The Worship of Strangeness - Part 5

Oliver laughed at that, imagining it. "No," he said. "I would have been laughed out of the Academy if I was caught doing something like this… Not to say that it isn't good training. I think it would work well for someone like Lasha."

"She will be coming back soon, won't she?" Nila said. "I've missed her… It didn't feel as if we'd had the chance to speak properly since she returned from campaign."

The two spoke to each other across a certain distance along the length of the bank. Nila's back was to him, and in turn, Oliver's back was to her. He turned his head to speak whenever he tossed a fresh bit of wood towards the pile, but that was all. And with that strange, almost disrespectful setup, it seemed as if Nila was able to speak to him normally. 'I suppose I too am able to speak normally,' Oliver thought to himself, realizing that Nila was not the only one who had begun to wear a mask.