The Problem With Recruits [Private/DOPPO/Serilda]

"Character counts most when duty calls."

Serilda’s life had been a bit of a shit show as of late. The last few months had been full of stress and anxiety, culminating to a point that arguably should have killed her. A metric ton of problems had threatened to drag her down a horrible road from which there would have been no return, but thankfully the right people in her life had been there to help see her through it.

And now, she was the Field Marshal for the Rune Knights. It was strange. Serilda had always wanted to end up with the Knights ultimately, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, nor to start at the top of the ladder. Granted it had come under necessary and unfortunate circumstances. A three part attack on the Rune Knights, the Magic Council, and the entire city of Era had left the military force limping, despite their ultimate victory. If it hadn’t been for the timely presence of several mages and civilians willing to fight alongside the army, the result might have been a lot different.

It was her dream come true, but not at all under the circumstances she had wished for. Additionally, taking over when a large majority of the previous authority and administration had all been killed was extremely difficult. The prior marshal wasn’t around to train her on the things she needed to know, so it had become her burden to dredge up any and all files and read them through in an attempt to get herself up to speed. Thankfully, there were still enough people left from before the attack that she didn’t have to start completely at ground zero -- quite a number of remaining knights were able to point her in the right directions and help her orient herself properly -- but the truth was that there was a lot of confidential information that only the previous marshal and his generals had known, and that was all stuff she was going to have to research the hard way.

She sensed the approach of someone coming toward her office long before they actually knocked on the door. Even though she had worked with this individual in the past, it had been quite some time since she’d seen him and her Void Sense only informed her that a person was present, not necessarily who they were. The slow knocking didn’t draw her attention away from the documents in front of her, but the voice that follow it did. Or rather, the name by which the individual called her.

Serilda frowned at the door for only a moment before she recalled where she recognized that name from. “Come in,” she called. Her blue eyes stayed on the door as it opened until she saw Chiyuki standing there. He was dressed in his black knight uniform, which suited him rather well, and tucked beneath his arm was a bottle of some kind.

The noblewoman gave him a small smile. “Doppo, it’s good to see you,” she told him, referring to him by the nickname she’d learned for him when they’d both been wizards together at Sabertooth. “Please, come have a seat.” Serilda closed the file she had been reading and placed it in a drawer at her desk. The desk itself was neat and tidy, with only a few necessities placed just so upon its surface. She had learned very quickly to get in the habit of keeping the thing clear, or else confidential paperwork would easily pile up around her.

The room itself was quite large, and plain. Most of the personal affects and decorations that the prior marshal owned had been taken down already and returning to his family. Serilda had not really gotten the chance to put up any decorative touches of her own yet, as she’d been far too busy. Really the only thing was a large pillow near one of the corners were Xiuhcoatl had been resting. The large wolf, who had still been a pup when Chiyuki had seen her last, eyed the man excitedly. She recognized him, wishing to say hello, but waiting obediently to be given the order.

“It’s good to see you again. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that you were not only a part of the defensive force during the attack, but that you elected to join up after everything was said and done. You look like you’ve been doing quite well for yourself.” She smiled again. The final comment wasn’t a flirtation by any means. Rather, the last time and only time the two of them had ever worked together, Chiyuki had been low on cash and didn’t have much to his name. She’d gifted him an enchanted plate in the hopes that it would help him with some of his financial and magical issues, and he seemed to be in a much better place now than he was before.

Up close, Chiyuki would be able to see in her eyes just how tired she truly was. The last few months had been exhausting for her, and while she never complained there was no denying that the recent events had been more than a little taxing. “I’m sorry I haven’t had the chance to come say hello. Things have just been so crazy since the Crimson Fang… Was there something I could do for you, or did you just come to chat?”

"Character counts most when duty calls."

Her former guild mate entered and quietly sat at one of the chairs in front of her desk. In his usual lethargic fashion, he offered her the bottle of wine. “O-oh,” Serilda reacted, caught a bit off guard by the gesture. She reached a well manicured hand across and accepted the item. “Thank you, Doppo. That’s quite kind of you.” She had no idea why he was giving it to her of course as he made no effort to explain any such details, but her appreciation was genuine. With anyone else that might have been odd, or even suspect, but Serilda knew that this man wasn’t exactly the most chatty.

The noblewoman would be sure to bring the bottle home later, but for now she placed it neatly on her desk. It was during that moment that Chiyuki asked his question. While his tone didn’t express any anger, it was definitely a loaded topic. By the way she sighed with exhaustion and wearily rubbed her temples, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to surmise that it was a subject she’d already broached with others.

“Not actively,” the Voidwalker admitted. She clasped her hands together on her desk and gave him the respect of looking in his eyes as she continued. “I’m not directly in charge of recruitment. I certainly had my own questions and concerns when I learned that there were a couple youths that had been allowed to join. It’s not ideal, and honestly I don’t like it very much, but it’s where they want to be and their situations aren’t as black and white as they may appear on the surface.”

Serilda glanced up at the ceiling in thought, recalling the details of the few younger members that had joined their ranks. Obviously, for the sake of confidentiality she could not exactly divulge to Doppo who exactly she was speaking of in each case, but she trusted the man enough to at least give him a few basic bits of information that might help him understand how and why the decisions had been made. “A couple of them are not actually as young as they seem to be because they aren’t human. Or at least, not fully. One is an android, for instance. Another has magic that actually affects their age of appearance and changes it at times.”

Those were the easier ones to deal with. An android’s age was hardly measured by the same standards as a human’s, and her appearance would only ever be how she’d been built to look. On the flip side, the other did not have the mind of a child, only the body of one -- and even that was subject to change depending on how he was using his magic at any given time.

“Aside from those two, there are only two others. Both of them have no homes, no families… one doesn’t really even remember who they are. They are orphans, both with magic that they need to learn how to control. They needed shelter and people to look after them…” At this, Serilda couldn’t hide the sorrow in her voice. It pained her to know that these children had no one at all they could depend on. “For these two, by their age they would long since have been members of guilds already, mastering their magics and likely being sent on missions just as dangerous as anything they might find with us, but we were who they wanted to be with. I can’t exactly turn them back out on the street, not when they could get picked up by a dark guild and be lead down a much worse path… At least if I allow them to stay here, I know they are being properly supervised and educated.”

She looked at him again. Her expression showed a great deal of empathy to his concern. Serilda fully understood because she had many of the same ones when she’d first learned that children had been recruited. “Should they change their mind at any point to pursue more traditional opportunities then they are more than welcome to do so. But the truth of the matter is that the moment they came to us, they became my responsibility. If they stay with us and something happens to them, that’s on me… but likewise, if I turn them away and doom them to an uncertain life that brings them a fate just as bad or worse… that is also on me. The latter option is not one I can live with. I would rather try and give them the opportunity to achieve their dreams under our supervision than condemn them to a life on the streets, or as members of a guild that may not look after them with as much care as we will.”

And it was obvious that she cared. Without even having to pull up any files, Serilda had been able to recall every single child and their personal circumstances from memory. She had researched them extensively, and was clearly doing her best to keep a personal eye on them and set them as a priority even though she had many other important things on her plate. The marshal wasn’t just letting them slide under the radar, and she was keen on their specific needs and dreams. It was a toss up as to whether or not Chiyuki would be satisfied with her answer. When it came to children, people often butted heads over differing opinions and since she had never discussed kids with him before she couldn’t really guestimate where he would stand on the issue after hearing her explanation. All she could do was hope he understood that it had not been an easy choice, nor one that she had made without doing her research to know exactly what was going on, and that he would be assured that she certainly was not actively going out and looking for kids to fill their ranks.

"Character counts most when duty calls."

What followed after her answer was a reaction that even Serilda couldn’t have expected. The only time she had ever seen Doppo express any kind of emotion at all had been in the heat of battle while his magic was active and flowing -- or when she had given him the enchanted plate. The rest of the time, he man was in an almost constant state of lethargy. Now, this was due to his magic, and she knew that. Just because Doppo didn’t show emotion didn’t mean he couldn’t feel it. Serilda recognized that and had always done her best to respect him and treat him as normally as anyone else she’d ever worked with.

But it did mean a lot to her when he became visibly agitated over the futures of these children. Clearly, this was an issue that spoke very deeply to him. She watched him carefully with a calm expression while he voiced his concern over the kind of things the kids might wind up being exposed to. The marshal let him speak his mind without interrupting him, respecting his need and his right to have his worries heard. He couldn’t even look her in the eyes until the end of it, and she could see the moisture that had built up within them.

Serilda returned his gaze steadily as his emotional tide receded and he returned once again to the more lazy demeanor he typically kept. She was silent for a long moment as she watched him. “I’m sorry, Chiyuki. I wasn’t aware how greatly this was weighing on you. Everything that’s happened since the attack has been stressful, and this certainly hasn’t helped. I don’t want any of them to die or to be exposed to any of the awful things that you’ve mentioned, and that’s why I’m doing everything in my power to make sure that they are being properly supervised by experienced knights, and my administrators are actively looking for alternatives for them with other respectable guilds or other accommodations that are better suited to their ages. I’m not doing nothing about this.”

“But in the meantime, if this is where they want to be, then yes… they have been allowed to stay. You’re worried, and I more than understand that. If I could have children, I can’t say that this is the life I would prefer for them, either.” Her inability to conceive wasn’t exactly a topic she had meant to let slip. It wasn’t something that she talked about to anyone, as it was a bit of a sore spot for her, but the conversation was troubling and had left her lightly unguarded. Truthfully, she wasn’t even consciously aware that she had mentioned it. A bit ruefully, she continued on. “I can’t give you the answers you want to hear. All I can tell you is that I’m doing my best and utilizing every resource I have to keep them as safe as possible or to find better arrangements for them.”

It sucked, and Serilda empathized with him, but her decision was made. She couldn’t do more than she already was. Doppo didn’t have to be happy about it -- she certainly wasn’t. But, that wasn’t going to change how the chips had fallen. He could choose to hate her for it, and maybe he would. She certainly hoped he wouldn’t. Despite his oddities, Serilda liked Doppo and respected him as a wizard and as an ally. However, this situation wasn’t something she had full control over, and at the end of the day no amount of pleading or berating could change that.

"Character counts most when duty calls."

It was weird hearing Doppo refer to her as “ma’am”. Not just because of their history together with Sabertooth from long before she was anything close to being his boss, but also because the start of this meeting had been a bit informal. She understood, though. In his shoes Serilda probably also would have only been able to truly accept her answer as a soldier, rather than a person. It was a response similar to others she’d received in the past, but all in all he seemed okay. At the very least, he wasn’t appearing to condemn her and he seemed a little more at ease than he had before.

She held his gaze for an extra moment, just to make sure that he really was okay. For a moment all was well, until he spoke up again, commenting on the rather personal thing that she’d let slip. Really, Serilda was more shocked than anything else. His statement caught her even more off guard than his original purpose for seeing her, and she could only blink at him while he stammered to apologize for the poor joke. He tried to cover it by seeing if she wanted to go get something to eat with him at his expense.

Serilda bit her lip a little in thought, silently deciding to just ignore the embarrassing slip up about her fertility. Her blue eyes trailed over the drawer where stacks of paperwork waited for her, which at this point was probably never going to end, and for a moment it seemed like she was going to decline and opt to focus on her work. But it was already getting to be a late night, and she knew she’d been pulling one too many of those lately. Normally Mythal was there to make sure she didn’t wind up sleeping in her office, but he was off on a mission at the moment.

With a small smile, she looked at Doppo again. “You know, I think I’d like that. Let me just lock up and change out of my uniform.” Luckily, Serilda usually kept a spare change of clothes at the office just in case. She didn’t usually travel in her uniform if she wasn’t on duty. Pulling a set of keys out of her pocket, she used a small one to lock up a few of her filing cabinets as well as the drawers on her desk. Then, she ducked into the small personal bathroom that was attached to her office to put on different clothes.

While she was working on that, she’d given Xiuh permission to go greet Doppo. The wolf had remained relatively calm and disciplined through the whole talk, but Serilda could feel the hound’s longing for attention. The now fully grown canine trotted happily over to the man and flopped her body against his legs, craning her neck up to put her head on his lap as a pink tongue lolled happily out of the side of her mouth. Xiuh was just as much of a ham as she ever had been, always a puppy at heart and more of a house dog than a hunting companion when not on duty.

Serilda returned only a couple minutes later in a pair of dark jeans and white button up shirt. She had a blue clutch in her hand. “Ready when you are,” the marshal told him as she took the time to move his wine bottle to the liquor cabinet that had been left behind from the previous marshal’s tenure. Locking up the door to her office behind them, she would offer to wait if he also wanted to put on something less formal than his uniform. It would be nice to just spend some time with the man without having to worry about work. Even in Sabertooth, they’d never really gotten the chance to do that.

Once he was set one way or another, she’d let him lead the way wherever he wanted to go. “Have you been settling in okay?” Serilda asked him as they travelled. She knew all too well the kind of issues he’d had trying to make a place for himself with Sabertooth. He was often ostracized by others because of the effects his magic had on him, and the last thing Serilda wanted was for him to be experiencing that with the Rune Knights as well.