The following day, Erin was settling into her new position of power over
her former toon mates. Well, they still were her toon mates, but now they
were her subordinates as well.
"Ho, Erin," greeted a brown-haired boy casually as he sat down on her bunk next to her. "Congrats on the promotion. Figured you'd get it, 'tis well deserved."
"Thanks, Noisy," Erin returned somewhat uneasily, acutely aware that he had been vying for the position himself.
Noisy reached out and patted Erin on the shoulder affectionately. She tensed, but endured it patiently, resisting the urge to brush him off. Erin didn't like being touched. He grinned lopsidedly, and saluted her. "Good luck, sir." With that, he hopped off her bunk and was gone. Her stomach tied itself into guilty knots. Betrayer.
Erin shook her head slowly. "You're a silly girl, Erin, with an overactive, skewed sense of honor," she told herself futilely, jumping off the bunk herself and trotting into the hallway. Perhaps she could outrun her irrational guilt.
Erin lurched into a sprint down the corridor, letting her thoughts slip away in the mindless run.
Stopping proved something of a difficulty, when she almost plunged into the Raven Army Commander emerging from her quarters.
Raven was a new army, formed along with Raptor when Sergei of Griffin and Sunstar of Condor graduated, leaving their respective armies dissolved and tossed randomly into two new ones.
Erin managed a salute for the older girl. "Cheyan. Congratulations."
Cheyan returned the salute, raising brows slightly. "In a hurry, are we?" She nodded in recognition of the congratulations. "I suppose I should say the same to you."
Erin shrugged in feigned ambivalence. "Thanks," she replied thoughtfully, noticing Cheyan hadn't /actually/ congratulated her. She nodded, and continued down the hall, this time at a slower pace.
Erin adjusted her course from.. well, random wandering, to heading to the pool. A swim would be perfect to clear her head. Too much anxiety. Too much to think about. Alcar.. Noisy... Promotion... perhaps not all /that/ much, but Erin is a small girl, after all.
"Ho, Erin," greeted a brown-haired boy casually as he sat down on her bunk next to her. "Congrats on the promotion. Figured you'd get it, 'tis well deserved."
"Thanks, Noisy," Erin returned somewhat uneasily, acutely aware that he had been vying for the position himself.
Noisy reached out and patted Erin on the shoulder affectionately. She tensed, but endured it patiently, resisting the urge to brush him off. Erin didn't like being touched. He grinned lopsidedly, and saluted her. "Good luck, sir." With that, he hopped off her bunk and was gone. Her stomach tied itself into guilty knots. Betrayer.
Erin shook her head slowly. "You're a silly girl, Erin, with an overactive, skewed sense of honor," she told herself futilely, jumping off the bunk herself and trotting into the hallway. Perhaps she could outrun her irrational guilt.
Erin lurched into a sprint down the corridor, letting her thoughts slip away in the mindless run.
Stopping proved something of a difficulty, when she almost plunged into the Raven Army Commander emerging from her quarters.
Raven was a new army, formed along with Raptor when Sergei of Griffin and Sunstar of Condor graduated, leaving their respective armies dissolved and tossed randomly into two new ones.
Erin managed a salute for the older girl. "Cheyan. Congratulations."
Cheyan returned the salute, raising brows slightly. "In a hurry, are we?" She nodded in recognition of the congratulations. "I suppose I should say the same to you."
Erin shrugged in feigned ambivalence. "Thanks," she replied thoughtfully, noticing Cheyan hadn't /actually/ congratulated her. She nodded, and continued down the hall, this time at a slower pace.
Erin adjusted her course from.. well, random wandering, to heading to the pool. A swim would be perfect to clear her head. Too much anxiety. Too much to think about. Alcar.. Noisy... Promotion... perhaps not all /that/ much, but Erin is a small girl, after all.