[color=bc8dbf][u][b][h1][center]Reiko Hayakawa[/center][/h1][/b][/u][/color]

War was never comfortable, but Reiko had to admit she much preferred to be fighting down here in Latis than in Zuiterra. For starters, the climate was just so much more mild. The heat of the Zuiterran deserts never sat well with Reiko, while Latis' temperate farms and rivers were much more to her liking, and even reminded her just a touch of home. On top of that, the structure of warfare here was somewhat simpler to handle, at least as far as Reiko was concerned. Whereas she could hear Latis' cavaliers charging from miles away, the Zuiterrans were used to irregular, skirmish warfare. It was easy for Reiko to dance circles around rank and file soldiers acting in predictable patterns, but when someone got down on her level and fought dirty, it meant she had to try harder to bring them down. Life was better when it was simpler. Reiko did not relish challenges nor did she enjoy second guessing everything happening around her. Of course, even if she didn't enjoy it, it was all part of what she was trained to do. The Hayakawa clan taught her to be wary of her surroundings at every moment, both through formal instruction and through a certain life lesson they inadvertently imparted on her.

It was perhaps partly due to that wariness that she found herself idling at the camp for now. She was well aware that their next target was to be the port city of Flemont. If she were the enterprising sort, she might think to sneak into the city, do some scouting, or perhaps lay in wait to throw open the gates for the company. She would not be doing any of that. At least, she wouldn't be doing any of that right now. Experience had taught her that taking initiative with one's superiors was always a highly risky endeavor. Maybe you could set forth and achieve some great goal that would have them singing your praises till dawn, but you could easily end up blundering into an ambush or otherwise ruining a well thought out plan just because you decided to act alone. It was even worse when it came to military types. Officers were obsessed with order and obedience, and she had seen more than a few soldiers be punished for stepping out of line. Certainly, the Red Branch Company were a mercenary brigade, but she was aware the captain had military ties, so she was in no hurry to treat her like anything less than a officer. In line with the mercenary line of thought, it was practically in her job description to only act when made clear of payment, so Reiko was going to sit here, practise her marksmanship, and wait for very clear instructions on what she would be doing next. The last thing she wanted was to get her pay docked because the captain decided it was actually too risky to send anyone into the city prior to their formal assault.