Girls' Frontline Fanfiction: Tsar of the Mountain

New Dawns Blessed by the Winged Beast

"You sound like those anti-doll groups, Peter." Peter rolled his eyes as Zeldri continued, "I understand where you're coming from, believe me. It'll be weird being in charge of troops that look like they belong in school rather than on a battlefield. But, this is what I want to do."

"...Is it because of Darby?"

"..." Silence overtook the car as Zeldri was reminded that he'd missed Darby's and the rest of his fallen comrade's funerals because he was in the hospital. "Sangvis Ferri is a threat that needs resolving, and Griffin is in charge of doing it, so that's where I'm going." Time continued on as the two drove in silence until Zeldri pointed to the next block. "Drop me off there."

"You sure?" Peter asked as he pulled over. "I can see the place just a few blocks down."

"Yeah, but..." Zeldri opened the door and grabbed his forearm crutch. "I'm gonna have to get used to this eventually. Might as well start now and get some exercise while I'm at it."

"..." Peter licked his lips in apprehension. "Zeldri." The two men locked eyes. "Цветут в сумерках (Bloom in the twilight)."

"Доживи до восхода солнца (Live for the sunrise)," Zeldri replied as he closed the door. He watched Peter drive away and stood where he was. It was still weird adjusting his weight without the full support of his right leg. It wasn't completely useless, but it should also never be used. A deadweight that would drag him down for the rest of his life. "...ебать (Fuckin damn), I'm thinking about stupid shit, now." Despite the sun being out, it was deceptively cold which only sent a dull pain through Zeldri's right leg as he walked the rest of the way to his destination. The place wasn't hard to find, Griffin's logo hung from flags that blew in the breeze at the parking lot's entrance. Slowly, but surely, Zeldri hobbled his way to the front doors and entered Griffin & Kryuger HQ.

***

Helian silently made her way through the halls of HQ with a stack of papers in her hands. Those she passed quickly got out of the way as the look on her face was clearly one of disdain. Today, she was supposed to join Kryuger in interviewing a new hire for a commander, though the candidate was what was making her face give off a displeased aura. From what she'd quickly read through the reports she was holding, the candidate didn't go through their commander academy and was instead coming from a military officer background and whose family was tied to the Federal Security Bureau. In other words, a spoiled kid that got their job because their parents knew someone important and wanted to now work in the private sector. That was, sadly, a common occurrence she'd experienced many times with past candidates. She gave an annoyed sigh. As she rounded the corner to the elevators, there was one going up that was just starting to close. Helian made a quick dash for it, but wouldn't make it in time which only made her more annoyed. That was until the elevator doors stopped closing as a crutch blocked them causing them to re-open. "Ah, thank you." Helian quickly said thanks and boarded the elevator.

"Not a problem," the man next to her replied. Looking him over, Helian didn't recognize this person. He wore simple blue jeans, sneakers, a plain grey shirt, and had on an old army jacket. The man looked to be in his late twenties, and he was leaning against a crutch. "It's recent." Helian quickly realized she'd been staring at the crutch and cleared her throat.

"My apologies, I did not mean to be rude."

"It's fine," the man said and gave a chuckle, "I'm still getting used to it myself. What floor?"

"Thirty, please," the man's demeanor seemed polite enough, so Helian decided to show some courtesy.

"Alright." He pressed the button, and the elevator began to rise. "You seem anxious about something?"