In The Shadow of Steel (Paladin Danse)

Part Twelve

"Outstanding work at Fort Strong, soldier."
"It was an honour fighting for the Brotherhood.
I stood once again in the command deck before the Elder. I had debriefed him of our mission success and he'd commanded me to have my cheek inspected by Knight-Captain Cade as soon as I had finished my meeting here. Danse was most likely grinning to himself where he was.

"I'm glad you feel that way, because our mission here has only just begun. In order to bring the Institute to it's knees, we need to use every weapon at our disposal. I try to supply my soldiers with the best, that's why I'm giving you these. Signal grenades can call a 'bird to your location when you need aerial transport. Simply throw one to the ground, and the 'bird will hone in on the unique electromagnetic smoke it emits."
"Thank you, Elder. I'll make good use of them." I smiled, gratefully pocketing them, dreading the actual thought of riding in one again.
"I expect that you will. You did well out there today, it's comforting to know that your training prior to joining us has paid off, even if we don't know the location of which you learned it. You're dismissed for now, Knight."
"Yes sir, thank you."
"And Knight, I don't want to report to Knight-Captain Cade later only to discover that you never stopped by the Infirmary. Get that thing stitched up. That's an order."

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"That should heal up pretty quick. The cut wasn't too deep, luckily, so there won't be a scar."
"Damn, and I was hoping to dress as Maxson for Halloween this year."
"I don't think he would find that very amusing." Cade scolded, chucking a disapproving look in my direction.
"If only it that had been a joke." I sighed. "Can I go now? I'm starved."
"Yes, I have some reports to type up anyway. Try not to hurt yourself out there." He called behind me as I left the room.
"No promises, doc." I spoke back, although I wasn't sure if he heard as my voice drowned out beneath the approaching conversation and laughter echoing from the mess hall. I spotted Danse sitting solo at a bench, digging into what appeared to be a squirrel on a stick. A sticky part of the meat had attached itself to his right cheek, causing me to bite back my laughter. Before approaching to eat my own lunch and pointing out the embarrassing accessory he'd adorned, I headed to the counter and ordered some Instamash. Waiting a few minutes for the mess officer to dish me up my food, I cracked open a bottle of purified water, the liquid cool in my throat. Finally it was ready and I perched myself opposite of my mentor.

"You got a little something, right there." I held a teasing finger over the crevice in my own cheek. The Paladin raised his curious eyes to meet mine, before brushing the food from his face with his hands. Upon noticing the piece of squirrel on his fingers, his ears began to heat up, the warmth of the blush spreading across his face. I giggled, sticking a fork in my mash and savouring the soft potato flavouring.
Desperate to take the focus away from his red face, Danse began asking questions.
"So, how did your meeting with Maxson go?"
"He was pleased to hear it was a success, and he gave me some signal grenades too." I shrugged nonchalantly, the mention of the signal grenades spiking his interest.
"They'll come in pretty useful when we are out in the field, having that extra air support is always an added bonus during a fight."
"I think I'll walk the distance though, but if you wanna ride in them you're more than welcome to."
"You do realise that the whole reason you've been assigned to my team is so that I can keep an eye on you, right?"
"You'll have a superb aerial view of doing so," I smirked, glancing to meet his eyes.
"You'll become acclaimed to riding them eventually."
"Yeah, we'll see. You'll have to tie me up to make that happen." I retorted, confident he'd admit defeat.
"That could be arranged." He shrugged.
My eyes widened, "don't be stupid. W-who would man the minigun?"
"Well, me."
"And what would stop me from rolling out of the vertibird?!"
"Well.....nothing." My mouth hung agape, completely bewildered at the expressionless emotion on his face. "I guess the good thing is that we haven't known you that long so we wouldn't have that much to say in your obituary." The shock became ever more existent with every insult he spoke. He finally met my eyes and broke into a smile, before the room echoed with laughter.
"Did you just make a joke? The oh-so-serious Paladin has room for jokes? Wow, I'm impressed. Good though, you almost had me for a second. Maybe one day I'll be able to teach you the shocked and hurt expression I just pulled back there." I nodded, scooping a large forkful of mash and plopping into my mouth.
"You're kidding right? There's no way you didn't fall for that!" Danse shook his head, furrowing his brows.
And once again the seriousness had returned.
"Besides from Maxson, you're like, the most serious person I've ever met. You'd have to train for years before you'd be able to get me with a good joke."
"You're a tough nut to crack, aren't you."
"Hit the nail on the head there."