Lee visibly relaxed when Zimmy assured him that she was fine. He was of course still somewhat tense due to the situation they were all in, but the situation felt a lot more under control now that he knew that everyone was still ok. In fact, he felt loose enough to roll his eyes at her last sarcastic remark; it was classic Zimmy, which meant there wasn't anything to worry about for now. He felt compelled to fire back a joke of his own, but the second he went to open his mouth all hell broke loose as Setzer and Galahad finally pried open the escape pod. At first there seemed to be nothing but another concentrated Mist pocket in there, but in a flash Setzer was pinned to the ground as a woman held a magic trench knife to his throat.

Lee felt like the knife was held to his own throat as it tightened in fear. Not much ever scared him, mainly because he never gave enough energy and commitment to care about much in the first place. He could straight face many of the more perilous drills and simulations back at the Citadel, and he'd been infamous for displaying a humorous outlook towards his training at the worst of moments. But this was a [b]very[/b] real threat that he was now facing, and his squadmate and friend that he'd known for years was [b]very[/b] much in danger. Setzer was one hell of a tough bastard, and for him to be taken down so easily...well, it was a wake-up call. The past decade's worth of training hadn't been for shits and giggles, they all being prepared for war and all of them could die once deployed. And Lee was now realizing that he hadn't really acknowledged the reality of that until this moment.

"He's not dying," Lee muttered as he kept his eyes on the knife held to Setzer's neck. He wasn't saying that to anyone in particular, if anything he was just saying it as a self-affirmation, or perhaps even a promise. Instinctively he rummaged through a mental list of spells and effects that could possibly help here, but due to the woman's knife appearing to be magic-based he doubted he could affect her weapon so easily, at least not directly. He did have a spell or two that could protect him, but the others were trying negotiation tactics first and he didn't want to set the woman off. The best he could do for now was be prepared to step in as backup in case the confrontation went south, and so he focused with a spell in mind so he would be available to cast it on a moment's notice.

"Hang in there Setzer," Lee told him, keeping his voice calm as the others tried to communicate with the woman, "And for fuck's sake please don't pull something stupid and flirt with her. There's a painkiller with your name on it if you manage to think with the right head."