Under the shade of a tree, Winters glanced at the note in his hand and then at the trainee who brought it.
"The Mason Commissioner just sent you to find me?" Winters asked in surprise, "Didn't say anything else?"
"No." The trainee in front of him answered blankly.
"Alright, I'll have to ask you to wait for me a moment." Winters stuffed the note into his wrist guard and pointed casually to the clothes and bundle under the tree: "There's water and food there, help yourself if you're hungry."
Then, he saw the trainee named "Houdel" walk stiffly to the tree, his legs straighter than the trunk.
"Sit down." Winters couldn't help but smile, "It's okay."
But the trainee still stood straight as a ramrod. Clearly, he was at a loss, unsure whether to treat the Civil Guard Officer's words as polite remarks or as an order to obey.
Winters was somewhat accustomed to this. He cleared his throat and ordered in a deep voice, "Soldier, stand at attention!"
