It still knawed at the back of her mind. She felt [i]fine[/i]. No real exhaustion; the pain was practically gone. Something had changed back there. Alison knew something had changed inside her. The vision, the trail she saw, the voice she could now cast. It felt as though a weight had been lifted, her body more limber and moving in ways it couldn't before. 

But to the tired young man in front her, she merely shook her head with a sigh and pulled up a chair. 

"I'll live, James. Nothing serious. Some people need that magic more than me anyway." She paused, looking him up and down once more. He was tired. His eyes had bags, and he periodically rubbed his temples. It had been a long night for everyone, she was sure, but this guy was trying to keep it all together. 

And here they were, at the second line, practically praying for a miracle. The poor guy didn't deserve this. None of them did, and that was the problem, wasn't it? 

"Sorry they dumped all this on you. I'm sure it's been a lot to handle. Look, I'll keep it short. There was an enemy force that was hunting the Second Chance." Alison said, holding up a hand to stifle any questions.

"My team and I took care of them, and they won't be a threat," Alison assured, "but we took heavy losses. It's down to me and four others. The rest are either dead or out there raiding the enemy camp. That's what those explosions were. With any luck, they will keep them off our backs for a bit longer while we reorganize. That's about it." Alison finished, keeping it brief. She stared for a moment in silence before putting a hand on James's shoulder. 

"It's been a long night, and it's not over, but we're still here. From what I gather, a lot of that is thanks to you. That's something to be proud of, kid. You can't save everyone, but we save who we can. Don't forget that. Keep your mind focused on whose left." Alison said, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze. 

"Let's start figuring out a way to end this."

[@Teyao]