|
|
Post by Ezra Fumi on Apr 12, 2023 19:54:20 GMT -5
The comment about burning down the Commanders tent made his eyes widen a bit as he sputtered out a laugh that he tried to contain. Honestly, had Ezra thought it would work, he'd also considered starting his own squad of Taknieri soldiers. But many of them weren't willing to be kicked from another home just because they joined an unofficial gang of rough countrymen. They'd only be labeled as dangerous foreigners. Bandits at best. Plus, starting something like that wasn't easy. Finding correct leadership, forming groups, it was a lot of work. Much of which most people weren't willing to put in. Not when there was already a legitimate army open for them.
When asked to help move his things Ezra shrugged. "I don't have much." He'd left Taknier with nothing but the clothes on his back and a family necklace he'd hidden and kept for himself. Just to have something he could remember them with. Something to remind him of home as much as it broke his heart. He'd been given a bedroll, a tent, and two more tops and trousers to change into a long with his weapon and uniform. He'd managed to save up enough to buy things like some hair ties, a brush, even a thing of soap. Though the mention of the infirmary made him pause.
He tested his nose first which was still bleeding though not as heavily. He pinched it and wiggled it a bit. It didn't feel broken. He had all his teeth still. And his jaw felt fine. All in all other than a busted lip, a bloody nose, and a few more bruises he wasn't much worse for wear. "I don't need a nurse but I would like some food." Seeing as his had been smacked out of his hands. Like some schoolyard bully.
|
|
|
Exile
Manthiran Army Captain
|
|
North
is Offline
|
121 posts
|
Taknieri
|
Post by Hunt Valier on Apr 12, 2023 20:58:12 GMT -5
Hearing the man laugh at his rather serious crime of arson was both a relief and a bit awkward. At the time, he had simply wanted to take the heat off of some of the other soldiers and give the Commander a taste of his own medicine. To give him someone else to focus his ire on for a while. It had worked perhaps too well, as instead of discharging him and throwing him in jail, he had been consigned to leading patrols over and over, running errands for the man, having his pay docked, and having very little say.
Hunt nodded. He more than understood. Even had he been a native Manthiran, he wouldn't have had many belongings woth him.
"Good food and good health," he mumbled with a small smile. "Come on. The Commander might despise me, but the cooks and I have a good working relationship. Considering they found themselves in possession of a lot of alcohol work with..." So maybe he had only set fire to some of it. It had gone up in flames nicely enough and Farrons wasn't the wiser. It meant a lot of the food was cooked in a hell of a lot better than water.
The captain led the way back to the mess tent, but instead of using the main entrances, he slipped into the back. It was steamy and uncomfortably warm from the ovens outside, but full of the scent of pork and spices. There was a lot of crates and barrels dividing the space from the seating and a handful if cooks and servers helping lass out food.
"Hey! Whatcha- Hunt!" One of the cooks was a tall young man with the build of a farmer. He had a rough around the edges look that clearly suggested this wasn't his usual post. His angry glare soften and then cut to the stranger behind him. "Founda stray havya?" The farmer's accent was dense. "Miss Gwen-"
"Will understand. Tomas, this is Ezra. Man needs seconds." Only it was clear asking for 'seconds' was more of a code word for free food.
Tomas nodded. "Seconds ina pot o'er there," he gestured. "Help yerself."
Hunt grabbed a plate and handed it to Ezra. "Still have any of that fire whiskey? He asked, glancing at Ezra. He wasn't certain the man's upbringing or if he had ever had high-end liquor from their homeland. Likely not if he wasn't nobility.
Tomas frowned. "Might've affa bottle. Lemme look," he said, moving to some of the barrels.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ezra Fumi on Apr 17, 2023 6:46:53 GMT -5
Ezra was all too familiar when it came to getting revenge against someone. Even including arson. He didn't normally think to go that far but Farrins seemed like he deserved it. He followed after the man as he led him back to the mess tent. Though they didn't go in where he expected. Instead stepping in the back where the cooks still were. He looked around a bit but kept a few inches behind the Captains shoulder.
Being introduced to the stranger prompted Ezra to lift his hand up in a small wave. Was this normal? Did many people come back into the tent to get food that was taken from them? Was that not a horrendous waste of resources? He didn't bother questioning it as his stomach audibly growled. As he was handed a plate he moved over to the pot that had been indicated to have the "seconds".
He grabbed himself more food with a fork as well. Ezra still hadn't fully grasped using a fork. He held the utensil in a rather awkward and clunky grip in his hand. "Is this normal?" He asked in quiet Taknieri as he looked around the little kitchen area. Though he wouldn't say he was ungrateful for actually being able to get more food. He'd half expected to go hungry until lunch or possibly dinner. "Thank you." He said to Tomas instead.
|
|
|
Exile
Manthiran Army Captain
|
|
North
is Offline
|
121 posts
|
Taknieri
|
Post by Hunt Valier on Apr 17, 2023 7:30:03 GMT -5
Hunt could tell Ezra was nervous about being introduced to some of his more questionable activities. Hunt didn't particularly like breaking the rules but he had committed when he decided to draw the man's ire to himself. But he'd also been largely unable to bring himself to destroy that much good booze. So he'd made a deal with the cooks. And he tried to bring in anyone he found who clearly needed a hot meal that wasn't just the same gruel. It didn't matter who they were. Hunt figured all of them were loving a rough life at the moment and with war on the horizon, he wanted to bring whatever light to that darkness that he could. However small amount it was.
The captain smiled. "It’s alright. Just don't come back here too often or Tomas might make you into a pancake," he teased. The cook's assistant was massive, but he was also largely a pacifist. "We try to help anyone who needs it with some of the officer's stash. Long as no one talks about this to them," he explained in Imperial so as not to leave the other man out. "You might have noticed I'm not well liked," Hunt added with a grimace.
It was a bit amusing seeing Ezra clumsy attempts with the fork. Not that he particularly liked the utensil himself. It was so...blunt.
Tomas turned back from one of the barrels with a bottle. "We cook with this," he warned, meaning he wasn't about to let them drink all of it. Hunt nodded in understanding and appreciation. He flipped open the stopper and offered it to Ezra. "Cheers, brother," he said.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ezra Fumi on Apr 18, 2023 16:22:49 GMT -5
Ezra felt strange. Not that he was a stranger to bending or outright breaking the rules. Not that he usually made a habit of it but sometimes things needed to get done and sometimes there were rules that were being an obstacle. What really felt strange was....well the whole situation. Why was scouting duty being used for his punishment? Why was this Captain being so nice to him if he was supposed to be getting punished? Why did everything feel so....casual? He hadn't been faced with a lot of good fortune since he was exiled.
It felt like he was waiting for the other boot to drop. Like any moment he was going to be expected to do something to pay them back. It made his stomach twist anxiously but he still began eating. What else was he supposed to do? He was already here. Being handed the bottle though gave him more pause. Ezra looked at the man. The one who called him brother. It wasn't something he'd been called since he left home.
He considered the man and his offering. There was still that looming anxiety. That he was going to be hurt or used or kidnapped again. It made him grit his teeth. Still he took the bottle, albeit a bit hesitantly. "Cheers." He muttered before taking a drink.
|
|
|
Exile
Manthiran Army Captain
|
|
North
is Offline
|
121 posts
|
Taknieri
|
Post by Hunt Valier on Apr 18, 2023 18:15:07 GMT -5
The captain could sense some of the other man's anxiety. It lingered in how he hesitated before eating, how he held his arms close, the way he looked over the strangers. Hunt had seen the spirit Ezra possessed and that he was hiding it now seemed to indicate unease. The younger man knew the feeling.
He wasn't a soldier by profession. His weather worn features, rough hands, bleak outlook and rigid posture were a facade, if one that he had been trying to make real for far longer than his exile. Living with barely anything to his name hadn't come naturally. Neither had living alone. Even as he tried to distance himself, here he was, running into yet another stray that he couldn't simply turn a cold shoulder too. Not when everyone else would.
He took the bottle back and then took a drink of his own, holding it in his mouth as he offered it to Tomas. The cook took the bottle but declined a drink, cheeks flushing in embarrassment that made it clear he had once and found the heated flavor and aftertaste not to his liking. While Hunt would admit he wasn't a fan of it himself, it was the sweetness that it carried when held in the mouth that he liked quite a lot. But even he wouldn't go for a second drink.
"You'll join me and a few others on patrol in the morning," he said, once the man had gotten some food in him. "We're heading north, toward a farmstead that was raided recently." Not that he suspected they would find much, but those were the order. He would have much preferred to lead a group to somewhere they hadn't been, where they knew the raiders camp would be so they could better understand their movements and numbers. But without the proper support, the captain wasn't comfortable leading anyone else on a suicide mission.
|
|
