[center][h2]Lance Corporal James Hunt and Private Lily Jatmoore|Post Battle of Vasel[/h2][/center]
[center]A collab by Zarkun and Raven_Operative[/center]

James stared after Lily for a second, confused, but ultimately followed her, resting a hand on her shoulder after closing the door behind himself. "Lily, breath. What's wrong?" The minute Hunt closed the door and turned back around, Lilly's composure finally failed. She took one shakey step forward, and when he put a hand on her shoulder, she responded by grabbing and pulling him into the tightest hug a girl could muster.

[color=0072bc]"THANK THE VALKYRUR YOU'RE UNHARMED!"[/color] She rocked back and forth (still holding onto Hunt) as she started to cry. [color=0072bc]"Thank valk you're ok... Thank valk you're ok..."[/color] She let go with one hand to dry her tears briefly, before continuing to cling to him. She had been so worried about him, especially when she heard that artillery had hit his fireteam.James was caught off-guard and stood there dumbfounded for a moment before wrapping his own arms around her hesitantly.

"Easy, Lily. The artillery was aimed at our tank, not us. Any wounds I would have gotten would have been superficial at best anyways, crap whistles from a mile away." After a moment, he puts Lily at arms length and locks eyes with her. "Now then, what about you? And don't try and sell me like you did before the battle. You and I both know I know better." It took a moment, but Lilly managed to collect herself enough to make a reply.

[color=0072bc]"I'm..."[/color] She [i]almost[/i] said 'I'm fine', but it was painfully obvious that was not the case. [color=0072bc]"I'm not alright... Mr. Hunt, I beg of you. Please do not make me do that again... I-I can fight. I can run. I... I can do my job, but please... please do not make me lead again. I-I-I'm not a good leader. If someone were to die from a mistake I made, that would be too much to bear."[/color] Battles were already stressful enough for Lilly, trying to survive on her own, but trying to keep track of, take care of, and give orders to a group of other people was too much for her to handle. That was one of the major reasons why she broke down during the fight. James wasn't sure how to reply, as her asking him to not have her lead a squad again somewhat caught him off guard. He knew Lily perhaps the best out of everyone in the squad and therefore trusted her the most. Still, if she felt she wasn't fit to lead...

"Alright, I won't ask you to lead again. But in return, you're assigned to my fireteam from now on. You're suffering from serious PTSD, Lil." Lilly let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. That was a relief. 

[color=0072bc]"Thank you... "[/color] There was one other question that she had to ask, though. [color=0072bc]"Mr. Hunt, what is PTSD?"[/color] Lilly had never heard of such a term. In her (admittedly brief) studies of EW1, she had not encountered it. Stories of soldiers losing their nerve and fleeing before being tried for cowardice (something she was very tempted to do, but was trying to avoid), yes, but PTSD? No.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's a very common thing in most soldiers, and I'm seeing a lot of militia members get it as well." Shaking his head, James sits on a barrel in the alleyway and sighs. "But there isn't anything that can be done about it until we get back to base. Hopefully command gives us a break between now and our next engagement."

[color=0072bc]"I see..."[/color] Being told that there was something wrong with her was less than pleasant news for Lilly, but nothing could be done to change that. She slumped against the side of the building for a while, watching as the sky darkened and the stars came out, trying to relax. Trying to calm down. Trying to compose herself. When she felt like she was able to at least act normal (even if she felt nothing close to it), she spoke. [color=0072bc]"We should probably return to the squad. They might start to wonder why we've been gone so long... and thank you, Mr. Hunt."[/color] James smiles and nods.

"Any time Lily. Go ahead and head in, I'm gonna take a minute and enjoy the view out here. And please, call me James. We're a squad, which is a family in and of itself. Family members don't call each other by their last names."

[color=0072bc]"Alright, James."[/color] Lilly returned the smile and stood up before heading over to the door. She brushed herself off, straightened her uniform and took a deep breath. Once her preparations were complete and she had composed herself, she opened the door and walked back into the house, looking no worse for wear and much calmer. 

James watched her go in and sighed once the door was closed. They had been very fortunate that the squad hadn't suffered any casualties during the battle, but he knew that wouldn't always be the case. The best he could do was try to get his people home after each fight and that was it.