TWLPOD 1

Pierce Central Center, Dormitory Room 5101. Returning from the front lines after nearly a month, Aran entered his quarters and immediately began unbuttoning his uniform. The uniform, more akin to armor than clothing, was made of heavy, durable materials that weighed him down. He stripped off his blood-stained boots, gloves, coat, vest, turtleneck, pants, and undergarments, leaving himself completely bare before sinking slowly into a bathtub filled with steaming water.

“…”

Submerged, he let the accumulated tension and fatigue melt away. Floating in silence, savoring his disconnection from the world, he was jolted awake by the sound of footsteps.

“Aran! I heard you’re back! Where you at?”

A frantic voice shattered the peace, and the bathroom door swung open without so much as a knock. Aran, surfacing from the water, looked at Jude, whose face was lit up with a wide grin, and said,

“I’m in the middle of a bath.”
“No shit, I can see that. Yo, big news.”