Changes

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After making their way into the dining hall, (Y/n) began feeling more familiar with her new surroundings. The high ceiling of the initially intimidating room seemed to invite the soldiers to dream big and reach high. As both girls walked towards the center of the room, Robin introduced her to everyone she deemed important. 

With food in hands, they finally sat down to dine and more people joined their table. Analyzing the scene reminded (Y/n) of what schools were supposed to look like in the past, or maybe even prison cafeterias. 

They sat down at the corner of a table next to a man in light blue clothing. Although most people were not wearing their uniforms (they were probably not required after work hours), his suit was perfectly kept, not a single fiber out of place. Robin took care of the introductions with her straightforward mannerisms. 

"(Y/n), Christopher. Christopher, (Y/n)."

"You can call me Chris. So, what brings you to this fantastical world of soldiery?" The male spoke with a sheepish smile. Chris was probably used to Robin being direct and concise. He emanated a type of familiar warmth (Y/n) hadn't realized she missed. The type of warmth that made you feel like you'd known the person forever.

"They are in need of more recruits. They are basically begging anyone who can join. I think they fear an attack soon." Her response, however, was not completely truthful. Yes, the Empire had a very intense recruitment program, but (Y/n) joined the soldiery because she had nowhere else to go. 

He nodded in understanding and everyone began eating. As (Y/n) began to poke at the colorful wobbly food in front of her, a particular voice at the other side of the cafeteria called her attention. Captain Hall was a the center of a small circle of people who chatted around him. His voice naturally filled the room, the deep cadence making it hard to understand individual words but making his laugh permeate the room. Although his posture and smile exuded confidence, the girl could see from a distance that his eyes were disinterested and misplaced. He wasn't bored... no, maybe his head was just some place else. 

I wonder what he's thinking of...

"Sooooo, Captain Hall huh (Y/n)." Robin nudged her roommate teasingly. The girl shot up and her eyes narrowed. Before she could reply, however, Chris cut in.

"Honestly, I get it." He said with a smirk. "Sometimes I wish we fought like people did in the past so I could see him train shirtless~" The sentence was left in the air with a hint of flirtatiousness and playfulness. 

Trying to avoid the eyes of her friends on the table, she looked at any other possible direction, spotting the Captain once again. He was looking directly at her. It suddenly felt as if the room went quiet. The talk and laughter in the background faded and (Y/n) could only feel his piercing stare. It felt intimidating and somber, and the room cramped up with nowhere to run or hide from his eyes. Her trance was broken with a light tap on her shoulder.

"Dude, we're joking." Robin scanned her face for some sort of emotion, and quickly added. "If you're not gonna finish this, I'm actually feeling kinda tired".

"Sure, let's go back." The trio put their trays away on a conveyor belt which went into the wall through a small opening and left towards the living cabins. Chris left the girls at their own dorm and after saying goodbye he went on his way.

"Hey Robin" she started "thanks for showing me around and introducing me to your friends."

Her roommate offered a genuine smile and replied "No problem. Talk more tomorrow?" and after confirmation from the other half of the conversation she retired to her part of the dormitory. (Y/n) closed the door behind her and let her body fall into the soft mattress, letting the comforting drowsiness of sleep embrace her. 

----->> <<-----

The morning announced itself with a loud ray of sunshine blinding the girl into awakeness. As her eyes opened, the girl felt a rush of uneasiness, confusion, and panic. It's the feeling of a child waking up in an unfamiliar environment, and pure emotion seeping in before reason. As she looked up towards the low ceiling and the white-framed window, her rate rate settled.

A wave of realization hit her. This would be her first day of work. Well, 'work' was probably not the best word to describe it, but it's the thought that mattered. (Y/n) got dressed in her brown attire, zipping it all the way up to her neck. Although it wasn't the most flattering silhouette on her, this didn't take away any excitement for whatever training awaited her. 

(Y/n) stepped out into the common area of the apartment and found Robin seated at the table with two plates in front of her. She pushed the uneaten dish towards her. "I hope you like eggs. There's food in the cafeteria but I usually prefer having breakfast here."

(Y/n) thanked her and began eating. The balance of eggs and seasoning was perfect. She thought she knew how to cook up until this moment. (Y/n) wasn't exactly used to eating the most lavish meals, especially in the past few years. Going to a restaurant seemed like a vague and distant memory, and she wasn't even sure if it was an image created by her subconscious from everything she had read. So, to make something so simple such as eggs taste so delicious was amazing, and whatever Robin had added to the food was beyond her. 

"Robin, this is perfect! Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it." She responded. "Now finish up, we have something to do before it's time to leave." As (Y/n) looked up, she saw the other holding scissors and bucket. "I'm not a professional, but you better get your hair cut with me than go to your first day of training like this."

She chuckled, and after finishing her food, they sat down near a mirror. Robin began combing through her hair, analyzing the perimeter before she found a suitable height to cut it at. Overall, it was about shoulder-length, which would still allow her to tie it up if necessary.

"So, what's up with the short hair? I noticed all the girls yesterday either had it shoulder-length or some sort of shave-cut." (Y/n) asked. Robin looked up from between the comb and replied.

"Well, we're soldiers. I guess they don't want hair getting stuck in a fight or something. I never  paid much attention to it really, I prefer it as it is now."

"Why not cut it in case we have a war then? Sure, the situation has been worsening lately, but it just doesn't make sense to do it now." (Y/n) reasoned, more to herself than to Robin. For sure it was a strange detail, and they remained in silence for the next moments, with Robin focused on cutting (Y/n)'s hair and (Y/n) pondering a bit too hard on the whole hair situation. 

"Okay, we're ready to go." Robin dropped the scissors and took the hair to the trash, leaving (Y/n) to observe herself in the full-length mirror. Her hair was short, only barely touching the girl's shoulders, but Robin had managed to cut it evenly. It's a win in my book she thought to herself as both of them grabbed their things and left for the day.




A/N

Duuuuude, this chapter is huge. About 1200 words!! Wth!

Okay, I posted this on my message board but I also wanted to thank YOU for reading. I'm super excited about this book and I kinda have it all planned out, which means I shouldn't take too long to write it. 

Yeah, let me know what you think so far! I want this to be good so constructive feedback is 1000% welcome!

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