A Dog with No Master

[Naeva Northam]

Naeva couldn't help but smirk at his remark of making an impression. She decided that she liked him and that perhaps they would get along well. "You forget I am in the infantry... I've seen it all." And if not, worse. She had unfortunately seen a lot of gruel and horrid things in her lifetime, especially with the last war.

She walked alongside him as they made their way back to the military building. A clean bath, clean clothes, food, and a place to sleep all seemed like a simple and easy request. One that Ramiel hadn't even made himself. She wondered what the man would have done if he hadn't found Nemeris. Or if she hadn't suggested he join up in the military. "None of those things are any trouble, I assure you." She gave him a soft smile and shrugged a shoulder, "there are a lot of empty rooms currently-- we've lost a lot of men in the war." She frowned and looked away from him for a brief moment, focusing on the path ahead of them.

Naeva was typically a quiet woman with very little to say. She disliked small talk and that the possibility of silence meant awkwardness. She hardly minded silence, but typically felt bad about it, or worried that she made things awkward or dull. Strangely, though, she felt Ramiel might be the type that was easy to speak to.

"If you don't mind me saying so... I think she still cares for you even if she is angry and dismissive of you... She sent you this way, knowing that we would take care of you..." She looked back at him and smiled softly. "She could have easily just shut the door in your face without so much a word..."

When they entered the military building, Naeva led him down a corridor towards the Infantry wing. She pointed to a door, "bathhouse is there." She continued down the hall until she came to another door where she opened it and held it open for him. "Welcome home?" She smirked and waited for him to enter, though she kept her back against the door, keeping it open. The room was simple, the only light came in through the small window. As she had said, it wasn't much. There were a couple of beds, though no one else inhabited this room currently. The beds were neatly made with linens and a pillow at the head. A table with a drawer was placed next to the bed with a small unlit candle lantern and some books, most likely left behind by the previous inhabitant. There was a wardrobe to store clothing and weaponry and a small desk.

"Get yourself settled and cleaned up... I will go find you some clean clothes and some food, and will be back in a bit." She nodded to him and would quietly slip out, leaving him alone to clean up.

[Ramiel Corus]

Ramiel followed her out of the building and back towards the military compound, obedient as a dog even now. He listened quietly as she told him it was no trouble and nodded solemnly as she mentioned the loss of life. It couldn't have been easy, for any of them. Even outside Aralore, the difficulties they had faced were well known. He wondered how many under Naeva's command had fallen in order to keep this island free from the empire. He wouldn't ask.

He was content to walk in easy silence; he didn't feel any pressure to speak. In fact, he almost felt he'd used up all his words telling that story. His life felt like an old tragedy, something played out on a stage, not lived by real men. Perhaps Aralore would be a fresh start to him, the way it had been to all these others. People all over spoke of Aralore as a haven for all kinds--as long as you were willing to put up with the hardship of rebuilding a nation.

When she spoke up again, this time about Nemeris, his head jolted upward as he looked towards her. His confusion was clear, although he didn't "mind" her saying any of that. He almost argued outright that Nemeris didn't care for him--she never had, as far as he knew. Not seriously, anyway. He had been a family friend, certainly, but he never thought of himself as being important to her. Even so, Naeva had a point. She hadn't slammed the door on him (although part of that may have been because he put his hand on the door and insisted on saying his piece). And he certainly was being well cared for here. Was this what all of Aralore was like? He was left speechless, unable to answer her thoughts.

As they entered the building again, he worked to commit it to memory, counting the doors between 'his' room and the bathhouse. When she welcomed him, he smiled as he stepped into the room and looked around, then turned back to her with a grin. "Thank you."

He nodded in response to her instructions, then looked briefly at the bed before removing his ax and its sheath, as well as his belt and boots. The leather items he left on the nightstand, and his weapon and boots went inside the conspicuously empty wardrobe. With nothing else to 'unpack,' he turned and went to the bathhouse. Thankfully it was deserted--he wouldn't have liked to start introductions in the nude.

The hot water was beyond heavenly on his tired muscles, and it was all he could do to convince himself to actually clean up and get out, rather than just lounging there. He scrubbed himself down aggressively from head to toe, determined to make a better impression now that he had the chance. He didn't want his commander to constantly think of him as a refugee who needed pity; he wanted to be seen for what he once was, and perhaps could be again, a strong warrior and a good man.

Once he was cleaned up, he found a towel to wrap around his waist and tucked it into a makeshift skirt so he could walk around a bit more freely. His pants would likely be better off as rags than pants, at this point, but he tossed them over his shoulder anyway, then used his shirt to towel off his hair, ruffling it every which way as he walked back to his room. Coming out of the bathhouse, he nearly walked into someone--Naeva on her way back, it seemed.

He gave her a somewhat embarrassed smile. He hadn't thought about the fact that she was bringing him new clothes--he'd half expected to find them on the bed when he got back to the room.

"Welcome back?" he greeted her with a hint of humor, dropping the hand that held his shirt down to hang it in front of his waist as an extra level of modesty. He used his free hand to comb his hair back out of his face and into some semblance of order.

[Naeva Northam]

It had taken a little while for Naeva to come across another soldier who seemed to be the same size as Ramiel. When she had explained the situation, the soldier hadn't hesitated to offer up a pair of trousers and a shirt. He told Naeva if the man needed anything else, he'd be happy to help. She recommended that the soldier find Ramiel later on and help him get acquainted with the building and some of the other men, to which he agreed upon.

With the clothes tucked under her arm, she went into the rec hall and put together a plate full of food. Some meats and cheese, bread and butter, and some vegetables. She figured if he was still hungry after this, he could find his way to the hall himself to get more.

She was focusing on not letting anything spill off the plate when she was nearly walked into, causing her to stop short and lift her gaze, only to find Ramiel standing there, half-naked and wet from his bath. Naeva had seen a lot in this building, but with barely knowing the man, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed and awkward about this situation. Her brightly, blue colored eyes quickly glanced him over, as if out of her control. She focused on the scars all along his torso, along with the tone of his muscle. With his greeting, she quickly glanced back at his face and smirked, shaking her head in slight embarrassment. "Sorry, I---" She stumbled with trying to find her words and she let her gaze fall away from him and down at the plate in her hands. "I brought you some food." She held the plate out to him, forgetting about the clothes under her other arm. She would never admit to finding one of her men attractive. She couldn't, right? And did she? Or was she just taken by surprise for running into him like this? Yes, that was it.

"If you are still hungry after... The rec room is just down that way." She turned slightly and pointed down the hallway in the direction before she turned to look at him again, her eyes wandering curiously from one scar to the next. They all had them. Would someone be considered a soldier if they didn't? If not, then surely they were just starting out.

It took her a moment before she realized she was still holding onto the clothes. "Oh!" She let a breath out as a laugh at herself and shook her head, pulling the folded up pile of clothing out from under her arm and handing it over to him. "These should hopefully fit... If not... the towel suits you." She raised a brow and smirked slightly, her words coming out in a teasing jest. Though she typically came across as a serious woman, she could certainly have her moments of humor. Even if it really wasn't that funny.

"Right..." She took a few steps backward away from him, "I guess I will leave you be now..." Naeva offered him a slight smile, "get some rest."

[Ramiel Corus]

Ramiel waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts--he'd obviously startled her as much as she'd startled him. He'd been too focused on getting himself back into some semblance of decency to notice her looking him over (the first time, anyway). When she offered him the food, he took the plate without thinking. Rec room, down the hall. Check.

This time, though, he did notice her looking, and one eyebrow rose as he processed that realization. Huh. A slight smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth, but he did his best to quash it, not wanting to put her on the spot. Luckily she seemed to regain her train of thought and offered the clothes to him, which he held out the arm holding the plate so she could drape them over his arm.

Her remark about the towel suiting him caught him off guard, and that tugging smirk grew into a full-blown grin. "Thanks," he answered quietly, still curious, and not wanting to push her. Obviously he'd noticed that she was beautiful--how could he not? Beautiful and strong, both qualities he could appreciate, along with her leadership skills and the way she'd treated him with decency from the moment he'd shown up. But honestly, he hadn't taken his thoughts in a romantic or physical direction in quite some time. Years, perhaps. It just wasn't in his nature. Having someone be interested in him was tugging on skills he hadn't used in ages, brushing off cobwebs. Still, he had caught her off guard, and just as he couldn't help noticing she was lovely, perhaps she couldn't help noticing him. He would wait to see if something came of it again before he took it too seriously.

"I will," he answered fervently to her suggestion that he get some rest. He had no doubt he was going to sleep like a rock. But he didn't want to just leave it at that. "Thank you again, Naeva. I feel at home already."

[Naeva Northam]

It had just slipped out of her lips and as soon as he thanked her for the compliment- or whatever it was she had just said, she felt horribly silly and embarrassed. She laughed nervously as she draped the clothes over his arm and took a few steps back from him.

The last time she had any type of interest in anyone was before the war, but the war had taken him from her and she wasn't certain she wished to deal with that pain again. It was easier to keep herself emotionally detached from anyone. But it didn't mean she was dead inside or that she didn't find some men attractive. She just kept it to herself most of the time. Except when she was trying to make a joke, but it probably came out as flirting, instead. Or could be construed as such.

Naeva gave him another smile as he thanked her and she nodded, "Of course." She liked to think that she and her men were respectable people and would be helpful to their fellow soldiers. That was what it was all supposed to be about, right?

"Training begins every morning at seven." She told him in an almost authoritative tone. She would cut him some slack for tomorrow if he did not show up, understanding that he had just been through a lot and deserved at least a full day to recover and relax. But after that, she would expect him to show up.

"See you then." She smiled slightly and gave him a nod before she turned and headed back down the hall to go about the rest of her day.