The meeting wasn't required. They could have chosen to ignore the request but when there are only four people on a ship of no large size, it was difficult to avoid one another.

Vincent arrived in the storeroom first, to find Paine sitting back in a chair, her legs propped up on a metal box, arms wrapped around her torso, protecting an old wound.

Leon entered next, obviously reluctantly, taking up position on the opposite wall in his customary leaning-arms crossed with his head down. Paine ignored him. Several minutes passed in tense silence. Vincent's face was a shadow, with only his molten eyes visible as slits behind heavy lids. Finally chaos burst through the door, slightly out of breath.

"I beg your forgiveness, I was occupied with other matters."

Paine gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement, mildly curious as to what would keep the pilot, but decided later would be better to ask.

"I've asked you here to asses where we stand and to update everyone on the situation," she looked at each of them in turn, but chaos noticed her eyes didn't linger on Leon for very long. In fact, it looked like the tall Gunblade wilder was sleepy, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed, eyes closed and face passive.

"I appreciate how long you to have stayed with me, chaos…Vincent, even though I've kept you in the dark about many things. I'm sure you've pieced together some of the puzzle." She stopped and dropped her legs, a look of impatient frustration on her face as she stood up.

"Look, this is how it is. There are people trying to kill us—to kill me. They want this-" she motioned to her sword, and more specifically, the metal and gem cross.
"-I can't let them have it. Now I don't ask any of you to stay, you're welcome to leave."

There was more that she wanted to say it seemed, but Paine had never been one for words if actions would work better. So she strode out of the room without glancing behind, muttering 'It doesn't matter to me' under her breath.

There was silence. Tension reigned in the storeroom. Inexorably, three pairs of eyes…eyes of ice, eyes of sky, eyes of flame…were drawn to the silver blade sitting innocuously off to one side. Whether it had been left there on purpose or not was irrelevant, the point had been driven home.

Vincent was first to leave the room, in the same way he'd been first to enter it. As the door swished open and he passed Leon, the 'newcomer' stopped him with a question.

"You sure you know what your'e doing?"

Vincent stopped though he had his answer already. He was being paid to help Paine and he would honor his contract. Even still, had he owed her nothing, he'd have stayed behind. Perhaps it was his mindset as a soldier, maybe it was part of his penance. But he knew his decision to stay was the right one, something told him that things were much bigger, more serious than they appeared. An ultimate fate was to be decided. He said nothing but Leon got his response. chaos seemed less interested in the sword and more interested in Leon and his apparent lack of responsiveness. Though he spoke quietly from the other side of the room, every word could be heard clearly.

"What will…you do?"

Leon didn't reply, but chaos hadn't really expected him to. Eventually chaos faded off too, though Leon didn't actually see him leave. After a while, he just wasn't there anymore, leaving Leon alone with his thoughts and his anger. Like Vincent, he'd been trained to be a soldier, and he was very good at fighting. He was more aware than anyone the inherent risks of the situation, but his hesitation was not brought about by fear. As an unpaid mercenary he had little motivation to stay. And there were all the migraine-inducing complications…

What stopped him from taking his ship and disappearing into the black was Valentine. Stripped of all externals, he and Leon were identical, they bother were there for the same original reason. Payment. chaos wasn't, Leon knew, but he knew chaos's type—always doing the right things for the right reasons. But the motivation for the other two was gone now, yet Vincent seemed determined to stay which forced Leon to consider why, though he really knew already and simply wanted a way out of it. In the end, it was a matter of doing what your instincts tell you to, and right now, though his mind and body desperately wanted out, his soul was telling him to stay and see what happened.