In the Open Cage

Chapter 36

It was difficult to go through the day pretending like nothing was going on between Royle and Misa. They had gone to the purgehouse with a strained distance between them, and even under the disappointed scolding they both received from both the commander and the Central Harthem captain, Misa could not bring herself to be remorseful.

All she could think about was the blooming warmth in her chest whenever she caught Royle watching her from the corner of his eye, shooting her mischievous smiles when the others were too occupied with grumbling about how unprofessional it was to skip out on training without a valid excuse.

At the end of it all, Royle had been taken to his temporary office to continue his duties as the Urthan Purgehouse captain, and a lieutenant had come to inform Misa of the extra training she had to do as both punishment and catch up for the lost hours.

Misa had been in the middle of running her thirty-second lap around the massive training grounds when Lieutenant Soran called her over. Misa huffed, slowing down to catch a breath. She was covered in sweat, soaked to the bone, and the itch from her uniform was almost unbearable when it was accompanied by the prickly humidity. Misa swiped her forehead, grimacing as her fingers came away wet.

When she made it to her trainer, she saw another, familiar lieutenant with him. Instinctively, she lowered her head, pulling down the brim of her cap to hide from Lieutenant Farow, the same officer who had almost caught her the day she went to see Bernt. Had he figured out who Misa was? Did he recognize her through her disguise?

"Are you Mikim?" the lieutenant asked.

Misa stiffened, grateful that cadets had been trained out of their reflexes to flinch when spoken to by their superiors.

"Yes, sir," she said, straightening her shoulders. She dared to meet his eyes, and she hoped he wouldn't recognise her.

"Come with me. Captain Royle wants to know your progress."

Misa's heart fluttered. She held back a grin and nodded. "Yes, sir."

She followed the lieutenant, each step raising her anticipation. She wiped her face and neck as best as she could, trying to get rid of the drops of sweat trickling through her scalp and trailing down her back. Her excitement turned to hesitation.

The uniform rubbing against her skin, damp, unpleasant, reminded her of how unsightly she must be after all that exercise. Covered in dirt, perspiring like a pig, and heaving like a horse was not how Misa wanted Royle to see her. And the smell! Misa wrinkled her nose. How pungent would she be in the confines of his office? Suddenly, she wasn't so keen to follow the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant?" Misa said, hoping he would slow down. He didn't, and Misa had to increase her speed to keep up. "Would it be all right if I clean myself before I meet the captain?"

Lieutenant Farow guffawed. "Clean yourself? For the captain? What are you, boy? A lady prettying herself to impress?"

Misa bit her cheeks to stop herself from retorting. Her temper flared, but she managed to keep her voice reasonably calm. "I don't want to appear like a child who was playing in the dirt."

"Trust me." The lieutenant snorted. "A clean cadet is not any better than a cadet covered in the filth of his training. In fact, your current state attests to how hard you've been working. Cleanliness is the least of our concerns in this line of work. But, do try to flatten out those wrinkles. There's no reason to be sloppy."

"Sloppy? But I thought you said-"

"There's a difference between being sloppy and being unclean. Even if you're not presentable in a filthy uniform, it's important to maintain the same discipline. Tucking your jacket into your pants, buttoning up all the way, minimizing wrinkles. It's all a sign of good discipline."