The canvas sagged under the weight of water pooling in its seams, groaning with each new burst of rain. Mud had long since swallowed the paths between tents, turning them into sluggish brown rivers that carried away scraps of bandages, crushed cigarette butts, and the occasional rusted bullet casing. Somewhere in the distance, a loose metal pole clanged against its neighbor with a hollow, irregular rhythm—no one cared enough to silence it.

Turner's footprints cut deeper than most, his boots leaving trenches behind as he hauled the newcomers through camp. The men didn’t stare outright—they were too disciplined for that—but shoulders stiffened as they passed, hands pausing mid-motion over card games or rifle cleaning. A few exchanged glances, but no one spoke. The air smelled of wet wool and gun oil.

Their presences were a tear in the fabric of things, an intrusion into the unspoken rhythm of mud and exhaustion they’d all learned to move through.

Turner: "This is Anna Rosewood and Mina Briggs. Davis tells me they're gonna be fighting with us for.. however long this war goes on for. Be civil. That goes for everybody. I'll be back in 10. Don't go anywhere, don't kill each other."

Turner explained, his tone stern but not harsh. He didn't wait for a response before turning and disappearing into the command tent to discuss operations with Colonel Davis, leaving the others alone with Anna and Mina.

Daniels exhaled sharply through his nose, his breath misting in the cold air. His knuckles whitened where they gripped his folded arms, but he gave a curt nod—more of a jerk of the chin than anything—before stepping aside to let them pass. Zussman gave a polite smile but had no idea what to say or do. Stiles stayed quiet, glancing around to see if anyone else was seeing the same thing. Howard minded his own business, keeping the professional demeanour. Perez seemed a little disgruntled but not enough to verbalise it. Aiello, the Italian-American rube, just scoffed–he was gonna be verbal about whatever he was feeling, offensive or not. Pierson was the first to speak.

Pierson: "First things first. You guys ever fired a gun before, or do we gotta teach you that too?"