Tengfei Shao's Story

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If he was being honest, Shao was nervous. If he was being nervous, he had half the mind to walk out of the place and back home where his fiance waited for him. Instead, curling his hands into fists he looked about the waiting room. There were more men in here than Shao could be bothered, all of them in the late teens or early twenties, each of them waiting patiently to be called up. There was occasional chatter between neighbours, voices hushed as they contemplated what would happen to them if they were to pass the interview.

He fended off anyone intending to talk, enjoying his own quiet thoughts as he looked down at the single briefcase sitting between his knees. The little he could take was in there, the first he had packed being a picture of him an his fiance. He sighed at the thought of Ming, rubbing his face absentmindedly before looking up.

What would this interview entail? If they passed where would they go? What would happen to them once they reached their training grounds? And most importantly, in his mind: Would he ever see Ming again?

He swallowed, deciding that such questions were stupid to ponder, all he could do now was sit here and wait to be called upon. He'd go into that room and do as the officer asked. He would let the chips fall where they may. He just hoped to be able to go home in one piece.

His head snapped up from its pondering as a sharply dressed military man stepped into the makeshift waiting room. He demanded attention with every ounce of his presence, eyes cold and focused. He wasn't a man to be trifled with. "Next."

The command was brisk, sharp and without any semblance of emotion. Before Shao was able to stand another man stepped forth, "Posun Bayue, ready sir."

Shao chuckled momentarily under his breath, the man was definitely eager. Much more eager than Shao was. It was his responsibility to help protect his country and by extension, his family, both present and future. That's why Shao was here, not just because his honour compelled him, but because he needed to make sure his family had a future.

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Shao wrung his hands nervously as he waited. It seemed like he sat there for an eternity, waiting for the uptight military official to walk back out and call out the dreaded word. He nearly jumped out of his skin as the word was called, "Next!"

Before anyone else could stand and his nervousness could get the best of him Shao stood. He swallowed and picked up the briefcase at his feet and walked forth, stopping before the man, straight backed with a brisk salute. He clamped his jaw shut to stop his teeth from chattering before he said, "Tengfei Shao, ready sir!"

He had watched the other man leave, seemingly nervous from the encounter with whoever had been inside. He was hoping to pass with flying colours, if he failed now, he didn't think he could face his fiance. She would be disappointed in him, and his honour would have been stripped of him. He swallowed again, awaiting instruction, knees shaking slightly before he stiffened them, trying to look calm and collected, ready for whatever was in store for him.

Posun moved out of the room quickly, grabbing the suitcase that he had left by the door. It was not a nervous type of quick, but a 'I have to be somewhere' type of quick. The rest of Posun was still recovering from the nervousness as he walked. He passed the next man to come to the door with a nod.

The crowd seemed thicker than before as Posun now tried to navigate to the vehicle that he was told to go to. He wanted to get away from the crowd as fast as he could. What had truly put the man on edge was the fact that all of the people crammed into the room showed not a single sign of aggression. To him, that meant that at least one potentially dangerous person was hiding among the crowd. Posun wanted to minimize the risk of being their when one of the dangerous people decide to do something dangerous.

Once Posun managed to reach the hallway, his pace slowed from a hurried walk to a fast walk. He was looking around following the instructions of the general to find his way to the vehicle he was told to report to.