When Nina thought back to Reina’s declaration that Julia’s task was akin to a suicide mission, her desire to participate was naturally lacking. Unfortunately, she was quite certain that whatever the task was, it wouldn’t be something that anyone would be able to worm their way out of. They were in this together, and even though Nina had already been to the brink of death and back once before during this tour of the plates, it looked like she might be heading for round two.

Surely it couldn’t get that much worse.

“It’s for hardware, isn’t it?” Jade asked with a tinge of disbelief as she rocked back on her chair, pressing her knees against the edge of the table so that she could balance on the two back legs. “From Terminus to JE-22.”

Reina’s silence suggested tacit confirmation, which this time got more of a reaction than Nina was expecting. Jade, Aline, and even Saela frowned at the news, while both Svanda and Trim sat there with blank expressions on their faces. Obviously the two of them already knew the finer details, but that didn’t necessarily mean that they also agreed with whatever had been put forward. Ultimately, Reina was in charge, although Nina had to wonder just how deep the friendship between the three ran. If she really wanted them to follow her headfirst into a fire, would they?

“One Rule, Reina,” Jade said as she glared across the table. “One-”

“I know,” Reina cut her off. “We can do this though, I’m sure of it.”

Jade shut her mouth, although Nina could still see the flicker of fire in her eyes. Whatever Reina had done, it had clearly irked the three of them who weren’t in the loop. Whether it was because they weren’t in it to begin with or because of whatever rule Reina had ignored, she didn’t know. Maybe it was both. Nina herself was also out of the loop, to a certain extent, although she didn’t know what lines had been drawn and what had therefore been crossed. She had been privy, however, to a couple of brief discussions earlier when Reina, Svanda, and Trim had discussed their recent dealings with Julia.

“Is this about that Alan guy?” she asked Reina while also trying to read Svanda and Trim’s reactions. Trim had told her earlier that Alan was Julia’s brother, while Reina herself had said that she planned on getting involved in their family dispute. They had been butting heads recently over a supply of arms apparently, or at least something along those lines, so the thought caused Nina to assume that Reina planned to bring Alan into the fold. Whatever Julia had asked The Cloud Orchestra to do, apparently they weren’t capable of doing it. At least doing it and coming out in one piece, that was.

“What’s the point then?” Jade asked before Reina could respond. “Why doesn’t Julia just ask Alan instead of dragging us through the middle? We’re not pawns, Reina, and if they want to bicker over whatever it is they’re bickering over I don’t see why we should be volunteering to put ourselves on the line for it.”

“She’s offeri-”

“Money for our funerals, yeah,” Jade continued before she stood up. “Not that it would work anyway, because it’s all going to end up in Alan’s pocket isn’t it? You’re pissed off because Julia has it better than we do, I get that, but putting everyone at risk just so you can get one over her, whether she knows it or not, isn’t worth whatever dregs of the deal we’ll be left with.”

Nina watched as Jade strode for the stairs that headed to the surface, Aline standing up behind her before following her to the exit. She had almost expected Reina to say something, but instead her eyes drifted over to the windows that looked out over the ocean. Maybe she wanted to wait for Jade to cool off, or maybe she felt guilty. It was probably the latter, because even if Nina didn’t know all the details it wasn’t hard for her to see how Jade’s speech had resonated with the rest of the group. Reina wasn’t infallible, although she often seemed to be, but Nina didn’t see how anything was going to change her mind. She felt like Reina was committed to this, and if that was truly the case then all she could do was focus on taking one step at a time.

The first of which was her own recovery.

“We’ll continue this later,” Reina finally said after she turned her attention back to the table, making no comment about Jade’s exit. “Take some time to settle in and have a look around, just keep yourselves out of trouble.”

Everyone knew that the last part of the statement was directed at Saela, but she didn’t say anything and was the first to rise, also taking a quick glance out the window before heading in the direction of the surface. She still hadn’t changed clothes, to Nina’s surprise, but at least the cool temperature of their new accommodation would suit her. Outside was a different story, but from what she had seen during their brief stroll down the main street she guessed that most of the island’s inhabitants preferred the shade anyway. No point toiling away in the heat when you didn’t need to.

It wasn’t lost on her that she had been left with an awkward situation. Politics within The Cloud Orchestra had never seemed to be divisive before, as they all understood that deep down they were still on the same page. Reina, Svanda, and Trim were obviously something of an entity in themselves, however, while Jade and Aline formed their own. Saela was… Saela, and Nina didn’t know enough about Euris to pin her anywhere if she even counted to begin with. That was all fine as she wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with office politics from her previous life, but what she did need to do was work out exactly where she stood.

“Are you alright?” Reina asked her. “There’s nothing to worry about, I promise.”

Nina looked over to see that she was idly running a finger around the rim of her empty glass, a knowing smile plastered across her face once more. She didn’t know if it was genuine or not, but she still had faith, even if Reina was simply putting on a front until she could work out how to steady the group. The fact that she had been left out of the loop was the real problem, even if she hadn’t been expecting to be included in their little leadership trio in the first place. The by-product of leaving her out was that there was a clear line drawn in the sand between her and the three she currently shared the table with, but there wasn’t really anywhere to turn to either. Jade and Aline were their own unit as much as she enjoyed their company, and she couldn’t see herself teaming up with Saela anytime soon either.

“I’m fine,” she finally replied as she stood up. Her pause had offered Reina a chance to invite her into the fold, but it seemed that she wouldn’t be extending one. All she had wanted were some details, a reason to believe in Reina’s vision, but instead she had been given a reassuring smile and a promise that everything would be fine. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe her, it was just that she didn’t see why the details needed to be glossed over if there was nothing to be concerned about in the first place.

“Don’t push yourself,” Trim said as Nina walked towards the stairs that would take her up to the street above. She had initially wanted to use the time to get changed and have a shower, but she didn’t feel like it anymore. Jade, Aline, and Saela had already taken their leave and Nina suddenly felt like a guest that had overstayed their welcome. She knew that the three at the table would never feel that way, but it didn’t stop her from thinking it. They needed their own time to talk through whatever they were going to do without a wayward pair of ears milling about, and Nina was going to give it to them.

“Don’t worry, I’m just hungry,” she replied before grabbing onto the handrail and making her way up the stairs. At least she wasn’t overdressed for the heat like Saela was, so she would have time to idle about while she cautiously assessed the array of restaurants and shops from the street before she made any commitment. Her pistol wouldn’t have been a bad idea, now that she thought about it, but the last thing she wanted to do was turn around and face the trio downstairs once more. She would manage somehow, she always did.

Pushing her way through the front door which was buried into the earth just below the shop above them, Nina shielded her eyes from the sun as she climbed up the final few stairs before stepping out into the afternoon heat.