"So we really have to hoof it all the way to battle?" one of the scouts groans, the sun beating down on us as we march towards the war.
"You have nothing to complain about, You're wearing a helmet and shoulder pads." A lancer says, his body fully clad in a suit of iron armor. The soldiers near them all break out in laughter.
I gently nudge Neige who's intently watching the playful banter between men, "whats up slowpoke?"
"I just... wish I got to experience that." She mutters, fidgeting with her fingers as she stares at two men who started wrestling up ahead.
My face falls for a split second, the thought of Neige with them makes my chest tighten, but I choke it down and force a smile on my face."If you want to go have fun with them all you gotta do is talk to them."
Neige aggressively shakes her head, her hair whipping herself in the face. "No! I can't do that!"
"Why not?" I ask more confused than anything else.
"Be-Because... what if-what if they don't like me?" Neige asks looking up at me with a face I can't even name, but it breaks my heart to see. The way her bottom lip puffs out ever so slightly in a pout, how her eyes glitter with how the sun reflects off the tears just barely staying in her eyes all makes me weak. Without thinking I pull her into my side as we walk, my hand resting on the small of her back, like it spent its whole life waiting to be there.
"Neige, anyone who's worth anything would be your best friend." I whisper loud enough so only we can hear. Somehow Neige's problems make the whole war feel pointless, why would I fight when my best friend is in need no matter how small her problem is.
She blushes but we keep walking closely, "I don't know, I'm just some girl. I can't relate to them."
She starts to pull away from me and opens her mouth to say something when one of the men in front of us burps loudly into another's face and everyone else bursts into laughter, "Gross dude! What the fuck?" He yells stumbling backwards gagging, "How does a burp smell that rancid anyways?" He struggles to speak with how hard he gags, everyone just laughs.
I pull Neige back into my side, "maybe it's best if we don't be friends with, these guys." I chuckle, squeezing the side of her arm.
"Yeah maybe you're right." She laughs as well.
The marching goes on and Neige and I reminisce and watch the men around us be stupid. Everyone feels right, nobodies exhausted even though we've been marching all day. Smoke appears in the distance, when we hear a loud blast from not that far away and the Hafen, Lieutenant Wallace's tank, comes to a halt and Lieutenant Wallace pops out of the hatch, "Alright men, thats the artillery cannon up ahead, we need to breach the courtyard of the fort. Then the artillery will be just inside the main square." He begins shouting more specific orders to people or small groups, I hug Neige one last time, before rushing off with the other engineers to build fortification. "Elise! stick with the tank we need someone on repairs." Lieutenant Wallace says looking at me, I freeze. Neige and I lock eyes, we both know what happens to the engineers on tank repairs, why they minted medals just for their familes.