[FIN][Yael] Make A Man Out Of You [Kaleth | Ko]

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

The first days of the new semester went better than Kaleth honestly expected. Of course, he might have hoped that things wouldn’t go sour immediately, but hopes were rarely satisfied and he had made trouble in record time before. Instead, however, he hesitated to say he could have classified the beginning handful of days as having gone—well. His new roommate was not what he anticipated or anything he considered himself prepared for, but after coming to terms with him, he was simple enough to adjust to: a happy, buoyant, vibrant presence of continuing unpredictability, relentless energy, and overflowing positivity.

He didn’t think it could possibly last, but at least in these initial steps, there was nothing to crush his spirit. There were no troubles prior to their first day, no one bothered them, and the first rounds of classes consisted predominantly of introductions: lectures on what was to come, their purpose and mission, the importance of diligence, dedication to their country and honor before the gods—and on, and on.

Kaleth might have gone to sleep, if it weren’t for the fact that at least it was all simple and no one had instigated anything with him yet. He did want to perform well, and so long as all he had to do was stand still and listen without being further bothered, he could at least manage that. He looked forward, though, to the beginning of ‘real’ training.

Although Lurin Academy did include basic lessons in the core subjects — such as literacy, history, and bible study — its mission was to craft capable battle-class combatants, and once fully underway, large portions of the day would be dedicated to fitness and training. Such was the nature of this day’s schedule. The evening prior, in their final lecture, everyone had been instructed that the first day of routine physical training would begin in full the following morning at a precise hour just after dawn. The specific training field each would report to was designated by their housing arrangements and split up in like fashion.

The morning of, Kaleth rose in the dark to dress. It occurred to him, as he glanced over to his roommate’s sleeping mop of tousled purple hair, that he might ‘assist’ him in rising at the appropriate time such that he could still have opportunity to eat breakfast before beginning their day.

But after only a moment, he decided against it.

As much as he had come to be comfortable with Ko personally — for all his oddities — he still maintained the presumption that the boy wouldn’t survive the first month without returning home to his mother, and for all that he was an earnest and hopeful child—Kaleth remained convinced this wasn’t the place for him, and did not consider it his duty to push him any further than he was ready to push himself. So, before the morning wake call even sounded, Kaleth was out the door and heading through the chilled, dark air to be among the first in line before morning mess was served, and on the field as the instructor arrived, ready and in wait for the beginning rounds of training.

If Ko would make it was a matter entirely on his own shoulders. Kaleth did, though, find himself glancing and watching as other boys filtered in, mostly bleary-eyed and groggy looking still. The more minutes that stretched on, the more he had to insist to himself that he wasn’t guilty of anything. Ko was not his responsibility.

They weren’t even friends.

Surely.  

[MissMisnomer]

That's a really weird sounding bird…

It was minutes after the last trill note had already faded from existence before something clicked inside Ko's sleeping head, turning on the switch of recognition.

He was supposed to get out of bed.

And like that his eyes snapped open, scrambling out of bed as he toppled onto the floor with a yelp. He sat up, blinking bleary eyed in the dark room at the bed opposite his own. Scratching the tangled mass of curls atop his head, Ko stood, shambling over to the piece of furniture.

“Kaleth…hey. We're supposed to get going, they tooted the bugle thing―”

He squinted, taking in the deceptively flat and orderly looking bedspread. There was no large lump underneath it. No head on the pillow. Kaleth must have already left.

And like that the pit of worry grew deeper in his gut. If Kal had already left…how long had it been since they gave the signal? It had only felt like a couple minutes, but maybe he was wrong?

Hands darting up to cling at his hair, Ko's eyes widened in panic. “SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT!”

Then he was moving around the room in a panicked whirlwind of activity, yanking clothes from his drawers and shoving himself into them as quickly as possible. Would it have been easier to try opening the window to let more light in? Yes. Should he have lit a lamp? Also, yes. But those were the kinds of thoughts that a rational person might have had.

And Ko was not one of those kinds of people.

He ran out the door and down the stairs, tripping on the last step as he came crashing down face first to the floor. But there was no time to worry about his bruised cheek, not when something so important was on the line. If he messed up the first day of training, he could kiss any hope of redemption goodbye.

Running across the stone paths as quick as his short legs could carry him, Ko darted past the buildings on his way, and past the mess hall serving breakfast to groggy students. No time for food. Food could come later. His chest pumped as his feet pounded the ground, skidding to a clumsy halt beside the closest boy in line on the field. He dropped his head as he grasped his knees, sucking in air shakily.

“Sorry! I think…did I make it? Have we started yet?” he asked no one in particular, looking up at the collective of other boys.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

He wasn’t going to make it.

Pathetic.

And predictable.

Kaleth told himself it was probably for the best and certainly to be expected. It was part of why he hadn’t woken the boy himself. His parents had sent him here to ‘toughen up,’ but if he couldn’t even manage getting himself out of bed on time, that wasn’t going to be Kaleth’s job just because they roomed together. Sure, it was a little pity-inducing, and it wouldn’t have been hard to rouse him, but-

Tap, tap, tap, tap-

Kaleth glanced sidelong at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps just as their instructor moved for the front, and — there he was, a tiny mop head of purple tumbling onto the scene, out of breath, earning everyone’s stares for his un-subtle entrance. Kaleth heard snickers. And whispers, bubbling up from the cluster. Everyone had been tired and quiet for the most part, many anxious and uncertain as to what might be in store, but upon Ko’s arrival there was almost the palpable feel that suddenly all present could relax: they were not destined to be the most pathetic and unprepared among them.

Kaleth pursed his lips, and then squinted. Was that a bruise on the boy’s face? It looked as though he had been hit or—more likely run into something, now that he thought on it. The day had not even begun yet.

“Is he serious?”

“Hah, Tomok, look, someone invited your littlest sister…”

Kaleth turned his attention forward, hands clasping loosely before him. It was fine. He wasn’t his responsibility. Ko would learn, and for the moment at least, he had made it, which was already more than Kal had given him credit for. When put in that context, it could have been construed as a good start. The instructor’s eyes moved over the crowd, and landed on his final recruit.

“As it happens…you are just in time. And since you have decided to join us, why don’t you introduce yourself to your fellow soldiers, Mister…?”

It was, Kaleth thought, likely to be a long day.  

[MissMisnomer]

It was with a winded squeak of surprise that Ko noticed the instructor, standing straight as he could with his feet firmly together in what he hoped looked like proper soldierly posture. He tried to regulate his breathing, focused equally on that as much as making sure he didn't wobble on his adrenaline filled legs.

“Ko!” he chirped, raising his hand.

Which was met with a new bout of quiet snickering.

The man squinted at the small boy, sizing him up. How something so skinny and clearly underaged managed to get into the academy was beyond him. Admissions must have messed up again and now he had to deal with it. But harassing them could wait until the session was over.

“We use last names here, youngling. What is your family name?” A pause, and then. “And you will end any statements with ‘Sir’ from now on.”

Ko flushed, piping up again. “It's Deokka, Sir! I'm the youngest one, my family does carpentry, which I was supposed to do too but I'm kind of useless at it, but now that I can use magic they sent me here instead-”

“Did I ASK for your entire life's story?”

He winced, slowly lowering his hand. “Uumm, no sir, you didn't, sorry! I just thought we were introducing ourselves, and that's usually how I get started on that-”

“It was a yes or no question, Deokka. That will be the only two words you use from now on in this class. ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. Unless I ask for anything else, I don't want to hear it. You will not have time for frivolity and useless chatter on the battlefield, and you do not need it here.” He looked over at the rest of the boys, cutting off any chatter as his steely gaze met each of theirs.

“That goes for every single one of you here. Except for the holy mother and father themselves, I am your new God. Do not make me cross, do not question me. I expect obedience and respect. You live by my schedule, you will be punctual and follow it.” He walked down the line, inspecting his new recruits. “It is my job to make sure none of you idiots die out there. If you listen, you just might make it. But I will not shed a single tear for any of you. That is the way of a soldier: you must be ready for comrades to fall. The safety of this country comes first above all of your personal feelings.”

He stopped in front of the largest boy of the bunch, scrutinizing Kaleth’s form. “You are going to bleed. You will probably cry. There will be bruises in places you didn't even know you could get them.” The man looked him square between the eyes. “Still, knowing all of this, you will obey my commands.”

His walk continued on, back down the line. “When I say jump, you better jump. If I tell you to punch your peer in the face, you had better ******** punch him. I do not care if he's your baby brother, or your friend since both of you were sucking at your mother's teats. Get used to the pain. There will be much of it. You will all become men here, and if you cannot handle the challenge…”

He stopped in front of Ko, punctuating his words. “You better leave and stop wasting my ******** time.”

His head whipped, looking down the line as his volume suddenly spiked. “Have I made myself clear?!”  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Ko squeaked when he spoke. Like a baby bird being called upon by a military commander.

The round of further snickering that came in its wake forced Kaleth to resist the urge to sigh or frown. He liked Ko, in his own way. After only a mere handful of easy days with him around, Kaleth had managed to come to terms with this—Ko was mockable and tiny and annoying in certain aspects, undeniably, but difficult to genuinely dislike. He was too earnest and happy and hopeful, sweet and insane.

But he couldn’t afford to defend him. Didn’t have reason to. Not in this setting.

Somehow, Ko had stumbled here, but Kaleth didn’t think it plausible or even possible to fight all those who tried to cast him out. Because surely everyone would—for obvious reasons. And as regrettable as it was that the small boy would likely face so much rejection when all he wanted was purpose and acceptance, that was his parents’ choice, not Kal’s, to even try placing him here to begin with. And he could not single-handedly make it the right choice by his own force of will for the sake of Ko’s confidence or tender heart.

I’m kind of useless at it…

Kaleth shut his eyes. Just ignore him, it’s fine, he willed himself. It still managed to be difficult to take in Ko’s babbling without the ability to personally warn him to just stop because he was not saying anything anyone here wanted to listen to. Other than to laugh at him for it.

At least the commander seemed to make that immediately imminently clear, and so Kaleth simply held his rank in silence, watching. At, I am your new God, he kept his face even, but internally, his mind rebelled with a peculiar pull: No one tells me what to do. He realized, of course, that that was to be part of his training. An army couldn’t be expected to run on argumentative recruits and so he must be prepared to fall in line. But no one aside from his father gave him orders he intended to follow blindly-

And as though reading his mind the instructor for some reason came to a stop before him. Kaleth stared him down, holding his gaze hard and flat when he settled. The man wasn’t small by any stretch, but he was still shorter than Kaleth by at least a half-inch such that Kal’s eyes were angled down to meet his when he stood in front of him. You are going to bleed. Kaleth didn’t twitch. He’d bled before. He was familiar with pain. At ‘cry,’ however, he couldn’t help the smallest instinctive scoff and pull at his lip.

You think that…

His father’s words, however, rang through his head. He had promised him he would behave himself. He wanted to succeed at something — You will obey my commands… — his body flexed reactively, gut instinct lashing against the concept. But again, he reminded himself that was why he was here. Nothing else could have been expected of a military institution. His pride fought it. But his pride had no place here—all he had to do was conduct his actions accordingly.

At the barked question, a unified chorus of, “Sir, yes, sir!” rang out, Kaleth’s voice included, and the mental precautionary note flit again through his conscience:

Don’t make more trouble than you can handle, Kaleth…

Still, his mouth opened.

“And I welcome you, sir, and any boy on this field, sir, to try to make me ‘cry,’ sir,” Kaleth quipped, not quite shouting, but voicing himself loudly enough with the barest hint of a challenging growl that everyone on the scene ought to have heard it. It did at least immediately earn him attention.  

[MissMisnomer]

Ko kept his mouth shut and eyes open as the man spoke, afraid of saying something that might set him off. He'd had experience with teachers before, having gone through the basic schooling common to all Yaeli children. But they'd never cussed at him before, or so actively made their distaste for him known. This man wasn't even trying to hide it. He seemed to be celebrating in the fact that he didn't like them. How someone could be so outwardly terrifying and hostile while still retaining their job and positive relationship with others was beyond Ko's comprehension.

All he knew was that when the man barked at them, his answer was just as loud and emphatic as the other boys. Ko did not want to be yelled at, and if agreeing with whatever he said was the way to ensure that, he was going to bloody do it.

Meanwhile, Kaleth seemed to be trying his hardest to do the complete opposite.

Ko, along with many other zit smattered faces, gawked down at him in shocked disbelief. What was he doing, trying to get into trouble?

The man took it with the same steely faced calm he'd been sporting since they got started, walking over to Kaleth. “I look forward to the challenge, grunt. And since you seem so spirited this morning, you can warm up the turf for us. Make laps around the track while we finish up here.”

Watching to ensure his orders were followed, he hollered at the other boys collected. “ALRIGHT, if anyone else would like to join him, I invite you to please, speak your mind, I would LOVE to hear what you are thinking.” When no answers came, that was all the prompting he needed. “No one else? GOOD! Get on the ground, it's time to loosen up!”

The boys scrambled down to the grass, some sitting, some laying down, all nervous but excited at the same time.

“Deokka!”

Ko's shoulders jumped up to his ears, eyes wide in abject terror. “YES?! Is this wrong, were we not supposed to...I thought you said―”

“YES SIR!” The man shouted, cutting Ko off as he grabbed the collar of his shirt, like the scruff of a wayward puppy. “Your shirt is on backwards, did you get dressed in the dark?!”

He blinked up at the older man as his heart leapt up into his mouth, spitting out the words. “Sir, yes, I did sir!”

The boy next to him snorted, choking on a laugh.

Their instructor however, did not seem as entertained, caught somewhere between disbelief and anger. Disappointment, perhaps. He released the fabric from his fist, standing once again. “That was supposed to be a rhetorical question. But I see now that the irrational is what I should expect from you. Fix your shirt Deokka.”

A more self conscious young man might have hesitated, reluctant to put his awkwardly changing body out on display in front of his peers. But Ko was not encumbered by this kind of thought. For starters, he was fully aware of how scrawny he was and had come to accept that fact. Secondly, he came from a family of seven other boys: losing your clothes just happened.

But lastly, and most of all: he was terrified.

So with little more prompting than that, he ripped the shirt over his head, flipped it around to check he had it the right way, and shoved himself back inside. If anyone had made any guesses about what his physical stature looked like under clothing, they just had them confirmed. As he navigated his hands back through the sleeves, Ko could hear more snickering from his tent of linen.

And as used to himself as he was by now, it still brought an embarrassed flush to his cheeks.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Kaleth felt fairly certainly as soon as he’d spoken that he probably shouldn’t have. But ‘shouldn’t have’ was a relative term and a matter of perspective, and as surely as he felt that it wasn’t wanted or expected of him or what he was ‘supposed’ to do—he did not manage to regret it, even as the man’s attention fell stiffly back on him. Perhaps particularly as it did. This drill instructor was asking for respect, and so far as Kaleth was concerned, he could earn it. Since he was holding all the cards, it oughtn’t be that hard.

But Kal didn’t have to make it easy for him.

In the meantime, his outburst also managed to garner him the stare of every startled and gawking student on the field, which — while it wasn’t precisely Kaleth’s intent — he still found rather pleased him, too. Everyone should take note, early on, what they would be dealing with if they wanted to tangle with him. And little as he wanted to deal with any of them, it was nice to be noticed.

Warm up the turf indeed. He grunted, shrugging with the smallest nod. “Yes, sir.” And with that and a brief stretch of his arms, he was off, leaving his peers behind him as he started for the track looping the training field. Running was perhaps not his strongest suit, his body more naturally designed for bulk and feats of strength than agility endurance. But his legs were long, and his form fit. He knew, though, that now that he’d made his point, it wasn’t the time to further attempt showing off.

Depending on the mood of the instructor, he might be on the track for a very long time.

So, he worked to pace himself, starting with the easiest jog he felt he could get away with in an attempt to preserve his strength, his eyes stealing glances back towards the collection of other boys as he went. Pity now that he couldn’t really tell all the while exactly what was going on, but—it looked, perhaps unsurprisingly, as though the instructor’s ‘fondness’ for Ko had not let up yet. Kaleth gave a soft puff.

He continued to watch what he could as they were put through opening routines: stretches, warm ups, then several rounds of exercises. At each shift in gears, Kaleth wondered if he might be taken back on the field to participate properly. As much as he expected a long run, the man couldn’t expect to keep him out here through the entire session. Yet, every time, there was no sign of attention in his direction. First, he knew when he began losing his breath, his body unaccustomed to such enduring cardio regardless of his strength, and he tried to ease his pace further still—but really there was only so ‘slowly’ he could go and still call it a run.

He felt his body flush, sweat building despite the ‘easy’ gait and cool air, and lungs becoming greedy for more oxygen than he could seem to draw in in a breath. His chest and gut gradually tightened, angry at him for continuing to push his limbs when he should so easily have been able to take just a moment’s respite—but that was not an option. Kaleth would have rather collapsed dead on the field than give up.

Unfortunately, after what felt like must have been hours — though surely it couldn’t have been more than one or two, the sun now fully out and several fingers up the horizon — Kaleth having long since lost track of how many rounds of routines the other boys were doing, he thought he might be granted that wish. His legs had started by tensing and burning, but by this point he felt he had gone well beyond that and lost track of feeling altogether. He didn’t think he had any strength left in them and his muscles were still making the motions on raw willpower and adrenaline alone. He was barely cognizant of his surroundings, his pulse so loud between his ears he might have felt sure he couldn’t hear anything else.

“Stop.”

Kaleth’s body wobbled, stumbling forward several more steps on pure instinct, as though he might have hallucinated the order. But no, he saw now that looked, pushing sweat from his eyes and only just managing not to collapse on legs that felt as though they didn’t exist: here were his peers, gathering en masse like ducklings behind the instructor. They looked — tired, certainly — flushed and worn from whatever they’d been put through already. But nothing like himself. If he looked anything like he felt, he must have looked dead.

This, somehow, was more embarrassing than anything, and Kaleth found himself pushing his posture, attempting to straighten and compose himself despite his lungs clawing for air and limbs feeling as though they weighed like a suit of armor each. He didn’t feel entirely successful, but the effort was there.

“You look winded, grunt.” The instructor dragged his eyes over him, and Kaleth could feel the focus of all his peers boring into him as well. “I am impressed. Most recruits who begin that way puke or faint long before now.”

Kaleth stared, and quite against his wants, his stomach gave a lurch, as though it had not fully considered this yet but now that it was mentioned it seemed like an amazing idea to just empty everything inside it out on the grass- Kaleth grit his teeth, and shut his eyes. “Galhn…” he managed after a moment.

“Excuse me?”

“Galhn, sir,” Kaleth repeated, drawing another stiff breath. “My name…is Kaleth Galhn, sir. Not…grunt.”

The instructor took a step nearer. Previously, Kaleth had noted that he had at least some height on the man, if not much. Whatever difference that had been was now completely erased by Kaleth’s exhausted and partly stooped form, such that the man was definitely looking down upon him from this angle.

“I do not know whether to think you bold…or just incredibly stupid. But rest assured…grunt…I am not to be corrected. Do I make myself clear?”

Kaleth’s pulse was still buzzing between his ears. There was still sweat in his eyes. He managed to look up, tongue pressing very briefly to the backs of his teeth before he nodded. “Yeah…” he muttered. “I got you.”

The instructor waited. And when it became very evident that no ‘sir’ would be following the comment, his eyes narrowed. “Very well.” He smiled, turning to the rest of his recruits. “We have all been working very hard here and deserve a break, I think. Your peers are thirsty, but it seems this field didn’t come equipped with the water jug on most of them. Since you still have energy, why don’t you run across campus to the north side and bring us all back a canteen. Be sure there is enough for everyone, of course, and…” The instructor glanced to the sun, “…try to be timely. We don’t have long before I would like to begin our next round of training, and if you don’t make it back, I’m afraid we will all have to go without.”

He stared down his nose at Kaleth, gaze hard.

“Unless, of course, you do not feel up to it, and you would like to explain to all of your new friends and fellow comrades here why none of us will be getting any break at all…”

Kaleth panted, glancing from the man’s eyes out to the other students as they began shifting and frowning, a clear sentiment of irritation bubbling around at the thought that after all their work they couldn’t even get water if this didn’t happen. His teeth touched together. And on the one hand, he didn’t care about any of them. His body was exhausted; he wasn’t certain he could move. He was far more spent than any of them could be at this point. But. He was also well aware that this was a challenge, and as much as every muscle in his body rebelled against the idea of being pushed further, let alone carrying something heavy back—he would rather faint on the way than admit in front of all of them that he ‘couldn’t make it.’

Almost accidentally, his eyes found Ko in the collection. Poor Ko. He probably deserved water and a break.

“Your time, by the way, has begun.”

Kaleth flushed, only just biting back the growl building in his throat.

“Well, students, it would seem-”

He pushed into a run, staggering the first steps, but managing after to even them out. Behind him, one tentative cheer rang out, mirrored after by a handful of other scattered encouragements, and a flush of a different sort crept through him. I don’t like any of you, shut up… But still, somehow, it seemed to give his legs new energy.

If it killed him, he was going to try.  

[MissMisnomer]

Ko was small, but he carried plenty of energy in his tiny frame, and was actually a pretty fair short distance sprinter. He wasn't out of shape, per se. He'd just never had the need to get into shape. His older siblings did most of the heavy work with the business. But he still stayed active, always one to go outside and explore, jumping and climbing with the other boys.

But this, this was on a whole other level.

He'd never been put through this kind of workout, it was non stop. Squats and sit-ups and lunges, words he'd never heard before barked at him that he was expected to follow. Any success came from watching the boys around him and imitating what they did. It was reassuring to see that he did not seem to be the only one that was lost or confused, quite a few others floundering along as well. And by the end of it all, he was gasping and shaking all over again, bones heavy with the exertion of exercise.

Following behind their instructor with the other gaggle of winded boys, Ko watched Kaleth come to a halt in something akin to abject wonder. He'd been running non stop the whole time, and he was still talking. It was crazy. At least the others had had chances to catch their breath while the instructor talked them through some of the changing routines, or chewed out someone for some stupid mistake. But Kaleth had never gotten a break.

Ko was amazed and awestruck, to put it simply.

And then…he had to start running again?

That just seemed cruel.

As the others cheered, Ko's flushed face scrunched up in concern, watching as Kal staggered off again. “That's not fair.”

The eyes of his peers, and the instructor, turned his way, reminded of the boy’s existence.

“He worked just as hard as us, if not harder, why should he have to get us all water?” he asked, piping up in perhaps what was not the smartest move ever. “Don't you think this is just too much now? It doesn't seem fair!”

There were murmurs of disbelief, looking from Ko to the man in their midst. Who gave him the same look from earlier.

“I don't remember asking for your opinion, Deokka. And my memory is flawless,” he said, coming closer. “He should have thought about keeping his disorderly mouth shut before he mouthed off to us. As you should have as well. Rule one: do not question orders.”

Too late now.

“If you feel so sympathetic to his cause, go and help him.” He pointed after Kaleth, an arrow guiding the way to punishment. “That is not a request. Move your a**.”

Ko blinked up at him, somehow so deep in a sinkhole that he was starting to lose sight of ever crawling out. But his loose lips had gotten him into this mess, it only seemed safest to keep them lashed down.

He gulped and nodded, running to catch up to Kaleth’s side.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Few things compared to the physical intensity of non-stop running, particularly on a body unaccustomed to it. Kaleth was far from in bad shape. The gods had given him a gift in his natural strength and fitness. And certainly, there was no doubt the other boys had received an intense work out of their own. But those, at least, had been different exercises, working different muscles and parts of the body with brief transitions in between. Kaleth, meanwhile, hadn’t the slightest respite, and did not know how long he had been going by the time the instructor had stopped him, only that with the field at his back—he simply was not going to make it without retching after all.

Sheer pride, however, dictated that he had to make it out of sight first.

He didn’t look back. As exhausted as he was, he couldn’t have been moving that fast, but as his gut roiled, impatient with the ridiculousness of what he was asking of it, he found strength somewhere to push until he made it around a corner of the outer mess hall. There, out of sight of the training field, he did not even get to look properly to see if anyone else might have been piddling about. They were probably, hopefully all out at various classes. He didn’t have the energy to care or opportunity to inspect.

His hand collapsed to brick, and his stomach overturned, emptying whatever remained of breakfast into the grass at his feet. He coughed, eyes shut, limbs quivering, breath coming in greedy heaves past now-damp lips. After a low groan, he waited, savoring each shakey draw of breath as he gauged his body’s reaction.

Was that it? Would there be more? Would he pass out right here?

Surely, without the instructor’s gaze on him, he could take just a moment to himself…

Instead, he heard footsteps. His brow scrunched. His teeth grit. Had the man sent a messenger to make sure he didn’t cheat? “If you think-” he began in a breathless growl, eyes opening and pinning sharp on—he blinked, thrown off-guard by the familiar tiny figure trotting up—Ko? The furrow in his brow changed, the set of his shoulders dropping a half fraction, and-

Suddenly aware again of how he must look, embarrassment burned his ears. Ko must have seen. Kaleth must look pathetic. He breathed out, and lifted a hand, wiping his mouth and then wiping that on the wall, then his shorts, before he gave a last, tired spit to the earth.

“If you tell anyone…” he muttered, “I will personally kill you. Got it?” But also, seeing him begged the question with a confused squint: “Why…did he send you too?”  

[MissMisnomer]

It was easier to gain on him when he was exhausted, the long run making Kaleth’s strides shorter and sloppier. It wasn't long before Ko had caught up to him, following as the boy ducked behind a building, off the main path. He had a moment to wonder what the reason could be for this, before he was rounding the corner himself to the full view of Kal violently throwing up into the grass.

His own stomach turned at the sight, but thankfully remained put in his gut, keeping the empty sack of juices inside. Eyes wide, he came closer, more worried now than he had been before.

“I didn't think it was fair that he made you go get water for us, when you were more tired…so I told him that. It didn't go over well.” He twisted his fingers together, looking from Kal to the mess at his feet. “Why didn't you say you were feeling sick? Maybe if you had he would not have made you run again?

He wasn't exactly feeling one hundred percent himself, but that wasn't the point. He had no breakfast in his stomach to throw up anyways. Something he was starting to feel the effects of now that the day was warming and he still had no fuel in his tank.

“Are you okay now? Want to rest? I could probably go get the water, and then you could come back with me, we don't have to tell anyone you didn't make the full trip?”

Whether or not he would even be capable of bringing that back alone in the first place was something he hadn't considered. It didn't seem important right now. Clearly Kaleth was not the superhuman he had thought he might have been, and just really needed some help right now.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

I didn’t think it was fair…

Kaleth shut his eyes. He supposed, at this point, it shouldn’t surprise him—and it didn’t. Not really. He was getting used to Ko’s blind and relentless optimism and tendency to say whatever was on his mind, no matter how illogical or poorly timed. He just wasn’t accustomed to anyone standing up for him. No one should need to to begin with. He didn’t want help, and as between the two of them, surely it should be Ko taking less hits. Not to mention, after what he had just done to the boy this morning…

Kaleth frowned.

He really was a piece of s**t.

Maybe everyone else deserved that, and maybe the rest of the school would be pushing Ko out because he ‘didn’t belong,’ but after all this, he had to reason that surely it wouldn’t hurt him to not personally add to the boy’s difficulties, and perhaps even lend a hand when it was easy. He sighed, and shook his head as he pushed up and away from the wall, glancing out to where it seemed suggested he ought to find this jug for everyone and scrunching his nose with distaste at Ko’s words.

Why didn’t you just say you were feeling sick?

“I was fine,” Kal grunted. He frowned. “I am fine.” He took a step out. He wanted to sleep for the rest of the day. He pushed into a brisk walk instead, if only because it currently felt literally impossible to move any faster immediately. “I couldn’t just stop in front of everyone. Besides, he’s teaching me a lesson I’m sure. I better learn it, right? Isn’t that what we’re all here for?” His pulse was still quick, his body flushed with exertion and fading adrenaline, and he shook his head at Ko’s offer. “You’ll need help carrying it, and this should still be quick…”

As tempting as it was to take his time, and as much as he knew he couldn’t make it in record time, he was also fully aware that if he dawdled, it wouldn’t look good. And cross as he was generally, he still wanted to be doing well. So well, in fact, that that man and every one of his own peers couldn’t deny his success. That was the goal.

As he walked, though, working to ignore the tense pull of his exhausted muscles, he couldn’t deny he felt frustratingly less impressive after what Ko had just witnessed—and his mind continued to stubbornly push guilt back on him for the way he had chosen to begin the day, only to be repaid with an undeserved defense and kindness. He savored how nice deep breaths felt as he walked, and didn’t quite look Ko’s way when he finally spoke.

“Tomorrow…I’ll wake you, if you want…when I get going.”  

[MissMisnomer]

Ko could only frown as Kaleth pushed away from the wall, barely taking a moment to recover before he was on the move again. He hardly seemed like he was fine. There was still a distinct wobble to his steps. But if Ko knew anything, it was that he could do little to change people's minds once they'd come to a decision. He was not a very persuasive boy after all.

So he followed after him, doing his best to keep up with the brisk pace as his muscles ached and joints creaked with every move.

“If he's teaching you a lesson,” Ko mused, scratching the back of his sweaty neck. “Then I guess he's trying to teach me the same thing. But if it's that we should never question what other people say, even if it seems wrong, or downright mean…” His brow knit, crossing his arms. “Then I think that's a pretty crummy lesson.”

He looked up at Kal, giving his side a good natured poke. “But you should still probably not get on his nerves. And if he wants us to call him sir, that only seems like the respectful thing to do. They might kick you out if you misbehave too much.” He grinned, lacing fingers behind his head. “And then we couldn't be friends any more! That would suck!”

The act of simply speaking to another person had him feeling more energized again, the fellowship of shared comradery its own fuel source that put a skip into his step again. Complacent silence wasn't really Ko's style, and today, he'd had far too much of that for his liking. But that was probably one of the reasons he was here to begin with, so they would all just have to wait and see if that need to vocalize his thoughts could be tamed.

“So don't worry about me, you just need to keep focused and try your best! Today was my mistake, I knew we had to wake up, but I ignored it anyways. Tomorrow will be different! I'm going to wake up all on my own, and be up before your even are!” He gave his roommate a thumbs up, smiling broadly. “I'll be the first one out on the field, ready to go!”  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

A ‘crummy’ lesson.

Kaleth snorted softly. “I think it’s a lesson here for a reason, at least,” he admitted. “Even if it seems stupid now, and it doesn’t make sense everywhere, you can’t fight a battle if every soldier thought their opinion mattered. People disagree, and in other places that’s fine, but…you have to have someone in charge when it means life and death. Being a soldier means being a weapon…you have to move where the arm sends you without fighting back, or it wouldn’t work. Sometimes someone has to make the choice to do horrible things for the sake of a bigger picture, and if everyone felt free to argue about that…the army would fall apart.”

Kaleth understood it, in theory. He even respected it, to an extent. It had to be that way.

But…

He shifted his posture, muttering, “I wasn’t trying to get on his nerves…not at first after he stopped me, anyway.” His initial outburst had been a challenge, yes, but after it came down to it… “I just wanted him to know my name, that was all…” Admittedly, maybe he had been a little bold about it, but he had been proud of lasting as long as he had, and after that—well, he couldn’t say he wasn’t being intentionally rude then. “I had been calling him ‘sir.’ I was just…”

He breathed out.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’m trying not to ‘misbehave’…” But you have no idea how well behaved I’ve been so far by comparison. “I’ve been kicked out of places before.” He glanced down at Ko, and for all his own fatigue, couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in quiet amusement at the promise. “Uh huh…just…” He reached, and tapped lightly to Ko’s gut, “…make it to breakfast next time, huh? You need it more than I do…”  

[MissMisnomer]

What Kaleth was saying all sounded like a lot of awfully grim reasoning, and nonsensical to him. If a decision was so horrible, and good people got hurt, then just don't do it. Pick another option. Even if you outwardly agree with someone else, that doesn't mean you have to in your heart. And if that thinking was naive of him, then he really was just a ridiculous boy after all. But your morals should never be compromised for someone else's sake. They are your morals, after all.

But. Those were thoughts for another time.

He puffed lightly as Kaleth touched his belly, shooing the hand away. “I'm fine! Not even hungry really, I've skipped breakfast before. When there's lots to do in the day, sometimes it's easier to just chug on until you get the chance for some food, it's not like you can't make it if you just ignore how hungry you are―”

And with all this talk of food, his gut twisted, gnawing on its empty walls as it growled angrily at him. Ko winced, curling his fingers along his legs as he gripped the fabric there. “Like…that. No reason to stop, this isn't going to kill me. Just…a bit uncomfortable, really! Just a phase, it will pass, sometimes I get so hungry that I'm not even hungry anymore!”

He waved his hand dismissively, pawing at the air. “Besides, once we get some water, I'll feel way better, and it won't even matter! Then we can get back down to business, and get this class under our belts. I'm sure today can only be the worst, tomorrow will be better, and every day after that!”  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

…sometimes I get so hungry that I’m not even hungry anymore…

Kaleth squinted. “That…doesn’t make any sense,” he muttered.

Still, there wasn’t much he could do about it. He wasn’t quite hungry yet again himself, but he knew, particularly after his unwanted purging, that he must be running on empty, and it would hit soon. For now, though, all he wanted was water, and for this walk to last as long as it possibly could while still somehow commencing in a timely fashion. That thought in mind, however—he shook his head, pushing his pace.

It’s not going to get ‘better,’ he thought. It’s only going to be more of the same, and worse in some ways…

But it hardly seemed worth it to argue with Ko’s spirit, as usual. Instead, he focused on tracking down their target, and when he did reach their mission, it was an entire other game to figure out how best between the two of them to cart a full water canister all the way back to original training field. After hastily swallowing down much as they dared, they got to attempting it. And very, very privately, Kaleth found himself glad Ko was there. Not because he was a great added strength, but because under the circumstances, every bit truly helped, and on top of the base touch of added aid from Ko’s physical capability, there was the boon of just having another presence there with him. Company, and support.

And enthusiastic, at that.

Usually, he didn’t think he wanted that. But at this particular moment, his limbs felt mostly like jelly, he was spent, and he wanted to succeed just the same. It was nice not to be doing the battle alone. If it ever crossed their instructor’s mind that this would be the case—perhaps that didn’t matter, either, but Kal found himself happy for the choice just the same.

By the time they began making their way back, he knew their instructor must have long since ended whatever ‘break’ he’d been giving their peers, and as they approached, that was visibly the case. Still, in they came with water in tow, and for all that he hadn’t managed to run the whole way, Kaleth still felt they had put forth an admirable effort. He could only hope that it didn’t earn them too much criticism.