There was a hum of acknowledgement from Gallus as he looked back down at the sketches. He curled his lips and thought for a short moment, wondering about anything else they might not have considered. Fall-back plans and rally points had been set out and the contingencies were in place. Mostly, the plan hinged on getting the gate stuck open. For that, Gallus looked up to the leader of the team responsible for it.

"Miranor, you already know how much we are going to depend on your team for this assault to work. I trust you have everything you need?" Gallus' look was intense, "You mustn't fail."

---

"Pain?" Tzirret narrowed his eyes in confusion. He replied with a hint of shock in his voice, "This one did not ever want to hurt Ma'tanza. He didn't think that it would..." Tzirret stopped himself and tried to make sense of it. It never seemed painful for La'khay, although she did warn him never to rush, else...

Tzirret's expression turned into one of realisation. His softened his voice again, trying to be sympathetic. "Ma'tanza, did...something happen?" More dots connected in Tzirret's mind and he turned his head slightly, still looking at Ma'tanza's face. "Did someone hurt her?"

In the interests of sensitivity, Tzirret did not bring up Qa'habi, despite his suspicions.

Gallus' question was met with a look of determination from Miranor. "There is always more I would like to have, but we have made all of the preparations possible. As the one leading the infiltration, trust me when I say no one understands the stakes better than I. This plan relies on myself and my scouts, and it is our lives at stake if we fail. If we had a better option, I would be the first to suggest it."

Ri'vashi nodded in understanding. "We have done all we can do for now, at least in a meeting. This one recommends we speak to our officers and other subordinates to make sure there are no outstanding issues before the attack."

---

Ma'tanza's initial reaction was one of simple confusion. "What? No, what are you talking about? This one knows you are younger, but you have to know it would hurt. You're Khajiit; the barbs are...painful, this one has heard. She just isn't ready for that. Nothing else is wrong, and this is still...uncomfortable to talk about."

At this point, Ma'tanza was starting to unconsciously pull herself away from Tzirret. "Can we please move on to something else? Ma'tanza doesn't like focusing on her body. She just wants to be ready for tomorrow."

"Very well," Gallus reflected Miranor's determination, satisfied with her answer. He gave the war council one last glance before standing up straight and nodding to Ri'vashi. "Unless I get to wish it to you before we mobilise, good luck everyone. May Hircine guide us."

With that, Gallus waited for people to start to move and turned to exit unless there was something else to catch his attention.

---

While it was a relief to hear that Ma'tanza's impressions were apparently not from first-hand experience, Tzirret's first words came out before he thought about them. "Well, it does not really hurt unless you do not take your time, it's..."

It was only a fraction of a second before Tzirret interrupted himself that he realised that his own knowledge might reveal his experiences with La'khay. Tzirret did not know how Ma'tanza would react to it. Instead, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he looked to Ma'tanza apologetically. "Alright, we will stop. Tzirret is sorry." He opened his arms and tried to smile. "He will not bother you with it before you are ready."

While Meesei stayed to collect the documents on the table, the rest of the council started to disperse through the camp. However, outside the tent, Ri'vashi quickly caught up with Gallus, as she had been doing quite often recently.

"Seeing as we are all checking on our subordinates, Ri'vashi reasoned she would check on you. She is glad that she will have you and your pack at her side during the attack. Has there been any trouble for any of you worth mentioning?" She asked.

---

Ma'tanza appeared uncomfortable up to the point where Tzirret finally agreed to drop the subject, though she was still somewhat flustered even afterwards. She did not embrace him again, but she did at least try to smile. "Yes, Ma'tanza just wants to move on from this subject. Actually...she thinks she would like to go talk to her sister for a while. We...might not get a change again before the attack. Ma'tanza will talk to you again later." She said, standing up rather hastily, though she did at least wave to him as she started to walk away.

"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?"

---

"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.

Ri'vashi sighed lightly. "Some trouble sleeping. Ri'vashi doesn't know if it is anxiety, or just ill-timed lycan nightmares, but she has been stressed as of late. Luckily, she did get a decent night's rest last night, so hopefully the same will be true tomorrow. This one would like to be well-rested for the attack. Ri'vashi has lead many battles before, but never one of this scale. She supposes it will be a test to see if she is really as skilled as her father told her."

After finding a nearby tree to lean against, Ri'vashi closed her eyes and took a few moments simply to breathe deeply. "Ri'vashi wishes she could just...bring herself to relax."

---

With the attack drawing ever-closer, Peiter had not been acting quite like himself. He was sitting with Sabine outside their tent, but he had been quiet, and even more unusually, somewhat distant from Sabine. There had been no hugs, kisses, or other signs of affection from him; only nervous glances and silence. Eventually, he decided suddenly to crawl into their tent with no hint as to why. He had previously told Sabine that he would not be going to sleep until at least noon the next day, then followed it with a lewd innuendo, so he was likely not retiring for the night.

Despite his apparent briskness in walking from the meeting, Gallus slowed to a stop as Ri'vashi did. "I know the feeling," he said with crossed arms, "Everyone's been rather tense. It's been rubbing off on me." Gallus stepped up beside the tree to face Ri'vashi and raised his brow. "I'll tell you, I don't blame your stress. This attack is high-stakes. It won't be easy." He gave a small smile, "But if anyone can do it, it'll be you."

Gallus paused to consider for a moment, before twisting his mouth and deeming it appropriate. "If you want to relax, I know a few tricks that can settle the body. My mother taught me. It doesn't do much for the mind, though. You have to work that out for yourself most of the time." Gallus looked to one side, "Perhaps let me know if you're next having trouble sleeping."

---

Sabine had been finishing her dinner as she sat with Peiter, so she wasn't bothered by the lack of physical attention. However, Peiter's quietness gave her cause for concern. Normally he was the one to initiate and maintain conversations, making up for Sabine's natural quietness. It didn't help that Sabine was also nervous about the upcoming attack. Her eating was more out of routine than appetite this time. It made her eat slowly.

Sabine followed Peiter into their tent as soon as she was finished, determined to help his problem, whatever it was specifically. Sabine sat down behind him and slowly wrapped her arms around his torso, laying her chin on his shoulder and leaning into him. "Are you okay?" she whispered soothingly, "Tell me what is wrong."

"Ri'vashi certainly would not mind relaxing, even just for a short time. Though, perhaps what she needs right now is just to sit down and talk. About something entirely unrelated to the attack or this march, preferably. Perhaps you want to sit down with this one for a while?" Ri'vashi asked.

Stepping away from the tree, Ri'vashi started walking in the direction of her tent. It was unlikely that any amount of encouragement or reassuring words could truly stop her from worrying about the impending attack, but that was understandable. At the very least, she could distract herself to prevent herself from thinking about it constantly.

---

Though he had been distant for the past few hours, Peiter did not reject Sabine's show of affection, but rather, embraced it readily. He reached one hand up and placed it on Sabine's cheek, then gave a soft smile. "The attack, naturally. It's all anyone's thinking about in camp. I didn't expect it to be this bad; the stress and anxiety that is. I mean, I've thought about it before in the march, and even before we found the Orcrest clan, but now it's just so...close. I'm afraid, enough to make me feel sick to my stomach. These massive battles between armies were always fun to hear about in stories, but thinking about everything that could go wrong is just too much. What if I end up fighting an opponent better than me...or just get unlucky with an arrow or spell? Everything could be over in an instant for me, and I might not be able to do anything about it. What's worse, I won't even be able to fight alongside you. How do I deal with the idea that tomorrow could be my last day on Nirn?"

Gallus looked up to the sky and breathed in to think. "Hmm, I've got a few things to follow up, but those aren't urgent." He looked to Ri'vashi without needing to angle his head down that much. "Very well."

As the two walked, Gallus came up with something that was unrelated to the attack at least. However, he had no guarantee that Ri'vashi would be any less anxious talking about it. "So, I've not asked this yet. How have you found being more social to be? You seem like you're getting some more confidence with people, at least."

---

Sabine, closed her eyes, hummed in thought, and held Peiter a little tighter. "It is okay to be afraid," Sabine murmured. "I am afraid. A little." A cynical pause passed. "Maybe more than a little," she added.

The words did not come easily to Sabine, so she took a moment to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Eventually, she thought she had the right idea in her head to express. "You know, I think we will be okay. We can defend ourselves, we have our packs that are very strong and can protect us, and everything else is..." Sabine swallowed, "beyond our control. It is not useful to dwell on."

Sabine shifted herself so she could turn her eyes to Peiter's turned face from behind him without straining her neck too much. Looking into his eyes, she asked, "Do you know if you will be killed tomorrow?"

Ri'vashi smiled and gave a slight huff. "Well, to be fair, Ri'vashi has mostly just been social with you. Some of the others this one has been speaking with have found her sudden outwardness a bit odd. They haven't said so, but Ri'vashi can tell. Relaxing with you, though...Ri'vashi will admit it has been nice."

As soon as the pair reached Ri'vashi's tent, she opened the flap and stepped inside. It was one of the larger tents, with standing room even for a Cathay. At its center was a small table with an array of neatly arranged documents and maps, though the markings she had made on the maps were far more haphazard. Evidently, she had been trying to draw up some alternative battle plan for the attack, but by the fact that she had not mentioned anything during the meeting, she had been unsuccessful. "Since we have some time, Ri'vashi has a proposal for you." She said as she motioned for Gallus to join her in the tent.

---

Peiter stared into Sabine's eyes for a few, long seconds before closing his own. "I...don't know." He said. He opened his eyes again, this time with a hint of a few tears. "That's the problem. I don't know what is going to happen to us. I know everything could go just fine, and that we have really powerful friends. My pack is going to be with Ri'vashi, who moves like some supernatural force, and you're going to be with Meesei, who is powerful like something out of a legend. But what if I get unlucky? What if you get unlucky? Or anyone else we care about? Our friends, the people we trust and that we'll be fighting with, they're not perfect. As strong as they are, as much as they can do, they can't see everything. They don't know everything that's going to happen. All it would take is one unlucky arrow out of a volley that they aren't able to protect us from."

Turning his body to face Sabine, Peiter pulled her into a tight hug. "I don't want to lose everything we have, and there are so many ways I can think of where that could happen."

"I told you it would be beneficial," Gallus said with a smug tone.

When they reached the tent -- which was really more of a pavilion -- Gallus walked in without much thought. Ri'vashi's words were somewhat unusual but Gallus trusted her well enough. He put a hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

---

Sabine was not used to seeing Peiter in such a state. It made her eyes burn with some empathy, but she didn't quite cry.

"Peiter," Sabine began after a pause, holding him just as tightly, "Let me tell you something. A few years ago, when my pack hunted down the slayer orc, we rushed into the fight without fear. Or, at least, I thought everyone else did. We won, but Meesei was struck by a silver spear in her middle. She almost died. Since then, I was terrified every time we went to fight but my pack still seemed fearless. I realised that they were hiding it."

Sabine moved her hand up to the back of Peiter's head. "So, I think everyone feels the same way that you do. Even Meesei and Ri'vashi. But...the Hist taught me something as well, when I spoke to them. There are some things that happen that might seem preventable but happen anyway. We have to accept what we cannot control. Most of the time things tend to work themselves out." Sabine turned her head to kiss Peiter's cheek. "Trust me."

Sabine's voice was becoming rough by the end of her speech. She didn't know how much of a help she was providing but she knew that she was certainly not used to talking like this.

Ri'vashi made sure to close up the tent behind them after they entered, then started going through one of her bags in the corner next to her bedroll. "Well...this is a bit unconventional for Ri'vashi to have, she will admit. She really wasn't sure at the time why she was even bothering to bring it, and if you mention it to anyone, Ri'vashi will say she confiscated it."

From the bag, Ri'vashi produced a tall, unmarked bottle of what appeared to be wine. She brought it over to the table and cleared out a space to set it down. "Ri'vashi has two bottles. She proposes that we split this bottle right now, and the other after we win this battle. She would wait until right before the fight, but if we drink it now, it will have worn off completely by then."

---

Silence was Peiter's first reaction. For a few seconds he sat, staring down at the ground with uncertainty dominating his demeanor. When he finally looked up, it was with some reluctance. "It's not...easy to think that way. I want to, I really do, but those fears are always popping back into my mind. No matter what I do, or how I try to think, they're always there. Though I...guess it's probably the same for you. I don't see how anyone could forget them."

After another, brief pause, Peiter tightened his arms around Sabine and pulled her into his embrace to give her quite a long kiss. "At the very least, no matter what happens, I can be here right now, with you."

Down to his eyebrow remaining high, Gallus didn't shift as he looked on. He could hardly guess what Ri'vashi was talking about until she revealed the wine. At that, Gallus' mouth curled into a wry smile that evolved into a deep chuckle. "You are positively incorrigible, clan leader," Gallus teased, "And here I was convinced that you never drank. I can get behind this proposal."

Gallus found himself a seat to pull up to the table. He didn't realise why he felt slightly small until he realised that the furniture was sized more closely to Ri'vashi's scale. "It's very nice of you to share, Ri'vashi. You have my thanks."

---

Sabine returned Peiter's kiss in full. His words afterwards made her smile genuinely, unlike the simple amusement that came with his joking and gushing compliments. "Peiter," Sabine felt the words come forth surer than she ever thought they would, "I love you."

Ri'vashi chuckled as Gallus sat down in her chair. "Ri'vashi rarely drinks with others, true, but even she needs something to calm her nerves from time to time. Well...you probably already knew that rather well, actually."

Grabbing the bottle, Ri'vashi uncorked it with her claw, then sat it down on the table in front of Gallus. She pulled up another seat beside him, rather than across from him. "Just be careful with it. It is on the strong side, and it does contain moon sugar. Ri'vashi is sure someone like yourself can handle it, though. From all she knows about you, you do seem like someone who knows how to enjoy his self."

---

Peiter scarcely pulled away from Sabine at all as he spoke. His forehead was pressed against hers, and he was still holding her tightly enough that he could feel her heartbeat. "Honestly, I don't think the words do it justice." He said before continuing his kiss and pulling both her and himself down onto the bedroll. Between his intense feelings of both love and fear for the future, he was motivated to express his affection with greater passion than he had at any point in their relationship so far.

"Well, can't know unless I try," Gallus did not hesitate to reach for the bottle and hold the opening under his nose briefly. He didn't know if he even should have expected anything other than a sickly sweet drink that might have had grapes in it. Lifting the wine to his lips had the same feedback in his mouth, though he was glad that he braced himself for its taste. He took a couple of sips and cleared his throat.

"Burns less than I thought, but if I drink that too quickly, I think I'd throw up anyway. No offense." Gallus passed the bottle to Ri'vashi, "How do you Khajiit handle that kind of sweetness?"

In spite of Gallus' words, he reached for the wine again when it was his turn. He was feeling himself relax quite quickly due to the moon sugar.

Ri'vashi shrugged her shoulders. "This one guesses it is simply part of us. Moon sugar has been a part of our culture for as long as our people have been keeping records. When every member of every generation of your family has had a preference for the sweet taste of crystallized moonlight...well, maybe the taste for it is hereditary. We enjoy any kind of sweetness, but moon sugar is usually preferred."

With a relaxed expression, Ri'vashi leaned back in her chair, and even put her feet up on the table in front of them. She ended up pushing aside a few of the documents onto the floor of the tent. Even in her most casual of states, it was not something she would normally do, but in this case, all of the documents she had been working with were now essentially useless, since none of her attempts at an alternative plan had been successful. "From all your time in Elsweyr, seeing it from one corner to the other, what do you think of the Khajiit? Some outsiders think we're primitive tribals, others see us as drug addicted outlaws. Some, usually religious, outsiders see a few of our practices as hedonistic. Others enjoy our different lifestyles, and end up never leaving. Really, the biggest mistake Ri'vashi thinks some outsiders make is assuming all of Elsweyr is the same. One of them might visit a city in Pelletine and assume one in Anequina must be the same. You, though, have seen all different parts of our lands."

By the time Gallus took his third swig of the wine he felt the moon sugar take full effect. He took a deep breath through his nose and leaned his head on his hand with his elbow out wide on the table as he turned slightly towards Ri'vashi.

"I won't lie, I've seen all those interpretations you mentioned," Gallus answered. "Elsweyr is an eclectic place, just as its people are. I had known a few Khajiit before arriving here but I did not know what to expect." Gallus waved his other hand up as he spoke as if he was gesturing to an invisible map with poor geography. "Senchal was a place that I would have liked to explore more, simply because there were so many new things there. However, there was also a lot of suffering in display. A lot of people that just looked stuck or lost. The clan in the Tenmar, Ri'nakhad's clan, they had just come off tense from the attack against them, but they were incredibly welcoming and warm." Gallus looked to Ri'vashi with a glance, "And your clan...mmm, it was more strict, but also welcoming."

Gallus scrunched up his face, "Really, you're still lycans, that gives us all enough in common. As for the rest of Elsweyr, from the pieces I've seen, it's not so bad." Gallus snorted and smiled, "The weather's horrible, though."

After taking in another mouthful of the wine, Gallus slid the bottle across the table. "You know, a lot of what you said...the same can be said for Cyrodiil, don't you think?"

"The same can be said of most any place, really." Ri'vashi commented. She took her drink, then held the bottle close to her chest for a few seconds as she was absorbed in thought. "This one can not blame those outsiders completely, she supposes. There is the hint of truth in those stereotypes. Moon sugar can be addictive, especially if taken as skooma. Some lose their minds to it. And our culture is not always quite as...strict as some others in terms of physical pleasures, but there are some like La'tahne that take that too far. Those are things that outsiders can latch onto and focus on, but there is just so much more to Elsweyr, and the Khajiit."

With a smile, Ri'vashi reached over beside her and handed off the bottle back to Gallus. "Ri'vashi is not sure she agrees with you on the weather, though. The heat can be annoying, but it won't kill you as quick as the cold. This one does not know how you deal with living in a frozen mountain. From what Ri'vashi has heard, Bruma is even colder than where this one was from in High Rock."

For Ri'vashi, she could feel the effects of the wine as well, though not as strongly as Gallus was. Being both a Cathay and a Khajiit, it would take longer for both the alcohol and moon sugar to get to her.

"Oh, sure, it gets cold," Gallus conceded in an underplaying way. "It's just that you don't have to deal with sunburn. Up on the mountains we cover up, both to keep warm and to protect from the sun. Anyway, it's not so much the dry desert heat, even though that's a nuisance." Gallus spread his arms, "It's the thick forest air! You sweat like a fountain, you can never cool down, and once you think you could have the rain wash you off, it somehow makes things worse. The cold has the common courtesy to numb you before it kills you."

Gallus drank more deeply as he became accustomed to the drink. "Anyway, I shouldn't complain. I don't feel like complaining. Longing for the Bruma clanhome is actually making me feel a little homesick." Gallus looked to the table. "Not just for the weather."

There was a long pause from Gallus before he realised himself and handed back the bottle. He didn't know what part of the beverage was loosening his tongue, but he had something of a strange topic surface in his mind. "Do you ever...think about the future?" Gallus lifted his eyes to Ri'vashi, "You know, not just the clans or the war, but...what you want to do? I don't think I've been thinking about that enough."

Ri'vashi did not hesitate to take another drink. She would need to drink more than Gallus to attain the same effect, though there was certainly enough for both of them in the bottle. "Sure, Ri'vashi thinks about her future all the time. Of course, it always revolves around the clan, and what she is going to do to lead it. She has thought about how to direct our expansion, places we might move if we ever grow too large. She has thought about what members of her clan would be the best replacements for different council members if any of them happen to retire or...pass. Ri'vashi plans ahead all the time, but...that is not what you want."

Letting out a sigh, Ri'vashi passed back the bottle. "You want to know if Ri'vashi ever thinks about her own future. Before her father died, she always saw herself being a proud warrior. Afterwards, she looked ahead as the leader of the clan. This one's identity has always been defined by what she does. But..." She said, making eye contact with Gallus. "...maybe there is more for her to think about?"