|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 9:42 am
 |
|
|
|
Mihail was both excited, and nervous, to meet Lieutenant Sarcel Cincil. She was undoubtedly a busy person- being a well standing person in the military and all that, but he'd made an appointment and everything and it would be rude to chicken out. No, no, Mihail Kreios was no chicken. He'd just... take things slowly and stick to the script. The script being a list of questions he'd thought out before even trying to make an appointment. Which happened after seeing her name in one of the JROTC member lists. He'd mentioned it to Aligaa, who in turn told him he should seek her out. A mentor was a good thing to have, and an older troll already experienced in military life was just what he needed - according to Aligaa, and Aligaa knew best.
So, there he was, outside of her office, watching the clock as it ticked toward the designated time. He wouldn't go in early - that would be rude. It was best to show up at exactly the time that he'd been given. Instead of his usual lax attire, he'd gone out of his way to wear a proper button-up shirt (in his color of course) and pants- appearances were everything in first impressions and he wanted to be sure he gave a good one. Tanktops and shorts were good for exercising, but not so much for meeting important people.
As the clock struck the designated time, he stood up, braced himself, and then gently opened the door. Now came the worst part- the actual talking. "Exc--use me? I'm Mih--mi-Mihail Kreios, he--here for an appointment." He stepped inside and bowed just enough to be appropriate for her rank, hands at his sides. Once finished, he looked up at her - or rather, the office itself - and waited for permission to finish coming in.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:57 pm
|
|
|
 |
Unlike the office back in the space tower, the office Sarcel had set up in NHC looked far more lived in. It was something she got quickly after Regina had called her and the rest of the group together for their promotions. Then again, 'lived in' in this case meant her office looked like an organized chaos. The space was cluttered with files and cabinets and odds and ends, but at the same time, it looked like everything had a specific place.
Mihail was an unfamiliar name, but in the fallout of the space race, Sarcel found her time surprisingly... open. Things were filed, her responsibilities had been mostly delegated, her wounds were mostly healed. Thankfully most of her new scars were easily concealed beneath her jacket. Anyway.
"Hm?" The door opening made Sarcel lift her head. In came a troll much shorter than she was expecting, highblooded (which, well, she was expecting), and... stuttering. Was he nervous? She used to stutter when she was younger too, so she wasn't too judgmental, just... curious.
"Have a seat." She invited the purpleblood in, "I don't have anything planned after this, so we have plenty of time to talk."
"What can I do for you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 4:56 pm
|
|
|
|
He nodded, mouth forming a slight smile- this was where excitement overruled nervousness. Neither of which played much part in the stammering aside from making it more prevalent, he supposed. He didn't really test what made it worse or better, it just seemed to do its thing. He stepped forward, then settled himself into the indicated chair. "Thank uh- thank you, for setting aside time." It was polite to thank others for their time, naturally he wasn't going to not do so with Lt. Cincil. "I sa--uh, saw your name in the, uh, the--" he paused, taking a breath before continuing (sometimes it was better just to stop and then try again) "the JROTC li--luh-lists, and I was- I was hoping yuh--you uh, you could give such-...suggestions on things to uh, focus-focus--..focus on for future enrollment?" Maybe that was a little vague... he hadn't specified what he was enrolling in but hopefully she'd parse that he'd meant the military itself... No, wait, he should be specific- "in the mili-mali--military, I mean. I'm- uh, I'm already in the JROTC." Right. That was better. He placed his hands on his knees, fully focused on her answer. Despite the stutter he thought he'd done pretty well- at least his body language did not indicate his frustration with it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 5:53 pm
|
|
|
|
Sarcel was polite. She leaned forward on her desk, made it look like she was interested in what Mihail had to say--and she was--but she was someone who liked to over analyze everything. Hypervigilance ran thick in her head, and even though she was relatively calm right now, she was always increasingly mindful of everything around her.
It was the little things.
"Yes, the JROTC, an excellent organization." She returned the tiny, sight smile. She wanted to do more within the group, but ultimately it was the responsibility of Flydra and Scorpa. "Doing exactly what it needs to, considering you're here right now."
She leaned back in her chair now, looking fairly amused. "There's many things you could focus on, and many things you should focus on. There's a variety of rolls within the military that need filled, so the question is determining which of your skills need the most attention." After her spiel, she hummed, then she sighed, "What I'm saying is, what about the military has you interested in it as a career?" For the most part, trolls all started off in the same spot when it came to the military. Mihail had a natural advantage as a highblood--which wasn't bad, necessarily--but it also meant he had far more doors open far more readily.
If he was humbled enough to seek out advice, it was a good sign, at least.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 6:29 pm
|
|
|
|
Ah- he'd forgotten to specify that part... A silly mistake, but then again he'd been so focused on just getting the words out in an intelligible manner he couldn't really blame himself for leaving a couple of things out. Straight to the point was easiest- he'd at least gotten so far as to ask for advice, which was the main goal here. He nodded, the perfect picture of seriousness for someone his age. "I ha---aaven't had much oppor--tuntiy to do things with the gr--oup yet, but it is nice. The, uh, the space tower a--aaate up a lot of time." He nodded again - though... it did sort of feel like most of his time during the construction was spent being shuffled from one launch area to the next never really getting to finish a task. Except for digging holes.... he'd dug plenty of those...
"Ah- I'm spe--spe-spuh... Specifically int--interested in ev--eventually re--reaching a stra--strategist pos--position." Mihail's eyes seemed to shine at the idea of it- actually being responsible for planning out attacks in advance or preparing for the attacks of others genuinely interested him. "We--we'll need that, now now now that we--we're starting to re--return to space, right? At, at least I think so." He sat up a little straighter if it was at all possible- though, seemed to realize he was getting a bit too excited and promptly settled back into place. "So, I know I wa--want that, for uh, for sure, but its be-be-best to seek advice from someone aaaa--aalready in the program before pla--planning a course of action. So I came he--here."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 9:58 am
|
|
|
|
"A strategist." Sarcel seemed impressed, "It's definitely an important position to be in. There's many things you have to understand, many pros and cons you have to be able to weigh. It sounds like a remarkable stressful position..." Sarcel looked to her doorway. Next to it was a folded Alternian flag nestled into a shadowbox. "There would be a lot of weight riding on your shoulders... and of course, even the smallest miscalculation could be the end of your career. Many would rather do without that responsibility, I think." Mihail was young, but he seemed mature for his age too. Had he taken those things into consideration? Then again, he was a highbloods, and highbloods were supposed to lead.
"A position like that takes a lot of work. You need the respect of your teammates and they need to be confident when it comes to placing their trust in you. Of course, that comes with time and persistence..." Sarcel closed her eyes in thought, opening them again when she spoke, "The actual knowledge and skill, though... that's not something that I imagine is easily learned. Unfortunately without any ongoing conflicts to practice with, you're limited to texts about the subject." She glanced over all her paperwork absentmindedly... at least until a idea lit up her eyes.
"I do have some resources I could lend you, although you'd have to give me some time to make sure nothing classified is distributed within them." She gave another soft, small, polite smile, "I have some reports from the recent space missions that I personally lead. If you'd like, I could re-construct them into faux-scenarios for you to tease your brain over." It might fun to see what Mihail would do differently than Sarcel had. He surely had a different perspective on things than she did, and something more... hands on might help substitute some learning experience. It'd be like a game, only not.
"I'm not an official tactician, but whenever you start to reach ranks like mine, you still need to exhibit some of the same qualities. It's a leadership position after all, so I'm sure there's at least a few solid things I could teach you." Her time permitting, of course.
It would be a good distraction from her sore, healing bruises too.
nepsah I'M SO SORRY SHE RAMBLED FOREVER |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 11:14 am
|
|
|
|
He nodded along with her words, completely drawn in. He knew the risks, had read plenty of books about successful and failed strategists of the past- Aligaa had driven it into his mind that he must not fail but if he did, to learn from it. It was his purpose to lead, blood right and responsibility. He couldn't really think of a better way to do that than to plan out both methods for attacking and protection from Alternia's enemies. Surely they'd have some still- not even counting the rebels that existed on their planet.
"I've be--been practicing, s--uh, suhrt-sort of. With ga--ames, like chess." He knew it was just a starting place, probably adequate for someone his age but he was getting older as all trolls did and would soon need something more substantial. Something that actually had some sort of merit in actual life. "But, uh, you're right... I mean, uh, about the limit--limitations." There was only so many times he could go over a battle in a book before it stopped being useful. And with Aligaa's strict schedule, he was running into the problem more and more often as tactics became easier for him to understand the first time he read them through.
"Re--ally?" He perked up, once more seeming to sit a little taller as his expression lit up. Her suggestion was probably the best thing he'd heard all week. Something brand new and not in books would be a lot more interesting than everything he'd been reading up until this point, he was sure of it. He nodded excitedly, squeezing his knees to keep from moving around too much. "I'd--I'd luh--love that- if, if you're willing- thank you. Tha--that would be ve--very en--enligh--...helpful." He wasn't even going to bother with the long word- that'd take forever to say. Helpful was good enough substitute. "I'd be-- be honored, if- if you would, uh, teach me, I mean. When--when you ha--aave time. I'm sure my uh, my my lusus won't mind ma--making shed--schedule changes at--at all."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 7:58 pm
|
|
|
|
A hemotyped pad of paper sat nearby. Previously ignored, Sarcel scooted it towards herself to jot down some words as Mihail spoke. On closer inspection, it seemed to be a desktop planner of sorts.
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear." Knowledge was valuable. Taking chances when they presented themselves was a good quality to have; it meant the purpleblood was serious, not that Sarcel was really doubting him. "In that case..."
After jotting down in her planner, she pulled a blank (and far less elaborate) piece of paper from some other corner of her desk to write down some details. Sliding it across the desk to Mihail revealed them to be a schedule, the dates a little mismatched. "These are the night I'll be free, if it fits into your own schedule. I'll need about a week to put together some plans..."
Sarcel paused.
"This probably goes without saying, but I'm only extending this offer because you seem serious about your future." Any and all of the reassuring smiles was gone. Sarcel's expression was hard now, much more befitting of a lieutenant, her eyes bright blue and sharp like glass, "I won't tolerate anything half-assed. If you start to slack off and waste my time, I won't be happy."
She leaned back, "But we won't have that issue, right?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:08 am
|
|
|
|
He leaned forward to look at the paper as it was slid over to him. Ah- there were some dates he was sure he could shift things around to work with. He picked it up, mentally running through his own schedule... Yes, yes, he could work that out just fine. Aligaa would surely allow him to change things around for the opportunity to work with someone like Lt. Cincil. "Y--yes, I ca---an work with- uh, with uh... these nights." He set the paper back down and pointed them out. "My-- uh, muh-my schedule doesn't cha--aaange often, uh, mostly o-once a perigee." Aligaa said it gave him ample time to 'master' something before moving onto the next thing if they took their time like that. They always came back to lessons later on, too.
As her tone changed, his own body language shifted to match the new serious atmosphere. He sat back upright in the chair, nodding gravely in response. "O--of course. I wo--won't let you do--down, uh, Lieutenant. I re--really am hon---ored for the oppor--op-opportunity." He supposed words were nice and all, but actions were what really mattered. He'd prove that he was serious by sticking with whatever program she devised for him to work with.
"Ca--can, I uh... Can I ask a more person--personal question?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 10:06 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 10:52 am
|
|
|
|
Ah.
Well, there was a number of ways she could answer Mihail's questions. She was excelling within the military because she had to, but also because she wanted to, right? No doubt he was looking for some sort of insightful answer.
"Because it's my birthright." She finally said, "And because I was given an opportunity by the Queen herself. You don't necessarily turn your nose up at offers like those." That produced a more wry smile, "And I... adore my planet, my kind, and my Empress. The military gives aimless, wayward trolls the opportunity to make names for themselves. I'd like nothing more than to lead my crew to glory."
She absentmindedly adjusted the lieutenant pin on her jacket, "So I suppose I'm doing what I want to do, yes, but not to the extent I want to do it. I don't think I'll ever be satisfied until I've climbed the ranks all the way to the top." Captain was the next step on the totem pole. If Vidari was able to attain the rank, she had little qualms about her own experience and abilities. Then again, there were many nights that felt like going through the motions. Would she be satisfied if she reached the top, or was the nigh impossible goal something she imposed on herself so she never gave up? Whatever got her out of the sopor slime in the evening, right?
But if she made it to the top, had utmost clout within the military, then maybe she could fix some of the outstanding reservations within it, rebuild bridges, dissolve all the bad blood that existed between the social heirarchy. Lead by example, be the change you want to see. She nearly sighed, but kept it contained.
"It might be nice to work with new recruits," She added thoughtfully, "After I've participated in a few successful campaigns, of course. You have to be a respectable soldier to make respectable soldiers."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 5:01 pm
|
|
|
|
He nodded, listening with full attention to her response. It made sense, and... wow, from the Queen herself? What an honor to meet her in person and not just... because one happened to be at a military event or social event she was speaking at. "Tha--at sounds ad--ad, uh, admirable." He finally spoke. Truly, to have the drive to ascend to the highest rank meant she really valued her career and was serious about doing her best. He couldn't ask for more in a mentor.
"I-I'm sure th--aaat you will, uh," He paused, glancing to one side for a moment before continuing, "it's prob--ably uh, pre-pre-presumptuous of me to saa-suh, say, but uh, you seem like sss-suh, someone that would ma--aake a good le-leader and uh, i mean, and, and in tern make good uh, soldiers." Mih shrugged just a tad- compliments weren't a bad thing to give out but one had to be careful with them, especially when giving them to someone of a higher rank. It could come off as undue flattery to earn better favor for oneself. His eyes drifted over to the clock- ah, he should wrap things up. Aligaa was no doubt wondering what was taking so long.
"Ou--out of, uh, cur--cur--curiosity, do, uh, does the learning of haa--hand languages cuh-come up in any ba-basic training?" He'd made leaps and bounds in his own study of signing out his words with his hands but a whole lot of good it did him if no one else understood. He could communicate verbally well enough, it was just.... aggravating. And sometimes confusing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 1:30 pm
|
|
|
|
With the meeting coming to a close, Sarcel had started to tidy up her desk space. She had plenty of time, but Mihail's glancing at the clock told her all she needed to know. "I hope one day I'll have the proof to say you're right." Which was probably the closest to a thank you Sarcel would give for a compliment. Still, it didn't seem to be taken negatively, as she was still lax and her expression open.
But... hand languages? She knew where the purpleblood was getting at immediately, what with his stutter. "Hmm..." Her hands paused as she looked absently at a stack of papers in her grasp, "Of a sort. There's universal signals for specific instances when verbal communication is ill advised. Those are more along the lines of... commands, I suppose. Getting your groups into certain formations or relaying information to your squadrons with simple gestures. Definitely useful in tactical situations." She nodded to herself, "You could call that a language, but it's hardly as robust as how we're communicating now. Still, it's universal within the military.
"I'm sure you'd catch on fairly quickly, especially if you have any sort of experience with gesturing already." Sarcel figured he did, or he wouldn't be asking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
