Despite the brief spike in tensions, things simmered down after Grace came back to the Dominion. She wasn't sure why, it wasn't like the Veil had a lower chance of swinging by and swiping away angels or something, but she was glad her presence had randomly had a beneficial effect.
In the night, Grace practically skipped toward Celestia's chambers, ready to announce her team for the Bloom mission. She'd already mentally planned everything. Petriel for healing, Venus for... Venus things, and Mara for maternal support when things inevitably went sideways. Again, she planned to be the only fighter, to continue building her independence. And, after being the sole fighter for the Void's mission, she was feeling fairly confident.
She pushed open the door without knocking, a habit Celestia had never bothered correcting.
"Hey, so I've decided on—"
Grace froze.
