Sabine and Karl did not speak immediately about it. Sabine simply smiled. It was not the first time Meesei had brought up the topic of grandchildren to them, though they did not react with surprise or stress this time.

Ariel's jaw dropped. "Sabine, are you...?"

Sabine shook her head reassuringly. After Karl let out a quiet laugh, she spoke. "Not now. We have spoken about it, between us. We liked the idea more as we continued our relationship. We recently decided that we want to try having children, but not until..." She glanced over at the distracted girls, still eating and giggling jokes in Jel. "...Not until after the project is done." She grew sombre.

"The project?" Ariel asked. "I'm not sure I understand."

Karl breathed in. "Probably a topic for after the children head upstairs. For now, though, we want to wait until things are safer and...well, more certain."

Ariel nodded slowly. After a pause, she looked back up to Sabine and a wide smile grew on her face again. "I'm..." She wiped her finger underneath each eye. "I'm proud of you, little sister. My goodness, I can hardly call you little anymore." She laughed.

[hr]
Teroiah sniffed in and huffed. "I believe that makes the decision rather obvious, wouldn't you say, General Gro-Tagnud?" She pursed her lips.

Gro-Tagnud had not taken his eyes off Hal-Neesa's. For a man much younger than Neesa, he looked with strong sense of potential deception.

On the contrary, Teroiah took his hesitation differently. "Oh, do not embarrass us with your light-handed pandering to our allies blown up huntmaster. We all know dividing power is a better way to keep it in check. There is far more to gain here with this...creature's help than your losses in diplomacy."

The orc general's eyes turned to Teroiah with one eyebrow lifted in disbelief. "Akatosh blushes, Teroiah," he said flatly. "I've met orc chieftains less blunt than you."

"Are you going to say anything useful or not?" Teroiah demanded.

Gro-Tagnud kept his cool. He turned slowly on his heel to look up at Ri'vashi, arms clasped behind his back. "We got a whole bunch of facts here that say we should use that piece of glass here." He nodded his head sideways towards the sigil stone. "If you've got any more facts to add saying we shouldn't, anything that'll accomplish [i]this mission[/i] better, we had better hear them."

The legate-general's directness was something to appreciate, given Teroiah's accusations. His head was prioritising strategy, just like Ri'vashi. Gro-Tagnud was not Marod.