A Place To Bloom

Unanswered Questions

Hundreds were killed when the enemy took Praying Mantis, and the important people thought it prudent to keep all the conscripts at the Lake of Doom until everyone at Carthia stopped talking about it.

Yes, someone actually thought that was a good idea.

And so, I decided to bring Ta'o, Renou, and Bilal to the Lake where we would choose the rest of our team from among the new recruits.

While we were packing, Renou presented an idea. "Why don't we act like new recruits?"

The rest of us looked at one another.

"Think about it. If they know why we're there, they're going to act one way. But if they think we're like them, they'll be more natural."

I understood. "We'll see who they truly are."

Bilal chuckled to himself and pointed at Ta'o with a gruff voice. "What do we do about this guy?"

With Ta'o's dark-green skin, yellow eyes, and long white hair down his muscular back, he didn't look Herali. "And what about you, baldy?"

"No worries," Renou assured them. "Ta'o, you're from the Labiyei district of Kyoen, and your Herali is flawless. You just have to dress the part. Bilal," he looked up at the man's stubbly scalp. "You had fleas."

"Gee, thanks."

"Does that work, though?" I studied what was left of Bilal's hair; I still wanted to know why he knifed his last captain in the back. "He must have been shaved clean... maybe a week ago at most."

Ta'o gave him a wide-toothed grin. "Fleas are fleas."

It wasn't just because I was his captain, now; I was just curious. Really. I mean, not getting knifed in the back is always a good thing.

"How about," Bilal offered, "I'm a deserter from the Imperial Army, and I came here to hide from the Invisible Hand? I shaved my gorgeous Goloagi curls so my handsomeness wouldn't upstage you three tumors."

Renou raised a finger. "For the record, the three of us all have girlfriends. You don't."

Bilal grinned, again with a thumb to Ta'o. "You think that gimp is his girlfriend?"

Suddenly, Ta'o snapped. "Don't call her that!"

His laughter was gone. His easy smile blinked out of existence. What remained was a hard man, a weapon for a face, with his fists clenched at his sides.

Bilal giggled. "Don't call her your girlfriend?"

Ta'o stepped towards him, every muscle in his body was tense. "I'm dead serious, bro."

"Fine. Fine."

"No," Ta'o pointed one finger at the man's face. "You listen. You call her that one more time, I will kill you. Nice and slow. Do you hear me?"

Renou's eyes bulged.

"Nice and slow."

My heart started racing. Bilal stood motionless, staring deep into the Ta'o's eyes. His face was stone. I had to think like a captain. I had to know when to let them figure it out on their own and when to intervene. What would a good captain do?

I dropped my pack and took Bilal's side to face Ta'o directly. He needed to know his boundaries would be respected, and Bilal needed to save face. "We all hear you, and we will all listen out for anyone else who speaks ill of her."

Renou came to my side. "All of us."

Bilal nodded and looked around. Then he smiled at Ta'o. "That's right, man. Bro."