Ocher shakes his head, “I may not know much, but I’m still a soldier. I won’t die so easily.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” he responds. “Not everyone likes a soldier, especially people from the countries that have been invaded.”
Ocher pauses, unsure if it’s the truth or not. He doesn’t know how these people think, all he’s familiar with are his squad mates. The views towards soldiers from society at large? He’s never even considered that soldiers might be disliked. It didn’t matter when he had a job to do.
Still, what is there for him if he goes back? He’ll be a soldier until he dies, that’s it. He may never have had to kill anyone yet, but he doesn’t think that would be a problem. It’s the restraints and lack of freedom that he hates. Once he finds new clothes, there’s nothing to tell anyone he was a soldier. Now that he’s already outside, the hardest part is over. It would be a new beginning and that’s worth the risk.
“I’m coming with you.”
“The people where I’m going don’t want you there.” The other male shakes his head, “I can’t let you come with me.”
“But-” He’s cut off when the other male waves his hand and everything goes dark again. Ocher curses as he stumbles his way back to the trees for cover, already hearing quick footsteps fade into the distance.
He drags himself to a tree and sits there stoically, alert for any sound that might mean he’s been found. After a while, his vision comes back, but the other boy is long gone. Ocher sighs, he’s alone. His stomach growls as the adrenaline begins to wear off and he remembers that he missed out on dinner as well.
There’s mud drying in his hair and on his clothes. No place would accept him like this. And from what he’s just been told, he’s pretty sure his uniform wouldn’t inspire help from anyone either.
Curling in on himself for warmth, he settles in for a long night of thinking about how he took showers and his own bunk for granted. Their conditions could have been so much worse. He once again briefly considers trying to find his family, just out of pure desperation, but he has no idea where to start and with selfish people like his family, who knows if they’d even help him.
They might turn him in to protect themselves and if they didn’t, he’d be angry at himself for letting himself become indebted to them. He doesn’t want anything tying himself to them.
Even though he misses Dominicus a bit, he stops considering returning to base. He’s been out here too long, that’s no longer an option and he’s surprised to find that he misses Dominicus at all. His guidance and his steadying hand, leading him and encouraging him even when he was difficult or reluctant to listen.
He was never truly alone. Had he ever wanted to talk, Dominicus would have been there for him. He hadn’t realized just how unwillingly he’d come to rely on the older man in the fifteen years they’d known each other. Being away is putting a lot of things into perspective for him and he’s not sure he likes what he’s finding.
No matter what though, he’d rather continue to learn and understand things rather than be as ignorant and ungrateful as he was.
Tomorrow is another day, Ocher thinks. Everything can wait for now. He falls asleep sometime during the night and stays there, curled in on himself until the first rays of morning light begin to break through the trees.
Chapter 3: Azure
Azure allows himself a small smile. Everything went according to plan. He skims through the news articles about last night's attack on his tablet. They claim it was an emergency training, but word of mouth can’t be stopped and he already hears the people at nearby tables discussing what could have really happened. So far, he hasn’t heard anyone guess right.
That doesn’t mean those transients have gotten away with it though. The government can't have citizens attempting the same reckless stunts and undermining their authority. Eventually, leadership will figure out who is responsible and tie everything back to them.
In preparation, he’s already broken ties with them. After meeting back up at their campsite, they thanked him and the next morning, he went his separate way. Whenever they get caught, it’s best he’s not around.
The next train hasn’t left yet and he feels unobtrusive enough to relax in a cafe until it's time to leave. The only one who might recognize him on sight is the deserter soldier and there’s no way he turned himself in.
Azure takes a sip of cinnamon tea and accepts a plate of breakfast from the waitress before returning to the list of available jobs he'd been studying.
The job in Ralis pays well, but will probably require the most discretion too. However, it’s also several hours away by train and that’s faster than the transients can travel. On the off chance that they stop in Ralis as well, he can complete this job, have enough money for the next few weeks, and be gone before they ever arrive.
Someone pulls out the chair across from him and then takes a seat. Azure looks up into glaring grey eyes and chuckles. He shouldn't even be surprised.
“So you survived.” Azure gives the soldier a once over, taking in the dirt on his face and mud covered clothes. “Pretty bold of you to be walking around in daylight looking like that.”
“Pretty bold of you.”
“The only one who would recognize me is you and you’re here.”
“Would you like a menu?” The waitress interrupts them to ask, eyeing the other boy with thinly hidden distaste.
“Yes, please.” The boy raises a hand to keep her from leaving and points at several different pictures on the menu. “I want this, this, and this.”
Once she leaves with his order, Azure fixes him with a stare. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you have no money, right?”
“You do.”
“That’s right, I do.”
“It’s your fault I’m out here, you can buy breakfast. Stop complaining. I could turn you in right now and you wouldn’t be eating either.”
“But you won’t because it wouldn’t suit you as much as blackmailing me for free food.” He pulls up the train schedule, it’s more urgent to leave now that the one soldier who knows he’s responsible is sitting across from him. His appearance will bring too much attention to them. Azure glances up when the waitress brings the plates over and watches as the other boy digs in, relishing every bite. “It’s like you’ve never eaten before.”
“Your pathetic excuse for an attack happened before they served us dinner and the army doesn’t feed us the best food.”
“That’s right, they do the minimum to keep you alive and fighting, all of you are expendable when people will keep having more third and fourth children.” Azure doesn’t miss the way the other male’s fingers clench at the mention of third children. “No wonder you barely hesitated before running off.”
He pauses, “I’m not a deserter.”
Azure shakes his head, “Lie to yourself all you want, but you and I both know what happened. Whether you claim it was only to protect your life or not, you ran.”
The boy drains his orange juice in one long gulp before his eyes narrow in thought, “Where are you from?”