Gianna

Those who hand their soul over to an institution and swear their service, who walk around with a blank stare and thrive in combat without the compassion to hinder their performance. Men who are robotic, unnatural and someone would say inhuman.

Other soldiers deign to talk to them, claiming superiority because it's less vulnerable than admitting fear.

There's no mistaking a soulless. The bleak emptiness in their eyes, the monotonous voice that sets them apart from others. They're husks, shells of what was once human and is now a wind-up doll in the hands of the military.

Many contemplate why one would give up their soul. Perhaps a depressive state, perhaps it's easier to take the life of another when you lack the feeling of one inside of you. No matter the cause, very few can comprehend handing their life away so willingly.

Alejandro used to live in fear of the soulless. The way their every glance felt like a bucket of ice water dumped down his back. The inability to hold personal conversation for a lack of care. The belief that a man with no soul cannot be human like him.

Rudy changed that.

Rodolfo Parra was not the first soulless that Alejandro ever met, but he was the first Alejandro ever spoke to.

He adores Rudy as much as one can care for someone who cannot reciprocate such a feeling.

Years spent with the man have changed them both for the better. Alejandro is no longer the fearful man he once was, and Rudy has someone in his corner.

When spoken to, Rudy will blink at someone before formulating an answer. He takes the time to process his response and prepare a delivery that's the least likely to unnerve his company. If he is unsure, he'll look to Alejandro, and he'll help the man without complaint.

Rudy picked up his mannerisms through watching him, and Alejandro can read him better than most. The roll of his eyes is overdramatic; he can't replicate the natural annoyance of the people around him, but it's a clear, unspoken "Fucking idiot," which the colonel enjoys immensely. The tremor-like jerk of his shoulders is a shrug, not for lack of knowing but because he doesn't wish to continue the conversation he's a part of anymore. When he nods, it's abrupt, erratic, but it's an attempt.

He tenses whenever Alejandro slings an arm around his shoulders because the sudden contact is startling, yet he'll relax into the contact after a second or two. Not because he feels any comfort from it, but because he's aware that it calms Alejandro when he mimics the human need for touch.

Nicknames are a concept that had to be taught. Before he was a man of service, he was merely Rodolfo. Upon regarding him as Rudy, he stared vacantly at Alejandro in silence. It had been a nauseating experience, explaining to someone that nicknames implied familiarity, that they implied friendship. Often, is the colonel haunted by the prosaic sound of Rodolfo's voice as he stated, "People lacking souls aren't capable of friendship." Years later, Alejandro will still retort, "Well, you're my friend, and that's my decision." He doesn't know if Rudy believes so, if Rudy is capable of believing so.

A body is just a body to someone soulless. Nudity isn't sexual, nor is it embarrassing. They do not feel attraction, and they cannot comprehend receiving it. The few people who dare to approach Rudy and flirt with the man are met with disinterest and a complete lack of willingness to participate in conversation with them. Alejandro would almost feel bad if his suitors didn't always respond with verbal or physical abuse.

While others frequently question Alejandro for his closeness to someone who cannot feel, the safety of having a soulless as his SOC, Rudy is the only man Alejandro would want by his side.

Not only because of the fondness he harbours for Rodolfo Parra, but for the moments that leave him fighting to remain professional. Like when someone dares to ask, "Hey, Parra, any advice on shooting?"

WHY is the fucking AIR out here TOUCHING ME

Think about it. In real life, the person that's bottling up all their emotions is not the one that's brooding in the corner and snaps at you for trying to befriend them. More often than not, it's that friendly person in your circle who makes easy conversation with you, laughs with you, and listens and gives advice whenever you're upset. But you never see them upset, in fact they seem to have endless patience for you and everything around them—and so you call them their friend, you trust them. And only after months of telling them all your secrets do you realize…