As she neared, he tracked as her eyes landed on his sword and her face slowed, becoming more cautious than she’d been mere moments before. He watched as her mouth opened and a strange language poured out from her, tilting his head as he tried to figure out what she was trying to tell him. His lack of response seemed to encourage her and she moved forward once more this time electing to sit with her in her freshly scarred legs folded underneath her. She had both hands held up and was analyzing his every expression and focusing on where he was visibly injured. He could tell she was worried but being careful to be out of sword range should he prove to be hostile. The thought amused him- if he wanted to harm her the sword was but one way he could do that out of many he was trained in.

She caught sight of the wound that was pulsing on his side, and he couldn’t help but compare her wide eyes to that of a startled deer. She again tried speaking to him, her words (He figured it was a language and not the ramblings of the injured he’d seen before) directed at him in an anxious tone. Was she worried about him? He’d never had someone worry about him before. He took the chance to study her expression he wasn’t sure how long she would stick around or think to care about him so he took the opportunity to memorize her expression; the way she was carefully reaching out with hands covered in fresh scars, her rapid heartbeat, and he was sure he would never forget this moment for the rest of his life. She gestured to the bag still strapped around his shoulders and despite the pain it caused him, he thought it was completely worth it to make this moment last even that much longer.

He kept his gaze trained on her as she rummaged through the bag, seemingly unpleased with the contents she found within. She placed a small metal pot to the side but then placed everything else back into the bag. He could see the plans forming inside her head, her brow furrowing as she began acting on those thoughts. He then watched as she began to get up and then as if having a silent thought, she made a gesture he'd seen men give to dogs and women to children, a universal sign to "stay put" if he'd ever seen one. Before he even knew what he was doing, he felt his face twisting into an expression that for sure showed his exasperation. That was only further confirmed when she sent him a­ sheepish grin, her cheeks quickly stained pink with what he assumed was embarrassment.   

As she took her pot and wandered into the trees, head slightly cocked as she followed the sounds of water he could hear coming from the distance, he slipped back into his normal routine. Following the protocol that had been drilled into him, he began assessing his current situation. Environment - seemingly safe but too early to decide. Physical condition- not ideal to say the least. It was as he was thinking through this that for the first time he realized that the next check, mission status, was something he could not evaluate. He was left with the sudden and terrible realization that there were no orders to follow, no goals to achieve, only an incredible sense of emptiness that radiated from his core.