NOVEL FROG Chapter 59: Duties & Accolades
After being caught chatting, Crisis stayed completely silent as Indie eventually returned to the main topic and wrapped up her speech. Seeing that she had nothing more to say, Frost psyched himself up to step onto the stage and take over for Indie. Nobody was paying attention to her anymore, but as soon as he showed up, he garnered all the attention of a now ecstatic audience. And while he looked reluctant to speak, Indie insisted after seeing such a positive reaction from students and soldiers alike.
–With that said, I’d like to give the word to the man who made this next generation of soldiers possible. I’m sure he has lots to say to his students…– Indie announced theatrically, putting up a smile as Frost walked over to her position, wearing a smug grin on his face, yet letting out a sigh of boredom as she gave him the stage.
His sudden behavior change had caught his teammates’ attention, but since they were closer than the audience, they could clearly notice him struggling to comply with Indie’s request. He had no choice now that everyone’s eyes were on him, and while the audience looked eager to hear him speak, especially the trainees, he hesitated for a long moment to make a move. He thought about it, and to buy himself some time, he waved his hand briefly, which was all it took for everyone to cheer and applaud, and although he first remained indifferent about it, he quickly leaned into it.
–Yea, I… I’m proud of the trainees, you all did great…– Frost affirmed in a less than authentic manner as he stared awkwardly at his students, only to glance at Indie as she was encouraging him to keep going. But as the crowd erupted in cheers once again, he lost his train of thought and had already run out of things to say. Although he was praised, he noticed the audience was more eager to hear about the ceremony than him, so he wasted no time getting to the actual event started before people lost interest again.
–Right, now onto the important stuff!– Frost added with fake enthusiasm to get the audience going as the soldiers at the back of the courtyard received the signal and began marching to the stage. Frost quickly stepped aside, only to get a disapproving stare from Indie, who had to take charge again as she was handed the box with medals by one of the soldiers.
–Yes, I would like to call the students to step up and receive their medals…– Indie followed up while maintaining her composure and polite demeanor, even though Frost almost laughed at her face as he walked back to Crisis and began chatting. They didn’t get to sit back and do nothing, though; they had to step onto the stage to help with the medals while Indie called each student to the stage.
The trainees were left confused by Frost’s extremely short statement and watched in confusion as the event continued like normal. But before they got a chance to question it or discuss it with their peers, Indie began calling names in rapid succession. Each student had to walk over to the stage, where they would be grouped up into a row of five before they received their medals at the same time. It seemed like Indie had used most of the available time in her speech and was now hurrying up the process of the actual awards. But as the students were excited to be acclaimed, just like Scott got his spotlight last night, the speedy process worked in their favor.
However, the trainees got very little time on the stage. They walked up and shook hands with some of Crisis’s members; a soldier handed a medal to Indie for her to put around their necks; the audience clapped; and with brief words from Frost that barely counted as acknowledgment, they moved on to the next group. The students’ excitement slowly faded after seeing how underwhelming their accolades were, though they still received shiny medals, so they all returned to their tables satisfied.
Scott’s table watched in amusement as their classmates got awarded, but once they approached the last students on the list, Zoey, Ace, Chappy, and Scott grew concerned since they hadn’t been called yet. They looked around in confusion and noticed Shade hadn’t been awarded, despite everyone else having received their medals, even the ones that weren’t up to the standards set by the others. Scott’s friends kept ignoring it as they remained on the edge of their seats, waiting to be called. But before any of them got the chance to walk to the stage, the medal box had been taken away. There were still medals left, but now that Indie was stepping forward to speak again, Scott’s group could only listen anxiously in hopes of an explanation.
–Now, may I please have your attention again? I have something else to announce, it is of utmost importance…– Indie announced after hurrying up the soldiers to get off the stage. With everyone focusing on her again and even the students leaving their medals alone to pay attention, Indie built some suspense as she prepared to speak once again, but this time, she didn’t have a piece of paper to read from.
–As most of you already know, we are currently in a war. You may not have noticed lately because we have been refraining from participating for a few weeks, but we continue to play a part in the fight by helping our allies in any way we can…– Indie stated, keeping her cool demeanor but being much more straightforward with the audience. Even the higher-ranking soldiers remained alert as the change of topic caught their attention. While they looked forward to hearing more, the students were ready to leave with their medals and not participate in whatever Indie was talking about anymore. However, they had no way to go, and while they were scared of what to expect, they stayed quiet as Indie elaborated.
–It’s our duty to continue providing for our fellow soldiers, which means collaborating with other states to ensure unity and harmony. That’s why we have worked together, we have shared our resources with them, and… We have faced many of our enemies together, resulting in various losses from both sides…– Indie continued, taking some brief pauses to look back at her teammates as her character began to show some cracks of remorse and affliction that she shared with Crisis, catching the students off guard, with some distraught to hear about such a heavy matter.
All of a sudden, Indie became quiet and apprehensive about continuing speaking. The audience was left confused; uncertainty arose among them, and while some seemed to understand why, most of the soldiers couldn’t comprehend what was going on with Indie. The longer she stayed silent, the less determined she became to speak in front of everyone.
Even when she looked up at Snake on the balcony, she ignored the nod he gave him as she stared distantly at Crisis. But as much as her attitude worried the team, Frost joined her on the stage and stood right next to her for support, with the rest of the squad doing the same shortly after. Indie still took her time to collect her thoughts, but now that all of her teammates were backing her up, she went right back to making a seemingly big announcement.
–But now… Now, our allies need us more than ever. They need our power to bring our enemies down once and for all. They are going to strike soon, and we have to be ready for that moment to strike back…– Indie declared firmly, speaking with resolve despite visibly doubting her words. Regardless, her statement was met with great surprise and excitement from the audience, and while she waited for them to take it in, she glanced back at her team. Crisis looked just as surprised, but Indie looked specifically at Frost, who stared at her with a deadpan face, but at the same time, he nodded subtly to let her reveal the main subject of her announcement.
–That’s why the main squad representing the New Saviors has been called to action…– Indie disclosed in a collected manner, still giving the audience a tiny, satisfied, even cheerful smile as the soldiers rejoiced. The students watched in awe as everyone around them celebrated, and even though they appeared to be clueless, they couldn’t help but get excited as well.
–Yes, we have been tasked with providing support for what is believed to be a key vantage point. It’s a bit far from here, but close enough for our allies in the nearby regions to help us in case we needed it– Indie followed up, now back to her usual demeanor, though not many people were paying full attention to her as they were overjoyed to hear that Crisis was finally returning to fight in the war. And of course, even her own teammates couldn’t believe it and cheered behind her back, with Frost having to control them as Indie still had more to say.
–But that’s not all… We have been asked to bring the fifteen best soldiers in our brigade, so we are also taking eight other members with us…– Indie added with pride, causing even more shock and furor, especially among the higher-ranked soldiers. Cookie and his buddies freaked out and began celebrating loudly, though they were ordered to calm Snake as he was right next to them. But even the commander dropped his austere demeanor as he cracked a smile, prompting the soldiers around them to keep celebrating quietly.
But as Indie waited for the commotion to settle down, she took a moment to think of what to say next. Crisis was too distracted enjoying their moment to notice her change in expression, but Frost became concerned and suspicious when he saw Indie subtly glancing at him. She was no longer seeking support like before, now it looked more like a warning in the way her doubt came back. But with him quickly realizing what she was implying and not showing much aversion, Indie proceeded to look directly at Scott’s table, sparking curiosity and anxiety at the same time.
–We are still discussing which soldiers will join us… But five of those are the best students in the training program. They know who they are… Please come forth onto the stage to receive your award…– Indie declared with an enthralling stare, directed at the students she was referring to as she invited them courteously to the stake. The entire class looked around frantically to see which were the lucky trainees that had been picked, but they were not too surprised when they turned out to be the only ones without a medal.
At first, Scott and his friends were caught off guard. They looked at each other in disbelief, almost dismissing Indie as they looked right at them. But as she kept her eyes on them, they soon realized she was being serious and began panicking. Being the center of attention, they tried to hold their excitement, with Scott taking the lead as he was more confident. But as Chappy, Ace, and Zoey couldn’t handle so much attention, they took their time walking over to the stage, as they were showered with praise and cheers from pretty much everyone.
The group remained humble, but after seeing that even the soldiers were applauding them, they began whispering to each other and hyping themselves up. While some students looked jealous, they had to give some credit to their superior classmates, at least Ace, Zoey, and Scott, since Chappy only got good grades and outstanding performances in games thanks to his friends. But as they thanked their classmates on their way to the big stage, they noticed that one other student was missing. It was only when they reached the stage and turned around to look at the audience that they saw Shade walking over to them with a cocky expression.
The group’s excitement was instantly killed by Shade’s presence, and while they didn’t have to deal with his arrogance as he composed himself around Frost and Indie, they certainly didn’t want to stand next to him. They were still forced to group up to receive their medals, but as Shade was the first and only received a few cheers from the class, Scott, Zoey, Ace, and Chappy enjoyed their moment despite being extremely nervous. Zoey teared up with joy, with her friends sharing a similar sentiment. But while they were all joyous and incredibly thankful, the fact that they received slightly bigger and shinier medals than the other students boosted their egos.
They also got more time to interact with their teacher, even if Frost didn’t seem willing to. They each shook his hand for a good second so all five of them could have their little moment of fame. And while everyone seemed excited to receive his respect, Scott tensed up as soon as Frost approached him. He reluctantly extended his hand, and while he couldn’t hide his anxiety, Frost put up a friendly front and just laughed at his reaction, though he made sure to instill more fear in him with a menacing grin that only he could see. But after they were all commended and officially recognized as soldiers, Frost let the five students enjoy more praise before taking the stage.
–Congratulations, you were honestly the only ones that were fit for this role…– Frost praised with a bit of sarcasm, getting a couple of laughs from the soldiers above, which drew attention away from him as he turned genuinely disappointed and uninterested. But to make up for his backhanded compliment, Indie made sure to show her full support and admiration to the students, even Scott, who remained nervous and smiled awkwardly when she gave him a polite gesture.
–Thank you for your outstanding work, I hope you are ready for a real mission…– Indie added in a heartfelt and encouraging manner that got the students to smile proudly. But as they were ordered to leave the stage, Chappy and Ace waited for Shade to walk first after teasing him, and with the audience still applauding, they got to return to their tables like true idols.
–Give it up for the rookies!– Frost exclaimed vibrantly, yet somewhat indifferent, as he immediately disappeared after the rookies left the stage. He did unleash another wave of cheers for his students to enjoy, allowing Ace, Chappy, Shade, Zoey, and Scott to brag triumphantly to their classmates. The latter two hid behind the others to share a brief kiss, clicking their medals to express the same adoration they were receiving from everyone for each other, except with extra love and affection.
With all of the students now being awarded, the ceremony officially ended as all the soldiers left the courtyard, leaving the rookies to continue celebrating as they were served breakfast. The others resumed their duties and returned to their daily routine, with Snake and Viper heading back to the office, and Cookie’s group going to the barracks but then joining Scott’s friends at the courtyard to congratulate them. The stage and decoration were cleared by the same soldiers assigned to set it up, and while Crisis helped them a bit, they began chatting outside the lunchroom, having to wait for both courtyards to be cleared as the base was a complete mess after last night.
Crisis eventually made their way up to their private lounge, but as they headed to the second floor, Indie excused herself and returned to the courtyard. Her teammates didn’t pay much attention to it, even though Frost looked at her suspiciously. But with them not around, she began searching for someone in the courtyard, where most students were about to finish breakfast by now. With some of them leaving, Indie struggled to find the table she was looking for, but once she did, she calmly walked over to it while trying to blend in.
Scott and his friends were talking and joking around as they enjoyed their breakfast and flaunted their medals. They noticed Cookie and some of his friends coming over, but as they focused solely on him, they were surprised to see Indie appear next to them, specifically right behind Scott. Turning slowly, seemingly frightened by the figure behind him, Scott met Indie’s eyes looking down on him while he tried to get a last bite of his sandwich. He tensed up as his friends stayed completely quiet, even when Cookie joined them, as his usual playful nature was absent around Indie. The situation became awkward as Scott and Indie just stared at each other, with the former being too nervous to even move, prompting Indie to speak first after trying to greet his friends.
–Sorry for interrupting, but could I have you for a moment?– Indie asked in a friendly tone on top of her usual cordial demeanor, which caught Scott off guard as she was seemingly addressing him like a friend. The rest of the table looked just as confused as him but found it a bit amusing, except Zoey, who stared at Indie skeptically after she approached Scott out of nowhere. She was about to step in since Scott couldn’t form any words and was unable to say no. But before she could step in, he began nodding nervously and stood up to follow Indie as she started walking back the way she came from.