"So what do you think, Pascoe? Do you want to continue to the next exercise?" asked Wyncall, a Barkaley soldier who often accompanied Pascoe.
But Pascoe, lost in his thoughts, remained silent momentarily and lowered his gaze to the ground before him. Wyncall noticed the unusual behavior and quickly inquired,
"What's wrong Pascoe? Are you sick?"
Realizing his actions, Pascoe shook his head and apologized.
"Ah no! Sorry, it's just that I've been thinking about a lot of things," he explained. His mind was preoccupied with a host of thoughts and concerns that were weighing heavily on him.
Despite Wyncall telling him something that used to excite him, he could not fully grasp what Wyncall said due to his introspective musings; the look on his face betrayed a deeper sense of turmoil that he was finding difficult to shake off.
"If you daydream like that, you'll be left behind. Remember that many people in this world want to be soldiers."
