So this was war... Lilly's eyes flicked around frantically, looking from alley to alley, window to window, rooftop to rooftop. The empire was here already? So soon... They hadn't even gotten to train. Fortunately she already knew how to handle a rifle, but she had no combat experience. How was this going to turn out for her? Drawing on her memories of the harsh structure of her home, she buried the rampant uneasiness rushing through her system, and focused on being methodical. It's just like a tea ceremony or a business meeting, Lilly, you can do this. Focus. Eyes on the alley, left, right, eyes on the roof, right, left, eyes on the road, left, right, back to the alleys, left, right, left. As they hustled up the streets, she kept to this tempo, donning her sense of structure and methodology as a kind of armour - an armour to protect against the stabbing arrows of doubt and fear that descended upon her. Just keep yourself focused, Lilly, left, right, left.

Unfortunately, this armour did not hold up when she was confronted by the sight of two young lads laying on the ground, covered in blood and bullet holes. The sight and smell caused her stomach to churn, and she probably would have doubled over and retched, had Sergent Harald not thrust a pair of rifles and munitions pouches into her hands. Trying to forget about what she just saw, she clipped on a pouch as fast as her trembling hands would let her, before passing the second pouch and rifle to the woman standing behind her. Only after she was sure her comrade had grabbed the items, did she let go and start to attempt to load the rifle. Had it been an unfamiliar weapon, she was sure that her shaking hands would have dropped the bullets or misplaced the magazine, but this was an S-1. Her muscle memory from the many times she practiced shooting with her father took over, and she successfully managed to prep the rifle for firing. In an attempt to distract herself from noticing the amount of blood that was dripping off her pouch and seeping into her clothes, she forced herself to think about just how fortunate she had been in securing one of the rifles her father manufactured. Come on, Lilly... Just ignore it... Just pretend like it's water. It's nothing bad, just water. Left, Right, Left, Alley, Roof, Street, Left, Right, Left. 

Lilly's nervousness and fear were boiling over. It was much easier to focus on a routine when you weren't carrying something that previously belonged to a dead soldier. She had to concentrate. This was her duty. What was going on? Would she make it? A sudden, metal sounding noise came from a near by alley, caused Lilly to nearly jump a foot. She immediately trained her shaking rifle on it. "W-what was thaat?!" Her previous composure gone, Lilly's voice degraded into that of a terrified school girl - something she would undoubtedly berate herself for later. If she survived, that was.