RP: Neshaten [Kingdom Fall] - The Fight Begins

[RaWolfe]

The whole show was a way of showing strength, like throwing a bone in an animals cage preying out the weak. Del didn't react, even if he wanted to...he was already injured and was still not fully recovered from the showdown that had happened before in the dorms. Yet the whole show came quickly to an end, even though Eliana got pushed around also for standing ready to help out. Del sighs and walks slowly to Misha "Be careful instructor..." He rose his hands as he kneels down to Misha "Not to be a smart ass but she is already on edge by the whole ordeal of the dorm, being overloaded with food and the action of that douchebag" He eyed Roman and smirks "I believe we have a fragile one here willing to do whatever is needed to survive"

Del tried to get closer towards Misha and sighs slightly at seeing the beaten fox. He wanted to touch Misha's shoulder but stopped in his own action giving Eliana a quick glance remembering what happened and looking back at Misha. He pulled his hand back and tried to check Misha for any injuries.

 

[Jabonicus]

The adrenaline passed, as did the need to act, but the fury of her gut was the kind that would keep her awake for days. Either way, the sinking feeling came next, the one where the incoming effects of one's terrible actions came back to haunt them. Never hurrying, never rushing, it would come all the same, whether she ran or laid there, whether she fled or stayed. The threat meant little to her, she had heard similar, and she had heard worse. She'd screamed and cried enough from them, and knew that the best response was to say nothing at all. Her arms raised to defend herself, trying to stand and step back, but she wasn't fast enough, and she had barely found her feet before her face was numb and she found herself laying on the floor, gasping for the breath that vanished as her back slammed against the hard floor.

The ceiling was familiar, it was the cafeteria's that no one really looked at, a simple, vaguely pretty pattern that some construction worker hand-picked, or perhaps had requested such a pattern from the original owners. The tiles of it almost seemed to glow among the dim lighting. It was also the treeline she often saw in the wilderness, the crown shyness of the trees keeping mere inches of space between the touch of differing branches. It was also the dirty ceiling of her home, and the dirty apartments she had hidden within, it was the inside and the outside, it was the before and after.

She slowly sat up, her head woozy. She must have hit it, but it was too cloudy to remember. She didn't remember hitting the ground, why was everything so sluggish? She barely had her hands underneath her before a foot collided with her gut, and whatever air she had gathered vanished, and she cradled herself into a small ball. Her hands covered her head, bent inward to protect both her gut and her head from further damage. She knew what the position exposed, but she also knew what to protect. Something inside hurt, something deep. She knew the pain, and she would be surprised if she didn't find something inside bruised to a fault.

A hand touched her, gentle on her shoulder. It was her mothers, her fathers, and gentle words accompanied the gentle hand.

But Misha knew better.

There are no gentle hands, and gentle words were purged from this world with exceptional hurry. Any kindness left, any kind of sympathy that really mattered died all the same, just without the same prejudice.

She was stiff to the touch, she did not move, shuddering at the motion and the words. "F-Fine..." She practically whispered through impossibly stiff lips. Even her tail tucked between her legs, folded up to her stomach to prevent it from being grabbed.

 

[Aria]

"Coward," Eliana spat as the Laibe held her back, but she didn't resist. "Why would you even enjoy beating up a defenseless opponent? There's no adrenaline, no thrill, no challenge. Like seriously, what's the point? You're just picking a fight you know you can win to boost your ego. At least I kept one of you guys away from Misha though, so that's something." Eliana watched calmly as Felonia flew in to subdue the other opponent and let out a light whistle as her kick connected with his skull. Well, that should deescalate the situation at least. Man, what if Felonia was Nadia, that'd be wild, she randomly thought for no real reason.

Eliana tilted her head back to look at the Laibe holding her and smiled despite the situation. "Now come on, we both like to fight, we should become sparring buddies! Let the stress out on each other after a long day, get a nice drink afterwards, maybe another fight after that. We're stuck with each other, let's make the best of it, okay?"

 

[club24]

Felonia nodded at Del, they had suspected Misha might have been at risk with any strong-headed members around her but this had gone on long enough. "Delfino wasn't it? I want you to carry her and follow me to the infirmary." The dorm leader looked over at Galdin and scowled, the Laibe flinched and let go of Eliana with a gulp.

"Fuck off, I ain't gonna go lowering my standards to sparring with Daur." He spat as he turned away and moved off with the glare of their leader boring a hole in the back of his skull.

Felonia switched her gaze to Roman who was finally getting up from his spot on the floor with a groan before he had the barrel of a plasma pistol shoved in his mouth. The other Daur at the table gasped as their leader pulled out a lethal weapon. "You, there is no room here for people who don't value their comrades." With that she withdrew the barrel from his trembling face and promptly shot him in the leg eliciting a loud scream of pain, holstering the gun she grabbed the screaming Laibe and tossed him over her shoulder. "Eliana you come too, everyone else in Red dorm go with Green dorm and find your actual dorm room and get settled in, you'll have training later today when I'm finished with these ones."

Infirmary

When they arrived at the infirmary Felonia tossed Roman onto a bed and he was taken into a room to be treated, "Bring Misha in here Del." The leader spoke softly, the poor girl had been through enough for today and for now they just needed to get her away from the crowd for a while. "You two stay with her for now, I need to talk to some of the other leaders before we get started on training today, Make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

 

[Jabonicus]

Misha had been beaten before, the stunning feelings of hands and feet colliding with her body was not an unfamiliar one, but of course, it never was a pleasant one either. Misha was no fighter, though in the past she had certainly tried. Such resistant attempts usually only worsened the wounds she would receive, and lengthen the time she would wake up early and find trouble finding that coma of sleep that came during the day because of the dull pain that clung to injuries like a parasite. The worst of it all was when bandages were involved when that creeping fear of disgust came when they must be replaced and switched. She could recall vividly the disgusting feeling that rose in her gut, stirring bile, when she had to change the bandages of her hand when she lost her fingers. She needed to make sure the open wounds did not grow infected, but could barely stand to look at what became of her body. She couldn't, however, remember when it happened.

The same guttural miasma of feelings would come when she lifted up her shirt in the bathroom later, to see what kind of imprint was left by the crude kick, though it would be lessened by the nature of it. For now though, little of that mattered, and those thoughts vanished and scattered messily in much the same way that the inner workings of Roman's thigh did.

All thought stopped, and all sound did as well as the harsh ringing deafened her as she was picked up. She did not resist, though she would have normally. Instead, all she could do was watch with morbid fascination at the events that unfurled before her glossy eyes. The sudden appearance of a gun, the blinding flash of a muzzle, the explosion that rocked forth a signal shard of death that little for Roman or what it would do to him. All the shrapnel knew was that it belonged in the ground beneath him, and his leg was in the way. It did not take a detour, and the sprouting crimson flower of deep red sported his trousers, and she saw his outcry of pain.

His consequence.

Misha had no idea who Roman was, his history, the source of his intense dislike for her, or even particularly why he had qualms with her actions. She did not know him, and she had nothing directly against him until he saw fit to exercise his ability to harm her. Regardless of the reason Felonia saw fit to shoot him, undoubtedly a sense of example more than any actual care for Misha, but all at once a single bullet had rendered everything about the man unimportant and punished him for a mere minute of transgression.

Like the shrapnel of bombs had cleared the board of her past, the single bullet of this small weapon had cleared him from her path. There was a grim pattern and a flutter of recognition. She had been taught to loathe destruction, that arson was unforgivable and bombings a crime, then why, by any sense, did it seem so effective?

The right seeds. Those fogged eyes moved from Roman to Felonia, and though they hid any deeper intent behind their almost unreflective stare, there was something else that stared out from the abyss. In those eyes was a pit, an emptiness that craved to be filled. It was something seen in many who had been broken or lost, and in that pit was a hidden fear for all those that came close. The wrong place.

Such a hole could not always be filled, but it would never cease crying for a stop.

Infirmary

The room was disturbingly sterile, and that's perhaps what offended her senses the most. How others with more peculiar noses could stand it was beyond her, but then again, she had grown numb to the smell of decay that lingered in the festering corners of more urban environments. Perhaps this was more of the same, though on the opposite side. The smell of artificial and synthetic cleaners was strong, but more than they erased, they mingled with the smells they attempted to purify. The slight stench of something organic, as if it tried to hide some specific splotch of blood or vomit that lingered ever so faintly on the air.

She wouldn't have noticed it, but she had smelt it before.

Paired with the artificial hum of lights that seemed to be on the verge of being too bright, the temporary treatment bed she sat on was rough and leathery, obviously not meant for any long term care. She did not speak, even as others moved and spoke around her. She didn't know what to say, but something rumbled silently as she saw that Eliana had come along. Though her gut throbbed with the pain of impact, it hardly felt right to lay down with her in the room. Before long, they were left alone, and that terrible silence lingered, and her foggy eyes found it easier to look at the impeccably clean tiles of the floor than at Eliana.

 

[RaWolfe]

Infirmary

Del looked at their leader when she gave him the order to put Misha down, and simply nodded as he placed her onto a bed and looked at her "Everything will be fine..." Del said without placing a hand onto Misha. He was not scared of her, he was careful with her. The girl had spent great endurance in her lifetime and it was only then that Misha's weakness and the fragile sight made his heart skip a beat. Del looked away as he noticed their dorm leader walking out to discuss something and looked back at Misha surrounding, there were no sharp objects, but it wouldn't surprise him if she found a way to get something sharp and hurt herself "There....is nothing to be ashamed off, you protected yourself and I don't know what has happened to you...but I won't let you get hurt again" Del blinks at his own words and quickly added "... neither will Eliana allow anything to happen to you"

He placed his hands behind his head and looked at Eliana "What will she be talking about with the other dorm leaders?"

 

[Aria]

Infirmary

Eliana felt at home with the adrenaline of a fight keeping her on her toes, but the silent walk to the medbay left her with her thoughts again. She had grabbed Misha's burger just in case and walked behind Del and Felonia.

She thought about Felonia intimidating the Laibe with her gun. Normally in the Navy, those who were unruly were subdued and thrown into the brig to cool off. It seemed the rules were a little more hands-on here. She felt the gun to the mouth was excessive, and her heart spiked as she expected the worst, but she felt relieved when Roman was only shot in the leg. Relieved he was shot in the leg, Eliana pondered strangely. When that's the good outcome, it makes me wonder what I got myself into...

Then came Misha. Eliana felt a pang of regret that she cheered Misha on in her head when she retaliated with the fork. Someone like Misha shouldn't be forced to defend themselves, especially if the outcome would clearly make the situation worse. Maybe she should have dropped the burger and sprinted over. She distracted one of the two Laibes, but Misha still ended up in her current state.

Del's words shook her out of her trance, not even realizing they had arrived. "A-ah, yeah," she began, finding a spot to put down the burger. "I don't want anything to happen to you again." She couldn't bring herself to pledge that nothing would happen to Misha. It'd be irresponsible to declare that and give hope to someone who already lost so much. She looked over at Misha, who quietly looked away from them towards the floor. She didn't want to rush Misha, so instead Eliana took a seat nearby and gave Misha some space.

"I wonder if they'll change up the teams," Eliana replied to Del's question. "Maybe they'll move those two Laibes over to a non-Daur group. If they hate our kind that much, I can't see how we could ever get them to cooperate."

 

[Jabonicus]

It was with successive luck that she had managed to secure a hold on her bag while she was carried, particularly in her dazed state to the Infirmary. She wasn't quite sure what she would have done if she had accidentally left it, or, perhaps worse than being hit repeatedly, had it taken by Roman. The bag, a shoddy and well-worn backpack that looked as if it had spent far too many nights outdoors, sat next to her on the uncomfortable medical beds that crinkled and reluctantly gave way to occupancy.

The comments of protection gave a curious response, and those hollow eyes looked at up Eliana as she spoke. Go ahead, try to give me hope. They seemed to dare with animalistic endurance. I'll reject it all the same. The trust of this one was not easy, and the cautious way she eyed the two of them was blatant in that fact. She didn't seem them as allies, it was the same cautious way she looked at Roman, and everyone else in that Cafeteria near her.

Adrenaline faded, and pain lingered. The pain persisted and throbbed deeper as the mask of headrush vanished into time, the kind of fading that send ache into exhausted limbs. She wasn't sure if she was thankful that no such ache came.

"I don't know why you're promising." She admitted as she glanced between them, and then to the burger that awaited her decision to claim it. Hunger had not yet returned after fear chased it off. In truth, she truly didn't, they didn't gain anything from it, and they didn't even know her. "Is it just because we're daur? I don't want to join some gang here."

 

[RaWolfe]

“A gang...” Del simply responded and looked puzzled at her for a few seconds as he crossed his arms and leans against another bed “because we are Daur? False promises? Mmm curious point of views you got. So isolated, dark and tunnel vision you have. You make me wonder wat happened to you, what shaped you to the way you are right now”

He sighs as he knew it didn’t make him particularly popular with being so blunt “No, it’s not because we are Daur, or to gang up on someone. I guess you have noticed that Roman is just a piece of shit that likes to ego boost his kind. I tried in Every fucked up situation to take the hit, to find a middle ground. Work with that piece of shit as that is the goal. Face it, we only got each other in this place... gang up? You are already in a gang that got the label Kingdom Fall”

Del didn’t like his own logical mind but those are the facts “as for that promise, yes I will protect you even if it kills me as I said... we got each other and that’s all. I would do it for you, for her and even for that trash can of a Roman”

 

[Aria]

"Don't talk about dying so casually," Eliana chastised gently as she rubbed Del's head and messed up his hair a little bit. Del had enthusiasm like her little brother, but Del's words felt more dark somehow. She worried he might actually get himself hurt blindly following his ideals.

"We're all a family here now, and I want to see my family happy. I'm not just gonna sit by while my honorary brother and sister are getting picked on. If those Laibe behave, then they can join as well, but until then, my love and care is reserved for you guys." Eliana felt a bit more resolved after her small impromptu speech. She had been worrying about what to do, but her natural position was still the best in her mind; keep her younger siblings happy and safe.

 

[Jabonicus]

This was the difficulty in interacting with others, there came a point where she simply had nothing else to say. Where a conversation should naturally lead itself on, no words came from her head, and none passed by her lips. All she could do was stare downward while the two seemed to have an obvious connection and familiarity with one another. Honorary siblings? That was an obtuse thought, one that didn’t sit well, though she couldn’t quite figure out why it stirred bile. Something about it seemed off, but she couldn’t tell from what angle the obstruction came from.

It felt like she was watching them intently from behind a cracked shell, like some defensive animal cautiously observing others, but all the same it felt like they were watching her, feigning niceness so that they could strike her when she was most vulnerable.

She would not give them the opportunity.

She reached over slowly and cautiously, grabbing the tray that had the burger on it. She cautiously watched the other two as she took a bite, and she immediately had to restrain her reaction.

The food was still warm, but beyond that, it held flavor. She was used to food often marked expired or thrown out, giving a strange blend to her pallet that was so sharply divided from one morsel to the next that nothing was balanced, the sweets too sweet, and the spices too spiced. This was… A level of quality she was unfamiliar with, the closest that came to mind was the chunks of fried meat that she had been given once in exchange for running some cheap sneak-thieving that some roving criminals had bought her into doing.

She did not eat fast, she wouldn’t put her guard that far down, but it was clear to the two of them, and the way her eyes simply stared downward, that her focus was primarily on the burger. Intrusive memories to before she left hand, family meals that didn’t seem so bad looking back, and a pang went through her chest that was almost unbearably painful. What in the world was it?

A yearning for whatever that was, to recapture whatever brief peace happened there. Yet, despite the longing, it was gone, and she could never have it again.

“Do you have siblings?” She suddenly asked, those blunt eyes looking to Eliana, though the question seemed to be aimed at the both of them.

 

[RaWolfe]

Seeing her look at Eliana, Del sighs a bit and crossed his arms over each other “I have three sisters, Aida, the eldest, left for space to follow her curiosity...”. He felt the rage in him that Aida left without considering the status of their family “As the second eldest I tried to take care of my two younger sisters and not be taken captive by the idea of space exploration as it is a betrayal to our own kind”

He looked at the door “Dalida left as well for space. Lorella is with my mother and father and is to young to have such ideas. Thought i’m here to make the kingdom a better place and believe the royals are not helping the kingdom in any shape.”

 

[Aria]

"I've got a little brother myself, named Vezio," Eliana began with a small smile. "He's always been easily excitable and energetic, a bit too much for his own good maybe. He's really studious too, unlike me, so it wasn't long before he stopped asking me for homework help. We used to play together all the time though, and I'd comfort him if he got himself hurt. When he learned I was joining the Navy, he tried to join up shortly after, but he's too much of a clutz. The more nervous he gets, the more likely he'd be to trip over himself. He gave up on that plan, thankfully, and instead decided to study up on military engineering. He told me he wants to design the best armor possible, so I should hold out until then." Eliana laughed to herself a bit, remembering his incredibly serious expression as he proclaimed this to her. He had a passion for being dramatic as well.

"I never actually told him I quit the Navy," she continued, a little quieter. Her eyes turned away from the two Daurs. "I gave him a sizable chunk of my savings to help pay for his school, so I hope that didn't tip him off too much that something was up. I joined up here since I wanted to change our society for the better, but I hope this doesn't put us too at odds down the road. He might hate the choice I made without his input, but maybe he'll understand."

"Ahh, sorry, I kinda rambled there," she blurted, suddenly straightening in her chair and forcing a laugh.

 

[club24]

Infirmary

While the trio had spent some time talking and resting after the events at lunch Roman groaned quietly in his sleep nearby, having been put under by one of the medical staff when he arrived to keep him quiet and allow them to patch him up somewhat, the medical tech they had may have been good but it wasn't amazing and so he'd be spending a fair bit of time bedridden. Felonia had left to speak with some of the other dorm leaders after she was sure the three she left behind would be ok, Delfino and Eliana seemed like good company for Misha, poor girl.

As for the two Laibe, she didn't want to lose valuable initiates but they had shown they were no good when it came to working with other species, with that in mind she'd presented her report and asked for two replacement members to take their place. As a result, she was now returning to the infirmary with the rest of Red dorm in tow including their two newest members, Zoya and Ta'jana, the group of Daur and their leader all quietly filed in and looked at Misha and her companions with soft smiles.

"Glad to see you're all doing ok, do you feel well enough for some basic training Misha or would you like more time to recover?" Felonia asked softly as she sat down on the end of Misha's bed, the group of fluffy-tailed foxes behind her looking on with hopeful eyes, none of them wanted to be in Misha's position but they all felt bad for her and a couple felt guilty for not trying to help more. "Delfino, Eliana, meet our two newest members Zoya and Ta'jana, they'll be replacing Roman and Galdin, and I don't want to hear that anyone is treating Zoya badly ok?" While it may have seemed weird to single out one member it would quickly become clear why she'd made special mention as the child came into view.

 

[Jiori]

Before arriving at the mountain base, Ta'Jana had been expecting a rigorous military entrance examination. Her grandfather had referred her to Kingdom Fall and prepared her for the worst. His skills in martial arts, but more specifically as a sword duelist, were something that had made him famous on Uvarun 2 where Ta'Jana was born. She had spent the better part of her life fighting and working towards becoming a martial artist and sword duelist like her grandfather. The result was her competing in inter-planetary tournaments and becoming a nationally ranked duelist that had fans across many colonies. Despite this, Ta'Jana's travels, experiences, and encounters led her to adamantly believe that the Kingdom was in a perilous state and needed to be changed for the better of all Neshaten. A common theme among the places she visited, was poverty on scales unfathomed by Ta'Jana, intolerable injustices between species, policies that rarely did any good, and a growing sense of anger from the common folk.

When Ta'Jana spoke about her desire for change to her grandfather, he revealed his past, telling how he had traveled the stars as a volunteer in the navy where he witnessed many of the Kingdom's shortcomings, years before becoming a duelist. The connections he made over the years and the political and social opinions he had, gained him a reputation as a passive advocate for change. Several years ago he had gained the attention of Kingdom Fall and made contact with a friend from his military days who tried to recruit him. He declined due to age and family but kept in contact. He told Ta'Jana that if she so wished, he could get in contact, but by doing so, she would have to find a way out of the spotlight. Also, he warned her that the decision should not be made lightly, she would essentially be throwing away her life and couldn't regain it or become a part of society again.

After spending a month mulling over joining, she finally made a decision and told her grandfather to please contact Kingdom Fall. Ta'Jana couldn't stand idly by when countless others were suffering. Competing as a duelist wasn't going to bring about change and what she wanted was to be a part of a movement that would make history. So, in order to disappear from the media and regress from the public, she faked her death. Her family helped her, but only her grandfather knew the real reason as to why. For the following months, Ta'Jana trained and was prepared mentally and physically for hard times to come. When the time came, Kingdom Fall collected her and discretely brought her to the mountain base, only after knocking her out and blindfolding her.

Ta'Jana was awoken upon arrival and was brought with the other initiates to the entrance ceremony. During which she was put into a team that obviously wouldn't work. Despite this, she was ready for any curveballs thrown her way, so she wasted little effort and got to work when given their team's first task. Ta'Jana, due to her solitary nature, didn't even try to unite her team members, instead, she went about barricading the door so as to give them more time. She used trash and anything she could find to cleverly make a barricade out of scrap. While doing this, her teammates were fighting amongst themselves and nothing got done. So Ta'Jana, who only knew how to fight, decided to find a good enough piece of metal to use as a sword. With this scrap, she went about meticulously beating her teammates in a way that didn't truly endanger them but still brought them under her control. But none the less they were left bruised and bleeding, and reluctantly began cleaning the room. As they had finally begun cleaning, their time ran out and the alarm blazed. Their assailants began breaking in but were momentarily subdued due to the barricade. With this time, Ta'Jana got her followers to use everything in the room to barricade the door. She also got them to arm themselves with scrap, ordering them to make makeshift shields and armor while the others held the door. This effort was useless as her teammates were exhausted and already injured, so their last stand lasted only a few minutes until the guards broke in. When they did, they tossed flashbangs into the room, incapacitating all of them. This type of fighting wasn't what Ta'Jana was used to. She was a duelist, not a soldier, so she was immediately caught off guard. The enemies quickly disarmed and immobilized each of them, dragging them out like the others. Although, because Ta'Jana had beaten up most of them, only her and three others were led to the following post-challenge assembly.

Her team was disbanded shortly after the challenge and she ended up eating alone in the cafeteria. Ta'Jana was used to being on her own and retained her emotionless expression as she ate and observed the other initiates. It seemed her team was the only one that didn't survive. As she ate, a few soldiers came over, made her finish up, and escorted to Felonia.

------

Ta'Jana met Felonia outside the entrance of the infirmary accompanied by another, but neither of them caught her attention, she was more focused on the fact that they were at the infirmary. As she approached, she wondered if this was because of what had happened with her teammates, Am I going to be reprimanded? I can't be kicked out; I gave up everything to be here! she thought. Anxiousness and fear got the better of her and her usual emotionless appearance briefly revealed her newfound worries. Right after she finished her thought, she bit her lip thinking, Just because I've given up everything to be here, doesn't make me worthy or better than others. She collected herself and immediately silenced the negative voices in her head and she thought, Stay calm, you've trained your entire life for the unpredictable. Whatever happens, I can make it through. Ta'Jana immediately thought of what her grandfather told her as a child, "Child, you must be as calm as still water in the face of adversity", with that thought she silently took a long breath, regaining her steel composure and confidence. Felonia quickly sized her up and motioned for the soldiers to leave and for Ta'Jana to follow. The tacit reply didn't help to ease Ta'Jana's worries, and as she walked, she focused on maintaining her breathing using a technique she learned.

When they entered, they passed hospital beds filled with injured initiates and a few nurses who were tending to them. To Ta'Jana's dismay, she recognized one of them as a former teammate, but they seemed to be sleeping. She passed by them thinking, They should have just listened to me instead of figh- Quickly realizing the irony of her thoughts, she stopped herself short and reluctantly thought, I should learn to better communicate with people. If she was more relaxed, she would have grinned at herself, but all she could do now was retain her ironclad expression. They soon stopped at an occupied bed surrounded by two Daurs. Ta'Jana first saw Misha and was gripped by an image of her past: outside of an arena she fought in on Nesha Prime, she had seen numerous children in rags, dirty and beaten smelling worse than garbage. One time, she found two siblings hiding in a trash bin from bullies. Ta'Jana noticed them and their pursuers and saved them only to be rewarded with a stolen wallet. Despite this, she had met plenty of others like them and knew that their suffering was something she may never, and hopefully would never, understand. Before she could catch a glimpse at the others and question why she was here, Felonia said:

"Glad to see you're all doing ok, do you feel well enough for some basic training Misha or would you like more time to recover?" Felonia asked softly as she sat down on the end of Misha's bed, the group of fluffy-tailed foxes behind her looking on with hopeful eyes, none of them wanted to be in Misha's position but they all felt bad for her and a couple felt guilty for not trying to help more. "Delfino, Eliana, meet our two newest members Zoya and Ta'jana, they'll be replacing Roman and Galdin, and I don't want to hear that anyone is treating Zoya badly ok?"

Ta'Jana almost thought out loud saying, So I'm not being reprimanded! Yes, thank you!.

 

[Jabonicus]

They both had siblings, though that did little more than create more bubbles of thoughts in the growing expanse of her mind. Faces and ideas grew and shifted, making room for themselves in abstract puzzles that didn't yet quite make sense. There was a connection, but a single thread was no bridge, and Misha was not foolish enough to extend one so soon with so little reason. She refused to liken her own connections with theirs, lest she risk some painful bridge over something as common as siblings. "Hm, I had a sister." The phrasing was everything, and she was not unaware of how the more sympathetic saw her. She did not understand that pained way people looked at her, but she would rather take from those extended hands than take the hands themselves.

She likened it to bait on a hook. She was taking the bait but dodging the hook.

You've seen it kiddo, some saint with golden eyes and a heavy pocket throws a coin your way as if it'll rocket her straight to the goddess. That kindness stops the moment you're higher. The ones that threaten the boot are just honest 'bout it. You've got more than 'nuff bruises to know that.

She had a sister, that much was true. She didn't need to tell them about anything else, her name, the rag that was her pillowcase that was poorly stitched into her stuffed toy, or that the idea of Nadia still being her sister being one of the few positives she had left, even if she did know that she was gone. It was a bittersweet name, one that she could summon for that sweet breath in of something honeyed and warm, an embrace she had long forgotten the context of, even if she knew that the exhale was bitter and broken, a final glimpse of her shifting in the night she left, lingered contact of eyes with a sorrow unmatched.

Despite the bitter, she longed for the sweet too much to ignore it.

"Been a while." She further admitted, rippling water before Felonia entered, and once more her guard raised that extra centimeter. "I'm ready for whatever's needed, ma'am." Was her response. She was naturally quiet, but the phrase was built oddly nonetheless as if structured to quietly poke something in the dorm leader.

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

Infirmary

Zoya was, as per all could see, quite literally a child as was described. In a base full of the righteous and militant minded with often years of prior military training it was Zoya alone that walked its halls lacking the most fundamentalist training of any sort. Slight and almost sickly pale the 'daur offered a rehearsed curtsey in her simple white dress to anyone who was paying her any seeming attention, Fingers rubbing on the hem of her skirt as the soft fabric kneeled between thumb and forefinger. To anyone that cared enough for eye contact was however in for a shock as the sheer intensity of her gaze burrowed into them from the dark spots under her eyes to her pale skin, it gave a ghastly and almost intimidating force behind her eyes that was only tempered by the warm and inviting smile she offered as if whatever mask the exceptionally fragile-looking daur wore on the day-to-day had slipped when exposed to so many new experiences that day.

It lingered on the injured Misha for a second longer as Felonia took up a spot next to the 'daur before simply gliding past to the next initiate. But it was back in a moment when she regained a casual posture and the burning intensity of her eyes was replaced with the calm and interesting curiosity of youth despite her current location.

"We Thanks' you, Miss Felonia" Zoya offered the handler a polite nod and spoke in the Royal 'We' in a delicate and almost cute tone. She didn't know if the woman knew the secret or was simply being polite towards her, but someone clearly knew as by the fact she could tell that at all times someone seemed to be watching her and not out of general curiosity and from the moment she had been handed off to the Kester base in secret she had been coddled beyond what anyone would deem appropriate for just a simple child there to likely do labor work and cleaning. She had even been exempt from any pretext of initiation or selection and was simply in with the rest of the group, And had someone made an actual move against her like she suspected someone did towards Misha...

"It is nice to meet you all, I hope we can work together with you." She finished with a second curtsey.

It was a non-issue, she concluded. So long as her door locked from the inside she avoided any episodes, her stay at the base proximity to kester would be a valuable learning experience towards making connections and learning the ins and outs of the lower branches of Kingdom Fall from those who firsthand would likely become her future subordinates.

Except for the one next to her. She thought passively towards Ta'Jana who even now seemed lost in thought and moving almost on autopilot. Airheads would weed themselves out if they spent more time in their fantasies than in reality she came to the conclusion rather ironically lost in her own head.


"What kind of training are we to do today?" Her words enunciated a much quieter and more as a question to herself than to the dorm leader.

 

[Aria]

Infirmary

Been a while, Eliana thought, those last words bouncing in her head before the sound of boots approaching her took her attention away. She smiled at the crowd, but the sight of another child caught her momentarily off guard. How many young children does this group take off the street, and what do they plan on using them for? she thought, momentarily shooting Felonia a concerned expression before she pushed those feelings down for now. I'll have to talk to our leader in private about that later.

"Things should be a lot smoother with those two leaving us alone, thanks for that," she said instead, letting her light-hearted nature take over. "I'm Eliana, nice to meet you two!"

 

[Jiori]

Ta'Jana's internal ordeal had ended as Zoya began introducing herself, and Ta'Jana was brought back to her senses and listened patiently.

"We Thanks' you, Miss Felonia"

As Zoya spoke, Ta'Jana retained her emotionless state and kept to herself, peeling over the beginning word Zoya used, "We". Don't royals only speak like that? she curiously thought. Having been to various planets and met countless individuals, some of which wealthy sponsors and nobles, Ta'Jana knew many linguistic idiosyncrasies across the social classes of the kingdom. After all, it was her hobby learning different languages and the different ways in which people spoke. Hm, I guess it's not uncommon for a few of the nobility to be here. I hope she's not as conceited and arrogant as the rest if she is one. But she is a child... Why did Kingdom Fall bring children here anyways? Indoctrination of sorts? Zoya's childlike way in which she spoke, dispelled some of this suspicion, but Ta'Jana thought how this child seemed to speak calmly and with confidence, which the other initiates she'd met thus far lacked.

"It is nice to meet you all, I hope we can work together with you."

"What kind of training are we to do today?"

After Zoya finished, Ta'Jana finished her thoughts and thought the same thing, What type of training will we be doing?. Ta'Jana moved her gaze to the two teammates she had missed. While doing so, one of them spoke:

"Things should be a lot smoother with those two leaving us alone, thanks for that," she said instead, letting her light-hearted nature take over. "I'm Eliana, nice to meet you two!"

Eliana's light-heartedness reminded Ta'Jana of her older sister, This Daur seems genuinely cheerful, like Ta'Vae. I hope she's doing well. I wonder when I'll ever see her again. This last thought momentarily gripped her heart and made her ache, I should probably introduce myself too. In her normal monotone and soft voice, which is almost unable to be heard, Ta'Jana spoke with a blank face, "Nice to meet you. I'm Ta'Jana, I hope we can all get along." Ta'Jana actually meant it, she knew she would need to get along with these people, otherwise, she would end up like the Laibe she had replaced. This time I should probably get to know these people and not beat them up as I did the other initiates, or next time I will be in trouble. She embarrassingly smiled internally. Maybe Eliana or another one of these people like fighting or fashion, I could use someone to spar with and to talk to.

 

[club24]

Infirmary

Felonia nodded to the collection of initiates, "It is a tad regrettable that they couldn't get along with the rest of the group, we're not pushing supremacy of either species here though some members just think that way of their own volition, regardless you will only encounter those two in the future in group training or on missions though that's a low chance." The leader said continuing her warm smile as she stood up and brushed herself off. "As for training today, if you'll all follow me I'll be putting you through a basic obstacle course first just to gauge physical fitness and skill then after that a more theory-based assessment. Essentially we want to figure out who is good at what and then help build those talents."

The dorm leader strode out of the room with the rest of the Daur in tow, if they were all as young as Zoya it would be easy to mistake the group for a teacher and her class going for a walk, at the front Cairo, San'net, Francis, and Ba'rota whispered amongst themselves, since they'd gone back to the dorm while the others were either in the medical wing or in another group they'd had first pick of the beds. None of them were particularly better than any other though there were some of the nicer blankets and pillows which they'd gotten together and put on one bed for Misha after everything she'd been through already. Slowly Francis, the red-furred Daur dropped back to approach Misha quietly.

"Hi, Misha, we uh. We wanted to let you know that we found the best bed covers and a nice pillow in our dorm room earlier, we set them up on a bed for you, we thought you should have a nice bed since, you know, from earlier." He seemed to be a little shy, or maybe just uncomfortable telling her after everything that already happened to her. The man looked around awkwardly before going back to the group at the front and letting them know he'd passed on the message, a couple of them hesitantly looked back at her to see what her reaction was.