As Krem spoke, JW leaned up from his slouch and actually sat in his chair like a human being. The soldier had his full attention. He nodded at the mention of how Krem's mother had tried to guide him toward different things. JW had learned a lot about Krem in the past hour and now, as was unavoidable, he was going back over several of their previous encounters in his head. And being nothing but impressed.

JW always thought himself a coward. The only time he fought back was out of dumb animal fear and of course deeply rooted trauma. He'd never gone as far as Krem had gone to get what he wanted.

And what Krem had wanted was to be a soldier. He wanted to. He wasn't drafted like JW had assumed. He himself had lived in fear of the draft as a young man. By the time the story was through, JW's jaw was hanging open just so. Now was not the time to worry about his ego.

"That's incredible."