Akira jumped awake. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Another forgotten dream left her heart racing and her mind awake. Probably something to do with Mylene, It seems like the type of night she'd enjoy. Suddenly the scent of lilacs overwhelmed her senses as a memory of the two of them racing through the paddocks in the moonlight flashed into her mind. A smile momentarily crossed her lips. Another memory turned bittersweet. [i]Had I not left... Had I been there with her... I could have...[/i] she sighed [i]I probably would have died as well.[/i] She pulled herself from her cot, which was thankfully much comfier than what the men were sleeping on, and grabbed a canteen of stale water. She splashed some onto her face, removing the sweat. [i]My big mouth would have probably gotten me in trouble. Maybe it was a good thing I wasn't there after all. They probably would have tortured her to get at me.[/i] She tried to rationalize, and she pretended it worked, but in reality she couldn't stop beating herself up over it. She looked around at everyone else peacefully sleeping, begging to have a sleep without nightmares as they did. Only then did she realize Maria was missing. She failed to notice that Maria's armor was still there. 

Afraid she'd been left behind she searched the house for her companions. Marren seemed to be missing too. [i]They left me! Why would they do that? Do they think I'm too distraught to continue on with them? They took the priest, and left me... [/i] She headed back down the stairs into the main room. [i]Could they have concocted a plan to meet the bandits in the middle of the night? Why wouldn't they have taken me? Am I a liability?[/i] Her thoughts ran in circles. A small movement caught her attention. [i]Izaka, surely he's not a liability. They must have just come up with a plan. But why would Maria trust Marren. His motives are hardly reliable. Coward wasn't even going to go. Takeshi knows the lay of the land. But why Marren... [/i] 

Annoyed, Akira shook Izaka awake. Knowing his cold efficiency, it was probably not her smartest move. "Maria, Marren, and the priest are gone. I think they've stupidly gone to confront the bandits on their own. If they do have a plan, I don't think we should interfere. But when things go awry as I'm sure they will, they could probably use some backup."