Ultima Ratio

Chapter 35: Safe Haven

Part Three: Succisa Virescit

Akira stared into the thick forest before her, her arms tightly crossed, as if she could will the Gupta siblings to emerge from the trees any faster. Of course, that method hadn't worked for the past ninety minutes, but she figured its success rate would only increase with time. It had to.

For the past month, they had scoured the border of Intermarium for any possible points of entry, working their way from Turkey through Greece to Albania, and then from Croatia through Hungary to Slovakia. They were currently camped in the last country, and visually, they were a mess.

While their supplies kept them fed and relatively hygienic, there was nothing to alleviate their growing exhaustion and frustration. It didn't help that their trek near enemy lines meant there were no civilians in sight either, since all had fled towards central major cities for a protective land buffer. If anything, passing through the abandoned infrastructure was more depressing, and they only served as reminders of how much had already been lost.

Akira knew her team's mission wouldn't be easy. What happened in Madagascar two months prior was a fluke, and she shouldn't have expected future victories to simply fall into her lap. If she had to wager a guess, her optimism had obscured her reasoning once more.

"You're stressing again," Danya muttered, having magically materialized at Akira's left at some point.

Just because Akira couldn't deny that, she didn't have to confirm it either. "I'm waiting."

"You're multitasking then; you're stressing while waiting." Danya gently pressed her shoulder against Akira's upper arm. "At least stress and wait with the rest of us. I'm pretty sure the lemur has already come up with a couple dozen ways to murder me."

"Pretty sure she came up with that list when you first visited Base," Akira said, not moving her gaze.

"Maybe you should ask your Ex Deo friends for help."

Akira couldn't hold back her frustrated frown, but she still kept her focus on the forest. "There's only so much we can ask them to do. They're not a government entity; we have no idea who they are. If we asked for specific info, they could easily figure out our own targets and pass that knowledge to the enemy. We can't risk that."

Danya sighed. "Then what if I told you your impatient waiting is only making everyone else nervous?"

It was possible Danya was only saying that to get Akira to cooperate. Still, Akira didn't want to take any chances, so she glared once more at the forest before turning to Danya.

"You'll let me know as soon as you hear anything?" Akira asked.

Danya grinned. "Of course."

With that, Danya took Akira's upper left arm and pried it apart from her right. Akira saw no point in resisting, and she let Danya pull her over to the others soon after.

Ever since their talk after the skirmish outside Istanbul, Danya had become much more physically assertive towards Akira. For the most part, this meant nothing more than holding Akira's shoulders or arms. Occasionally though, Danya would take it a slight step past that, brushing a hand against Akira's waist or upper back, or even bumping their knees while they ate next to each other.

At first, Akira would tense at Danya's touch, the gesture feeling so foreign after the last couple years. It took a few days, but Akira grew accustomed to the sensation, and the only abnormalities were the bewildered stares she received from others in response.

Now, even the rest of her team was used to Danya's latest change in character. As Quyen and Elodie sat in the grass around a small, smokeless fire, they didn't seem surprised over Danya's handling of their captain. Sure, Quyen stared hard at where Danya held Akira's arm, and Elodie's wide smile appeared a little too forced, but neither of them mentioned anything out of the ordinary.