Ying-mei was startled by the black-haired man's commanding demeanor. She hadn't known that he was also in charge of the operation. He offered a few bits of advice to the group, telling them not to look down, or they'd "freeze at the door". [i]I'm not sure if his words are helping or not,[/i] thought Ying-mei. He introduced himself as Jean, asking how they were feeling.

"My name is Ying-mei," answered Ying-mei in slightly accented English. "I...I am feeling a little nervous, yes, but I thank you for the advice," she continued a bit timidly, looking up at the sniper as he studied the group. The truck began moving, and Ying-mei took a deep breath, doing her best to steady her nerves. It was obvious that Jean and some of the others had training, but the only instruction that Ying-mei had received was how to jump-no, paradrop-out of the plane. She was no fighter, so the Allied army had not mentioned anything about a weapon. 

The man with the large sideburns turned to Ying-mei and began speaking, his dialogue sprinkled with what Ying-mei presumed were words of his native language. [i]I believe it is xibanyayu-Spanish. It is quite similar to putaoyayu, is it not? I remember thinking it was very peculiar that our word for Portuguese began with the characters for 'grape' when I was a child...[/i]

Ying-mei gave him a small smile. "Frankly, I never would have expected to end up here myself," she admitted with a quiet laugh. Ying-mei then noticed tall, thin man-so thin that he could have been described as gaunt-that she'd missed earlier. He appeared to be more than just a little uneasy. Ying-mei could sympathize. 

Ying-mei wondered what abilities the other members of the Westminster League of Extraordinary Individuals possessed. She guessed that many of them had more combat-oriented abilities than she did, especially Jean. He [i]was[/i] a sniper, after all. Ying-mei idly wondered what Maria Bianco, the leader of their little group, could do. It certainly had to be something useful, otherwise why would she be leading them? Ying-mei fidgeted with the straps of her pack, feeling the comforting bulge of the first aid kit under the rough fabric. All Ying-mei could do was heal. She could only hope that her healing would be enough.