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?"

[hr]
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.