouragingly. "It will be the first time of many, Tzirret. And I'm not talking about love. I don't know what will happen with you and Ma'tanza, long term, but all of this has really let you break out of your shell. Maybe something will happen after we return and you'll be able to see her again, maybe not, but no matter who you're with, I have faith that you'll be happy. I don't want to lie to you, Tzirret, there is a chance that you won't be able to see Ma'tanza again after our mission is over. I know it hurts to think about, but I can't deny it. Even if that does happen, though, there are other people in the world that you would be happy with, and now, I know you have the confidence to meet them."

Gallus was slightly surprised that Ri'vashi wanted to remove her armour outside rather than at her tent, simply to avoid the inconvenience of carrying all the armour back in her hands. Gallus guessed that he would be roped into helping with that as well. He stood up and started by removing her pauldrons from her shoulders.

"Well, you just spent the last hour or two doing just that. I don't blame you," Gallus said. "Anyway, you don't have to worry about me. I'm really more of a skirmisher than a line soldier, but I've said before that I'll have a spear and a shield with everyone else. I'm not a stranger to formations and battles."

Gallus lifted the second pauldron off at this point and laid it to one side. He proceeded on to the straps holding the armour on the back of her legs securely. "I intend to pick up some potions and scrolls, but apart from that, what I have with me now will suffice."

Gallus then asked, "Not to say that I mind talking about fighting, but are there other things you do in your spare time?" Gallus shrugged, though body language was difficult while behind Ri'vashi. "I mean, apart from everything else that comes with being clan leader." Gallus' tone went to slightly awkward realisation, "You probably don't get much free time, huh."

---

Tzirret didn't stop sobbing, but he found Peiter's words to be kind. "It...still hurts," he answered, not knowing what else to say.

There wasn't really much more talking to do. Tzirret just spent the next several minutes releasing his emotion under his brother's comfort. It wasn't too long before he sniffed and wiped his eyes dry. "Sorry to bother you, Peiter," he said in a tired grumble. "Peiter probably wants to get back to Sabine."

Once her armor's plates were removed, Ri'vashi rather enthusiastically started pulling off her gambeson. The thick cloth padding, while it served as an effective defense to help soften blows, also held in far too much heat for her liking. "You would be correct. Leading a clan is demanding work. It seems like every time Ri'vashi thinks she will have a break, something else comes up. Always just one more thing. The clan has very much become her life, not that she regrets it. It is an honor to serve them as their leader. And, this one does suppose she does get at least a small amount of time to herself."

Setting aside her gambeson neatly, Ri'vashi was down to just her fur, which was already slightly moistened with sweat. She stood at the edge of the pond, with the water coming up just above her ankles, looking out to the other side. Across the pond, most of those that had been swimming were starting to climb out to dry off. "She does not get any time with others, though." She muttered.

---

Peiter's only response to Tzirret was simple, and direct. "Right now, I want to be right here with you, brother." He said firmly. He could not help but to think about what he would be going through himself if he knew he would have to separate from Sabine potentially permanently. Regardless of how true his advice to Tzirret was, it would do nothing to reduce the pain in the moment. So, he had no problem being there to support Tzirret for as long as needed.

There was little reason not to wash off now, so Gallus proceeded to doff his armour as Ri'vashi finished up. Her mention of her occupation leaving little time for casual social interaction may have been quiet, but Gallus heard it. It made him pull a pitied expression behind her back. "Now...that is a difficult part of your role," Gallus said with no hint of levity or humour. "This might sound dreary, but I can't call that healthy. Do you really not get to mingle with your friends?"

Gallus finished disrobing within a couple of minutes and he was not so tentative about wading into the water. We walked his way in strongly and briskly until he was deep enough before he jumped forward and dove under. It was as if he didn't care about the purple splotches on his skin where he had taken the worst blows. He surface a few metres away and pushed his hair back, taking a refreshing breath. At least his good nature returned to his voice. "I won't always be around to bruise up when you're feeling stressed, clan leader!" he called out with a laugh.

---

Tzirret's response to Peiter was to give him a sad smile and a tight hug. He was not exactly crying any more, but Peiter could feel the residual tears on Tzirret's face against his shoulder. He remained as such for another half a minute.

It was at that point that quiet footsteps approached carefully from behind them, joined by Sabine's voice. "I found you-" she spoke softly, stopping after seeing the red in Tzirret's eyes. "Oh, am I...interrupting? Are you alright, Tzirret?"

"Yes," Tzirret whispered while shaking his head, "He is okay." Tzirret pulled back from Peiter and looked at him gratefully.

Sabine resumed cautiously, turning her head slightly, "...I was wondering if you wanted to get some dinner." She did not appear to be directing the question to either of them in particular.

Tzirret's eyes flicked up to Sabine and back to Peiter. He put his ears half-way up, gave Peiter's shoulder a squeeze, pulled a purse-lipped smile and began to stand up. "This one will find something to eat," he said with a bit more heart as he walked away without waiting for either Peiter or Sabine.

With curious eyes, Sabine's turned to watch Tzirret walk off and then looked back to Peiter with her hands clasped together. "What happened?"

Ri'vashi dove in shortly after Gallus. In an absolute sense, the water was warm, but compared to the air, and especially her body, it was refreshingly cool. She remained underneath the water's surface for about ten seconds before surfacing once more. Ri'vashi attempted to use the time to come up with a truthful answer for Gallus that would not be embarrassing, but she had no such luck. She came back up close by to him, but quickly looked away with a hint of shame. "Ri'vashi...does not have many friends. No one that she spends time with like that. As a cub she did, but the more responsibilities she gained, the less time she had for all that. Ri'vashi has never been one to get together and spend time with people like that. She is not sure what makes her do it with you, honestly. Perhaps it is the stress she has been under?"

---

Peiter watched Tzirret as he walked away, but did not attempt to follow. For now, it may have been best that he be allowed to be alone. "We were just talking about a few things. It would probably be best if I not talk about most of them; he would likely want to keep them private. I can say that he is starting to think about our return to Bruma. He's not looking forward to leaving Ma'tanza, and I can certainly understand why. It's a problem I knew would be coming since they first got together. I just hope he doesn't come to regret it; being with her, I mean. It is almost hard to believe how far Tzirret has come since we left Bruma."

"Well, I can't answer that for you," Gallus said quickly. "Probably because we've both got about as much work to do, schedules line up and all that. However..." Gallus narrowed one eye and angled his head back slightly, "I have a feeling you've been convincing yourself that you haven't got time. I know some people back home that claim they're too busy for anything when they spend hours reading books before they sleep. When you say it's been the stress you're under, maybe you're correct in a different way than you think." Gallus began stroking his arms though the water, letting the coolness wash away the itches. "You could be procrastinating from your social life! As for me, maybe I'm just one of the few who gets to spar with you for fun, or something. If anything, I might be proof that you do have time."

---

"Oh, I see." Sabine approached and sat down closely beside Peiter as he answered, holding a small smile. She looked optimistic, despite what Tzirret was inevitably going through. "I do not think he will regret it. I have seen how they are together. It is better than how glum he was beforehand at not been there. He will always have that." Sabine took Peiter's hand in both of hers and her smile grew wider, "You are a kind brother to help him through it."

Perhaps it was La'khay's attitude's rubbing off, but Sabine was blunt when she leaned the side of her head against Peiter's shoulder and added, "If he wants any potions for mating, you can tell him to talk to me and I can lend him some." She turned panned her head to peer up at Peiter, "If you do not mind taking from our rations."

Ri'vashi's first reaction was to be defensive, but she knew that Gallus' words held some truth. Leaning back, she allowed herself to float on her back as she gave a sigh. "Ri'vashi...isn't a social person. She doesn't really have people to go to for socializing like that. This one does have people she would say are friends, but not those kinds of friends. They are people she respects, and that respect her. Ri'vashi would call most of her council friends, but she never wanted to show any favoritism towards them. And...well, she never really felt like she even wanted to be especially outgoing like that. It hasn't really been about free time. Ri'vashi has always been content with her life."

Despite her words, Ri'vashi gave a quick, nervous glance to Gallus with some doubt in her expression.

---

Peiter nodded. "I suppose you're right. I'm expecting that he'll be pretty upset in the short term, but hopefully he doesn't change too much in the long term. That is, I hope he can stay so outgoing. I'd hate for him to get so depressed that he falls back into his old ways. With the confidence he has now, I think he can find someone new back home."

Seeing as he did not want to give away what he and Tzirret were discussing, Peiter tried not to give much of a reaction when Sabine mentioned the potions. He simply smiled and gave a brief laugh. "I don't know if I would expect that. Tzirret has improved a lot, but he is still a pretty nervous cat. Regardless, I suppose I don't mind sharing. If we do run out, there are always...other things we could do to enjoy ourselves." Peiter said, grinning.

Gallus gave Ri'vashi a sideways glance just in time to see her doubt and stopped in the water. He raised an eyebrow at her as he responded, "Really? You didn't seem so content when you brought this up." Gallus' cheeky grin gave way as he waved dismissively to absolve Ri'vashi's need to respond to that. "Look, there's a difference between not being very social and never socialising at all. Your work is one thing, but relaxing with friends every now and then is beneficial. Maybe you should...open your mind to the option. What's the worst that could happen?"

---

"Mhm," Sabine hummed tersely, rolling her eyes and emitting a giggle with her mouth closed. "Okay, well, I hope Tzirret can find someone back at Bruma, too. Some new friends as well. And you do not know..." Sabine put an arm around Peiter's waist, "...He could be more single-minded than you are."

The embrace was short-lived as an audible grumble ran over Sabine's middle. She stood up without letting go of Peiter's hand. "Come on, I am hungry," she demanded with a smile.

Ri'vashi straightened up and started swimming around Gallus, trying to keep her mood more upbeat. "Well, Ri'vashi can think of a lot of bad that could happen if she starts to shirk her responsibilities. Still, if you are so insistent, Ri'vashi supposes now is as good of a time as any to try. Strangely enough, Ri'vashi has had more free time on this journey than she has had in years with the clan. Now that we have our planning out of the way, it is mostly just walking, and since most of us here are warriors, they are fairly self-organizing. It is nice not to have to micromanage everyone."

With a brief chuckle Ri'vashi swam up beside Gallus and put her arm around him, pulling him to her rather tightly. She did not squeeze him hard enough to harm him, but she held him with just enough force to ensure that he could not go anywhere without her releasing him. "Since you are giving the advice, Ri'vashi supposes you are volunteering to spend your time with her. If she wants to see how much being social will help her, she may as well not let you out of her sight."

---

As Peiter started to walk along with Sabine, he raised his brow in response to her. "As single minded as me? You know, love, it takes two to mate, and you always seem to be just as enthusiastic as me." He said, grinning as he rubbed her back. "But regardless, for Tzirret, I think Ma'tanza's opinion on the matter would be the thing that decides it. Assuming Tzirret has the desire and courage to ask, she still might not be as open to it as you or me."

There was a surprised grunt squeezed out of Gallus as Ri'vashi essentially trapped him. He did know that she didn't mean any harm but he didn't appreciate being quite so close to getting crushed. With a twisted mouth, Gallus spoke with a stilted tightness to preserve his breath. "Oh, well, if you insist."

Gallus glanced to one side and looked back up to Ri'vashi. "What did you want to do first? Talk? Share a drink? Meet some people?"

---

Sabine let Peiter's retort go. She didn't want to pursue such an argument as they walked back into the camp. She nodded at his following statement as she responded. "Of course. Not either of us know what she wants." Sabine smiled sadly, "I wonder how she is coming to terms with their separation?"

Ri'vashi finally released her grip on Gallus to allow him to swim freely. "Well, seeing as we're already in the water, we should just keep swimming for now. Maybe we can talk about something besides fighting and business. This one rarely talks to you about anything else. So...what kind of hobbies do you have, other than sparring?"

---

The journey to the forests southeast of Corinthe was long, and thankfully, dull. The walk through the desert and into the forest took two thirds the time as their entire journey from the Senchal clan to Orcrest, since they did not have a boat to expedite their progress. Though, they moved comparatively faster on land than they had before. The transition from desert to forest was a reminder of home for the warriors of the Senchal clan, and brought about a sense of awe for some from Orcrest. For those who had lived in the desert their entire lives, a forest was something they had only heard of in stories. Some of the officers even had to go as far as reprimanding a few of the sentries who were a bit too distracted by the massive trees towering over them to keep watch on their perimeter.

True to her word, Ri'vashi made an effort to socialize outside of a professional setting, though it was almost always with Gallus. When not working or training, she was outside of her element, and turned out to be surprisingly awkward for one in her position. While she was not as bad as Tzirret, she sometimes became nervous enough to almost be amusing.

Eventually, the warband drew close enough to the enemy stronghold that they were forced to remain at constant high alert for any enemy patrols. They made camp mere hours away from the enemy in order to send scouts ahead to scan their path through both magical and physical means. Miranor once more led a group of werevulture scouts to gain updated information on the fortress itself. Unless they learned something which would make the attack impossible, they intended to launch the assault the following evening, so tensions in the camp were understandably high. It was already past nightfall, though many intended to remain awake so they could sleep through the next day, and be well-rested for he attack.

Once the scouts returned, Meesei called together a meeting of the same group that had formed their original plan. If there was no new information which would be helpful, this meeting was likely to be much shorter.

The rest of the journey in felt quicker as the warband moved along. The routine drills and tasks made the days repetitive, though the sights they saw tended to break up the drudgery.

Gallus would himself admit that the tropical forests of Pelletine were a sight to behold, but even he found it amusing to see the reactions of those that had never seen a tree any larger than a desert palm.

Gallus' spare time was divided between keeping track of his pack and helping Ri'vashi to socialise. The latter ended up being a strange experience simply because of all the social anxieties that Ri'vashi displayed. He kept having to remind her of things that were obvious to him through experience before and after trying to meet someone new. It was an additional challenge when people became nervous around her, not only because she was a towering Cathay-raht, but because of her authority. At least Uthri seemed to grow accustomed enough to be counted as a friend, but not quite as close a friend as Gallus seemed to be to Ri'vashi now. Regardless, Ri'vashi was improving.

Of course, the final encampment before the assault put all external thoughts on pause. Everything was converging on the main event, the details of which were to be finalised in one more war council. Gallus pushed aside the flap granting access to the pavilion with fewer signs of levity than usual. He gave Meesei and Ri'vashi a nod and walked up to the group.

"We're finally here," Gallus mused, laying his hands on the table. "Are we waiting for anyone else, or are we ready to get started?"

---

Unfortunately for Tzirret, the forests gave him more tasks than he had in the desert. More humidity meant more water was being consumed. That meant more refills. More undergrowth meant more insects, snakes, and sprains. He became very adept at applying salves and wrapping tourniquets and splints, but he was regularly becoming exhausted at the end of the day.

Tzirret's nervousness regarding talking to Ma'tanza about the night where they got particularly close -- as well as similar nights afterwards -- was already high enough. The excuses to procrastinate coupled with an overarching belief that he could never seemed to find the right time delayed his intentions for just about the entire trip, until now.

Setting up camp was a swift affair. Tzirret was not quite as tired as he had been due to an odd lull in work and tension leading up to the attack. Ma'tanza and him might have been spending more time with Peiter, Sabine, S'nishi, and Bheja if there weren't combat drills and briefings taking place to keep the fighters sharp. That meant that Tzirret and Ma'tanza were left alone to lay together and watch the stars start to come out.

This point may not have been the best time to talk due to the tension of the assault, but Tzirret knew that he should stop delaying. He had waited too long. He had thought about the words that he wanted to say beforehand despite his apprehension, so he didn't stutter too much as he began. "Um, Ma'tanza," Tzirret itched his ear nervously, "this one wants to say that he is sorry that he has been leaving suddenly some evenings evenings. He...wants to explain."

Tzirret paused for Ma'tanza's reaction. Knowing her, she had probably read Tzirret from a mile away regarding his behaviour.

Meesei acknowledged Gallus, then gave a quick nod to Miranor. "This should be everyone. Miranor, you may share your report." She instructed. Miranor reached into her back on the table and produced a few fresh sketches of the enemy stronghold.

"Overall, not a great deal has changed about the stronghold since we first scouted it. The strength of their forces seems unchanged, and there is nothing else that I would consider to be a surprise. The greatest change, as expected, is that the construction on their expansion of their stronghold has progressed. The buildings they have constructed do not seem to be anything more than additional barracks, or possibly storage buildings. It does indicate that their forces are growing, but it does not seem to present any immediate threat to us. The walls to enclose this new area are not completed, but they have kept the old wall standing for now. We did notice that there is now some scaffolding on the new wall which is somewhat close to the old. In lycan form, a werewolf or werelion might be able to make the jump, but the enemy could collapse it easily, so I don't think it would make for a good entry point." Miranor explained.

---

Ma'tanza was laying against Tzirret with her arm across his chest and her head resting on his shoulder. They had been quiet for a few minutes, so Ma'tanza had been lost in her thoughts when Tzirret finally spoke up. She did hear everything he said, though her reaction was not quite easy to read. She did not look particularly surprised or confused, but neither did she do anything to suggest that she knew where he was going with his apology. If she was aware of the reason behind Tzirret's recent strange behavior, she was not letting on to it at this point.

Looking away from the stars, Ma'tanza sat up and turned her attention to Tzirret. "Of course, what is wrong?" She asked.

"No, I believe you are right," Gallus said. "It's a glaring weakness. Even a lack of defenders around that scaffold would be a feint."

Gallus cocked his head to look at the new buildings. "I'm curious about these barracks. If we take the walls and start on the keep, is it possible that some enemies could come out of hiding from that building?"

---

"Well..." Tzirret paused to push aside his second thoughts once more. "We end up becoming very close and...when in private it feels like we are going further." Tzirret creased his brow up in his tension. "This one did not want to pressure Ma'tanza or embarrass himself going to find a potion in the middle of the night, so he got nervous and just...ran. It was stupid of Tzirret." Tzirret averted his eyes from the stars to Ma'tanza's eyes. "But now he wants to talk about it. He doesn't want to make it a bigger problem. So...this one is not sure that he can ask with more wit, honestly, so...what does Ma'tanza think about...sharing beds?"

Lorag looked over the sketches and shook his head. "Doubt it. Do'rhajul wouldn't have his men sleepin' outside the walls like that unless he had no choice. Maybe if all the barracks inside were filled to the brim, but everything we know says half their soldiers are gone right now. If there's anything at all in those buildings, it's nonessential supplies. There'd be soldiers out there to guard the workers, but if we're attackin' in the middle of the night, then it'll probably all be empty."

"We can have some of our warriors move through the area just in case." Ri'vashi suggested. "It will not slow them a great deal to check for hostiles, and if there are any, they can ensure we will not be flanked. If they are part of the groups who will be attacking with ladders, then it is not essential that they reach the wall as quickly as those charging the front gate. Miranor, were there any other observations that could have a chance of altering our plan?"

There was no hesitation from Miranor in her response. "No ma'am. Nothing changed from our last scouting mission apart from their construction process. The treeline on one side of the stronghold is slightly farther away now, likely because of their use of lumber for the buildings, but we should easily be able to reposition our forces without any impact on the plan."

---

As soon as Ma'tanza was sure of where Tzirret was going, she became immediately, and rather drastically, nervous. She looked away and started breathing more heavily. "Oh...this one thought...she thought it was possible you could be...Ma'tanza isn't...sure. Isn't is too soon to do...that? You're young, and Ma'tanza doesn't think..."

Ma'tanza stammering quickly became more incoherent than even Tzirret's, and the fear in her expression was obvious. Clearly, the idea of mating was not something she had been considering.

Gallus nodded along as the matter regarding the tree line was presented. He could see little issue as well, especially considering their magical gambit. Speaking of which...

"What is the state of the mist cover, Meesei?" Gallus looked up from the sketches to ask.

---

Ma'tanza's reaction was unprecedented by Tzirret. He could have expected Ma'tanza to be reluctant, but to see her outright terrified made his eyes widen in surprise. Tzirret propped himself up on one elbow and reached to take Ma'tanza's hand. "Hey," he said softly, trying to think of what to say to calm her down, "We do not have to do anything if Ma'tanza does not want to. It's alright." Tzirret glanced down to their hands and tried to sit up more to catch Ma'tanza's eyes. "Is Ma'tanza okay? This one did not want to scare her."

"I have spoken with the officers and had a sufficient number of mages assigned to the task, and I have instructed them on what to do." Meesei answered. "I can lead the ritual, so they need not have any knowledge of the spell. They just have to lend their power to me. We have enough soul gems as well. Some of our scouts will place them in position behind the treeline around the stronghold. I will summon the mist as soon as the front gates are open. We have had as many magicka potions made as possibly with our ingredients, and Ri'vashi even sent scouts to try to find more. To my knowledge, all of our preparations are in place."

Meesei's eyes shifted around the room to the others. "Does anyone have any further observations, or knowledge of any problems with our warriors? If not, I believe we can commit to this plan."

---

Ma'tanza was still looking away, though Tzirret's response did calm her somewhat. "Of course, Ma'tanza is fine. She just...she didn't know you thought about doing that with her. Or at all. That isn't...that isn't something Ma'tanza wants to do right now. We haven't been together for nearly that long. It makes Ma'tanza uncomfortable to think about it; she isn't ready for that kind of pain." She explained nervously. She did not pull away from Tzirret, but she was more just allowing Tzirret to grab her hand than holding his hand mutually.