The Little Crow

Chapter Ten - [Luana]

After the events of the morning, Niall took Theavi out for lunch. At first, Theavi seemed surprised, and maybe even felt rather uncomfortable with the proposition, but once they arrived at the small cafe outside of Achlis and she saw that Julian, who was joining them to be a part of the debriefing as well, was waiting for them, the General noticed her relax.

Niall was well aware of the fact that her attitude and demeanor had changed dramatically after officially meeting the people she was to gather information from. He was already sure that she didn't trust him entirely before this, but now it was even more clear.

Though this posed a bit of a problem for Niall, he knew that they'd have to move forward anyways. She would understand eventually... or at least, he hoped she would.

While they ate, Theavi shared the notes she had made and Niall assisted in adding extra details and correcting her as well. In a rush, she got quite a few spellings of names wrong, as well as ages. Then after lunch, Julian left on his own to finish more paperwork and Niall returned to Achlis with Theavi. It was time to introduce her to Luana, which meant he was one step away from finally getting this project started.

When they arrived at the Logistics Wing of Achlis, Niall walked Thea to the door to Kaya's usually bustling room, but instead was greeted by a relatively empty office. One of the few people who were there included Luana, who was resting her face on her hand, her elbow on the table as she snoozed away.

"Luana," Niall barked, snapping her out of her nap and startling her. He also attracted the eyes of the others who were in the room, though he paid no attention to them. Right now, his primary concern was the fact that this Soldier of the Aiverian State was posing to already be a bad example to Theavi.

The girl stood up immediately at the sound of his voice. "Sir!" Quickly, she straightened herself up, smoothing out the wrinkles in the coat and the trousers of her uniform before she rushed towards them.

Despite his frustration, he did find himself worrying a little bit. "Is Kaya keeping you in late?" he asked, his brows furrowing a little bit.

"No, no," Luana responded, waving her hand around before fixing her very straight, short black hair with her fingers and pushing it behind her ear. Though Luana was, in fact, Elorian, it was military policy to keep hair short – shoulder length for women, unless they accepted to keep it in a bun at all times – and so Luana, who hated tight buns apparently, had her hair exactly at her shoulders. "I was just up late last night."

The response made the General roll his eyes. "Don't sleep on the job, you fool."

She clearly wasn't listening, a grin forming on her face as it seemed like Luana was now distracted by the sight of Theavi. "So this the new girl?"

Niall sighed before he nodded. "Luana, meet Theavi Rhaanan."

Theavi, who seemed to be in a state of shock, smiled quickly. "It's lovely to meet you!"

He didn't need to guess why she was so shocked... most people were when they saw Luana. Luana was, after all, a State Officer who was also an Elorian. It was incredibly rare to see that, and frankly, she was the only female Elorian in the military that Niall knew of. She was unusual, certainly, and it didn't really help much to know that Luana's personality was also rather unusual. She was loud and boisterous and Niall was always wondering how the girl managed to keep her spirits up when she worked in a place so challenging as this. Of course, despite all of this, those traits were exactly what managed to draw Niall to her as well.

It was why he trusted her.

Luana, as annoying as she was, was also one of the strongest women he knew. She was a good comrade to everyone she cared about too, and that was what made her so loved by those who actually got to know her.