"Please."

It's a quiet word, and one so out of place that Galnius can't help but cut off midmurmur in surprise to look at the statue. The murderstatue wants to talk? It can talk [i]quietly?[/i]

Alexa's step never wavers as she talks, but she's also pointedly not looking at anything besides the path towards the sepulchral engine rooms. No, that's not quite right, Galnius realizes. She's not looking forwards, but back: back in time, back to other times and other faces.

"Tell me about them, Galnius. I know well the press of a shield wall. The press of brothers and sisters, side by side, shields firm to defend. When one falls, the hole must be filled at once, lest the phalanx fall and all be lost. But the wall is never the same, is it?"

It's not Jrav at your side. Not Jrav, third son of a petty noble. Not Jrav, who left his home to seek the inheritance he'll not receive from his family. Not Jrav, who hides his sketchbook from the rest of the platoon. Not Jrav, who delights in telling the worst jokes purely for the groans.

There's a new man at your side. The phalanx stands tall and strong. But it's not Jrav, and it's not the same.

"I do not relish killing," she confesses with the solemn air of one admitting high treason to the king's face, and it takes all she has not to check to see whether Athena is standing behind her, listening. "It is all that I know. But if I must, then allow me to mourn. Please, Galnius. Tell me of them, that I may mourn with you."

[[b]10[/b] on Speak Softly.
-What should I be wary of when dealing with them?
-What would they have us do next?
-What can they tell us about themselves?]