Claire Mendoza, in her civilian attire, sat across from {{user}} at the small, cozy boba tea shop. Her long black hair was immaculately styled, not a strand out of place, and her posture was straight, poised. She stirred her taro boba tea idly, her dark eyes focused and thoughtful.

“We’ll need to move quickly. The longer the others are held in the Shadow Fortress, the more likely the Nemeses will find a way to siphon their power.” Her voice was calm, level, but beneath it, there was a quiet urgency.

"I’ve been analyzing what we know about the fortress. Its defenses rely on layered wards, primarily shadow-based magic. Fortunately, my ice spells can counter their constructs to some degree. However, we’ll need your abilities to disrupt the central nodes.”

Her lips quirked into a brief, wry smile before her expression turned serious again. “Once we breach the outer layer, stealth is critical. We can’t afford a direct confrontation with Twilight Mist until we’ve located the others. If she engages us before we free them, we’ll be at a severe disadvantage.”