"So you knew it was a setup, and you still followed the guy?" Jos asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly puzzled.
Malvin gave a dismissive shrug replying, "Seemed like a good idea at the time."
"At the time?" Aeron repeated, catching onto his phrasing.
Malvin looked away, almost as if embarrassed, though his tone remained steady. "Yeah, don't worry—you'll hear all about the consequences of my stupid decision making skills soon enough."
Loreen clasped her hands together, sounding genuinely impressed. "But still, Captain, that's incredible! You managed to figure out the guy's plan so fast. It's no wonder they call you top of your generation."
Leaning back in his chair, Malvin crossed his arms and propped one leg up, looking casual but sharp. "Nothing special about it. I'd expect every one of you to catch something like that."
Clare immediately looked panicked, and Malvin waved a hand, adding, "Except Sergeant Clare." She breathed a visible sigh of relief, while the others chuckled.
Jos scratched his head, his lion-like mane shifting as he tilted his head thoughtfully. "I wonder how each of us actually did back at the Academy?"
"That is actually a pretty interesting topic," Malvin replied, eyeing his officers with curiosity. "You all would have been training there while all this shit was happening to me, right?"
The Specialists all nodded in agreement before exchanged glances, their own curiosity piqued. Finally, Aeron spoke up. "I scored a 70 in physical skills," he began, only for Jos to chuckle beside him.
"Lower than me," Jos teased, smirking as he added, "I got a 90."
Malvin first turned to Jos, saying, "Not bad," before raising a brow at Aeron, his tone mildly critical. "Surprisingly low for The One Feared By Death."
Aeron shrugged, unfazed. "I did get an 80 in mental skills, though."
This made Jos sputter. "80?!" he exclaimed, his own mental score being just a 50.
Tores spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Mine was 50 in physical and 65 in mental."
"Not bad, honestly," Loreen chimed in, but then added with a grin, "Pretty average, though."
Tores looked sheepish, eyes fixed on the floor as he muttered, "Yeah, yeah…"
"What about you, Loreen?" Clare asked, looking genuinely curious.
Loreen straightened up, looking a bit pleased. "68 in physical, 89 in mental."
Malvin leaned forward, looking at all of them with a hint of surprise. "So none of you hit 100 in either category?"
"Not many did," Tores replied. "But Specialist Don's got 100 in mental, I think—though I'm not sure about his physical score."
Loreen chuckled. "He was always smart though his nicknaming skills are...."
"Complete trash," Jos finished bluntly, and the others couldn't help but nod in agreement.
They all agreed that Don's skill with names ranged from oddly clever to painfully uncreative.
"Getting back on topic, Captain, didn't you break the Ironguard code doing what you did?" Aeron asked, pointing out the obvious. As soon as he did, the others picked up on it too.
"That's right, you broke the code just then," Loreen added, stepping up close to Malvin's face.
Tores was quick to join in. "And you shouted at me for not following the code not too long ago as well!" he said, moving closer, mirroring Loreen's stance.
Jos clenched his fist, jumping on the opportunity. "Yes, yes, you're always preaching to us about following the code, and now we find out you broke it yourself," he said, stepping in alongside the others.
Even Clare couldn't resist adding, with a knowing nod, "Yes, how is that keeping yourself safe?" She too leaned forward, closing the distance.
Aeron, ever the lemming, followed suit with the rest, his deadpan voice adding to the collective pressure. "What do you have to say for yourself, Captain?" He leaned forward slightly, mirroring the others' stances, all of them closing in on him like a pack.
Malvin stared back at them for a moment, his gaze sharp and unamused. "First of all, get the fuck out of my face!" he ordered, his tone cutting through the air like a blade. Instantly, they all snapped to attention, responding in unison, "Yes, sir!"
"And second of all, get back to your seats!" Malvin commanded. "Yes, sir!" they all responded again, hurrying back to their spots—Jos and Aeron dropping down to the floor again.
Malvin let out a long, frustrated sigh as he leaned back in his chair, his expression hardening as his gaze grew distant. "Listen," he began, "I didn't really believe in the code back then. 'Stay safe and keep others safe'? I used to think it was stupid. Thought I was supposed to be putting myself below the citizenship, risking my life—that was why I became a Guard, or so I thought. But reality had other ideas, kept pounding me down until I finally saw why that code was there. Why I shouldn't just throw myself at every problem. I'm a Guard, not a hero, not some perfect soldier who never fails, not someone who can be everywhere. You'll see what it took for me to learn that… as I tell you what happened." He stopped there, leaving some things unsaid. *If only that kid understood that as well,* he thought bitterly, though his face gave nothing away.
The room fell quiet. This was almost if not already becoming routine now—teasing their Captain, poking at him, asking him questions that seemed simple on the surface, only for him to give an answer that was far deeper than they expected.
Malvin shifted in his chair, breaking the silence. "Alright, now that you've dragged that out of me," he said, settling more comfortably, "let's get back to what happened after that."