“Nope. Not yet.” Jim’s voice was thick with anxiety.
Cassidy rolled her eyes “Geezes Jim, are you new at this?”
“What?”
“You can’t go in blind like that! You risk weirding him right out if he’s straight. Bad enough he could just not want to go out with you even if he is gay,”
“Well yeah, but what am I supposed to do?”
“Look, you need an informant.” Cassidy’s eyes looked back and forth as if a spy could be lingering around. “I’ll talk to him. Vee haff vays of makink heem talk.”
Jim slowly shook his head. “Oh damn. When did I end up back in highschool?”
“I got yer back. Relax, guy!”
“Uh huh.”
“Relax! It’s all good.”
After shift, when Cassidy got back to the base, anticipation for the Grand Elder’s arrival had put a palatable buzz in the air.
Marcus popped into the ladies barrack with a little extra pep. “Cip, Leftenent Cassidy, Cheryl, meet n greet at the pad in thirty. Look sharp!”
“Yup.”
“Yessir!”
“Alright, Marcus.”
And as suddenly as he appeared, Marcus was gone. Cheryl turned to Cassidy. “People call you Leftenent Cassidy?”
“Eh, that’s just Marcus sometimes. We have kind of a running thing about military protocol I think. I’m surprised he doesn’t call you Sergeant Cheryl.”
Much like Colonel Calvert’s visit before, Marcus, Cipriana and Cassidy stood at the pad, lined up and waiting. This time however they had the addition of Cheryl, and this time it was an airlimb that approached, not a helicopter. It was a sign that the Grand Elder’s importance overshadowed the Colonel’s.
The airlimb set down on the helipad. The letters “G.E.G.” were stenciled on the side. “Grand Elder Guard”.Given his stature, the vehicle made sense enough, but the sight that came when the hatch opened was none the less surprising to Cassidy.
“Storms?” A well armed four member Storm Front flowed out, securing the immediate area in a regulation manner. Their tight, efficient motions were as fluid as they were precise. These soldiers were silent, stoic, and didn’t make eye contact with anyone; seeing only the tactical elements of their environment.
A female middle-aged Aguei Colonel came out next, surveying her subordinate Storms and the general area casually. She shortly saluted towards Calvert and Marcus, then stepped aside.
Marcus walked up between them all as if they were well trained puppies. “Elder Armil!” he called out with a welcoming smile.
The miniature sand storm that seemed to greet all visitors dusted the area as the Grand Elder emerged from the airlimb with a gentle but careful stride. While most shielded themselves from the sand, today was an exception. The Storms only squinted, and the Grand Elder closed his eyes serenely as if accepting this baptism of sand which passed quickly enough.
As his title suggested, the Grand Elder was not a young man, and his movements told of his age as much as his weathered face. His warm smile matched Marcus’, and he put his hands on Marcus’ shoulders. “Marcus! Things go well?”
“As always, Elder.” As formal as the grammar was, Marcus still sounded warm, casual, and almost like he was speaking to family.
Armil faced the temple, visible in the distance, and raised his arms as if to greet it; to embrace it. The gesture displayed his robes well, the pinnacle of traditional materials and design. Light fabrics of soft yellows and blues, braided in patterns that were tight and detailed around the neckline, but growing broad and flowing towards the dangles hanging off the sleeves. His hair was a mix of black and aged grey, pulled back and braided tight, nearly down to his waist.
“Ladies?” Marcus waved Cassidy, Cheryl and Cipriana over. Once closer, Cassidy began to reflex into a stance of attention, hand half way up to a salute. Cheryl was about to follow her lead, but Cipriana diffused their moment of formality by reaching out and holding both of Armil’s hands.
“Elder,” Cipriana said in her usual soft tone, “it’s good to see you again.” It struck Cassidy that Armil and Cipriana had a very similar vibe to them.
Marcus spoke up again. “Elder, let me introduce Cassidy and Cheryl.”
“Hello Sir.” Cassidy said. “Uh, your honour… er, grace? Grand Elder?” Cheryl only shifted uncomfortably, and waved meekly.
Armil stepped towards them, and took one of Cassidy’s hands, and one of Cheryl’s, much in a similar way that Cipriana had done. Armil chuckled softly. “In times like this, titles are not needed. ‘Elder’ or ‘Armil’ is sufficient.”
“Um, okay then, Elder.” Cassidy picked the more formal option, still feeling as if more was needed. This was the man she’d seen on TV most of her life, showing up to great ceremonies, making speeches, and talking about Aguei affairs. “It’s really a huge honour!”
“Y.. yeah! Ditto!” Cheryl was having trouble doing anything but staring wide-eyed. Their timid reactions only made Armil chuckle warmly.
“Let’s head inside.” Marcus said. Armil nodded, and two of the Storms anticipated the path, rushing silently ahead of them. The other two Storms and their Colonel fell into position behind Armil and Marcus, leaving Cassidy, Cheryl and Cipriana to follow behind at their own pace.
“So, Storms, huh?” Cassidy asked idly towards Cipriana. “They’re different.”
“Well, the G.E.G. Storms are Aguei for one thing. Some by blood, some honourary, but above that, they know the weight of their duty, guarding the Grand Elder. They also report to the Grand Elder specifically, and never receive orders from the federal government. The feds just write their cheques. Kind of like us, I guess.”
“Huh?” Cheryl lifted an eyebrow. “What, so I’m an employee of the Grand Elder since I transferred here?”
Cipriana tilted her head slightly. “It might be more commonly said that we’re employed by the Aguei nation, as funded by the federal government as a matter of treaty… but it’s rather a matter of splitting hairs.”
Marcus and the Grand Elder had a light snack with tea. Someone had provided a slightly fancier table and chairs, so the Elder wouldn’t have to cram into the standard mess hall benches with his robe. There was a time in the past when efforts were made to prepare something a bit fancier for the Grand Elder, but by some way of the other, the fame of Alan’s cookies won out. Today, however, the ‘stupid greedy apes’ respectfully didn’t come running at the smell of fresh cookies.
Typical small talk faded to the wayside, and the Elder brought up a more serious issue. “Marcus, there’s been a bit of interesting talk among some of the High Elders of late.”
Marcus raised his eyebrows. It was hard to tell if it was good talk or bad, with the Grand Elder’s ever-diplomatic tone. “Oh? Interesting how?”
“Well, many seem to favour the idea of allowing- even encouraging- a small tourist endeavor at the temple.”
Marcus cocked back a bit. This was a notable change of policy. “Ah.. why? Er, If I can ask.”
The Grand Elder smiled. “Of course you can. Well, there’s two reasons. The lesser of the two is that we could make a little bit of money, and put that towards the funding of the guard here. Put a little back into things, as it were. But the main idea is that it could be a good way to connect, to reach out to non-Aguei peoples. A goodwill project of sorts.”
Marcus absorbed the idea, and wore a look of mild scrutiny as he gazed into nowhere, weighing the pluses and minuses.
“I wanted to talk to you before we took any steps, Marcus. It’s your stomping ground, you know it best. The idea of a small guided tour came up. We could add more personnel to deal with the added duties.”
Marcus resolved the notion with a smile and a short nod. “Ah! Nonsense Elder! We’re soldiers around here. We work an easy job eight hours a day here, but we’re not restricted to it! This isn’t some fast food restaurant. We’re more than capable to running a little tour. If you think it’s good for Aguei relations with the rest of t
he country, it sounds like a good idea. Never hurts to try it out.”
“Well, if you're sure you do not need more people, alright. We’ll work out some details later. Oh, we’d just as soon have people not taking photos inside though.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
An hour or so later, the miniature ceremony had begun with relatively little fuss.
The Grand Elder stood In front of the statue. The top of Armil's head was still a fair distance below the stone hound’s chin. Maybe it was the moment, but Cassidy thought the statue’s eyes gleamed especially bright now. Even if the statue’s meaning was unknown, Grand Elder Armil and all his humble grandeur somehow very much fit in with it.
With Marcus and most of the base’s complement gathered casually around, Cheryl and Cassidy stepped forward to Armil, and stood beside each other.
Wanda smirked, and whispered to Cipriana. “Is it just me, or does it look like they’re getting married?” Cipriana restrained a smile. Cassidy heard the whisper enough to get the idea of it. So much for her plan to keep rumors and speculation to a minimum. No plan survives the first shot of battle, so they say.
The Grand Elder turned around and opened his arms to the statue. The statue seemed to mean something to him, anyway. After a moment, he turned back, and looked at Cassidy and Cheryl with a gentle nod.
Cassidy was still fighting the urge to salute, and the two of them smiled back softly. Armil reached forward and took their hands, looking both of them in the eye for a moment, eventually speaking softly.
“Cassidy. Cheryl. As gentle spirits, I welcome you to our people. You are Aguei.”
And suddenly, it was over. The spectators surrounded them all, some offering casual applause.
“That... that’s it?” Cheryl said, teetering near a nervous giggle.
Grand Elder Armil smiled and nodded, and Marcus gave the verbal reply. “Ah, why make something complicated when it doesn’t need to be? What were you expecting? Holy chants and hymns? To be knighted with a spear?”
Happy small talk filtered around the group, many of whom took the chance to speak to Armil directly about this and that. Cassidy caught Wanda’s eye and shot her a little ‘tsk tsk’ glare for the marriage remark. Wanda tried not to smile, and covered her mouth, wide eyed.
Everyone started filtering out, the group breaking up into clusters. Armil ended up walking with Marcus, discussing some of the details of changes to come.
Cassidy saw Jim talking casually with Karl and a couple other guys. Ah, right. Karl. “Hey Karl? Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Huh? Sure.”
Cassidy looked at the other guys to hint that she wanted a little privacy. Jim looked tense, but went along with the others. Dammit, Jim. Between Jim, Cipriana, Maxine, and Wanda with her big mouth, the whole friggin unit was going to know she thought Cheryl was cute before long. It was a wildfire situation, and she needed some kind of water bomber. But she’d have to find water in the desert later. First thing’s first.
Cassidy led Karl out of the way, trailing behind the main stream of people, and once out of the temple, off into some neighboring ruins.
“What’s up Cassidy?”
Dang, she had a basic plan, but she didn’t really flesh it out. Okay, time to think on your feet. “Hey, um.. I got kind of an awkward problem, and I thought you might be able to gimmie some advice.”
Karl ducked his head in a shrug. “Uhm… okay, I’ll try..”
Cassidy squirmed a bit, trying to think her next move, aware that it could just look like she was having trouble saying it. “Well, you mighta heard I’m …”
“What, gay?”
Cassidy pointed at him and touched her nose. “Yeah, so you know, I thought…”
Karl raised one of his eyebrows, bit his lip and shrugged again.
Cassidy talked with her hands, trying to grab the right idea out of the air in front of her. “Well, I figured you’d be able to gimmie your opinion from your perspective cuz you’re also….” Ha. That was the hook, perfect. If he’s not, then this is about to become embarrassing and funny, but there was no other way around that.
Karl chuckled. “What? Cuz I’m also into girls?” Damn. A swing and a miss.
Cassidy sighed. “Yeah, you know what? Forget it. Forget I said anything.”
“Uh, I think you’re attractive enough and all, if that’s what you’re trying to get an opinion on.” The poor lad was bewildered.
“Naw, no, forget it. It’s nuthin’.” Defeat. Poor Jim. Well, better this way than Jim finding out firsthand.
“Well, okay, Cassidy…” Karl started heading back to the base, and stopped after a few steps, turning. “Well, sorry I couldn’t be more help with whatever it was, but I just remembered. Maybe you want to talk to Cheryl instead. Oh! Unless this is about her…”
Cassidy could almost feel her pupils dilate. “Cheryl… she… she’s…?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? She mentioned it when I was talking to her in the mess.”
Words couldn’t form in Cassidy’s mind for a few moments, and she finally spat out a few. “Oh. Well. Thaaat’s…. good too know!” She tilted her head and smiled.
Karl was half creeped out, and half amused. “All right then Cass. Be seeing you.”
“Yup. Right. Thanks.” Cassidy stood in a fog of unformed thoughts for a moment, watching Karl walk off. Then a thought jumped to mind, a split second before she acted. She called out to Karl, pointing. “Hey Karl, you’re not bi, are you?”
Karl stumbled in his stride. “What?!”
“Ehhh, didn’t think so. Had to be sure.”
Karl continued on, and hollered back at Cassidy. “Ya got a screw loose, miss!”
Cassidy slumped against a nearby chunk of wall, and looked out across the sea of sand. That was psychologically exhausting. She was almost trembling. But she couldn’t argue about having a screw loose. What a fruitful exchange that turned out to be. She got vital info for Jim, even if it wasn’t the result he was hoping for, and as a bonus, found out Cheryl was playing on her team. Hm. Bah. Doesn’t change a thing. There’s still professionalism, and the whole idea of not going into a rebound. This didn’t change a bloody thing.
Not a thing.
Nope.
The barracks were a little busier than usual, with many people checking in after the little ceremony. When Cassidy got in, her eyes locked onto Cheryl as she was going about her little tasks.
A mild panic trembled through Cassidy. She repeated in her mind, quickly, over and over, trying to assure herself. “Doesn’t change a thing, doesn’t change a thing.”
She realized she had been just standing in the doorway, staring. She closed her eyes and exhaled. Be normal. She walked over to her bunk, trying not to look at Cheryl too much, and her eyes happened to land on Cipriana.
Cipriana’s subtle expression was mild as could be, but it was aimed at Cassidy, and it somehow spoke volumes. It said in a schoolyard sort of way “Cassidy likes Cherrryl!” Well, no, that wasn’t quite Cipriana’s style, but that’s how Cassidy translated it in her head. Cassidy replied with an expression that had the intent of “Oh yeah? Well, you keep your mouth shut, missy!”
It felt like almost everyone knew- or rather thought they knew- what Cassidy was feeling, and it all lent itself to a bit of paranoia. She reminded herself of the saying… “You wouldn’t worry what people are thinking about you, if you knew how often they didn’t.”
Alright then. Don’t worry about the whole unit. Just Wanda, and maybe Cipriana. And of course Cheryl. And Maxine. And Jim.
Ach. Poor Jim. He’s got other things to fret about.
“Hey Cassie!” Cheryl’s voice came, jostling her out of her mental circles.
“Oh! Cheryl. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“The ceremony thing? Nah, it was kind of nice. You know, it feels more like a community around here than a military unit.”
Cassidy nodded. “Jim suggested it’s more like a hig
hschool. Little mini-dramas unfolding and such. She sat in her bunk, finding herself facing Cipriana across the aisle, who was idly browsing though a book.
“Dramas?” Cheryl asked. “What kind of dramas?”
Cipriana’s attention was silently perked again, and her eyes met with Cassidy’s. “Eh, nothing bad, Cheryl,” Cassidy said, looking back at Cipriana with a tired expression. “Nothing worth worrying about.”
“Oh, you mean like those lizards, and Alan versus the greedy apes?” Cheryl chuckled lightly.
Cassidy turned her head to look at Cheryl, and smiled. “Yup, perfect examples.” Frig she was cute. Knowing her orientation now was going to make ignoring the cuteness even harder. Mind you, this was second hand information. It could be wrong. Karl might have misunderstood something Cheryl had said. Heck, she might have given Karl that impression to avoid being hit on. Sure, that was very likely.
Cassidy felt- or imagined feeling- Cipriana’s eyes on her. Tenting her fingertips almost diabolically, Cassidy looked back at Cipriana. She was innocently reading. Hm.
Hm, indeed. What of Cipriana’s alleged ‘20/20 gaydar’? Were it true, it was a powerful gift to be wasted on a straight person.
“She knows things.” Cassidy said softly to herself, staring at Cipriana. This accidentally got her attention, and the attention of Cheryl.
Cheryl innocently asked, “She who? Knows what?” Cipriana just coyly raised her eyebrows.
“Superior officers and their classified information!” Cassidy rambled, “They know things that may or may not be helpful, and may not be in a position to rightly share such information. But they know things.”
Cheryl stared at Cassidy waiting for further explanation that was not to come. She saw that Cassidy was looking towards Cipriana. Cheryl looked back and forth between the two of them, and finally asked softly. “Drama?”
Cipriana only read quietly, eyes on her book with her soft smile. “Drama.”
Cassidy flopped back in her bunk, arms dangling to the sides. “Drama.”
Watching Yute Page 10
