"Lieutenant, want one?"
The paratrooper captain, sporting a helmet with no brim, blissfully blew a smoke ring. His baby-faced look of satisfaction in his 30s was revealed as his men were dragging a few human bodies away—the only proof indicating there had been a fight here.
Captain Skoerznei preferred nicotine over the hazards of pills.
This handsome captain, clothed in a two-tone green-gray paratrooper combat uniform and white high-necked sweater underneath, had a long, narrow scar on his left cheek that squirmed like an earthworm when he smiled—it was his only flaw.
"No, thanks. As you know, smoking isn't allowed for members of the Youth Group."
Nona shook her head. She's was a model student in the Youth Group—at least in the eyes of her adoptive father and Brynhild—she kept herself clear of bad substances like cigarettes, alcohol, and stimulants.
"Almost forgot about that annoying rule..."
Skoerznei shrugged, chuckled wryly, and then straightened up to salute.
