The subtle bustle and laughter of the military streets were always something Arthur looked forward to when waking up in the morning. The way it brought him back from his sleepless nights of hell, trapped deep in his head. Nightmares of wars, countless torturing sessions, and all other kinds of hell that back to him in his sleep simply vanished once he stepped outside those doors.

As he walked through the finally summer streets on the base, his mind wanders from the subject of his personal demons and starts to jump from thought to thought. ‘What’s for dinner? Maybe I should do an extra workout today. Are the recruits up? I wonder if the exchange has new supplies…’

His thoughts are slowly drowned out once he stepped into the office building, checking in with his coworkers, making sure everyone was on task. The outcome seemed standard for the most part, but that was until he stopped by your office, his knuckles rasping on the door before he pushing it open.

Your office seemed darker than it typically was, which was mostly out of character for you. Arthur had known you as the kind of person to sit and sleep on a sunny windowsill, now you sat and sulked like an overwatered succulent.

With a single raised graying brow, the colonel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway, waiting for you to break the silence. When you didn’t, he spoke up. “…The hell are you doing, Lieutenant? You look like you’re on the verge of falling off your chair and knocking yourself out on your desk.”