TAMED

"I won't."

The world was soaked and gloomy when Levi, the Hound, and the armed guards arrived at the gun range. As everyone unloaded from the armored truck, Levi noticed the presence of a table and a handful of soldiers beside it. On the right was a younger woman with a notepad and a clipboard. She smiled welcomingly as Levi led Ares to the table.

"Mr. Armani." She addressed as she held out her delicate hand for a formal shake. "My name is Christy." She introduced sweetly. Levi could tell she was all bubbles and hoped that she was equipped with the mentality needed for whatever this test was going to be.

Levi tensed as the young woman turned her attention to Ares and smiled brightly again. She held out her hand to him and waited patiently.

Ares looked briefly to Levi as if for answers, but when none came, he glanced back to the armed soldiers, then finally back to Christy.

"Hello Ares. It's wonderful to meet you." She prompted and continued her friendly demeanor. Finally, the Hound built up enough confidence and held his hand out. He shook her hand gently, afraid of hurting her if he held too tightly.

Now that they'd shaken hands and been properly introduced, Christy welcomed them to the table. She pulled out her metal folding chair and set her clipboard and other items down. Her hair was long and bright blonde. It was pulled back in a single, somewhat messy, braid. Her eyes were a happy green and her skin a soft peachy color.

"Well, I suppose we should get things rolling." She said as she pulled a black pen out of the petite breast pocket.

"Okay. First things first, when I speak I will be speaking directly to the Hound. There is zero reason for Mr. Armani to speak unless specifically addressed by name." She continued. The air about her was strong, confident, fierce, but also gentle, warm, and organized.

"So, please tell me your name." Christy requested as she held her pen, her files open and visible. Fortunately it hadn't rained in the last hour at least. The ground was soggy but the table was dry enough save for a couple little drips here and there.

"3170." The boy responded plainly, but Christy gave him a playful glare.

"Is that your name? Or is that your unit number?" She pressed, jotting some notes down without looking at her paper. She watched as the dark skinned boy looked down and contemplated, then returned his gaze to her.

"My name is Ares." He said with a stronger clarity.

"Good! Well it's certainly nice to meet you. As I said before, my name is Christy and I am a clinical psychologist. I would like to spend some time asking questions and just getting to know you for a while. I read a very extensive report on your history to this point. "

Levi waited patiently and watched as the soldiers around them set up a canopy tent to shield them from the weather in the odd chance it decided to turn nasty again.

"So Ares, you've had a lot of life for a man so young." She explained, then stopped as she briefly peeked over a specific page in her notes. "What types of things do you enjoy doing?"

Ares remained quiet for a time, a little anxious at being asked to speak about things that were largely irrelevant.

"I..." He began, but stopped as he fidgeted in his seat and pressed his thumbs together. "I like to watch the sky with Vince."

She smiled as she wrote down his answer.

"Sounds fun. What else?"

He jerked his head to the left suddenly as one of the soldiers dropped a bottle of water, startling him.

"Hey, you're okay." She reassured, the same friendly tone coming through warmly. The breeze picked up for a moment as Ares contemplated his words.

"I like candy." He replied, tucking his head a little lower as if he were nervous.