Lina was torn apart between her natural curiosity and uptight monasterial education. And of course, there was a lot of self-consciousness. She watched Freya get undressed, then lay beside Machado on the bed.<br/><br/>There was certainly more than met the eye, Lina realized. It wasn’t a simple lust or lack of self restraint. She read much deeper – there was… trust; and quite deep one for two mercenaries to take off all their weapons and lay exposed adrift to one another.<br/><br/>There was also a message for her to be read: if they were ever to trust her, she must put her trust in them. Now.<br/><br/>Her face became stern for a moment as she hardened herself to carry out the decision.<br/><br/>Quickly, in comparison to Freya’s slow and graceful disrobing, she took off her boots and pants; leggings were only a matter of one tug. The shirt was long enough to still cover her torso to the midst of her thighs, holding on a thin string, following the line of her collarbone. Untying the one, she let the cloth slid down her shoulders and pool at her feet.<br/><br/>She still thought about herself a little too lean, even after Kurrad’s training. Not many muscles on her arms or legs, abdomen plain and ‘breasts as peas under the carpet,’ as he used to say. Her feet were unstable as she took her first step to the bed, where her companions lay.<br/><br/>Strange, tremulous feelings she never experienced before fluttered like butterflies in her stomach, making her heart race and her throat dry. The thought she was about to share a bed with a naked woman and an almost naked man was difficult to grasp. ‘The Nuns would die of horror if they’ve seen this’ flashed through her mind and she involuntarily curled her lips to a faint mischievous smile, right before she slipped to the bed, next to Freya.<br/><br/>Only then did she realize she was trembling on the outside as well.