Passage of Puerulus [BP/UD/Tsu]

Leopold Puerulus raised his hand to the door, then slowly dropped it, swaying to his side as it went back down. This was intimidating.

Funny, though. He had grown used to monsters or people coming at him with perfect killing intent and yet this scared him. It amazed him sometimes, how he could be so unflinching at those things yet the thought of rejection here sent fear into his very bones.

Of course, he had a rather good reason for stage fright this time. If he failed then he would be in very, very big trouble. He had no surviving relatives around and he had wracked up a pretty massive debt. His wages as a guard hadn’t helped so he had had to resort to odd jobs as well, and then finally fighting in underground activities.

By all rights he was a good fighter. He had to be. Scrapping in the fight club, you didn’t get mercy until you were on the floor. And being a guard, while usually uneventful, did pit him up against the occasional malcontent or monster, and he had to have some skill to simply survive.

But he didn’t know if he was good enough. That was the problem. These guys were elites, the crème de la crème. He thought he was better at violence than some average jerk off the street; but it would be far, far from his character to consider himself the best. He didn’t even like this job, for Din’s sake. He just needed the money and had no other marketable skills.

But if he didn’t get those rupees he was going to face a lot worse than a disagreeable job. It was either a life of violence or death. And he resolutely refused the second option. There was a time when he would’ve gladly accepted its sweet release, but not now. To come this far only to starve or become a slave of the mafia, or anything in that vein, was unthinkable.

Leo let out a breath, then raised his hand again. He succeeded in knocking this time. He gritted his teeth as he tried to calm his rebelling heart and fluttering stomach.

Jayden was in the main hall of the HAREON HQ, and it seemed like most of the usuals were here. Lando was eating and peeking around the room at the girls, Chrissy was stabbing a training dummy she’d brought up from down in the training room, Caroline was just… Sitting, and Denolle was in his room. He could have sworn he saw Ilona and Jon somewhere downstairs but he couldn’t be sure. The only ones unaccounted for were Guzol and Sayomi, who were off on some mission in the desert. What a combo…

Suddenly, the door was knocked upon. The first person up was Caroline, who wordlessly stood and walked towards the door. Lando looked up and crossed his fingers while Jayden just watched curiously. Lando was the first to speak. “Hot chick, hot chick, hot chick, come oooonnnn…. No salesman!”

Caroline opened the door, and in typical Caroline fashion, said nothing, merely looking at the man questioningly, a blank look on her face. Lando could be heard cussing in the back, saddened by his misfortune.

"It's not that I don't trust your skill with your arms, Ilona."

"Then why do you keep me away from the real missions? I don't want to take up space without being able to make myself useful in here!"

It wasn't really like Ilona to get this upset, but it was something that had bothered her for a while now. Ever since she had come back from Snowhead Mountain, Denolle had not sent her on any missions, and she suspected it was because her father, Jonathan Raquel, had given the captain hell for putting her in a situation that had quickly turned dangerous. She had gotten paid the fifty rupees for her last mission just seconds before her father dropped in, and he had immediately questioned her on what she had done for them.

"I didn't teach you your self-defence for you to plunge yourself into death's way. Your skills are defensive, not offensive. The missions Denolle would send you on would not be suited to your abilities."

"But I-"

The door was knocked upon, and Jonathan made it clear by a gesture of the hand that he wasn't going to argue with his daughter anymore. Ilona kept herself quiet as she turned to see what was going on there, since Caroline gave absolutely no reaction to the person at the door. Now, this was normal for Caroline, but she could tell from Lando's reaction it was a man at the door.

Having the only reaction to your presence be a lot of cussing wasn't very motivating, so Ilona walked away from her father and towards the door, where she gently pushed Caroline's shoulder so she could look at the man in the doorway. He was a bit scruffy and looked exhausted... a beggar seeking shelter and food? No, he wore armor and the clothes under it seemed to be in good shape...

"Um..." she suddenly remembered she wasn't good at talking to strangers. "Can we... help you?"

Leopold flinched as the second the door was opened he was greeted by a harsh spate of swearing. That seemed like a bad start, and for a brief moment he simply stared back at the girl who was wordlessly looking at him. Finally he blinked and started, "Um..."

The silent one was pulled over by a blond girl, dressed in clothes of blue and green. Around this time he was beginning to have doubts; was this really the home of the crack squad he'd heard about? But he had come this far, so...

"Um, yes ma'am," he said quietly, bowing his head slightly. "Is this the HAREON squad's headquarters?" He paused for a bit as he waited for an answer, then gathered up all the courage he could before he could lose his nerve. In a breathless rush, he then added, "I, um, I know I don't look like much, but I would be interested in joining..."

Caroline almost entirely ignored Ilona, starting to walk away. "I will get the captain." She said monotonously. 

At this point Jayden made his way over, seeing the guy. He certainly looked capable, if a bit nervous. "Hey, come on in. Caroline's just getting Captain Denolle." He motioned inside and closed the door behind the man. "While we wait, let me introduce you. That's Lando, Chrissy, and Ilona. I'm Jayden Darrah." He said kindly, extending a hand to the newcomer.

Chrissy scoffed. "Pfft, why are you even bothering with introductions? He looks about as capable as you, Jayden. And the only reason you got in was because the captain became your adoptive dad after your mom killed herself. Has he even been in a real solid battle before?"

Lando shook his head. "Chrissy... That's not important. The better question is if he has a sister or not."

With a sigh, Jayden turned back to Leo. "Well, there you have it. That's a decent chunk of the team."

Ilona didn't have the courage to say anything to the more experienced HAREON knights, but fortunately she wasn't the only one in the building. "Chriselia." The deep voice of the tall, muscular, hawk-like Jonathan could be very clearly heard from just a few yards away, as its owner came closer. "If you aren't using that training dummy anymore, put it away. That suits you better than dealing with new recruits." He was right. If Chrisy had a say in it, there wouldn't be any new recruits whatsoever.

She looked at Jayden, hoping to reassure him somewhat. She knew he was very capable, he'd had training for that purpose. Unable to find the words, she took a step back and scratched her head. "D-don't mind what they say. I'm Ilona Raquel..."

"Save the introductions for later, Ilona." Jonathan had his arms crossed and looked at Lando, almost as if informing him that if he said anything that was out of line he'd sorely regret it. "Captain Denolle will have to take care of his exams. You have two hours of archery training left for today."

Ilona made a bit of a pouty face, but didn't protest. "Yes, sir," she said. "Jayden, Lando, is either of you coming with me to help me?"

Leopold was startled at the way this person "Chrissy" behaved; he had no idea what it was like having a family but it certainly seemed a terrible thing to insult in such a way.

"Oh, um..." he murmured, bowing his head again, "My name is Leopold Puerulus. Are you, um..." he cut himself off. He was going to ask if this was really a crack squad or not, but then found it best not to ask, especially if he wanted the job. "Never mind. It's nice to meet you..."

He said nervously to the louder girl's inquiry, "I, um... I have been in a few..." but he was perplexed by Lando's question. "Um... no, I don't. I don't have any family. I'm sorry." He wasn't entirely sure what the significance of having a sister was, but he hoped he could get in without one. It was not an excellent time to be rejected.

He shook Jayden's hand, wondering all the while what he was going to do about this.

Jayden sighed in relief when Jon intervened. Chrissy was sent downstairs, and with a nod, she complied. Lando leaned back in his chair. "Come ooooon, Jon, just givin' the new guy the gears. Though him not having a sister is unfortunate."

Jayden smirked. "Good thing that isn't required to get in."

"No, but the current lineup isn't too great for me. Sayomi's too dense to hit on, Ilona's too smart, Chrissy's a bitch, and Caroline's.... Caroline. And too young. And Denolle's daughter. There's a whole rainbow of reasons, really."

Facepalming a bit, Jayden turned to Leo. "Don't worry, he's harmless. Especially if you're a guy."

Then in came Denolle, followed by his daughter. "So this is the new one?" Denolle was in his full armor, weapon on his back. He held the paperwork Leo would need to fill out."

Jayden nodded to the captain. "Yes, sir." He then turned to Ilona. "I'll come with you. I need some practice too."

"Okay. Here. Fill these out and hand them in to Caroline or myself. Landon, get started on the background check immediately." The sniper put up a thumbs up and leaned back, tilting the chair. "Once that's done, we'll get started on your training exams. I'll warn you now... People have died in the exams. One of those forms is a waiver. Still think you're up to it?"

Relieved when Jayden followed her -she regretted asking Lando, she never knew what he would try when they were alone-, Ilona took off for the archery grounds and strung her bow. "A new recruit, huh..." she muttered, remembering how very nervous she had been for her own exams. If her father hadn't signed her up for it she probably never would have done it. "...I hope he'll be able to handle it." As things were right now, she was the newest, greenest HAREONite... and it was not always easy.

"Regardless, we should really replace the targets once we're done here. They look like they need it."

----

Once Ilona had disappeared towards her training, Jonathan turned his attention back to the boy in front of him. He didn't exactly look like regular HAREON material, but he held off judgment. Many people in HAREON didn't appear like the sort of people that were needed for the sort of work they did. But they were the best of the best- so he'd wait and see what was going to happen.

"Lando, that's not starting the background check."

Leopold took the papers, gulped once with a moment of hesitation... then nodded. "Y-Yes, sir."

... If he were to be perfectly honest, it was not that he thought he could do it, it was that he had to do it. If he didn't, bad things would most assuredly happen. He didn't even want to fathom what, exactly, but it couldn't be good. Debt collectors in general were not necessarily nice and those of the underground were even worse.

He scribbled with shaking hands, though he didn't know what he was so nervous for. The forms mostly contained basic information; name, age, diseases, and so on. Simple things, thankfully. Most of the answers seemed to be favorable, at least to him. He was 16... male... no health complications... etc.

A shiver ran down his spine thinking about the test. He had made sure not to schedule any fights for last night or today, but he still wasn't sure he was exactly in peak form; even after saving his energy for this he still had a pretty meager breakfast. And this was an exam for top-shelf agents.

As he finished the final question, he spent a few seconds taking a deep breath and just staring at the paperwork. He had to take a few moments to calm down and steel himself for whatever awaited him next.

Jayden drew Heko Pegasa, notching an arrow and firing at the target. He actually felt like he'd been getting better at archery lately...

"You know what though? I saw this look in his eyes, Ilona... He needs this. And sometimes that's just the push you need." 

Another shot. Dead center throat. His meetings with Autumn must have been rubbing off her aim on him.
_____________________

Lando chuckled at Jon when he berated him. "But Jon, I've already found some stuff out! He doesn't have a sister. So that's something." The glare he reviewed spoke volumes, so he stood, picking up both his short bow and his foldable three meter custom longbow. "Alright, I'm out then. Let's see what dirty secrets you've got, kid." 

Upon him walking out the door, Caroline noticed Leo had finished his paperwork and retrieved it. "If you wish to better acquaint yourself with the other HAREON soldiers, now would be an excellent time. Captain Denolle will look over all the information you have provided until Landon returns." She then turned her cold gaze on Jon. 

"Jonathan. I recall the captain sending you on a mission to Lon Lon ranch. If you have completed your preparations I recommend setting off immediately." Without so much as a glance back at Leo, she walked towards Denolle's office, the papers in hand.

With Lando taking off, Jonathan supressed a sigh of relief. It wouldn't do to be unprofessional in front of a potential new recruit. When the boy finished filling out his paperwork, Caroline took the files and reminded the weapon master he had a mission. "You're right, I should get going." He double-checked his quiver and bow, and put his battleaxe over his shoulder. "Captain, Caroline- if I'm not back by tonight have someone clean my room and see to it Regalia can eat when we come back."

With that, he left HQ, wondering for the umpteenth time if children were all just different or if there was another explanation for Caroline being so vastly, vastly different from how Ilona had been at that age.

----

"Agh!" Ilona was starting to get frustrated. She could just NOT get her shot right! Jayden had nailed it, apparently he'd been hanging out with Lando or something, but Ilona could never quite get the arrow where she wanted it to go. When she aimed for the neck, the arrow buried itself in a shoulder. The heart, same thing. Only when she shot at legs or arms could she get her shot right.

She was distracted by a high-pitched, almost pleading meowing behind her. "Oh!" She turned around, looking at the cat behind her. "Sniffles! You're not supposed to be here, someone could try to use you as a moving target!" The red tabby only meowed again, standing up and walking towards his mistress to nudge her. "Awww... I don't have time to play... I have to practise!"

Leo blinked a few times as Caroline took the papers back, but before he could respond properly she was gone. He stood up and looked around, not entirely sure where the others went. He wandered the halls for a while, disoriented and confused. After a while all of this started to look the same. But still... he thought he heard something from down this way...?

He walked into an open area, with what looked like targets on one side, and two figures standing on the other. He walked a little closer, recognizing the faces. He was somewhat less good with names, though. These were... Ilona and Jayden, was it? And...

"Ah?" he murmured, showing a very rare smile. The corners of his mouth just barely twitched upwards as he drew nearer. It was a kitty-cat! Leo loved cats. Well, he loved all animals really. He tried getting closer, but the red tabby gave him a stink-eye. He tried petting it, but the cat just arced his back at the transgression and walked away disdainfully. "Ahh...." He made a slight sound of disappointment. He wished that the cat would be more friendly...

"Oh!" He realized he had completely ignored the other two and blushed. "I-I'm sorry. How are you, sir, ma'am."

Jayden turned to Ilona, frowning. "Maybe you're just in a slump? If you really need to, ask Lando. He'd be an infinitely better teacher than m- Sniffles!" He said, seeing the cute little cat. 

"Ilona. See that face? That kitty cat face that says 'You must play with me'? Listen to it." He said, petting the cat behind the ears. A purr rang out as Leo came in, also seeing Sniffles. 

"Oh, hey. This is the HQ's most important member. Meet Sniffles, HAREON pest control." He then jokingly pointed to Ilona. "She named him, if you're wondering."

"Well, he's MY cat..." Ilona said defensively, "And I was young when I named him. He's pretty old..." She picked Sniffles up, and he settled in her arms as she started petting him, purring. She wasn't entirely sure why he didn't like Leo- he seemed a decent enough guy.

"So... Leo, right?" She smiled at him. "So you did sign up?" She took his presence here as a sign that he had. "Do you mind terribly if I ask why? I myself am pretty much here as a family tradition of sorts... my parents were both HAREON."

"Oh... yes, ma'am," he murmured, bowing his head slightly. "Um..." he hesitated to answer her question. His circumstances were quite extraordinary, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be looked at differently. He was shabby already, so being poor and having no formal home was probably going to create a negative impression.

Well, time to give vague answers then. "Ahh... in my case, it's more like... I don't really have a choice...?" he wasn't going to give her any more than that. Instead he looked around, and spying the targets, changed the subject.

"Um, were you doing archery practice?" He asked, while drawing his bow and a single arrow. He tried drawing a bead on one, but he had to admit he was nervous, and even in peak form he was not the best shot. He drew the arrow back... and let it fly. Somewhat miserably, it flew several meters right of where he was aiming, clattering ineffectually to the ground after smacking the wall. How very, very embarrassing.

He tried again, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths this time. Concentrate. Concentrate. Calm down... nothing exists... except for this shot.

And for a moment, nothing did. He breathed in one last time as he drew back the bowstring, and let it out as the arrow flew. The arrow hit this time, clipping the target in the hip, which, though not what he aimed for (he had wanted to hit the heart) was nonetheless progress. He sighed.

Jayden watched Leo make two shots on the target, niether of which was particularly outstanding. It seemed from his stance and body type that the guy was much more suited to other forms of combat. 

"Try turning your hand a little, it seems like the bow's a little bit... Diagonal. If your shots keep going wide, that's a good thing to check." Jayden instructed, scratching Sniffles under the chin.

Oh... it looked like Ilona's wasn't the only aim that was off. She did briefly wonder how Jayden had gotten so good in so short a time- ever since he had returned from fighting the White Wolfos in the Northern Hills, it seemed. The short HAREONite gave advice to the greenhorn, so Ilona decided not to push any more on him. Sniffles started geting restless in her arms and she set him on the ground, where he pranced away, undoubtedly off to see the kitchen.

Ilona wasn't entirely satisfied with Leo's answer to her question, though. "You have no choice? What do you mean?" HAREON wasn't a refugee shelter, no matter how bad it made her feel to think that. Oh, well. Lando was doing the background check, and while the sniper wasn't the most agreeable person in the squad, he would do it with diligence.

Especially since Leo was a guy. He was less likely to go easy on a man than on a beautiful woman.

Leopold tried turning his wrist a slight bit, turning the bow sideways then adjusting his grip on the arrow to match the stance he now took. He drew it back focused again, losing everything but the target and himself. This feeling was familiar, but it wasn't as strong as when he fought with his fists. It was less natural, less of a flow, but a flow nonetheless.

He breathed out and let the arrow fly. It shot true and veered only a bit from its intended target. Not the heart, but it got the ribcage very close to it. It was good enough for now. He would make a note to train with it later.

"Oh, um..." he started at Ilona's question. "Well, it's... kind of a long story..." He really didn't want to get into this, not with elites. He wasn't sure he wanted to share the story with anyone, much less with people who could lose him his job if he did.

His stomach grumbled loudly, cutting off his train of though. That was right, his breakfast had been very light today... "Urk."

Jayden chuckled as Leo's stomach grumbled, reminding the knight of how he'd never really gotten around to eating before when the new recruit had shown up. "Come on, I'll show you to the kitchen." He motioned for them to follow, then he himself followed the tail that swished around the corner, jogging to catch up to Sniffles and petting him.
_____________________

"So that's a new record then?" Lando said as he walked into Denolle's office. 

The captain looked up from his new star charts casually. "If you actually found good information in half an hour, yes. A new record."

Lando pulled a chair up to the desk, resuming his leaning back. "Oh, I found a lot. Firstly, the guy's so far in debt that I'm pretty sure this is his attempt at a job to pay it."

Denolle thought for a moment. "What was the debt from?"

"Inherited. He's trying to pay it off with a ton of jobs. He's been briefly in the guard, and slightly more interestingly, an alley fighter. Damn good record on him too. A lot of people made decent money betting on him. But to answer the question I'm sure you're wondering, no. He doesn't have the years of supervised training needed."

Denolle shrugged and looked back at his chart. "If he doesn't qualify, he doesn't qualify. Let him know, will you Landon?"

"If I may say so, Caps, what about Caroline?"

This ilicited a glare from Denolle. "...What about her?"

"She was ten when you started sending her on missions. I don't even mean delivery shit. You sent her with me to kill a fucking darknut."

"Did she not help sufficiently?"

"She did, but why was she sent? What was she in HAREON?"

"She... Was an apprentice knight."

Lando smirked. "An apprentice knight? What's that?" He more stated his question than asked it though, as if he already knew, which he did. 

".....Knights who are made members under strict supervision..."

"Until?"

"Until they reach the requirement they fell short on... As long as it's obvious it will be met in time... Goddammit Landon. I forgot you had such a silver tongue."

Lando tilted the chair to normal position, a big grin on his face. "And the ladies love it."

Denolle merely shook his head, a slight grin on his face. "Just go tell him he's clear for his exams, you goon."

"Aye aye, caps."