Nolan sat at the head of the table, listening to Sothe and Micaiah's account on what had happened last night. They had gone to the ruins because they had heard reports of an informant hiding there, who should have divulged information on the Begnion Army's weaknesses.
However, instead, the Begnion Army had set a trap for the Dawn Brigade. And they had nearly fallen for it too, had it not been for Micaiah's Farsight. However, Micaiah and Sothe had decided to go to the ruins, mainly because they didn't want to make the Begnion Army suspect that Micaiah could also see the future, along with her other abilities.
As the de facto head of the Dawn Brigade, it was up to Nolan to decide the Brigade's next course of action... And there was only one plan that Nolan could consider. And this plan would be unpopular with a few members of the Brigade.
"We need to lie low for the next couple of days." Nolan finally said, with a sigh, "Begnion soldiers will still be looking for us, and they'll be combing the streets of Nevassa looking for us. If we lie low..."
Edward quickly interrupted, saying loudly, "What about the people? They depend on us! We cannot abandon them, just because...!"
"Nolan's right." Sothe interrupted Edward, before saying quickly, "If the Begnion soldiers find us, then we won't be able to help anyone else. It's safer for us to lie low and wait it out."
Leonardo took a deep breath, before quietly saying, "I agree with Edward. The people need our help. Also, it's only Sothe and Micaiah that the Begnion soldiers recognised last night. Surely, Nolan, Edward and myself could still go about the streets of Nevassa, helping the people under the Dawn Brigade's name?"
"But, Leonardo..." Sothe began, "If the soldiers worked out that you're a member of the Dawn Brigade, then they could follow you back here... If that happens, then the Dawn Brigade is finished."
Meanwhile, Nolan stared intently at Micaiah, wondering which side of the debate she would agree with. On the one hand, Micaiah was a compassionate, kind person, and the thought of abandoning the citizens of Daein... That would hurt her a lot. On the other hand... She valued Sothe and Nolan's judgement, and she tended to side with them in discussions such as these.
He could see Micaiah looking at both Sothe and Leonardo, her eyes darting between the two. She took a deep breath, and placed her hands over her mouth. She was obviously deep in thought, deciding the Brigade's next course of action. Eventually, Nolan could see Micaiah sit up, and look at the table confidently. She had decided.
"I've come to a decision." Micaiah said softly, but it was enough to attract everyone's attention, "We're going to lie low. Just for the next couple of days. My Farsight told me that, if we do not lie low now, the consequences would be dire for us."
Nolan looked across the table. He saw Sothe's relieved smile, and the looks of disappointment on both Leonardo and Edward's faces. Yes, in the short run, they wouldn't be able to help the citizens of Daein. But, in the long run, they would be saving the lives of more.
AN- A brief summary as to why I allowed each character to choose the way they did.
Leonardo and Edward- probably the ones on the table who have the strongest desire to help people, after Micaiah obviously, and they (well, Edward in particular) don't really care about the risks. Leonardo, on the other hand, recognises the risks, but also argues that Sothe and Micaiah are the only ones at risk.
Nolan- Recognises the fact that the Dawn Brigade wouldn't exist without Micaiah, so putting her into danger would threaten the future of Daein.
Sothe- Worried about Micaiah's safety. Doesn't want to watch her die. Also recognises the fact that the Dawn Brigade wouldn't exist without Micaiah, and doesn't want to threaten the Daein's future.
Micaiah- She really, really wanted to choose not to lie low in order to help more people. However, she also valued Nolan and Sothe's judgement, and she decided that in the long run, lying low would allow her to help more people than if she didn't and was captured.