I took a long breath.
“Excuse her,” Ant said, coming to sit on a bench at a table across from where Silence and I had been. I sat again. Lord Ant was dressed fully today, though the shirt didn’t seem to do much to hide his massive frame and bulging muscles. He smiled kindly. “She’s a tease, and… some… people like that.” He cleared his throat and nodded. “And I’d say she’s harmless, but she’s not. You don’t get to be squad captain by being harmless.”
“Amber?” I said slowly. It was an interesting name, giving little clue to her avatar. “What’s her avatar?”
“A butterfly,” Ant said with a grin. “Specifically, an Amber-Phantom butterfly.”
Amber-Phantom? That sounded beautiful and mysterious… yup, that worked.
And while we were asking questions: “How do you keep popping up out of nowhere?” I asked Ant directly.
He laughed. “Think about it for a moment and you’ll get there.”
Think about what?
What’s his name, Legs? Auwei hinted.
Ant?
And that’s when it hit me. He wasn’t appearing out of nowhere, he was being an ant, tiny and virtually unseen, then veering back into his human form.
“Oh!”
“Yeah, I knew you were smart.” He nodded. “That’s why I’ve asked for you on my squad.”
“Me?” My mind whirled. The immediate consequences of that meant: “Does that mean Silence will be on Amber’s?”
Ant nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’ll have a talk with Fennec, see if he can’t help the boy while keeping Amber from teasing him too much.”
“Fennec?” I asked. I couldn’t figure out from the name what the man’s avatar might be.
“You’ll meet everyone in time. Just stay in the hall and they’ll all wander in eventually. As much as Crane makes sure her breakfast is served promptly at seven, the cooks make sure there’s something around all morning. The rest of us… work on our own schedules most of the time while we’re here. On a mission, that’s a different story though. Then you do as told, when you’re told, no questions, no hesitations, got it?”
I nodded. “Yes, Lord Ant.”
He cringed. “Ant is fine. I don’t need the title. I was just a farm boy before all this and became a Noble to help out and defend the nation. I’m no lord.”
I understood that sentiment. “It does feel funny,” I said with a grimace. “Lady Legs just doesn’t sound right.”
“Ha! Yeah, I see. Well, then just Legs it is. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Crane yet. What’s your avatar?”
“A spider.”
Some manner of jumping spider I’d guess, Auwei said. I didn’t feel the need to relay that to Ant.
He nodded with a smile. “Nice! I’ll have to keep a wary eye out.”
“Why?” He was three times my size and could easily—
“Spiders eat ants,” Silence mumbled.
“Oh… right…” I shook my head. “I’m still getting used to this whole avatar thing. It’s a bit disorienting.”
He nodded. “I get it. Imagine me becoming accustomed to being an ant.”
True.
“And you, what’s your avatar?” Ant asked Silence. “With a name like Silence it could be any number of things.”
