Ṫíya sneered. Fresh recruits were the worst, and this group seemed especially deplorable. As they filed in to the training chamber, their anxiety was palpable. Their posture was firm and attentive, but their expressions displayed just how easily they'd break. Ṫíya watched in enthralled disgust as the cadet in front of her began gnawing on his nails. It was fascinating the way he poured himself into the act, chewing like it was his last meal. Maybe it would be. All the same to her.
She shifted her gaze to the recruit to her right. He was scrawny and carried what seemed to be a glimmer of ignorant excitement in his azure eyes. Disgusting. His stance was sluggish, and he was lazily shifting his weight between his feet, completely unaware of his surroundings. I bet I could steal the shirt from off his back without him noticing, she thought with a sly chuckle.
An aide directed them to salute. Ṫíya unwillingly obliged. What was the point of making them wait out here, anyway? All it did was waste the time of all involved. The Captain could hurry his sorry scarlet eyes up. If he was going to give his "we're all doomed unless you listen to me" speech, he might as well do it quickly.
"There are, as of today, three hundred and seventy-seven cadets in this cavern!" He started. "If I had my way, every single one of you would be faiemen-fighting material by the end of this regimen, and we'd have an army unlike..."
Ṫíya tuned him out. The woman on her left had an attractive jewel in her golden hair. That could be an enticing bribe for one of the guards later. Perhaps it could even save her from some of those training exercises the Captain kept rambling about. Time to do some acting.
She coughed loudly into her fist until the cadet turned. Then, rather awkwardly, she slipped, falling in the woman's direction. It was a good stumble, one that lacked any sense of agility and coordination. Her body hit the recruit as her hand subtly reached into the yellow hair, grasping the ornament. The woman barely kept her feet on the floor. "What are you doing?!" she whispered with fury. "Listen to the captain!"
Ṫíya slipped the gem into her pocket, one she'd sown herself. "I'm sorry!" she puffed. "I almost lost my breakfast! I can't handle this right now!"
After the woman turned away, Ṫíya hid a grin. Job well done.
"We will begin here. We will begin now. The future is always forever away, and looking toward it is pointless without any focus on the now. I am going to send you through hell and back a million times over..."
Was the Captain seriously still going? That was obnoxious. She scanned the room, looking for another target. Her eyes landed on Ára, who was staring daggers at her. When had he come into the room? She internally kicked herself, that was a rare observation slip for her. Well, he'd probably seen her elegant hiatus from the facility's floor. And he definitely suspected she'd taken something. Good thing she had another stache of goods hidden in her room.
She innocently smiled at him. He scowled in return, wagging a finger from side to side. She'd have to deal with him later.
"Understand, young weaklings," the Captain finally concluded. "We are going to shatter you. And then you are going to shatter them."
Finally, he was done. That old red-eyed geezer could ramble on for ages.