Sam’s still worrying about his place at the Academy, it seems. Maybe it’s time for a pep talk?
Get caught up with the story at the hub. Enjoy!
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“That’s it?”
Brune stopped and turned to face Sam, his angry glare rooting the rookie to the spot. “Look man, I don’t know you. Don’t go askin’ me personal questions out of the blue like that. It’s none o’ your business.” Without waiting for a response, he turned back to the trail and began to follow it again.
Sam gave a start when he felt Aura’s hand on his shoulder. She forestalled his question by speaking first, “Don’t worry about it. Brune takes some time to warm up to people.” Something in her voice hinted to Sam that it might take more than a couple of days. As they started walking again, Brune much further ahead than before, Aura asked him a question of her own. “Why so curious about our reasons for being here, anyways?”
He hesitated, unprepared for the question he should have expected. “I think I’m still trying to find where I fit in is all. You all seem so sure of yourselves and your roles as agents. Your answers sort of confirmed it for me – except Brune’s, but he wasn’t telling me his real reasons anyways.” Sam’s face colored with embarrassment as he tried to find the words to properly explain himself. “All my life I’ve been pretty much average at everything. The only reason I found myself here was because I didn’t read over the contract I was signing.”
“Lalonde…” Aura started.
But he wasn’t paying attention and continued to speak, “Hell, I thought I was going through military training!” He laughed bitterly, “And now, I’m kind of just getting swept up in it all. I’ve already got Hawk injured and made a mess of my first dive, what more should the Academy need as proof that I don’t belong here?”
“Hey.”
“But here they are sending me back in. With four more people to put in harm’s way no less. What if you all end up in a hospital bed like Hawk? Will they just send more in to babysit me?!”
“Sam!” Aura grabbed him and gave him a hard shake, “Stop it!”
He looked at his leader, his initial confusion at her interruption melting away as he realized what he had been saying. He had allowed his mind to drift right back to his fears about Beta and fester. He looked to the side of the trail, half-expecting a horde of daemons to explode from the bushes, but
Her grip on his shoulders was so tight that it almost hurt, but he also found it comforting. He closed his eyes and tried to visibly relax while he took a few deep breaths.
It must have worked because Aura soon let go of him and took a step back to allow him some space to compose himself. Sam looked at her sheepishly, “Sorry, I got a little carried away.”
She nodded, “It happens. But you need to stop thinking that you don’t belong here. The Academy isn’t in the habit of training people who aren’t cut out for this kind of work. I haven’t seen anyone fail out since I became an agent and I don’t expect you to either. Besides,” her lips twitched up into a smile, “I’ll be damned if I’ll be sidelined any longer for not having a full squad.”
He laughed, if a bit uneasily, and felt some of his anxiety drain away. “Alright, I’ll try to keep my head a bit higher. Thanks boss.”
A familiar voice called out from a tree branch above the trail. “Hey, good news!”
Peri swung down from the tree and landed lightly in front of them as Gemini emerged from an overgrown patch of ferns. “There’s a woodsman just up ahead on the trail and the village is just a bit further. No more daemons in the immediate area either.”
Sam raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean ‘no more’?”
Peri laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry about it, rookie. You need a weapon before we can let you take on so much as a rabbit anyways.”
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