"OVARY UP BUTTERCUP!" the witch yelled just outside his door and suddenly half of it turned a pretty shade of delicate yellow. Something heavy hit the wall and Terach jumped up from his chair so fast, it fell backward. Heavy heels strode forward so solidly they echoed off the walls as he made it to the door.

A cadet was not just red faced and leaning against the wall, he looked like he was beautifully painted in yellow from head to toe! A short witch stood over him with her eyes blazing in fury, looking like she was getting ready to obviously curse again. Terach gestured angrily at both of them to come inside and slammed the door behind them once they entered. The personal shame was enormous that someone who was once under his training now suddenly acted like a fool-made HIM look like the dumbass. Did soldiers or cadets even realize how bad they made others look when they pulled these stunts? That they weren't the only ones involved? That the world didn't revolve around them and them alone? Nope. Coz that shit just kept on happening! 

"Williams, stand front and center." The witch looked annoyed as she stood before his desk as ordered, but continued to shoot nasty glares at the bright yellow soldier.

"Grosman have a seat." He ordered the boy and turned back to the witch with a pen in his hand. 

"Hold that." he said in a low growl of a voice, shoving the pen in her mouth sideways like a gag. "And stand at attention when I'm talking to you soldier." The more he spoke, the quieter and lower his voice got. Her eyes opened in surprise at his actions, but it was enough to keep her both quiet and attentive. Terach walked back to stand in front of Grosman.

"Did one of my soldiers just curse you? Directly in front of my office?"
"Yes sir."
"Did anyone start this or are you adult enough to admit shit takes two people to stand on the same plank?"

Williams tried to speak through the pen in her mouth, clenching the fists at her sides in outrage. 

"Erf shannn cn dor iih thrn sr cn wre!" she muttered angrily through the makeshift gag.

"I was talking to Grosman. Not you."

"MREN!" she tried to yell through the pen, but her message was getting clearer.

"Keep yer boots on." he stated, turning to the sitting boy for a moment. 
"Grosman wait outside while I take the noble's' privileged statement before yours." When he complied, Terach moved to stand in front of the defiant young witch, who was clearly fuming.

"Remove the pen. Permission to speak Williams. Choose yer words carefully Cadet."
Williams spat out the pen scornfully, raising her prideful noble chin as she replied defiantly.
"I said if Shannon can do it, then so can we!"
"Sir or Lieutenant. Cadet."
She glared at him with open scorn, taking in his less than noble appearance. 

Raff's face turned murderous and his eyes glinted like steel off a sword.
"Explain."
"Sir...." the witch paused, spitting out the word scornfully as Terach was most certainly a commoner. The witch continued in a scornful voice, "Shannon cursed someone so I just cursed a filthy commoner boy. It's just a matching color because he's a yellow bellied coward."
A noble born little witch cadet cursed a commoner because Red cursed Lieutenant Abbott when he was her DI, the fiasco at the ball, so now this ... witch thought it was fine to do as she pleased? 

"I see. In that case Williams, I have a gift for you."

He grabbed a pen and scrawled quickly on the scroll, the pen flying over it in harsh scratches that tore through it in some places. Terach controlled the surge of fury at this blatant misuse of combat skills, but the thought of shared, spreading insubordination made him grind his teeth. Raff pushed the scroll toward her on the desk so she could see it better.

"Sign here, right under your transgressions confession of assault, reckless endangerment, misuse of military resources and my personal favorite, direct insubordination of a superior officer."

Eyes wide with shock, the witch signed her name on the paper in large bold penmanship as Raff called outside for two female mp's.

"You're to escort Lady Priscilla Williams to the barracks to be stripped of her rank, uniform and remove all associated Nevermere Military acquisitions. She has one hour to vacate and you will both personally escort her off the military premises-speaking to no one as she does so. She is officially under absolute dismissal, with prejudice, to be herein classified as F4. You are hereby dismissed Lady Priscilla Williams. Is that understood by all?"

"Yes Lieutenant." answered the mp's, but Williams remained silent.

Terach stood literally toe to toe with the witch and spoke in a very slow voice as if addressing a toddler.
"Do .... you.. understand... my... big ...words..?" He leaned down and got in her face as he scowled savagely.
Temper flaring and eyes rolling, she yelled, 
"YES!"
"Good. Dissmissed." 

Having no choice in the immediate consequences of her own admission of guilt, the ex soldier was permanently escorted out the door, letting in Grosman.
"Have a seat again Grosman, and let's get down to brass tacks."

A soldier stood outside the Lieutenant's office, waiting his turn and grew more uneasy with each thing he heard.

"If yer lookin fer sympathy it's in the dictionary between shit and syphilis." Terach scolded someone inside.

A chair scraped back and he continued,

"Let's hear yer story right and we'll go from there." 

The deeper voice went on for a while, but remained inaudible, but the message was getting clearer.

"So ya yelled at a drill instructor, one rank above ya-like the idiot ya are. And?"

The 2nd voice continued on, seeming to get quieter, not louder.

"She yelled at you two. Yea, her breaking the chain of command is like using a cannon to open a wine bottle, but oh well. Yes it should've gone to a Lieutenant as next in rank. But I got a magical phrase for ya that will help you through this. Life ain't fair, get over it."

The deeper voice murmured something only a fraction louder, clearly in protest.

"Ya can't file a redress of grievances this far after a sentence, fair or not. Request denied. How old are ya Bore? If I keep callin ya names, ya gonna shout at me too? What the fuck ya want anyone ta do? Yer complaint was when it dealt with a DI, now ya can't say anything about a Lieutenant. Someone havin a grudge ain't my problem Bore. You obviously have a grudge too now. Chew on that mr. high n mighty."

Second voice answered, faster and more insistent, sounding agitated.

"So yer telling me at twenty fuckin five, ya've made no rank and yer biggest bitch is that mummy and daddy finally told ya ta get out, be an adult and grow a pair?" Terach's voice got lower and angrier.

"Are ya gettin three hots and a cot off this Army, Bore?"
A murmured reply.

"And ya totally expect and demand that everyone here act exactly the way you want them to? Did ya become the Captain Commander when I wasn't lookin? Should I be takin notes from YOU Bore, on how me and everyone should act according to you? Has anyone beaten or starved ya here in the army? No? Are ya gettin free meals and a place ta sleep? Free medical care? Yea? Then why the fuck aren't ya promoted yet Bore? Why are ya complaining over fair and instant discipline for admitted insubordination?"

Total silence ensued for ninety seconds and the chair scraped again.

"Yer dumb as a brick Bore, but yer a good momma's boy ain't ya? Don't you make that face at me soldier. I know yer parents were ordered ta ship out on missions but yer gonna have to put on yer big girl corset now. I don't give a fuck that a DI yelled at ya a million years ago--it's half their job to yell and give orders--it's normal ya dumbass!"

The second voice mumbled quietly, still inaudible from outside the door.

"You have no valid complaint. You're young, healthy and getting everything paid for by the Army. If there are favorites that get rank or someone doesn't act according ta how YOU think they should, suck it up. A soldier's job is to do as they're told with no bitchin or crying about how ya got disciplined for throwin a tantrum. Here's a big secret fer ya Bore: every rank sticks together. You soldiers all group up even if ya don't like each other perfectly. Same as Lieutenants, Captains and every other rank--we stand and defend our own against a lesser rank which is ...."

"Me." second voice answered, finally audible for the first and only time.

"So get out there and be a soldier. Considering this army is yer mommy and daddy now, I strongly suggest ya keep yer life's not fair complaints ta yerself and be grateful yer getting food, medical, shelter and training. Dismissed."

The soldier outside looked at the huge guy exiting and then looked up even higher--it had to be one of the tallest guys he'd ever seen! He quickly changed his mind about this meeting and ran off double time. 

Raff stuck his head outside the door but his next appointment was nowhere to be seen. Hmm.