Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Open to Kalum Wulfgang and takes place before "One After Another" There was going to be something happening with the trains soon, some sort of transportation or evacuation effort. Gladys didn’t know the details, but the railroad platform was alive and busy. And where there were busy people in the barracks, there was Gladys. When she wasn’t being sent out to do patrols, she was still being sent off on petty errands. Clean this, move that, and all the like. Right now, she was assigned to run an message out to all the officers. She wasn’t allowed to read it, but the sealed scrolls of paper needed to be delivered. Most of the officers were easy to find, but there was one she was having trouble tracking down.
Kalum. A relatively new officer who was very good at his job. Word on the grapevine was that was in line for another promotion too, but nobody was sure when. Gladys had worked with him once before, but that mission was already a foggy memory to her. It wasn’t until someone pointed her to the preparation going on at the platform, did she finally manage to find him.
“A message for you,” she said quietly, looking at the ground rather than at his eyes. She held the scroll out to him and hoped he wasn’t too busy to receive it. With this delivered, she would finally be able to take a break from working.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Kalum Wulfgang on Dec 31, 2015 20:01:39 GMT
Another day of menial tasks. With the rumors milling about of a large operation underway Kalum had found himself at the railroad platform performing every bit of grunt work along with his men and women since before the morning arose. As his crew paused to take a breath after loading on some of the cargo, the huntsman stopped to asses how much was left to them. Hours of work and the pile of crates behind them still seemed to loom over them. With a sigh he wiped his forehead on the back of his glove before a voice caught his attention. The meek nature and tune brought one person to mind immediately, and when he turned to see if his guess had been right he was pleased to see it was none other than miss Hayden.
"Good day, miss Hayden. Thank you," came his reply and a nod as he extended his hand out to accept the letter though his gaze lingered on her face rather than the scroll. Once he had it in hand he turned it this way and that though continued to study the blonde woman. She was shy that much he knew though was surprised that after their mission she could not bring herself to meet his gaze. Nearby a woman cursed and that drew his attention to the source--General Winters as she remained named--spitting profanities at another cadet for nearly dropping a crate of precious metals and equipment. Their experience with the woman was... not pleasant, but Kalum highly doubted her presence was cause for Gladys to be shy. "Gladys, We haven't spoken since our mission but I wished to tell you that you did well--better than most. Have you more errands or would you like to join us for some lunch?"
With the scroll in his hand, she nodded at his thanks and was going to take a step backwards to leave, but she paused when he continued speaking. The compliment brought a blush to her face and she smiled slightly. “Th-thank you, sir. And no, I don’t have anymore errands.” She wasn’t sure whether or not she should accept the lunch invitation, but a poke from her stomach changed her mind. “Lunch sounds nice.”
It wasn’t until after she answered that she realized he had said ‘us.’ Who was us? Other soldiers? Oh no, that wouldn’t be a good idea. While they didn’t criticize her as much anymore, the teasing never stopped. Kalum had never been among them, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t too late for him to join. Too late to go back now.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Kalum Wulfgang on Jan 1, 2016 23:20:05 GMT
"That is good. I am glad you can join us." With that he turned away and beckoned her to follow him. The soldier led her to the mountain of crates where his unit sat on top of some or on the floor pulling their meals from their various bags. "Hey, what's the scrub doing here," hollered a woman clearly not pleased the blonde was in their company. "Hold your tongue, Davis. She's an ensign and you will treat her with respect," snapped Kalum before finding his own bag. "Have a seat, miss Hayden," gestured the officer to one of the many crates nearby.
"Ahh, our man Wulfgang got himself a crush? 'Bout time--always did think he was queer," teased another soldier, this one dark and from the West Indies. Kalum ignored the second man as he took his own seat on the floor with his back to one crate.
"Ya tellin' me he don't play the skin flute," snorted another man to which Davis snerked and lifted a hand to cover her mouth.
"Marshall, if I recall correctly weren't you the one sneaking out of Adams room last night?" Kalum looked up from the containers he'd removed from his pack and lifted a brow as he eyed the blonde man across from him. Marshall, as he was dubbed, now held his spoon over his tuber-ware with his mouth slightly open and cheeks red though from anger or something else it was uncertain. Davis, the woman, burst into laughter and nearly choked on her food, dropping her container in the process as she doubled over. Another man who one could presume was Adams gaped in horror at the rest of his unit.
"Here you are, Miss Hayden." With the attention off of Gladys for now the others resorted to bickering among themselves and Marshall's current predicament while Kalum held the blonde woman a meal. There wasn't anything fancy in it but some cooked beans with chunks of meat in a tomato base. "I have some rice and bread as well if you would like."
Color rose to Gladys’ cheeks as soon as she approached the group, already feeling very out of place among all the men and well, one very masculine woman. She grew up seeing men as her superiors, and seeing herself as forever inferior. It was an upbringing she tried to ignore when with the EIRAL, but it still permeated her thoughts from time to time. Like now, when she felt like the lowest ranking person here, socially of course. Not to mention that their coarse language still made her blush more, despite all the exposure to it.
Dismissing the thoughts about Kalum being interested in her (or other guards interests in each other), she accepted the container with a small smile. “Th-thank you. It’s appreciated. And no thank you, this will be fine.” She reached into her pocket, fumbling with the utility tool to try and produce a fork to eat with. It fell from her hands, clanging to the ground while she hurried to pick it back up while ignoring the stares it would probably earn her. With the ordeal over, she opened the container and took a shaky bite, eating quietly.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Luckily for Gladys the look she was given was from Kalum as the others were too busy horsing around or throwing verbal jabs at one another to really notice her drop her fork. "Of course," replied the Huntsman before opening his own container to tend to eating his own meal. Every now and then he stole a glance at her to see she was still quite nervous and uncomfortable and with a soft exhale from his nostrils he placed his spoon down into the container then asked her, "Miss Hayden, what other things do you do for us in the military? It is my understanding you have many tasks? Where else does your knowledge lay?" He heard of how she was tasked with mundane business such as cleaning but there must be better use for her. She could build traps after all and she may be shy but there was more to her he was sure.
She jumped a little as he broke the silence, asking about her tasks with the Royal Army. Swallowing the clump of food in her mouth, she cleared her throat before speaking. “Well, uh. I deliver messages across the base, like to you. And um. I polish equipment, sharpen them as well, refill ammo for the guns and stuff. Uhh, I clean a lot too, running laundry and folding uniforms. I run errands too, uhh, the boring stuff other people don’t like to do really. Checking to see if houses have vacated, following up on reports, I also had to retrieve a crashed car this one time…” she trailed off, the blush on her face growing as she spoke. In a soft voice she added one more thing, “I just want to do what I can to help.”
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
"Your time is wasted on those tasks," he commented bluntly. Someone had to do them that was sure, but not this one. She was meek but not stupid like others he had come across within the service. Everyone should be responsible for their own chores anyway, he felt. "What else do you do, or rather, what can you do? Have you any other interests? Does medic interest you at all? We have an opening in my unit for one," he finally continued. Adams seemed to pay attention to their conversation now.
"Yo, man, that's just heartless. Eddy's been sick for only a week and you wanna replace her?"
"Eddy isn't getting better, Adams. You know she's as good as out," came Davis' voice. "She's going to get replaced sooner or later."
She only blinked at his reaction. Wasted? But someone needed to do those things, and she wanted to be that someone. It’s what kept her among their ranks, that feeling like she was helping.
But he offered another way to help, an offer that made a lump form in her throat. A chance to help on the field, in a unit. That was a dream she never thought she’d get the chance to see come to reality. “I uh, well I’ve been leaning about medics lately…If you’re sure there isn’t anyone better to take the post…I’d uh, love to.” She glanced up at him for a moment before looking back down to the container in her hands. He couldn't be serious, no. The guys were never serious around her unless they were assigning her work.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
"I know. I looked into your file," came his reply as he dug into his food with his spoon. Since his promotion and the mission he had taken to researching his soldiers in more detail. One thing he disapproved with EIRAL was the lack of organization within the system. Gladys was taken at face value and put to little use. There was such potential there as there was in Jovena and several others. "I want you to take the post," he finally replied. "But do not mistake this for kindness, miss Hayden. I want you to want it otherwise do not do it or you will be wasting both our times. I cannot promise you that working beneath me will be pleasurable either." For once his unit did not make any jeers despite the ample opportunity. Instead they sat quietly watching Gladys for her reaction and answer to their captain since he seemed more taken with his meal than her answer.
She listened carefully to him, the color in her face never wavering. If she were honest with herself; she wanted the job. She wanted it more than anything else right now. But, she didn’t feel like she deserved it, didn’t feel like she was worthy to take it. Biting her lip, her mind waged an internal war. “I want you to want it,” he said. That’s what she focused on. She already wanted the job. All she needed was the invitation, that push to actually take it.
“I would very much like to take the job,” she said in a hurry, making it all come out sounding like one big word. “Please,” she added a second later.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
Post by Kalum Wulfgang on Jan 6, 2016 14:47:02 GMT
Her answer brought a quirk to his lips. Good, she could make her own decisions and then there was that terrible "please" tacked on. "Please and thank yous should be saved for formal occassions. In this unit you do not use them. I want you to be confident with your words. Report to Edna Hoffman in the medical ward in the morning. Is that understood, miss Hayden?" With a lifted brow he finally turned his attention to the blonde woman. His food was nearly finished but he refused to eat anymore as he closed the lid then stuffed it back into his bag.
“Yes sir,” she replied promptly. Edna Hoffman, medical ward, tomorrow morning. She bit her tongue from saying a ‘thank you’ as well, keeping his words in mind. A small smile came to her lips as she brought another bit of food to her mouth. She was finally moving up ranks, finally getting some serious jobs, and finally had a unit to work in. “Is there anything else you want me to do, sir?” she asked next, feeling like it was something she needed to address. Did he have specific tasks for her? Were there other rules she needed to follow? All the questions passed through her mind, she was always eager to please, always wanted to help out somehow.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ―William Faulkner
"No," answered Kalum as he stood and put his sack away. The others mimcked his actions as well and returned to work shortly after. "You may join us in work today. Otherwise rest up and we begin tomorrow." After he answered, he returned to work lifting the crates and loading them onto the train.
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