Morning came with nervous energy crackling through their small room at the Copper Rest. Raze stood at the window watching the capital wake, his newly advanced cultivation base still settling into its expanded capacity while his mind ran through every possible scenario for the coming meeting.
"Stop overthinking," Mariabel said from her bed where she was checking her equipment for the third time. "We have the cure, we have Elizabeth's introduction, the rest depends on Lady Anastasia's desperation and common sense."
"Desperation makes people unpredictable," Raze countered, turning from the window. "She could refuse out of fear, she could accept and then betray us to Venn for protection, she could take the cure and give us nothing in return."
"Then we adapt," Kael said, carefully packing the vial of liquified philosopher stone in its protective case. "We've handled worse situations with less preparation, this is just negotiation with higher stakes than usual."
