7. Chapter 7(2)

"I didn't ask you to buy her as a gift, alright, I asked you to buy her freedom after-"

"I know, I know... still. Don't be scared of opening up a bit."

He huffed.

"You college boys are a bunch of effeminate sissies, aren't you?" he muttered, seemingly irritated.

Sean shrugged, not entirely sure how much of that was the young Ranger joking or being genuinely spiteful.

"Just trying to do the right thing here, man."

Before Dennis could reply, he winced as the little girl tugged at his ear with one hand, and his quickly growing hair with the other, as if to steal away his attention from the other soldier.

"Let... go..." he ordered in the local tongue, not meaning to sound dangerous.

The girl quickly did as she was told; eyes wide in fear at the dark tone in which he had spoken to her.

"Pa... pa?" she whimpered, sounding almost betrayed.

"No..." he said, giving her an exasperated look, pitying the child.

"I'm not your dad, kid... I'm sorry." he sighed, putting her back on the floor.

She lowered her head, sitting down in the dirt.

"You don't let a girl down easy, do you?"

"Shut up, college boy... where's her caretaker?"

"Over there... probably not happy you just ripped the kid's heart out." he sighed, pointing to a dark alley across the street.

Dennis turned around, seeing the winged figure smoking an opium pipe.

"Hmm... well I'll be damned... wings."

The figure continued eyeing him with suspicion.

He scoffed, saying "Can she fly?"

"No."

"Oh... then what're they for? Ornamental?"

"Man, I don't know."

Dennis turned his attention to the little kid, still sitting on the floor.

"I wonder what the scientists back home have to say about 'em..."

He knelt down to the floor, trying to level with her so that she could look him in the eye.

"Are they treating you well?" he asked her, trying not to sound scary but also trying not to sound too friendly.

The kid only nodded.

"Good... what's your name?"

She looked at him with confusion.

"You have a name, don't you?"

The kid only shook her head.

Huh?

"You guys haven't called her anything yet?"

"Not really. We've thought up a couple of options, but to be honest, she doesn't stick around enough. I was thinking of calling her-"

"Charlotte."

"Huh?"

Dennis ignored his question, turning to the girl, saying "I'll call you Charlotte... because you look a bit like a Charlotte... that alright?"

The little girl slowly nodded, never having heard such a name before.

"Looks like a Charlotte?"

"What's she look like to you?"

"Uh... a Lassie?"

"Hilarious."

"Not as hilarious as you naming her after saying you're not her dad."

"Well, someone has to make sure she isn't getting raised by the wrong people. I mean, the more I talk to you, the more I worry you're a communist spy."

"Really?"

"Kom... moon... east?" the little girl half repeated the word, half asked.

Both men turned to look at the kid.

Dennis immediately picked her up, grinning as he said "Very good, Charlotte! Communists are very bad people!"

Switching to English he said "Communists... bad."

"B-b-bad!" she repeated, happy with the sudden praise.

Sean said "Brainwashing them young, huh?"

"Shut up, commie."

"Commie!" she repeated happily, having no idea what the word meant.

"You know, McCarthy almost got my dad fired back in '52." Sean groaned.

"Probably deserved it. Come along, Charlotte!" he said, carrying her away to teach her the ways of the English language and probably how to practice "better dead than red" without any real context.

Sean groaned.

Misery chuckled lightly.

He turned to her, asking "What?"

"He's a funny young man."

"I don't know, the kid worries me."

"He's just playing with you."

"Well, maybe... Something about him feels off, though."

"Soldiers have a unique sense of humor... I find it odd how you're more concerned with making sure the people here are alright instead."

Sean frowned, saying "Well, we want everyone here to be alright."

…

"You sure you're alright, Orville?" Rhodes asked.

Maybe not, but I can handle it.

"I'm fine, captain."

"Black circles under your eyes suggest otherwise... you sleeping well?"

Better than last week, at least.

Dennis frowned at the question, saying "Well enough."

Rhodes noted the dodge but didn't pursue it further instead moving on to the main reason the American had been called into their little hideout. The room was as bare as possible, with only a chair for the younger of the two to sit in while Rhodes read over some papers. Other than that, some blankets and sleeping bags were on the floor, indicating this was, in fact, one of their rooms.

"Right, so there are some questions about our rabbit's allies, the Haryo Tribe."

"Alright."

"To the point that the spooks back home are concerned about security leaks, so we brought you here instead of doing it over the radio. You've mentioned they can shapeshift?"

"Looks like it, captain, but like I said when I reported last week, it's hard to describe."

Rhodes rubbed his chin, looking over the papers.

"You also know my opinion on the whole situation..."

"Yes..."

"We should evacuate our allies and just bomb these savages into submission... there's some good people out here, but they don't think the way we do, and the more we let that moron stay in charge, the more danger we'll be in. Miss Tyuule will likely be able to keep him from finding out our true movements, but it's already a pretty risky position for her. The man's a perverse... animal... just today I accidentally interrupted him when I delivered breakfast..."

Rhodes noted the disgust in the boy's words but didn't say anything about it.

"Didn't sing up for the easy jobs, Orville."

"Of course, I'm just speaking my mind. But I'm getting worried about my cover, as well as the safety of the VIP."

Just her safety?

Rhodes ignored him, getting back on the subject of the Haryo tribe.

"You've seen Bouro, their leader, presumably appear invincible on more than one occasion?"

Like any good soldier, Dennis answered truthfully when it came to matters of the battlefield.

"Yes, captain. You can't tell when he's in a room or not. Seen him come in and out without making much of a sound. Unsettling as that is..."

"Do you know if everyone in his tribe has that ability?"

Dennis said, "No, captain."

Rhodes nervously rubbed his chin as he paced in the room.

"So, in theory, you might not even be Dennis Orville."

Dennis immediately said "Yes captain. For all I know, you might not be Captain Rhodes... honestly, it makes trusting people here a bit difficult... oh, but I will say that I've never seen him pretend to be someone else."

"Really now?"

"Yeah. Though I don't doubt it's impossible given his own description. A guy turning invisible like that isn't too far from being able to turn into another person, right?"

"Maybe... just to be safe, what was your mother's name?"

"Agatha, though I'm pretty sure he heard that when Tyuule asked me the same thing."

"Okay, I'll ask you something only we know next time... now... how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, captain."

Dennis spoke with a smile.

Right...

"No nightmares, nothing?"

"Nothing I can't handle, captain." his voice trailed off, looking nervously past Rhodes, worrying about the memories clawing at the back of his head.

None of their business... as long as they don't get in the way of the mission it's fine.

Rhodes spoke then.

"Look, kid, I'm a bit worried about you. You've been out there on your own, you don't have anyone back home waiting for you... not exactly the most stable recipe."

"I can do my job, captain, and I don't feel like I'm crackin' up. Not yet, at least."

"I don't doubt that, but that can change if your mind isn't in the right place. Alright? I've seen it happen. So it's better that you don't try to play the tough guy alright?"

"Of course, captain! I wouldn't risk the mission-"

"Good! Now... keep an eye out, ask our little friend if she knows anything about the Haryo Tribe, maybe ask Bouro for some information, nothing serious, and don't force it... just ask out of curiosity."

"Understood, captain."

"Good. If you need anything, don't be shy about asking."

"Understood, captain."

Noting the young man wasn't going to ask for anything, Rhodes said "Alright, dismissed."

Dennis stood up and walked out the worn door, the sun shining annoyingly bright in the late morning. Once outside he saw the little girl he had affectionately named "Charlotte" sitting down on the dirt, waiting. He noticed her chestnut hair had visible splotches of dirt and dust.

Dennis frowned, asking "Did no one give you a bath? You're going to get sick if you stay so dirty..."

The little girl shook her head.

"Perhaps you should care for her in the palace?"

Dennis glanced at the figure on the opposite end of the door, large useless wings made her difficult to miss.

"Huh... Angel Lady... don't you people have places to bathe?"

"To an extent, but do you honestly trust she'll be safe going along with us there? What exactly is your impression of this district?"

Dennis didn't reply, knowing that even with the relatively small American presence now keeping some degree of order, this was still the slums.

He only said, "I can't take her to the palace, it's dangerous enough as it is with certain people looking at me funny."

"Funny?" the little girl repeated.

Dennis grinned then, saying "Yes, Charlotte. Bad guys look at me all funny... how about I ask the captain if you can use our showers?"

"Showers?"

"Where we take our baths. It's not much from what I've seen... but you should be able to... get some of this muck off you."

Misery asked, "Are you going to invite me?"

"No. Get your own free shower ticket."

"Oh, so you'll bathe her, then?"

Dennis blinked.

The older woman only stared back, not judging but implying there was something to judge, which bothered him in a way he didn't entirely understand.

But he didn't like it so he said "Fine, I'll ask for you, too." and got up and went back inside.

For the first time in a while, the blonde demi-human grinned.

"Your caretaker is a funny young man, is he not?" she asked Charlotte.

The little girl only returned an inquisitive stare that only infants that hadn't fully seen the worst of the world ever could.

Mount Tube

She twirled her scythe around like a toy, balancing on a particularly thin ledge, her wings taking in as much wind as possible to keep her from losing balance and falling over, though even that wouldn't be much of a problem as she could fly.

In the back of her mind, she heard the call.

Gisselle, how is the dragon?

She stopped moving and stood straight, observing the expanding mountain range in the distance.

After a moment, she said "Stable. Its wounds have healed for the most part, and it should be able to begin attacking other villages soon enough."

Gisselle felt the mischievous goddess smile as she spoke.

Oh, how wonderful. I am so curious to see how the men from another world face up against it.

Gisselle only said "They moved faster than I was expecting. Honestly, excellency, what were you planning on doing with them? At this rate, they'll really destroy the empire."

She heard a giggle.

No, Pina is playing her role quite well. Better than I anticipated. The Empire will be humbled, not destroyed... although I wonder if Tiberius will be able to do any damage.

Gisselle huffed, saying "Maybe you should have opened the gate at a different time."

Her goddess only sighed.

The Japanese of the 21st century do have a much more different philosophy compared to these Americans... far more interesting technology as well, but... oh, they're too peaceful! How exactly were the Japanese supposed to challenge the gods of this world if they're always terrified of decrying the big nation they hate but can't live without?

"Still, maybe the flame dragon could have kept them in check?"

She heard a frustrated sigh.

Honestly, that was my mistake. I should have looked more into these other worlds and timelines. These Americans may not have the technology of that other time, but they're probably even more destructive... it's one thing to fight it off, but to hurt it so easily that day?

Gisselle then felt a smile in the voice.

Which will make this future engagement all the more entertaining!

Gisselle said, "I obey you, my goddess, but I often worry about your priorities..."

Hush! I think they bring Rory-chan along!"

"Rory...chan?"

Silence! It's a... Japanese thing... if you see Rory, tell her I said 'hi' alright?

"A-alright..."

Good! Remember my orders!

"Yes, excellency... I'll deliver your message loud and clear." she mumbled, gripping the scythe as she heard the loud noise of the machines she now knew were "helicopters".

In the back of her head, she was then able to faintly hear them.

Interesting...

"Angel 1, status?"

"All clear on our end. Skies are as clear as can be. We will circle around to provide additional cover."

"Copy that, approaching LZ."

The helicopters began to land on the relatively rocky but flat land near the base of the mountain where the Americans planned to observe for the Flame Dragon and begin coordinating the strikes that would hopefully kill it.

Rory hopped off the chinook and looked around.

She turned to the Marine sergeant, not unlike a hunting dog turns to its master after it finds a trail.

"The elders said it should be further up, though the helicopters won't find much of a landing spot... what should we-?" Rory began but was quickly cut off.

"Big sister!" came a sing-song voice from the mist, loudly speaking in perfect English.

All eyes turned upwards.

As the mist cleared, the first notable things were the wings.

It was like a demon from hell, as the figure stood on a large edge above them, looking down. Horns extending from a head covered in silver-white hair that flowed with the wind, a dragon-like tail swung similarly in what could best be described as excitement. The white dress she wore was torn almost to pieces, yet somehow it only added to the appearance that implied that she was a fallen angel, a demon from hell... there to rip the souls of those who challenged her and send them to an eternal slumber without a shred of reluctance.

But that paled in comparison to the scythe she carried and the hungry smile on her face.

"Hello!" she called, her smile widening, white teeth being visible even from down below.

M14s and M16s were immediately aimed at the creature, none of the Americans feeling remotely safe in their location.

"What the hell is that?!" someone yelled.

"Oh, it's Giselle..." Rory muttered as if disappointed.

The Marine sergeant immediately said, "You know that thing?"

"Unfortunately, I do. She serves that lascivious goddess I told you about."

It was Yao who was somehow more confused than the Americans.

"What the-? Huh? Why is an apostle of Hardy here?"

Rory huffed, saying "Why else? I'm sure Hardy is up to her annoying schemes."

The Marine Sergeant quickly asked, "You mean that goddess you hate?"

"Indeed."

"Huh... well, if that's her apostle I can kind of get behind your disgust with her..."

"Blasphemy! How shameless are you lot?!" came the angry yell from the mountain top.

"We believe in one God, madame! All others are false or manmade!"

Gisselle only took a step forward, dropping to the Marines, her wings slowing her fall.

No one fired, but the men took several steps back and kept their rifles level with her.

Despite her womanly features being rather attractive, her horns and blue skin made her far more alien and intimidating than anything the Americans had seen yet, and even Yao took a step back, worried.

Gisselle only said, "You have some nerve... the goddess Hardy has a message for you."

The Marine sergeant only said "Go ahead." with a bored expression.

Gisselle chortled, saying "Brave man."

Rory purposefully got in between the sergeant and Gisselle, doing her best to stare her younger, but far taller "sister" down with her magenta-colored eyes.

"These men are mine, Gisselle."

"No, we're not." came the near-unanimous reply from the Marines.

Rory ignored them, saying "Tell them what mad plans does that harlot Hardy have for them?"

Gisselle glared at Rory but turned to the Marine sergeant.

"The Flame Dragon is almost fully recovered after your people wounded it. In three days' time, it will exit its cave and begin to hunt. If you want to kill it, you have until then."

The Marine Sergeant asked, "Why does a goddess wish for the Flame Dragon to be destroyed?"

Gisselle said "Because she's bored and wishes to see if you can kill it. Do not fail to entertain, men from another world."

The Marine sergeant didn't reply.

Rory angrily said "Oh? Again, with the boredom?! How much damage has she caused because she was bored?!"

"Silence, Apostle of Emroy. I'm only doing my duty... and I take it you'll do yours?"

The Marine sergeant pointed up the rocky mountain.

"That the direction of the cave?" he asked.

Gisselle only nodded.

The Marine sergeant turned to one of the radio operatives.

"Tell command we just got issue a challenge. If the B.U.F isn't here this week... well, our Phantoms will probably have a fun time with this Flame Dragon."

"You're so confident."

"As I said, we believe in one God because all others are either false or manmade. One of the manmade ones is the power of destruction wrought by our weapons. Don't underestimate us."

Rory sighed dreamily.

Gisselle smirked, saying "I won't. Keep your eyes out then. I'll be nearby... watching."

With that, she flew into the air and disappeared in the cloudy mist.

No one spoke for a moment.

"Is... anyone going to ask why an Apostle of Hardy is-?" Yao asked but Rory silenced her.

"It's Hardy. Your goddess is nothing more than a spoiled brat, bored of her toys, so she seeks new ways of entertaining herself despite how many of her followers she hurts and kills."

"That's-"

"That doesn't matter. Now get to work. Only have a few days to prepare, so let's get to it!"

No one spoke as they began setting up their equipment, Rangers quickly working to set up a radio antenna, and the Marines began to look for possible grounds for placing artillery guns in case the monster woke up early. Several others placed boxes on the ground, opening them to reveal M67 recoilless rifles.

Here we go...

Imperial Capital

8:00 PM

Tyuule stood straight as Zorzal ate his meal.

She kept studying the generals sitting on the table across from them, as they appeared to be rather unsure of something or other. She had a decent idea of what the cause of their unease could be, but she wasn't entirely sure if her intuition was correct.

It was almost comical how the fancy table, with golden cups and silverware, made the unease of the military officers all the more obvious.

She could almost grin at them.

Still, given the progress, the Americans had been making and how she had successfully intersected any attempts of getting information to Zorzal and his officers about Tiberius and, odds were their concerns had to do with that lack of information.

They weren't incompetents after all, just out of their league.

Finally, with an audible gulping noise, Zorzal swallowed the last of the broth and said "Well, gentlemen... what business requires my attention?"

General Rufus was the one to speak.

"Emperor... we've grown some recent concerns about the upcoming... campaign?"

"Indeed, a campaign of reincorporating the lands stolen from us back into our fold. That's the plan, at least. Is something wrong with it?"

The generals looked unsure, but finally, Rufus said "Well... Emperor... we have a fair lack of information regarding the enemy forces. We haven't heard from Tiberius, and we haven't been able to properly research their strategies or even their weapons."

Zorzal huffed, saying "They use machines instead of dragons or horses to move around and they're stuck in the domain of Countess Formal, are they not?"

Another general quickly said "That's one of our concerns, emperor. Rumors from the capital suggest the enemy has pushed out of Itálica and may well be on its way here."

That got Zorzal to sit up and Tyuule to quickly begin to focus on what she would say.

"They're pushing out? So soon?" Zorzal asked, visibly shocked.

Rufus, realizing the Emperor wasn't dismissing them, quickly said "It appears so. The fact we have not heard from Tiberius in the weeks since he departed only adds to this. We believe they're going to try to surround the capital and attempt a siege sooner than we expected."

"What evidence is there, exactly?"

All eyes turned to Tyuule.

Immediately, she said "Apologies, majesty, but this all seems more like conjecture."

Zorzal immediately lightened up, smiling with confidence as he said "She has a point, gentlemen. How do we know these rumors are true?"

Rufus said "Well... the fact is rumors are rumors. However-"

"We are going to be sending the Rose Knights to investigate and they promise to send word. I don't see why you need to worry if we'll have news in a day or two."

Rufus frowned, saying "Listen here, milady, while word travels fast, it seems the enemy can move faster than-"

Zorzal cut him off.

"Oh, we can settle this with great ease. Tyuule, what has the Haryo Tribe said?"

Tyuule smiled sweetly, saying "They have not told me of any changes in the enemy position."

Zorzal raised his hands then and clapped dramatically.

"The matter is settled!"

One general nervously said, "But Emperor, what about the merchants that described enemy vehicles and fighting near-"

"Oh, please, assuming they saw what they claim they saw, it's possible it was just a scouting party."

"But-"

"Are you questioning his majesty's intellect, Rufus?" Tyuule interrupted.

The man swallowed as those crimson eyes bore into him.

Zorzal didn't seem to notice, happily sipping some wine.

He hadn't partaken in the invasion of the northern plains, but he'd heard how ferociously the Warrior Bunnies had fought.

"N-never... milady."

"Good."

She smiled sweetly.

She had to force herself to maintain that smile as Zorzal's hand once again began pulling at her skirt.

"Ah, apologies, highness, but I do have an appointment..." she said quickly.

Zorzal gave her a disappointed look.

"My little bunny... so loyal... Though I have to continue this meeting, so get your work done and be in my quarters no later than midnight, alright?" he sighed.

"Of course, majesty."

Taking a step back and adjusting her short enough skirt, knowing exactly where she was going, she left.

She overheard one man mutter "Majesty, must we trust her with-?"

"Oh, please, she's as capable as any of you. Trust me, I conquered her. She belongs to me; she will not let me down. Now, how quickly can we train a larger army?"

She scoffed at that, quickly rushing away, grabbing the cloak she had hidden away in the great halls where she could easily pick it up and throw it over herself.

She moved swiftly out of the main palace and onto the staff quarters. Her eye twitched slightly, her knowing she shouldn't look forward to her educational sessions with the American, but it was the only respite she ever really had. A shelter of ignorance where she didn't have to think about vengeance or staying alive, and perhaps even spend time with someone who may genuinely like her not out of convenience or need or lust.

Her face allowed a broken smile as she shook the thoughts away.

It's a nice fantasy...

She didn't have to knock on the door, it already being open for her as she arrived.

Tyuule noticed Dennis appeared, for lack of a better word, chipper.

"Hi, come in!" he said almost... happy.

She nodded and stepped inside his room, tugging at her cloak to try and hide more of her legs, which was unfortunately not possible. Not that the American seemed to mind as he, again, almost happily picked up the language book from under his bed.

Better give him the information now...

"The Rose Knights are heading out tomorrow morning, and the prince is planning on seeing some of the newer legions this week, more than likely in three days. He's already planning an expedition to retake the lands he believes your people are in. He has no idea about the operations in the Dumas region or how far your forces have come. However, the generals are getting suspicious due to rumors in the capital. I doubt they'll deny the emperor, but it's a possibility." she said quickly.

Dennis paused for a moment, listening and taking it in.

"Understood, I'll relay it."

He placed the books on the table and moved to the radio.

She listened closely, now able to understand more words, albeit not all of them.

Confirmed... Con- Firm... the way they use it...

"Alright, they know... thanks for the heads up."

"Ah... of... course..."

As Dennis sat down, she nervously said "Can I ask you a question?"

He turned to her.

"Yeah, what is it?"

She pursed her lips, saying "Why are you in a good mood today?"

"Huh?"

"Your mood, your spirit... first you recklessly interrupted his majesty when he was about to..." she shuddered at the memory, "...and now you're all... cheerful... what's with you?"

Dennis smiled awkwardly, saying "Oh, I don't know... met a little lady-"

"A lady?" she asked suddenly, caught off guard.

Remembering how that winged lady had talked to him, Dennis was quick to make sure his words weren't misconstrued.

"Little lady... a kid, demi-human, she kind of latched onto me when I went to report to my superiors and... I dunno, it felt nice to just..."

He shrugged, leaving the statement hanging in the air.

Tyuule sighed, somewhat relieved, saying "Oh. You made a friend."

Relieved?

He scratched the back of his head, saying "Not so much a friend, it... I don't know, it's hard to explain."

At this, Tyuule huffed, somewhat disappointed the American didn't know how to put his own feelings into words.

"You're a foreign soldier in the enemy capital, your family is either dead or too far away to make much difference, and your only interactions are with people you work with. You're just glad you have someone else for once is all."

It ignores his actions in the morning, but that can just be seen as part of his mission... nothing else... certainly nothing else... don't get any ideas.

Dennis stared at her, surprised at her assessment of him.

After a moment, he spoke, saying "Yeah, I guess it's just nice having someone not in the Army waiting for me... um... thanks?"

"For what?"

"I was having a tough time admitting it..."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

Weakness and vulnerability weren't something men in the United States were raised to just show anyone. Why would they? They had to be strong and take adversity head-on, no?

How could they do that if they were constantly talking about how sad they felt?

Though a part of him wondered if he could at least be vulnerable around her.

Finally, he said, "I guess I just have a hard time admitting my vulnerabilities."

"Saying you made a friend makes you feel vulnerable?"

Now Dennis scoffed, saying "No, it's... I don't know, the... ugh..."

Tyuule smiled slightly, "It's admitting you have a problem, to begin with. You don't want to be seen as weak. I understand. I won't judge."

"I... thank you."

"Oh, hush, you're helping me more than anyone right now. I don't mind listening to you now and then."

"I'll keep that in mind..." he said in a tone that surprised her.

As if there was much more that he wanted to say but wasn't. What that "more" could be was beyond her, but a part of her deeply hoped it would be something that...

No! He's just a soldier... you have your mission, he has his!

She stared, not saying anything, expecting him to speak then.

Suddenly, he said, "Right, my commanders are requesting as much information on the Haryo tribe as you can give us."

Tyuule slowly nodded, saying "Of course. I can get you a few records tomorrow, but most information about them is based on rumors, so there's not much of a written record to go on."

Dennis made an odd face, as if unsure of whether he should or shouldn't say something.

"What is it?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"Do you... think you can come over to our hideout? It'll be good to get you acquainted directly, cause most of us have a description of you, but the guys haven't seen you, so if we have to evacuate quickly and I'm not there to identify you it could create problems."

Tyuule blinked, listening to the accelerated heartrate of the American.

"You want me to deliver the information directly to your hideout? Would it not be safer for me to just hand it to you?"

"Y-yeah... um..."

"Did they request my presence?"

"No..."

"Is this a trick to make me leave before Zorzal is dead?"

"Of course not!"

She sneered then, asking "Are you just looking to spend more time with me?"

The question seemed to hit a nerve as Dennis briefly winced as if he hadn't realized it himself.

"I... guess I am..."

The sneer vanished.

Her response was to face him directly, somewhat surprised, but not wavering in her composure. Dennis on the other hand, seemed somewhat nervous as if him even asking the question was crossing a boundary.

"Don't be so childish. I'm the emperor's favorite slave. I can't just disappear whenever I want! You know as much." she spoke with a hint of melancholy.

"Isn't he going to be busy tomorrow?"

Yes, but... I can't let this go so far... I can't...

Partly guessing where this was going, she decided to cut to the point, this being the one place she could genuinely be even remotely vulnerable to another person.

Dennis noticed her lips form a fine line as she seemed to consider something, her ears lowering ever so slightly.

"Dennis, do you have any aspirations after all of this?" she asked bluntly, eyeing him with cold eyes.

Now Dennis rubbed the back of his head, muttering "Aspirations... aspirations... um..."

Tyuule frowned.

"Surely there's something you wish to do after this."

Dennis gave a sad smile, saying "Well, obviously after this I want to take a vacation for a bit, but... I plan to stay in the military. I'm a soldier... don't think there's anything else for me."

"W-? Don't you enjoy cooking or-?"

"I despise cooking. Drives me crazy... I hate the kitchen, I hate preparing the food, I hate serving it up... mom has- used to have a little diner- a small family restaurant, mostly for people working to eat on their downtime... I didn't mind helping her, but I hate cooking. I'm not really good at it and honestly, I think I'm better suited for other things." he said, the sad smile remaining.

Tyuule considered it, remembering that the one meal of his she tasted was very much unremarkable. Nothing awful, but not something she would go out of her way to eat.

"But... surely there's something you want to do with your life!"

"Yeah. Survive through all of this... maybe become an officer... get married, get a nice house... maybe have a kid... I don't know, I don't think I'm good with kids, but..."

His mind briefly went back to the smiling child, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of purpose that was making him feel like his actions mattered more... as well as a sense of melancholy because he knew he would have to leave the kid behind once he was shipped home.

Tyuule stared at him, partly relaxed by the fact his ambitions appeared so normal for someone his age but also disturbed by how detached he seemed to be from all of it. As if the idea didn't really interest him at all.

Much like herself.

"Why do you ask?" he asked suddenly.

She turned away, suppressing her emotions as she stared at the far wall.

"Because my ambitions are only to see the Empire crumble. I want Zorzal to be humiliated, to realize what helplessness feels like, to have him die for absolutely nothing... I want him to die no different than an animal on the street and for him to realize what my people suffered through." suddenly lowering her tone, she said, "But... unlike you, I don't have any plans for what comes after."

She left out her doubts she would have an "after".

Dennis winced at the statement.

Turning to him again, she said "So you don't have to pretend for me."

"When did I suggest I was pretending? I just figured it would be nice to have some downtime tomorrow. Think we could both use it, so why not come along?"

Tyuule fell silent, her hands gripping her skirt as she was again faced with the fact that the American's concern for her was clearly a little beyond his mission. Still, a part of her refused to believe it.

Dennis frowned, tapping his index finger on the table.

"Why am I teaching you English?"

"Huh?"

"If you have no plans for the future, then why do you want to learn English?"

Now Tyuule shrugged.

"I just thought I could use it, I suppose..."

Dennis then said "Good! Tomorrow you'll use it. I'm going to show you off to the guys."

"What?" she half asked, half groaned as she noticed he was smiling.

"I, a humble servant of his majesty, will help escort you on an important delivery that the emperor asked you to make personally. It's not like my presence is necessary at the kitchen, they hate me more than I hate them!"

"His majesty hasn't asked me to deliver anything. He's not so stupid that he won't notice-"

"You can just tell him you have to go receive some information from an informant of the Haryo Tribe or something, then tell Chef Clef the Emperor ordered you, and if he complains to the emperor, you can tell Clef that technically you were under the emperor's orders as you manage intelligence, and even so, you know what the emperor wants more than Clef does."

She stared at him.

Certainly, if Clef complains to Zorzal, Zorzal will stand by me, but...

"You are such a child..." she muttered.

"I doubt I'm much younger than you."

She let out a tired sigh.

"Come on, it'll be good practice for your English."

An excuse...

"Why should I go? You just want to show me off to your friends for your own ego."

Dennis turned away for a moment as if considering something before a suspicious smile appeared on his face.

"Alright, then consider it a date."

"A what?"

"A date. I am asking you to accompany me to meet the soldiers helping you, deliver some vital information, maybe enjoy some genuine American food... just... I don't know, just to relax for a short bit. Doesn't have to be a big deal or anything."

"Don't you need permission?" she asked, not entirely impressed.

"They already asked me to get as much information I can on the Haryo Tribe and deliver it over there... in case they're listening, you know? Shouldn't be any trouble bringing you there."

She stared at him, saying "You don't trust the Haryo Tribe."

"My superiors are properly paranoid about everything, it's nothing serious... unless we really can't trust them."

Tyuule looked at him, seemingly in pain, as if considering the proposition hurt her somewhere deep down.

Dennis noticed, saying "Come on, it'll be good to just take it easy for a bit."

She felt her cheeks begin to grow warm again.

"A-alright... just to help you... remember, I'm only doing this to guarantee the destruction of-"

"Yeah, I'm with you." Dennis sighed, though clearly not disappointed.

She felt her own heart rate accelerate as she noticed how apparently chipper her agreeing to his little plan seemed to make the American.

"Right then! On to your next lesson!" he said in a dramatic tone.

"One more question..."

"Ah?"

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

He's eighteen?

"E-eighteen and how many months?" she added quickly.

Dennis did the math in his head.

Was born December 8th, 1945, so that's...

"I'm eighteen years and four months old."

Tyuule did the math in her head.

"So... you were born on the twelfth month?"

"Yeah."

She smiled then.

"Then I'm older."

"Yeah? By how much?"

"I was born on the third month... I'm almost a year above you."

Dennis almost commented that she looked older than that, but he wasn't surprised.

Three years of torture would have likely made anyone look older than they were. Plus, he had heard his mother always mumble things about girls "maturing" faster than boys.

Once again, he couldn't help but notice her shapely figure, but he quickly moved back to the book.

"Yeah, well... it ain't a contest. Now..."

"Oh? Do you not want a bunny girl near your age?"

"Maybe I do..." he said, looking at her.

Again, with the obvious flirting?

She turned away, saying "Lech."

He chortled slightly.

"Maybe I'm becoming one... now, English?"

And so quick to pretend nothing happened, too...

"Oh-Kay!" she said, switching to English, perfectly content to drop the subject.

Neither noticed their conversation had been watched.

But then again, how could they?

Bouro didn't tend to allow people to see him or even sense him if he didn't wish for them to sense him in the first place.

12:30 AM

Bouro chewed on his overgrown nail as he paced around the dark, murky room deep under the main palace.

It was his place of residence for quite some time, away from the brightness of civilization, and explicitly created to remind him how little his almost extinct tribe actually owned. The room only had an old bed, an old chair, and an old desk, all musty and difficult to clean after years, perhaps even decades of neglect.

He didn't mind it.

No, at the moment, the creature only had one major problem in mind.

What to do about the enemy?

Contradicting his attitude towards the Americans and Tyuule, the leader of the Haryo Tribe had an open despisal towards both the men from beyond the Gate and the Warrior Bunnies, albeit not limited to either.

The Americans, despite clearly being an empire in their own right, hated the concept of autocracy and absolutism, which the Haryo didn't mind too much, them technically being a sort of "democratic" tribe if its origins were to be believed. But their goal was, and always had been, to dominate the continent in the same way many of them had once been dominated before. There was no way the Americans would allow them to rule in such a way and this made them an enemy, albeit a less insulting one than the Warrior Bunnies.

He didn't understand it.

No one really did.

Usually, interspecies and interracial reproduction could be achieved across most sentient species in the Saderan continent.

Human males were usually able to intermingle with any demi-human female and breed a child, beast-men, for the most part, were capable of the same... but there were exceptions.

Orcs and goblins, for example, remained strictly within their own kin, and he was unaware of any successful interbreeding between them and humans or demi-humans.

More relevant to his situation, however, was the fact that the Haryo tribe, for some unknown reason, could not successfully mix with Warrior Bunnies, and only Warrior Bunnies.

It should have been incredibly easy, as the tribes were almost entirely composed of women, and they usually sought human males out to continue their lineage. In fact, he had successfully gotten a few bunny girls on his own, albeit not all voluntary but what did that matter when none produced a child?

It wasn't a matter of compatibility as some in the Haryo tribe could change their own nature, but likely a part of the nature of the Warrior Bunnies.

Again, he didn't understand it.

Perhaps it was just a whim of whatever god created the detestable creatures that made it so they could only mingle with each other and with regular humans.

Once the Haryo managed to infiltrate the Empire in some ways, the Emperor would use them to his advantage, a position Bouro had taken advantage of when he pushed for the destruction of the Warrior Bunnies.

Now he realized that he had made a mistake in pushing for their conquest when Emperor Molt sought new lands.

He wouldn't have minded at all if they were just wiped out, and it would have made it far easier to get the crown prince to marry a member of his tribe, finally bringing a member of the Haryo Tribe in total control of the Empire. If then crown prince Zorzal got a few warrior bunny slaves, it wouldn't really matter. Bouro himself wouldn't mind it as he could also enjoy them whenever he pleased while they went extinct.

Instead, the crown prince had fallen head over heels for the queen and didn't fully exterminate her people to have some leverage over her, that much was obvious.

Even more obvious than the American's already obvious attraction to her...

Worse, day after day, it seemed as if the Crown Prince was focusing more on her, now that the girl was actually busy acting as an advisor and wasn't there every second to do his bidding. As if being denied his desires only served to fan the flames.

And now with the American in the way...

Oh, Tyuule had played her cards quite well.

She was the only one who could handle Zorzal's appetite, and no man in his right mind would deny her beauty.

Add to it her administrative ability and seemingly undying loyalty to the very man that "conquered" her... why for the Crown Prince it was a dream come true!

He'd conquered her.

And through years of having her as his slave, she had obviously fallen in love with him!

Surely there were no possible alternatives!

Surely, she wasn't biding her time, hoping for the opportunity to strike!

He knew damn well the new emperor was blinded by his own lust and ideas of grandeur to see through the girl's manipulations, and that's why he liked Zorzal! The emperor was easy enough to manipulate despite some degree of competence in the field! It would be incredibly easy to have him have a child with a member of the Haryo tribe, but as long as Tyuule had him wrapped around her fingers, and the enemy from beyond the gate were helping ensure that air of grandeur didn't vanish...

Bouro slammed his fist into the stone wall in anger.

He remembered Zorzal's orders to allow the fallen queen to see the Empire's information on how many of her people were enslaved, and he had been watching as the Crown Prince defiled the girl over and over again, loudly mocking her people and their attempts at resistance.

To her credit, she had taken beating-after-beating with some level of dignity.

But, oh, he knew how much rage and vengeful fury lay within that woman's soul better than anyone, maybe even herself, and he wanted to crush it fully and without mercy. Show her who was really in charge, and how despite her beauty, her power, her unending desire to avenge her fallen people, she was nothing but an ant under him and the Empire.

But now...

My commanders are requesting as much information on the Haryo tribe as you can give us.

He was on a tightrope now, the possibility of falling over or getting himself hanged was very real. Even with almost no written information on Haryo Tribe existing, if the Americans decided to start asking questions...

I have to both take Tyuule down... as well as keep Zorzal from finding out about the enemy's conquests...

Bouro swiftly moved to the musty desk to look over the parchments and written information on the remaining Warrior Bunnies.

It had not changed since his last reading of it.

All the ones in the capital were either dead or missing, likely having escaped to the areas he knew the Americans now controlled.

The ones accounted for were also in American-controlled areas.

Blackmailing the queen wasn't an option if she found out, but all he could do was ensure the queen did not receive that information, though at this point it was more than likely the blasted American mentioned how many of her people were now safe.

He clenched his jaw in anger.

Tyuule was now, unfortunately, the biggest threat to his plans and he might just lose the only bargaining chip he had.

He needed a better plan.

The princess was going to be the new leader of the empire, which was unavoidable, but did Zorzal have to lose power as well?

Bouro frowned further.

If I inform his majesty, he has been receiving disinformation, he will more than likely believe me, but if Tyuule decides to call on the enemy, there's nothing more I'll be able to do...

The Empire would be destroyed, and he would have lost centuries of work!

...but if I somehow get Tyuule out of his majesty's favor...

He shook his head.

That was almost impossible. Tyuule had the young emperor wrapped around her finger, and if she was focused, there was little way for the emperor to realize how much she was manipulating him.

Not even his generals informing him of possible danger made him question her once she suggested the opposite...

He would have to do something that would be even more of a gamble, especially if the girl found out.

He began to formulate the plan in his mind, but it was frustrating to do so.

The Haryo tribe WILL gain control of the Empire and its prestige... these men will NOT... CANNOT be allowed to interfere more than they already have!

He walked around in another circle, considering things... then, an idea popped into his head.

Two, in fact.

He moved the parchment aside and grabbed another one, which he had stolen the night of the American attack on the capital when they released many slaves to cause chaos. It was partially burned, but thankfully most of the information was intact.

He looked over the list of slaves held by the Besarra gang, noting one particular slave near the top of the list.

His mind briefly considered the scared girl hiding behind all that turmoil and rage.

If he could stab right into that scared and grieving heart, what were the odds that she would ruin things for both Zorzal and the Americans?

Hmm... it's a gamble, but... if not her then surely someone else...

Then he turned his attention to his own memories of seeing the American hideout.

What weapons do they have in there I wonder...

2:00 AM

Drew kept his well-trained eye on the street, moonlight barely illuminating much in the cold night air.

He yawned, before quickly shaking himself awake.

You're in enemy territory, Drew! You know damn well what these people can do if given the chance.

It was one of the odd things about fighting an enemy that used spears and wooden bows to fight guns and tanks.

One tended to underestimate the enemy.

Worse still for the Green Beret, there had been very little action in the past week. The news about the American advancements in the mountains was good from what he understood. The capital itself looked darker than any other city in the middle of the night, but it was peaceful. Fighting had all but ceased once the American presence filled in the power vacuum Basara's demise had left behind, and now that the new emperor had regained law and order...

Well, it's like there isn't a war going on.

Clark, his radioman walked over, M2 Carbine slung over his shoulder, asking "All quiet on my end. Anything over here?"

"Nope. Quiet as can be... don't much like it..." he muttered the last part, a bird, likely some owl variant (the exact fauna of this other world wasn't entirely classified yet) flew by.

Clark only said, "Watch your mouth, after what we saw at Alnus, I'll happily take a boring and quiet night over fighting an enemy in the dark."

"We have some flares and last I checked; the flyboys will happily give us a hand."

"Hey, you want to coordinate a bombing run in the middle of the night again, be my guest."

"I know, I know... still, it all feels... off."

The other man shrugged, his eyes darting to the side, noticing something in the street below.

"Is that a person?" he asked.

"Where?"

Clark pointed to the street corner to the left, barely illuminated in the moonlight, just as a shadow appeared to hide behind a corner.

Drew narrowed his eyes, mumbling "Could be... could be just your imagination. Call it in, anyway."

Complacency is a death wish...

Clark muttered into the radio "Stalker 3, be advised, we have possible movement on our end, south side of the district. Could be heading towards your entrance..."

Drew kept his eye on the street.

Clark said, "Stalker 3 has no contact."

Drew only frowned.

"I'm going to check down there... cover me?"

Clark lifted the M16 with a sigh.

"I got you, brother."

"Thanks... I'll be quick."

The Green Beret ran down the steps, M2 on hand.

He opened the heavier wooden door and stepped outside. He looked left, he looked to the right... nothing.

He looked at the abandoned buildings... nothing.

He looked at the empty street... nothing.

In the back of his mind, he could have sworn he saw someone sneaking past, but without more proof or even any signs of an individual...

He didn't make a sound as he walked back to the hideout.

"Anything?"

"No... I don't like this."

"Me either, but I'm not seeing anything."

His frown deepened.

"Keep an eye out... I'm going to go make sure nothing's missing."

Outskirts of the Imperial Capital

3:04 AM

The grass and dirt she slept on were cold and she couldn't help but shiver in the night's breeze.

After the attack some weeks prior, she had been amongst many slaves released by these men from another world. She knew most had gone into hiding, many running away, hoping to reach Alnus or perhaps the dense forests not too far from the capital.

She, on the other hand, hid alone.

She'd surrendered long ago to her fate, nearly dying more times than she could count, her soul and will to live torn apart so much that the only thing that kept her from ending it all was her training as a warrior to stay alive...

...and kill the one who betrayed them all.

Movement in the tall grass alerted her that she should be on guard.

She shakily awoke, grabbing her blade, sensing the presence before seeing it.

The... thing... whatever it was... raised two hands in surrender.

"Apologies, apologies for disturbing you!"

"W-who are you? W-what do you want?" the girl nervously asked.

"Oh, a selfish request, unfortunately, but... but I believe it's something you want to hear."

Bouro hid his smile as he saw the cut-down bunny ears lift ever so slightly.

"W-what is it?" the girl asked, shaking.

"Warrior Bunnies are in short supply, are they not?" he asked, reaching into his cloak and grabbing a loaf of warm bed that he had pilfered on his way out of the capital.

He offered it to the girl.

She didn't take the offer.

"It's not poisoned, I promise."

The girl didn't speak.

Bouro said "Alright, may I ask with what tribe you were with before the queen betrayed you?"

Silence once again.

"Can I ask you your name?"

"How did you find me?" she asked.

Bouro sighed, saying "Come now, little one, I'm trying to be nice here... I found you because we in the Haryo tribe have ears and eyes everywhere."

The girl stiffened then, gripping the rusty knife tighter.

Bouro quickly said, "Please, even if I intended to kill you, I doubt you'd put up much of a fight."

She didn't reply.

"You know, there's an American base in the red-light district."

"I'm not going back there."

"I figured. Are you on your way to Alnus or Itálica?"

She shook her head.

"Why are you still here?"

The girl again didn't reply.

Like any good soldier, she was guarded and not naïve enough to just allow someone she didn't know to teach her deeper secrets.

Bouro, however, already had a decent guess as to why she had stuck around.

"You know she's in the palace, yes?"

Again, no response.

"What if I told you, I could get you into the castle?"

The girl immediately asked, "What do you gain from Tyuule dying?"

The response was a simple chuckle.

The girl angrily said, "Who are you?"

"A humble servant, nothing more... so, what do you say? Are you interested?"

April 21, 1964

Washington D.C

7:30 AM

"The question, general, is whether or not you expect to win the election after-"

"Since you've abandoned us-"

"We're not abandoning you." the president said, gripping the phone tightly.

"Yes, yes you are. You are leaving us to the communists to focus more on the lands beyond the gate."

"Now, listen here..."

The president popped two pain pills into his mouth and swallowed them in one gulp.

"Your people were the ones that wanted the prime minister out of office ASAP. Your people promised you could do a better job and in less than a year you've already failed and your government is disintegrating!"

"Your commitment-"

"Our commitment is to secure freedom and democracy around the globe, what the hell are you doing over there?!"

"Oh, is that what you were preserving when the Koreans began purging dissidents?"

The president only grimaced.

"What the previous administration did is not the same as-"

"Or is preserving freedom what you did when you let the Communists keep Cuba? Do you think I'm a fool, mister president?"

"You're acting quite foolish right now if you ask me."

Silence on the other end.

The young president continued, saying "Now look. After last week's incident your administration has lost all support and sympathy, hell my own allies have been advising we pull out altogether, and I have to agree with them. Your soldiers are being treated like mercenaries by your own officials, your staff is corrupt, people can't talk... if they choose to have a communist government then your actions are partly responsible."

"...what will you do, then?"

"Me? Oh, I plan on handling things as best I can so that this doesn't look like a defeat or a retreat. My recommendation? Pull your soldiers back and let the people cool off. I've already ordered my officers there to pull away from the DMZ and prepare for a complete pull-out. There are still some Australian forces there, and the reds are keeping their part of the deal and aren't trying to push through... you're the one making things the most difficult right now."

"So... I'm the fall guy?"

"Not exactly. If we play our cards right you'll come off as a bad leader who knew when to quit and did so gracefully. Think you can do that?"

There was another long pause.

Finally, after what genuinely felt like an eternity, the reply came.

"Alright... we'll do it your way. I'll order the military to pull back and let the people let off some steam... I'll work with you."

Despite knowing full well the man couldn't see him over the phone, the president said "Good. That's good."

The president felt his headache begin to subside as he hung up.

He turned to his cabinet and nodded in a way that said "that went better than expected".

Then he sat down and said, "Maybe I shouldn't have run for president, John..."

The vice president shook his head, saying "You're still fairly inexperienced. The political world is an ugly one, you know that."

"Yeah... yeah, I do... Rob, what's the situation with the bombers?"

"A combined Marine and Army force encountered another Apostle... no one died, but it seems there's more than just men and monsters to worry about. There are talks about gods and goddesses. They even say the dragon we're after was awoken on orders from a goddess named Hardy."

The president felt his headache begin to flare up again.

"The interesting thing is that she doesn't seem to be against us... in fact, it appears she's curious about us according to her apostle... Giselle."

"Oh, another one of those?"

"Yes, sir."

"So, she isn't hostile?"

"According to the reports, she has hostile intentions but is acting on orders of this alleged goddess and is more or less just observing our men while we prepare to bomb that mountain into oblivion, dragon and all."

"And this so-called 'goddess' won't interfere?"

"Apparently not."

The president raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, but... once we deal with this Empire I want as many scientists going through as possible. We need to figure out just what is happening in this other world."

Imperial Capital

6:00 AM

The cemetery now had faces staring at him.

He shook in place, unable to move, his eyes focusing on the various wounds. Some were almost impossible to see, the body pale and dehydrated. Others were missing eyes or arms. Huge holes blown out of their torsos, a few had entire chunks torn out of their face.

They all eyed him, questioning similarly.

Why?

Dennis glared at them in a state between terror and the desire to fight, but he didn't move.

Why?

The question angered him.

You know why.

No response.

Silence reigned for a moment, the bodies staring back at him, the images being those burned into his mind after the battle of Itálica, eyeing him as if they knew something awful would happen sooner or later regardless of what he did.

Dennis woke with a start.

Sunlight washing through the windows.

Dennis huffed, a cruel grin on his face.

It's getting easier...

The nightmares weren't bothering him every night anymore.

It was becoming slightly easier to keep the painful images out of his head, focusing mostly on blending in and just not thinking about it.

Just don't think about it. Not today... today...

He frowned as he sat up in bed, his mind briefly going to his thoughts from the previous day. He didn't have to protect the girl as much as he wanted to as she was perfectly capable of protecting herself, but a part of him hated seeing any bruises on her skin.

In fact, he couldn't help but feel glad he'd asked her on a "date" if anything to distract both her and himself from all the danger they were in.

At the same time...

Just what do I think of that girl?

A VIP he needed to protect?

A girl he only felt pity for?

Something more?

With a frustrated groan, he decided to just not think about it.

I'm here to fight the enemy, not start a romance.

Deep down, a part of him knew he wouldn't mind one.

...

Tyuule met him at the exit of the palace, wearing a larger cloak to conceal her identity, the praetorians paying them no mind.

The very first thing she did was hand him the parchment with the information on the Haryo Tribe, saying "Here."

He took it and looked it over, briefly glancing at the girl.

"Well, that's... interesting..." Dennis mumbled, eyeing Tyuule's getup as she passed a hand through her white hair.

"Unfortunately, it's all I could find."

"Yeah, secret organizations leaving papers behind isn't exactly in character... I'm sure these will help us a bit, at least to soothe some concerns..." he said, skimming the parchment before placing it under his tunic.

"I can always answer some questions if that helps."

"I'm sure it will..."

The girl shifted slightly in place as if to say "well, let's get it over with" as she placed a mask to cover her face, lifting a hood over her head and lowering her ears to conceal her identity.

Dennis said, "Alright, you coming?"

She only followed in step with him.

The capital was, at the very least, far more organized now.

People were trading and buying things, soldiers appeared stationed at most corners, but there weren't any more sudden bursts of violence. The streets appeared cleaner, and there was an odd sense of normality that the locals had fallen back into.

As if there wasn't a war going on.

Tyuule kept her head low, eyeing the people that were living so carefree all of a sudden.

Her eyes darkened.

"Hey, Orville?" she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"How much destruction do your people plan to bring to the capital?"

"Only what's necessary."

"...oh..."

"Believe me, lots of us want to bomb this place into oblivion. The Princess and many people want peace, though, so we have to hold back just a bit. Honestly, if it wasn't for how warmongering a culture this is, there wouldn't even be a need for us to fight them."

Tyuule was silent.

Dennis added, "Don't worry, the empire is going to be destroyed. Even if Zorzal isn't killed, he will lose all his power and probably face life imprisonment for all he's done."

She didn't reply.

Could that be enough?

She eyed the American walking ahead, a part of her wanting to reach out and support herself on him.

Maybe... maybe that's more than enough and... and I can...

The possibilities of a happy future began to run through her mind.

A whistle caught her attention and the American stopped suddenly.

Dennis eyed the busy street, then saying "Over by the alley... that's probably Sean."

Tyuule nodded, moving after him.

They both reached the alley, and Tyuule met the other American soldier.

"Rangers" Dennis called them.

The other one was taller, clearly older than Dennis, but not by a lot.

He gave her a friendly smile, saying "Miss, how are you?" in an awkward tone.

Tyuule only said, "I'm fine, thank you."

"She got us some info on the Haryo Tribe."

"Great... come on."

She paused briefly, watching the two soldiers walk ahead.

She noticed the difference in their stance and the way they walked ahead, seemingly both relaxed and tense, but most importantly, on guard.

She quickly walked after them.

After a few turns, they were in the infamous "Red Light District" where things had, to put it mildly, quieted down. The only real noise was the wind causing wooden window panes to squeak as they were swung to and fro.

"Feels like a ghost town..." Dennis muttered.

Sean said "The crime lords have honored their side of the deal. They've relaxed their activities and have let their people walk around. The Berets even rendezvoused with a Chinook and came back with some supplies, which we happily shared with the locals."

"Did you now?"

"Hearts and minds, Den, hearts, and minds."

"Uh-huh..."

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not the one using my position to find dates."

Dennis didn't react, saying "I'm just being nice."

Tyuule interrupted, asking "Is my presence causing problems?"

Sean shrugged, saying "As long as you're friendly, it shouldn't. Though I'd keep your head down if I were you. Never know who's who or what they may or may not want."

Tyuule only nodded, making sure her hood wouldn't betray her should a stray breeze blow it back down and expose her identity.

Dennis asked, "Any incidents last night?"

Sean said "No, but Alex said the Berets saw something weird, though they don't know what or even if they saw anything. Other than that, all quiet on the front."

"Huh."

Silence then.

Tyuule tried looking at the hidden weapon carried by the soldier named "Sean", not entirely sure how it was meant to work as it looked wholly alien to her, but given the way he was carrying, she could assume that, much like any sword, the point being aimed away from the soldier was the "dangerous" part.

As she considered this, Sean said "We're here, home away from home."

It was both beyond what Tyuule was expecting and somehow less than even that.

It was one of the larger buildings, two floors, and it was in the middle of a spacious area, which likely made it easier to defend. Men were standing around the entrances to the area armed with the "rifles" the book Dennis showed her described. It was also inconspicuous enough that no legion scout would suspect it of being the main base for the enemies from beyond the Gate.

At the same time, for some reason, she expected something a little more grandiose.

Still, she pushed on, sticking closer to Dennis as the men turned to look at her.

They waved slowly, not really paying her any mind.

I'm alien to them...

Before she could think that further, a little demi-human girl ran out of the building and hopped over to Orville's leg.

She didn't say anything, Dennis chuckling and picking her up.

"Aw, ready for more English lessons, Charlotte?"

"Yeah!" she said in one bark-like breath.

Tyuule blinked.

She really is a little lady...

Dennis turned to her, saying "Come on, I'll introduce you to Captain Rhodes. We can give him the information and, then you can meet the others."

"Alright..." Tyuule said, eyeing her surroundings.

It was Sean who noticed, asking "Is something wrong, ma'am?"

Tyuule looked around her once more.

"I don't know... keep an eye open, please. I have an odd feeling."

Dennis didn't say anything, looking behind them, particularly at the shadows.

Nothing...

But he knew very well that looks could be deceiving in this world.

"Will do... you two go ahead."

…

Hamilton waved at the occasional child that appeared to be excited to see the Rose Knights. The armored clad women on horseback rode slowly out of the capital city and on to "retake" the lost lands. The people for once appeared excited to see the newest order of Imperial Knights, a mostly female one at that, suddenly be given such an important task.

Their equipment shone in the early morning sun, making them obvious targets for any aircraft, but he wouldn't deny they looked good.

Drew took his eyes off his scope and sighed.

Clark asked "What?"

"Not gonna lie, man... that girl named after one of our Founders... kinda cute... wanted to talk to her more."

Clark laughed, saying "While on a mission? Don't even think about it. Maybe when we get back to base you'll be able to see her more often."

"I suppose. I just figured I'd find someone who wasn't half animal."

"Any of the girls we met any good?"

He scoffed, saying "I ain't going near those. It's one thing to have animal ears and maybe a tail... but the bugs they carry..."

Clark nodded, looking at his watch.

"We should move. The emperor's newer legions should be arriving pretty soon and we need to get some photos."

Drew watched the chestnut-haired knight briefly make eye contact with him and wave.

He waved back and said, "Yeah, let's go."

As the Berets stood to leave, Clark stopped and grabbed Drew's arm, pointing to his radio.

Drew heard very little, but Clark's expression quickly grew to one of worry.

Then, with a look of uncertainty on his face, he spoke.

"Someone tried to steal our grenades."

9:47 AM

Rhodes finished transcribing what Dennis had read.

"So... shapeshifters?" he asked.

Dennis translated.

"That's the way this document describes them. Bouro and his minions... more or less appear able to blend in with just about anything, although I've never seen them... err... shape... shift." Tyuule replied in slow but effective English, turning to Dennis who only nodded.

Rhodes frowned.

"How can they speak English?"

Dennis didn't need to translate that part.

Tyuule shrugged, saying "I apologize, but my knowledge of this subject is limited."

Rhodes mumbled, "Well, it's better than nothing... were they helping you before-?"

"No."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow.

Tyuule said "Bouro approached me one night... in exchange for... a payment... he would get me information. Ever since you've... begun working with me... well, he's more useful now."

"Well, I don't suppose he'd volunteer for some questioning?"

"Even if he did, the Haryo Tribe has its own goals and I doubt he would share them, but I cannot speak for them. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, ma'am, this is all greatly appreciated... I'll pass the information along, so..."

He motioned to Dennis.

Dennis nodded, saying "Captain wants to talk with me."

"O-oh... alright."

"Don't worry, the guys outside don't bite... Charlotte's out there too, so maybe you can see how good her English is."

Tyuule only stood up, lifting the hood over her head and stepping outside.

She closed the door.

Rhodes eyed Dennis, noting the thousand-yard stare wasn't as present and the American appeared almost relaxed.

Rhodes said, "Boy, you move fast."

"Excuse me?"

"We're still on a mission, yet you're already getting a girl to swoon over you?"

"Swoon, captain?" came the less than impressed reply.

"Oh, come on, you're not going to tell me you can't see how she's acting around you. Reminds me of the younger girls in high school when the older boys talked to them. You can't tell me you haven't noticed."

Dennis sat back, saying "Maybe I have, captain. But we're on a mission."

Rhodes chuckled, saying "Correct... but you're interested in her..."

The 18-year-old raised his hands in surrender saying "Look, captain, maybe once this is over, but laws back home-"

"I know, I know. It's just nice to know you're as human as the rest of us."

"Wait, what?"

"Ever since you joined our unit you're almost... I don't know, focused solely on the mission. Yeah, you chat with the guys, but there's... no offense... some distance between you and everyone."

"I... yeah, that's..."

It's admitting you have a problem, to begin with. You don't want to be seen as weak. I understand. I won't judge.

"It's just... dad died... mom died... technically I didn't finish the Ranger course-"

"Dennis, you finished it. Just because you had to end it a day early doesn't mean you didn't qualify."

"Still, captain... mom died a few months ago, and... I guess it's keeping me a bit closed off... I can handle it, of course, but... it's a distraction."

The captain shook his head.

"Look, kid, this is a hard mission, you've done alright so far. Take a load off, chat with the girl. Clearly, she likes you, too. Maybe you'll get something more than just a paycheck once we ship back."

Dennis nodded slowly, a weak smile on his face.

A few thoughts ran through his head, optimistic thoughts maybe, but they were preferable to the ones about the battles he had been in.

Stepping outside, he was surprised to see Tyuule nervously sitting in place as the little girl sat on her lap.

"She likes sitting on people's laps..." Dennis said.

Tyuule muttered, "She didn't even ask."

"Yeah... kids are like that."

Dennis replied, sitting down next to her.

Neither spoke.

Hastings eyed them from a distance.

Dennis pointed at him, saying "That's Hastings. He's got a long-distance relationship with a catgirl in Itálica and I think he's trying to stay faithful."

At this Tyuule turned and asked, "Your people are alright with... those kinds of relationships?"

Dennis shrugged, saying "I don't know. We have certain laws back home about this sort of thing... not with Demi-humans, certainly, but... I think most people don't really care... I think."

"I... see..."

There was an awkward silence between them then, Charlotte's eyes darting between the two of them as if she were trying to put together a puzzle.

Dennis finally said, "So, I take it you heard me and the Captain talking from down here?"

Tyuule didn't reply.

Dennis awkwardly said "For what it's worth-"

Tyuule cut him off.

"You're on a mission... I understand that much."

"Still, I don't want you thinking I don't like you."

"Don't concern yourself with what a slave thinks."

"You're not a slave, you're our ally. You're helping us..."

Tyuule turned to look at the little girl still on her lap, clearly trying to understand the conversation, barely able to keep up.

"You freed this girl as well... and your people liberated all the slaves they could that day... you don't have slaves back home, do you?"

"Been a hundred years since there were slaves in my country. We hate slavery as a concept."

He kept looking away from her, seemingly glancing at the other men, chatting nearby.

There was certainly an edge on his voice as he spoke, but before she could ask, he turned to her.

"So yeah... I'll concern myself with what a slave thinks."

She swallowed, her heart accelerating at the intensity behind those words. He clearly wasn't lying, and while she hadn't understood all of it, she wasn't so naive that she wouldn't notice.

Still, despite what she wanted or would have liked or would have done... revenge for her people came first and foremost.

But before she could say anything, the door opened behind them and Alex walked out.

"Hey, fellas, I don't know if you'll like 'em, but the food's ready!"

Dennis turned, saying "You promised it would be good!"

His fellow Ranger only said "Man, have you tried making a burger with the stuff they give us? Can't imagine what the Marines have to contend with... come along, Charlotte, we have food."

"Food!" the little girl repeated, though if she understood the word or was just repeating and reacting to the smell of cooked meat in the air was up for debate. Though it didn't matter as she hopped off the bunny girl's lap as if she were aerodynamic and rushed inside.

Tyuule didn't speak.

Dennis only huffed, saying "Yeah... kids do that, too."

She didn't speak.

"Come on, my cooking may not be all that great, and frankly neither is Al's, but... who knows, you might like it."

After a moment, she said "Alright."

...

Drew stared at the broken crate, confused.

His CO said nothing, analyzing the shattered wood.

With a sigh, he said, "You said you saw something last night?"

"Yes, sir."

"But whatever it was, it didn't come in here... and you didn't hear anything..."

"Yes, sir."

There was an eerie silence as the older officer began to go through the grenades dumped on the ground, all intact and not a single pin pulled, thankfully. The man picked them up one by one, placing them back onto the crate before freezing.

Drew realized it then as well.

We're missing one.

A/N: ...You know, I still feel this whole chapter is kind of rushed.

It was originally supposed to cover way more ground, but THAT was definitely rushed, so I decided to give you guys a fairly relaxed chapter showing the "downtime" during the war.

This, in turn, resulted in probably being more typical of the original Gate series chapter than I ever wanted to approach, but... hey, some sweet moments here and there will probably give weight to the coming storm.

Let me know if the character interactions feel forced or off in any way. Romance isn't really my strong suit, but I'm trying here because I think it's unrealistic to assume two people around the same age in this situation wouldn't wind up at least interested in each other to some degree.

Also, I am indeed inferring on Tyuule's age as there isn't any official word on how old or young she is, but given that she is described as acting "like a schoolgirl" when the guy she's interested in is around and the fact she is the only other character aside from Pina to even consider seeking peace with the enemy invaders instead of fighting to the end (more on that as the story goes on) I think it's safe to say she was younger than we might have originally thought, but that's just a theory.

As always, thank you all so much for reading!

Suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I hope to see you all soon!