The sleep from his previous night in the guest dorm was a very welcomed change from the weeks of having to run around on an ice world infested with Tau and Khornate cultists. But this time however Hansel had his sleeping bag and regimental blanket that he had stored in Ruby's locker without paying too much thought to it at first.
Unfortunately the punishment the Headmaster gave him made Hansel realize something, that they wanted to know about Krieg right when they got to the room, and he figured that he had no leave way in allowing it to wait until the next morning. With his extremely hampered experience in dealing with non-Kriegan girls he somehow knew that they would be highly demanding.
Why can't people be more patient?
Ruby clicked a few buttons on her scroll and opened the door allowing Hansel to go first into the room, "What do you think?" She asked gesturing towards the 'decorations' in the room.
It defiantly wasn't the regular Imperial propaganda that was for certain, he had no idea who these 'Achievemen were' but they seemed to be of some importance or social hierarchy to have their very own poster.
And of course there was nothing dedicated to the God Emperor. *sigh*.
"Well…" Ruby asked stretching the word out, she really wanted to impress him, but little did she realize that Hansel had no idea on what to say.
"Those beds look… imaginative." He said straining to find some sort of complement to please his leader, hoping that was one of the hopefully many 'right' answers.
"Thanks… we put some work into those beds; Nora was just a tad bit jealous when she saw them!" Ruby boasted with her fists on her hips and a Cheshire cat grin donning her face.
Yang cracked her back and frowned, "Yeah this is cool and all but can you, I dunno… about face or something so we get into our nightwear?" Secretly she wanted to test the Korpsman and see if he'd perv on the four of them, how could she be certain one boy in a room of four girls can behave himself.
Obviously she's never met a Kriegan besides Hansel.
Said Krieger looked to Ruby expecting her to give the order, "Oh, um yeah, can you turn around… please?"
'Please? That's the first time I have ever heard a CO utter such a word!' But giving off no outer emotion Hansel did that very thing, his thoughts drifting off to how his squad was doing back on that frozen hellhole.
Yang was the only one of the girls that didn't go into the bathroom and change; instead she changed behind Hansel by ten feet eagerly waiting for him to turn around so that she could punch his lights out. But to her disappointment and surprise he remained perfectly still staring at the white egg shell wall as if it was the art piece of the century.
She frowned in confusion, usually any other guy would've killed to be in this very situation so he could try and peak on the girls in the bathroom but this guy hadn't moved a centimeter from where he stood.
Maybe he was gay? Or maybe he was just following his orders to the letter.
Even when the three other girls reentered the room Hansel didn't move, they went to their respective beds and yet he still hadn't moved at all.
"Uh Hansel?" Ruby asked sitting on her bed criss crossed hugging a Grimm plushy close to her chest. He didn't move but spoke.
"Yes."
"Are you going to move… at all?"
"You have made no further instructions for me to do so." He answered plainly.
Yang frowned and Weiss narrowed her eyes, "Are you for real? You actually need her to tell you to move." Yang asked crossing her arms.
"Affirmative, insubordination is not tolerated, and a 'blamming' from the Commissar is the outcome." Hansel recited without missing a beat, 'blamming' was one of the cuter ways of saying 'getting your frakking brains out blown from your skull' but thought that the girls would appreciate this term better.
The four girls obviously deciphered that word quickly as they gave each other disturbed looks, "Well, you can… loosen up I guess… you don't have to stand there any longer."
Hansel turned from the wall and gave each of them a quick once over. 'Strange sleepwear.' He thought not really paying it any real thought. For himself he just stayed in his gear but set the sleeping bag or bed roll on the floor with his backpack.
"Are you alright with the floor? I mean Yang and I can share a bed?"
"I'd rather the floor if it's all the same."
Ruby blushed looking away for a moment, "O-okay, if that's fine with you."
Weiss took a critical look at the Kriegan soldier with her arms crossed; they only saw his face twice the entire time they've known him, "Before we get to hear your story, could you please take your mask off? I don't exactly want to talk to a mask all day."
Hansel gave a quick look to Ruby who inadvertently nodded her head vigorously. Sighing internally he once again removed his blessed breathing apparatus, and the scarred emotionally dead face starred back at them again.
Ruby for the very little time she's seen Hansel unmasked had already gotten used to his scared face, even though it did make her a little bit sad to see him look so… lifeless. It really did, and she did not like it one bit.
The dark gray and black splotched hair was still somehow combed back perfectly excluding the parts where the masks straps were. All in all, especially to Ruby, he looked like an average handsome young man.
Weiss brought a comb out from her drawer and began brushing her hair while still giving him the Inquisitorial stare, "I guess we're ready for you to start then." While Weiss still found it hard to believe Hansel was from another world it was impossible to dismiss all of the facts, and this would most certainly set all doubts aiside.
Hansel cleared his throat like a professional orator, "I was born on a planet called Krieg, it was once a wealthy and very dignified loyal Imperial world, our ecosystem had some problems in it but it did nothing to hamper the local population of flowers that spanned the planet for miles upon miles."
"Everything was perfect on Krieg, until the High Autocrat declared that the planet should no longer serve the Imperium of Man, so he renounced the Emperor as the divine ruler of all Mankind and sent the planet into a state of civil war. The man's name has become so hated that it has been wiped out from all Kriegan records."
"The traitors had the Imperial Guard loyalists outnumbered substantially; one man named Colonel Jurten had promised the Imperial Guard that no other forces would be needed to take the planet. It wasn't like they could anyway; the Separatists had gotten control of the Planetary Defense system which has enough ordnance to annihilate an entire fleet."
"Woah, how did your guys win though?" Ruby gasped starry eyed, immersed within Hansel's story.
"While the rebels had more men and weaponry they didn't count on the loyalists having long since forgotten and forbidden nuclear ordnance. With a heavy heart, Colonel Jurten fired the weapons into the atmosphere, raining down nuclear fire and isotopes that had completely changed the course of my planet's very landscape; incinerating the surface of the planet for days. After that, the civil war was now in the favor of the better prepared loyalists, the war took another five hundred years of brutal trench warfare and even in some cases the use of more nuclear weapons."
"Trench's replaced fields of flowers, barbed wires became the bushes, ruined buildings became our trees, and our cities were the miles upon miles of bunkers underneath Krieg's surface. Underground Manufacturums produced gear and weaponry, our training ground was the scarred surface of our once great planet."
"Since then we have sworn to pay for the sins of our ancestors with our deaths as tribute to the Emperor of Mankind. That was one thousand five standard years ago and our ways have not changed since. Are there any questions?"
To say their reactions were predictable was an understatement; Ruby was clutching the stuffed animal like it was a life line, Yang had dropped her nail file and was staring at him with a blank look on her face, Weiss had forgotten that her brush was stuck in her hair and let it hang, Blake had nearly dropped her Ninjas of Love book.
"That sounds… horrible." Blake whispered shifting her eyes towards the floor, the very thought of weaponry that could devastate an entire planet being used sent an uneasy chill through her.
Yang couldn't look at him any longer, "Yeah, that does sound horrible. Don't you hate that Colonel Jurten guy for firing off those missiles?"
"No."
Weiss sputtered, "W-what?!
"He made the right choice, it was not an easy decision for the Colonel, but it was still the right one." Hansel said with absolute confidence, "Jurten had no choice whatsoever, under no circumstances was Krieg to fall into the hands of the rebels. If we couldn't have our home, then no one would."
Ruby couldn't handle it any longer; everything about him was just so saddening, his life was sad, and his Planet's history was brutally sad.
He needed a hug!
In a small flash of rose petals Ruby slammed into Hansel wrapping her arms around his waist and gave the best hug she could have ever given anybody.
The only thing Hansel did was stiffen; his eyes widened in shock for only a fraction of a moment before they settled back to their usual thousand yard stare albeit looking down at Ruby with curiosity, until he remembered what she said about hugs… that they were supposed to make people feel better… strangely enough it actually did make him feel better… it also made his face feel warm.
Yang didn't know what to say, she wanted to smile because her little sister was finally taking an interest in boys, but she was also upset that said boy was a sociopath killing machine with a death wish.
It couldn't have been any number of the boys in Beacon, hell, even Vale! But no, it had to be the killer from space!
Ruby pulled away from Hansel with a large grin on her face, "Feel better now?"
He didn't answer; his face was a bright red with his lips pressed into a line looking extremely uncomfortable. Hansel blinked a couple of times unsure of what to say, "Umm… yes?"
Satisfied with his answer and not wanting to drag the moment out longer less she fall victim to Yang's teasing Ruby Rosewarped back to her bed, leaving Hansel unsure on how to process the situation.
So with a shrug he straps his mask back on and lies down on the floor with his back towards the others trying to process what the hell just happened, '…..What the frak?' Was the only intelligent sentence he could muster within the inner sanctum of his mind.
Never in his life had he ever felt so… warm other that current moment, not even with his sister around to cheer him up (whatever the Kriegan way of cheering somebody up is), it didn't help that she was also wearing whatever that fragrance was either; that original smell he detected back at the Bullhead when he first removed his mask for them, he wondered what it was because it was so sweet smelling.
That smile was also, what was that word Julius once used when he saw two kittens cuddling together underneath a Chimera… adorable? Yes! That's what the word was; whenever Ruby smiled at him like that it made his world seem somewhat more bearable.
Several minutes passed and he couldn't sleep, Hansel's thoughts were burdening him with questions, so many questions in fact it got to the point where he was questioning if the Emperor had saved him instead of someone more worthy? But such questions were dismissed as heretical thoughts that needed to be purged by mental holy fire.
But upon the tenth minute of his time awake he heard a soft pitter patter of footsteps on the carpet, thinking it was just one of the girls needing to use the facilities Hansel paid no mind to the owner of the steps until she knelt a foot or two in front of him and faced him on the ground lying down.
It was Ruby.
For a good three minutes Hansel stared at her without showing he was awake and waited, all she did was lay there smile and seemed to mumble underneath her breathe.
"Hey Hansel I-I… well, I have a couple of things I've been meaning to talk to you about…"
'Did she know I was awake?'
"but I was a little bit intimidated to ask you about them. Back in the garden, and I know you will never openly admit it, but I heard you sound like you were on the verge of crying when you saw your book torn. I won't tell anybody or anything, because I know its private and all, but I'm your friend you can tell me anything!"
He frowned at the word, Julius was a friend, but the word just doesn't seem to fit Ruby. She seemed better than a friend.
"I was also a bit hurt when you shoved me off, emotionally but you were angry at Cardin, but who isn't? You don't need to apologize or anything… I also wish you'd smile from time to time, but I don't really know if you do that."
Ruby brought her index finger to his mask and gently touched the mask, she curved her fingers up to the sides; if it was anybody else Hansel would've snapped the offending finger in half and then off… but for her he made an exception.
"Everyone may seem to be upset with you but don't hold it against them, they're just scared we all get scared once and awhile. I hope they'll warm up to you soon though, but I am your friend so you can talk to me about anything that bothers you!"
Her smile faded and she sighed, "Although I wish I was more than your friend… and that I could tell you all of that when you were awake… hopefully I'll be able to, goodnight." She said closing the space between them and pecked his mask.
On the outside it looked like he was asleep, but on the inside Hansel's mind was racing five hundred light years per second, 'She, she kissed my mask.' He wasn't angry in anyway, just surprised.
He let several minutes pass after she went back to bed for good before he stood up and stared at Ruby as she slept, it took a cough for him to realize he wasn't the only one away.
Blake slipped out of her bed and stood in front of the Krieg soldier, "She likes you, you realize that right?"
He removed his mask again to speak softer with a… sad look on his face?
"She shouldn't. I'm already dead. She's alive."
Blake frowned and sighed rubbing her temples, "Look, there's no way shape or form I can or anybody else threaten you, so I'm asking that you just… just be careful with her okay? People like her are rare and I don't want to see her hurt."
He looked her directly in her eyes, "By the Golden Throne I will never hurt her. I'd sooner shoot myself."
The Faunus in hiding nods not wanting to risk waking the others up by talking any further, "Goodnight Hansel."
For a moment he just stood there, taking one last look at Ruby before reassuming his previous sleeping position with his mask back on. Before Hansel let the blissfulness of sleep take him he put his finger against his mask and practiced the curving motion Ruby made before.
Emerald Forest…
Miles away in the darkness of the Emerald Forest another portal opens up; this time spitting out several large green skinned beasts against the trees, each one making a small cry of pain that would appear comical from an outside perspective.
One of the Orks wearing a mock Commissar hat rises from the ground and cracks his back; he kicks some of his men to get them on their feet.
A growling takes the Orks attention as a black mass of fur and bone comes out of the bushes, "Ehews dis git?" He asked upholstering his Mork Magnum Slugga Special with a smile, "Et's see if them Weirdboyz's mod works."
The beast roared charging for the Ork.
"WAAGH!" The Ork bellowed charging forward; he grabbed the beast by the throat and fire into its midsection, a large burning hole appeared shortly and through that hole the round kept on going as it burned through the foliage even into the planet itself.
He hefted the corpse at a tree after taking the skull. He raised it into the sky to proclaim to his Gods with a roar. His name was Blitz Fraggskull, and damn it all he shall become the greatest hero in Ork Kultur.
A little shout out to 37, he provided me a list of Ork OCs and some ideas on how to improve the story, he alos helped me come up with the names of some Imperial Guardsmen who have yet to come. Also, I am working on the next chapter of the Walking Death Korps, Tankbuster has pointed out to me that y'all have been patient so I guess I won't torment you guys any longer; and I have also considered your idea Thaqif, yes I have considered making your request for a High School of the Death Korps, won't worry about it, I'll be releasing updates and new stories galore when Thanksgiving break comes and Christmas break. All in good time, fear not for it shall be done!
