Craig dropped Winter at Brairwood, but the ride from there to the barracks in the recruitment bus was nothing close to relaxing. Brairwood, by nature, was a small and unremarkable farming town, and to make matters worse, the roads connecting it to the rest of Anglora were in terrible shape, cracked, narrow, and riddled with potholes. The old bus groaned with every bump, rattling so hard that the seats shook and the windows clattered in protest.
Inside, the atmosphere was far from quiet. The bus was packed with other recruits, and while Winter sat silently by the window, watching the rugged countryside roll past, the others were quick to make friends. They shouted introductions across the aisle, laughed at each other's jokes, and filled the air with the careless noise of youth, loud, unbothered, and brimming with nervous excitement.
It wasn't long before the loudest of them noticed her. He had every look of a bold village boy, stocky frame, sun-darkened skin, and a voice that carried above everyone else's. His name, as he announced proudly, was Steven.
"Hey, Silence! What's your name?" he called out, leaning over the back of his seat to grin at her.
Winter almost raised a brow at the name. Silence? But she didn't bother questioning it out loud. Her reply was calm, short, and unshaken.
"Fiona. From Brairwood."
The bus erupted into laughter as though she had told the funniest joke. Steven smirked in triumph.
"Another village girl! Hey, Fatty, there's someone from your town!" he shouted, elbowing the chubby girl seated beside him.
The girl turned at once, her face bright with cheer despite the jab. She was plump, her round cheeks flushed from the heat, and in her hands was a greasy pack of roasted wings she hadn't stopped eating since the ride began. She lifted one hand and waved enthusiastically at Winter, grease glistening on her fingers.
Winter's eyes flicked over her with mild curiosity. What made her choose to be a soldier? she wondered for half a second, but dismissed it quickly. It was none of her business. She kept silent until the bus finally rolled into the barracks.
The moment Winter stepped off the bus, the chubby girl bounded beside her, wings long gone but her smile just as wide.
"Hello! I'm Stella," she said brightly. "I heard you're from Brairwood too, though I've never seen you before. I hope you can guide me."
Winter said nothing.
But Stella wasn't the kind to be discouraged. She clasped her hands together and continued, "You know, I don't really want to be a soldier… but there's no other place I can use my skills."
That earned Stella the slightest flicker of Winter's attention, though still not enough to spark a question.
"I have a really good sense of smell," Stella explained with pride, almost bouncing on her feet. "Right now, I can tell you're wearing something new… and you had cereals for breakfast."
Her grin was so wide it almost outshone the sun.
Winter was, admittedly, impressed. But her face stayed blank, her voice flat when she muttered, "…Impressive."
"Wow." Stella gasped, clearly shocked that such a minimal response was all she could get. But then she smiled again, undeterred. "Probably that's why I've never seen you in Brairwood. You… you're different."
Winter said nothing more as they joined the line of recruits forming up to be processed. Stella, however, didn't stop talking. Her words tumbled endlessly, cheerful and unguarded. She wasn't annoying, though. If anything, she seemed more like a naïve little girl who had wandered into a world much larger and harsher than she was ready for.