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[color=Silver]	Head Instructor Maurer continued his rounds unopposed by most. Some tried to replicate the hopeless continuation of the uppity-Cadet's moral crusade but failed to even get the first sentence out, relapsing back into line just as they were supposed to. Grant felt a small pain in his chest, a tightness of unrelenting sadness intoxicating his lungs. He was to march onward with people he never knew, as a result of someone else's interruption. It didn't matter if the boy was right or wrong anymore. Either way, the Head Instructor was likely prepared for such deliberations from the moment he thought of taking the position. Grant had already grown weary in his head and heart, a deeper personality whispering to him about hanging the coat whilst he still had the chance. After the first day, some of the cadets who'd entered service blindly would leave on the whim, but those who stayed beyond then were doomed to its struggles for life. For as long as he'd been alive, the moment that solidified his future was now. Here. Being sent to the punishing ring of someone else's guilt, Grant could at least taste some of the lowest of lows that training could dish out before he grew too complacent or too snug. And with him, four other cadets would experience it. They were all boys, just like himself, so he didn't have to withstand that additional awkwardness that naturally came from conversation. In addition, he didn't have to dream up profound absurdities such as attraction and all manners of experiences he wasn't fluent in. With the group, he could focus on two possibilities - friendship or hatred, no third option or inbetweens.

	Of course, Grant was overthinking any possibilities on either cadets he'd interact with. He always did. Letting himself loose and flowing without a sense of direction was only possible in physical practice, not in conversation. He could travel from town to town, never develop a sense of a homely life. It was easy when you were used to it. Grant wasn't particularly used to out-of-familial friendships. He wasn't nervous, not at least in an uncontrollable, stuttering sense. Words could be strewn together and sentences could eventually formulate into great discussions and debates. It was initiating them that gave him a slight tick of responsibility, something he hoped to expand upon before he'd enter an unforeseeable depth.[/color]

[color=D39104][b]"Alright, bar those who were exempt from such [i]luxuries[/i], you may now return to your cabins and prepare for some meals later in the day. True training starts tomorrow. Formation, dismissed!"[/b][/color] [color=Silver]Once again, in unison, the ranks and files of cadets moved as accordingly, before dispersing and spreading around. Those who already knew one another generally gravitated towards their fellow compatriots, whereas many simple wandered in isolation. Either they were swept up in conversation by the snide remark of Maurer's lack of physical hostility or they remained alone, right up until they reached their cabins. However, Grant was not one of those people, as he had to stand in place, waiting for the punished to be singled out.

	A certain Roger, and three other cadets he'd yet to identify were left to their own devices, before a booming voice commanded that they move to the side, preparing for their upcoming march. Grant was the closest to their rendezvous point, immediately being handed a flask of water whilst a few instructors began hooking themselves up with the fabled ODM gear that everyone so gloriously admired. They could get practice of their own whilst simultaneously watching over their collective jog around the entire training vicinity. Grant simply held his head down and kept quiet, nodding whenever the instructors spoke to him. They asked questions about if they'd done anything like this before, to which Grant shrugged. He had done long treks for hours longer, but it wasn't like he enjoyed them. It was a comforting thought to know he'd be able to complete it, just not that it'd do him well for the rest of the day.

	Eventually, the rest arrived in their own due times. And once they'd been given their own flasks, one of the instructors led them ahead first, and no questions were asked by the blonde boy. He didn't listen out for the other four. Not at first. Not until they'd actually been separated from the instructors, who kept an eye on them from afar whilst twirling around on their incredible pieces of machinery.

	The first and majority of their march took place in a daunting forest, with trees scaling higher than most buildings Grant had seen on the exterior walls. If he wasn't one for perspective, he'd have thought they were taller than the walls themselves. Forests like those were perfect for training with gear once trainees and soldiers got their balance perfected. Though there were mock towns to simulate urban usage of the gear itself, the forests were just as important for both the future Stationary Guardsmen and Scouts. The latter obviously were more used to environments like them, but their principles were sometimes interchangeable, mimicking the same size and statures as bell towers. In practice, they were a different basket entirely, all bunched in an unfair manner that made the cities feel like open plains by comparison. Grant watched as the instructors appeared and disappeared every now and then between the branches, sighing and panting as their jog had reached its twentieth minute. He'd remained silent for the whole thing, unaware if those behind him were talking or discussing their lives. If they were, he thought about whether getting involved was particularly important. Then, he plunged himself in unknowingly, uncontrollably turning and talking to a tall, scruffy individual first before anyone else - [b]Gabriel[/b].[/color]

[color=08A2C4][b]"So, hey..."[/b][/color] [color=silver]Grant started, trying his hardest to minimise his tone of awkwardness and instead flowing naturally as a conversationalist.[/color] [color=08A2C4][b]"Not exactly the best start to our training, huh? You'd think there'd be a sixth person with us."[/b][/color]

[centre][sub][@LordVoldemort][@KenjuGuy][@MsMorningstar][/sub][/centre]