Daxten couldn't help but stare at the dragon standing across from him. He'd seen quite a bit of dragons in Ketra, but he'd never seen one up close and personal, let alone one that would be his partner. He'd held no aspirations to become a dragon rider, and yet, here he was, by fate or fortune, he didn't know. He stiffened when Commander Searys joined them, and he glanced quickly between the commander and Azalea, as if he couldn't quite believe the commander was serious about this.
But she was, and as she explained Azalea's situation, Daxten couldn't help but see a certain similarity between his situation and hers. If they both failed, they would both be discharged and sent packing, whether they wanted to be sent packing or not. Turning his attention back to Azalea and Azalea alone, he saw her avert her gaze and shuffle her wings, and knew she was embarrassed. He could commiserate, after a fashion. What he felt about his first - and last - mission was far too complicated to pare down into separate feelings. It was just a jumble of knotted depression, anger, hatred, self-loathing, sadness, fear, and a number of others he couldn't name, unable to be picked apart neatly.
When Commander Searys clapped him on the shoulder, Daxten jumped slightly, and recoiled from her touch. Somehow he managed to stop himself from lashing out at her, as he'd done on numerous occasions before when someone tried to touch him, and instead only clenched his fists and pressed them into his thighs, leaning away from her.
But he couldn't escape her, not when she bent and whispered into his ear, "Your last mission damaged you, but not beyond repair. You have to want this, Daxten. If you fail here... your last mission will be all that's remembered about you. Do you really want that?"
Then the commander was gone, and Daxten was alone with Azalea.
He tensed a little when she spoke, but it was just a simple greeting rather than some sort of tirade. He slowly relaxed, and took a few hesitant steps toward Azalea. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do now, but the commander had made it clear that she expected to see them in the training yard at noon.
"Hi," Daxten replied, standing before Azalea with his hands at his sides. "So... uh... I guess... we're going to be partners."