12-27-2016, 06:46 PM
[A barracks near a border of Othard and Ilsabard, 19 years before the Seventh Umbral Calamity (27 years ago).]
"Psst."
The barracks were quiet, as was regulation. The curfew demanded that all off-duty personel were to be in bed by 2200 hours, and to be awake for morning muster by 0600 hours. Punishment for breaking curfew or tardiness for muster varied, but was universally harsher for auxiliary troops. Very easily can these simple punishments become insubordination, and none were more familiar with insubordination than X'noh aan Tia.
This region was known for its chill, especially during the winter months. In the pitch darkness of the night, the only light was the faint glowing of the magitek spatial heaters that dotted the bunk beds that were lined up in the large barracks. The soft, glowing red metal of the devices hummed and whirred with a peculiar noise that, after falling asleep to it for so long, was almost comforting.
"Psst. Hey. Rohk."
After a day of patrols in the bitter cold, A'rohk aan Tia's rough cotton blanket felt absolutely divine in conjunction with the heater - which was, luckily, only three beds' distance from him. And, considering he was on the bottom bunk, he benefited supremely from the arrangement.
Enough to get lost in one's dreamscape for the whole night...
"Psst!"
Without any interruption...
"Rohk!"
Rohk's green eyes snap open, blinking quickly, torn from the warm pocket of relaxation he had forged out of nothing. He looked up at the silhouette of the bunk above him to see the shaggy mop of black hair of his best friend, peering over the side of the top bunk down at Rohk. His face was silhouetted in the soft red glow from the heaters - which fit Rohk's temperament right about now.
"What!?" he spat up at his friend, the angriest whisper he could muster. "Do you know what time it is, Noh? Eikons above, it's probably... what, 3000 hours? Tell me in the morning."
Rohk rolls over.
"Rohk, get your ass up. I need to talk."
"At 3000 hours?"
Rohk sees his head nod in the night's glow. And though his vision was still adjusting to the darkness, he could swear he was... smiling?
I am going to burn this idiot alive.
"Fine. Fine. What could you possibly have to tell me that couldn't wait a few hours?"
"Alright. Check this out. Pyr Remus. The optio? Pretty sure she's in to me."
Rohk almost felt his mind snap. His blood boils for a moment. He woke me up for this? I thought it would be something important!
"Are you kidding me right now? Noh, what the hells? Of all the things you woke me up for, it was for high treason!?"
"No no no, it's not like that. You know how I always end up getting sanitation duty?"
Rohk takes a deep breath. "Yes, yes I know. That's because you like picking fights with people you shouldn't."
"That's not important."
"Yes it is!"
"Rohk, shut up and listen. As I was saying, she's stopped by multiple times every day to check up on me, to make sure I'm doing it right. And like, I obviously am. But she keeps checking."
"That doesn't mean anything, Noh. Go back to sleep." Rohk rolls over again.
"Rohk, stop ignoring me!"
Rohk continues ignoring him.
"Rohk, you always make me listen to you talk about Yame. 'She's so wonderful,'" X'noh says in an overly-comical voice. 'She's so smart,' 'She's so good at magic,' 'She's so beautiful,' 'I'm gonna marry her,'"
Rohk sits up and points a finger accusingly up at Noh. "That's completely different! She's my girlfriend! And another aan, at that. Being with her - and talking about being with her - isn't high treason, which I'm pretty sure I already mentioned."
"Not different."
"Yes it is!"
"Nope."
"Empire take me, you are insufferable," Rohk says, his signature headache forming in the front of his head. Funny - this seemed to happen a lot more when he had to deal with his friend's ridiculous antics. "Fine! Fine. I'm listening. Talk, but quietly. We'll get a lot of flack if you wake up the whole barracks to gush your hots for a garlean woman. What's your point?"
"When we're alone, I've been subtly flirting with her to see how she reacts."
"It probably isn't subtle," Rohk counters.
"Whatever. She usually just scoffs it off or chides me or something. But she keeps coming back. I think I'm going to push my luck next time she comes to check on me."
"Seriously? Noh, she's a garlean. You're going to get yourself killed."
"I know."
"Plus, she's a blasted titan. She's easily over a fulm taller than you. If there isn't just flat-out summary execution, and you actually succeed, she'll probably snap you in twain." There's a beat of silence before Rohk chimes in again. "You're... you're smiling, aren't you?!"
"What can I say? I like 'em tall."
"Ugh! You are disgusting."
A voice shouts out over the silence of the barracks. A deep voice, likely Hyuran. "Noh! Stop talking to your boyfriend! We're trying to sleep!
"Sorry," Noh shouts in response, bashfully. "Anyways, if I do die, I need you to do me a favor."
"What."
I need you to tell my family that I love them."
"Noh, you don't have any family."
"Sure I do. I've got you!" X'noh laughs and flops back on to his bed, a devilish grin played across his face.
Rohk rolls his eyes and slowly lays back down. "You know, I despise you sometimes."
"I know. I love you too. Night buddy!"
Why do I get a bad feeling about all of this? Rohk shakes his head, already pulling the covers up and almost over his head as he tries to minimize the damage to his sleep schedule thanks to his idiot of a best friend. It was not long before sleep took him again.
"Psst."
The barracks were quiet, as was regulation. The curfew demanded that all off-duty personel were to be in bed by 2200 hours, and to be awake for morning muster by 0600 hours. Punishment for breaking curfew or tardiness for muster varied, but was universally harsher for auxiliary troops. Very easily can these simple punishments become insubordination, and none were more familiar with insubordination than X'noh aan Tia.
This region was known for its chill, especially during the winter months. In the pitch darkness of the night, the only light was the faint glowing of the magitek spatial heaters that dotted the bunk beds that were lined up in the large barracks. The soft, glowing red metal of the devices hummed and whirred with a peculiar noise that, after falling asleep to it for so long, was almost comforting.
"Psst. Hey. Rohk."
After a day of patrols in the bitter cold, A'rohk aan Tia's rough cotton blanket felt absolutely divine in conjunction with the heater - which was, luckily, only three beds' distance from him. And, considering he was on the bottom bunk, he benefited supremely from the arrangement.
Enough to get lost in one's dreamscape for the whole night...
"Psst!"
Without any interruption...
"Rohk!"
Rohk's green eyes snap open, blinking quickly, torn from the warm pocket of relaxation he had forged out of nothing. He looked up at the silhouette of the bunk above him to see the shaggy mop of black hair of his best friend, peering over the side of the top bunk down at Rohk. His face was silhouetted in the soft red glow from the heaters - which fit Rohk's temperament right about now.
"What!?" he spat up at his friend, the angriest whisper he could muster. "Do you know what time it is, Noh? Eikons above, it's probably... what, 3000 hours? Tell me in the morning."
Rohk rolls over.
"Rohk, get your ass up. I need to talk."
"At 3000 hours?"
Rohk sees his head nod in the night's glow. And though his vision was still adjusting to the darkness, he could swear he was... smiling?
I am going to burn this idiot alive.
"Fine. Fine. What could you possibly have to tell me that couldn't wait a few hours?"
"Alright. Check this out. Pyr Remus. The optio? Pretty sure she's in to me."
Rohk almost felt his mind snap. His blood boils for a moment. He woke me up for this? I thought it would be something important!
"Are you kidding me right now? Noh, what the hells? Of all the things you woke me up for, it was for high treason!?"
"No no no, it's not like that. You know how I always end up getting sanitation duty?"
Rohk takes a deep breath. "Yes, yes I know. That's because you like picking fights with people you shouldn't."
"That's not important."
"Yes it is!"
"Rohk, shut up and listen. As I was saying, she's stopped by multiple times every day to check up on me, to make sure I'm doing it right. And like, I obviously am. But she keeps checking."
"That doesn't mean anything, Noh. Go back to sleep." Rohk rolls over again.
"Rohk, stop ignoring me!"
Rohk continues ignoring him.
"Rohk, you always make me listen to you talk about Yame. 'She's so wonderful,'" X'noh says in an overly-comical voice. 'She's so smart,' 'She's so good at magic,' 'She's so beautiful,' 'I'm gonna marry her,'"
Rohk sits up and points a finger accusingly up at Noh. "That's completely different! She's my girlfriend! And another aan, at that. Being with her - and talking about being with her - isn't high treason, which I'm pretty sure I already mentioned."
"Not different."
"Yes it is!"
"Nope."
"Empire take me, you are insufferable," Rohk says, his signature headache forming in the front of his head. Funny - this seemed to happen a lot more when he had to deal with his friend's ridiculous antics. "Fine! Fine. I'm listening. Talk, but quietly. We'll get a lot of flack if you wake up the whole barracks to gush your hots for a garlean woman. What's your point?"
"When we're alone, I've been subtly flirting with her to see how she reacts."
"It probably isn't subtle," Rohk counters.
"Whatever. She usually just scoffs it off or chides me or something. But she keeps coming back. I think I'm going to push my luck next time she comes to check on me."
"Seriously? Noh, she's a garlean. You're going to get yourself killed."
"I know."
"Plus, she's a blasted titan. She's easily over a fulm taller than you. If there isn't just flat-out summary execution, and you actually succeed, she'll probably snap you in twain." There's a beat of silence before Rohk chimes in again. "You're... you're smiling, aren't you?!"
"What can I say? I like 'em tall."
"Ugh! You are disgusting."
A voice shouts out over the silence of the barracks. A deep voice, likely Hyuran. "Noh! Stop talking to your boyfriend! We're trying to sleep!
"Sorry," Noh shouts in response, bashfully. "Anyways, if I do die, I need you to do me a favor."
"What."
I need you to tell my family that I love them."
"Noh, you don't have any family."
"Sure I do. I've got you!" X'noh laughs and flops back on to his bed, a devilish grin played across his face.
Rohk rolls his eyes and slowly lays back down. "You know, I despise you sometimes."
"I know. I love you too. Night buddy!"
Why do I get a bad feeling about all of this? Rohk shakes his head, already pulling the covers up and almost over his head as he tries to minimize the damage to his sleep schedule thanks to his idiot of a best friend. It was not long before sleep took him again.