"Good," Stryker said, as Caesar took his seat. "With formalities out of the wau, let us begin this one's Summit and Approval of Initiation Ceremony. First up on the agenda tonight is the picking of duty. Austin, have you made a decision on what duty you wish to pursue here?"
The question did not really surprise him, but that was probably because he had been expecting it. Afterall, he had been thinking about what duty he would perform.
He could be a Wipper and clean things, doing maintenance around this place, but did he want to be something so mediocre? A prepper seemed like a pretty vital job here, but he didn't know how to cook. Herders and Gatherers were also job options Austin could use. To work with the animals in the Barnes or in the Garden, picking crops — It would definitely keep him busy as long as he were in this place. Becoming a bandager was out of question, considering he didn't have healing powers like Cleo.
But, when he looked at Aaroon, he remembered the offer the other boy had given him earlier, he realized that if he chose to be a scouter then he could really make a difference, and help find a way out.
'Remember what the boy said before,' the Voice suddenly returned, causing Austin to slightly flinch, which to Austin's obliviousness, caught Reya's attention, as she raised her brow, her head tilting to the side slightly. 'Scouting is the most dangerous duty here. Are you sure you want to do it? Are you sure you're ready for the danger of what awaits you if you choose this path?'
Instead of answering, Austin looked to Stryker and the others sitting at the semi-round, wooden table before him. He sensed the curious gaze from Stryker and Aaroon and the slight interest and curiosity of Reya, and the obvious distaste and distrust from Caesar, who's glare was piercing. Atlanna seemed more or less there just to be there and Cleo radiated a kind of anxious energy, as if she, too, could sense the atmosphere around them and wanted to be anywhere but there. He didn't know why he said what he said but Austin continued with "I know you guys had issues with the last person who wore the same crest as I had on my jacket when you found me, but I'm not her. I'm not here to harm anyone — Hell, I'm only now fully grasped where here is.
"But i do want to escape this place, and to do my part in that, I know what I'm choosing. I want to be a scout, and train under Aaroon."
This caused various reactions from his audience. Stryker had an expression that looked somewhere between amusement and respect. Reya looked slightly more intrigued with Austin, her eyebrows raised once more, this time a bit higher. Cleo and Alyssa seemed mostly taken aback by Austin's decision, both looking shocked, mouths slightly open, speechless. Caesar, for some reason, seemed very upset by Austin's words, though it was hard to tell, considering he'd been giving Austin the stinky eye since he'd walked in.
'No, it was deeper than just upset,' Austin realised. Was that rage? No, it was envy? Mad at Austin for choosing to be a scout? All of the above? Honestly, Austin couldn't have figured it out at the moment, but he saw a kind of madness in Caesar's eyes that had Austin make a mental note to avoid the guy,
Only Aaroon seemed enlightened by Austin's decision. He was grinning wildly.
That was before all hell broke out of course.
"No, I'm not okay with this," Caesar stated his position. "Newbies shouldn't be allowed to be a scout when they first join us. That takes time, especially what happened to Jackson yesterday, after we found this guy."
Something told Austin that that was not the real reason why Caesar didn't want Austin be a scout.
"Newbie, do you realize what it is exactly to be a part of?" Alyssa asked, her voice like honeysuckles, but something about it seemed condescending."Scouting is the most dangerous duty here one can choose from, newb. A newb like you would not survive the trials, let alone become a scout!"
As everyone criticized Austin, Austin would suddenly realise how silent everyone had gotten when Stryker raised a hand up to quiet down. 'The guy's definitely the leader,' he thought to himself.
"Whether or not Austin becomes a scout is his decision to request, and all this about him not being strong enough to survive the trials t become a scout? Nonsense. He has survived ambush from three of the Bane Brothers. He's still breathing after such an encounter. He's not weak. Not just anyone can survive an encounter with those brutes."
This revelation sent a gasp of surprise amongst the the people at the table, as the only ones who had known about this was Stryker and Reya, who he had already told about this when he first woke up earlier that day. Amongst the murmurs were looks of surprise and curiosity. Even Caesar seemed slightly impressed, though he continued to maddog Austin from his seat. Reya only smirked a little, while Cleo seemed a bit concerned but more worried about getting out of this room. Alyssa did an impressive once over and Aaroon was just cheesing even more uncontrollably, though Austin had no idea why. Stryker, of course, ever the serious one and leader, only showed his admiration through the twinkle of his pupils. This all had Austin wondering if surviving that ambush yesterday was more significant than he initially thought.
"Now let us come to a verdict," Stryker looked to Reya. "Reya, you're up."
"I, Reya Ravenshade, lead Overseer, and second in-command to Meadows leader, Stryker Ravenshade," she raised her right hand, looking directly at Austin, her expression unreadable, the suspense of her decision like waiting for the results of an important test. "agree with Austin and support his request to obtain the duty of scouter."
As she took her seat, Austin realized he'd been holding in his breath the whole time she spoke. He thought to himself, 'Thank you Reya,' and could've sworn her expression had softened even though he hadn't spoke a word. He nodded at her; she nodded back.
Next up, Alyssa raised her right hand. "I Alyssa, Overseer of the Preppers and Wippers, deny newb Austin's request to obtain the duty of the scouter." While his feats against the Bane Brothers' ambush are quite impressive, after what happened to Jackson yesterday, I don't believe any newb needs to be in the Labyrinth anytime soon."
Austin sensed more to her reasoning, but said nothing.
As she sat down, Austin probably shouldn't have felt annoyed with her decision, but something told him she didn't make it out of concern for his safety. He couldn't help but feel a little underestimated.
"I, Cleo, lead Bandager," the girl said, raising her left hand, noticing her mistake, letting it down, before raising her right hand. "approve Austin's request to be a scout."
Next up Caesar stood up. "I, Caesar, 3rd oldest Overseer here, head of Gatherers and Herderers, deny this newb's request to become a scout.''
Naturally, he would deny Austin's request. He did not provide a reason why as he took his seat. Austin already knew they were gonna be enemies right then. But, when Aaroon stood, all eyes fell on him, as he would break the tie.
"I, Aaroon, 4th oldest Overseer," He raised his right hand. "Approve newb Austin's request to become a scout."
"Seeing as most of us here approve this newb's request to attain scout duty," Stryker grinned. "It's settled. Aaroon, should this newbie pass the Three Trials tomorrow, you may train him as your protege."
"Alright!" he exclaimed, a little to excited before correcting himself. "Um, sorry about that."
"I hereby finalize this Summit's choice of verdict," Stryker said, standing up. "Newbie Austin's Initiation is now finished. Now, let's go get somethin' to eat. I'm hungry."