Emilena grinned. "You know I was a police investigator, right? I can play any role I want." She broke eye contact. "It's just that for the longest time, I didnt see any of you as important enough to put on an act for. Originally I planned to arrest Mr. Almaya, immediately get my badge back, and never see any of you again."
She sighed. "I must admit, and I know this will sound odd, but another reason is that eveybody's turned into even more of an asshole than me. I'm not used to relying on other people, but the truth is that we're going to need this team intact if we hope to get through this alive. In the past, Axel and Lily were the sane and compassionate ones that kept us all held together, but now that they've taken my job as the self-centered asshole, I'm adapting for the survival of the group."
She climbed into the car and sat down. "You've changed a lot too, you know. Consider that when you first met us, you were a Purifier grunt who betrayed them on a dime just to save your skin. And before that, you abandoned your family to join them. Now, dozens of firefights later, you're the only person on our team who isn't prioritizing their own self-interest. You've turned your family business into something legitimate, and you're spending time, money and your own safety making things right for a small group of former enemies with nobody else left."
She grinned again. "I can't name one other person who could do all of that, who could change themselves so drastically for the better. So I don't want to hear anything more about whether you have merit. You've earned your merit in ways few ever will."
