With a stifled groan of pain, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His back screamed in protest but he ignored it. He let his hand brush his bangs out of his glacial blue eyes. His hand lingered in his raven black hair as he looked at her. He realized she was the one he'd seen watching him train months ago.<br/><br/>He took the offered spirit and drank it gratefully. It burned his throat going down and made him cough rather harshly but he didn't waste it. He usually avoided any kind of alcohol but he put his adverseness to it aside. He needed something to steady him.<br/><br/>"The person I fought is in at least two dozen pieces, the last time I checked," he replied dully, finishing the second plate of food, " largest moron I ever had to take down on my own. I fucking hate fighting orcs."<br/><br/>He sighed heavily as his body shivered from stress. The fact that he was sitting in a tent without his shirt on didn't help any. He looked at himself, noting the various scars he gained during his mad dash from the western front. He looked like a mess with the number of scars he had. It wasn't really something that bothered him.<br/><br/>"My father hasn't been a father since I joined the king's elite guard," He replied to her mention of Captain Artemus with distain, "We may be related, but he is nothing but a face to me."<br/><br/>He reached out and hugged her, his lips accidentally brushing her forehead. He let himself relax, hugging the mage with an almost intimate closeness. He hadn't realized how starved he'd been for interactions with someone. He wasn't really alright, but he was a lot better off than those he fought along side. Her warmth helped to still and calm his flayed nerves.