A warm welcome/A cold arrival to South

Nika sighed heavily to herself as she gazed out towards the deep blue shifting waters of South's famous lake, carried ashore by a cool gentle breeze. Her own dejected breath was inaudible to her, as was the breaking of waves upon the rocks, the cry of the gulls that circled overhead --all of which she assumed were there, as she could not hear them herself. She hadn't heard a damned thing for the past few months, aside from the ringing in her ears and the throbbing in her head --that was so painful that she might as well have heard it-- that persisted for the first few weeks in the rehabilitation center in Central. A rehabilitation center: How laughable. The entire notion had made Nika sick to her stomach and tremble with a mixture of anger and bitterness. Everyone tried hard to console her, to help her cope with this... this.... disablity, but it was all a pointless attempt. She was deaf, suffering from complete noise-induced hearing loss. Despite all the therapy and mandatory relaxation they put here through, there was not getting around the fact that she couldn't be so easily fixed. The best they could do was try and teach her some sign language, but that only frustrated her more, and she elected to sleep her days away to numb herself from the harsh reality of her permanent disability.
The truth seemed simple enough: She was broken. She made a fatal mistake on the battlefield and now had no use as an Amestrian soldier. She had nowhere to go; She had no place in the military and no place at home. Not that she would go back home anyway. To go crawling back to her parents in that disgusting home in such a broken and miserable state....she'd rather kill herself. In fact, she had considered offing herself a few times while locked up in that rehab center she was dumped in. It had honestly seemed inevitable: She'd end it all as soon as the world forgot about her. She had come to accept such a fate with an eerie calmness. There was nothing left for her in this world after all, it seemed, so she had given up
Yet, despite everything, despite the bleak tribulation she faced, she was given another chance. A transfer to South HQ, where she now stood just outside the complex of buildings near the shore of the lake. It seemed Commander Ito had pulled a few stings for her sake once again. Before it was to give her a shot at rising the ranks at Briggs --A chance that she had managed to blow in less than a year-- and now a chance to simply keep a position in the military at all. Ito had done so much for her since she joined the armed services that it was impossible to pay him back in this lifetime. Nika couldn't expect to have anymore than a job at a desk, filing papers and signing documents, away from any actual military work. Away from the training grounds, firing ranges and drills which she was unfit for. A simple job simply to keep her there seemed like an empty future, but she couldn't reject it, it was all she had now.
So with another unheard sigh, the dark haired Drachman girl turned away from the lake's shore and slowly trudged on to the base.

The inside of the base was well kept; Clean and pristine --as expected of a military base that wasn't even a year old. The entire city was new, which attracted a lot of migrants and tourists, it seemed. The infamy of the disappearance of the first South City did not seem to hamper these newcomers --especially in the wake of the destruction of the other major cities last year.
And so this newcomer navigated the sunlit labyrinth of halls of the main building, towards the offices of higher officers, and in particular, the office of Commander Brighton. Commander Shula Brighton was the person she was supposed to meet with, who would introduce her to her new position in South HQ and get her accommodated and set. Strange for one of the major generals of Amestris, but maybe she was the sort of person who preferred to do certain things herself, rather than leave it up to others. Either way, it was a privilege to be able to meet her new commanding officer so soon after her transfer, even if the prospect of trying to introduce herself and 'speak' with her was less than comforting in her present condition....

After a few minutes of searching, Nika had found Commander Brighton's room. Set off from the rest, a polished wooden door with a golden plaque labeled "General Brighton" stood ajar. Glancing around, Nika searched for anyone who might be able to direct her inside, rather than knock herself, since she would not be able to hear any response from within if she did, but the halls seemed rather deserted for the moment. Hovering just outside the door, eyes focused on the opening, Nika mulled over the idea of waiting around for someone to walk by, but instead decided that it would not be so favourable to act so helpless, and with a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
Inside, she found what she at first thought to be something more akin to a therapist's office, rather than a military officer's. Around the room were countless potted plants, a verdant collection of green plants and colourful flowers, all illuminated by the sun that streamed in through the wide open windows that lined the wall opposite of Nika. At first glance, Nika could not help but contemplate the stark contrasts of South HQ compared to the artificially lighted, closed frozen corridors of Briggs. South was a more relaxed climate though, no doubt that justified sending someone like herself down here, where she could "relax and recover", and basically refrain from being a burden in combat. Finding the room to be devoid of any living thing other than the small garden that occupied it, Nika found a stray chair near Brighton's desk and seated herself upon its cushion to wait tautly for the arrival of her new commanding officer. As minutes slipped by, she found herself gazing out the wide windows, out into the shimmering water of the lake. The warmth of the sun lit her skin and somewhat eased her tense body. For a brief moment, Nika imagined that she was by the lake again, and could hear birds singing in the trees along with the chant of the water churning with the breeze. Her eyes slowly shut as she soaked in the sun's warmth, and briefly, her mind vanished into the eternal silence.

The door swung open but instead of the snowy haired commander of south her taller and blonder second in command stepped in. Coffee in hand as he called out the the room's owner. "Hey Princess...." But when his eyes took in dark hair instead of the usual silver white he stopped in his tracks blinking. Before a welcoming and slightly charming smile graced his face. Scratching at his neck in a nervous fashion.

"Oh sorry...I didn't see you there. I'm Lt. Colonel Acra Schiwatas." He took a few steps forward and placed the Starbucks Styrofoam cup on the desk before offering her his hand in a formal hand shake. "Nice to meet you. You must be our new recruit if I remember rightly?" His hand still warm from the hot beverage he clasped her hand in his. "Welcome to South HQ. Shula should be along any moment really. Is there anything I can help you with?"