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Ignorance was a bliss, moreso if you could feign it. Aria's face remained neutral beneath the thick robes she wore, expression blank as their unknown assailant screeched at them. She had made it to the helicopter first and had positioned herself in the door, one hand clinging to its side and the other pointed towards the group to serve as a guard. It didn't matter that she was more liable to attack and injure any of the death hunters. As far as she was concerned, they would be smart enough to hit the ground whenever she pulled the trigger. If not, then they would know better for next time. If there would even be a next time.

For Ben there wouldn't be. Aria's weapon had disappeared in her hands as she sheathed her dagger, reaching out to grab Ben and haul him inside the helicopter when something else beat her to it. Her hand grasped empty air; there was no time. She shouted the order to take off, turning away and buckling herself into what was Ben's seat.

Shoulder to hip, hip to shoulder, and hip to hip. The helicopter's bindings were secured before Aria reached over and slammed the helicopter's door shut. There was no point in keeping it open to hear the battle; she already knew the outcome.

There was a silence in the helicopter. Aria slowly began to unwind the long scarf she had wrapped around her head, undoing the turban and revealing her face. It was tanned, burned by both sun and wind. Sand slid free from the cloth as she continued to unwind it before finally shaking her hair loose and dropping the cloth on the helicopter floor. It was only then that she put on the headset, saying nothing as Gale asked her a question.

For a minute she did not respond. Then two minutes. Three. "You death hunters," she finally said, her voice harsh over the headset. "You are driven by questions to the very point of your namesake. Where I was and what I was doing was my business before you lot botched three months of my work and killed off your current squad leader." She paused, her eyes sweeping across them. "Who, might I remind you, was named Ben. I suggest all of you had better start asking yourselves the questions you love so dear, starting with 'What went wrong?' No, let me answer that for you. Or shall I call Ben up and have him scream out your answer for you? Oh, wait. He's dead. My mistake."

Aria finished, glaring at them. "Now kindly please shut up before I decide to boot your collective asses out of the helicopter door." Someone clearly wasn't happy. She said nothing the remainder of the trip, seething with a cold fury.