Sitting at a corner of the tent, Marina looked back at her stint in the squad thus far. Generally, people had left her alone, save for a certain Ted Ustinov. Yes, she did take note of his name; it was hard not to do so when it was repeated to you at least ten times and counting. To tell the truth, she had wanted to laugh at Ted's jokes, or at least give a smile. But, laughter and smiles were lacking back home when she was growing up. The last memory she had of her mother was a smile, even as the lady drew her last breath. When she was alive, the Wulfstan household was lively. Gleeful shouts and laughter were commonplace, as relatives visited them regularly. Then, came the illness. Soon, there was only sorrow and silent rage. Even as Marina learnt her skills from her father, she knew that he had changed. The man had blamed himself for her death and decided to seek solace in the hunt. It seemed that this was also passed on to his only daughter.
At the thought of her mother, Marina shed a tear. She would gladly laugh every minute for the rest of her life, if it meant that she could see her mother again. The pain never did go away, and she vowed never to go through another such experience ever again. Coupled with the war, and it wasn't hard for her to keep to herself, so that she would not have another set of memories to remember... or to mourn.
Snapping her out of her thoughts was an "oink". She looked at the direction of the call, and saw Hans, the team's mascot. The porcavian had apparently wandered into her tent. The sniper watched as Hans slowly approached her. Then, it used its snout to probe her leg. Wearing a thin smile, she stroked Hans gently.
The smile quickly disappeared when she heard footsteps approaching. Then, Isara poked her head into the tent.
"Hans, are you inside?" There was just a hint of worry in her tone.
"...He's here," came the stony reply. Isara had not realised that she was at Marina's tent. The girl stayed where she was as Marina held Hans with both hands, and handed it over to her.
"Thank you, Marina." In the half-darkness, Isara wasn't quite sure that she had seen the sniper nod in reply. Then, a gust of wind, and the sneezing began. Having searched throughout the camp for Hans, Isara had picked up plenty of pollen.
"Are you alright?" Marina shook her head. She needed help. Getting the hint, Isara then ran all the way to the medic tent...
Staying at the other end of the tent, Isara and Hans watched as the medication slowly took its effect. On her part, Marina just wanted the darn sneezing to end, so that she could turn in for the night. When it was apparent that she was ok, Isara spoke.
"I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble tonight."
"...Don't be." Isara was just a little surprised that such a gentle voice could come from her. There must be something she could do...
"If you don't mind, you can sleep in the Edelweiss. Despite what you may think, it is rather cooling, and you'll be safe from the pollen." Now, it was Marina's turn to be surprised. She knew how attached the girl was to the tank. Why would she be so willing to let a complete stranger sleep in it?
"Marina, we're comrades. I won't be able to sleep well in the Edelweiss if it meant that you have to risk another attack."
"...Thank you."
Within the interior of the tank, Marina was thinking as she laid down in her sleeping bag. Despite her reputation, someone had showed her concern tonight, and a hunter never forgets a good turn. Before closing her eyes, Marina decided that perhaps the Edelweiss could do with a sniper covering its radiator. That, and more visits to Isara. After all, Hans might be around her...
