Conscripts

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

---

It felt just like Hill 58 again, but this time the stench and the taste, it was all in one place, nowhere to go, just like how they were now. The atmosphere could drive any weak minds to insanity. As the squad was gathering up after the car had retreated, Michael took a quick look in the rooms that were once a battlefield, and now a graveyard. There were no time for grace and respect for these brave but tragic individuals. It was a horrible fate for such brave souls. Michael didn't know whatever sins they had committed, and hoped that if they did, they would face appropriate salvation, but he knew that to be standing in front of the guns, and to go down in a fight, was something not many people could do. Not that he could do properly. Damn it, he could've sworn he wanted to take someone down right now, but his shoulder had been shattered. This wasn't a game that he could undo at anytime. His mistake costed him his arm, and now he had to bear the consequences.

But at least he could hope for the tunnel. That's right, they were supposed to be heading there as one of the objectives. He couldn't run away from that. Nor could he shelter in the tunnel. It's a fight or die, or both. He could definitely be able to cause some serious damage though. Now that he remembered that map, it may look a little sophisticated to the untrained eye, but a man of expertise could see through the fact that the tunnel's weakest links would be at three different locations. Not that it would collapse the entire tunnel but access to the upper floor would be cut off, and rescue would take a lot of time. If he managed to pull that one through, then god help the ones who got stranded inside.

Still, that time would have to wait, as Jean began to gather the squad together with Michael agreeably moving gradually into the center as he was injured. Michael had no objections at all to such a plan. The higher ups had been assholes to the entire squad so far, yet displayed ambiguity, if not no guidance at all, of when they should reach the tunnel. And he had been injured as well. In a narrow, dark, humid and claustrophobic tunnel, fighting underhanded and handicapped would be the worst thing you could be facing. A nice break he wouldn't complain.

Time began to march as the squad began to shift away from the relics of the old building, old battlefield, into the cold wet street of Amone as the echo of the guns began to distance themselves. But never could he once walk in a true sense of safety. Even though he was surrounded by comrades, he knew that a shell could kill him and his squad right there. A sniper fire, maybe from Green Fox himself, could take his head off. Or even an ambush just like before could also send him walking to the pit. If that wasn't enough, the rain was trying to replicate each and every bullets that had been fired that day onto the poor exhausted squad. Dragging his wet boot as it flopped with every steps on the street, the sapper was crying inside in joy the moment the squad found a shelter for the entire squad. A crumbled, depressingly ugly ruin that was once called a house. But nevertheless, that was a place to shelter from sniper fire, one that they desperately needed.

Michael was given the bed as he was the injured one. Not that he would complain about being given the privilege, but it passively did give him the more impression that he had been a deadbeat of the entire squad. At least Thomas probably had been doing a lot of damage before getting pummeled like that. But still, after he lay his tools down on the bed frame, Michael went to the room next door as he took off the outer layers of his upper clothing and forced the water out of his own convenience. His hat as well, but he could always let it dry. But this shirt he'd have to put this back on again. He wouldn't last through the night without it. To sleep on wet clothing, that cozy warm feeling of new uniform surely didn't last long.

"They did a good job..."

He uttered silently as he looked down at his arm and shoulder. It would probably need some proper dressing, but he owed this to those two.

♦ A New Era ♦ - A My Hero Academia RP

Acion Nakamiji

---

"I like you..."

Even as it was made as clear as the bright sunny day, Acion was still taken aback by the three words or eight letters as he turned his head around as a flush of red appeared on his cheeks. The fact was just thrown right at his face that Hitomi had a crush on him, and now the event had turned from being a normal chat and friendly conversation had turned into a confession. All of this was backed up by the fact that he wasn't too concerned with the idea of having a romantic partner. Most of what he had in mind was all about becoming a hero in his own righteous way. He hadn't been concerned with the idea of establishing deep connections with his friends, even though it did, let alone having a girlfriend.

But then again, would it be a bad thing?

Now that he thought about it, Hitomi was a very caring girl. From the moment she took care of his cut after he hurt himself in the kitchen, to the time he found himself on the balcony of her room, against the rule of course. To the time she went all the way outside to have a picnic with him after he had been kicked out, and that date they all shared. She wasn't a playgirl who liked to mess around with boys, or a cold-faced one witha good heart. She was a nice and kind girl, beautiful outside and inside. And to think about it, he may have...

No, he had to make sure of it. There are things that should be prioritized first.

"I've heard your feelings clear." After a bit, Acion turned back to Hitomi. "And despite not knowing my feelings well, I think I feel the same."

But as he looked deeper into her eyes, his voice turned serious.

"But my devotion of time is still on becoming a great hero. A great deal of that in fact. And in turn for that, there may be times that I will not be able to spend time around you. So I just want to know now. Do you want to pursue it with me, even with it?"
[@Silver Carror]

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

---

---

The blur over his vision, the feeling that the world was speeding behind him began to subside, as soon as Lucia tied the final knot on his arm. And he opened up himself to the sweet and earnest encouragements of two of the resident's angels as he would call. Even still, the pain burning around his shoulders and arm, his pumping lungs to keep up the blood intake made him ever want to doubt such an advice. He barely made it with a simple textbook example of an ambush, something that could never be expected like a weather forecast. And to think, this war had lasted over two years now, who knows how much longer it would last? Territories had been switching hand like real estate, and never had a decisive victory been achieved. It's just a matter of attrition, of which side having more assets on the table, more meat into the grinder. Who knows if the next battle he partakes in be his last?

The sound of rattling gunfires screamed from all sides, having no signs of ceasing anytime soon. The screams of pain and losses, the tears of horror, the curses of inhumanity as soldiers from both sides, all human beings, all sons and daughters of God, committed sins against their very own brothers and sisters. Lucia wanted to throw all of that out. She wanted to just close her eyes and drift away to a distant world where she could be happy with her family and friends, now dead, and her newly found friends on the battlefields of Europa. But she had seen too much to know it would never happen. She could entirely live in denial, but that would not change the fact. Facts do not care about anyone's feelings. But such denials would. Before her was the boy who cared about her, and she had begun to care about as well, now lying motionless and void as he struggled to find himself again. If she had shut herself away now and lied down in tears, she'd die. Michael'd die. And there was nothing great imagination and illusion could do to change that. She had to protect him!

Hearing the sounds of the Sturmtruppen in the other rooms as they closed in on her squadmates, Lucia stood up on her feet as she clutched the Longfield Rifle. She knew there were a couple of her friends that were handling the defenses, but they were Imperial equivalent of shocktroopers. They are well-trained and capable. There was high chances that they would slaughter her squadmate and make it to the room where she, Diana and Michael were residing in. If they were to, at least Lucia would be their obstacle, a sharp fang of a razertooth, not a piece of junk.

'I'm sorry Mr Imperial but if you come in here, I'd have your head blast open...'

She thought to herself as she cocked the bolt of her gun. She never wanted to kill anyone, but if they endanger anyone of her friends, she would not care who the hell that person is: a total commoner, a lovely father, a noble duke or even the Emperor himself. All are equal before her eyes: a threat that must be extinguished by all means. BY ALL MEANS...

But luckily for the members of Squad 1, and perhaps for those Imperials who wouldn't want to feel the wrath of a five feet two girl, her squadmates were all fine. Pretty beaten up, but at least they pulled through. The Imperials had retreated both inside and outside the street, and the silence quickly crept in like a ghost. And soon before Lucia and Michael was Jean. His arm had also been torn by glasses, while his cleanly shaven neat face had been marred by the reds of their innocence. But he didn't seem to mind at all, or was just pretending to. But nevertheless, it appeared to the sapper in the room that, in an ironic twist, his position with Jean had been reversed.

A sense of guilt suddenly ran through his mind, as the realization that he had been a drag on the squad for the entire battle. Not only did he allow himself open to fire, he also lost himself in the midst of pain and thoughts, where he should not. He let himself open, a liability that had to be taken care of, where he and others could easily die without a fight, while he should be standing with a gun pointed forward, side by side with his comrades. He knew that it was ok to let yourself open to emotions, but there was a time and place for that. And he definitely didn't do it at the right moment. What kind of a man is he to even behave like he is?

Michael slowly made himself a soldier again, as he used his other non-injured arm to support himself up on his feet. He still looked as if he could fall at any moment, but at least he had stood up. The gun was also back on his shoulder as he walked over to the rest of the squad.

"I'm sorry for throwing myself out of that fight." He muttered. "That car will definitely pay the cost for those bullets later on."

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

---

---

She'd seen this before. That look on his eyes that seemed to crunch into one singularity. His hand clutching his shoulders tightly while red stains completely ruined Michael's pretty look in his uniform. His face was hers. Was him. Was that girl. Was her old classmates. And was every single one she had loved in her life, and now taken away from her like water dripping away from her palm. And why? Why would it have to be someone that she cared about, or had begun to care about. Why couldn't it be the bad guys, or at least those she never met or knew they existed? Why would it have to be them? She was just beginning to know him!

"M-Michael, please don't. Everybody needs you!"

He was a man of technical expertise and insight. The attack on Amone's supply line is crucial and losing a sapper early on could be a difference between victory and defeat, not just in the tunnel, but the entire siege as well. And for someone with the engineering expertise like him, they couldn't afford to. And more, she didn't want to see him die as well. She knew his promise. Even if his mother was someone she had never known aside from her association, she felt just like she was her own. His death could spell her end as well. And she'd had enough of people around her suffering.

But there was reaction! When she grabbed onto his wrist, he seemed to look up. He looked at her, then over to Diana, who had kindly offered to help, albeit under Jean's orders as well. The shock was on its first step to dissipate. He stared at her for long, long to Lucia, before he swallowed heavily and gently nodded to the two, as he was drilled away with Lucia and Diana holding onto his two shoulders.

He was helped onto the back corner of the room, where he was placed leaning against the wall before Lucia ripped the cloth over his two gunshot wounds. His shoulder had taken much lighter injury, as the bullet only grazed through his flesh, whilst his upper arm took the full brunt. She just needs to dress this up for now, and pray that they'd have enough time to properly have first aid for this. But first, they'd need some clean clothing. Lucia immediately scoured through the drawers and bookcases, whatever available in the room. Luckily, there was a wardrobe that contained a small shirt, crumpled at the bottom, presumably left behind in the hasty evacuation. The carelessness proved to be a great merit, as Lucia ripped the shirt into two as she ran back to Michael and Diana.

"T-Tie this around his shoulder!" She said, although it was quite a strange way to phrase it. But Diana would probably get it anyway. After both knew what to do, she immediately went into the dress. Pressing hardly onto the bleeding arm, it felt so painful. Obviously for Michael, she could see it on his face, but for Lucia as well. She was hurting someone, even with the intention of saving them.

"D-Does it hurt?"

He nodded lightly. The half-closed eyes, the shaky lips and the ragged input and output of oxygen. He was scared. Even more than she could imagine him. The fear of dying in this foreign city, and ironically the ones he always wanted to visit in peacetime, had gotten his senses. Just like he had told her.

"Michael. You told me we can be brave when we're together, right? I'm here now. Don't lose yourself."
@Landaus Five-One

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

---

---

She wondered. How could he be so calm and fluent when he said exactly what she felt? And perhaps for him the feeling was worse. She already had nobody else to return to. If she had died, Middleton would be extremely mad, but what else would affect this world other than that. But Michael's different. He had someone. She knew from the time they were on the train that he was a big mama's boy. She was the world to him. The only son in the family, he owed his existence to a woman who risked her entire life just to give him a good one in return. If he had broken the promise, his debt would be catastrophic that the entire generation could not deal with. It wasn't simply just the fear of losing a friend that you spent a couple of months or years together. And it definitely wasn't as simple as her pains. And yet how? He didn't seem to falter at all. He was like that wise old guy next door at her old now-destroyed home at Asseni that Lucia loved to visit and have a cup of tea every Sunday morning, seemed to always cater to people's need and guided them through the dark. How could he both be strong and scared at the same time?

And how could she be that naïve? The moment Michael's hand, small yet a bit callus from the rigorous training a few months before, held onto her own, her frail and equally damaged hand. It was subtle, but she could feel it. A subtle, as light as a breeze, movement in the palm. And that deep violet galaxy that caved into the black hole that seemed to cater an endless number of possibility of how he could collapse and die in this strange foreign land. He was scared. Just like her. He wasn't a saint. He wasn't a seasoned person who has seen it all. Michael was simply, and simply, an innocent soul being dragged into this bonfire that he didn't want to. Maybe he wasn't that innocent; he was pretty highly educated, pretty smart and sophisticated for Lucia's level of comprehension. But in the end, he was that person next to her. And in him was something of her that she hadn't seen it until now. And she never felt so close to home than every time she was with him.

"T-Thank you."

Her tears finally stopped. And in the sour cheek rose a beautiful smile. Her scar was still there. Nothing could ever erase it. And she'd undoubtedly have many nights of terror and torment. But for now, behind her was definitely someone. Someone who Lucia could always come to when the world turned her back on her.

---

That one line of appreciation made his world a little faster to say. The next thing he knew, he was already through the huge breach on the wall of Amone, and he was set on heading for the area where he was going to get his makeshift weapon. It was only until the beating of the precipitation awakened him to the majestic piece of Francian architecture amidst a city desolated by warfare. The many puddles on the floor shot the melancholic and injured tower's remaining beauty it had in its desolation onto any souls who were artistic enough to see the pain. One of those towers caught Michael's eyes: not the tallest among the giants, but the most symbolic. The one with the cross at the top, while the majority of the walls had been eaten away mercilessly.

He wondered if any of his Cruxian believers were present in this city. If they were Imperials, then sorry to say he'd have to do the hard task. If they were neutral, he wished them safe and sound. He prayed that when the time comes, they wouldn't be standing in front of his muzzle.

Shaking his head, he looked away from the light construct of the monuments of tragedy as he approached the area for the makeshift melee weapon. He did think holding a mace sounds better for CQC, but he was already wielding a digging shovel and a wrench, multiple satchel charges for the demolition of the tunnel later on and a couple of other miscellaneous tools. He'd probably not want more weight on his back now. But he could still request something to do with his shovel. Something like a saw like shape on one side to increase the damage. Something in which the sappers accomplished them pretty easily, though with a pretty uneven distance and shape between the saws...something the engineer Michael may have a little problem with. But nevertheless he was ready for combat. Ready to do whatever he had to do to get the brass's job done.

The relatively peaceful short walk had proved short-lived however. All to Michael's surprise as a chill ran down his back, his second battle for his life had begun. And it all began with a deafening sound of gunfire in the silence. Michael's hand trembled for a second as he held his gun firmly, the stock onto the back of his left shoulders. And the wheels of industrialization had begun to roll...

---

---

The roar of the engine shattered the rain. The sound of the wheels clattering on the concrete floor echoed straight into the dreams of the unknowns. The iron-cladded majestic beast, the masterpiece of engineering, rolled coldly down the damp and desolated street of Amone. It was almost as if they were the cavalry soldiers at the beginning. Shiny and royal. But this immense weapon of war, the one thing Michael had always idolized it for its inhuman ability to serve humanity for their geniuses, began to shed the terror of ending a human's life who was unlucky enough to find themselves in the way of its hot barrel.

And ironically enough, for someone who was such an advocate for technology to be one of the first victims of it.

Before Michael fired his shot, Lucia was pushed right into Michael by Jean. The small Asseni girl, yet still bigger than Michael himself, found her way right into Michael's arm, but at the cost that now the sapper found him at the mercy of the dice roll. Or to him God. He managed to fire a bullet the direction of the infantry supporting the car, but it was merely an empty attempt, as one hand aiming was a sure miss unless he gets really lucky.

'Damn it, we're in the open!'

The order to retreat into the building couldn't come at a better time. Michael moved right almost immediately. Only a couple of steps away. But that few steps proved too little too many. Before Lucia could really recover from the push Jean just shoved her over, the guns of the armored car had already open fired. The sapper's hand and the side of his torso immediately covered the young private. It was a great decision, but one which would cost him.

"Ahh!"

The feeling when the blood dislodged from its course. Now he felt it first-hand. One in his arm upper arm, and one went past his shoulder.

But before anything he shoved the poor Asseni again, this time making her stumbling yet safely landed onto the interior of the left buildings. That before he also stumbled over, but instead of going right through the door, he found his two palms on the wall outside of the house.

The danger had yet to pass for now. Another bullet could still end his life. And yet he couldn't see them. Michael's dark violet eyes dulled. The concrete floor and wall seemed to blur. His head ran the possibility. His damaged mind continued to calculate the blood fusing out of his wound. For that few seconds, he was motionless, a fish in the barrel. He couldn't focus. He didn't know what to do next. His mind refused to articulate a thought outside of one.

'Mother...'

---

From the terrifying scream of gunfire, to Jean shoving him into Michael, then him shoving her into the building, she had a pretty rough ride. A groan escaped her lips as she lifted herself up. But thanks to that, Middleton's prized treasure was not disturbed. Michael's push had ensured a quick escape of the dancing bullets. As she was finally on her feet, she watched as her squad mate began to pile in the building. But Michael was still nowhere to be found. Was he still outside? Was he killed by the bullets that he shielded her from?!

Lucia ran for the door. A figure right beside the entrance. It was him! What was he doing?!

"Michael!"

She immediately peaked her hands out, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him in. To this day it was still uncertain how he didn't get shot from that. But he had made it.

"M-Michael. W-What happened?..."

But no answer. He was definitely not dead. But his eyes were getting red. His uninjured hand held firmly and desperately onto the soaked stain of red in his blue. And he was leaning onto a wall nearby.

"Oh God. S-Someone!"

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

---

It felt uncomfortable, as if something was moving beneath his eyes. As if the thought was crawling beneath the surface of his mind. As Lucia was telling her own thoughts in the hopes that it would get somewhere, Michael's hand found his way onto his front pocket. His fingers softly glossed through the cross. The words did certainly haunted his echoes. New faces. Nightmares. Fears. How close to that had he been anyway? Perhaps just a meter away...

His eyes turned up at the sky briefly, then to the huge damaged wall of Amone then back to Lucia. Poor sweet Lucia. It again. The tears he so not wanted to see, even though he always said it was a natural thing to let it out. What a dilemma of a human mind. It tightened his heart, as the blood flow seemed to stop within him. He hated to see those tears. He hated to think what would have been of this Asseni girl if it hadn't been for all of this. What could have been of Jean, Isaac and everyone? Would they smile just like Lucia did just moments earlier? He felt it. It was not just her tears.

Was he scared? After seeing everything? And to live in the fear that he was going to die like a dog in the mud, leaving only a hollow in everyone's heart both at home and those he knew at the front.

"I..."

He hesitated, as he looked down onto his jacket. His words went for naught. It was a step away from reality, close but it was shut off right there. Would he want to say that he knew the feeling, then restate what the other philosophical guy had probably told her a million times? Would she want to hear that? She had come to him willingly here, that meant she had looked upon him as a trusted person whom she could had a shoulder to stand on. He couldn't be so simple-minded.

Michael looked over to Lucia's hand as she cupped them on her chest. The frail hands that matched her now fragile self. The hand which he slowly moved his, which was nearly the size of her own, but was rather stiffer and much colder than her soft warmth.

"...I'm scared too..."

His fear was a lot different. The haunting memory of people dying was just a salt to be rubbed, but the looming scythe that kept him awake for nights wasn't them. The letter in his pocket had gone old, but the ink had burned onto his mind. He wanted to go home. He wanted to cuddle by his mother's bedside. He wanted to reverse time to go back to those days where he, ironically, could look forward to a tomorrow. But despite the variation, it was a fear. It came from the same source, the same hellfire that humanity had built itself and drowned themselves upon.

"There is someone waiting for me back home. She has suffered too much just to give me the luxury of existence." Michael said, his eyes locking onto Lucia's. "I fear everyday, every sleepless night. I fear that I would screw up and a bullet would be in my head. That she would then be living the nights alone without me in this world."

And something began to well beneath his vision. Without his conscious awareness.

"We're both scared. But perhaps we won't when we're together."

Anytime. Anywhere...
@LetMeDoStuff

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

---

His call was perhaps better heard once the cavalry charge and the rest of the squad had already been more distracted from the massacre that just happened. After Reyna, another sapper made it to him, keeping Michael's hand busy for the time being. The sketch was so fast it became second talent. The charcoal pencil was slowly grinding its life away, but was still standing strong as Michael finished one more map for the waiting sapper. On to the next one. That next one turned out to be Gwyn. His half-voiced voice told the other sapper that he wasn't taking this well. It was a reminder in fact. Michael wasn't just looking into a scared man, a man just been near paralyzed by a sight that could haunt anyone in their dreams. He was looking at himself. He was there. He had stared as a person, a stranger whom he had shed a bit of care for, died in front of him and on top of him. He had stared as hundreds got mangled under ruthless artillery fire, twice. He had stared as the stench of blood, decay, flesh mixed with mud and rain painted the masterpiece of hell on Earth. And yet it was merely weeks from then, in a war that had lasted two years. And now he was watching himself through this again.

"Here." He neatly ripped the paper from his notebook, showing the detailed picture of the tunnel map that Gwyn would've resembled the one Middleton had shown him. "I'm not a sir by the way. We're on the same boat just as the rest of the squad." He politely corrected the younger Edinburghian soldier as he lightly held onto the guy's left shoulder before letting him join the rest of the squad.

Now that Gwyn had had his share of emotions, even if he didn't want to, it was indeed an infectious aura. Maybe because Michael was deficient to such anyway. He knew war wasn't any glorious as the recruitment officer or the media had been spouting out to keep the heads rolling into the grinder. But the gag was already too old. There was nothing he could do about it. Despite being of slightly higher prestige than a normal person, he was still nothing more than a pawn. And there was no way in hell he could get pass that in the near distant future. But he wasn't alone. He was with thousands of people, among them some of the squad members that he had gotten the rare opportunity to get to know personally whereas his normal self would not under normal circumstances. People like Jean, Isaac, Diana, Britta or Lucia. Lucia...Yeah, they did make this journey a little less hellish.

Speaking of her, ahh god damn it. Now that he had turned this on, he couldn't turn this off again. Why was it that she was the image that he thought most when his comrades popped up? Especially now. When she was in that uniform. It was a rather strange yet pleasant beauty that probably had transcended the inhumanity of the warzone mangled in filth and body parts. He remembered the figure, the smile. Something he wished to see more. He didn't want her to be always in tears like she had usually been. He didn't want her on this battlefield to see it.

And he wanted to protect it.

"..."

He found his hand stopping right in its track as he was still copying the map. The sapper in front of him looked confused and quite concerned to the distant look hollowed in his eyes. The void in the eyes that began to be filled.

"Oh, sorry." He realized himself as he recomposed. He quickly finished the map and ripped the page again - hopefully the last one. "Here you g-"

Ow!

The first thing he felt was a threat. Someone was wrapping something around him! But as the initial bolt shot through, as fast as it could be expected, he realized it wasn't. That something was in fact someone's arms. Over his shoulders and around his neck they pulled into the warmth. The slight press onto his back again triggered his alertness, but again, he knew the tension placed on him. It wasn't malice. It felt good in fact. It felt like...

"Lucia?"

He was right. The confirmation came when her cheeks came dangerously close to his.

"Ok ok. I'll come to you in a second."

A second was too long though. It was enough to hand that map over to the other sapper, but during that short period of time, Lucia found the taste out of her cup of her tea, and began to spout ideas that could really spark ideas in his mind. Ideas that one could fish all day.

"What? No! I did not do such a disrespectful thing!"

And Isaac caught one.

"I did NOT!" He turned over to him, swinging around the Lucia still holding onto his shoulders. "You were there with me!"

So too did Diana.

'I don't wanna hear that from someone who hugs Jean every chances she gets.'

"Ok maybe I did..." His volume took a huge plummet. "But that was when you're already done. Now that you have my attention..."

It seemed like he wasn't going anywhere without her anytime soon.

---

It took them a short while to reach the city, but to him, as the whole commotion died down, it felt stretched. Was it because of the silence that had quickly befallen onto the group, even though he should have been engaging with Lucia after she demanded it. Or maybe perhaps of the unwelcomed sadness that began to sorrow up within him again, as he witnessed the once beautiful capital of his fellow believers, the place that should be giving divine protection to its followers in the ruin that could ironically destroy a person's life forever, in one way or another. How many had died for this? How many of the followers?

'Pay attention...'

He was about to enter this city - the one he always wanted to visit as a child. This could be the death of him if he kept thinking about it.

As he slowly approached the strong and tall wall of Amone, he noticed that Lucia was still walking next to him the whole journey. Knowing how he hadn't been fulfilling her request, he simply asked lightly.

"So what is it that you want to talk about?"
@LetMeDoStuff@FalloutJack@Landaus Five-One

♦ A New Era ♦ - A My Hero Academia RP

Acion Nakamiji

---

All reluctantly, he was locked right in his place as the pink-haired girl sat onto the bed before crawling over to him as she buried her face onto his lap. And way before she fell into her short nap, Tomoe let the rest of her reservoir flow down Acion's pant sleeves. All in all, it wasn't anything the winged man could expect. Geez. Just before he got beaten up by Dulga, Tomoe was being a lot more cheerful than this shadow of herself right now. At least to what he had brought her back to. All in a short fifteen minutes fight, it all came down to this. Happened off-screen he thought? It may very likely be Roy and Jett's fight that shook her to this. Indeed, Roy was that dude who let Tomoe clung onto her all the time. She even mentioned that he allowed this whole lap sleeping. He was her closer friend that could do it. Seeing how they were headbutting each other as the rest of the girls were screaming and crying to stop it, he knew it wasn't easy hit on her. If not for this injury, Acion would have stopped them already. He probably would proceed to talk to at least Roy about it. He was also his friend. He wanted to help. Or even if he couldn't help, he'd be there instead.

It took her a bit before she actually fall asleep. And a while for Acion to get used to having a head on his leg. His breathe gradually slowed and lengthened. Each smog of air grew heavy, along with the current flow of things around. After the Shadow Clan incident, things hadn't been the same. The school had been trying to keep the information in place, but the student body had already caught heed of the news. His class at least. Things weren't the same anymore. Takeshi lost his arm. Roy being very concerned about it recently while he probably needn't mention the extent of Kaida. And even the Nakamiji siblings found it difficult to return to their normal ways anymore, knowing that there is a clan of highly trained assassins out there and there was no one to stop them. So far probably the Sky Knights were the only group they knew that were actively seeking out on them, but knowing the threats, probably that status wasn't anymore. His sister knew better though.

"If you need to like this, you could come anytime."

He said, despite knowing Tomoe was asleep. Yeah. He wanted this. He wanted to take care of his friends, like how some had taken care of him. Even if he couldn't solve the problem, he still wanted to be there. And it wasn't just Tomoe's issues. Anyone really. He was born with six wings of an archangel. Why wouldn't he use it?

He was about to let his mind drift away when suddenly Hitomi stepped in. When his expression was turned completely upside down. She was the one on the list of people Acion does not want to let see this. In fact, he probably didn't want anyone to see this at all. Publicly, this was the doomsday button that sparked a series of fire that could burn hard. The world's most deadliest conflict was caused by just several misunderstandings after all.

His eyes were of a confused and nervous dog, but Hitomi didn't seem to pay attention. She instead woke Tomoe up. Her voice was a bad indicator that she was not at all happy with this sight. Tomoe woke up pretty easily, but her attitude changed in just the minutes she went to sleep. Completely opposite. The crying girl was gone, and back to the usual Tomoe. Felt like she just hit the reset button or just reloaded the previous save file or something. There was also Kenichi who witnessed, but he didn't seem to mind, or bother with the intention of gossiping what he just saw. He didn't seem like that sort of person.

For the entire thing, he did not say a single thing. He didn't know what to say, or do anything aside from waving goodbye to Kenichi at the end. Up until he was alone with the sheep girl.

"Sorry I didn't know you have an agreement with her." He had his shoulder above his chin as his eyes glanced between her and the white bedsheet of the infirmary. "I thought it was something serious."
@Silver Carrot

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

---

The most terrifying thing after anything would not be chaos nor grieves. It would be silence. The discussion that Jean was having with the ladies could not draft out the noiselessness of the aftermath. The aftermath of an era befallen. He wished he wasn't there to witness it. He just wished to be a bystander of the waves and storms, a person who merely looked back at the age and vowed not to make the same mistake. But unfortunately, he was forced to stand right in it, rowing the boat that could be capsized anytime 'He' wanted it to be.

He stood in the other corner apart from the rest of the squad as he waited for the rest of the sappers to show up. They probably didn't hear him. At first, nobody seemed to pay attention, or even assisted in gathering the guys. Well ok. It wasn't anything too important. He just wanted to get to know at least their faces before they entered the tunnel together.

His loneliness persisted until Middleton briefed the entire squad. First thing he mentioned was the most important thing to be taking in, as Michael moved forward to see the map that Daniel was forced to hold in his hand. The tunnel system. It was definitely complicated for sure, although not as fucked up as the trench layout, but there were corners that could potentially ruin a person's memory and perhaps lead to them getting lost then potentially running into unwanted enemies. And in rules of wars, being surprised would be a worst moment any soldiers could have, especially under tense combat. Michael wasn't too confident in his ability to memorize things as well. As any students would know, but probably wouldn't care, memorization would be like riding a bicycle with a flat tire. This, ironically, may be a hinder in his case. But nevertheless, he had a solution. Michael quickly reached for his pocket and reached out a piece of paper and began copying as much details of the tunnel as possible, prioritizing the pattern and important locations before moving onto the proportion between each tunnel segments before moving into the details.

'That should do it...'

Just as the map was retrieved, Michael had already scribbled down all the important information needed. He'd probably need to copy it onto another paper later, but right now was the bad news...or good? Middleton wouldn't be joining. He didn't know whether or not it was good or bad. He was indeed a decisive leader, but considering the fact that almost everybody he knew was against his reign of terror. It made him difficult to work with, and hard to carry out orders when he kept shoving it down people's throat. But in exchange was a legendary Imperial sniper Green Fox. Credited with hundreds of sniper kills, most of them disgustingly cleanly with one bullet to the brain, he was probably the Federation's most hunted enemy soldier, an outstanding soldier. Considering his status, Michael shuddered to think that he would be running under his scope. Maybe he would not bother killing a lowly soldier like him, but rather Jean, Isaac, Daniel or some other brasses would worth his time more. But who could get inside his head than him? He killed whoever he wanted.

He was praying that Green Fox's scope wouldn't find its way to his head when the next information woke him right there. Wasn't anything surprising, but really intriguing and...contradicting. He was asking for Lucia's absolute protection. To an almost questionable degree. Michael could hear it in his voice. The stress of particular words and his eye contact. He meant it. While he did not hesitate to send thousands of people to their deaths and even forced the girl he wished to protect through an emotional trauma that any weak-hearted of a person would have shot themselves right there. It felt strange to hear such caring words, even though it was conveyed through his own vulgar language, especially to Lucia. She probably had a special relationship to him. But what was the question he wanted to uncover for his own.

Then he left. Thank God he didn't press on further. It seemed enough for one day. Enough information to carry this mission out also.
The only thing left necessary was their grit and ability that they had been trained for months and the experience in the first battle for a few others, hoping that could outweigh the Imperials. And that was only for the completion of the mission. Survival, however, was a different stories.

As the squad began to move to Amone in an orderly fashion, Michael tried to call out for the sappers again. Thankfully, this time, there was actually someone who listened.

"Thanks for coming to me. One moment." He said as his hand whizzed through the paper like a lightning bolt, trying to copy down the whole map of the tunnel that Middleton showed them earlier once again onto yet another small piece of paper, or at least parts of it, using the same old tricks. Once done, he took the original one that he scribbled in the first place and handed it over to Reyna.

"Here. If you happen to forget."
@Bushman501

♦ A New Era ♦ - A My Hero Academia RP

Acion Nakamiji

---

"I think I can walk now. But it still feels jarring and sometimes hurt. I think I should stay here for a while."

Kiwi's treatment of bug, believe it or not, despite its frightening and disgusting sense when a thousand feet were crawling all over you, over you and even inside you, it was an extremely effective treatment, at least for minor and semi-serious injuries. His injuries, from almost shutting down his ability to walk, he was doubled up to the point where it just slightly hurt. Seriously, Dulga's attack must have had damaged his skeletal structure in order to have that degree of damage. He had to be sure to pay attention to her the next time he had a spar with her. But still, he did seem to strike an impression on her or something. The certain care she gave him, and the way she began talking to him after he had been beaten up pretty much completely. It was a way to go. She was still hard to understand, and to accept, but still that was a step forward.

But then all of a sudden, he was asked to be a pillow. Really. No joke. She didn't look like she was joking. But seriously? Why not a real pillow? They're in the infirmary to begin with. Why would sleeping on his lap be more calming than on a pillow?

"Uh...I don't. That's up to you if you're feeling-"

Oh shit...Was she crying? She was crying? What should he do? What should he do? What should he do?

"Calm down...Don't look at me like that. You can do it on my lap, ok?"

She probably didn't mean anything beyond just sleeping. She did tend to sleep, like a lot more than a normal person. He hoped other people, especially Hitomi or other girls wouldn't get the wrong idea.
@liferusher