Triple Point

Chapter 64: 06 DEC 33AE, 2015 MT

06 DEC 33AE, 2015 MT

Yellowstone Camp, Squad Quarters H08

It was a surge of energy rushing through the camp that made Camilla wake with a start. After a moment, she realized that the energy she felt had only been a strong gust of winter wind, not an attack against their camp. Not yet, at least.

She had only gotten no more than two hours of sleep, but her heart was racing too much to settle back down. Besides, her squad had to be back out and ready to fight in another hour and a half, so there was no point in getting only a few more minutes of sleep. Her best bet would actually be to harness some of the energy from the wind, as long as she could find a warm place to do so.

Suddenly, someone behind her snored loudly, and Camilla jumped a little at the noise before turning to look for the source. It was slightly difficult to tell, given that her squad was bundled up almost completely in their blankets, but Camilla soon deduced that it had to be Caffrey's doing. As scrawny as he was, the kid certainly had volume, or maybe he was just that tired. Camilla figured it was the latter, especially since both Caffrey and Pala had been doing exceptionally well given their lack of experience on the field, and Camilla idly wondered if this is what it felt like to be a proud parent.

As Camilla got ready to head for the mess tent, she heard a soft rustling from one of the racks, and Pala's head popped out of the covers a moment later, their eyes glazed over and hair pointing out in all directions.

"Cap?" Pala mumbled groggily.

"It's not time yet," Camilla assured. "Get some more sleep."

Pala nodded with a hum of acknowledgement before burrowing under the covers once more.

It had already been dark by the time Camilla went to sleep, so she wasn't too surprised that everything looked exactly the same. The only thing different was that the ground had gotten a thin new coat of snow that had yet to be severely trampled on. With the snow came the howling wind, and Camilla made it to the mess tent in record time just to get out of the unbearable cold.

Inside the mess tent it was pleasantly warm, and while Camilla was tempted to steal that heat to replenish her own energy, there were a few dozen guardians inside that she didn't want to deprive of probably one of the few things that lifted their spirits. Some of them were talking softly and intermittently in small groups, others ate silently and alone, but most were simply sitting at the tables and staring out into space, motionless. If Camilla hadn't used her abilities to ensure they were emitting a small amount of body heat, she would've thought they were all dead.

Their reactions were expected, of course. Most guardians figured the fighting would've taken less than a day instead of over three and counting, and while it felt like the Org was winning, Exodos seemed to always manage to hang on by a thread.

After grabbing a large mug of coffee that would make Elsie proud, Camilla found a seat along the edge of the tent and waited for the wind to blow on the outside of where she sat. It hardly took any time at all for Camilla to feel the gust, both with her abilities and against her skin, as some of the chilly air blew under the tent walls and into the mess. Camilla shivered at the cold feeling and belatedly began absorbing the energy as she had originally intended.

She did this a few more times, operating mostly mindlessly, before a voice interrupted her.

"Captain Wyatt?" someone asked tentatively.

Camilla turned, bleary, then woke up a bit when she realized it was the elder Pala sibling addressing her. She almost hadn't recognized her, since all the times she had worked with Pala, the woman had been formal and stern. Her current nervous apprehension seemed so out of character, and it made Camilla a little worried.

"Captain Pala," Camilla returned, getting to her feet and taking only a moment to glance at the rest of the Pala Squad that watched from a few meters away. The last time she had seen them was in the office at the LA Base, just after the Barracks attack six months ago. While they had looked peppy and energetic at the time, their energy had long been replaced by exhaustion and stoicism. Even Juneau seemed particularly antsy.

Camilla turned her attention back to the other captain. "When did your squad arrive?"

"Just now," Pala replied, this time a little fidgety. "Is my—Nakia... are they alright?"

"Yeah," Camilla answered, and while Pala looked relieved, Camilla still sensed her worry. "You want to see for yourself?"

"It's fine, thank you," Pala automatically said, but Camilla noticed her reluctance as she said the words.

Camilla nodded in the direction of her squad's tent. "I'll show you. I have to wake them up now anyway. We have to be at the field for turnover at 2100."

This time, Pala immediately accepted, and she and her squad followed Camilla from the mess tent. As they neared the squad tent, Pala quickened her pace, as if she knew exactly where to go without Camilla having to show her. That actually might have been the case, because as soon as they entered the tent, Pala headed straight for her sibling's rack even though all of the sleeping lumps looked identical.

"Nakia," the elder Pala said as she gently shook her sibling awake. "Nakia, are you alright?"

As Nakia woke, they initially let out a few confused sounds, but that changed as soon as they got a good look at their visitor.

"Mimi!" Nakia exclaimed, and the two siblings quickly threw their arms around each other, embracing as if they were never going to let go again.

It seemed like a very personal moment, so Camilla hurriedly woke Mack and Caffrey and quietly told them to start getting ready before she slipped back outside the tent to wait. The Pala Squad followed her silently, but as they joined her outside, Camilla felt a sense of anger and frustration coming from one of them. A quick glance over the four guardians singled out Juneau as the source.

"Juneau, you alright?" Camilla asked. She wasn't personally concerned about Juneau's wellbeing, but his emotions were seriously ruining the atmosphere.

"It's nothing," he said through gritted teeth, then turned to his squadmates. "I'll be in the mess."

His departure cleared the air, and Camilla felt she could breathe again. Sure, there was still a nervous energy throughout the campsite, but that had become the norm recently. Besides, the typical apprehension was now joined with the feeling of relief and love from the two siblings, reunited just off the battlefield, and the warmth of their emotions was enough to temporarily thaw the chill of the icy air around them.

Idly, she spared some energy to heat the key around her neck, and she took some comfort in the warmth it radiated on the skin of her chest. While the Pala siblings' reunion made Camilla miss Elsie even more, it at least provided some relief to the battlefield's unforgiving winter.

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