Serenade's attack, while it was a miss, was successful in that her oppenent moved into the position that she wanted. Not only that, but she felt the protective spell that E.G had cast on her. There was no time for thanks, but it was implied. The spell was transparent and aside from the knowledge that she had been 'buffed,' the lancer couldn't really feel anything at all.

As she transitioned into another low stance, Serenade felt a foreboding wave of power form above her. Like a missile it came down in the middle of the fight, and while Serenade had positioned herself to be able to react to Fright's next attack and counter, she had not planned on needing to dodge a magical attack from an ally. [i]What was Eternal Grace thinking...?[/i] But it hit her at the same moment the attack hit her opponent. [i]The shield, of course.[/i] She had trusted her ally, and it had spared her in the end. The doubt was only momentary.

As E.G called to her, Serenade's red eyes were focused on her enemy to notice. As soon as she had registered that the energy blast had not done her any harm, she had had both her focus and her weapon pointed at Fright. But she didn't have to wait long for something to happen. Fury, who had been pinned down by the boys, called to his partner, and though Ice struck out against them, the pair vanished into the darkness.

Eternal Grace and Ice, dejected, dematerialized back into the real world. Futen was quick to follow. Serenade ran a hand through her silvery hair and stared around for a moment after everyone had left, soaking in the quiet solitude. She was in pain, but it was comfortable here. And for now, things were peaceful. Before anyone could get worried about her, she heaved a small sigh and disconnected herself.

Serenade vanished from her consciousness, and she was Sarah Blaise again. Like falling a small distance onto a bed, the sensation of suddenly being aware of your body was unique, yet comfortable. It was warm, and she had heard some people seem discomforted by it, but for Sarah, it was merely a transition. She always displayed a black screen on her visor so that the light didn't blind her when she 'woke up,' and perhaps this precaution made the shift just a little easier.

Mimamoru was fussing with a first aid kit and speaking with Soshi as Sarah took stock of the room, and Satoru was staring out the window. Sarah repeated the ritual she had enacted before disconnecting, sighing and running a hand through her hair. The feeling was different, but not uncomfortable or foreign. Just... different. As she sat up in her chair, she winced slightly. She could still feel the acid burns all over her back, which she had ignored until that point. It was a sharp pain, and a reminder of how close a shave they may have just had. As frequently as Sarah threw herself into danger - indirectly by just fighting, or else in a more direct sense when she literally blocked attacks with her body - this was different. It felt more important. Like it had more weight. Perhaps it was just the atmosphere of the room, which sat heavy and dull in a way that even the usually passive Sarah could feel.

Satoru's words of advice rang true for her. He was right, while maybe some of their group felt a hard loss today, Sarah couldn't count today as a loss. "They had a tactical retreat today. It was a smart move. We could have killed them. It was not a victory, no. But it was no loss. Perhaps... a lesson. For both us and them."

Sarah didn't want her friend to start fussing over her with the bandages, so she got up and shoved a handful of chocolates into her face. "Brshides, we'ff stull got trme." Swalling her mouth full of food, she continued. "They'll be back. And we'll be here. We're always here anyway."