Raven – Before Base

Elesis – Base

This theme is a continuation of theme 1, which was "Introduction".

Raven actually wasn't surprised when the big shots offered Elesis a job.

She was a decent fighter with a semi-decent background, like himself and a lot of other people that Raven knew. And the Crow Mercenaries made it a point to offer a place in their ranks to almost every decent fighter that they came across. Background was just a bonus and a guarantee that you would rise in the ranks.

But, of course, a long and boring interview had to come first. And for some unfathomable reason, whenever an existing member of the Crow Mercenaries was involved, they were dragged along too. Neither Alex or Raven had wanted to do the meeting, so they flipped a coin. Raven was entirely sure that Alex had weighted that coin.

He sat uncomfortably on one of the straight-backed wooden chairs in the conference room. It was just a bit too short for him, which did absolutely nothing for his cramping muscles. There was one particularly bad cramp in his thigh that he was trying to massage out under the table, but he had to be quiet about it, because the veteran commanders really didn't like interruptions in their meetings.

A guy with nappy brown hair (Eric? Carrick? Something like that) leaned forward, tenting his fingers. "And where did a young girl like you learn to fight, Elesis?"

"My father taught me, but I've already learned all I could from him." This was the third time she'd answered this question in five minutes. Raven could see her patience running out. "As I've already said, I'm on a journey to learn more."

"Why would you want to learn more?"

Elesis shrugged and forced a smile. "I guess I'm just a curious girl."

Most of the questions were repetitive and boring. Raven couldn't manage to work out the cramp in his leg.

Finally, someone hit the edge of a deck of papers on the table, tamping them all into an even stack. "All of you, stop," the man to Eric/Carrick's right side said. Raven recognized him as the recruiting officer, though he wasn't entirely sure of the guy's actual name. "This will be the last question, and I want to ask it."

Dead silence. Elesis muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "finally" under her breath.

The recruiting officer took his time in laying the stack of papers down, straightening them like they were precious jewels. Raven would have been willing to bet that they weren't even that important. Most officers were nobles, the kinds of people who liked to make others wait for them. The recruiting officer was no different. For the love of the El, the last question probably wouldn't even be that special. Raven's certainly wasn't.

Finally, he drew breath and spoke.

"Elesis, why do you want to kill people?"

That... was different. A couple of the veteran commanders were raising eyebrows at each other and at the officer. Elesis stayed silent, glaring thoughtfully at the officer. The officer glared back.

"I don't actually like killing people," she said after the officer had blinked and she had won the impromptu staring contest. "If there's any choice at all, I won't kill people. I prefer to teach them a lesson that they won't forget in a hurry. However, since I fight to protect others, I will kill people if I absolutely have to."

Nodding heads around the table. Everyone liked her answer. The officer stood up and extended a hand across the table to Elesis.

"If that's the case, miss Seighart, the Crow Mercenaries would be glad to offer you a job," he said. Raven wondered what type of comrade Elesis would be. There weren't many girls in the Crow Mercenaries, but the ones that made it tended to be fierce women without senses of humor. So what would-

"Denied," Elesis said calmly.

There was absolute silence in the room. Elesis hurried to explain.

"I'm honored that you would offer me a job, but I've got to decline right now. I'm not done with my own journey." Elesis' chair scraped on the floor as she stood up, matching the officer in height. "And if you don't mind, I think I'll go now. I was hoping to make the capital by nightfall. There's a wandering poet named Noel I want to meet."

The room was still quiet. Raven could hear each one of Elesis' footfalls as she picked up her claymore, walked to the door, heaved it open, and exited. Her footsteps faded down the hallway.

"That wasn't what I expected," Eric/Carrick pouted, crossing his arms. Raven shifted in his seat. All the eyes in the room were suddenly glued on him.

Raven gulped. "May I be dismissed?" he asked, and was answered with a general consensus that amounted to "get out of here."

He fled the room and ran after Elesis. Maybe if he was fast, he could catch her before she left the compound.

Elesis was passing the training ground by the time Raven caught up. She paused, looking with surprise at him as he doubled over and panted, bracing his arms on his bent knees.

"Why... did you... turn them down?" he asked when his breathing had slowed enough to allow speech. Elesis shrugged.

"Dunno. Didn't really want to accept, I guess."

"Why would you not accept an offer like that?"

Elesis laughed. "I can't really see myself in that group. It might work out well for you and Alex, but I can't stand stuffy people like that. Their only purpose in life is to climb a social ladder, and they'll do anything, use anyone, to reach that goal. I find that depressing."

She had a point, sure, but Raven didn't think ambition was as bad as she was making it out to be. Still, he tried again.

"You said you wanted to learn, right? You're wasting an opportunity to do it."

"There are different types of opportunities, Raven." Elesis hefted her claymore over her shoulder, admiring it. "I'm not so much looking for tips on how to fight with this. I'm more looking for strategies. Tactics. Ways I can bring my mind to a fight as well as my sword." She sheathed the claymore and glanced at him with a smile.

"You should do the same. I look forward to meeting you again, Raven. You're a strong fighter and you seem like a decent guy."

She walked away before he could even say goodbye. Raven watched her go, turning over what he had just heard.

Strategies. Tactics. You know, that really wasn't a bad idea. Maybe he should start researching them also.

After all, it would be stupid to waste an opportunity to better himself.