[ He'd been sick as well, along with dozens of others. By the end, their symptoms were grim; had their illness been allowed to worsen any longer, there was a distinct possibility that none of them would've made it. It's a sobering thought, and all the more reason to consider her proposal. ]

Indeed. Though I realize there's a long history of conflict here.

[ Surely by opening the roads to the cities, it will invite some trouble as well. Still, ]

But isolation will only allow contempt to fester. And as we've seen recently... that in itself is dangerous. [ The extremists were driven to a fever pitch of hatred themselves, and nearly everyone present had experienced that firsthand. ]