[i]In constant sorroooow![/i] Sorry, had to do it with that 'soggy bottom' mention. Their attires really did [i]nothing[/i] for the rain. There was marginal protection against cold, shielding from the sun's heat, the wind was [i]okay-ish[/i], but the damp? No no no... The rain would drip down, and it would get absorbed into the clothing. Soon, it could absorb no more and it ran down your body, until finding a low-point to exit. By the time [i]that's[/i] happened, though, you're feeling wet and cold down your back and in the seat of your pants, and the only way to rectify this [i]apart[/i] from actually finding somewhere warm and dry to evaporate all the liquid was to stuff a towel into the now-soaked area so you have a layer of something comparatively dry in between you and it...and that didn't last forever. Such is the folly of those without umbrellas. And in general, that was 100% of the army. But enough about that. They were there to wait on the arrival of others before...ugh...Middleton got here. Captain Middleton sauntered in, and all conversation and fleeting amounts of joy in the world just evaporated. This was a man who destroyed good, just by existing. Others arrived, but the last was apparently Jean, and Captain Grumpus didn't like that. So, there was a brief to-do about that, while Isaac, Diana, Senja, Lucia, and Britta looked on. Nothing came of it, though. Frankly, nothing Middleton could do could really make things worse than already having to personally deal with him. He couldn't exactly shoot people [i]without[/i] reason, and being late just wasn't gonna cut it. But let's move on from the misery of Captain Middleton. Let us get down to the reason he called them here: The laying mission. [center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bwsc98iXZo[/youtube][/center] The Captain paced back and forth, talking to them like this was a familiar thing to them. What he failed to realize was the general confusion regarding the mission until it was actually stated. Isaac had guessed, and Britta had thought it sounded familiar, since they were both farmers. It was less obvious to others, especially since this would be their actual first. Chances are, Middleton had had others before him like this, and just assumed that everyone knew by now, even though that was untrue. Nevermind that, though. It was exactly what Isaac thought it was, from the context of the mesh. They were re-obstacle-ing No Man's Land. They needed to go out, find the mesh area that was blasted out by recent artillery, cover it up, and get back. It was immediately obvious who the protection and lookout half of this brigade was going to be. Gunners had to haul their [i]own[/i] materials, and though it was less cumbersome of late, it was still a weight, one which you didn't want to add the rolls of mesh around them. In a way, that meant that Isaac and Britta lucked out, but... [color=f7941d][i]I'm the one with the most experience with this, both the hauling AND the placement.[/i][/color] His background in actually dealing in barbed mesh - not military-grade, but civilian - meant that he could handle it quicker with less risk to his hands, say. Next logical choice to that was Britta. This was a concern [i]mainly[/i] for Diana, as the Vastergoths were high society people. True, she had become a soldier like everyone else here, but that didn't mean her background had changed. And Lucia? Ho boy... Well, as long as they kept their eyes open and shot at any enemies incoming and- [i]What?[/i] There was another team going out, [i]right now[/i], on some sort of mission. Now, Isaac didn't consider himself an expert on war strategy or anything, and neither did Britta for that matter, but did everybody [i]else[/i] think that maybe twice as many people out there trying to sneak across No Man's Land [i]might draw twice as much attention?[/i] If Middleton did, he obviously didn't care! Oh, he made a good show of saying 'If you can't complete the mission, you just get yourselves back here.', but they knew this man. He wouldn't take complications from the increased activity as an excuse. He was still chasing glory for sending his squad on ridiculous missions, it seemed. Sheesh... He was glad that Rikes was back on messanger duty. Isaac caught a look from Britta now, her brow knitting for a moment before raising an eyebrow. She was going [i][b][color=ed1c24]'Are you thinking what I'M thinking?'[/color][/b][/i], and he nodded. They were almost guaranteed to have alot of attention, maybe even draw artillery fire from the back. That alone haunted Isaac for a moment. Once Middleton left their presence, Jean stepped on over to him to catch up. [color=f7941d]"I guess I'm alright. A dull roar of irritation broken up by aggravating moments of our Captain. You notice I volunteer for alot of patrol to avoid having him in my face. Britta makes alot of rounds."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Being a helper by nature has its perks, if you want to keep ahead of someone you'd rather not be around, and it's a big trench."[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"As for what's new, I've been keeping myself occupied with the Isaac Store. I don't have to focus on the [i]big[/i] situation if I'm trying to make it better in small ways. If you [i]need[/i] anything, Jean... Maybe something the Quartermaster won't okay?"[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Actually, I've got an even better idea. Why don't you partner [i]with us[/i], Jean? If you're not too busy."[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Hmmm. Yeah, why not? You've been with us from day one."[/color] They both trusted him a great deal, AND they both knew that his life needed some more meaning to it. Why not add 'Helping those in need' to the pot? It couldn't hurt, right?