I checked my phone. Mera had texted three times asking if I was still alive after the meeting. Cheon sent a single message asking if I required assistance.
No and probably, I typed back to both.
The cafeteria was packed when I got there. I grabbed a sandwich and found an empty table near the windows. Five seconds later, Mera dropped into the seat across from me with a tray of food that could feed three people.
"So," she said, stealing one of my chips. "How bad was it?"
"Imagine being trapped in a room with someone who hates you and someone who's terrified of their own shadow."
"That good?"
"Noel spent forty-five minutes explaining contingency plans for scenarios that will never happen. Usagi apologized every time she asked a question. I wanted to die."
Mera grinned. "Sounds romantic."
"I'm being serious."
"So am I. Nothing bonds people faster than shared suffering."
She had a point, but I wasn't ready to admit it.
