<blockquote class="uncited"><div> “Hey gorgeous…” The familiar voice of Rela reaching his ears in the form of a soft seductive whisper. “Do you mind if I watch? I could get you your lunch while you played” Knowing this was their last afternoon together Rela smirked to herself. She was determined to turn up the charm and make these last few hours incredibly enjoyable. “Would you like a shoulder massage?”</div></blockquote><br/><br/>The feeling of Rela’s plush little body against his own immediately elicited a satisfied growl from the wolf’s throat, his hands stroking down her arms until they wrapped around her own. “Ahh, it’s nice to see you again Miss Rela,” he replied softly, an almost purr-like tone in his voice. “There’s no need for you to wait on me. You’ve already done so much for me during this whole trip.” Slowly drawing his paw up along her slender form, he trotted to his seat while facing the catgirl and stroked her hair gently, a dreamy grin on his face. “Feel free to watch, though. We’re just about to get to the fun part, and once we’re done perhaps we can play some even more stimulating games together…”<br/><br/>His ears suddenly perked up, his head turning slightly as Xali flicked his piece from the board with a wooden click. Yet despite her gesture, Alexei’s expression hardly faltered, his serene half-closed eyes slowly drawing from the leopardess to the pawn as it skittered onto the dusty ground. With a few fluent steps he leaned down to pick the small black carving and, after looking over it pensively, blew off its fine layer of dirt with a puff of breath. “Then again, I suppose there are ways to make any game as stimulating as you might like.” Casting Rela one last sly look, he placed the piece on the edge of the board before taking his seat.<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div> "Indeed, we must all do our upmost to enjoy the time we have," she says to no-one in particular, "because we will all have our fill of war soon enough. Hah, of course, we shall have 'our fill' in a pleasant way," she slowly runs a hand across her tight abdomen, "but they will also test the limit of our skills. Oh..." <br/><br/><br/>"Like you said, we have the best warriors. Any one of us here is a match for ANY human." He nods approvingly to those who'd started to gather around the fire, moving forwards to get a little bit closer to it, himself "Humans may play to win....but we're fighting for our land." He waits, letting the words sink in "Our families" Again, a brief pause "and our friends! We'll just have to make sure we fight ten times better, and ten times harder. Hell, if we have more folks like this on our side"<br/><br/>He makes a broad, sweeping gesture of everyone present "..I think we've already won."  </div></blockquote><br/><br/>While Alexei thought out his next move for the board game, he turned a cool gaze up at the leopardess as she spoke out once again. As overwrought and theatrical her displays may be she never said a lie. There was no denying the steady hand with which humans played the cards of war, the way they had refined the craft of conquering and defeating those who opposed them through whatever means necessary. But he had felt it in all the recruits, the drive and lust to hunt down the enemies who threatened what the loved. And as Kahmori now cast across the whole unit, it was more than enough reason for the human soldiers to be trembling in their boots. Alexei clapped his hands a few times with an impressed smirk, soft and barely audible over the bustle of the group, but a clap nonetheless.<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>“As soundly as you and wolfie" He points an accusory finger at Xali and Alexei "..beat me in that accursed game, I don't think we could have anyone better on our side for strategy."</div></blockquote><br/><br/>The lupine couldn’t help but let a wry smirk cross his face as he twiddles one of Xali’s captured pieces in his fingers. “Accursed?” he muttered half-to himself. “I beg to differ. After all, it is one of the finest war games ever conceived.” He crossed one leg over the other as he reached over the board. “You are presented with a battlefield, with both sides matched in skill and number. Yet you watch what your opponent does, pick up their tricks and tendencies. Then, when the moment is right…” He moved his second rook across the board and smoothly took one of the leopardess’s own pawns, effectively pinning her bishop against her queen. “…you make them disappear.”<br/><br/>With a huff, he crossed his arms and leaned back, scanning the observing cluster contentedly. “And what a way to make them disappear as well,” he murmured sultrily, letting the red of his tongue flicker over his lips momentarily.