Serena kept her arms folded as Boris answered, her expression blank as she gave a light, but clear nod. She met the gaze of Isabela, returning the look with a faint smile. And as the group began gathering the last of their things, Serena walked towards her locker, finding the rest of her own items. Once again, she checked her bag, for the third time. She did not forget things, ever, but it was a simple habit, almost a ritual by now. It had become a strange sense of familiarity in each new environment she found herself in. Surely it seemed strange, but it was time she spent to make sure her mind was in the right place – and it was. Throughout her time in The Ninth she had developed a few rituals alongside her comrades; triple checking their bags was one of them. ‘[i]Una terza volta per buona fortuna.[/i]’ they’d say. ‘A third time for good luck’.

Everything was in order, as it should be. The woman tightened the short braid she had made for her hair, to keep it in check during the operation. With a silent thud, Serena closed her locker, grabbed her bag and rifle and headed towards the door. She found two cars outside, one empty and one containing Boris and Isabela. The Italian took a moment outside in the dark, watching the destructive firework in the distance. The sound of muffled gunfire and explosions was a strange one; calming in a sense. It was the instrumental opera; indicating your last minutes to contemplate with yourself before the actual fighting would break out, if it was going to, at least. Her eyes went flew back towards the car; Boris was talking to someone on the phone, most likely an officer of sorts. Nevertheless; Serena approached the car.

The woman sat herself behind Boris, placing her trust 416 between her legs, and pulled up her balaclava, taking in a silent deep breath. Boris had just put the phone down, asking Isabela something as soon as Serena had entered; nothing Serena herself paid a lot of attention to at first. She remained silent, her eyes locked on the horizon, filled with muffled guns and tracer rounds still. It was going to be a long night.