The first leg of return journey was mostly dominated by an atmosphere of anxiety and melancholy. It might have been a time for many to work through the pyrrhic victory they were walking away from, from the traumas of that past to the implications of the future. For many, it was. The hope that the champion presented was something everyone could look up to.

In Meesei's pack, the tension from Meesei's near-death experience melted away slowly.

Fendros and Ahnasha were more cordial than usual since their disagreement, and although they tried to approach Marcaille on a couple of occasions, they did not follow through just yet. The alchemist was far too busy to teach them anything just yet. They resolved to leave it until they reached Orcrest or until there were fewer casualties to deal with. Deferring the issue seemed to reduce stress slightly and they eventually repaired their attitudes.

Janius was just about back to his old self within a day or so. He and the others assisted Sabine in finding ingredients for Meesei's medicine.

As usual, Tzirret spent much of his time with Ma'tanza. Although, more often than not, he would attempt to interact with Peiter. He was terrible at hiding his worry, which meant that their conversations were stilted most of the time. He was glad to be so busy otherwise, as it meant the visits were short and he could focus on his tasks rather than the combined stress of the rest of his pack.

Gallus was mostly absent. He tried to find more to do every day than was his fair share. His interactions with his pack became short. Stress and exhaustion was evident over his face every day.

[hr]
It was about a week into the march. Peiter was no longer bed ridden, but Sabine continued to worry about him.

That night, Sabine approached Peiter as he was finishing his dinner. It was quiet amongst their pack, as had become the new and uncomfortable norm. "Peiter, can you come with me?" Sabine asked with a smile.

The rest of his pack didn't react much, except for Gallus. "That reminds me, I have some business to attend to." He stood up and began to walk away from the group.

[hr]
Gallus' 'business' ended up taking him to Ri'vashi's pavilion. The two had socialised and trained since the march resumed, but they had not had any time alone. Recent thoughts and events had put Ri'vashi at the forefront of Gallus' mind for a while now.

The guards let him through by habit and he pat the entrance of the tent in imitation of a knock.