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Finally the girl kicked into action. Vangelis had tugged and torn for a few seconds before her instincts kicked in and fought back, a well placed kick, shoving a knee out from under him and sending him down and sideways, allowed her to wriggle and scoot out the other way.
Vangelis didn't make a grab for her, didn't try to keep her down and beneath him. He let her go quite easily and moved back up to standing very slowly, watching as - instead of running from the tent or extricating herself from the situation - she made a dash for the dropped discharge parchment and burnt it. A total waste of her time and effort as he could write another and file it with the Master of War back home whenever he wanted. She wouldn't be able to stop him. But that wasn't his plan...
"Good." Vangelis said, as she spoke up about her dignity not being able to allow her to go through with selling her body for security. "I was beginning to wonder there for a moment."
Adjusting his stance to one more comfortable, more weight on one of his hips and his arms folded over his chest, Vangelis didn't smile but his expressions and mannerism suddenly dropped from terrifying down to simply stoic. All threatening elements of his facade and facial features seemed to drain away, to leave only a man as firm and hard as his frame.
As if what had just happened had never come to pass, Vangelis' tone suddenly became one of calm instruction over threatening command.
"I expect you outside my tent at two hours before dawn tomorrow." He told the woman, moving back to the table where he could pick up his wine and take a mouthful from the goblet. "We'll be going over some pointers to make you less obvious." He told her. "You survive them and take on the lessons I teach you, then you can stay." He tilted his head back and forth as if considering. "You take them on well and I may even agree to promote you."
And, as if nothing were the matter at all, Vangelis took another sip from his wine, his gaze firmly on hers and waiting to see how she reacted.
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Finally the girl kicked into action. Vangelis had tugged and torn for a few seconds before her instincts kicked in and fought back, a well placed kick, shoving a knee out from under him and sending him down and sideways, allowed her to wriggle and scoot out the other way.
Vangelis didn't make a grab for her, didn't try to keep her down and beneath him. He let her go quite easily and moved back up to standing very slowly, watching as - instead of running from the tent or extricating herself from the situation - she made a dash for the dropped discharge parchment and burnt it. A total waste of her time and effort as he could write another and file it with the Master of War back home whenever he wanted. She wouldn't be able to stop him. But that wasn't his plan...
"Good." Vangelis said, as she spoke up about her dignity not being able to allow her to go through with selling her body for security. "I was beginning to wonder there for a moment."
Adjusting his stance to one more comfortable, more weight on one of his hips and his arms folded over his chest, Vangelis didn't smile but his expressions and mannerism suddenly dropped from terrifying down to simply stoic. All threatening elements of his facade and facial features seemed to drain away, to leave only a man as firm and hard as his frame.
As if what had just happened had never come to pass, Vangelis' tone suddenly became one of calm instruction over threatening command.
"I expect you outside my tent at two hours before dawn tomorrow." He told the woman, moving back to the table where he could pick up his wine and take a mouthful from the goblet. "We'll be going over some pointers to make you less obvious." He told her. "You survive them and take on the lessons I teach you, then you can stay." He tilted his head back and forth as if considering. "You take them on well and I may even agree to promote you."
And, as if nothing were the matter at all, Vangelis took another sip from his wine, his gaze firmly on hers and waiting to see how she reacted.
Finally the girl kicked into action. Vangelis had tugged and torn for a few seconds before her instincts kicked in and fought back, a well placed kick, shoving a knee out from under him and sending him down and sideways, allowed her to wriggle and scoot out the other way.
Vangelis didn't make a grab for her, didn't try to keep her down and beneath him. He let her go quite easily and moved back up to standing very slowly, watching as - instead of running from the tent or extricating herself from the situation - she made a dash for the dropped discharge parchment and burnt it. A total waste of her time and effort as he could write another and file it with the Master of War back home whenever he wanted. She wouldn't be able to stop him. But that wasn't his plan...
"Good." Vangelis said, as she spoke up about her dignity not being able to allow her to go through with selling her body for security. "I was beginning to wonder there for a moment."
Adjusting his stance to one more comfortable, more weight on one of his hips and his arms folded over his chest, Vangelis didn't smile but his expressions and mannerism suddenly dropped from terrifying down to simply stoic. All threatening elements of his facade and facial features seemed to drain away, to leave only a man as firm and hard as his frame.
As if what had just happened had never come to pass, Vangelis' tone suddenly became one of calm instruction over threatening command.
"I expect you outside my tent at two hours before dawn tomorrow." He told the woman, moving back to the table where he could pick up his wine and take a mouthful from the goblet. "We'll be going over some pointers to make you less obvious." He told her. "You survive them and take on the lessons I teach you, then you can stay." He tilted his head back and forth as if considering. "You take them on well and I may even agree to promote you."
And, as if nothing were the matter at all, Vangelis took another sip from his wine, his gaze firmly on hers and waiting to see how she reacted.
Anger, frustration. Maybe a little running, and definitely a lot of dodging and explanations. At the very least, that was what Nike had been expecting to do after she had rolled out fom underneath her commanding officer. Not only had she openly retaliated and hurt a senior officer, she had obviously broken about 10 other military rules just by burning the letter. And that's on top of her already serious transgression on hiding her gender and being part of the military.
So when she had turned and spoken her defiant words, imagine her surprise when Vangelis spoke, and his fearsome, terror inducing tone and look had gone, replaced by one she recognize.
This. This was the general she knew. Firm and calm, instead of threatening and terrifying. This was the General she respected and abided by.
What?
Blinking rapidly as her mind tried to process what had just happened, made sense of the drastic change in attitude between just ten seconds earlier, and the Vangelis she saw now, calmly giving her instructions as if she wasn't currently standing holding her torn tunic up to her neck to hide every part of her body, as if she wasn't just under his very naked torso not 10 seconds earlier.
"Yes, sir!" was her automatic response to all the commands. Instinctively, Nike began reciting all she had to do, a habit to make her efficient and effective. Be outside of his tent two hours before dawn. Lessons to be less obvious. Was she obvious? ... Wait, what?!
"With all due respect, my Lord... What the fuck was all of that all about?" With a burst of anger that Nike had not shown earlier from being purely shocked, her fists was now gripped tightly by her side, jaws set in a fierce, even defiant way as she glared at her commanding officer with all the anger she could muster inside of her, blazing honeyed eyes never wavering from Vangelis's gaze. "Was that all really necessary?"
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Anger, frustration. Maybe a little running, and definitely a lot of dodging and explanations. At the very least, that was what Nike had been expecting to do after she had rolled out fom underneath her commanding officer. Not only had she openly retaliated and hurt a senior officer, she had obviously broken about 10 other military rules just by burning the letter. And that's on top of her already serious transgression on hiding her gender and being part of the military.
So when she had turned and spoken her defiant words, imagine her surprise when Vangelis spoke, and his fearsome, terror inducing tone and look had gone, replaced by one she recognize.
This. This was the general she knew. Firm and calm, instead of threatening and terrifying. This was the General she respected and abided by.
What?
Blinking rapidly as her mind tried to process what had just happened, made sense of the drastic change in attitude between just ten seconds earlier, and the Vangelis she saw now, calmly giving her instructions as if she wasn't currently standing holding her torn tunic up to her neck to hide every part of her body, as if she wasn't just under his very naked torso not 10 seconds earlier.
"Yes, sir!" was her automatic response to all the commands. Instinctively, Nike began reciting all she had to do, a habit to make her efficient and effective. Be outside of his tent two hours before dawn. Lessons to be less obvious. Was she obvious? ... Wait, what?!
"With all due respect, my Lord... What the fuck was all of that all about?" With a burst of anger that Nike had not shown earlier from being purely shocked, her fists was now gripped tightly by her side, jaws set in a fierce, even defiant way as she glared at her commanding officer with all the anger she could muster inside of her, blazing honeyed eyes never wavering from Vangelis's gaze. "Was that all really necessary?"
Anger, frustration. Maybe a little running, and definitely a lot of dodging and explanations. At the very least, that was what Nike had been expecting to do after she had rolled out fom underneath her commanding officer. Not only had she openly retaliated and hurt a senior officer, she had obviously broken about 10 other military rules just by burning the letter. And that's on top of her already serious transgression on hiding her gender and being part of the military.
So when she had turned and spoken her defiant words, imagine her surprise when Vangelis spoke, and his fearsome, terror inducing tone and look had gone, replaced by one she recognize.
This. This was the general she knew. Firm and calm, instead of threatening and terrifying. This was the General she respected and abided by.
What?
Blinking rapidly as her mind tried to process what had just happened, made sense of the drastic change in attitude between just ten seconds earlier, and the Vangelis she saw now, calmly giving her instructions as if she wasn't currently standing holding her torn tunic up to her neck to hide every part of her body, as if she wasn't just under his very naked torso not 10 seconds earlier.
"Yes, sir!" was her automatic response to all the commands. Instinctively, Nike began reciting all she had to do, a habit to make her efficient and effective. Be outside of his tent two hours before dawn. Lessons to be less obvious. Was she obvious? ... Wait, what?!
"With all due respect, my Lord... What the fuck was all of that all about?" With a burst of anger that Nike had not shown earlier from being purely shocked, her fists was now gripped tightly by her side, jaws set in a fierce, even defiant way as she glared at her commanding officer with all the anger she could muster inside of her, blazing honeyed eyes never wavering from Vangelis's gaze. "Was that all really necessary?"
Vangelis didn't smile, laugh or indicate in any way that everything he had done since Nike had walked into his tent had been for fun, or for his own amusement. He stayed calm, he stayed focused and he spoke with the utmost sincerity and utterly zero contrition. He was not sorry for his actions, nor was he going to apologise to them. But given his need of loyalty from his men, he would at least explain himself.
"You were right, Nike of Acaris." He told her with a nod. "You are an effective and valuable asset to my unit. But I couldn't have a woman under my command without being assure of three things..." He moved a little closer to her, so they were perhaps an arms length apart, but he didn't encroach on her space. He held up his fingers as he counted. "One, I had to be sure of your conviction. That you were not here among my troops because you had nothing else and the second someone offered you something better you would reveal your gender and my knowledge of it. I needed to know that you were here for the pride of the military, and for Colchis. Not for your own ends. You convinced me of this with your passionate entreaty." He lifted a second finger. "Secondly, I had to know that you were never going to allow yourself to be bullied because of your gender. Were you in a hostage situation, an interrogation or any other circumstance in which you were being belittled by men, I need to be sure that you'll fight tooth and nail and not fall into a feminine submission." Vangelis made a face slightly and made a one-shoulder shrug. "You nearly failed that one through your need to obey my orders but your instincts kicked in eventually."
Finally, Vangelis lifted the third finger.
"And the last thing I needed to be assured of - if I was to keep you in my military is that you could take a punch... Which reminds me..."
And with the speed and accuracy of a striking cobra, Vangelis pulled back his arm, curled his fingers into a fist and struck. Hard. His fist hit the woman's cheekbone and temple with as much force as he would have punched a man, his impact guaranteed to give the soldier a black eye within the next ten minutes.
The action was so quick, and so hard that was completely unavoidable and knocked the girl clean off her feet, smashing her into the ground.
"That is for disgracing the Colchian army by enlisting in the first place and lying to your commanding officers." He told her, a pointed finger stipulating his point. "And I shall make this very clear... Captain Nike of Acaris." He said, deliberately giving her the new and promoted title. "If I ever find out you've lied to me, ever again, regarding anything. I will have you executed and swing the sword myself. Are we clear?"
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Vangelis didn't smile, laugh or indicate in any way that everything he had done since Nike had walked into his tent had been for fun, or for his own amusement. He stayed calm, he stayed focused and he spoke with the utmost sincerity and utterly zero contrition. He was not sorry for his actions, nor was he going to apologise to them. But given his need of loyalty from his men, he would at least explain himself.
"You were right, Nike of Acaris." He told her with a nod. "You are an effective and valuable asset to my unit. But I couldn't have a woman under my command without being assure of three things..." He moved a little closer to her, so they were perhaps an arms length apart, but he didn't encroach on her space. He held up his fingers as he counted. "One, I had to be sure of your conviction. That you were not here among my troops because you had nothing else and the second someone offered you something better you would reveal your gender and my knowledge of it. I needed to know that you were here for the pride of the military, and for Colchis. Not for your own ends. You convinced me of this with your passionate entreaty." He lifted a second finger. "Secondly, I had to know that you were never going to allow yourself to be bullied because of your gender. Were you in a hostage situation, an interrogation or any other circumstance in which you were being belittled by men, I need to be sure that you'll fight tooth and nail and not fall into a feminine submission." Vangelis made a face slightly and made a one-shoulder shrug. "You nearly failed that one through your need to obey my orders but your instincts kicked in eventually."
Finally, Vangelis lifted the third finger.
"And the last thing I needed to be assured of - if I was to keep you in my military is that you could take a punch... Which reminds me..."
And with the speed and accuracy of a striking cobra, Vangelis pulled back his arm, curled his fingers into a fist and struck. Hard. His fist hit the woman's cheekbone and temple with as much force as he would have punched a man, his impact guaranteed to give the soldier a black eye within the next ten minutes.
The action was so quick, and so hard that was completely unavoidable and knocked the girl clean off her feet, smashing her into the ground.
"That is for disgracing the Colchian army by enlisting in the first place and lying to your commanding officers." He told her, a pointed finger stipulating his point. "And I shall make this very clear... Captain Nike of Acaris." He said, deliberately giving her the new and promoted title. "If I ever find out you've lied to me, ever again, regarding anything. I will have you executed and swing the sword myself. Are we clear?"
Vangelis didn't smile, laugh or indicate in any way that everything he had done since Nike had walked into his tent had been for fun, or for his own amusement. He stayed calm, he stayed focused and he spoke with the utmost sincerity and utterly zero contrition. He was not sorry for his actions, nor was he going to apologise to them. But given his need of loyalty from his men, he would at least explain himself.
"You were right, Nike of Acaris." He told her with a nod. "You are an effective and valuable asset to my unit. But I couldn't have a woman under my command without being assure of three things..." He moved a little closer to her, so they were perhaps an arms length apart, but he didn't encroach on her space. He held up his fingers as he counted. "One, I had to be sure of your conviction. That you were not here among my troops because you had nothing else and the second someone offered you something better you would reveal your gender and my knowledge of it. I needed to know that you were here for the pride of the military, and for Colchis. Not for your own ends. You convinced me of this with your passionate entreaty." He lifted a second finger. "Secondly, I had to know that you were never going to allow yourself to be bullied because of your gender. Were you in a hostage situation, an interrogation or any other circumstance in which you were being belittled by men, I need to be sure that you'll fight tooth and nail and not fall into a feminine submission." Vangelis made a face slightly and made a one-shoulder shrug. "You nearly failed that one through your need to obey my orders but your instincts kicked in eventually."
Finally, Vangelis lifted the third finger.
"And the last thing I needed to be assured of - if I was to keep you in my military is that you could take a punch... Which reminds me..."
And with the speed and accuracy of a striking cobra, Vangelis pulled back his arm, curled his fingers into a fist and struck. Hard. His fist hit the woman's cheekbone and temple with as much force as he would have punched a man, his impact guaranteed to give the soldier a black eye within the next ten minutes.
The action was so quick, and so hard that was completely unavoidable and knocked the girl clean off her feet, smashing her into the ground.
"That is for disgracing the Colchian army by enlisting in the first place and lying to your commanding officers." He told her, a pointed finger stipulating his point. "And I shall make this very clear... Captain Nike of Acaris." He said, deliberately giving her the new and promoted title. "If I ever find out you've lied to me, ever again, regarding anything. I will have you executed and swing the sword myself. Are we clear?"
She figured he would have an explanation. Nike never expected she would like the explanation, of course, but everything she's ever seen her general did, he's always done with a logical explanation behind it. Vangelis was not someone who did uncalculated moves, so even before she asked her inane question, she knew at the back of her mind, that there was a reason. Of course, that didn't stop the outburst of anger, because who wouldn't enraged after his little episode?
Still, as she heard his explanation, her tense body slowly relaxed. In a way, she had to give in to his reasonings, which was all sound and all done in the interest of protecting his Kingdom, his men, and his family.
When he moved closer, she instinctively backed one step away, the events that had happened not five minutes ago still fresh in her mind. Noting how he didn't advance further however, Nike consciously told herself to relax, and listened to his words. Wincing when he pointed out she almost failed, she almost wanted to point out that had he not been her commanding officer, anyone else would've gotten spat in the face, but she decided to hold back her own words.
Frowning when he said he wanted to be assured she could take a punch, Nike barely got any warning before she felt a blow hit the side of her face. Now in all honesty, she's had worst blows before. You couldn't be part of the army without getting horrible blows everywhere. Nike was no stranger to black eyes, bruised ribs, cracked bones and all. She's even had to take a month-long break before because the physician decided she had a fracture in her forearm. The blow was more surprise then anything that made her fall to her side from the force of it.
With a loud "Oomp!" she stirred up dust from falling to the ground, before Nike quickly scrambled up again, wincing when her face throbbed from it, scowling at his fierce words, before a sneaky grin curled her lips upwards, especially when she heard the new title grace his lips. Never mind the ringing in her ears from the force of which she fell to the ground, the new title did make her heart sing a little.
"With all due respect sir, I never lied. It's just that no one ever asked." she retorted saucily, the smirk covered by her hand holding up her throbbing cheek, the lock of dark hair falling to partially cover her face only making her look all the more saucy. Nike was nothing if not a fighter, and it shows up even in the way she speaks to others, be it cheeky or otherwise. She wasn't lying afterall. People assumed that everyone who enlisted was a male, so no one ever clarified who she was.
Taking a step back, she nodded respectfully to his last sentence, the glint in her eye almost daring as she took on his challenge. Lie? Oh, she'll see about that. "I do that, and I assure you I'll do the execution myself, my Lord."
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She figured he would have an explanation. Nike never expected she would like the explanation, of course, but everything she's ever seen her general did, he's always done with a logical explanation behind it. Vangelis was not someone who did uncalculated moves, so even before she asked her inane question, she knew at the back of her mind, that there was a reason. Of course, that didn't stop the outburst of anger, because who wouldn't enraged after his little episode?
Still, as she heard his explanation, her tense body slowly relaxed. In a way, she had to give in to his reasonings, which was all sound and all done in the interest of protecting his Kingdom, his men, and his family.
When he moved closer, she instinctively backed one step away, the events that had happened not five minutes ago still fresh in her mind. Noting how he didn't advance further however, Nike consciously told herself to relax, and listened to his words. Wincing when he pointed out she almost failed, she almost wanted to point out that had he not been her commanding officer, anyone else would've gotten spat in the face, but she decided to hold back her own words.
Frowning when he said he wanted to be assured she could take a punch, Nike barely got any warning before she felt a blow hit the side of her face. Now in all honesty, she's had worst blows before. You couldn't be part of the army without getting horrible blows everywhere. Nike was no stranger to black eyes, bruised ribs, cracked bones and all. She's even had to take a month-long break before because the physician decided she had a fracture in her forearm. The blow was more surprise then anything that made her fall to her side from the force of it.
With a loud "Oomp!" she stirred up dust from falling to the ground, before Nike quickly scrambled up again, wincing when her face throbbed from it, scowling at his fierce words, before a sneaky grin curled her lips upwards, especially when she heard the new title grace his lips. Never mind the ringing in her ears from the force of which she fell to the ground, the new title did make her heart sing a little.
"With all due respect sir, I never lied. It's just that no one ever asked." she retorted saucily, the smirk covered by her hand holding up her throbbing cheek, the lock of dark hair falling to partially cover her face only making her look all the more saucy. Nike was nothing if not a fighter, and it shows up even in the way she speaks to others, be it cheeky or otherwise. She wasn't lying afterall. People assumed that everyone who enlisted was a male, so no one ever clarified who she was.
Taking a step back, she nodded respectfully to his last sentence, the glint in her eye almost daring as she took on his challenge. Lie? Oh, she'll see about that. "I do that, and I assure you I'll do the execution myself, my Lord."
She figured he would have an explanation. Nike never expected she would like the explanation, of course, but everything she's ever seen her general did, he's always done with a logical explanation behind it. Vangelis was not someone who did uncalculated moves, so even before she asked her inane question, she knew at the back of her mind, that there was a reason. Of course, that didn't stop the outburst of anger, because who wouldn't enraged after his little episode?
Still, as she heard his explanation, her tense body slowly relaxed. In a way, she had to give in to his reasonings, which was all sound and all done in the interest of protecting his Kingdom, his men, and his family.
When he moved closer, she instinctively backed one step away, the events that had happened not five minutes ago still fresh in her mind. Noting how he didn't advance further however, Nike consciously told herself to relax, and listened to his words. Wincing when he pointed out she almost failed, she almost wanted to point out that had he not been her commanding officer, anyone else would've gotten spat in the face, but she decided to hold back her own words.
Frowning when he said he wanted to be assured she could take a punch, Nike barely got any warning before she felt a blow hit the side of her face. Now in all honesty, she's had worst blows before. You couldn't be part of the army without getting horrible blows everywhere. Nike was no stranger to black eyes, bruised ribs, cracked bones and all. She's even had to take a month-long break before because the physician decided she had a fracture in her forearm. The blow was more surprise then anything that made her fall to her side from the force of it.
With a loud "Oomp!" she stirred up dust from falling to the ground, before Nike quickly scrambled up again, wincing when her face throbbed from it, scowling at his fierce words, before a sneaky grin curled her lips upwards, especially when she heard the new title grace his lips. Never mind the ringing in her ears from the force of which she fell to the ground, the new title did make her heart sing a little.
"With all due respect sir, I never lied. It's just that no one ever asked." she retorted saucily, the smirk covered by her hand holding up her throbbing cheek, the lock of dark hair falling to partially cover her face only making her look all the more saucy. Nike was nothing if not a fighter, and it shows up even in the way she speaks to others, be it cheeky or otherwise. She wasn't lying afterall. People assumed that everyone who enlisted was a male, so no one ever clarified who she was.
Taking a step back, she nodded respectfully to his last sentence, the glint in her eye almost daring as she took on his challenge. Lie? Oh, she'll see about that. "I do that, and I assure you I'll do the execution myself, my Lord."
Satisfied that the girl didn't whimper, cower or offer too much drama and protective body language around the hit he had inflicted, Vangelis was happy in his final test of the girl. Not that he hadn't expected it... but it was nice to be certain. And Vangelis was never anything but certain of his actions and his choices. If they turned out to be wrong in the future? Fine. At least he had had the conviction of his decision in the moment. He would not regret nor shame himself with a poor choice, but own it; learn from it. And ensure that he never made a wrong one again.
His choice to keep Nike of Acaris in the army...? Of that he was fairly sure. Tomorrow's early morning training would confirm or deny his decision and commit him to whichever path that verdict took him down. A path he would walk with determination, regardless of potential consequences.
"Fine." Vangelis responded to the woman's determination to never lie to him. He decided to ignore her sass regarding what constituted a lie, barring a quick specification. "Just know that, if you ever use that logic with me, I'll consider it just as much an untruth as if you outright lied to my face."
He turned his back on the girl and headed for his table, where he was certain he would spend the next several hours, once again, pouring over the map that he was getting no answers from. As was the life of a general...
"If we're clear on that topic and our training session tomorrow morning then you are dismissed." He said over his shoulder, without looking back at the girl again.
As far as he was concerned, until their interlude tomorrow morning, his mind and concerns were free of this topic. To be a great general and a good leader the mind had to compartmentalise; had to steer clear of on-goings concerns regarding multiple issues and simply address each matter at hand, in the appointed time. The new appointed time for this issue would be tomorrow morning. When he intended to put the girl through hell. She wanted to be in his army? She was going to have to fight to prove it...
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Check out their information page here.
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Satisfied that the girl didn't whimper, cower or offer too much drama and protective body language around the hit he had inflicted, Vangelis was happy in his final test of the girl. Not that he hadn't expected it... but it was nice to be certain. And Vangelis was never anything but certain of his actions and his choices. If they turned out to be wrong in the future? Fine. At least he had had the conviction of his decision in the moment. He would not regret nor shame himself with a poor choice, but own it; learn from it. And ensure that he never made a wrong one again.
His choice to keep Nike of Acaris in the army...? Of that he was fairly sure. Tomorrow's early morning training would confirm or deny his decision and commit him to whichever path that verdict took him down. A path he would walk with determination, regardless of potential consequences.
"Fine." Vangelis responded to the woman's determination to never lie to him. He decided to ignore her sass regarding what constituted a lie, barring a quick specification. "Just know that, if you ever use that logic with me, I'll consider it just as much an untruth as if you outright lied to my face."
He turned his back on the girl and headed for his table, where he was certain he would spend the next several hours, once again, pouring over the map that he was getting no answers from. As was the life of a general...
"If we're clear on that topic and our training session tomorrow morning then you are dismissed." He said over his shoulder, without looking back at the girl again.
As far as he was concerned, until their interlude tomorrow morning, his mind and concerns were free of this topic. To be a great general and a good leader the mind had to compartmentalise; had to steer clear of on-goings concerns regarding multiple issues and simply address each matter at hand, in the appointed time. The new appointed time for this issue would be tomorrow morning. When he intended to put the girl through hell. She wanted to be in his army? She was going to have to fight to prove it...
Satisfied that the girl didn't whimper, cower or offer too much drama and protective body language around the hit he had inflicted, Vangelis was happy in his final test of the girl. Not that he hadn't expected it... but it was nice to be certain. And Vangelis was never anything but certain of his actions and his choices. If they turned out to be wrong in the future? Fine. At least he had had the conviction of his decision in the moment. He would not regret nor shame himself with a poor choice, but own it; learn from it. And ensure that he never made a wrong one again.
His choice to keep Nike of Acaris in the army...? Of that he was fairly sure. Tomorrow's early morning training would confirm or deny his decision and commit him to whichever path that verdict took him down. A path he would walk with determination, regardless of potential consequences.
"Fine." Vangelis responded to the woman's determination to never lie to him. He decided to ignore her sass regarding what constituted a lie, barring a quick specification. "Just know that, if you ever use that logic with me, I'll consider it just as much an untruth as if you outright lied to my face."
He turned his back on the girl and headed for his table, where he was certain he would spend the next several hours, once again, pouring over the map that he was getting no answers from. As was the life of a general...
"If we're clear on that topic and our training session tomorrow morning then you are dismissed." He said over his shoulder, without looking back at the girl again.
As far as he was concerned, until their interlude tomorrow morning, his mind and concerns were free of this topic. To be a great general and a good leader the mind had to compartmentalise; had to steer clear of on-goings concerns regarding multiple issues and simply address each matter at hand, in the appointed time. The new appointed time for this issue would be tomorrow morning. When he intended to put the girl through hell. She wanted to be in his army? She was going to have to fight to prove it...
Any other time, and her cohorts in the regiment would've probably socked her over the head for the impudence she had just displayed to their general. Most of them would bow, stopping whatever they were doing whenever Vangelis walked past. He just easily commanded respect that way, and Nike had so far been following suit. This short stint in his tent however has shown her that, one: he was way more then what he showed the rest of the cohort. Nike would dare say that perhaps, in a way, she had lost a small, tiny bit of her respect for him, when he dared bully people the way he did simply because of his position. Yes, he cuts an imposing figure, but that didn't mean he had the right to toss people around however he saw fit. The fact remained that he knew her gender and still did the things he did, which in Nike's opinion, was simply not something one did when one was supposed to command respect in their leadership.
But that was an argument for another day.
Two, was the fact that despite all that Nike found herself with after everything, she still was eager to stay in his regiment. Despite his brash demeanor in dealing with the situation, there was no denying that Vangelis was a very capable general, fighter and soldier, and perhaps in away, Nike was quite mollified that he was still deigning to train her, so for now she was satisfied.
Nodding mutely when he rebutted her ploy at the semantics of their language, she remained standing as he retreated back to the table she had seen him at earlier when she had entered. Curiosity piqued at her, and Nike craned her neck slightly to peer at the map, until his voice startled her again, returning her gaze to him and attempting to pretend she saw nothing.
"Yes, sir." came her curt, immediate reply, as was the training of any soldier. Being duly dismissed, Nike took a few steps backwards towards the exit, before walking through the flaps of the tent, back to the daylight and returning to the rest of the hustle and bustle of being in a military camp. She could already feel the bruise forming where his fist had landed, but her steps were light, accompanying the small smile that had curved her lips upwards.
"You look swell, man. The general gave you good news?" one of her cohorts asked. Nike grinned, and shook her head, returning to her duties for the day.
Captain Nike of Acaris.
Sounded great, indeed.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Any other time, and her cohorts in the regiment would've probably socked her over the head for the impudence she had just displayed to their general. Most of them would bow, stopping whatever they were doing whenever Vangelis walked past. He just easily commanded respect that way, and Nike had so far been following suit. This short stint in his tent however has shown her that, one: he was way more then what he showed the rest of the cohort. Nike would dare say that perhaps, in a way, she had lost a small, tiny bit of her respect for him, when he dared bully people the way he did simply because of his position. Yes, he cuts an imposing figure, but that didn't mean he had the right to toss people around however he saw fit. The fact remained that he knew her gender and still did the things he did, which in Nike's opinion, was simply not something one did when one was supposed to command respect in their leadership.
But that was an argument for another day.
Two, was the fact that despite all that Nike found herself with after everything, she still was eager to stay in his regiment. Despite his brash demeanor in dealing with the situation, there was no denying that Vangelis was a very capable general, fighter and soldier, and perhaps in away, Nike was quite mollified that he was still deigning to train her, so for now she was satisfied.
Nodding mutely when he rebutted her ploy at the semantics of their language, she remained standing as he retreated back to the table she had seen him at earlier when she had entered. Curiosity piqued at her, and Nike craned her neck slightly to peer at the map, until his voice startled her again, returning her gaze to him and attempting to pretend she saw nothing.
"Yes, sir." came her curt, immediate reply, as was the training of any soldier. Being duly dismissed, Nike took a few steps backwards towards the exit, before walking through the flaps of the tent, back to the daylight and returning to the rest of the hustle and bustle of being in a military camp. She could already feel the bruise forming where his fist had landed, but her steps were light, accompanying the small smile that had curved her lips upwards.
"You look swell, man. The general gave you good news?" one of her cohorts asked. Nike grinned, and shook her head, returning to her duties for the day.
Captain Nike of Acaris.
Sounded great, indeed.
Any other time, and her cohorts in the regiment would've probably socked her over the head for the impudence she had just displayed to their general. Most of them would bow, stopping whatever they were doing whenever Vangelis walked past. He just easily commanded respect that way, and Nike had so far been following suit. This short stint in his tent however has shown her that, one: he was way more then what he showed the rest of the cohort. Nike would dare say that perhaps, in a way, she had lost a small, tiny bit of her respect for him, when he dared bully people the way he did simply because of his position. Yes, he cuts an imposing figure, but that didn't mean he had the right to toss people around however he saw fit. The fact remained that he knew her gender and still did the things he did, which in Nike's opinion, was simply not something one did when one was supposed to command respect in their leadership.
But that was an argument for another day.
Two, was the fact that despite all that Nike found herself with after everything, she still was eager to stay in his regiment. Despite his brash demeanor in dealing with the situation, there was no denying that Vangelis was a very capable general, fighter and soldier, and perhaps in away, Nike was quite mollified that he was still deigning to train her, so for now she was satisfied.
Nodding mutely when he rebutted her ploy at the semantics of their language, she remained standing as he retreated back to the table she had seen him at earlier when she had entered. Curiosity piqued at her, and Nike craned her neck slightly to peer at the map, until his voice startled her again, returning her gaze to him and attempting to pretend she saw nothing.
"Yes, sir." came her curt, immediate reply, as was the training of any soldier. Being duly dismissed, Nike took a few steps backwards towards the exit, before walking through the flaps of the tent, back to the daylight and returning to the rest of the hustle and bustle of being in a military camp. She could already feel the bruise forming where his fist had landed, but her steps were light, accompanying the small smile that had curved her lips upwards.
"You look swell, man. The general gave you good news?" one of her cohorts asked. Nike grinned, and shook her head, returning to her duties for the day.
