[center][h3][color=D8bfb8]Private First Class Esther Rose[/color][/h3][/center]

[b]"Hey, uh, Esther"[/b]

Esther slowly turned her attention after hearing her name spoken.  She was sitting silently on a chair counting thoughts in her head to some monotonous rhythm pumping through her veins.  Her thumb twitched a bit as her eyes shifted towards the speaker.  It was Private Webley.  Her shoulders lowered, relaxingly as he continued to speak, turning one ear upwards towards him.

[b]"It's, uh, your shift. S-stay warm."[/b]

She watched his mouth smile before he walked away. A little perplexed by his end note, Esther raised her left eyebrow slightly, continuing to study him as he made his way towards the common area.  After losing a lackluster interest with him, she let her face relax before uncrossing her legs and quickly planting both her boots flat onto the floor to allow herself the opportunity to stand up with ease. As her wiry body stood up, a long shadow was cast on the chair she had just occupied. Her eyes stared deeply into the shadow for only a brief moment before twisting her entertainment towards her assignment.  A subtle smile carefully drew itself on her pale, pink lips. Esther enjoyed her watch shift; it allowed her time and space to think without feeling the pressure to socialize.

Her EHCS, of course, was located in her sleeping space. She did not have much time to put on the suit, and currently, the post was unguarded from the outside, which was a major threat to their defense.  Private Webley had not worn his EHCS.  However, Esther was not about to follow in his footsteps.  Her thin body would not stand a chance against the wind outside, and frankly, Esther was quite proud of her EHCS, despite it being the standard issue.   No one could tell if she was a man or a woman when she wore it.  It made her feel normal--a term she was still trying to define.  Perhaps, this shift she would finally understand the meaning.

The living quarters were not far from the common area.  Esther quickened her pace regardless of how small the underground base was.  She pushed the door open and walked towards her EHCS. [i]Alright, big guy,[/i] she spoke to it silently, placing her hand on the big hulk of a suit. Her smile was still perched on her clenched lips. She pulled the suit open and gracefully placed herself inside of it.  Her heart fluttered as the suit closed on her, feeling the fluid sensation of power and protection hold onto her flesh. Before leaving the space, she grabbed her weaponry.

Her body turned towards the door and made its way to the outside. The heavy suit moved easily with her thin frame as she walked swiftly. It didn't take long for her to get to the outside of the post. As she shoved the outside door open, Esther turned to look at the inside of the post once, letting her eyes see the light of the building before relinquishing herself to the darkness that would be coming during her shift.  The door shut itself as she let go of it. The roar of the outside became more noticeable.  Her face turned to look at the desolate surroundings.  She quietly eased her body and sat down, feeling the wind and snow hit her suit relentlessly. It was a mess outside, and she could not quite spot her shadow in all the weather.

She untucked her Vulcan War Hammer S2 and laid it down next to her. Her fingers caressed the design of the model.  Even if she could not feel the design through the EHCS, she still liked touching it. [I]Do normal people like touching their weapons?[/I]  Cocking her head to the side, her hand rested on the hammer, glowing in the snow.  Her mind quickly directed itself to [I]The Confessions of Saint Augustine[/I] and his scepter of passion. Her mother and father taught her not to think like [I]that[/I], but after a year in the wild, she was beginning to make stupid jokes like [I]that[/I] to herself. Perhaps, that is what normal people did, who were not in the military, who didn't have weapons... they played with their body parts. In whatever case, Esther was beginning to believe being normal was not ever going to be for her, and she wasn't so sure it was something to occupy her mind any further.