"Mhm," Ava acknowledged as he told his story. Alois under normal circumstances worried her, but it was simply because he was more erratic than the other members of their team. He was fearless and had a devoted conviction that she saw in very few other cadets. A willingness to face certain death if it meant his blood got pumping. Usually, she would still chew him out for what he did. It was absurd, after all, that he would threaten another trainee's life or sanity simply for talking shit. People at the top were always envied and hated, their squad most of all considering they didn't stand out much in the actual training drills - only on test days and in their study during their "free time." When most trainees were writing home or resting up, they did additional drilling, [i]real[/i] work that might actually prepare them for the future. People died on day one of military service all the time. None of her soldiers would. She hadn't done more than push her food around on the tray when he stole a piece of it. The girl's head turned up venomously and she shoved the tray forward across the narrow table to him. It damn near dumped into his lap before it stopped, just barely resting over the edge in front of him. "Take it. Not hungry," She muttered absently, resting her head in her cheek and staring off to the side, her other hand drumming on the table. She was fighting the nausea bubbling in her stomach with every ounce of willpower she had, but she was thankful that at least this was subsiding. [i]Just push it back[/i], she reminded herself, [i]you're a graduate now, you're going to be seeing the [b]real[/b] world soon... Not staring at these walls for the rest of your life...[/i] It certainly helped, but a nagging feeling still rested at the back of her mind. [i]That could be them...[/i] It sang, [i]or you...[/i] They'd been circling since she saw the scout lying in a pool of his own blood, but she just had to move on from them. One comment floated through her mind. It was only for the briefest of moments, but it stuck and shook her to the core. [i]He was lucky; he got to choose where, how, and when he got to go. Who else can say they were so blessed?[/i] She pushed her hand behind her ear and straightened up, swallowing her discomfort and forcing a seemingly sincere smile to her face. "Hey, Kiryuu, hope you feel well-rested," She said with a nod as the mess hall door slammed shut. A few other cadets went running out after some sobbing girl and she shrugged, "Too late for them to turn back now, whoever it is that's just [i]now[/i] cracking under pressure..." She muttered, "Absurd." [i]Right, it [b]is[/b] absurd, so don't let it happen again.[/i] ----- Jonah gave Kiryuu a little thumbs-up for his confidence. Good, he was starting to see himself as a warrior. He'd have to, because this shit wasn't going to be fun and games or pride for much longer. It was going to be bloody, loud, and cold... All the time. None of them could really boast knowing a scout from the 72nd Battalion, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they'd be less than forgiving of any of them for having hurt feelings. Out there it would be life or death. If you didn't think you could have your brother's back in even the slightest of ways, then you weren't cut out for it. The last thing they needed was for any of them to feel like they weren't up to it. A prophecy like that was certain to fulfill itself. The dark-haired boy grabbed a tray for himself from the line and sat down about a minute after Zero did, taking the seat directly next to Alois. He wasted no time in digging into his own, looking to Alois with a mouth half full, "'R yoo 'onna ea' 'at?" He asked, holding his hand in front of his mouth to keep from spewing them. The girl rolled her eyes in disgust, but Jonah didn't seem to notice, too focused on lunch now that he could finally eat.