She nods, studying his reaction carefully // she half expected him to laugh, as many others had in the past but, to her ( pleasant ) surprise, he mere appeared confused. Well, that she could allow him, at least.
At his comment, the knight captain snorts. “ Odd? Well, that’s one of the nicer things I’ve been called in this job, ” she supposed everything about her being in this position was odd. She could live with that. “ Ah, and you imagine my reputation is something enviable within the male dominated barracks? I suppose I should be flattered. They expect me to fail, however. So, it would be easier to take safe bets. ” The majority feared her because she made it so. Her attitude towards them would not change if he turned out to be a waste of time // however, officers of her own level & above still treated her as they always had.
This would change very little
“ The Knight Captains are expected to train whole groups of recruits which you will also partake in, but permitted only one to mentor personally. ” The blond explained, sating his curiosity would only be beneficial for them both // if he knew the whole picture he would understand her intentions were not to use him.
Turning her attention to the courtyard where a small throng of recruits swatted at each other // none compared to what she experienced in her brief altercation with him. “ Many elect to pick from the sons of nobles, occasionally a bastard if they’re feeling charitable & wish to garner favour with a Lord, it’s all very political. ”
Sachiko’s attention returned to him, smile replaced with a somewhat stony gaze. Whatever amusement that had softened her features moments previous was now gone. “ I have no interest in taking safe bets or practising political niceties only to dilute the knighthood with yet more wastes of space, ” hands knotted behind her back she did not break eye contact. “ believe it or not I consider my time & energy precious, I have no intention of wasting it on those who are not wholly worth it. ” despite her reluctance to outright state it, she deemed him & his skill just that.
The smallest of smiles made its way onto her lips // it was a smile that lit up her eyes with something akin to excitement. Determination flooded through her veins. “ Worry less about my reputation, it was never entirely stellar to begin with. Just trust that I am the only person who can train you to your fullest potential, in part, because I am the only one willing, another is that I believe you can do it. ” A pause, wherein she regards him almost cautiously. “ Do you believe I can? ”
Well, at least she’s under the impression that he’s not a waste of space. That’s about the most pleasant thing he could hope to hear from a palace dweller towards someone like him, really. He supposes he could rely on that forthright veracity of hers, if nothing else. Or they could bond over their comparable positions on the sad side of prejudice.
He holds her gaze for as long as she holds his, the smallest of smirks threatening to curve the edges of his mouth as she speaks. With that hard-ass attitude, it’s not all too hard to see how she could achieve her rank despite her physical shortcomings. She’s got his interest – for now.
“I only believe in two things, capt’ — and they’ve been with me for as long as I can remember.” He smiles like he hopes that she doesn’t take it personally but isn’t particularly bothered if she does; he’s not here to kiss ass, cute or not. “But we’re not trying to kill each other right now, so I guess that’s a start, hm?”
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