"Thank god," Melissa muttered beneath her breath. A rendezvous point was the official tell for a military-based operation; they definitely had not forgotten about them. She glanced briefly at their precarious surroundings before nodding to Renji.

After all that, she was not going to risk ignoring orders.

The first taste of the open was the freezing wind, and her breath caught neatly in her throat. Melissa pushed a layer of her scarf over her mouth, allowing her a pocket of lukewarm air to take in instead. The red-haired man took the initiative as planned, and without a moment's delay, she followed after him, her legs waddling due to her condition.