<div style="text-align: justify;">Mariya was still unsure about what she would do once she completed her mission. The Soviet Union was her home, after all. But England had welcomed and nurtured her on her time of need. She had been well taken care of and respected. Nobody had treated her as 'less than' due to being foreign and poor. And if she could now help them, she would. There was a conflict in loyalties there, but Mariya was willing to choose the greater good. After that, maybe she could stay. Or maybe it would be safer to return to England as soon as her job was done. <br/><br/>Shaking the thought aside, Mariya turned her attention to Vitali again. It was a bittersweet feeling to be back. She had lost her family, and the closest person she had around was now Vitali. It was only to be expected that her feelings were a little confused at the moment. It would probably change as soon as she was well rested and back on her feet. <br/><br/>As Vitali, Mariya had been an only child, and he had been the brother she didn't have. They had shared everything, and not even the difference in ethnicity got them to be less close. The difference didn't matter at all, for either of them.<br/><br/>When the food was set on the table, Mariya couldn't help but smile. Hungry as she was, she would have eaten anything that was set in front of her. Smiling to her friend, she looked adequately impressed. "Looks great. Looks like being your friend has its perks, hm?". <br/><br/>Nodding when Vitali suggested he rented a room for her, Mariya agreed. "Sounds like a good idea". At his question, she laughed, her eyes nearly closed, as she always did as a child. "Well, why else would I have come now other than to torment you?", Mariya asked after she finished laughing. "But really, that works well, I can leave my things in the room and change into something that doesn't smell like a boat, and then we can go somewhere. It has been so long, it feels as though everything will be new to me". Her statement was true, and also meant to put her friend at ease, letting him know that she would like anything they happened to do together.</div>