Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2022 23:03:12 GMT -5
He could tell she was being genuine in her answer, and Warren could not only sympathize, but empathize with her. He never spoke of the death of his son, and he wouldn't now. He wouldn't go soft on her, because he thought she and all of the other soldiers deserved better than that. They had Hadrian Usher when they needed someone to be soft with them, to be there for them emotionally, personally. Warren couldn't do that, so instead he had to be the one to be tough on them.
"If you keep working alone, you'll lose every one of them," he said, the same grit in his voice that there always was. Simple truths. "The best way to ensure the safety of your troop is to make sure that each and every one of you knows what you're doing, can read each others thoughts and actions without words, and can work together. But the truth, Ms. Sliva? We're soldiers. No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we try, we will always lose someone. That is a fact."
He took a breath. "Take our little exercise in the ballroom a couple of days ago as an example. Why did the Nevermere side defeat the enemy side? Because the enemy side didn't know each other well enough to work together. But your side had, what? Four or five soldiers who had trained together, put in the time and effort together? Because they knew how to lead, and the other soldiers trusted them enough to listen and continue listening even when it seemed like things weren't working out." He turned to look at her. "But you still got sidelined, didn't you? And other soldiers on your side did, too. Twice as many were lost on the enemy side because they couldn't work together. Your side won, but some of you were lost. That is the unfortunate reality of what we do."
He stood up from the ground, wiping himself off, and did not offer her a hand to help her up. "The loss of family is not easy, but you should treat the soldiers in your troop the same way you would have treated your brother. Teach them. Push them to be better. So they don't end up like him." That was why Warren was the way he was, of course. And that was the closest thing Sliva would get to a sympathetic word about her brother.
"So I suggest you make a choice. Learn how to trust the people in your troop, or find another way to make an income. I won't try to force you out. That's not my job. But you should think about it all the same. Now, lunge across the courtyard and back." The switch up from giving her advice to once again giving her orders happened quickly enough to give anyone whiplash, and before he finished telling her what to do, he'd already begun doing the exercise himself.
"If you keep working alone, you'll lose every one of them," he said, the same grit in his voice that there always was. Simple truths. "The best way to ensure the safety of your troop is to make sure that each and every one of you knows what you're doing, can read each others thoughts and actions without words, and can work together. But the truth, Ms. Sliva? We're soldiers. No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we try, we will always lose someone. That is a fact."
He took a breath. "Take our little exercise in the ballroom a couple of days ago as an example. Why did the Nevermere side defeat the enemy side? Because the enemy side didn't know each other well enough to work together. But your side had, what? Four or five soldiers who had trained together, put in the time and effort together? Because they knew how to lead, and the other soldiers trusted them enough to listen and continue listening even when it seemed like things weren't working out." He turned to look at her. "But you still got sidelined, didn't you? And other soldiers on your side did, too. Twice as many were lost on the enemy side because they couldn't work together. Your side won, but some of you were lost. That is the unfortunate reality of what we do."
He stood up from the ground, wiping himself off, and did not offer her a hand to help her up. "The loss of family is not easy, but you should treat the soldiers in your troop the same way you would have treated your brother. Teach them. Push them to be better. So they don't end up like him." That was why Warren was the way he was, of course. And that was the closest thing Sliva would get to a sympathetic word about her brother.
"So I suggest you make a choice. Learn how to trust the people in your troop, or find another way to make an income. I won't try to force you out. That's not my job. But you should think about it all the same. Now, lunge across the courtyard and back." The switch up from giving her advice to once again giving her orders happened quickly enough to give anyone whiplash, and before he finished telling her what to do, he'd already begun doing the exercise himself.