That evening, everyone was talking about how the viper had been chosen to be a Spartan. Nobody could believe it, Alia least of all. Still, she happily followed Central as he showed her to the new accommodations. This tour actually covered the entire Avenger, since the serpent was completely new to the ship's layout. When the squad had been informed about their new member, the reception had been an uneasy one, but altogether free of objection. If any of them had a problem with Alia joining them, they did a good job of hiding it. And rightly so; if there was a number-one rule of the Spartans, it was to never question the Commander. They also had a policy to never judge new recruits based on initial impressions; getting to know someone always took time.
Hanging upside-down by his knees from his bunk in the Spartans' quarters, flipping a guitar pick through his fingers, Leonidas looked at his instrument from across the room, debating whether or not he was in the mood to play right now. His father had been right: the ranger had been largely indifferent to the idea of Alia joining his team. Even as he heard Central talking to the viper just outside the door, his mind was more occupied on the trivial matter of playing a melody. It had been a while since he had last used his guitar, but now was probably not the right time.
Leonidas flicked the pick across the room, landing it squarely next to the instrument itself. There would be time to play later―right now, Bradford was bringing Alia into the room. The man did not need the sound of an acoustic guitar distracting the viper from his short tour. "The squads used to sleep in the crew quarters with everyone else," Central explained as he entered with Alia, "But the Commander had us use some of the empty rooms to house them separately after we cleared out all the wreckage and debris. Now each squad has its own quarters. Six bunks and a bathroom with each one."
The viper spotted him hanging and simply looked at him blankly. "Hey," he greeted her nonchalantly, "Don't mind me―just hangin' out."
Central sighed, while Alia simply nodded in acceptance, not catching the pun. "And that's the whole Avenger," the officer said tiredly, "I'll leave you two to figure out the details of your accommodations here. Play nice, okay?"
"Alright, Uncle Bradford," Leonidas said sarcastically, though he was grinning as he did so. As the older man left, the Spartan King flipped off of his bunk and onto the floor, landing in a standing position. "So, let's set some ground rules," he said as Alia turned her attention to him, "I gave this schpiel to Robin, too. First rule: I'm in charge around here, so if you have a problem, you can come to me. Don't expect me to be giving orders off the field; your personal life is none of my business. Second rule: I don't care who you are or where you came from―you're one of us now, and I'll damn well treat you like it. Final rule:" he pointed to the bed below his own, "Your bunk is the one below mine. Do whatever you want with it, so long as it doesn't affect anyone else's. Not really a rule so much as just information, but now you know what you need to know."
He sat down on the couch in the center of the room. The navy-blue fabric had always looked much less comfortable than it was, and the couch itself was in shockingly good condition, considering that they did not have access to proper furniture outlets. Alia, on the other hand, moved about the room, exploring the spartan accommodations of the Spartans. She looked through the contents of the bookshelf that was to the right of the door, occasionally picking one out and flipping through a few pages before putting it back neatly. The serpent then peered into the attached bathroom, neglecting to enter; the functions of a toilet, sink, and shower were already clear to her. Finally, the new recruit came across his guitar.
"What is this?" She asked curiously, lifting the instrument with careful hands since she had no idea if it was fragile.
"That, Alia," Leonidas explained, "Is an acoustic guitar. While I respect people who play the electric, I prefer to use it as a way to relax and take my mind off things."
The serpent looked at him with bright eyes, "This is a musical instrument? May I request that you demonstrate?"
"Not really in the mood," he shrugged, "But how about we hit the range for a bit? I heard about how well you did earlier, but I wanna see that for myself―get a feel for my new squadmate, ya know?"
Alia seemed disappointed that he was not going to play, but placed the guitar back down and followed him out without objection. After hauling the components of the testing course around since they had returned in the early afternoon, he had worked up an appetite, and there would be time to play for her later when he wasn't so hungry. Besides, he really did want to see Alia's marksmanship for himself. He grabbed two rifles and handed one to her, setting up twin targets down-range and retrieving some loaded magazines before returning to the viper.
"I take it you know how to operate one of these?" The Spartan King asked, indicating the unloaded firearms.
The viper nodded. "It was one of the first things I was taught today. The main differences from the operation of a plasma rifle are the magazine and safety."
"Show me." Leonidas handed her a fresh magazine, and Alia demonstrated her knowledge. She loaded and chambered the gun easily, waiting to flick the safety off until the Spartan leader told her to.
They both emptied their weapons into the targets. Leonidas had declared that they would try different firing types, starting with draining the magazine into the panels without letting up on the trigger. Alia was able to control the gun well enough, but maintaining her accuracy was another matter entirely. Leonidas showed her up with the first magazine, clustering his fire on the target's center mass with a practiced hand. It helped that he had biologically superior upper-body strength, something that he admitted as he set up the second set of targets. It was worthy of note, though, that Alia was able to land every shot.
"No big deal, though," he reassured her, "You can leave the sustained fire to Defcon. I don't think you'll ever have to shoot like that in the field."
"I am glad," Alia hissed, relieved, "I did not wish to train in order to match your strength, Leonidas."
The Spartan King flexed humorously, "And I don't expect you to; it took a lifetime of training and a little over a year of field work to get this far." He then punched her lightly in the abdomen, "Besides, if a human had core strength like yours, they'd have abs that could grate cheese. And I've seen vipers crush bones with their tails." The serpent absorbed the blow easily, recognizing that he was only making a point. It was more of a bump than a punch, but the message was clear: just because her arms weren't very strong did not mean that she was not strong in other ways.
"You have a very strange way of being supportive, Leonidas," Alia commented.
Reloading his rifle, he shrugged, "I'm a leader, not a Drill-Sergeant; I identify and emphasize your strengths, not your weaknesses. Keeps morale up."
She smiled, "Yes, though you are still very strange."
"I take some getting used to," Leonidas stated flatly, "It varies from person to person, but I like to ask: am I 'good' strange or 'bad' strange?"
"I have yet to decide!" She smiled shyly. The Spartan King chuckled softly, noting that the viper was still acclimating to her new life.
Next, they tried firing in controlled bursts like they normally would in the field. The two of them ended up producing almost identical results this time, with Alia just barely coming out on top. Her marksmanship had improved dramatically now that the recoil was easier to control. It was good, though this was not exactly what Leonidas would call "exceptional," which was how the Commander had described what he had seen. He resolved to hold his comments until after the final stage: single-fire shots.
This lasted much longer than the first two bouts, now that both of them were spacing out their shots for maximum accuracy. Ten rounds each, both of the operatives firing at approximately one round per second. In the end, this was the real test of accuracy, but Leonidas had been curious as to how Alia would fare with the other firing types. Plus, he was having fun shooting targets semi-competitively. Once they had both emptied their magazines, Leonidas went to inspect the targets. The Spartan King had clustered his bullets around the target's center mass, creating a crowd of ten holes around the chest area. Alia, on the other hand, had gone for both the head and chest.
Her shots were so tightly packed that it took Leonidas a moment to realize that there were multiple hits. It looked like two larger bullets had passed through the target, dead-center in the head and chest. Upon closer examination, it looked more like a small rodent had chewed the hole out of the material, with the edges appearing rough and uneven. While he had only been able to cluster his shots, Alia had been hitting nearly the same two spots each time.
"Well damn," Leonidas said as he walked back, "I think you could give Ghost a run for his money. Have you used one of our sniper rifles yet?"
Alia nodded, "They are too heavy for me to aim steadily. I am able to use them fine, but I am not nearly as accurate."
His watch beeped at him, and the Spartan leader looked down to see that they had spent over fifteen minutes in the shooting range. It was now eighteen-hundred hours. "Finally! Time for evening meal!" He sighed, heading for the mess hall, and Alia followed beside him. As they went, he asked, "Weird question: are you a carnivore or an omnivore?"
"I am only able to digest meat," she admitted, "Is this a problem?"
"Nah," he waved away her concern, "We always have meat, or at least something close. It's rarely genuine stuff, but you should be able to eat it all the same. I'll give you my meat during meals if you give me what you can't eat."
She agreed, and Leonidas directed her to the Spartans' table in the mess hall as they entered, insisting on getting her meal for her alongside his own. This was a precautionary measure since he did not know how people would react to Alia joining everyone else to receive her tray. The air was tense enough with her sitting down at a table, let alone the Spartans' table, and he was too hungry and tired to deal with an outburst. Leonidas sat down at the table next to the serpent, shifting the food between the two trays as previously arranged. Defcon was absent since she was still in recovery.
After smelling the food cautiously, Alia ate her meal whole, swallowing the two steaks in seconds and giving a contented hiss. Leonidas blinked for a moment, then muttered, "Forgot that's how snakes eat."
"What a gentleman you are," Eagle said from his other side, elbowing him in the ribs, "We actually have real steak today, and here you are, giving it away in trade for raisins and potatoes!"
"Yeah, yeah," the Spartan King rolled his eyes, grinning, "Alia's a carnivore, and the potatoes alone will last me until tomorrow morning."
Robin looked up from her own meal, "Yeah, but even still. This is actual meat we're talking about! I joined the team, what, three months ago? And this is the first time I've had anything other than canned stuff since then!"
"She hasn't eaten since sunrise," he retorted, adding sarcastically, "You're welcome for keeping your sorry asses off the menu, by the way!"
"All of today's business without food?" Ghost said thoughtfully, ignoring the sarcastic comment, "I suppose we did arrive after the mid-day meal... I must say that you did a bang-up job of hiding your hunger, Alia. We'll make a Spartan out of you yet."
Leonidas chuckled, "And it's only her first day. Reminds me of when Robin first joined us: not even twenty-four hours on the Avenger and already part of the team! The Commander is certainly decisive when it comes to choosing Spartans."
Robin gasped suddenly, "Wait, Alia's a Spartan now!? Why wasn't I told about this!?"
"Surprise," Ghost said dryly. His sense of humor was as flat as his personality would suggest.
"The Commander certainly does have an eye for talent," Eagle gestured to Robin, "Little Bird had the spirit of a Spartan right out of the gates, and now she's developing everything else."
The sniper shrugged, "I think that Alia might be a special case. Where else would the Commander assign a viper, but to a squad of misfits? A unique role in a team of unique roles. It makes sense."
Noticing that Alia was growing visibly uncomfortable, the Spartan leader leaned forward, "Hey, guys, maybe we shouldn't talk about said viper like she isn't sitting right here? Not exactly how you make someone feel welcome..." he trailed off, his point made as the others realized that their leader was right. Leonidas ate quickly, eager to fill his empty stomach. As he did so, the other Spartans apologized to Alia. She insisted that it was alright, but they made sure to let her know that they were not ignoring her. The Spartans were nothing if not quick to adapt; already, they were treating the viper as one of their own. Ghost was right: they were a band of misfits, and that made it strangely natural to accept the serpent into their ranks.
Leonidas finished his meal and headed toward the door. Alia quickly caught up to him, and he looked at her expectantly. It was obvious that she had something to say. After a moment's hesitation, she hissed quietly, "Thank you, Leonidas. I have yet to learn when it is acceptable for me to assert myself."
"Don't mention it," he said dismissively, "It's like I said: you have a problem, you come to me. Robin was pretty similar when she started out, though she wasn't quite as shy. I understand why you're being so reserved, though. It can't be easy to have everyone glaring daggers into your back."
"I assume that this is a figure of speech?" the viper asked nervously. Leonidas realized that the idea of people putting daggers in your back simply by looking at you was not a pleasant one.
"It is," he reassured her, "I think you can discern what it means."
Alia nodded, "Yes. I will not occupy any more of your time now, Leonidas. If you will excuse me, I wish to practice using the rifle that I have been assigned."
Leonidas gestured for her to go do as she pleased, and the serpent slithered off back towards the shooting range. The Ranger, on the other hand, went to climb the ladder to the top of the Avenger, aiming to get to the balcony above the landing pad before sundown. But before he did, he made a quick stop in the Spartans' quarters to retrieve an item.
He scaled the ladder quickly, walking briskly through the Command Center and up the stairs. The Ranger greeted Central as he passed, letting the man return to his work without any further conversation. Opening the door, Leonidas stepped out onto the balcony and leaned against the railing as he reflected on the day's events. The sun was just beginning to touch the horizon, shedding a warm red-orange light across the area.
This morning, he had woken up thinking that they were going to retrieve a renegade viper from ADVENT's clutches. He had not been entirely sure as to what role she might play in the ranks of XCOM, but he had guessed that she was going to be a soldier. Then Leonidas learned that she was to be tested for squad placement and had been convinced that she was destined to be a Jackal. Instead, the Commander had deemed Alia worthy of the sixth and final position in Spartan Squad. Now he had eaten a meal with her and already grown used to her presence. All of this had happened in a single day.
"A day in the life of a Spartan," Leonidas murmured to himself as he gazed out at the setting sun, "And we're just rolling with it. I guess we all knew deep down that it was inevitable..." he sighed, "At least she's nice, I guess. Not exactly eager to see how she fares when she's forced to kill one of her own, though..." Leonidas then fell silent, simply watching the landscape sway slightly in the wind as the sun's light cast long shadows.
The Ranger had no idea how long he had been standing there, but after a while, he heard a sound behind him. Leonidas turned to see Alia coming cautiously out onto the balcony. When he looked at her, she quickly explained, "I do not wish to disturb you. Do you wish to be left alone?"
"Nah," he shrugged, turning back to look at the sunset, "I don't own this balcony―you can join me if you want. Something on your mind?"
Alia slithered up beside him silently, gazing out across the landscape as well. "I am frustrated, Leonidas," she answered, "You and the other Spartans are trying very hard to make me feel welcome, yet I cannot help but feel that I do not belong; just to come out here, I had to be escorted! I wish very much to be a Spartan, yet I feel that I have done nothing to earn such a title. I feel that I am not able to match what is expected of me."
Leonidas chuckled, "Having trouble with your rifle, huh?" Alia huffed, and he continued, "I can walk you through the process of customizing it, but from there it's up to you. It's a big responsibility, being a Spartan, but you get used to it after a while. Give it time; I'm confident you'll earn your place with us."
"I do not know," she sighed, "I feel... anxious. On edge."
He stepped back toward the door, picking up his guitar from its place against the wall. This was what the Spartan King had retrieved from their quarters on his way up. He brought it over to the railing, sitting with his legs over the edge beneath it in order to play comfortably. "I was planning on playing a bit anyway," Leonidas explained as Alia lowered herself to be at eye-level with him, "But I figure that it might help you relax a bit. It certainly helps me; that's the reason I play at all."
Alia smiled, "You are going to play for me?"
He nodded, "And sing a bit, too. This one has some lyrics." He then cleared his throat and began to pluck rhythmically at the chords, closing his eyes and singing softly:
"When the sound of new morning comes
When the birds spread their wings and fly
The sunrise marks the brand new day
But darling, now I must say goodbye.
Flowers blooming, wind is blowing
I may not know where you're going
You'll follow the wind that runs free
You'll explore the world, wait and see.
You'll explore the seven seas' waves
Go deep down through tunnels and caves
Search the reaches of the blue sky
But darling, this is my goodbye.
Don't you worry now, my dear
The world is out there,
You have nothing to fear
I say goodbye and while we're apart
Promise you'll keep me in your heart.
Now the sun steps down from the day
Night comes to put stars in the sky
Rest now darling, the day is done
Tomorrow will bring my goodbye.
When the sound of new morning comes
When the birds spread their wings and fly
The sunrise marks the brand new day..."
Leonidas let the final note hang in the air until it faded away, only opening his eyes after the instrument fell silent. He looked over at Alia, who met his gaze for a moment before shifting his focus to the setting sun. "That was beautiful, Leonidas," she hissed softly, "Thank you."
"If you think that," he folded his arms over the lower rung of the railing, resting his chin on his forearms, "Then you haven't heard many good songs. I'm no professional; I just play because I can, whenever I find the time."
"It sounded very sad," Alia said gently, "Did you make it?"
Leonidas shook his head, "I learned it from my mother. She used to sing it to me whenever she had to leave me for a while. That was before Ghost and Uncle Bradford were raising me. It's one of the few things that I remember about her."
"Oh," the viper hissed sadly, "I apologize. I did not know..."
"It's fine," the officer said as he stood, "It's a good memory. I like to focus on that fact. Now how about we turn in for the night, and I'll help you customize your rifle first thing tomorrow?"
As they returned to the Spartans' quarters, Alia slipped into her bunk while Leonidas took the time to read for a bit before turning in properly. Holding a flashlight in his mouth to read by, he laid down on the couch and lost himself in the pages. At some point, he ended up getting tired enough that he just turned off the light and set the book on the end-table, then promptly fell asleep.
...
"Leonidas?"
He woke to someone whispering his name. Looking over, he quickly spotted Alia coiled in front of the couch, looking at him.
"Nngh," Leonidas groaned quietly, "What time is it?" He pressed the backlight button on his watch and checked it. "Alia, it's two in the morning. What do you need?"
It was then that the Ranger noticed her shivering, "I am cold. I did not wish to wake anyone, but I have grown too cold to sleep." He remembered then that she was not human.
"Do you even produce your own body heat?" he asked, slowly sitting up.
"Very little," Alia answered, "Not enough to keep myself warm without an external source."
Leonidas yawned silently, "Alright. I probably shouldn't be sleeping on the couch anyway; I do that too often as it is. You can take my place here, and I'll grab you a blanket."
She slithered up onto the couch as he stood, spreading herself out across the warm surface. The Spartan King moved quietly to his footlocker, opening it and producing an olive-green cloth blanket from within. It was thin, but it would be warm. He always kept this with his other belongings in case something happened and he had to change the covers on his bunk on the fly. It had actually happened more than once over the years, though it was not exactly something that Leonidas was comfortable talking about due to its awkward nature. The one in his footlocker at any given time was clean.
He hugged it to his chest for a minute to warm it up before throwing it over Alia, and she hissed happily at the added heat. "Thank you, Leonidas."
"You're welcome," the Ranger whispered as he climbed into his bunk, "Now get some sleep. Not being able to get up in the morning on your first full day isn't what I would call a good first impression."
A/N: Leonidas' song is written to the tune of Grzegorz Mazur's The Last Goodbye. I wrote the lyrics that Leonidas sings (since the song originally has none and is beautiful without them), which is why they aren't very good as far as lyrics go. Really, you could put them to any melody that you like―I just used The Last Goodbye as a base to help me write them. I highly suggest that you look up the song and give it a listen. Nothing that I can put into words will do it justice.
As far as the story is concerned, I figured that a song like that from his childhood would make sense for him to remember. That's Leonidas for you: a personality like a pizza. He has a lot of different things that make him unique, sometimes people don't like these things, and sometimes they don't make sense. He can't decide who exactly he is; is he a battle-hardened soldier or a kind-hearted friend? Pineapple or pepperoni? Why am I comparing this guy to last night's dinner? I have no idea. But that is exactly what Leonidas is: a strange man that no one can really figure out.
Then again, maybe there is a certain someone who can... Stay tuned! Leave a review to tell me what you think so far!
As always, have fun and stay safe out there! -VV