The smell of grilling meat filled the air as the quartet of cadets sat around the beach-side table, lounging in the chairs beneath the shade of the parasol covering them. In the distance, Aunt Tii and her cooks were hard at work preparing their lunchtime meal. The four of them sat together, discussing the happenings of the day quite animatedly. 

One was a female shetona; a rabbit-like race of people.  She had short-cropped auburn hair and vivid golden eyes that seemed to see everything at once. This was Tlapixqui, but everyone called her 'Pixie' for short.  She was tall and lanky, but superbly skilled with a rifle which she'd learned to use at an early age in her small town out in Yyasulani. Pixie was their scout and sniper, but she was renown for her short temper and her ability to be easily provoked. More than once since they'd started their training had Pixie been sent to the Staff Sergeant for discipline. She'd probably spent more days doing kitchen duty than their entire squadron combined and everyone spent a sennight doing kitchen duty on rotation.

"You really need to stop letting Yohua get the better of you."  This was said by Atlan, a tonawawta; a typical humanoid with blond hair and blue eyes.  He was born a fisherman's son from a village along the river in Kozama'uka.  He was good with a spear due to using it for spear-fishing, but that was about it.  He was known to be affable and something of a class clown, but deep down he just liked to help people. "Just ignore him when he starts talking shite to you."

"Oh, come on! If she does that, then Yohua will never leave her alone, because he knows he'll have a cornered target!" Argued Iczo, a lean and fast hhetsarro, cat-like people from the wilds of Shaaloani.  He had trained long with the Vipers of Tural before he was chosen to join the Landsguard. His twinfangs gleamed in their sheaths at his back, he was quite proud of his achievements thusfar for a man so young. It tended to make him reckless and cocky. "She should just kick his arse around a few times, then that'll signal to him and everyone else to leave her well enough alone."  His dark blue-black hair fell into his teal-colored eyes, he swept it back with an irritated hand.

Xochitl sat looking at her three comrades, not her squadron -- at least not yet -- but friends she'd made since she'd arrived in Tuliyollal some sennights ago. Her ears flicked back and forth as she listened to their argument, the xbr'aal always the last to speak in these debates they had. She tended to listen to all sides before making her own assessment. "Has anyone actually tried talking to Yohua?  Not everything should be solved with a fist, but letting him continue to bully you cannot stand."

The three of them turned their heads almost in unison to regard the xbr'aali woman; hers were a race of people that resembled large cats.  Some resembled lions, others panthers, whereas she herself resembled a white tiger.  Her silver eyes were made all the more remarkable by the flecks of lighter silver that made it look like they had a smattering of stars within them. Yet, always, there was a keen sharpness of intelligence and cunning.  She was tall, muscular but not overly so.  Sergeant Major Painalli had insisted she learn the longsword and shield, rather than her typical spear and shield that she'd learned hunting in the jungles her home province of Yak T'el.  She could be intimidating if she chose, but she did not choose so now.

"What?" She asked, lifting her arms in a small shrug as all three sets of eyes landed squarely on her. "Diplomacy is a perfectly viable strategy when dealing with conflict!"

Iczo rolled his eyes, barking out a derisive laugh. "Oh, please. You've been listening to Lieutenant Nezhui too much, all her talk about talking things through and trying to understand the enemy before you engage them. Bullies like Yohua don't need understanding, they need a good arse-kicking!" The hhetsarro slammed his fist on the table for emphasis, which made Pixie startle a bit before glaring at him. 

"Maybe we should listen to Xochitl," Pixie huffed Iczo's direction. "Vidraal only know that I've tried everything else from avoiding Yohua completely to threatening him. I just haven't fought him yet because Staff Sergeant Tenoch said if I got into another fight I'd have to spend a moon in solitary confinement."

Atlan shrugged a moment, but let out a bellow of joy as a server brought around a mighty platter of tacos to the table. Their lunch! To go along with it were several mugs of fruit punch, since the cadets weren't allow any sort of alcohol while in training. The broad-shouldered man picked up one taco in each hand, biting into the one in his right. "There has to be something Yohua wants or something we can give him to convince him to lay off you, Pix." 

Iczo threw his hands up in lamentation, rolling his eyes again. "By every vidraal, now we're bribing him to leave her alone? That's just asking for him to continue to harass her just so he can keep lining his pockets.  I'm telling you, one good beating will serve him right, then maybe he'll rethink his bullying ways."

Xochitl squinted over at the hhetsarro. "If you keep rolling your eyes like that, they're going to get stuck in your head that way." She teased him. Looking around at the three of them, the tigress reached to the platter to pluck out a taco before Atlan ate them all. He was already on his third, having eaten the first two. "Yohua just got here, what, two sennights ago?  He hasn't made any friends, all he does is threaten everyone.  I'm sure he's scared and unsure of where he stands in the grand scheme of things.  I'm not even sure he wants to be here.  Vidraal only know he doesn't apply himself in his weapons-work and he's pretty dismal at learning any of the regulations or rules."  The xbr'aal's silvered gaze went to Pixie, regarding the shetona for a long moment. "Why haven't you reported Yohua's behavior to the upper echelons, Pixie?"

The hare-maiden sighed, running a hand through her short-cropped hair and over her long ears. "Lieutenant Nezhui teaches us that we should try to assess and understand a situation before we jump in.  That we should try to diffuse a situation before we resort to violence.  This is how we're supposed to deal with people, when we finally get to go out on patrol. How would it look to her if I go running to the higher ups just because of one bully?  Maybe they won't assign me to a squadron at all.  If I can't deal with my own problems, how am I supposed to help the people with theirs?"

It was an understandable concern, even Xochitl could see that. Giving a small nod, the xbr'aali woman flicked her tail back and forth as she gave it some due thought. "Well, why don't we work together as a team then? Everyone gets along with Atlan, he can try and talk to Yohua first, maybe invite him out to lunch with us. I can try and initiate a conversation on why he hasn't made any friends, if we can understand why he's being isolated, maybe we can find a way to solve it.  If we solve that, then maybe he'll be less angry and prone to lashing out." Xochitl quirked a wry grin at the end, looking over at Izco. "If none of that works, then Izco can threaten to eviscerate him the next time he has a go at you."

Pixie sighed, reaching for a taco. Atlan had eaten almost half of the whole platter already. "I'll think on it. Now let's eat before Atlan leaves nothing for the rest of us."

The quartet burst out laughing, all of them plying the plate of tacos to sate their noon-tide hunger. There would be time later to plan and carry out their plot against Yohua.  For now, it was time for food, friendship, and continuing to build on their budding camaraderie.