Mardea sat in her underwear as the sun boiled her inside the green polyester tent.

Hunched over she listened to the radio—forcibly cutting away at a bit of wood until it resembled a stake.

Inwardly glad that she and Rohaan got to dip on unloading duty.

Hiding in her tent was the perfect way to avoid her dad, but he was going to call on her sooner or later. Sometimes she wished she could live far away from him...She had hoped to move in with Adam in Coasto. Starting her own life sounded like a dream.

General.... Dad really does still see me as a child. Ew, I'm so over it...I hate it. Sitting here and dreading having to face him. Can I run away from a war? Run away from demons? No, I can't let them fight alone, we're lost so much.

While her mind ran through ideas and plans she triggered some memories. She had lived on this compound since she was a baby. There were quite a few guys old and young she grew up alongside, and one day they didn't come back from an orchestrated demon attack. Watching the people around her change and disappear as the fight went on and on. Rohaan was brought into the fight when he was fourteen, and Adam joined five years later. Chyou joined two years ago and Jagger six months ago.

Chyou was the youngest at nineteen and Jagger was the oldest at twenty-nine. Adam was only one year older than Rohaan. Mardea was glad they had never left her—until now.... Adam was but at the least, it was just moving away. She ached for him, even more than ever.

"Hey, the General requests ya presents," Rohaan said in a grimace tone knowing her feelings on the matter—unzipping her tent down slightly.

"Yeah, Can I borrow your hoodie?" Mardea peered up at Rohaan as he realised she was in the bare minimum.

"Ya." He turned his back and slipped his hoodie over his head—tossing it through the gap.

"Aren't you boiling?" Mardea caught it while noticing he had a grey skivvy under that.

"Eh." He shrugged, zipped up the tent hole and wandered off.

He's so strange sometimes...

Mardea dressed herself in the oversized hoodie—it was big on Rohaan and bigger on her. She didn't bother wearing anything else and left her tent. Tiptoeing through the mud as it squashed between her toes. She felt a big I don't give a fuck mood take over her and matched into the General's tent.

"Yeah, you called." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

Her dad swung around and placed a bit of paper in her arms. "This was sent for you yesterday night."

She took a breath and looked down at it. The Corp addressed her and Adam and then declined their marriage licence.

"What!...... Why?" He huffed flipping it over, just to read. To address Mardea's current condition of becoming marked. We find the licence null and void on the possibility of her death.

"So I can't be married for just a short while?? Why decline it!" She raised her tone.

"I forbid it!" Her father cut over her. "This is not the time and place to run off and marry." He pointed his finger at her very disappointed. "WE ARE AT WAR!" He shouted at her.

Mardea stuck her tongue out in protest. "I hate you! I hate everything!" She tossed the paper—it gently fluttered across the room.

"You're as stubborn as your mother was." He huffed back.

"Hmmm yeah bring her into this! After years of pretending she never existed." Mardea bared her teeth.

"Fuck you, Dad!" She pointed the finger and stormed out.

Rohaan and Chyou were at the armoury loading their guns to go and practice some shots, when Mardea matched other and stripped off of Rohaan's hoodie.

"Thanks for the borrow." She threw it at him.

He caught it, seeing Mardea turn around and match off in her underwear.

"She has no shame." Chyou snickered looking at Rohaan. Chyou was a thin girl with turmeric-pale skin and a radiant glow. Her eyes were thin and dark while her hair was thick and dark tired back in a ponytail.

A slight smile appeared across his face. "She'll probably be the death of us." Putting his hoodie back on. A whiff of lemon and sage scent met his nose. Rohaan went back to loading his rifle.

"I might need to take her to the range, she's a worse shot than you." Chyou pointed out.

"I prefer knives." He said.

"If only she wasn't shit knives too. At least you got one thing going for you." She shook her head snickering.

"What ya talking about her temper is already a killer." He strapped his rifle across his chest.

"Ready to get your butt kicked?" Chyou said pridefully—slipping her pistols into the hosier and strapping her rifle across her.

"Never ready." He pulled a face.

They both scanned themselves out of the compound. They wandered down the narrow dirt path through the thick bush. The birds were singing some soft tones as if someone was playing a harp. The tree's shadows washed over them as they watched their step over the unexpected scattered stones. This area was covered from magpies attacks.

Rohaan regretted agreeing to target practice. Physically he wasn't up to it but mentally he needed a distraction—tired from sitting alone with his thoughts. The Lipanna border had been quiet and he preferred it that way.

The range was five balls-eyes, placed at different lengths. They got replaced every week or so. Sometimes the foliage would overtake them. Their firing point was set by a sting at ankle height.

Chyou tossed her rifle and went for both of her pistols—shooting them simultaneously a that target furtherest and, one from the furtherest.

"Balls-eye." She smiled.

Rohaan uncomfortably held his rifle and shakily shot at the one closest.

"You really are a shit shot." She snorted.

"Ya, being mean," Rohaan shook his head and shot again.

"Ya," she mocked widening her eyes. "I'm not going to baby your feelings." She kept her eyes on him and shot one pistol hitting the target again.

"Ya scary," Rohaan said shaking his head

"It's either me or them," Chyou said unapologetically.

"What are women made of around here?" He muttered to himself and shot his rifle mid-range—grazing the side of the target.

"I don't want to kill anyone." He said loading the gun.

"You've been here longer than me. Haven't you killed people." She glared hearing his nonsensicalness.

"Of course. I'm as much of a child solider as ya." Rohaan shot again missing.

"Don't say that!" Chyou hissed locking eyes with him.

"What would ya rather I say?" He swung his gun at the tree.

"WOAH! Calm the crazy!" Chyou ducked, "At least put the safely on before being impulsive!"

"Damn sorry," Rohaan said sarcastically picking the gun back up.

"What's gotten into you?" Chyou dumped her guns and sat in the grass. "Come sit, let's talk about it."

"Ya just want the goss." He folded his arms slightly amused.

"Come!" She demanded patting the grass.

Damn, She's so bossy! "Yes madam!" Rohaan discarded his gun and took a seat.

Chyou sat up all nice with the smile ready to hear all the juicy lintel.

While Rohaan chuckled at her shaking his head. "Ya, such an aunty."

"Spill it!" She instructed.

"I'm just bummed about Adam." He shrugged.

"Which part?" She said confused.

Rohaan frowned, "The part where he's being transferred.....What part did ya think?"

"Thought you were going to say you were jealous. That would have been way juicer." Chyou stuck out her lip—feeling robbed of quality gossip.

He scowled "Adam is like a brother to me, we basically grew up together on the shoreline." Rohaan stuck his chin on his knee.

"To be honest I'm kind of mad at Mardea...It's her fault he's being transferred."

"Hold up!" Chyou raised her hand, "Isn't it also Adam's fault? They both decided on tying the knot."

Rohaan pushed the air threw his teeth, "True." He stared at the ground.

"You feel betrayed?" Chyou analysed.

"In some ways." Rohaan's eyes widened and he realised she was right. He found himself missing Adam and it hadn't even been that many days.

"You should ask him if he's open for a throuple." Chyou nudged him.

"Eww, he's my brother!" Rohaan leapt up. "What's wrong with ya Chyou!"

"Okay, I apologise for that one." She said calmly.

She took that too far.... He shook his head in disbelief, "Ya just wish my life was reality TV!"

"Guilty." She laughed standing back up. "I would totally watch a show about a throuple okay."

"No judgement. Just don't ship me with my brother."

"Understood okay." She agreed with a grin on her face.

Chyou scooped up her guns and went back to firing. Rohaan attempted to, but she didn't let up on bullying his gun skills.