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Post by atalanta on Mar 23, 2007 21:30:59 GMT -5
Mesheiko chuckled and grinned. No, the nurses would probably not fall for such a thing, although that was questionable when it came to some nurses that were so attached and attracted to men like Cheng. "I wouldn't think so. You wouldn't get absent-minded nurses all the time, although I think Cheng could work on that for you." Mesheiko said with a still slightly embarrassed, but glad grin. The nurses were bound to find out that he had a relationship at some point- he was going to be in the infirmary for quite some time. There was no avoiding it. He just feared the consequences, not really for himself, but Midori. She was just introduced to this strange, surreal world of the military, specifically the infirmary.
"You say they've already asked you questions? Midori, you'll be lucky to get out of this alive," Mesheiko said, shaking his head, "those nurses will attack you with questions faster than a piranha-shark on a fresh carcass. You'll really need Cheng to," Mesheiko paused for a moment, wondering how to word this, "divert them." He thought for a moment it might be better for her to simply return to her home. Midori couldn't stay with the nurses until he healed, and if she did, she would likely go mad. Some of the nurses would simply drive her to the point of insanity; they worked very hard, but their minds were elsewhere than their patients, usually.
"Midori," he began, "maybe you ought to leave now. I can always write you when I've healed enough to leave, and I'll come find you." He was trying to offer her a route of escape from this different type of world. In a way, he was mainly trying to protect her. Mesheiko felt as if was his duty, somewhat. He had devoted his life to the Earth Kingdom, and Midori was indeed an Earth Kingdom citizen, but there was a far deeper bond and a far stronger reason to protect her. He felt she had been exposed to a harsh and cruel world, and in more ways than simply how the nurses were distracted.
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Post by midori on Mar 24, 2007 17:40:49 GMT -5
Midori stared at him silently for a moment, her eyes revealing her surprise to his suggestion. It seemed to contrast so deeply with their previous moment, and Midori was all but fond of it; she had little desire to leave Mesheiko again, even if he would be returning to her. Inwardly, she had looked forward to spending all the time with him as he healed, and traveling with him was another bonus – it would be much like old times, not to mention full of something that the two had so strongly lacked or, in other words, privacy.
“But that would be so tedious…” Midori replied dully. “It would drive me mad if I didn’t know how you were doing, and it would take you ages to get to my village, especially since you wouldn’t know where you would be going.”
What if he couldn’t even find her, or he wasn’t even released in the first place? And if he was, there would surely be a ceremony which she would like to attend. With this thought, Midori further observed him, trying to understand why he would want her to leave. She didn’t comprehend what his reasoning could be; hadn’t they just shared a deep understanding? Hadn’t they enjoyed the nearness?
“I have no desire to leave right now.” Midori stated truthfully. “Though, I think I’ll write to my parents with a brief explanation of my absence… Just so they know I haven’t been captured by bloodthirsty Fire Nation soldiers, or devoured by rabid hogmonkeys or something like that.”
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Post by atalanta on Mar 25, 2007 17:34:46 GMT -5
Mesheiko sighed slightly, glad that she wouldn't leave but at the same time frustrated. There were untold dangers even in their camp. He also felt somewhat guilty for Midori being exposed to this; he felt it was his fault for her coming here, extending her trip and probably making her parents worry. He also remembered her saying the war had affected her very little, so Mesheiko had really exposed her to such things. Then, another significant thought occurred to him. "Midori," he began, "you carry messages as a sort of job, if I remember correctly, right?" he asked, though he knew the answer. He didn't know what he could do if he traveled to her village. He had skills, but probably not any useful to a small village.
"Would you still carry messages if I came?" he asked. Mesheiko could hardly travel with her to deliver messages- he would only be a hinderance considering he would have to take things slowly even when he left the infirmary. It would be rather awkward if he stayed in the village without Midori and jobless. He would only be a leech then. "I don't really have any specific skills, aside from bending," he stated to her. "What could I do?" He was in a state of perpetual questions. Since being injured, he had begun to doubt much, and doubt bred questions. Mesheiko questioned everything around him that once seemed so solid. Was that how all great men and women took the title? Questions normally led to answers, but the questions he was asking himself and others sometimes had no answers.
Mesheiko knew he would have to work out of this slump mentally and physically. He couldn't sit here on this cot pitying himself and questioning all that was good all the time. He needed to do things; he needed to work both his brain and his body. Surely the infirmary staff did not simply leave the patients who could not move to their cots and boredom. They had to provide some sort of entertainment; soldiers would go mad otherwise. Mesheiko glanced around, trying to discover if there was indeed to entertain himself with. He resolved on observing the nurses' work when Midori was not present. They often had the most interesting work of any he knew, but he knew to wait until Cheng returned. It would be a story, whether Cheng had simply fed the ostrich-horses or had been involved in some outrageous dare.
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Post by midori on Mar 25, 2007 20:27:17 GMT -5
“Well, my village mostly profits from its merchants – we have a lot of shops, restaurants, and such; I’m not sure you’d really find much interest in any of that. Though, we’ve actually been quite useful in aiding Tachi Dai rebuild with all our supplies (us being their neighbors)…”
In an instant, a bolt of inspiration struck. Tachi Dai! Men, young and old, as well as some women, had been sending supplies and aiding in the construction of the once-great-city ever since it had been destroyed; their village had profited from the battle greatly when Tachi Dai had begun to thrive once more, and payments were made in thanks for each family’s generosity.
“Or…” Midori began with some excitement. “You could help in Tachi Dai, as it’s right next to my village. They need a lot of assistance reconstructing buildings and such, and men from my village travel there quite frequently with supplies. I’m positive they would not refuse any help in shipping stuff over there or with aiding with other odd jobs, and I doubt earthbending would be a hindrance to whatever you could help with.” She paused for a moment to take a breath, her smile still broad and vibrant, though, she wondered if she was beginning to talk too much. “Once you rest up a little after traveling of course.” She added needlessly.
How perfect! If Mesheiko couldn’t continue with his life as a solider, he could still help heal a place that was very war-torn. Mesheiko was a selfless person; his determination to return to the army had shown that. Midori knew he really thirsted to help, and it must have hurt him much mentally to receive such a hindrance to his ability to participate (though Midori would shed no tears if he was unable to return to war). But he surely could feel some satisfaction from aiding such a needy cause, couldn’t he? And it wouldn’t be terribly gruesome work, she imagined, depending on what he was assigned.
“And I’ve been known to deliver a thing or two, so chances aren’t bad that we’d meet up.”
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Post by atalanta on Mar 26, 2007 13:03:56 GMT -5
Mesheiko's doubts lessened their hold on him slightly. He had heard of Tachi Dai and how they needed help from everyone suitable to reconstruct and rebuild. He really hadn't encountered civilians since joining, however; his job was to protect them. He had no time to mingle with civilians, at least lately. Still, it was a comfort to him that there was at least a way he could help the Earth Kingdom in war efforts, although he would be fighting back against the Fire Nation in a different way. Mesheiko decided he might even like helping along relief and refugee efforts better than fighting. He had sometimes escorted refugees and protected them on duty, and it was actually somewhat of a vacation from normal Army duties.
However, while a good plan, it diverted from their original plan. The main point of his going to Midori's village was to spend time together. She disagreed with being without him, but if he helped at this Tachi Dai, they wouldn't exactly be right in another room. "Well, that sounds alright," Mesheiko began uncertainly, "but I'm not sure." He was going to be honest with Midori; there was some things that were necessary for her to know. "Let's just live in the here and now. After all, I can't even balance now, let alone do any traveling," he stated, although with a pinch of a joke mixed in.
Cheng strode in, turning heads and attention as he always managed to do. Mesheiko immediately bombarded him with an urgent question about his ostrich-horse. "Is Banshee alright?" he finally asked. "Oh, sure, he's fine. In fact, I think he's improving. Instead of trying to take my fingers off the moment I walked in, he just ignored me." said Cheng. Even though Cheng was joking, Mesheiko knew Banshee was improving. He just had to be. The battle had shook the both of them up, but they were both strong. Mesheiko just wished he could see Banshee again to support himself and comfort the ostrich-horse. "You two didn't get all cozy while I was gone, did you?" Cheng joked absent-mindedly. Mesheiko cast a quick amused and knowing glance at Midori. "Oh, yeah, Cheng. We were really comfortable. In fact, why don't you step out again?" Mesheiko said, hoping Cheng would really take him up on the offer.
"Now, I can't do that. I have to make sure you get only the best." While Mesheiko was disappointed that Cheng refused to leave, he knew Cheng did it out of care. Besides, he didn't even really know about Mesheiko and Midori's blossoming relationship. "Hey, Mesheiko, do you remember Avani?" Cheng asked. "Yes, but do you?" he replied. "Oh, of course. Well, I saw her when I was feeding Banshee and Zeki. I haven't seen her much since she was promoted. I miss her." Cheng said, almost as if Midori and Mesheiko weren't even there. He was somewhat surprised. Cheng rarely expressed deep emotions about the numerous nurses and various women he charmed. "Good," Mesheiko commented.
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Post by midori on Mar 26, 2007 14:43:59 GMT -5
“Maybe you should see if you two could work in sometime to see each other.” Midori suggested in a calm but, sweet way, as it seemed Cheng was digging deep inside his own thoughts, and she did not wish to interrupt him too much.
It was actually very touching to hear this bit of true emotion seep through Cheng’s comic defenses, and, while Midori’s comment was sincere, there was an additional motive behind it; Cheng didn’t seem like he wished to leave Mesheiko’s side for more than a few minutes, and, while this was touching, it was also a bit of annoyance to her. Midori was fully eager to take Mesheiko’s suggestion to heart and live in the present, but the present would surely seem to be less pleasant than it could be if Cheng continued to hang around the two of them. Not that Cheng was an unpleasant person by any means, but she dearly wished that she and Mesheiko would be able to spend more time together. Alone. And if Cheng was out spending time with someone he was interested in… he would desire less time to hang around them. Also, it would be nice for Cheng to pursue a potentially steady relationship, as it seemed he was quite used to doing otherwise.
With this thought, she looked to Mesheiko, smiling softly and shrugging at Cheng’s dazed appearance, though, her eyes revealed her hopefulness and approval of the course of action she suggested.
“Oh, and living for now is just fine with me.” Midori replied to Mesheiko sincerely, with a softer expression and tone.
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Post by atalanta on Mar 27, 2007 20:18:07 GMT -5
"No, no," Cheng said immediately, "she has work to do, and so do I. It would interfere." Mesheiko thought this was slightly ironic, considering how easily and often Cheng distracted nurses, but he probably was not distracted. It was just a simple form of enjoyment for him, nothing terribly meaningful. Mesheiko didn't agree with Cheng's methods, so Midori's suggestion appealed to him for more reaosn than one. Perhaps if Cheng attached himself to Avani, he might detach a bit from Mesheiko. However, Mesheiko knew that he would get no privacy in the infirmary until he had healed fully enough to actually move, and at that point he planned to leave with Midori. He assumed that it would be inevitable that he would be discharged, so it was in his best interests to have a plan.
"Good," he said, directed at Midori's last words, "because hoping for the future at this point is worthless. I should know. It only makes you wistful, focusing only on the then and not paying any attention to the now." Mesheiko rarely spoke of such things. He normally witheld his wisdom from others because his wisdom was normally made to fit him. However, Midori and Cheng were both very close to him. They were all similar, so Mesheiko thought that his sage words might apply to them also. It was also somewhat a verbal warning to himself. He was tempted to simply imagine a better, healthy future all the time. It often involved an entirely healed leg, with a successful career in the military. Still, such wistful thinking was only useless wishing for something nonexistent.
"What about Zeki, Cheng? Is he doing any better than Banshee?" he asked. Mesheiko remembered Cheng mentioning that his own ostrich-horse, Zeki, was a bit shook up from the battle also, but not nearly on the scale of Banshee's unsteadiness. "He's improving, too. He's starting to investigate things again," Cheng said. "Perhaps Zeki could use a dose of female ostrich-horse medicine," Mesheiko joked. Trying to make a bit of conversation that involved all three of them, Mesheiko asked Midori, "What about you, Midori? Do you have any animals?" He figured she would probably have some sort of story to accompany her answer even if the answer was no. Animals were something he and Cheng spoke of often, as well as with Midori, so combining the two conversations together surely did no harm.
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Post by midori on Mar 28, 2007 10:35:48 GMT -5
“Not really.” Midori replied with a shrug. “I have a lot of friends who own some (besides you guys), and my grandfather used to known an ostrich horse, but she died a long time ago. I hardly remember her.”
Though, there was one certain instance that Midori remembered quite clearly – the first time she had ever climbed atop her grandfather’s ostrich-horse. It had been the most exciting, exhilarating moment of her short life; that is, until the animal got moving and she promptly fell to the ground. Looking back, it was quite funny, but Midori knew that the actual event had been much less pleasant.
“Only time I’ve ever saw him cry.” Midori added, shaking her head. “He was quite close to her, but I know a lot of you soldiers are. With good reason.”
Her voice turned fond at her last statement, remembering how Banshee had stayed so true to not only Mesheiko, but her at one time at least. He had certainly saved her and Mesheiko from horrible injury while they had been caught in the middle of the fire that had separated them from the group, and now he had done much the same for Mesheiko again on a much larger scale. In fact, he was the warning signal – surely the reason why Mesheiko wasn’t left alone in what could have been such a darker fate.
She glanced again at him once more at this, thankfulness plain on her expression. If not for Banshee, what horrible destiny would have waited Mesheiko, and how could she have stood it?
She was going to have to give Banshee a special treat.
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Post by atalanta on Mar 28, 2007 23:12:47 GMT -5
Mesheiko was disappointed to hear that Midori owned no animals. They were certainly a comfort to him, and he almost had looked forward to meeting and befriending new animals. In the camp he had access to all kinds of animals, although not currently considering he couldn't walk to see them, but the variety of new animal faces was there all the same. Banshee could be tiresome. Still, Banshee would simply have to liven up Midori's home, which he would do, no doubt. "Banshee will change that around," Mesheiko commented with a mischievous. "I certainly hope your family isn't used to quiet, because he disrupt it and disturb any peace. Sometimes he screeches on purpose, but that's normally just at me," Mesheiko stated as a sort of warning to Midori. He didn't think she had really heard how Banshee lived up to his name, or at least not to its full extent.
At her next words, Mesheiko was automatically reminded of Banshee's heroic efforts. The ostrich-horse had saved his life- twice. Charging through forest fires and Fire soldiers, Banshee was a bold and noble ostrich-horse indeed. Mesheiko owed his very life to Banshee, and it was very possible that others were in the same debt. He decided that the next time Cheng would feed Banshee, he would send him with a treat, possibly a sugarcube or something of the sort. Mesheiko would certainly have to bring some meaningful gift to the ostrich-horse when he was able. Cheng, meanwhile, was distracted by how much his own ostrich-horse meant to him. Zeki had not directly been a hero as Banshee had, but Zeki still meant the world to Cheng. He had been with the ostrich-horse since childhood since it was the family ostrich-horse. They had grown up together, and had experienced the war together. "I know the feeling. I'd be bawling if I lost Zeki," Cheng said solemnly, and Mesheiko nodded. The mood became far more grave suddenly.
"Although, I could certainly do without Banshee's lovely screeches at the crack of dawn," Mesheiko said, trying to lighten the mood. Even though now he did not actually hear Banshee's incessant screeching in the mornings now, there was no doubt other soldiers. Perhaps, though, with Banshee's new stall for extraordinary ostrich-horses, there would be the benefit of some sort of sound proof. Mesheiko certainly hoped so. Some of the best war ostrich-horses in the entire Earth Kingdom Army were stabled there, and he most definitely did not want to disturb such legends or, more importantly, their owners.
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Post by midori on Mar 29, 2007 20:36:54 GMT -5
Midori laughed a bit at this, recalling rumors of Banshee’s trademark screech, though she had never really played victim to it before. At least, not that she recalled; though, if Banshee did accompany she and Mesheiko for the long travel home, that could very well change. As she remembered Mesheiko once saying, it was rather hard to sleep with that bird in your face.
“But his lovely screeches give him personality.” Midori commented almost laughingly, obviously speaking from the point of view of one who had not been so unfortunate to spend a night listening to him (and almost bragging at that fact). “And his character is what makes him so likeable.”
Really, Mesheiko was getting a break from Banshee and his habits in the infirmary, though, it was probably not best to say this aloud. Screeches and all, Mesheiko was probably yearning to see his good animal friend, and Banshee too would surely like to spend some time with his owner (if he was not busy with Yen, anyway). Who knew? Maybe Mesheiko would heal up quickly and they could see each other soon.
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Post by atalanta on Mar 30, 2007 15:41:10 GMT -5
Mesheiko grinned. Personality, sure, but a rather annoying one at that. He loved the animal for saving his life, but for each time Banshee had saved him, there were dozens of times the ostrich-horse had disrupted or disobeyed him in some way. "Well, it's a lovely personality," Mesheiko said sarcastically, putting special emphasis on lovely. Mesheiko himself had been bitten by the ostrich-horse. Such bites could be far worse than a wound a Fire Nation soldier could inflict.
As a war ostrich-horse, Banshee's beak was bred to be long and sharp. Such a fearsome beak bit, bruised, pinched, and tore. Every soldier, at least in the cavalry, had been bitten by their steeds at least once. It was almost an initiation rite; it was a joke among the soldiers that you were not officially a soldier until you had been bitten. Banshee's screeches were no treat, either. Still, Mesheiko couldn't complain. Banshee was what he was bred to be, and after all, what he was bred to be had saved Mesheiko's life at least twice, as well as the lives of others.
Ostrich-horses were generally mocked by the Fire Nation. They generally thought that a bird was no match for their massive war rhinos. However, war ostrich-horses like Banshee were trained and bred for their job, every part of them becoming a weapon if need be. Cheng thought of Zeki and was relieved that his ostrich-horse was not like Banshee; he was originally a farm ostrich-horse, not bred and trained only somewhat for war. Of course, Cheng and Zeki had endured the rigorous training required, but Zeki simply did not have the heart of a war ostrich-horse.
A few moments of silence passed by when a nurse approached them. It was not the same nurse that had come with Mesheiko's medicine, so he braced himself for the worst. Surely this nurse beared bad news, or even worse, knew of Mesheiko and Midori's relationship. She was smiling, so Mesheiko assumed the latter. The nurse touched Midori lightly on the shoulder, almost in a sisterly manner. "I heard about it," she said, nearly giddy. Mesheiko was immediately defensive. "About what?" he asked suspiciously. He purposely tried to look a bit intimidating so the nurse would at least leave them alone. He was tired of all this attention.
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Post by midori on Mar 30, 2007 20:44:06 GMT -5
A wave of tenseness flowed through Midori’s body as her shoulder was touched, even though the gesture was a gentle, kind one. The words too brought a terrible sensation of dread, only the feeling was much stronger than the first. At once it was apparent – she knew. They probably all knew. Midori withheld a grimace, even though she had seen something similar to this coming. However, the difference was she imagined the confrontation in private, in the staff quarters near evening. Not in the bustling, midmorning activity of the infirmary. Not with so many witnesses. Not with Cheng.
How horrible this could go! How would Cheng react to this discovery, that is, if he had not already guessed or been told? The horrible reign of taunting would start and surely never cease. Midori had been hoping so dearly that the relationship was under the senses of Mesheiko’s admirers; she should have known the desire was foolish.
The nurse raised an eyebrow at Mesheiko curiously, like the answer was so obvious it was foolish to even ask. She opened her mouth to reply, though, and at once Midori was filled with horror. Oh, why did he have to ask? She could have possibly brushed it off otherwise, but she had to think on her toes now.
“Why, about you and…”
“We can discuss it later.” Midori interrupted swiftly, anxious energy increasing her normal speaking volume. She did not want to bring this up yet, or even give off the impression that anything was up in the first place (though she knew it was a vain effort at this point).
“Oh. Yeah. Sure.” The nurse said after a silent moment of surprise, a secretive smirk now on her lips. Her gaze wandered to Mesheiko a brief moment, her smirk firming at his defensiveness, before it drifted back to Midori. “Well, enjoy the rest of your day…” She said finally, with a light, perky tone and a wink before leaving.
Midori sighed, extremely relieved that the nurse had left so easily, though, she was unsure how she was going to handle the later meeting. Ah, well; she’d think of something, and the important thing at the moment was the attention was off them, and it again was narrowed down to the original group.
Her smile was shy as she glanced back to Mesheiko, but she smoothed over the slightly awkward moment with a casual shrug.
“Girls…” Midori sighed wearily, rolling her eyes, but then grinning at the irony.
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Post by atalanta on Apr 6, 2007 16:35:14 GMT -5
Mesheiko continued his intimidating front, but the nurse seemed unaffected. Some caretakers they are, Mesheiko mused silently. It seemed to him that some of their patients would be better suited to the quiet care of nurses, which some simply did not grasp. He realized soon after his words were spoken that they were better left in his mind. The nurse would certainly reply to his question more than happily. It was a senseless manuever indeed. Oh well, he could beat himself up later for it. For the moment he had to focus on somehow distracting the nurse and Cheng. Mesheiko had opened his mouth and was about to speak, but Midori stole the words right from him.
Thank goodness for her quick wit. It would divert attention at least for the present, and in some ways it was a superior excuse to making something up. He just hoped and prayed that Cheng would not think too much of it, or at least if he did, keep those many thoughts to himself. Fortunately, he dared a glance in Cheng and Midori's direction. Cheng was wearing a slight grin with one eyebrow c ocked, but remained silent, and for that Mesheiko was grateful. Midori, meanwhile, looked fairly relieved and pleasant, and Mesheiko couldn't say he didn't feel similarly. Once the nurse was out of earshot, Mesheiko murmured, "My day will be enjoyable if I can just go a few minutes without being bothered by one of them." Cheng, hearing his friend's comment, gave Mesheiko a look that warned Mesheiko of what was to come.
"Well, buddy, if that's the case, I don't think you'll be happy ever again," Cheng said playfully. Mesheiko smiled in amusement but had to agree with Cheng. It was obvious that this sudden, almost celebrity-like attention was not going to fade anytime soon. He would guess he would be famous for the remaining duration of the war, which he hoped was short. For one, the war was terrible, taking and destroying lives, and also for a more selfish reason; if it ended soon, then the limelight on him would fade on him. The pleasantness of the attention had faded away for Mesheiko quickly. There were men who had performed deeds far more heroic than his own, yet it was probably going to be him that was known throughout the Earth Kingdom. Mesheiko gave a slight nod in acknowledgement to Midori's action, which Cheng fortunately did not notice. "Yeah. Girls," Cheng said dreamily.
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Post by midori on Apr 6, 2007 19:41:10 GMT -5
Midori simply raised an eyebrow at Cheng’s wistful comment, though a small, amused smile was still tugging at the edge of her lips. Ah… Cheng. His replies were always comical, but Midori couldn’t help but feel some sort of annoyance at his still being present. With this, she glanced at Mesheiko and his simple gesture, instantly contrasting the two young soldiers. Really, it was entertaining seeing how Cheng and Mesheiko were different – in both great and subtle ways.
Cheng was of course, the comedian, the charmer, while Mesheiko was simply calmer and more composed and seemed more mature, though the reality of this could certainly be debated. Mesheiko was certainly more conservative in most areas and seemed stubbornly realistic, sometimes grim, which was unlike Cheng’s easygoing nature. Midori also supposed he was a deep thinker from some comments he had made, which made her terribly curious about what went through his mind sometimes. Midori pondered this thought silently for a few more moments, and found once again that she desperately wished to pursue a private conversation with Mesheiko.
“Don’t you have something more productive to do then just stand there and dream about girls, Cheng?” Midori asked with a teasing sweetness. He was a soldier after all; surely he had some kind of duties to attend to at least some part of the day. At least, Midori was hoping this. It would be a wonderful way to get him out of their hair for a bit longer, so she and Mesheiko could at least spend a few more moments in private, even if they were just going to talk without the worry of what others would infer.
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Post by atalanta on Apr 7, 2007 18:06:11 GMT -5
Mesheiko suddenly felt he had some sort of advantage over Cheng. Yesterday he had been in so much pain and was so thoroughly exhausted, his normal duties were the last thing from his mind. Now, however, he was refreshed and feeling far more energetic, though he could hardly walk. Now he was spared the agony of drills, at least, if nothing else. It was probably the only positive thing about being injured, aside from being reunited with Midori. Mesheiko grinned at this, silently gloating over those tiny points. His stay in the infirmary was by no means pleasant, and he wished it to end with all deliberate speed, but there was no reason not to appreaciate some of its finer perks.
Cheng seemed not to notice Mesheiko's happiness. He snatched a mango off a passing nurse's tray, who immediately noticed and turned to find Cheng entirely guilty of the crime. He grinned at the nurse as innocently and with as much charm as he could muster, and she simply rolled her eyes. "You can keep it. It's rotten anyway," she said, and walked on. Cheng winked at Mesheiko and took a bite. He eagerly swallowed that mouthful and took another. Swallowing, Cheng said, "Not a thing wrong with this mango." Mesheiko, in turn, pulled out his half-eaten fruit and nibbled at its sweet, soft core. "You know, I think this is better than any full-course dinner the Army could serve after a victory if I was healthy. It's good to know they're not actually concerned about us until we're half-dead," Mesheiko said sarcastically, and unfortunately it was somewhat true. For lack of decent food, famines, and droughts, the wounded, sick, and dying always got the best. That was admirable, but often healthy soldiers were served food that could make them part of the wounded, sick, and dying.
"No kidding," Cheng said. He looked at Midori, puzzled as to why she wanted him out while it was only still the morning. "Well, sure, Midori, but even though we're up at the crack of dawn we don't actually do anything until after breakfast," he said. Mesheiko nodded. "It's true," he commented. "I got up while it was still dark out this morning, and I went to the kitchen. I've never seen so much food before in my life! It was all fresh and warm, and the best part was, nobody'd gotten to it yet. By the time I'm normally awake, there's hardly any bread left," Cheng told dramatically, as if breakfast was some great epic. "Breakfast feast or not, Cheng, I don't envy you. It's drills all day, right?" Mesheiko said, almost gloating. Cheng simply groaned in response.
As if on some unseen cue, Kun Tu came dashing in through the infirmary. He was somewhat breathless by the time he reached them, and of course, Cheng stared at him with amusement, knowing some reprimand, criticism, and admonishment were to come. "Cheng, can't you stop dawdling around for one day? You're about to miss the flag raising," he scolded the younger soldier. Cheng shrugged, rolled his eyes, but willingly followed Kun Tu. Before leaving, however, Cheng said, "What fun." Mesheiko waved slightly, still gloating with his eyes, and Cheng raised an eyebrow. Mesheiko then turned his attention back to Midori. "Flag raising's just the daily ceremony we have that's supposed to keep morale up, but spirits know it does nothing when everyone's dying. It's the drills we dread," he explained. Drills were awful, though necessary. On a full day of them, he could hardly move from soreness. Sleep came easily on those peaceful nights after those restless days.
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