Nighttime Conversation [complete]

[Zhong Xue]

Xue rolled over to face the tentflap, careful not to make any noise. Something told him that Shikang, at least, wouldn't be very happy to be woken up. Xue guessed that it was past midnight, but he could barely hold still, let alone get to sleep.

He supposed he'd have an easier time if his brain would stop relentlessly thinking up every disaster scenario that could happen in the morning. He knew that most of them were entirely ridiculous, but he couldn't dispel the images from his mind. Curling up, he closed his eyes, trying to force himself to calm down.

It worked for a few moments, until a hand landed on his shoulder hard, shaking him.

Yelping, he scrambled into a sitting position, crashing headfirst into one of the poles. Grabbing it to hold it steady, he turned back to the tent, only to find himself face to face with a widely grinning Xiao.

"... is... is something wrong?" Xue managed.

[Wu Xiaoszi]

"Nope!" chirped Xiao, with all the energy of a three-year-old child. He moved his hand and rolled on to his stomach, using his elbows to prop himself up. He cast Xue a mischevious look. "'Cept for the fact that no one would be able to fall asleep with you shufflin' all over the place!" He paused, taking the moment to look to his other side, where Shikang was lying as still as rock. "Save for Spoilsport over there, maybe," he huffed.

He turned back to the smaller boy, smiling again. "So what's wrong with you? Got the jitters? S'there a rat in your mat? Wet your bed?"

[Zhong Xue]

"I-I kept you up? I'm sorry..." Xue shifted uncomfortably under Xiao's stare. "I just... couldn't get comfortable, that's all. I'll stop now, so you can go back to sleep."

[Wu Xiaoszi]

Xiao laughed, careful to keep his voice in check, because even he didn't want to be blamed for keeping half the camp awake. "Nah, I wasn't serious!" he explained, in between chuckles. "Besides, I bet half the recruits aren't asleep. S'not easy adaptin' to this sorta lifestyle, I guess." He rolled over again, never one to keep still for long, and cradled the back of his head with his hands, glancing at Xue out of the corner of his eyes. "So, you miss home? S'that it?"

[Zhong Xue]

Xue relaxed slightly; at least, he moved out of the corner of the tent, sitting crosslegged next to Xiao. "Maybe a little," he admitted, shrugging. "But I'm happy to be here, really... I just... don't want to mess it up, is all." He turned to face the older boy, tilting his head. "What about you?"

[Wu Xiaoszi]

"Ah~!" Xiao grinned, screwing his eyes shut and stretching belatedly. "I hope it'll be blast!" he said, when he had settled down again. "S'not like I wanna mess up either, since if we do, chances are we're dead! But I don't think it'll be that hard. I think I just can't get to sleep 'cause I'm not that tired! Field work's a lot more tirin' than building a tent and answering when your name's called!"

[Zhong Xue]

"Yeah... dead," Xue echoed, attempting to laugh. "B-But we'll make sure that doesn't happen, right?" Xiao certainly did adapt quickly; Xue had never met anyone who could say things like that with such a cheerful smile.

"Mm, we'll probably have much more to do tomorrow," he continued, changing the subject. "General Sze seems v-very fair, so it should be fine." He paused. "... they don't usually kick people out of the army, right?"

[Wu Xiaoszi]

"Naaah~" drawled Xiao, laughing again at Xue's paranoia. "They do leave you behind if you're not worth the hassle though!"

[Zhong Xue]

"L-Leave you behind?" Xue stammered, his eyes widening. "Really? How do you not get left behind?" he asked, giving Xiao an imploring look.

[Wu Xiaoszi]

"Well," said Xiao, fighting desperately to keep his face level and failing miserably, "First, you gotta make sure that you scream the loudest during training, and it has to be the most high pitched too. Like a chicken, y'know? And then, y'gotta always ask for third and fourth helpings during meals, but they'll only give it to you if you spend the entire time waiting on line while hopping on one foot." He sighed dramatically. "It's really hard! Only the best get to stay."

[Zhong Xue]

"That's not funny," Xue said miserably, drawing his knees up to his chest and sighing. Why was everyone comparing him to birds all of a sudden? "I'm definitely going to get left behind."

[Wu Xiaoszi]

Xiao sat up, the thin blanket he had been issued pooled in his lap as he crossed his legs. "What, y'can't do it? It's easy! Like this!" With another laugh, he threw his head back and squawked like said bird - loud enough to echo in the tent, but not enough to wake anyone else up. "Even you can do that, can'tcha, kid?"

[Zhong Xue]

"Shhhhh!" Xue hissed, gesturing sharply to Shikang and shrinking towards the corner of the tent again. "If you wake him up, he'll k-kill us!"

[Wu Xiaoszi]

"Aww, he can't do that," said Xiao, reaching out and catching on to Xue's elbow before the other boy could all but disappear into the very canvas. "That," he whispered conspiratorially, "would really get someone left behind. Anyway, Mr. Naggypants doesn't seem like the sort who'd risk a reputation like that, don'tcha think?" He let go and looked at their teammate overh is shoulder. "I mean, did you see the pack he brought with him? S'not much he's got, but everythin' in it is top quality. Bet his family's rich."

Xiao's head swivelled back to Xue. "What's your family like?"

[Zhong Xue]

Xue considered that for a moment. Xiao actually made sense this time: frightening as Shikang seemed, it would probably be frowned upon to start a fight with another recruit, let alone kill them.

"My family?" He shrugged. "W-We're pretty small, considering... it's just me, my father, my younger brother, and my two younger sisters. I just hope they're managing all right... none of them can cook too well." He tilted his head to the side. "Do you have siblings, Xiao?"