So, when you're a Gunner and your job is to make sure that people in your charge are adequately covered in all operations and don't get picked off by sniper fire, you get plenty of oppurtunities to just start people-watching. You watch as old friends talk and laugh, how new friends forge new bonds, and you also see - most regrettably - all the pains and grievances cutting across their faces. This was what Britta Hagen had been doing with her time in the 15th Atlantic Rifles. From the first day to the current one, she had gotten first and [i]lasting[/i] impressions of those around her. She watched as Jean went from cautiously optimistic to nervous and under pressure to slowly disintegrating. She watched Michael grow more grimly determined and taller in spirit than he was in physical form. She watched Lucia's emotional state bounce from despair to horror to manically joyous, dependent on the situation. She felt she knew these people, just by glancing at them. Even Franz, for all his inwardness, couldn't help but show to even those that didn't know him that he was under alot of stress. However, out of them all, there was perhaps one person who defied normal description, because he didn't fit the normal venue: Isaac Black. At first, he looked like some sort of veteran Gunner, but he was about as green as she was. Even his general anger towards the people that recruited him by force didn't account for that look in his eye. It wasn't always there, but there was something about it that offset every other read of who and what he was about. He did what her drill sergeant called 'soldiering on', dealing with situations with a sort of general disapproval, but willingness to approach the situation because he had to. He hated this war, but he fought with the same focus, every time. He never wanted to be here, but he didn't get on anybody's case when they were revealed to have volunteered for various reasons. He worked his ass off to support them, to keep them alive, even though he literally had better things to do. Learning about [i]him[/i] hadn't been a difficult task, though, once she started talking to him. Plenty of chances to do it too, being the company Gunners and having to coordinate alot. He was good in a situation and candid enough when just talking. The way Isaac cared about others was the best part. You could trust him with anything, if it was reasonable enough. He was responsible and protective of those around him, and when she learned of [i]why[/i]... Well, let's just say that the whole 'raising of wolves' thing caught her by surprise...both by it having happened at all...and how it explained [i]so much[/i]. As much as Isaac had raised his wolves, they had taught him things, as well. That was why he was so hard to place. Isaac didn't act like other people. Isaac was being Isaac, and you could really appreciate that. So anyway, back to the people-watching. She had seen how the squad was when wound-up tight. Now, she could see what they were like when there wasn't so much holding them back. Britta felt that it was maybe a bit early for some of them to get drunk. Ines, Luke, Franz, and the Oceanic lot were probably okay for it, but you wouldn't say that it was exactly wise for Jean to have a few in his condition, and you would [i]definitely[/i] not want Lucia bouncing off the walls, but...too late there. Sitting at the bar, Britta had watched Luke's antics and the read-aloud of Jean's poetry, then heard cries for 'Mickey'...and knew that it was too late to save Lucia from this place. Hopefully, Michael would be able to help. Britta had been keeping a very careful eye on those two. Everyone worried about how well the Asseni girl was coping with her life in the army, and while she was everyone's friend, it seemed as though Isaac cared a fair deal about her and Michael was growing [i]especially[/i] close. It made her think... Well, really, it made her go to several places, as she had a couple of drinks. She'd been watching Isaac, as well. You could tell that he harbored no ill-will towards the average Imperial, because he had ended up talking to them as he got a few drinks into his system as much as he had Federation soldiers. He made his feelings known on the war, he said not to take it personally that he had to shoot them, and then there was that 'toast' to Captain Middleton, under his assumed name of Captain Grumpus, calling him the ultimate asshole. Honestly, she couldn't hold in her laughter as she raised her glass with a dozen people who didn't even know who he was talking about, plus any that [i]did[/i]. It was then that she asked for that bottle of scotch, paid with whatever she had in her pocket to make the ends meet, and got Isaac to follow her to an unoccupied room. They'd already had their armor and normal fatigues off after starting to relax in the White Heart. It was just a matter of hauling them in there so nobody did anything with them OR their weaponry. [color=f7941d]"You know, if people could just [i]see[/i] places like this, they'd cancel the war and go home."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"You think so?"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Well, mostly. I dunno. I got into an argument with the one guy with the moustache. He said the way we live is against his way of life. I told him I was a farmer and I raise food. I asked him what he had against food, and he said 'Nothing'. So then I ended up shouting at him about what he was even [i]fighting[/i] for, and we got in a shouting match until he blurted out 'Your prices are too high!' and laughed like a loon."[/color] They stepped into the room in question, finding a bed, dresser, chairs, small table, etc. Isaac immediately flopped onto the bed with a relaxing sound and a stretch as Britta opened the bottle with...some effort. She let out a triumphant [b][color=ed1c24]"Hah-hah!"[/color][/b] when she got it. Isaac turned over, curious. [color=f7941d]"Oh, you brought something."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Yeah, I thought you'd want something a little more special than the beer."[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"My dad drinks whiskey. I tried that once. Didn't work out, though."[/color] The silver-haired blinked. [b][color=ed1c24]"How old were you?"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"...five."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Five?! Why were you drinking at [i]that[/i] age?"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Oh, my dad just handed me a shot and said 'Here, try this.', and watched the results as I stumbled around and made a mess on the floor. I apologized, then he apologized, then he sent me to bed to sleep off the after-effects. Mom wasn't pleased."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"I can imagine. The way you talk about him, he sounds like a good man, but that's just a bit weird..."[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Nobody's perfect. Gimme a glass."[/color] She poured the two glasses, and they drank from them. Yeah...alot difference from the beer, more of a subtle impact and flavor, and definitely not as strong as whiskey. Also, neither one of them appeared to be getting sick, so Isaac pronounced them as having grown up a little, which made Britta chuckle at him as she sat down on the bed with him. After a moment of silence and reflecting on the loosening of their brains and how the room felt wobbly, Britta spoke up. [b][color=ed1c24]"So, there was something bothering you before, something you wanted to ask me?"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Yeah... D'you...remember the charge? How it felt? Everything?"[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Vividly."[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Well, I [i]almost[/i] got shot, and that freaked me out on the short-term, and then I didn't think about it, but...then at the cavalry charge, and the armored car..."[/color] Oh yes, she remembered those quite well. Knowing the consequences of what happens when you foolishly charge those who shared the same training as you did made such actions all the more frightening. She waited for Isaac to continue, not interrupting him. [color=f7941d]"Are you starting to see us at the end of your barrel? You, me, the rest of the squad?"[/color] Britta looked down silently for a moment, then admitted that she had had a moment like that, just briefly. [b][color=ed1c24]"It was just me, just for an instant. I'd already fired and the soldier was already dead, but...directly after, it made me think a little."[/color][/b] They were finishing their glasses and Isaac got up to refill them now. [color=f7941d]"We're here because we have to fight, but if we didn't have to, I don't think we would."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"But we don't have a choice, do we?"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"No, but...these people are just like us, so...let's not think of them any other way."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Agreed."[/color][/b] They clinked their glasses, drank spirits in the name of the spirits manifesting at the ends of their guns, and settled into the warm buzz of alcohol even further. [color=f7941d]"All that said, I'm glad that you're with us, Britta. I remember how that Sergeant, the one that got shot, gave you hell while we were waiting in the trenches. I'm glad he got it instead of you. I don't like the thought of anyone dying in general, but some people really have it coming."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"What, you mean like Captain Grumpus?"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Him and that recruitment officer. 'I'll show [i]you[/i] my natural combat ability!' I kinda' hope they both live so I can punch 'em in the face."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Thank you for that. I know you watch over [i]everyone[/i] in the squad, but I definitely feel more confident [i]knowing[/i] that you do."[/color][/b] Britta got up to refill the glasses again and noticed...someone kept moving the room around, especially when she tried to go anywhere. It was like back in the train to Amone, but if it were doing nothing but making right and left turns. She just about managed to pour the drinks again and turned back toward the bed, where Isaac had gotten up to steady her, but things went wrong as he bumped into her, she tipped back, Isaac reached out to pull her in again, and the two of them tripped and fell onto the bed, glasses and drinks toppling onto the covers. Britta was almost on top of the wolf-training farm boy when he suddenly broke out snickering. [color=f7941d]"We made a mess on the bed. Mom's gonna be [i]pissed[/i]."[/color] She couldn't help it. The two of them busted out laughing, both going red in the face as they lay on the bed, holding onto each other to keep their sides from splitting. When Britta finally realized their proximity, she didn't recoil nervously or anything. It just seemed natural to her. They'd been working closely together, sleeping next to each other... This was normal. Then, she remembered what it was that [i]she[/i] wanted to talk about and pulled herself up so that she was effectively eye-level with Isaac, looking down at him in about as serious an expression as she could manage, given the circumstances. [b][color=ed1c24]"Isaac, can I ask you something?"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Mmm?"[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"I need you to pay attention for a moment, because It's important to me, okay?"[/color][/b] He blinked up at her, obviously having settled into an alcohol-engaged sort of mirth from the joke he just told, but he seemed to be aware enough to focus on her. He informed her in what sounded like a serious enough voice that he was listening, which was what she hoped for. [b][color=ed1c24]"You know that I joined the army willingly for my parent's sake, and that I'm not exactly [i]against[/i] fighting in this war. We have to protect our own and stuff. But even still...there [i]is[/i] one thing that I'm afraid of, and that's being alone and isolated and waiting to die."[/color][/b] This statement had a noticeable effect on Isaac, who had gone from [i]passably[/i] focused to what Britta might have termed as 'Isaac letting the wolf out'. She continued, as he was clearly waiting for her to say her peace. [b][color=ed1c24]"I've had nightmares of this, being isolated from the group, wounded and bleeding out, and no one being there to help me or at least stay with me towards the end. There's nothing more frightening to me than dying alone. I don't want to die at all, but that's what worries me the most, being left to die without anybody there for me."[/color][/b] She leaned in closer now to say this last part. [b][color=ed1c24]"I want you to promise me, Isaac, because I know that I can trust you to do this: Don't ever leave me behind. If something happens, if I get separated from the group, please come looking for me...and don't give up until I'm found. I know it's selfish of me, but I..."[/color][/b] Britta trailed off as she felt Isaac pulling her in close, so there was nothing separating them at all, that in her moment of vulnerability while confessing her greatest fear, he thought of nothing but comforting her and making her feel safe. It reminded her of the moment he kept Lucia from watching all the caveliers die, that simple gesture to help people remain calm. And then, she heard... [color=f7941d]"I absolutely promise. No matter what, I will come for you."[/color] Relief flooded through her, as did the familiar warmth of the two of them being drunk. Or was that just their bodies so close together? It didn't matter, though, because whatever the reason was, they were already starting to react with it, without even thinking about it. Perhaps it was out of graditude or because he was so forthcoming, or just that age-old warning about alcoholic inhibitions, but suddenly Britta felt the need to get even closer to Isaac, even though that wasn't physically possible. Well, not traditionally... Already feeling intoxicated in at least a couple of ways, the two Gunners held each other even tighter as their lips met, their eyes shut, and they were lost to the world outside as far as anybody else was concerned. Whether it was a fit of passion or the start of a beautiful relationship, for now...it was good.