“They’re saying the war is going well. You believe that?” A casual conversation that had taken place time and time again it seemed. Progress within Talaz Lagaar was unmistakably difficult to follow, at times it seeming like those loyal to the cause of preserving the foundational tenets of the country were being followed were finding great success. Other times, it was as though the mood was that the nation were lost. Inconsistent, but routine nonetheless.

“I’ve come to just assume the war isn’t lost until we’re all dead,” Another, a man more hardened in function and task assumedly carried out. The war had been waging on for far longer than most of them had been fighting for, so to find veterans like him were hardly a rarity. Rather, they were more of a welcome sight, those who had a much better grasp on than anyone else. But there was another scenario to interpret from the situation; that their experience – as valuable as it were – was also limited by that of whom they were forced to encounter and endure against.

A limited scope of enemy, to say the least. Very few likely had encountered someone like Astrid before, either on their side or on the opposing faction. There were exceptions, of course, but by and large it seemed that the quality of opposing forces were a bit more underwhelming than originally expected.

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“A bit of a morbid point of view,” Remarked one whom did not seem to take much heed towards either’s perspective. They were largely numb to the perspectives and other feelings of their fellow patriots. It was understandable. Easy to believe that as time went on that these people would have become more and more jaded, numb to the fighting that were going on and everything that came with it. In reality, that only told part of the story; the rest of it was full of fear, of worry over what stood to happen to them once the fighting picked up, preferring to show indifference instead of showing worry for their own safety. It was the easier disguise to put up and it served them well. There was enough going on that people would not think twice about it. Some of them had their own worries and concerns to be more focused towards, not whether someone was hiding something or not.

She certainly did not care too much for whatever the reasoning behind it. But she certainly saw through the disguise nonetheless. She had seen politicians for years talk of great ambitions and plans for the people, only for them to remove the masks they wore in favor of the true feelings that they held towards the people who would stand to be affected by the legislature. Those people, they had honed their craft to the point of being able to convince the masses to their false hearts. These people were far from them, instead simply trying to survive within a conflict that they were forced within, whether out of a sense of loyalty or misguided duty.

They weren’t like her, and perhaps that was what she liked about the whole situation. The risk to her was much less than that of what faced them.

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One of them looked to Astrid, noticing her a bit distant as she thought to herself, otherwise distracted by what was going on and not giving much heed, but still being close enough within the camp to make her presence known. “What about you ma’am?” At first he thought that he may have been ignored, but his formal addressing was enough to briefly distract Astrid, snapping her out of her distracted thoughts. “What do you think about all of this? This war and all?”

She hadn’t wished to give her opinion on the matter, but her attentiveness had betrayed her, forcing her to provide an answer that she found that she were seldom required to respond towards, much to her own dismay. She looked over, hoping that nobody save for the one soldier was paying attention, a shiver coming down her spine as she realized that all eyes seemed to have been fixated on her. Not just those within the small group discussing with each other, but others beyond who also seemed somewhat interested in things. All of them focusing their attention towards Astrid, curious what the foreign woman thought.

A sigh escaped from her lips first, knowing that she would have to give a much more fleshed out answer than first hoped. “I think this conflict shows tenacity. Present company not withstanding, even those standing against us. They could have quit. Perhaps should have. Yet they haven’t. I would say that that speaks to something. Whether foolish or impressive, you be the judge.”

A nice dig, but one that would resonate. The people there were fighters no doubt, but they also had to acknowledge that they were going up against fighters themselves. Everyone sought victory, neither side willing to simply accept however it would have played out.

“But, this war has a clear favorite. What percentage of the land do you think they now hold? Twenty percent perhaps? Maybe a little more, less? Quite a drop since the fighting started, even since I arrived here. It’s inevitable at this point that the war will end. One just has to wonder how many more of them are going to willingly sacrifice themselves in order to achieve it.”

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There was a silence that overtook the area as they all sat there, both captivated by Astrid’s words but also taken by surprise of them. They were eloquent, almost like that of a politician themselves. Perhaps better that they did not know of her past, otherwise they may have found themselves far less impressed than how they were. She would have just been the daughter of a politician rather than a visionary. That she were fighting too simply made things all the more impressive.

“Here here!” A voice boomed within the camp, causing the people to cheer in unison and delight. Astrid’s words had inspired them, far more than anything save for news from the field. It was impossible for her to not take it in with some level of delight, some sense of glory that she had achieved, albeit her simply expressing a less-morbid take on the situation at hand.

The revelry was soon broken up by one of the commanding officers arriving, providing them with their instruction for the day, dividing out assignments with a sense of routine that only came with having handled this operation so many times in the past. For Astrid, it was going to be a more simple day, standing guard within one of the interior areas of the camp, some place that had up to this point had yet to see any action or intrusion. It was considered one of the best jobs to be given within the camp, one that everyone hoped for, and on this day was going to be Astrid’s task.

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Simple, if not a little uneventful. Astrid stood there, within the quiet room overlooking the entirety of the camp. Several windows looked out, guarded by enough foliage and trees to make any sort of attack upon it from the ground all but impossible, while also giving her a guaranteed sense of safety. To reach where she was, any sort of attacker would have to arrive within from the lower parts of the facility, one that would have required them going through a massive amount of resistance, thus making the option impossible.

While there, she had some time to think, to reflect on the conflict and also how she had handled things thus far. She had come here as a mercenary, for lack of a better term, but had also shown a great deal of loyalty and commitment towards their effort, earning their trust, earning their respect, and being viewed positively by them. It was a nice thing, one that she took pride in, and new that they appreciated. And her speech today, her assessment, it showed something else, the charismatic nature of her words. She was smart, a natural born speaker, finding that that was an example of just what she was, a future leader. But it would not be from Talaz Lagaar. She would eventually return to Fiore and take what was her’s, but her victories and successes here, they would set the foundation of what was to come when she did eventually return.

But that was for another day. Today, she was simply a guard.

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