"Too bad the next mission I'm running is in the same season as this one," she grumbles without resorting to outright sour skepticism. "At least it's in India, though, which I have reason to understand is an overall warmer climate."

She looks at him with a weak version of that intensity only vampires can manage, thinking back to his reasons for selection as a veteran (and she does have to ask him about dear sweet precious Merrill): A thirst for missions. "We might finally make some conclusive progress on chemical weaponry. I'm not sure what we're going to do after that's completed."