Lilly's team had just been barely holding on when Hunt's group arrived. With the new reinforcements, though, they finally had the strength to press forward. "COVERING FIRE!" Lilly yelled, motioning the group forward when the Imperials were suppressed. With many more guns on their side, they were able to keep the remaining imperials in cover and quickly clear the last two rooms of the hall.

When they reached the base of the stairs, the Imperials at the top began firing down and rolling the occasional grenade towards them, forcing them back into cover and stalling their advance. This was starting to play out like the coach house all over again, though this time the Imperials showed no indication of wanting to surrender. Through a window, Lilly spotted some unknown Gallians in the alley just outside the house and quickly waved for them to come in, gesturing towards one of the rooms they had already cleared which had a window they could climb through. When the assault force was at full strength, Lilly addressed them about the plan attack. "Mr. Hunt, do you have any ideas how to get up the stairs? We have enough people here, I think... We could probably use grenades to clear the top landing, and then rush in, right? Shocktroopers in front, everyone else will follow them. Is that acceptable to everyone? Ah, ok..." Another artillery shell landed nearby, causing Lilly to duck and cover her ears involuntarily. Once the ringing in them subsided, she nodded. "Ah... is everyone ready then? Scouts, use your grenades. Throw them.... Now! Everyone up the stairs! Go, Go, Go!"

Providing fire cover for the tank that had fallen, Cecilia had received the first crewman that Hunt had freed and rushed them to the building the squad was in. As she turned to return, she could hear the next shell coming down, diving away from the doorway. The shockwave had blown Hunt and the other crewman towards the house. Getting up, she rushed over, providing more fire cover, seeing that Hunt had started to make it back to the house. Cecilia headshotted an Imp with his target on Hunt.

Hunt and Jatmoore communicated over the radio, it seemed they were to assist Jatmoore's team in securing the house. Fairglaive was ordered to stay behind, and started to complain that her role was as a Commando. "None of us are medics in the first place." Cecilia noted, in retaliation.

Having followed Hunt, with Nelson, Cecilia arrived to assist Jatmoore's team and clearing some halls in the house. The Imperials, from the top of the stairs stopped the team from proceeding. Cecilia would call out when she noticed the grenades being rolled down the stairs, "Incoming grenade!".

Jatmoore and Hunt seemed to come to an agreement for a plan of attack. As Jatmoore called for the attack, "Scouts, use your grenades. Throw them.... Now! Everyone up the stairs! Go, Go, Go!" With the grenades going off, Cecilia was one of the first to charge in. There was a small amount of smoke from the explosive, which she ended up inhaling and coughing on. Still, despite the coughing, she readied her gun and started firing at any Imperials with the other shocktroopers.

P R I V A T E A T L A S O R V I L L E

"Clark! Orville! Hop to it!!" Smythe ordered over the sound of arterlly shell landing near by.

Everyone hits the deck to avoid major damage, the sound of explosions ringing in their ears. Smythe quickly pat himself down, checking to see if he lost any body parts. Thankfully, he didn't but he still felt a sharp pain of the gunshot wound he got earlier. Gritting his teeth, he gets to his feet, grabs his rifle and charges forward.

"Let's go! Get off yer ass' and send the imps packing!"

Atlas' head pounds over and over but the sound of Smythe's shouting cut through the pain. He grabs his assault rifle and shakes Sue.

"C'mon Sue!" He assists Sue to her feet but the look on her face shows disorientation. "Hang in there, we gotta end this!"

"R-right. End it. R-roger."

Even her voice was shaky. 'Has to be a concussion. I'll have to keep her close. We're almost done' They follow behind Smythe and prepare to charge in when the scouts do their thing

The grenades flew and before they land, Atlas takes aim and readies to charge in with Sue. He hopes, in the back of his mind, that she isn't too banged. He hopes, with all of his heart, that Joe still lives. He put those thoughts aside and steels himself for battle.

The engineer's ragnaid elicited a happy groan from the lancer. "Ooh... That's good. Mm, ooo." The lancer, after the brief medical attention, carefully rolled herself into her back. "Here, here, help me sit. I can at least point my lancer then. I don't... Think I should get up just yet. And bring her here." Regan motioned at the other wounded with her head. "While you push, I'll see what I can do for her. I'm not a medic, but I might have a truck up my sleeve." Her speech was deliberate and careful. Speaking through pain or fatigue or both, probably.

And the others pushed. Reinforcements came as somewhat familiar faces, and it gave Regan a little piece of mind in their position.

James didn't argue with Lily's idea, mainly because he knew that there was no other way of clearing that second floor out. Taking cover until after the Imperial grenades had gone off, he wasted no time in throwing his own grenades to the top of the stairs. Or more accurately, one to the top of the stairs, the other over the guard railing to actually land behind some of the Imperial fortifications. This was followed by him diving back down the stairs as all the Gallian grenades went off before bellowing to Rousseau. "Rousseau, help lead the charge! Nelson and I will be right behind with the other scouts! Nelson, aim for center mass!" Once the Storm troopers were up the stairs, James followed, already zeroing in on an Imperial picking themselves up and putting three shots into his chest before moving on to his next target.

He hurried to the foot of the stairs and provided cover fire until he heard the shout towards all scouts to throw their grenades. His helmet nearly tipped over his head, and he readjusted it. "Grenades? Got it!" he acknowledged hurriedly. The young and swift soldier swept his hand down to grab one of his grenades, and with unerring accuracy, took the pin out and spun the grenade, throwing it at an angle to have it ricochet off the forward wall at the top of the steps to spin into the adjacent room. An explosion wracked the hallway for a moment as his grenade punched outwards just as the others had. He had to admit his well thrown grenade, and Corporal Hunt's call to charge with him gave him heart in these hectic and dire moments. "Got it!" Hefting his rifle, he surged up the stairs, his rifle popping and cracking ever which way, felling the Imps he could clearly see. He was right next to Cecillia, watching her back as hopefully she watched his.
@Zarkun@Little_ninja@Raven_Operative

---

@CirusArvennicus

The Artillery shell had really knocked Aria around. Bringing up a lot of rather unpleasant memories for the young woman. Completely forgetting she was in battle. As she relived another in her mind. The battle the saw nearly all of her first company die. Those she had called friends, those she had trained with. She watched them all die again. Recalling vividly the every detail of that battle. Her eyes going distant almost empty her normally stoic expression waving slightly. As if some sort of emotion was trying to break out of a very thick shell. Aira completely out of it as she was dragged into a nearby house.

What dragged Aria out of her mind was Lilly offering her an SMG. Aria taking as her eyes came back into focus. The events of the battle flooding back into her. She started to recall roughly where she was and what she was meant to be doing. Although she was a little confused by her pack being off her back and where she was exactly. However, it didn't matter, as her mind refocused on Lilly. Nodding at Lilly command to make sure no imps snuck up on the rest of the squad.
"Yes." She said faintly looking at Lilly. Aria struggling to focus as intense pain her back and head set in. Aria given a pained expression for just a moment. Dropping the weapon in her hands.

"Just how long was she out of it for?" Aira thought looking at Regan who gestured towards her.
"Just need ragnaid, then will be okay." Aria said reaching for where her pack was only to find it off her. Looking around she found it. Taking a ragnaid. Aria activating it she exhaled as the pain in her back and head faded to a manageable level. Aria looking at Regan, who she noticed was looking a little worse for wear. Now able to focus Aria first clear thought was helping Regan.
"I'm trained as a field medic. I can help ... I can't use an SMG anyway. Barely able to use a rifle." Aria said slowly moving towards the lancer. Trying not let the pain in her back and head bother her too much.

Lilly rushed up the stairs after the shock troopers, with the other scouts once the grenades went off. *BOOMBOOMBOOM* They were greeted by the sounds of screaming and gunfire as the Imperials at the top of the stairs were either killed by the shrapnel flying around the room, or from the bullets the shock troopers sprayed to clear out the first area. The imps in the two rooms ahead of them tried to hault the advance by firing from the doorways, but Squad 4's scouts made quick work of them, with their more accurate rifles. Lilly was right behind the shocktroopers as they surged into the next rooms. An Imperial popped out of the doorway to her right, but someone shot him before he could do any damage. A wounded engineer tried to prime a grenade, but Lilly shot the man before he could finish retrieving it. When they crashed through the door leading to the final room, they spotted the only remaining Imperial in the house: A red-armoured officer with a radio in one hand and his SMG in the other. "All squads, retreat on my-" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. When the squad burst into the room, he pulled the trigger on his SMG, spraying the doorway with (very inaccurate) bullets before being cut down by Brenna's return fire.

And that was the end of it. The CP was under their control and the squad had taken minimal casualties. All in all, it had basically been a textbook 'sweep and clear'. When Hunt radioed their success back to command, Lord Barst's sneering voice came through their radios. "Wonderful. Squad 13 and 14 have dealt with the Imperials in their area and have rescued most of squad 10 as well. The Imperials are on the run, so we are going to make sure they don't get any bright ideas. Squad 4 and Charlie section. You will join the 13 and 14 in their attack to drive the Imperials out of the city. Show them they have critically underestimated Gallia's will to win. Barst out."

*static* *twitch* ... They weren't done?! Lilly shivered at the thought of more fighting, but the city was not yet secure. She steeled herself and tried to suppress the fear and nausea bubbling up within her for just a little while longer. She was only partially successful, as when they passed by the imperials they had killed with their grenades, she had to take a moment to retch in a corner, the smell and sight of the blood and gore overwhelming her.

Once they were outside, the squad headed north. Two streets up, several tanks awaited them as well as the significant manpower of squads 10, 13 and 14. "Y'all ready to show those imps what we got?", one of the sergeants yelled from his tank. Once everyone had made themselves ready, they headed off.

***

The next few hours were a blur for Lilly. They escorted the armour column, cleared houses, and captured any abandoned vehicles the imperials left behind in their frantic retreat. Occasionally, a sniper or group of soldiers would try to halt their advance either by attacking from the upper floors of houses or taking potshots from vantage points further away. Most of these were quickly dealt with, either by the escorts storming the house, or a tank putting a round into their hiding spots. All in all, the advance was slow but steady. Without their commander, the Imperials were too disorganized in their retreat to put up much of a fight.


As the situation got worse and worse, Lukas went over the map, calling out fire missions and doing his best to direct artillery support for the retreating units. "Ehhh..... FUCK, it's hopeless!" At the beginning, he thought their support could have made the difference and save their forward CP (and the officer in charge of the front line), but they had only managed to delay it's fall. Now they were stuck, trying to put suppressing fire down on what ever coordinates were called in... and by the Valkyrur, there were so many of them... Just about every squad was in need of assistance as the Imperial army broke and routed, and they only had so many guns. The loaders were certainly earning their pay from the amount of rounds that were being put down range, but even with squad 655's artillery section stepping in to help the regular army, they still couldn't do much more than offer token support. The positions were changing too quickly for accurate fire.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck... How did it come to this!?" Lukas growled. The army's pincer had been an amazing success. How did it turn around on them so quickly? He had little time to ponder these thoughts, though, as the sun began to set and the remnants of the force in the city began to reach it's outskirts. Good. The cover of night fall would make the withdrawal a bit easier, but if the Gallian tanks and infantry caught up to them in the open, even that wouldn't save them... He had to figure out something. As he leafed through the handbook he was hurriedly given, he smiled to himself. He might have just found a way to stall the Gallian advance significantly. Reaching for his radio, he contacted the battery. "55A, this is Glockner. Adjust Fire, Grid NK180513, Over." First, he needed to get the guns zeroed on his target zones before the retreating soldiers reached them. Wouldn't want to hit his own troops after all...


The outskirts! They were almost done! The Imperials had long since given up any attempt of slowing them, choosing to scatter and run, rather than try to fire when ever groups of them were spotted. With such little resistance, by the time evening fell, the armoured column had managed to make it to the edges of the city and were greeted by the sight of hundreds of Imperial soldiers scrambling across the fields, towards the hills and forests that surrounded the city. The radio crackled as the sergeant they had spoken to before piped up. "Look at 'em! Running like dogs! Come on, boys, we aren't done yet! Infantry, take cover in the houses at the city's edge. Tanks, move forward. We're gonna wipe these bastards out! No mercy, No surrender!"

Lilly couldn't help but be a bit disturbed by the column commander's cavalier attitude, but allowed herself a sigh of relief. At the very least, her job was done, and her friends were no longer in danger.

That was when she heard the whistling.


"55A, this is Glockner. Fire for effect. Mechanized infantry in the open. 10 rounds per gun, Ragnapalm Rounds. Grid NK180513, Over." After a moment, the radio crackled to life as the gunners responded. "Mechanized Infantry in the open, 10 rounds Ragnapalm, Grid NK180513. Authentication is Foxtrot Zulu, please confirm. Over." "I authenticate Alpha Bravo, Glockner Out." Lukas grinned a wicked grin. A shipment of experimental Ragnapalm rounds had arrived a couple days ago - just in time for use in this battle. "Come on, you bastards. Come on and burn." Off in the distance, the guns sounded as the battery fired it's entire stockpile of Ragnapalm shells. If any Gallians tried to pursue them, they were going to be in for one hell of a barbecue.


What was that?! More artillery? "INCOMING!!!" Lilly screamed as she dove for cover into a nearby house. The explosion that came was quieter than she expected, but it still shook the earth. Once the torrent of shells stopped, she looked out from the house and saw just what had happened. The shells that landed hadn't been explosives... they had been some sort of fire shells that set vast swaths of the field ahead of them aflame. The inky black smoke rising from the inferno ahead of them completely obscured the retreating Imperials. The radio crackled to life as the sergeant in charge of the attack began transmitting. "What the hell was that!? Rios, are you alright? Did any other tanks survive that?" Several affirmations were called over the radio, before Lord Barst cut in. "Sergeant, this is Lord Barst. Do not even think of trying to drive through that fire-screen. That's Ragnapalm, and it will quite happily melt straight through your tank's armour. Have everyone pull back a block. We will be ceasing operations for the night."


"AHAHAHA! BURN! DIE, YOU BASTARDS!" Lukas stood up from the hill they were observing from, watching as the rest of the Imperials retreated and noting with satisfaction the trio of Gallian tanks that had gotten a bit too ambitious and now lay burning in the middle of their Ragnapalm. The Imperial army was now safe to retreat and regroup, the Gallian advance had been halted, and they had even managed to destroy 3 medium tanks - not an insignificant number. Turning around with a grin, he signaled the other members of the spotting unit. "Alright pack it up, we're done here. Lets get back to base before the flames die out." Despite the somber air of those around him, Lukas was in a fantastic mood. Even if the city had been lost, serving his enemies with steel and fire was something that never failed to lift his spirits.


The flames burned on for a good half hour as the Gallian squads retreated back within the city. Lord Barst and several of the other sergeants would sporadically get on the radio to issue orders, but for the most part, they were done for the night. Vasel had been retaken, the Imperials had fully retreated, and it seemed like they would finally get some respite. Through trial and error, Squad 4 managed to find a relatively undamaged house with working water and gas, and went about the process of setting up for the night. As the squad went about setting up, Lilly looked around. There was someone she needed to speak with before she could relax. "Mr. Hunt, if you have a moment?" She quickly walked over to him, still obviously shivering a bit from how tense she was over the course of the battle. "Did you make it through the battle without injury?" He didn't seem like he was wounded from the few glances she had seen of him, but she wanted to make sure. Out of all the squad members, she was especially concerned about him.

The lancer was heavy on Andrew's shoulder as he walked through the streets of... he couldn't remember what the city was actually called at the moment. It didn't really matter because soon enough he and everyone else who had signed up would no doubt end up moving on to the next battlefield soon enough, but for the moment it was a breather from the constant barrage of death and destruction that he had born witness to from the onset of the war. He had lost count of the number of tanks that he had seen destroyed... of the countless bodies that he had walked past or taken shelter with...

Andrew shook his head as he tried to silence those morbid thoughts. He hadn't been sleeping lately and a small part of him was thankful that the Empire had set a fire to cover their retreat; It gave him the chance to sit down and hopefully get a proper rest for the first time in days.

Like many of the other enlisted men and women of Gallia, Andrew had taken to looking through the abandoned houses for food, water and a comfortable bed to crash on for the night; Light would also be welcomed but one could improvise in that regard. In fact he had located a bag of potatoes and some onions early on in his 'salvage operation' of the city that he was using as a counter balance over his shoulder opposite the lancer.

It was during his search of the city that he spied some people wearing a very familiar looking squad uniform... and a grin appeared on his face as he found where he was going to be crashing tonight. 'Course, he was going to have to find whomever was in charge and offer them his transfer papers back into Squad 4 proper after his stint with the armored column, but small things.

"Who's in charge here? I come baring onions and potatoes." Because food was always a good way to make an entrance.

James, after it all was said and done, sat in the kitchen of the house the squad had claimed for the night, and had just finished patching up his shrapnel wounds from that last shell when he was saving the tank crew when Lily came in. When she asked if he was alright, he was glad he'd already patched up his wounds. "I'm fine, Lily. And I've always got a moment for my squad. What's up?" He could see that her nerves were shot from the battle, nevermind that something had been wrong before it, but he didn't feel he needed to press just yet. While waiting for a response, he heard a voice call for the Squad's NCO and he stood, making his way to the kitchen doorway. "That would be me for the time being, Private. Name and role?"

P R I V A T E A T L A S O R V I L L E

It had been quite a while since Atlas was able to sit down without the weight of the world of his shoulders. Tonight, he found himself doing just that. Despite the pressure to live up to his name, he still feels like he has a lot more to prove and a lot more work to do. Atlas was able to find a find a rag in his bag and along with some water nearby, he soaks the rag and lays it on his head. Sitting up straight, his hands on his knees and the back of his head leans gently against the wall. Flashes of the battle appear in his mind as he closes his eyes. The smell of explosions, the bright light of Ragnite, the bodies, the bullet, the blood.

Atlas' sighs. "I ..."

Specifically, his thoughts fall to one of the twins in his group. Joe, to his knowledge, wasn't found after the battle. Despite his pleas to look for him, they simply did not have the time with fire reigning down on them. Time was of the essence and too precious to spare. Sue's condition was also unknown to Atlas. From what he knows, she does have a concussion and is currently being tended to but he couldn't see her in that condition.

"I need to get stronger..." He mumbles, his eyes closing. "I need to"

Another sigh leaves his lips and he, slowly, stands up with the rag over his shoulders. He needed some water. However, he didn't know many of the people in the squad he merged with. A little embarrassed to ask, he stumbles about, trying to see if he can find it himself.

"Private First Class Macdonald Sir! Lancer Sir! My group is to make sure that you only have to contend with the infantry." Andrew answered back, going so far as to put down the sack of potatoes and onions in order to at least make the effort to salute. No harm in doing so at any rate.

"Transferred back to Squad 4 after serving with the armored column. Good to be back."
@Zarkun

James nods with a smile. "Get comfy then. I'll get things official with the Captain during the next check in. Welcome back, Macdonald." Turning back to Lily, he smiles apologetically. "Sorry about that. What was it you needed?"

Lilly stood by, shivering slightly as she let Hunt get squad business taken care of first. Personal matters could wait. They weren't important, they were just... she just... "Sorry about that. What was it you needed?" Lilly flinched slightly at being addressed mid thought. "Ah, my apologies. It's nothing, I just wanted to make sure you were uninjured. The tank being destroyed, the artillery, fighting with the armour column and t-the fire... There was so much going on, we-" *static* Why were emotions welling up within her now of all times? Mr. Hunt was safe, that should have been a calming revelation for her. She shivered again and quickly looked around. Almost the entire squad was currently lounging about inside the house. She didn't want to say what was about to burst out of her with so many people around... "-Mr. Hunt, could you come with me for a moment?" Without waiting for a reply, Lilly scrambled out the back door and into the alley behind the house which was, thankfully, deserted.
@Zarkun

James stared after Lily for a second, confused, but ultimately followed her, resting a hand on her shoulder after closing the door behind himself. "Lily, breath. What's wrong?" The minute Hunt closed the door and turned back around, Lilly's composure finally failed. She took one shakey step forward, and when he put a hand on her shoulder, she responded by grabbing and pulling him into the tightest hug a girl could muster.

"THANK THE VALKYRUR YOU'RE UNHARMED!" She rocked back and forth (still holding onto Hunt) as she started to cry. "Thank valk you're ok... Thank valk you're ok..." She let go with one hand to dry her tears briefly, before continuing to cling to him. She had been so worried about him, especially when she heard that artillery had hit his fireteam.James was caught off-guard and stood there dumbfounded for a moment before wrapping his own arms around her hesitantly.

"Easy, Lily. The artillery was aimed at our tank, not us. Any wounds I would have gotten would have been superficial at best anyways, crap whistles from a mile away." After a moment, he puts Lily at arms length and locks eyes with her. "Now then, what about you? And don't try and sell me like you did before the battle. You and I both know I know better." It took a moment, but Lilly managed to collect herself enough to make a reply.

"I'm..." She almost said 'I'm fine', but it was painfully obvious that was not the case. "I'm not alright... Mr. Hunt, I beg of you. Please do not make me do that again... I-I can fight. I can run. I... I can do my job, but please... please do not make me lead again. I-I-I'm not a good leader. If someone were to die from a mistake I made, that would be too much to bear." Battles were already stressful enough for Lilly, trying to survive on her own, but trying to keep track of, take care of, and give orders to a group of other people was too much for her to handle. That was one of the major reasons why she broke down during the fight. James wasn't sure how to reply, as her asking him to not have her lead a squad again somewhat caught him off guard. He knew Lily perhaps the best out of everyone in the squad and therefore trusted her the most. Still, if she felt she wasn't fit to lead...

"Alright, I won't ask you to lead again. But in return, you're assigned to my fireteam from now on. You're suffering from serious PTSD, Lil." Lilly let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. That was a relief.

"Thank you... " There was one other question that she had to ask, though. "Mr. Hunt, what is PTSD?" Lilly had never heard of such a term. In her (admittedly brief) studies of EW1, she had not encountered it. Stories of soldiers losing their nerve and fleeing before being tried for cowardice (something she was very tempted to do, but was trying to avoid), yes, but PTSD? No.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's a very common thing in most soldiers, and I'm seeing a lot of militia members get it as well." Shaking his head, James sits on a barrel in the alleyway and sighs. "But there isn't anything that can be done about it until we get back to base. Hopefully command gives us a break between now and our next engagement."

"I see..." Being told that there was something wrong with her was less than pleasant news for Lilly, but nothing could be done to change that. She slumped against the side of the building for a while, watching as the sky darkened and the stars came out, trying to relax. Trying to calm down. Trying to compose herself. When she felt like she was able to at least act normal (even if she felt nothing close to it), she spoke. "We should probably return to the squad. They might start to wonder why we've been gone so long... and thank you, Mr. Hunt." James smiles and nods.

"Any time Lily. Go ahead and head in, I'm gonna take a minute and enjoy the view out here. And please, call me James. We're a squad, which is a family in and of itself. Family members don't call each other by their last names."

"Alright, James." Lilly returned the smile and stood up before heading over to the door. She brushed herself off, straightened her uniform and took a deep breath. Once her preparations were complete and she had composed herself, she opened the door and walked back into the house, looking no worse for wear and much calmer.

James watched her go in and sighed once the door was closed. They had been very fortunate that the squad hadn't suffered any casualties during the battle, but he knew that wouldn't always be the case. The best he could do was try to get his people home after each fight and that was it.

Brenna dusted herself off, though still thoroughly covered in dirt and a few scratches. She couldn't remember much of the battle, though she was probably better off not remembering. Still, having no serious injuries was good for her and everyone else. One less person for the docs to worry about.

She found mostly everyone mingling about in a building. Brenna was dazed, but could still recognize her own squad from the rest of the squads. Though obviously not completely aware of her surroundings and bumped into something, or rather, someone. And fell on her rear. I should really watch where I'm going, I should have seen that wall. She thought before realizing she had bumped into a person rather than a solid object. "Sorry" Was all she said when she realized this, her face turning a light pink with embarrassment.

@Musaki Hajime

P R I V A T E A T L A S O R V I L L E

Eventually, the water is found and Atlas' canteen is filled. While trying to return to his previous space, he takes in the rest of the squad. A lot of members shared a strong bond with each other despite most of them only knowing each other for a couple of days. It shows just how much they've been through. Atlas generally kept a distance from most of people in his old squad, merely trying to be dependable when it came to battle. "Glad most of the squad made it out alive." A stray thought comes and goes.

Since he has his water, he decides to take a sip when suddenly he is bumped from behind and nearly spills it. "Whoa!" He's less upset and more confused as to what happened. He turns to see black haired girl a little younger than himself, at least in appearance, on the ground and looking at him.

"Sorry"

[color=dodgerblue]b]"No, it's alright"[/b][/color] Atlas responds, "It's what I get for standing in the middle of nowhere like that." He extends a hand out to offer her assistance in standing. "Are you okay?"

@Slypheed

@Evil Snowman

Regan was focused on resting and healing when she was approached. She was taking careful, measured breaths, trying not to agitate any healing her body was undergoing. She cracked an eye open when she heard someone approaching, spying the uniform and closing it again. "A field medic? Ooh, just the people I need." She smiled softly, before adding, "cute, too. Here, I can handle your weapon for you if you patch me up. Deal?" She spoke only loudly enough to be heard, not wanting to strain any injuries she might have.

She felt tired. Was that a bad sign? She was sure it was normal, but that didn't answer the question. "So, how's it look?" She opened her eyes to keep a lookout, and shifted just a bit so she could comfortably aim and shoot.

---

@CirusArvennicus

Hearing Regan call her cute Aria blinked twice, her cheeks going very slightly red for a moment.
"That makes me feel overly self-aware and ... a little embarrassed." she stated kneeling next to the lancer. Giving a nod to the deal offered.
"Your deal is accepted." Aria stated moving away to collect the SMG. Bringing it back to Regan she set it down next to the lancer. Before silently checking Regan for any wounds making note of them. Although her knowledge of medicine was limited she could see cuts a few bruises. Some of which looked like they had healed recently so Aria assumed it had to be by the ragnaid on the floor near her. As far as she could tell she'd be okay. She'd just need some rest maybe another dose of ragnaid. But regardless she'd live.

When asked how it looks Aria, looked at Regan setting a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry you're going to die. It's just a matter of time." she said in her usual monotone, her face remaining unexpressive. Aria said nothing for a moment to let the news sink in before tapping Regan on the shoulder twice. Forcing a small smile to appear.
"I was kidding. You'll live. You need a proper medic to look at you. I have a few painkillers in my first aid kit. That is all I can give you." Aria said moving away again. Fetching the painkillers out of her first aid kit which thankful was still in her pack. With painkillers in hand, she offered them to Regan alongside her water canteen.
"Here"

~~~~~~~~

Aria stayed with Regan to assist her as the battle raged on. Given she was now unarmed, Aria felt very aware she was on a battlefield and given the lancer seemed confident in handling the SMG Aria felt safe with her. As the battle end came Aria helped Regan to the house the squad had claimed for the night, before leaving her to go scavenging for supplies. Stripping the dead imperials for anything of use. keeping what was useful to her and using some of what she had acquired to trade to get her rifle back. Which someone had found and was willing to part with for a few imperial water canteen and grenades. Having her rifle back Aria was content. Even if she couldn't use it well the weapon was hers and she was a little attached to it. Having acquired she needed to resupply she returned to the house. Tossing the rest of items she found. She didn't need them, so why keep them.

Back at the house Aria claimed a bedroom where she sat on the floor next to her pack and rifle and simply smoked a cigarette, replaying the day her old company died alongside the events of today. Aria giving a sigh, wishing right now she had a strong drink.

After the whole ordeal, successfully taking back Vasel and driving back the Imperials, Cecilia had managed to forage a few smokes from some soldiers and a couple of drinks from one of the buildings as they were searching for a place to rest. She was mostly fine, in this battle, she didn't take any real damage. On the second floor, she smoked and recalled a few of her past battles. Taking a long drag, she smelled smoke from another cigarette. Looking around she found who was smoking. Private Aria Hexner.

Cecilia heard Hexner sigh, knocking on the door Cecilia called out, "Hey there..." breathing out some smoke. "You alright? Looks like you could use a drink." she said, pulling out one of the drinks she had taken. Cleaning the dirty label, it was clearly a malt whiskey. "I could use a drinking partner anyway. You got a cup or anything? Or would you rather just take swigs from the bottle." Cecilia approached Hexner, offering the bottle. "Don't hog it all now."