"Sure."
Marcus stopped dead in his tracks, his sword point touching the dirt, looking at the figure next to him. "Huh?"
"I said sure. Did you expect me to say no?" Phil replied, nocking another arrow on his bow string and aiming at the target he had set up on the other side of the training grounds. "I'm… I was a Union Scout, Marcus. Short rests, long marches… loss… Those are all things I'm used to. Trained to handle. Just be happy I don't have a thing with taking hills."
"Taking… what are you talking about?"
"Civil War thing. I'll tell you when you're older, kiddo."
Marcus turned to look at Phil, amazed to see the corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile. With a smile of his own, Marcus shook his head in disbelief. Who would've thought the quiet one had a sense of humor…
"Thanks. Really." Marcus said, patting Phil on the back. "Good to know I won't have to face this alone.
"Well, there is another reason I'm tagging along." Phil replied, taking another shot at the target and once again hitting bullseye.
"Yeah? And what's that." Marcus took a few steps back to give Phil room and continued flowing through the stances Aaron had taught him years before, ways to turn the opponent against himself. The best practice is experience, and when there's no enemy, training will have to do. He never thought he'd have to use Aaron's words to prepare like this.
"Since Chastity is refusing to, I guess it's my responsibility as her boyfriend to watch you and make sure you don't get into any trouble."
Marcus glanced again at Phil as he turned in his stances, and this time saw that there was no smile on his face. He's serious… "I can handle myself." Marcus said, trying to keep any aggression out of his voice. "I don't know why-"
"That's exactly why." Phil turned and lowered his bow, watching Marcus go through his stances. "You're confident. Brash. Rebellious. I knew a soldier like you, my partner, through plenty of missions."
"Was he just as handsome too?" Marcus quipped, trying to avoid where he felt this conversation was going.
"He'd probably say so. But he was also prone to getting himself into trouble. Constantly taking challenges head on without thinking, jumping headfirst into them without a second thought."
"My kind of guy." Marcus flipped his blade, brandishing it behind his back as if to ward off a strike from an enemy attempting to get the drop on him and switching his blade to his other hand before beginning his stance rotation again, mirrored.
"That's exactly my point Marcus. He got himself killed, doing exactly what you do. Charging head first into battle." Phil came over and blocked Marcus' blade with a knife he had taken off his belt, stopping him in his tracks. "Being headstrong and impulsive. Thinking that just because you've survived everything before, that means you'll survive everything going forward."
Marcus tried to keep the scowl from forming on his face as he pushed back against Phil's knife. "You don't know what I've been through. Trust me, I know how to come home alive."
"For Maddie and Chastity's sake, I hope that keeps being true Marcus." Phil smiled at him, showing that he meant no offense with what he was saying. This guy really thinks he's being helpful… Marcus didn't know whether to be amazed that this guy who had only recently learned he was a half blood thought he could give Marcus advice, or whether he should be happy that he was finally building a way to bridge the gap that had seemed to be between them from the moment they met.
Without warning, Phil flicked his knife, pushing Marcus' blade to the side and getting in his guard. Marcus, reacting on instinct, spun his blade with the momentum Phil had created, swinging the pummel around to strike Phil's head just as he pivoted to take his vitals out of his opponent's smaller range. Without missing a beat, Phil swayed back, allowing Marcus' weapon to pass by him before kicking out at Marcus' legs, attempting to bring him down. Marcus, in turn, spun, taking himself to Phil's back and Phil stepped forward to take himself back out of Marcus' range.
The two stood there for a moment, neither out of breath but both breathing deeply to clear the adrenaline from their systems. Finally, Marcus saw a full smile break out across Phil's face for the first time since they'd met. "Well, I will say your reflexes are better than his were at least."
Marcus felt an answering grin find it's way to his own face. "That normal in the Union Army? Catch your comrades unaware and make sure they're up to standard?"
"Not the whole army. Just among my friends." Phil walked over to his target and pulled out the arrows one by one, making sure none of them were damaged by the target. "Had to, to make sure we'd all continue to come home alive."
With that, Phil turned and walked out of the arena, waving at Marcus as he walked away to prepare for their departure in the morning. Friends… Is that what we are now? After a moment of watching him go, Marcus just had to ask.
"Phil! What was his name?"
Phil stopped and looked over his shoulder, confusion clear on his face, so Marcus asked clearer.
"Your friend. What was his name?"
A sad smile came across Phil's face, but his answer was clear as day.
"Thomas. Thomas Jefferson Jr. Went by T.J."