Only then did she stuff all those emotions into their mental box, nailed a lid down on them, then set the box back on its shelf.
After she finished, she finally looked at Raider.
He leaned against the mirror, his hands stuffed in his pockets, never looking away from the woman who wore Elise's face. "I didn't expect it to feel like this."
"Did they tell you what she did?" Kira asked.
She couldn't afford a Raider who acted emotionally. Just because this looked like Elise, didn't mean it was her.
"They did."
"Do you want to go in, or should I?" Kira finally asked.
A tired laugh came from Raider. "I'm surprised you'd ask that."
Kira avoided his eyes, knowing she deserved that. "You loved her as much as I did."
She didn't regret the things she'd done or the secrets she'd kept, but she did regret the hurt she'd caused.
As difficult as it was, if Raider needed this, Kira would do her best to give it to him. It was the least she owed him.
Raider pushed away from the window and straightened, the previous exhaustion and grief falling away as if it had never been. Composed, he studied Elise.
"I don't think I could be objective right now," he admitted.
Kira patted him on the shoulder as she moved in the direction of the door and the Haldeel standing guard there.
If she was being honest, she didn’t think she was going to be any better.
Still, she couldn't force herself to step aside and assign another the task. She'd risked too much for this chance. No one knew Elise better than her.
The Haldeel looked from her to Finn. "Only one inside at a time."
Kira shook her head at Finn as he opened his mouth to protest. "It's fine. Stay here."
Finn's frown was grumpy.
It was clear her assurances didn't hold much weight with him. Considering the last two times she'd said something to that effect had ended with her life in danger, she could see why he thought that way.
Undeterred, Kira pointed at the viewing window. "You can watch me from there. As you can see, there are no exits except for this door. The likelihood of me finding trouble is practically nonexistent."
"I've heard that before."
"You're much too handsome to be so suspicious," she said.
"I wonder if Graydon would think the same."
Kira's mouth dropped as she sputtered. "What does he have to do with this?"
Finn sent her a look as he made his way over to the viewing window. "You forget I stand guard outside your room."
Kira made a strangled sound as Jin reacted like he'd been touched with electricity.
"Say what? Did something happen that you forgot to tell me about?"
"Nope." Kira shook her head in denial. "Not at all."
Before Jin could fixate, Kira faced the Haldeel and pointed at Jin. "It's fine if he comes with me, right?"
