Jaime stepped forward, his usual bombast somewhat muted. "The young analyst speaks of despair, but I say we face this challenge with the fury of a thousand suns! Sakura Hoshino herself once declared that true warriors find their strength not in victory, but in the DEFIANCE OF DEFEAT!"
"Please stop," Raphael growled.
"What? It's relevant!"
"Nothing you say is ever relevant."
Monica's voice cut through their bickering, small but steady. "The plants here... they're not hostile."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"What?" I asked.
She lifted Copernicus slightly, and I noticed the copper leaves had stopped their erratic pulsing. They now swayed in rhythm with the silver-barked trees around us.
