Chapter 11 - Come Home

                                    

                                          




                          
851
                          


                          
[Naomi]




                          
Needless to say, there was still no report from the scouts at the shoreline even after a few days. I was left to take charge not only for the ordaining of the new scouts but also for the first orientation, which the Commander, and the Captain (most of all) were supposed to spearhead. 
                          
I sat there, in the section commanders' office at the Stohess Headquarters, sighing out at the bunch of paperwork I had left to sign. I was beginning to be disorganized, not only because I was immensely worried about the safety of my comrades but also because nobody was organizing my things for me anymore.
                          
"This one for the new register..." I muttered over the thick paper stacks, my head slightly pulsing in stings as I sat behind my desk, "This one for the hearing next week... What the hell? This is not a file for the Military."
                          
I groaned to myself as I looked at the clipped legal documents for my newest educational project proposal, my headache only worsening as I realized how incredibly messy I'd become for the past days. I'd only just been aware of how I wasn't handling paperwork well right then, surprised at the fact that they weren't magically stacked in clear categories like before. 
                          
It only signalled further how long Levi was gone, for he was always the one who sees to it that my documents were arranged neatly. 
                          
"Good afternoon to our favorite Corporal!" Timothy's jolly voice burst in from the door in front of me, the sounds of the four young recruits stumbling in enlivening the dead silent room.
                          
"Hey, Corporal Naomi. We brought you some snacks." Cara greeted cheerfully, lifting up a paper bag which was probably filled with pastries and chips, while Reid lifted a small box with bottles of chocolate milk. 
                          
I lifted my weary gaze to them, my dull figure buried behind the mountains of paper I had on my desk. The three of their blissful faces slightly sagged into concerned expressions. "What's the matter, ma'am? You look really stressed." 
                          
"That's because I am." I sighed out, brushing a hand through my messily-tied up auburn hair. "Look at these scattered files. I'd be letting my life pass before my eyes if I sit down and organize these myself." 
                          
"Relax, Corporal... They're just papers." Timothy shrugged off good-heartedly, helping Reid lift a nearby coffee table in front of my desk. "We'll help you get them sorted out." 
                          
"That's kind of a boring job for the Fourth Squad, is it not?" I mumbled, stacking another folder on the ones I've already finished arranging. 
                          
"We weren't expecting the Fourth Squad was going to be all action and cloaks and daggers and science all the time, Corporal." Cara replied with a smile, settting the paper bag down on the coffee table before sitting on the chair Kurt took for her. All four of them took their seats around the spot directly in front of my desk. 
                          
"Thanks." I told them. "When I first enlisted in the Fourth Squad, the first mission given to me by then Section Commander Hanji Zoe was to be the mediator for the infamous Fritz Coup and the liberation of the Scout Regiment to happen. So I got the notion that this may be a lame task for all of you, contrary to your cool expectation of the Fourth Squad's occupations." 
                          
Timothy chuckled, handing me a chocolate milk bottle. "Don't fret about it, Corporal. Though overthrowing a fraudulent government would have been a pretty kickass first task." 
                          
All of us shared a light laughter, save for the human embodiment of a shadow sitting next to Cara silently. I received the glass bottle from Timothy while Cara perked up at the topic. "Your first months at the Scout Regiment were really memorable, no, Corporal? Imagine only being a soldier for a month... Then having all those information and action shoved to you. That must have been hectic... And exhilarating."