Breakfast the next morning was a lively affair for Rean and the other members of Class VII. Due to their success in getting the first song down pat the two in charge of the concert training (technically he too was one of the people in charge, but his authority had basically ended the second the instruments had arrived) had decided to give the others a day off from practice. For most of the others it was a chance to help with their clubs or visit friends in other classes. For Rean it was a day to assist Towa and the student council, as surely they were swamped with work as the festival drew closer.
Last night had been... wow. Sure he heard that teens often did things like that, but he never could have imagined finding himself in a position to experience it. They didn't do anything more than kissing, but the two had inadvertently turned it into a competition that lasted for a good many minutes. The back and forth between Laura's firm aggressive kisses and the softer, gentler lips of Fie was a memory that would stick with him till his dying days.
Really, this entire month had felt like a dream for the troubled swordsman. Gaining control over his powers, reaching intermediate rank in the Eight Leaves, and now finding himself in a relationship. For the first time in years Rean found himself truly happy. The darker part of him that dominated his mind for so long still existed, but had found itself relegated to the back of his thoughts, doing it's best to whisper that this happiness wouldn't last and that something truly awful would happen to end his joy.
Currently he found himself sitting between Elliot and Gaius as the three friends discussed their plans for the afternoon, issues in class, and just chatted in general. He shared an amused glance with Gaius as the orange-haired boy happily talked about a letter he got from his sister. It was nice having normal Elliot back after a week of him doing his best impersonation of his father, one of Erebonia's most feared generals.
On the other side of the table the girls were having their own private discussions. He couldn't help but admire their absolute unflappability, as just glancing over there threatened to overwhelm him with memories of the previous night. Fie looked completely at ease as she explained something to Millium while a worried Emma looked on. Laura also looked normal as she listened to whatever Alisa was saying, but he thought he occasionally felt her gaze upon him when he wasn't looking.
"So Rean..." Crow drawled from his seat on the other side of Elliot. "You sure you're up for working with Towa today?"
Something about the question worried him, or perhaps it was the dangerous grin on the jokester's face. "Uh... yes? Why are you asking."
"Oh, it's just... you know. I thought you might be tired considering how late you were up last night, that's all." Rean stiffened. Oh no. If he heard him last night then does that mean he heard... "I mean it sure sounded like you were having fun with that girl in your room." He did!
Silence. Those simple words from Crow were enough to cause all conversation to cease and all eyes to turn to the two boys (and poor Elliot stuck sitting between the two). "WHAT!?" Naturally, Alisa was the first to react to the news as the red-faced girl glared at the swordsman.
"Oho? I always knew Rean was a naughty boy. How scandalous." Instructor Sara teased as she entered the conversation for the first time. The older woman had been nursing a hangover, but whatever pain she felt from that wasn't enough to keep her away from this topic of discussion.
Jusis shook his head in disappointment from them opposite end of the table. "Really Rean? How... juvenile."
"I... uhh... I'm not sure what you're talking about." It was a feeble defense, but his brain couldn't muster anything more concrete in that moment.
"Of course you do. So who was it? Alisa perhaps?" Wait, did Crow not actually know who it was. So as long as nobody gave it away he could just play it off as Crow being Crow...
"O-Of course not! Why would you even think it was me?" The archer immediately refuted with a crimson face. With all attention on her Rean chanced a glance at the other side of the table, or more specifically two individuals over there without being too obvious about it. Fie appeared as unflappable as always, but had her eyes narrowed in deep thought. Laura on the other hand looked about nervously and Rean worried that if she was pressured she might let something slip.
After a brief second Crow nodded his head. "Yeah, you did seem the most surprised by the news, so I'll buy it for now. Hmm..." He scanned the other girls before settling on his next victim. "Was it you, Emma? I'm sure once Rean saw you without your glasses in Ymir he couldn't get enough of you, could he?"
"I-I would never! I mean... Ohhh..." Being put on the spot like that was too much for the class president, who looked like she might faint from embarrassment.
As Crow turned towards his third target Rean couldn't help but glance at the others. Why were they all so enraptured with this conversation!? Even the more level-handed guys like Gaius and Jusis seemed extremely interested in this gossip. And of course the one authority figure in the room was absolutely no help as Instructor Sara was just watching and listening with a grin on her face.
The second-year was interrupted before he could interrogate his third target. "I was hanging out with Laura pretty late last night." Fie stated matter-of-factly. That girl was hard to read at the best of times, so by giving a half-truth instead of an actual lie she made it impossible for the others to see any signs of deception.
And better yet, it presented an alibi for Laura. "Oh, yes! We were together until we went to bed. I don't recall hearing anything suspicious from the other rooms."
"Huh..." Crow appeared to be genuinely confused as he looked between the two girls. Did he suspect one of them? Rean supposed that might have been the case as even he realized how suspicious them constantly hanging out must have seemed to the others. "Well I guess if you two are vouching for each other, although I have my own questions about that... Maybe it was Sara?" He next targeted the instructor of Class VII, but with a lot less enthusiasm.
"Well I mean I am beautiful and awesome. I can see why Rean, like most guys, would fall for my womanly charm. Why I bet..."
Fie wasted no time in cutting off her mentor. "Pretty sure all your 'womanly charms' go out the window the second you open your mouth, Sara. Doubt any guy would want to be near you after listening for even a minute. Especially once you start drinking."
"Ahah... Fie has a point."
"No man is that desperate. Except for Regnitz, perhaps."
"Shut up, Albarea!"
"I'm sorry Instructor, but your actions do leave a lot to be desired..."
Being told off like that by the other males in quick succession was a blow to the bracer's pride and she slumped down miserably. "You're all awful! Especially you, Fie! Aren't you supposed to respect your teacher or whatever?"
The only two guys who didn't jump in on the chance to torment their instructor were Rean who was still looking overwhelmed by the accusations, and Crow who appeared to be deep in thought as he wracked his brain trying to solve this puzzle. "I doubt Rean would ever stoop so low as to do something with Millium..." They all chose to ignore the indignant cry from said girl. "I guess he could have brought in a girl from outside the dorms...?" He muttered, but didn't look at all convinced by the idea.
"Or maybe you're just making stuff up." Fie retorted without hesitation.
"Y-Yeah! I don't think Rean would ever do something like that." Alisa seemed eager to agree with her younger friend.
"It does seem unlikely."
"You should be nicer to your classmates, Crow."
On one hand, Rean appreciated the faith his friends had in him as by this point all of them appeared to think the jokester was lying about the situation. On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as for once he had been speaking truth. Not enough guilt to want to correct the others, of course. He finally allowed himself to relax, as he believed himself to be in the clear.
And that was when disaster struck.
A frustrated Sara was only half paying attention as the little monsters all started telling an annoyed Crow off while she drank a cup of water as she tried to will away her hangover. She still couldn't believe that all of them would jump on her like that! Sure she might engage in a little bit of social drinking from time to time, but it never affected how cool and mature she was. And she was a total bad ass to boot!
Case in point, she actually believed Crow's story. Even in an inebriated state she was still an A-Rank bracer and hadn't missed the pair of footsteps leaving the third floor most nights for the past week. She just hadn't cared enough to investigate. Really the only thing she had found interesting about it was the odd echo that followed the footsteps each time.
But assuming Crow's story was correct, that meant that one of the girls was lying. But that didn't make sense either as all of their reactions had been genuine and she didn't think any of them were skilled enough at lying to fool her. Really the only explanations that were somewhat odd were Fie and Laura, but she felt she understood her protege well enough to know when she was lying or not, and Laura was never one for deception in the first place.
Wait...
That odd echo she had been hearing each night... wasn't actually an echo at all, was it? That would be a second set of footsteps. Which meant...
She barely noticed the glass of water slipping from her fingers, which served to draw all eyes to her.
If her theory was correct, and Sara had no reason to believe otherwise, this meant she was sitting on the juiciest piece of gossip imaginable. Her decision to open her mouth or keep her silence would lead to two vastly different outcomes and it wasn't a choice to make easily. Ignoring the gazes upon her she carefully pondered the merits of each course of action.
On one hand, she was happy for the three. As someone who took a very similar route in life she genuinely cared for Fie and was glad the younger girl was finally opening up and enjoying herself. The vast majority of young children indoctrinated into the jaeger lifestyle were unable to extricate themselves from it and have a shot at a somewhat normal life. Ever since the field study to the capital she had been changing for the better and it pleased the bracer greatly.
Rean too, was clearly benefiting from this secret relationship. She suspected, pretty much from the first day that the troubled teen had the potential for greatness, which was why she thrust the mantle of leadership onto his unwilling shoulders. While she still wasn't privy to all the events that had happened since his duel in Legram, the changes wrought, while subtle, were proving her suspicions correct. That boy would make a hell of a bracer and she made a mental note to start hinting at that idea once their second years rolled around.
Laura, while clearly better off compared to the other two was still a sheltered girl with shockingly little understanding of the world outside of her swordsmanship. Her spat with Fie had been a major catalyst for change and it was clear the girl was starting to think outside of her narrow mindset. And most importantly, didn't this mean that Sara, in her role as Fie's adoptive older sister, would have more opportunity to spend time with the Viscount? That was the true win in a scenario like this.
So yes, there were many reasons for her to keep silent about the matter. While she personally had seen far weirder shit over the years, a relationship like the one they presumably had would create difficulty for them, especially from more traditional individuals. On the other hand...
"I kinda feel bad for your liver. Being stuck in the same body as the rest of you must be tough."
"I wouldn't listen to Sara if I were you. That road leads to sadness and failure."
"Just stop Sara, you have never been cool and never will be."
"Pretty sure all your 'womanly charms' go out the window the second you open your mouth, Sara. Doubt any guy would want to be near you after listening for even a minute. Especially once you start drinking."
All the points she made for not opening her mouth were forgotten as she remembered a few of the many many moments where Fie disrespected her. That little brat needed to learn her place and this was the best way to do it. If that meant dragging Rean and Laura down to Gehenna with her? So be it. If nothing else it would certainly prove entertaining to watch.
"Crow's right." She announced, drawing all attention to herself. "But there's one little detail that you missed that will solve this mystery for you." She said directly to the second-year student.
"And what would that be, oh wise and beautiful instructor of mine?" She preened at his compliments. She knew he was only saying it to get her to spill the beans, but damnit she needed the love after having listened to all the little hooligans for so long!
"It's simple. I have been hearing them going down the stairs over the past week. The thing you missed is that it hasn't just been one set of footsteps..." She was basking in the suspense her words were bringing to the students. Well that and the looks of mounting horror on the three suspects. "...But two."
Say what you want about the students of Class VII, but they earned that top spot on the midterms for a reason and even the slowest member managed to connect the dots in just a few quick seconds. A deafening silence descended upon the room as everyone struggled to cope with this revelation. Rean shuffled awkwardly in his seat as he found himself subjected to many pairs of astonished eyes, knowing that the jig was up.
"...Crap." Fie was the first to break the silence as she muttered to herself in annoyance. It didn't help that Sara was sending her a smug grin.
"Hot damn! Both at the same time? Gotta admit, I was starting to respect you when I thought it was just one, but now?" That look of admiration from Crow made him feel dirty. Could this moment get any worse?
It could, and it did, as Crow noticed that Elliot and Machias, the two sitting next to him, were still staring blankly at the swordsman. Without hesitating he reached his hands behind their heads and pulled them down into a bowing position. "You fools! Bow before our new god!" He wasn't sure if it was the words he said or the fact that neither of his friends seemed to be protesting the action at all, but he really wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
"WH-WHAT!?" A horrified Alisa shrieked. Turning to Laura she all but pleaded. "That's not true, right? Tell me that they're just making things up."
Laura considered herself to be a relatively brave person, unflinching in the face of whatever adversity she faced, but much to her shame she couldn't bring herself to look at the blonde-haired girl in that moment. Alisa's crush on Rean was known to all but the swordsman in question and while she didn't regret her actions she did feel some level of shame for knowing how much she must have hurt one of her dear friends.
Her silence spoke volumes. "I see..." Alisa muttered quietly. They initially thought the Reinford girl was going to blow up, but instead she remained seated and kept her eyes averted as she focused on playing with her plate of food.
"Um..." Seeking to break the awkward silence and get the focus off Alisa, Millium turned an interested look towards her fellow member of team tiny. "So you and Laura with Rean, huh? How did something that hot happen?"
Not wanting to be the target of all the attention in the room Fie went with one of her tried and true strategies. "Actually, it was all Laura's idea." Place the focus on someone else!
Seeing most eyes now on her and understanding that they wouldn't relent until their curiosity was sated, Laura shot a glare towards her best friend for that horrid betrayal. Seeing no possible escape from the attention she did he best to give an explanation of everything that had happened since the events at Garrelia. From her initial decision to assist Rean with his power, to Fie's unexpected offer of assistance. The training itself and how the three grew closer during the course of that month. Fie occasionally added some details and even Rean chimed in once or twice, despite obviously not being privy to their feelings at the time.
From there the story got harder to detail as she was unused to talking about her personal feelings to so large a group, but she persevered. The two girls realizing they shared feelings for the same boy and their weak fumbling efforts to express them. Her crazy decision to work together. All of it culminating in that night at Ymir and the current situation.
"Well that certainly was an... interesting story." Gaius admitted at the end.
Machias shook his head in disbelief. "All of this from some training? You three really are simple, aren't you?" Despite the unkind words he was still in the bowing position that Crow had forced him into...
"Still, don't you think its kind of sweet?" Elliot argued to the genius, also in the same position.
"I-I agree!" Emma chimed in, doing her best to support her friends despite still feeling a little flushed from the revelations. "And I think it is our duty as classmates and friends to support them."
"Right!" Came the reply from the majority of the group. The few exceptions were Alisa who still appeared to be out of it, Instructor Sara who was merely there to enjoy the show, and Crow who ruined the unified response by instead throwing out a "Sure."
"Ahah... Thanks guys." Rean was unsurprised at the support of his friends, but it was appreciated nonetheless. Outside of a couple notable exceptions they weren't worried about their fellow classmates, but from those outside the group of friends.
Sara clapped her hands together in delight. "Well this was a hilarious morning, but you do know that you're all gonna be late to class if you spend much longer here, right?" Her statement caused some few alarmed checks of the clock, confirming that she was indeed correct. If her intention had been to cause panic among the kids she failed spectacularly, as the class, almost completely in sync, all chose to level unamused looks in her direction instead. "What?"
"Aren't you supposed to be a teacher?" The chess player answered for the group. "I would think that being late is more of an issue for you."
"Oh for sure." She agreed easily enough. "The Vice-Principal is gonna give me an absolute headache later on, but whatever. This was worth it."
"...How did you ever become a teacher in the first place?" Alisa asked, speaking up for the first time in a long while, but still quite muted compared to her normal personality.
"It's 'cause no one else wanted her." Fie replied in answer.
The bracer wagged her finger disapprovingly in the young girl's face. "You know it's that sharp-tongue of yours that caused me to spill the beans, right? Maybe you should learn to keep it under control next time... Or maybe not. I'm sure Rean and Laura will learn to appreciate the other things you can use it for." She laughed as that innuendo had the desired effect, causing chaos among her adorable students. Mission accomplished she made her retreat, departing before they could regain their composure and lash out at her again.
"Well, um..." Laura tried her best to bring the discussion back on topic, but it was an impossible task given the embarrassment she felt in that moment. A feeling that she wasn't alone in having, given that none of her classmates could look her in the eye. Even Fie was looking a little red even as she glared at the spot where their instructor had been seconds before. It didn't help that Crow looked about ready to fall out of his seat with how hard he was laughing.
"I-I think we should get to class too." Emma squeaked out at last. The agreement was unanimous and a very awkward Class VII bolted towards the door, with mental notes being made to apologize to the class maid later on for the mess they left at the table.
Among the many flustered students rushing to the academy was a certain blonde noble who frowned as a thought came to mind. He understood how many nobles thought and had a sinking suspicion as to how some would react once this news became public...
Morning classes passed by normally enough for Rean and the other members of Class VII. He did his best to ignore the occasional awkward glances, Alisa's unapproachable aura of death, and the innuendos Instructor Sara decided to drop during morning homeroom. He suspected that that final thing was going to become an increasingly common occurrence for the next few weeks...
It was during lunch that he first noticed it. He didn't even need to hear the whispers from the tables around him to know why so many people were glancing at him as the gossip spread like fire. Fortunately he was distracted from the looks by the presence of Jusis, Machias, Elliot, and Gaius who were sitting with him, as those four either appeared to be ignorant of the creeping chaos around them or more likely were just better at tuning it out as they quietly conversed with him and each other.
Afternoon classes weren't much better either as the hallways became fraught with peril and the trips between classes became terrifying journeys despite only lasting a handful of seconds. He considered checking in with his fellow partners in crime, but decided to keep his distance for now as even some of the other instructors were giving him curious looks. If there was anything at all worse than Instructor Sara's comments it was the idea of Instructor Thomas using him as an excuse to start talking about Emperor Valius V and his many lovers. The only saving grace was that they had no mixed classes that day so he was limited in his exposure to the other students.
Now they found themselves back in homeroom waiting for the school day to end so they could visit their respective clubs. Instructor Sara was there, but she appeared to busy herself with a stack of papers, although she didn't actually seem to be doing much work and was instead often caught glancing at her students with a stupid grin on her face.
"Well that was incredibly awkward." Laura's assessment of the day was met with numerous nods, even from those not directly involved in the spreading gossip.
Elliot scratched his cheek nervously. "I'll say. I think the entire school was looking at us today." Less 'us' and more Rean, but he was too polite to say that part out loud.
"But we're the only ones who knew about it, right? So that means one of us is responsible for all of this..." The Vice-President wasn't happy accusing his classmates, but it was the only logical explanation.
"I wonder who that could be." Jusis drawled before leveling an unimpressed look at his number one suspect. The others followed his look and soon every member of the class was staring at one member in particular.
"H-Hey!" Millium complained. "I only told one person!"
'Millium hummed a cheerful tune as she walked through the halls. There was a few minutes before first class and the exuberant girl wasn't in the mood to sit around and wait. Fortunately, Aidios was smiling upon her as she came across one of her friends and fellow cooks. "Margarita!"
"Ah, Millium, my dear friend." Greeted the fun noble. "How are you today?"
She giggled. "I'm great! Still memorizing Vincent's class order?"
"But of course. How else is a fair maiden like myself supposed to prove her love than by studying everything there is to know about the man she loves?"
That reminded Millium of the earlier events and she sorely wanted to tell her friend, but perhaps she shouldn't? Still, it would be fine if it was just Margarita, right? "Speaking of love, I got a crazy story to tell..." Just Margarita... and the dozens of people in earshot range of the loud girl.'
"That's totally what happened, isn't it?" Machias asked rhetorically.
"Why are you all looking at me like you just all had an identical vision of me doing something stupid! Stop it!" When none of her friends relented she instead went for a different tactic: Shifting the blame. "W-Well what about Crow? He definitely told someone!"
The rabbit had a point and all eyes turned towards the lone second-year of the group. Crow shrugged. "Guilty. I stopped by the Student Council building this morning to tell Towa. But she's not one to blab."
"And it was just Towa...?" Laura asked, already dreading the answer.
Crow seemed to ponder the question. "Well George was there. Maybe one or two student council members? I wasn't really paying attention."
'Towa jolted as the door slammed open without warning, nearly causing her to drop the stack of papers she had been passing out to the rest of the student council. With the festival so close they had been holding extra meetings before classes began for the day in an attempt at staying ahead of the work as much as possible. Fortunately George had been kind enough to deliver coffee and snacks to keep them going.
"Crow!" She whined, seeing just who caused such a fright. Some of the council members shot the slacker withering glares at the interruption, but he brushed them off like they were nothing.
"Towa! George! Have I got news for the two of you!"
"This is a really bad time. Can't you come back later?"
His next words stopped her short. "Nuh uh. It's about your favorite little gofer and what a naughty naughty boy he's been."
"Rean?" Towa correctly guessed with a squeak. Crow's only answer was a widening of his grin. This left the student president in a bind. On one hand this definitely wasn't the time and she wasn't sure if whatever gossip Crow had was even appropriate to talk about... But she was really curious!
Even the other council members had stopped what they were doing to eavesdrop on the conversation. While none of them were as close to the dutiful first-year like she was, his presence was a common sight and all could at least appreciate his work. Their desire to know whatever juicy gossip involved him was plain on their faces.
Taking pity on the tiny leader and wanting to sate his own curiosity, George was the one who chimed in. "So what happened?"
"It all started late last night..."'
The silence that took control of the class was broken by the sound of a certain swordsman's head slamming into his desk, followed by the ensuing moan of pain and despair.
"I also called Gelica up during lunch." He admitted without shame. "She seemed to think you chose to wait until she was out of the picture before making your move to steal away all the girls. Wouldn't be surprised if she shows up to kick your ass at some point."
"Crow!" Emma chastised with an upset look on her face. "You're a second year, shouldn't you be trying to set a better example for the rest of us?"
"I... don't think Crow will ever do that."
If Crow looked at all offended by that comment it was only because it was timid Elliot who said it. "Rude. Not gonna lie it's pretty funny seeing you guys gang up on me like this, but shouldn't you be more focused on the real problem?"
His eyes, and those that followed his gaze, all turned to the front of the room where their instructor was still watching them with a stupid grin on her face, which only widened when she realized she was now the center of attention. "...What did you do, Sara?" Fie finally asked.
The older woman gasped. "I can't believe you would accuse me of such awful things. I'll have you know that I've spent the entire day teaching impressionable young kids how to murder each other like the good instructor I am."
"Um..." None of them were quite sure how to respond to that comment, especially the social commentary on the value of military academies.
"Regardless..." Machias said at last. "Are you sure you didn't say anything outside of your admittedly loose definition of normal?"
The combat instructor put a finger to her lip, seemingly in thought. "Well I might have offered a little extra incentive to get some of the more reluctant students to fight...?" She mused aloud.
As they had twice prior, her students thought about her words and what they knew from spending the last half year in her class. As one, an entirely plausible and realistic scenario played out in their minds.
'"Alright class." Sara announced as she clapped her hands together, while standing in front of the gathered group from Class IV, her first class of the day. "We're gonna be doing one-on-one spars today. To get a gauge on your growth over this year I want you to pick the same partner you fought against during the first week."
"Ugh. Do we have to?" Vivi complained with a groan. She really did not like fighting and did her best to avoid exerting herself any more than necessary. It was only due to the more relaxed nature of her grading system that the pink-haired twin wasn't failing miserably.
But this time she had the perfect solution to get the prank loving girl to participate! "Aww, don't be like that Vivi. How about this? You put in a good effort today and I will give you a special reward."
"Special Reward?" She parroted, confused. Her sister and many of the other members of the class expressed their own confusion at her words. What could the teacher offer Vivi that would motivate her to fight?
"Yup. Some fun gossip that you might enjoy."
Her eyes lit up. "Gossip... You mean Class VII gossip?" The antics of that special class were of great interest to her and everyone knew of Sara's affiliation with that class.
"The best kind." She agreed with a nod. "I'll give you a small sample. You won't believe what we found in Rean's room last night. Or more specifically... who we found in Rean's room last night."
As expected, Vivi looked like she had just been told that all of her birthdays had come at once. With no hesitation she drew her weapon and turned to her opponent for the day. "I'm sorry sister dearest, but it's time for you to meet Aidios. Know that your death was not in vain!"
"Wait, what!?"'
"...I hope Linde is alright." Gaius muttered with a worried frown on his face.
"Damnit Sara." Fie groaned. "Telling Vivi is pretty much the same thing as telling everyone in the school and in Trista. Maybe even beyond."
Laura looked worried. "Beyond? You don't think it will reach Legram, do you?" While her question was directed towards Fie, the fact that none of her classmates were willing to look her in the eye and give her the answer she wanted to hear was enough for her. "...I was hoping to tell father on my own terms..."
Another sad groan came from the leader of Class VII, despite his head still being face down on his desk. He had a sinking feeling that his sister was going to find out, which meant his parents would soon know. While he wasn't quite as worried as Laura was, it was still a conversation he wasn't looking forward to having at all.
"What's the big deal?" Their teacher asked the assembled group. "Quit being so shy. You should flaunt what you've got. It's funner that way."
"And yet you haven't flaunted a single thing this entire year." Jusis pointed out. "I suppose by that metric you have not 'gotten' a single thing."
Sara flushed in embarrassment. "T-Thats not true at all! I just don't see the need to tell little kids about the affairs of adults."
The only response she got from that comment was a unanimous flat glare shot her way from every student. The combat instructor stomped her foot childishly. "You kids are terrible! Class is over so go away and don't ever come back!"
Although class technically still had a few minutes left, being told to leave early was one order they were quite willing to listen to. It was something of a mad scramble to the door, as none wanted to stick around lest they earn themselves the wrath of the humiliated teacher. She had a nasty habit of turning those who upset her into test dummies during combat practice, after all.