For a moment, Valerie found herself speechless. What could she say? She was facing the Supreme Commander of the army she had aspired to join, the most famous man in all of Valencia alongside King Casimir. She was lucky enough to meet him before, but now, she was alone with him. She did not have her fellow men and women at her side, nor did Kane have his attention elsewhere. It felt like his eyes were piercing through her soul as she struggled on what to say. Hastily, she stood up and grabbed the handkerchief out of her pocket, handing it to him in almost a robotic movement.
"I forgot to give this back to you," Was all she said. He took it from her hands, looking at it for a second or two before discarding it in his own pocket. He said nothing when he did this, obliging her to press her forefingers together and clear her throat.
"I didn't have the time to wash it, I apologize..." She suddenly realized she hadn't even greeted him properly, and corrected her posture. "Good evening, Commander! You requested me to come here?"
He remained quiet. She gulped and found that her throat was dry. Why am I acting so strange? She wondered. She never acted this nervous around anyone before! Perhaps it was because everything she says and does in this moment will leave an impression on him, and she desperately wanted it to be good. She yearned to be apart of his army and she could not risk degrading her image in his eyes. She just happened to be...caught off guard by his appearance last time. That was only reasonable. But right now, she won't allow herself to be shy.
After a moment, he finally spoke. "Thank you for reporting here so quickly. I see your injury has healed nicely." He tapped his own nose for indication. She smiled bashfully.
"It did not get in the way of my training. I am thankful it was a speedy recovery."
"Come, we'll speak more inside."
He approached the door and went through the trouble of holding it open for her, to which she thanked him with the nod of her head as she passed by. Once she was in the room, she succumbed to her curiosity and gazed around. It looked like a small workshop more than anything, with various parts and papers scattered around the counters. There was sunlight seeping through a nearby window, which happened to stretch to a desk laid in the middle of the room. It was the only clean surface in sight. Seeing an empty chair in front of it, she assumed that was where she was wanted and hesitantly took a seat. This was a wise choice, as Kane said nothing and opened a drawer to skim through various folders in side.
In this silence, she grew suspicious. She didn't understand any part of this, nor the Commander himself. She understood being selected among a few to be observed in their phase, but calling her privately like this? She couldn't think of a good reason why he would want to see her again. She was just one out of plenty of others. She wondered if there truly was anything noteworthy of herself to Kane. If he's as smart as he's rumored to be, then he must be doing all of this for a reason?
He grabbed a couple of papers and sat in the chair across from her, looking at them for a moment before carefully setting them down. He grabbed a pen to write something, and in this silence, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Once he was done, he set down the pen and brought his gaze to hers. It bewildered her how good he was at getting her attention simply just by looking at her.
"I'm going to assume you're wondering why you're here?" She nodded weakly. "Well, it wasn't for my handkerchief, I can assure you. The reason I called you is because I have continued to receive good reports from General Rooke of your performance. Since I can confirm his observations, I decided to choose you as one of the few I am questioning for a personal study of mine."
She looked at him in confusion. "You mean, like a guinea pig?"
He shook his head. "I wouldn't refer to it as that. Rather, you're a subject I personally chose. I thought you'd best represent a promising soldier I am going to have for my army. I simply want to know a few things about you."
"-About me? Commander, I did not see anyone else get summoned to see you..."
"You are the only woman who caught my attention. That's why." He replied rather quickly. Her heart thudded as he said that. "-I need your verbal permission to ask you questions, if you don't mind..."
She found herself interested. What kind of questions will he ask? What does he want to know about her? She doesn't understand why she's so curious for his opinion, but nods regardless. "Of course..."
He picked up one of the papers from the desk and read something on it. Then he asked her, "Your name is Valerie Toscani, correct?" She nodded. "And you're from Tuscany?"
"I am, yes. My father was born and raised there."
He looked at her from the side. "-I'm sure you miss your home, after being away for some time now..?"
She frowned, remembering everyone she had left there. Her mother anxiously waiting there to hear from her, her friends hoping she hasn't dropped out of their lives, and the home she left to become a soldier...Her whole childhood suddenly played in her mind. Every memory she had of her father struck a chord in her heart. How she missed him. She missed the people waiting for her there. She recalled how worried it made them hearing of her ambitions. They told her becoming a Valencian soldier was practically suicide - but that was from her judgemental peers and anyone else who didn't understand. It made her wonder...would she ever return to her home, after all of this?
"I do." She finally decided. "But it is worth it. Every moment I am here, I am working towards something I dearly want. And sometimes, it takes sacrifices to do that. Like leaving the place you consider your home."
He said nothing to that and instead glanced back to the paper. He put it down and leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin on his gloved fingers. "Tell me...why do you want to become apart of my army? What is urging you to take this path?"
She clenched her fists, remembering the reason why she is here. To avenge her father. To prove that his life was not lost for nothing. She despised having to remember what happened. When those dreadful pirates killed him overseas...it left a sour taste in her mouth just thinking of the word. Pirates. He was never given a proper funeral. It was a moment of violence that brought one of those scum to pierce him through the heart and chuck him off that ship. She was told to be fortunate to even know the cause of his passing, but it made her angry. He deserved justice. She dreamed of getting the gratification of stabbing one of them herself, bringing an end to such heartless rogues...
She found herself gritting her teeth. She stopped to sigh. "I want to bring justice to my father. He was killed years ago, and ever since then, I wanted to bring a purpose to my life. Your army is the only way I will get that opportunity."
"Are there any specific enemies you want to targe-"
"Pirates."
To her surprise, Kane grew quiet. She looked up from her lap to check if she had said the wrong thing, and found something different about his eyes. There was a certain glow in them that hadn't been there a few seconds ago. His gaze didn't feel as piercing as he slowly removed it from hers, staring at his desk instead. He picked up his pen to write something, but put it down. His next words came out very slowly:
"And your opinion on these pirates, I can assume it's not in good light?"
She was almost tempted to laugh, but remembered that this was the Supreme Commander, and held herself down. She responded seriously with a nod of the head. "-I've wanted nothing more but to see them suffer. After what they did to my father, my life has never been the same. I just don't want more people to become victims of their hate crimes like my family has."
"I admire your tenacity and your honesty. I wasn't expecting such an answer." He pressed his fingers together. "I assume your end goal is to fight the same group that inflicted such personal harm to you?"
"Someday, I hope it'll be. It's all I've ever wanted, and all I ask for. That is why I'm working hard. Why I want to be one of your best. I can promise you, Commander, anything you expect of me, I will exceed that goal!"
He starts tsking, much to her astonishment. "You're making promises I'm not sure you'll keep. While I believe you have potential, you're only in training. It'll take time before you're able to face who you want to battle. And it's never guaranteed you'll make it there alive."
His words upset her. She's aware how unwise it would be to question the Supreme Commander, and why she especially shouldn't say it to his face, but she wanted to know the answer to all of this. A true explanation on why she's here rather than his excuses of wanting to 'observe'. She can taste a lie somewhere in this situation - and it will bother her if she can't find what it is. Questioning him may just end everything for her, but her bold attitude ended up getting a hold of her sensibility, as it usually did. It was a terrible habit of hers.
"Then why are you bothering with us trainees? Why did you want to see our progress and pull someone like me aside just to ask why I'm here? If we're so unimportant to you, then what's the point on spending so much time watching us?"
His expression didn't turn into one full of anger like she predicted. He remained cool and collected, as he had been this entire time. She felt a little embarrassed for getting so heated and pinched her lips together. Even staring at him in such heat couldn't stop her from admiring the way he sat in his chair - his posture always upright, his leg rested on the other to reveal the pants he was wearing. She felt herself growing hotter, but it wasn't from anger - rather, frustration at how she couldn't find it in herself to feel indifferent about this man.
"You're quite importunate, aren't you?" She looked away. "It takes a lot of courage to question me."
He suddenly stood up from his seat, causing Valerie to jump in surprise. He rested his hands on the desk and leaned over until his face was closer to hers. At this point, she could better see the details of his face - the way his cheeks sunk in to show his bones, and how his chin was perfectly rounded at its edge. She also noticed how his ears poked out from the sides of his head and that his eyes were perfectly shaped to fit his mask's sockets. This very well may be the closest anyone like her has ever been to him. It made her shiver.
"If I wanted to be questioned, I would have given you permission. Simple. As. That."
His voice was so authoritative, it reminded her of General Rooke's. She was too stunned to speak, and gained enough courage to nod slowly at him. He removed himself after a few seconds and sat back in his seat, returning to the paper to scribble something down. She was sure it wasn't pleasant and inwardly swore at herself for losing her temper. Yet she couldn't ignore the excited feeling evoked from inside her when she heard his voice like that. How commanding it sounded; like she was willing to obey every order he shouted. He really is suited for his position, she thinks.
"Now, let's leave that little 'mistake' of yours as water under the bridge. I'm willing to believe you're just confused about my intentions." She sunk in her seat, muttering a soft 'yes'. "-I didn't lie about wanting to see the progress of my cadets. I have observed other units aside from yours. But as I've said - anyone that is not deemed worthy of my attention, I don't call for them. I called for you because you are. Are we clear?"
She nodded solemnly. He shook his head. "You won't believe how many cadets try to convince me they're capable of things that they simply are not. They get overconfident too early, and that can result in...well, you already saw for yourself, didn't you?" She touched her nose and frowned. "-So don't take it personally when I point out anything presumptuous. You still have your AITs, and that can take an entire year just to learn your skills. I admire your motivations, but you've still quite the ways to go."
Her posture deflated. It was hard to keep her voice steady. "Thank you for your honesty, Commander."
He noticed her tone. "I do not mean to be discouraging. Your graduation is coming soon, and you will get to see your family. Many cadets look forward to such a time." He held his mouth open for a few seconds, eyes slowly coming back to the paper on his desk once again. "-I can presume you're looking forward to graduation?"
"I suppose so." She shrugged. She couldn't find it in herself to match her enthusiasm she had seconds ago. "It means I am one step closer getting to where I want to be. Seeing my mother again will make me happy, but that's only temporary."
"Indeed it is. But I can personally assure you that your graduation is well-deserved, and will mark your beginning as, what I hope to be, one of my great soldiers. You present the same attitude and capabilities as the rest. I wouldn't be surprised to find you fighting for me in less than a year from now." This regained her confidence, judging by the smile growing on her face. "-I think that will be all for now. I thank you for your honesty, and providing such enlightening responses."
"Of course, Commander."
She stood in her seat then hesitantly looked at the door. He noticed this and stood as well, leading her over and once again holding it open for her. She went right past him and lingered for a moment as he shut the door. He placed his hands behind his back and looked at her patiently.
"I'll lead you back to your barracks. I can tell you are unfamiliar with this building."
"-Is it that obvious?" She winced. He said nothing and began leading her down the hallway. She followed after him, discreetly eying the back of his uniform and its golden details. Despite everything that had happened just now, she still found herself interested with this man. And she wasn't sure why she didn't feel annoyed by it anymore.
She picked up her pace to follow him by his side as he led them out of the building, then eventually stopped just a few feet from where she needed to go. Valerie wondered what to say to him in this time. He still was very much a stranger to her - a man that will always hold authority over her, and their interactions nothing but formal. She didn't understand why some part of that bothered her. It seemed the longer she was with Kane, the more she was interested to hear from him. Like she wanted to be questioned more, as if she wished to remain in the same room with him for as long as possible. Why such a feeling surfaced in her she didn't understand, but it was all she knew as she faced him.
"Farewell, Commander. I am happy to have been useful to you."
He bowed his head. "I appreciate your time and your compliance. I will still be receiving reports about you. I expect nothing but improvement from this point forward."
She smiled. How simple those words were, yet how sincere they seemed to be. She felt a little undeserving of his compliments. He stated that she was nothing more but a 'trainee', yet, he still expressed his hopes with her potential. She couldn't help but be a little flattered, after all. "-Of course."
As she turned to leave, she could still feel his stare pressing against her back. She fought the impulse to turn around as she continued on, feeling unusually spirited. A small part of her hoped she would see him again - not from afar, like his small figure against the railing, or in such crowded company like that training, but...alone. It felt extremely intimidating being in his presence, and he knew how to break down one's spirits if they got too cocky, but...she somewhat admired that. There was something...notable about a man in power. He could've done a lot worse to her, but he didn't.
Will that be the last time I speak to him? She wondered quietly. After a few moments, she shook her head as she retreated inside. I'm starting to hope not...