[sub][sub][h3]S A G A   [color=royalblue]F U L C R O S S[/color][/h3][/sub][/sub][hr]
	Saga scoffed at Blair's interjection and Nero's comment about indulgences, a curt frown plastered upon her visage now. They were much too casual about the subject. Cigarettes affected the respiratory system and their dear leader had a significantly higher chance of being afflicted with cancer and other maladies. So what was a cigarette going to do him? Well, for one, Nero was going to find himself unable to keep up with the rest of his team one day since his lungs would be filled to the brim with tar and whatever awful substances were in those cancer sticks of his. That might very well get all of them killed, considering his healthier team mates would be the ones having to slow down on account of him. Pulling on her black vest, she decided against bringing the cynical situation to light. [color=royalblue]"Well, don't say I didn't warn you."[/color] were her final words on the matter.

	Across the room, Mirany was busying herself with maps, which was a bit odd considering they were being airlifted to their destination, something Nero made sure to address. The maps could be useful in any case though. At least, Saga had never known a map to be totally useless, so she could commend the younger woman on her efforts. Gideon, on the other hand, was being... well, Gideon-ish, lounging in his distinct imperious way. The man's boasting never ceased to get under her skin, but he was one of the very few cocky-types that could put their money where their mouth was. She remembered loathing every minute around him when they had first been brought together and the many fights the two of them had gotten into. Unfortunately, that man would never be tamed. While he was still a headache, now he was one that she could tolerate. 

	Then there was the excitable, lively body of Dianthe, who floated into the room on a cloud of enthusiasm. To say that Dianthe was a breath of fresh air would be an understatement; she was a woman who wore her emotions on her sleeve yet radiated with positivity, something the team often needed considering the nigh suicidal nature of their job. The voluminous room was swimming in the intoxicating aroma that the tall woman brought with her. A hefty amount of delicious food was strewn about Mirany's table of maps, and the redhead presented the gifts she had purchased for everyone. Having finished lacing up her combat boots, Saga made her way over to the company of her comrades and spotted the gift of a rather immense portion of shrimp scampi. Internally, her heart sank, knowing she would have to reject the food. As much as she wanted to indulge in the meal, there was no way she'd make it through the mission, or the airlift for that matter, without visiting the bathroom more than a few times. Shrimp scampi was delicious and one her most favorite things in the world, but it also nuked her stomach to oblivion. 

	[color=royalblue]"This is very sweet of you, Dee. I don't want my stomach imploding on our next mission though, so I'm going to refrain from eating this. I'll pay you back."[/color] Saga apologetically explained to her friend, feeling a bit bad about it. Seating herself, her dark eyes watched as everyone else engorged themselves. They made her feel old since they had no problem whatsoever with risking the integrity of their bowels just before a crucial mission, while she sat there and silently listened to Nero debrief them, like some of kind of old crone. How the hell that man could eat whole pizzas and not shit himself on a regular basis was beyond her. If there was anything to be impressed about by him, it was that he had a damned gastrointestinal system of a god. 
	
[hr]
	Saga sat cross-legged next to Blair as the aircraft's soft hum threatened to lull her to sleep. She reckoned she probably could get away with a nap, but then she'd be too groggy to do anything useful for the team. Not to mention, there was a growing sickness in her stomach that would make sleep impossible. While she had been on countless planes before, motion sickness always caught up with her one way or the other, and she practically relied on a steady regimen of Dramamine to quell the symptoms of nausea. Reaching into a small utility pocket on her belt, Saga's gloved hand pulled out a bottle of white pills, grabbed a few, and tossed them down the hatch. As she placed the bottle back to its proper location, her mind mentally checked over her supplies. In a word, Saga was prepared; along her belt, there were several other pouches that contained a variety of useful items, such as a multitool, a small canteen, and a flashlight. Upon her shoulders an unmarked medical kit hung like a backpack, filled with basic supplies. She was no surgeon by any means, but she had learned a few things in her lifetime, especially since she had discovered her magic's healing properties. Other than supplies the dark haired woman deemed necessary, her two obsidian katars remained holstered along her thighs, waiting for their time to shine. 

	Finally, it was time for the Kingsglaive to get into action. The ramp opened and the sprawling sight of the palace below greeted Saga's dark brown orbs. Nero was chatting away, readying his team for action and prepping them on the use of their gravity deformation gauntlets. She curiously examined the device upon her left forearm and pondered on its safety. Call her old-fashioned, but she much preferred parachutes to [i]these[/i] things. At least parachutes had a back-up, whereas if this gauntlet malfunctioned on the way down then she was toast. On the flip side, deploying a gigantic piece of fabric above enemy territory immediately made you a floating target, which was the exact opposite of stealthy, so she supposed that was the benefit of these wrist bound contraptions. 

	Saga watched as Nero, Gideon, Mirany, and then Dianthe plummet to the earth below before she decided it was her time to dive. Solemnly, she shook her head as she noticed that each of them had forsaken the use of a rebreather, something that could have left them unconscious on the way down due to the altitude they were jumping from. With a sigh, the motherly woman equipped her own mask, a dark grey [url=http://i.imgur.com/j9Nx3GO.png?1]visor[/url] that covered her entire face. It looked very much like a trimmed down gas mask with three protruding ports stored with oxygen. Nothing sexy, just something for safety. Steadying herself, Saga ultimately followed the others and leaped from the aircraft.

	She didn't relish the sensation of falling nor the riveting palace that inched closer and closer, merely focusing on the objective at hand. Below, she spotted the guards and the resulting takedowns each of her comrades performed, a quick succession of vicious blows. The woman homed in on the unsuspecting guard to the right of the door they needed to get into. Like a hawk, she swooped down with a frightening amount of velocity, snapping her fingers just as her body angled itself for a proper landing directly in front of the guardsman. The energy field that surrounded the woman slowed her fall enough to render her safe and sound, thankfully. Making landfall in a crouch, the man was deeply surprised by the arrival of an assailant from seemingly nowhere. There was no time for him to react though, as Saga's heavy knee swiftly buried into her prey's nether regions. Before he could cry out in pain, the faceless, grey-masked Saga grabbed him by the throat, slammed him to the ground, and stifled his pleas. Both of his hands flew up in a panicked, vain attempt to pry her fingers away from his throat but to no avail. Her grip was simply too powerful. To hasten the process, her other hand covered his mouth and mercilessly watched as the poor soul fell limp beneath her. Perhaps her assault was a bit excessive, but it got the job done.

	 Methodically, two of her fingers felt for a pulse along the guard's carotid artery. Though it was weak, he was still alive, if just barely. Breathing a sigh of relief, Saga dusted off her hands and waited to see the last guard finished off, content that no fatalities had occurred yet so far.