#alkka's early views of Shadow Company and 141 are so special to me

[warborn-tragedy]

It's the way Alkka is susceptible to a very black and white line of thinking as a result of her upbringing, even as she's working to try and get past that. How, in her mind, strangers are enemies and compatriots are temporary allies to guard against; but trusted allies deserve nothing less than full, unquestioning devotion and loyalty. How she's only recently begun to detangle 'fear' from 'respect' and how the first manifestation of that concept may have been at Las Almas.

Graves wasn't an ally yet, just a new hand holding the leash in her eyes, even if she was the one to hand over control to begin with. Throughout Shadow Company's presence in Las Almas, she was forming her own private, independent opinion of the company and Graves' command while simultaneously not allowing herself to consider the moral implications of what was going on. It wasn't in her 'programming' so to speak. It's not something she allows herself, not even now.

But back to the 'separating fear from respect' thing. Because in a sense it's Ghost to 'blame' for this.

Alkka was never scared of him, or more accurately the rumors she heard of him while on the ground in Las Almas. But when he shot first, took that opportunity that her new 'commander' gave him? That was the first small 'push' for Alkka to realize that fear wasn't a prerequisite for respect, even to the smallest degree.

She still thinks the skull mask is stupid as fuck though. As if she isn't running around with what amounts to a heavily modified 'muzzle' as a face covering.