For a moment, Valerie found herself speechless. What could she say? She was facing the Supreme Commander of the army she aspired to join, the most famous man in all of Valencia alongside King Casimir. She was lucky 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."
He took it from her hands, looking at it for a second or two before discarding it. 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 realized she hadn't even greeted him properly and corrected her posture. "Good evening, Commander! You requested me to come here, sir?"
He remained quiet. She found her throat dry. Why am I acting so strange? 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 part 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. 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, which she thanked him for as she passed by. Once she was in the room, she succumbed to her curiosity and gazed around. It looked like a small workshop, with various parts and papers scattered around the counters. There was sunlight coming through a nearby window, stretched to a desk in the middle of the room. It was the only clean surface in sight. Seeing an empty chair, she assumed that was where she was wanted and sat down. Kane opened a drawer to skim through some folders.
In this silence, she grew suspicious. She didn't understand any part of this, nor the Commander himself. 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 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 collected a couple of papers and sat at the desk across from her. He grabbed a pen to write something, and in this silence, she shifted uncomfortably. Once he was done, he set it down 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. "It wasn't for my handkerchief, I assure you. I called you because I have continued to receive good reports from General Rooke about your performance. I decided to choose you as one of the few I am questioning for a personal study of mine."
She gave him a confused look. He elaborated. "-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, sir, 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. 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 didn't understand why she was so curious for his opinion, but nodded regardless. "Of course..."
He picked up one of the papers and read something on it. Then he asked, "Your name is Valerie Toscani? 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 left there. Her mother anxiously waiting to hear from her, her friends hoping she hadn't dropped out of their lives, and the home she left to become a soldier...Her whole childhood played in her mind. Every memory she had of her father struck a chord in her heart. She missed him. She missed the people waiting for her there. It made them worried 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 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 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 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 why she is here. To avenge her father. To prove that his life was not lost for nothing. 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. She was told to be fortunate to even know of his passing, but it made her angry. He deserved justice. She dreamed of stabbing one of them, bringing an end to such heartless rogues...
She found herself grinding her teeth and stopped. "I want to bring justice to my father. He was killed years ago by pirates, and ever since then, I wanted a purpose to my life. Your army is the only way I will get that opportunity."
To her surprise, Kane grew quiet. She looked up to check if she 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 slowly:
"And your opinion on these pirates, I can assume it's not in good light?"
She was tempted to laugh, but remembered that this was the Supreme Commander, and held herself down. She responded seriously. "-I've wanted nothing but to see them suffer. After what they did to him, my life has never been the same. I don't want more people to become victims of their crimes like my family has."
"I admire your your honesty. I wasn't expecting such an answer." He pressed his fingers together. "I assume your end goal is to fight the same people that inflicted such personal harm to you?"
"Someday, I hope it'll be. It's all I've ever wanted. That is why I'm working hard. Why I want to be one of your best. I can promise you, sir, anything you expect of me, I will exceed that goal!"
He started tsking, much to her astonishment. "You're making promises that I'm not sure you'll keep. You're only in training. It'll take time before you face who you want to battle. And it's never guaranteed you'll make it there alive."
His words upset her. It would be unwise to question Kane, and 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 - 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 ahold 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 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 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. Even staring at him in such anger couldn't stop her from admiring the way he sat in his chair - his posture always upright, leg rested on the other to reveal the pants he was wearing. She was growing hotter, but it wasn't from vexation - 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 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, how his chin was perfectly rounded at its edge. She noticed his ears poked out from the sides of his head and that his eyes were nearly 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. She was too stunned to speak, nodding slowly at him instead. He removed himself 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 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 thought.
"Now, let's leave that little 'outburst' 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 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...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, sir."
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 couldn't 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."
"I can assure you that your graduation is well-deserved, and will mark your beginning as, what I hope to be, one of my great soldiers. 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 providing such enlightening responses."
"Of course, Commander."
She stood in her seat then looked at the door. He noticed this and stood as well, leading her over and holding it open for her. She went right past him and lingered for a moment as he shut it. 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 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 as he led them out of the building, then eventually stopped a few feet from where she needed to go. Valerie wondered what to say to him in this time. He still was a stranger to her - a man that will always hold authority over her, their interactions nothing but formal. She didn't understand why some part of that bothered her. It was like she wanted to be questioned more, as if she wished to remain in the same room with him for as long as possible. She couldn't fathom why this feeling surfaced, but it was all she knew as she faced him.
"Farewell, sir. 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 hopes with her potential. She couldn't help being a little flattered, after all. "-Of course."
As she turned to leave, she could feel his stare pressing against her back. 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 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 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...
