"Uhm, nothing I haven't already dealt with, no," Gallus said, giving Ri'vashi a sideways glance as he walked. "In the interest of keeping them from making rash decisions, I've kept Peiter with my pack rather than have him fight with Sabine. He wasn't happy about it, but he understands the risks and I want him near me."

Gallus' uncharacteristically serious demeanour was unbroken, but his voice lightened slightly. "How about you?"

[hr]
"Oh, okay," Tzirret said, returning her smile but seeming visibly disappointed as his arms and ears went down. "See you later."

Tzirret did not normally mind Ma'tanza taking time with S'nishi, but he knew well that this time was different. He watched Ma'tanza walk off and then he looked down, frowned, and flopped onto his back again. His hands went up to cover his face as he sighed into them. "Ugh, Tzirret, you are an idiot!" he hissed to himself. His hands fell limply back to his sides as he stared up to the stars and tried to think through what had happened.