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[sub][color=Silver][i]Garnian Salient: Rear-Lines, August 25th - [b]Departure into the Night[/b][/i][/color][/sub]
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[color=Silver]	Jean felt the warmth and comfort within Reyna's hands when she stood up, keeping a delicate tone trailed on her words as she spoke softly to soothe him. She told him that he did all that was within his power, and that slightly made him feel a little more useless. The softness of her hand slipping between his fingers brought a sense of comfort and warmth, one he hadn't felt since he'd arrived in the military lifestyle. Brandished by the luscious sweetness in her content grasp, she rose him to his feet and he almost willingly complied, his face fixated onto her and Isaac's for a short while. Something about the way he articulated a strong gaze upon her felt off on his behalf, as if he were tempted by the sirens of Vinland, but yet he felt a strange warmth in that compassionate assistance she inherently showed towards him. It was a kind gesture nonetheless. And as soon as possible, Diana reappeared. She seemed quite perplexed by the sight of them holding hands, and indeed seemed to visually make a scene out of it. Jean was quite...confused, as to how to feel. Was this normal behaviour? Did he have to be flattered that this girl who'd already proclaimed love to him before they knew one another had been so kind to him thus far? Was the sheer jealousy something to really be worried about, however? Despite his mind being taken off of her outburst suddenly, he couldn't help but remember that he'd just walked out of hell alive...Twice now.[/color]

[color=Aqua][b]"S-Sweetie?"[/b][/color] [color=Silver]Jean desperately looked towards the others for assistance. Reyna and Isaac were the only major ones he'd spoken to or heard spoken since his crumbling mass slumped into the corner, but instead he gave Reyna's hand a gentle tug with his own elegant response. He turned to Diana with a frail mind, his eyes almost twitching from the trauma the group had been through earlier that day.[/color] [color=Aqua][b]"R-Reyna..."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]He repeated the name in his head aloud, reminding himself that it was yet another pretty name to accompany a pretty face, much like Diana's, Kalisa's and now the late Mila's. Eventually, he mustered the courage to continue.[/color] [color=Aqua][b]"Private Reyna Hall was just...going to take me to my quarters. I need to...sleep. Badly. Rest. We must all rest, yes."[/b][/color]

[color=Silver]	Jean started to shuffle his feet, almost forgetting to let go of Reyna's hand as she was slowly dragged alongside him. Jean turned to retort his orders from earlier, making sure that he could piece together his fractured mind once more. In reality, he was only trying to maintain the comfort he felt until he reached his quarters, where he'd simply drop into a sporadic and painful day-night's worth of nightmarish slumber. Everyone needed to rest. Tomorrow they were to wake up early and depart for the city he could not yet name in front of his Platoon. Amone. The name itself held some importance, and it was importance that made Jean feel even more anxious than the Hill's skirmish could ever present. This time, there was no room for error.[/color]

[color=Aqua][b]"Everyone find a place to s-sleep. Now. Heard a medic came for...Kalisa. Someone can reserve a place to sleep beside her. Maybe...Diana? You two are acquainted. Go...s-stay by her side, please? Isaac...Lance Corporal...Please make sure that everyone goes and gets rest. We need it. We all need it. I don't want to travel to A-"[/b][/color] [color=Silver]He silenced himself, again realising he nearly spoke of their destination. Immediately, he shook his head and continued walking, unknowingly still dragging the sweetened Reyna behind him. As he waltzed, he then realised that he had her still in his hand.

	He felt a surge of embarrassment, not knowing that she was still with him either intentionally or accidentally. Before he really took notice of her presence and locked hand still, they were outside the NCOs dugout, where an assortment of slightly [i]more[/i] comfortable beds awaited for their filling. Jean had slept on them the three nights before the attack, the three nights that were before everyone else arrived. They were hellish nights, but not as bad as the day had been on August 25th. Jean turned, and looked to Reyna with slight redness in his face, apologising immediately.[/color]

[color=Aqua][b]"O-Oh...I'm...I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to bring you all this way. But...thanks for, whatever you said. I...I just need that sort of comfort regularly it seems. The battles are tearing me apart."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]He turned to her and smiled weakly to himself, for the first time in a while since the bombardment and charge itself.[/color] [color=Aqua][b]"T-Thanks, though. It...It goes a mile or two. You're in our Platoon, so...Just stay with me, and the rest, and I'll do what I can...what I could, and what I must for people like Diana, Kalisa, Michael, Franz and yourself...I'll...I'll...Protect."[/b][/color]

[color=Silver]	He felt the tears come down his cheeks once more, and he attempted to wipe them off but to no avail. He was seriously pandered by the heavy impacts of shells, bullets and concussive imagery of the dead. Jean truly felt his world crumbling all around him, and only on the first battle. Was he really supposed to serve for a few years in these conditions? How much longer was the war going to last? Jean's hand quickly shot into his breast pocket as he pulled out a small watch, one that barely ticked by functionally. Within an instant, he placed it in Reyna's hands.[/color]

[color=Aqua][b]"You're yet to see combat. Take...take my pendant. It'll guide you whenever I can't. I don't know if I'll ever heal from what I saw, but with my help you'll never see that personal injury. I...I mean..."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]His eyes darted away in minor embarrassment once more, his words staggering to find their place once more.[/color] [color=Aqua][b]"It belonged to my Sister. She forgot to take it with her to the war, because she feared if I ended up joining without having it myself I wouldn't survive. But you...and Isaac, and Daniel, and Kalisa, and Diana, and Archibald...They've all awoken something within my mind. I...I guess it isn't my duty to survive, because that's reserved for you people. It's my duty to protect you, even if it costs me my own life, and someday it will. Reyna...Take the pendant and keep it close. For if I am to die, I will not take it with me to the grave when people as precious as yourself need it more. I...I can't let anyone else die, not if I can do something about it. If the Platoon wishes to...well...detach themselves personally from me, as a broken mess, then so be it, but always know that it's now my duty to not serve the Federation, but to honour the dead we've lost and to be alongside you, the Platoon, Diana, Michael, Lucia...hell even Middleton...It's the only purpose I have left."[/b][/color]

[color=Silver]	Jean stood in silence, the wind coming between the Vinlander and Charpentier equally. There was a strange aura around him. It wasn't confidence anymore, nor was it the shyness of his actions. It was acceptance. Even in his training camp, Jean was told that an NCO should try to place his men's lives over his own. Now that there were such friendly, fragile, beautiful, brotherly and honourable faces all around him, it seemed like there was no choice but to lay down his life in the face of death if their safety was guaranteed by it. Jean found himself finally at the beginning of his downfall, so he suspected. EW1 was what he imagined would be his initial and eventual grave, though he trailed himself silently into his sleeping quarters, leaving Reyna with a dire apology and sincere farewell in the passionate rain. And thus, Jean went to sleep, dreaming of nothing more than the blank slate he'd been that day. Perhaps tomorrow, the train-ride to Amone and the eventual battle of Amone itself could spark a new light in him. And if they didn't, then either of the angels his Platoon had needed to rescue him from descending into the fiery depths of hell itself.[/color]

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