As the Japanese woman walked away, Al put down his soldering iron, shoved his pull-detonator into a jacket pocket, and caught up to her, the cable leaving a trail behind him back to the explosives.
Breath stinking of cigarettes and general lack of hygiene, he addressed her in Japanese. His abuse of the proper conjugations and honorifics grated on her ears, much like his sandpaper growl of a voice, but he was readily understandable and she knew he used her language in a clumsy attempt at respect.
"Hey, it'll be our loss if you choose to go. Trust comes slowly for these people - though I think that's been a two-way street - but I can tell you that the three I know well will stand by a comrade to the very end. On the other hand, perhaps the timing has been bad - we are not helping you find Iris, but instead exposing you to at least five major dangers just by our presence. But once we rid ourselves of this albatross, we will be returning Below for a job that will be much more suited to your skills. And since we are still supposedly meeting Iris down there, it could be a win-win. So I would pray for you to stay now and let us earn one another's trust, despite our different paths. But if that is not your choice, please consider returning Below with us for our next job."