[A swift collab between [@agentmanatee], [@Bright_Ops] and I. This [b]not[/b] the update though, [b]that[/b] will begin in a moment.]



Ninke had just finished giving Belgond his little 'reward' for coming back alive when the Colour Sergeant had approached the pair. Her face lit up with a red hue as she quickly got off of Belgond's lap, and looked to the Red Coat before giving a little gulp,  [color=f49ac2]"Eh, I am um... sure Private Belgond ees eh, sateesfied with his first combat action Sir."[/color], she looked at the flask in the man's hands but didn't move to take it, she had responded to the question directed at Belgond, but she didn't want to make things worse somehow.

This was not the first time that Bourne had seen 'in-action' rewards of this type, after the Battle of Olivier's Knoll - which had actually been far more like a mountain - he had seen the citizens of Carden City copulating most heartily in the wide open spaces of the streets, and the embarassment that it seemed was affecting this young woman only made him chuckle all the more.

"Please, " he said, thrusting the flask forward in the direction of either of them, "don't stop on my account; I wanted to come over and congratulate your companion on his survival, after the suicidal Grox dung that he pulled not moments ago."

The presence of the Colour Sergeant seemed to finally bring Belgond around from the state of shock that he had been in after... recent events. Forcing himself to stand up on his own two feet (Using the trench wall to assist in both getting him up and keeping him there), the grunt offered the Sergeant a salute for a moment before answering, his face only slightly less lit up then Ninke's own.

"Honestly Sir? I didn't expect to be coming back at all. But if I ever needed proof that the Emperor likes to glance towards the guard every now and then, I bloody saw it when that shell landed in front of me and didn't explode." Shuddering a little at the memory, he took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing "Still, considering what happened with that green skin tin can earlier, the Emperor seems to be favoring suicidal heroics today. Wouldn't be surprised if Ninke got a medal for that Sir."

Ninke blushed even more at Belgond's praise of her actions, shuffling uncomfortably. [color=f49ac2]"Eh, no, that was eh... that was Belgond's idea not mine. He suggested we stick grenades into eets weak points so we could deesable eet. I just helped. He deserwes credit not me sir."[/color], she wasn't sure how she felt about being called Belgond's 'companion' but she imagined he meant nothing by it. She looked at the flask in his hands, gesturing to it, [color=f49ac2]"What ees in your flask Sir? Amasec?[/color]

She would take it and sniff the liquid inside. It burned her nostrils and smelled like tar. She recoiled slightly from the foul drink, wondering how men could drink such ridiculous liquids. Though... she did feel slightly self conscious at her recoiling from the liquid, she was a Guardsman after all, seemed silly to recoil from a drink.

The Colour-Sergeant reached over and plucked the flask away from her with a slight huff - she had called his adopted planets favoured drink mere 'Amasec', and neither of them had bothered to take the offered flask, something that most Alban soldiers would take as a grave insult.

"No, Private...in Gothic is roughly translates as 'water of life', although it is far more likely to kill you," he replied, turning away to look toward the ruined buildings that jutted from the ground, listening for a moment in a way that only those well versed in war found possible; the good thing was that, for the moment, he could sense nothing wrong. For the moment.

Remembering the earlier comments of the young, but tired, Guardsman, Bourne took a pipe from his other jacket pocket and pressed down on the auto-lighter stud. Very soon he was puffing away, looking out once more at their surroundings with a growing sense of unease.

"I am truly sorry to say this, to the both of you, but it takes far more than what the pair of you may have done today to gain yourself a medal in this Emperor's army..."

He might have gone on, had not MacRostie made her way over to the pair - flaming hair trailing down her shoulders, and her pale, freckled, face with a concerned look upon it. Once she reached them she snapped off a salute - something only Ninke had not done, and another thing that Bourne had noted about her behaviour - clearing her throat and speaking up.

"We have recieved a transmission from HQ,  Sergeant. It would appear that we'll be going foreward soon, along with," her gaze momentarily took in the NCOs new conversational partners, "long with this lot."

Bourne gave a chuckle and a nod of understanding, "very well, you've informed the Lieutenant of this?" Lieutenant Greyson was the regiments highest ranking officer left, and MacRostie informed him that she had, as well as recieving the co-ordinates for their route.

"Tell the men to fix bayonets and look to their power-packs, and get those pipers ready!"  

Turning away from his own Vox Operator, a smile on his lips and a show of white teeth with it, he gave another long drag on his pipe and pointed toward where his men were beginning their preparations for an order that the other regiments had not yet recieved.

"It was a pleasure to make your acquaintances, both of you, truly," complimented the Sergeant, his peaked helmet placed back onto his head as he made ready to return to his men, "I would advise you both to stick close to the Albans and I, at least because we make a bigger target and, if you should find yourselves split off or on your own...well...come and find me then."

Taking one of each of their hands into his own, he closed his fist and pumped them thoroughly, letting them go before facing about and striding back in the direction of his own unit, a sense ofcalm purpose coming over him as he did so; he had been bought here to slay the enemies of Him on Terra, and as of yet they had all been out of his reach. All that, very soon, was about to change.

The discovery that what he had done was not considered medal worthy caused Belgond to blink a little; If that hadn't been deemed good enough, he shuddered to think of what would be required of him in order to actually get acknowledgement at all. As the heads up about the charge was given to him, Belgond offered him a snap salute before taking his hand. He might not have been as strong as the Sergeant, but he felt that at least he managed to make the handshake firm enough to make a good impression. 

"It was a pleasure to meet you Sergeant. I hope we get to meet you again after this is over." A simple message, but honestly the best that a guardsman could hope for. Glancing towards Ninke for a moment, he offered her a small, somewhat shy smile before he went to the task of fixing a bayonet to the end of his lasgun. He didn't really know if he was excited or terrified at the idea of fighting an ork in melee combat, but a part of him suspected the latter... Still, couldn't show it in front of Ninke or anyone else for that manner. 

Ninke exhaled slowly as the Colour Sergeant informed them of the coming charge, the second one she would be a part of today... and it felt no less suicidal. Even so, she took his hand with a smile, and simply nodded to the man as he squeezed her hand a bit harder than she had expected. She caught Belgond's smile to her before he went to affixing his bayonet, but knew he was scared. It... it was like how she knew Boers was scared early, at the first charge, Belgond hid it better but it didn't change the fact he was scared. So was Ninke, to an extent, but she was far more angry at the Orks than scared, they had taken everyone she had known from her in a matter of hours... even minutes. She affixed her own blade, hoping she could kill as many orks as possible, though even still she shook slightly, the trepidation and excitement from the first charge mixed with her new fear and rage and she simply couldn't stop it.

She glanced at Belgond over her shoulder, and once she was done with her bayonet decided he, like Boers, needed encouragment something to keep him fighting that wasn't fear. She slung her lasgun over her shoulder, bayonet now affixed, and walked up behind him. She pressed against his back, and put a hand on his right shoulder, sliding it down his arm to his hand, he was a fair bit taller than her by a foot and a half and she had to stand on her toes as she pressed against him to speak quietly to not be heard by others and still have him hear her, [color=f49ac2]"We will make eet Belgond, I will be weeth you... and you will be with me."[/color], she gripped his hand tight, trying to reassure him, and maybe put her in the front of his mind and not the fear.

If Ninkie's plan was to put herself at the front of Belgond's mind, she was successful. [i]Very[/i]  successful. Shuddering a little in delight at her presence, he turned to look at her softly before squeezing her hand tightly and leaning in to kiss her again. It was a short one, but it lasted a bit longer then the last time he had tried it. 

Once it was over, he chuckled a little as he softly muttered in kind "You know I will be, no matter what happens."

Ninke didn't stop Belgond from kissing her again, she made no objections, and even returned the favor. She knew it could give Belgond the strength he was going to need, the strength they were going to need. Besides, right now? He was one of the only people Ninke knew, her only companion, who had saved her and who had helped her when she most needed it. Perhaps it would sound ludicrous to the less faithful, but Belgond had to be a gift, a sign from the God Emperor to Ninke that all was never lost and that we all have something to keep us going. She smiled as Belgond pulled off, chuckling, and made his muttered vow.

She looked into his eyes and squeezed his hand once more before letting go, [color=f49ac2]"Yes, you will. The Emperor guides us, he guided you to me and he will guide us through these days... trust me and trust him, and when we have time I can learn more ouf you and you ouf me, now I feel there may be little time for much at all, unless you feel there ees a question you must ask?"[/color], truly they did know little of eachother, and she was curious but felt Belgond may be more so. She knew this may be the last chance they would get for speech like this for a long while, and gave him the oppourtunity to use it if he wished.

Smiling a little shyly at Ninke and feeling somewhat self aware about the whole 'gift from the Emperor' thing, he didn't exactly deny it; Considering what had happened earlier, it was clear that the Emperor had at least glanced his way for a moment... why not glance her way as well? 

Her question caused him to pause for a moment; She did have a point, they really didn't know each other very well. Still, he did manage to smile as he asked "When we get through this, what do you want to do together first?" A simple question, but there were was ways to ask a girl on a date.

She thought about the question... when they got through this what would even happen? The Hirisit regiment was as good as gone but the Tusheina still stood, largely unscathed by comparison. Before she could just answer she had to think what would happen to her... what would the guard do with her and the other Hirisit? She supposed it was possible and even likely they'd just be mixed in with some other regiment- she shook her head, these thoughts were for later. Belgond had taken advantage of her offer and she would oblige.

[color=f49ac2]"Well... after all this I... ehm..."[/color], she blushed as she struggled to grasp at what she truly wanted after all this, a harder question than she had imagined it would be, [color=f49ac2]"I suppose w-we could... eh, well a simple dinner would be nice... with food not the rations in thee guard... i-is that... good?"[/color], she asked with genuine worry, not wishing to sound horribly dull to Belgond, after all that had happened.

Belgond smiled warmly as he nodded his head. "That actually sounds really good." Considering how [i]interesting[/i] the day was going to be, something as simple as having a dinner that wasn't guardsmen rations with a beautiful woman sounded absolutely divine! Taking a moment to check over his lasgun to make sure that it was up for the task of seeing him through the coming carnage, he took a deep breath before saying "All we have to do is work up an appetite first. Sound good?"

Smiling affectionately at Belgond, Ninke gently squeezed his arm like when they had first seen the Killa Kan earlier that day, before she checked her own weapon, making certain it was clean and would work how it needed to. She looked back at him and smirked at his suggestion they 'work up an appetite', [color=f49ac2]"Indeed, as a man I met once said, 'Orks aren't going to kill themselves', and I vould hate to disapoint him."[/color], she winked at Belgond and turned around first, making her way to the Redcoats where they were preparing to begin the next charge... she wondered if Belgond was staring, following ot both.

Belgond didn't follow Ninke right away... He took a moment to look out over the ruined city that they would be charging into shortly. It was not a pleasant sight... Turning his head to look in Ninke's direction, he smiled a little as he found something a [i]lot[/i] more pleasant to admire and look at. Following after her, he tried not to think about what the future would bring.