The Fractured Veil

Chapter Three

They reach the dining hall and open the doors. In the hall are three different lines for food. One is Protein type meals for muscle and stamina gain. One is more light food for those who are more naturally agile and nimble. The last is for the Overseers and Commanders. This line has the best smelling food but it leads directly to the upstairs dining area so Takeshi doesn't know what is served in that line. The upstairs dining area overlooks the rest of the hall but has one way windows so no one can see up there. The hall where trainees and team members eat has six rows of tables that can seat fifty people each in the center of the hall. A few smaller tables are spread out around the walls that can sit ten people at each of them. The hall is almost never full but is fairy busy tonight. Must not be very many missions going on tonight. Everyone is eating dinner and not paying them much attention. Good. Takeshi thinks. He doesn't want to draw any attention to the new girl. It could be bad for her if she gets attacked her first day. They grab their dinners from the light line since Takeshi tries to swap every day other day so he gains the proper nutrients for his entire body. It has some various fruits, a salad, and some chicken for their protein. Water and various juices are the only drinks available. They eat their meals in relative silence as it's fairly awkward for Takeshi since he's not used to eating with company. Here and there he does catch glances of Alexandra looking around at the others. Near the end of their meal he thinks he sees her pocket something, but when he asks her about it she just says "Oh it was just a napkin." Takeshi, being slightly naive about it, thinks she's telling the truth and leaves it alone.

After dinner Takeshi takes Alexandra around the compound for a quick tour before bed. They are standing in the center of a concrete circle with five walking paths attached to it. They stand next to a flagpole with the flag of The Order of Phantoms at the top of. The flag has a base red color with a golden snake weaving in and out of a black seven pointed star with a white dove standing atop the star's top point. "So to the west," Takeshi points the direction he is talking. "Is the Commander's building and team member facilities. It's where the commanders and overseers live and have their offices. The Team members facility is the biggest and is where all groups live and train when they are considered ready to be sent on missions." He looks at Alexandra and she nods in understanding. "The North is the Xithun's Office and living building. I don't know much about it. And the tech building where all of our tech is designed and built." He turns his head towards the next set of buildings. "To the south-east are our living facilities, the advanced trainee facilities, where we have training gyms, and doctors quarters." He turns to speak directly to Alexandra, "you will be staying with us I assume since the dorms are for all mixed gender as to promote unity between us. I have a bed open to me so you can stay there if you'd like." Alexandra nods and smiles happily. Takeshi continues, "to the south is the entrance to the compound. Along with the Smithing building." He pauses and thinks for a second. "Which you already know about because we came from there." Alexandra chuckles slightly. Takeshi smiles. "The east is the dining hall and beginner trainees facilities. The beginner trainee facilities are similar to ours, just more comfortable for the new trainees, until they move to the advanced trainee facilities." Alexandra asks a question at this point.

"Did you stay there ever?" Takeshi looks at her and shakes his head.

"No, I was put in advanced training at the age of five after being watched by Xithun for two years." Alexandra looks fairly surprised.

"So long?" She asks inquisitively.

Takeshi nods. "Nine years here, but I started at a much younger age than most do." He looks down. "Marrow joined two years before me at the age of six." Alexandra stays quiet as if thinking and lets Takeshi continue.

"Training for us begins at zero six thirty hours until sixteen hundred hours. We clean from then until seventeen hundred hours. We are free to walk around the compound any time between seventeen hundred hours and twenty-one hundred hours. Lights out is at twenty-two hundred hours." She stares at Takeshi blankly, obviously confused by all the numbers. Takeshi takes a moment to explain the times he just gave out in general times. She understands better now so he continues. "The compound is fifteen miles across in all directions. We hold group training in the field on occasions. But we are free to train out here as we please if given permission." Takeshi looks at her and sees she has a question. "Feel free to ask whatever it is."