"We need to go."
"Go? Where to? The next city hit by a Scourge?"
"Back to Rhodes Island, to find your beloved Doctor."
"M-My beloved Doctor! What are you talking about?!" Blaze blushed after only a few words. She huffily followed behind Leman Russ as she explained, "He's not my beloved or anything. He's just a good friend, that's all. Yeah, that's exactly it."
"Whatever you say."
Leman Russ's tone made Blaze pout. She felt this old man was humoring her the way one might humor a granddaughter.
"But how are you leaving? Our four-wing transport is parked in a city far from here. You aren't planning to run all the way back, are you? And our mission isn't finished yet..."
Apparently fed up with Blaze's incessant chatter, Leman Russ glanced back at her. "We aren't asking for your opinion. We're merely informing you out of courtesy. I know the Doctor sent you to keep an eye on my brother and me. Can you be quiet for a while now?"
"What?! You—how can you say that?!" Blaze's face reddened even further, both from the panic of being exposed and from anger at the chill in Leman Russ's words.
This elite operator was ultimately just a young girl, and her flaws of character were obvious. Whenever she had to deal with someone she regarded as a friend, she became completely flustered.
Leman Russ wondered why the Doctor had sent someone like her to watch over his brother and him. Was Rhodes Island really so short on people? But after giving it some thought, he understood. Sending someone capable and warmhearted to monitor them would keep things from turning hostile and leave enough room to mend the relationship.
Leman Russ casually ruffled Blaze's dark-blue hair. Realizing there was no time to waste,