Solae was quiet as Oanh and Min Ho spoke- suspiciously so. Silence fell over the room like a dark cloud of the night prior as each waited for the other to break through the tension. Determined as the Parks were that the couple should not linger at the house any longer, they would not forcefully evict them quite yet. There was an opportunity for both Rene and Solae to make preparations and decisions (specifically regarding possible routes) before departing so they could make the best of their situation. The seasoned veterans would give tactical opinions if requested but first a venture must be made.

"I think Rene should stay here," the marquise finally stated. All three of the soldiers openly stared at her stunned by her words.

She knew that they would be thinking this was wildly out of character. Of the quartet she was the most objectively outwardly emotional. Just yesterday she had been so distracted with her pseudo-rejection by Rene she had been curt about one of his jests. It was also no secret that she had slept with Rene enthusiastically during between dusk and dawn after they had made amends. Tracing back to who first initiated intimacy, it was Solae who kissed Rene passionately in the bathroom of Lord Armon's manor. Reeling from the news that her parents had died she had clung to her knight in shining armor and made an uncharacteristic attempt to romantically engage. Mia had not unduly influenced Solae; the attraction had been lingering there since the pair first met in the suburbs outside Armistice. To suggest splitting from a man whom she pursued, whom she adored, whom she favored physically and mentally, whom she was enamored with and infatuated with, so soon after he gave her the release she desired... it looked more of betrayal than favor.

"You can't be serious," Oanh breathed.

"Right now they are only looking for me," she patiently explained in a voice so detached from feeling that it could have been delivered by a primitive synthetic organism. "They will suspect I've had help but not who. The estate burned to the ground and destroyed most of their evidence. Furthermore, it will take time for them to realize that Rene was not a casualty from the attack on the base. Even if they came to the correct conclusion that we were together, one soldier does not rise to the same level of threat as I create with my genetic code, communication device knowledge, and linguistic skills. He is safer without me."

"But you are not safer without him," Oanh pointed out even before Rene could speak. Min Ho remained silent. He knew, like Oanh suspected, that this was about much more than just survival rates for the two individually versus united. Something had propelled Solae into martyring herself despite the objections and horrified responses of her allies.

"I will go pack my extra set of clothes," Solae said without addressing Oanh's statement. She avoided looking at Rene as she turned and started back towards the guest room. One errant look from her beau would dissolve her convictions that she had to save him from herself. The affect that the handsome former noble had on her was so great that his touch could eradicate all the courage she had bolstered to travel alone.

"I'll make breakfast. No one is leaving until they've eaten," Oanh announced to Min Ho and Rene meaningfully. The former was to stop Solae if she became overly ambitious in her timetable and the latter was to persuade his consort out of her temporary madness.