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Attempt number two. Ever since the night of the Kraken attack Cam had been trying to come up with a way to see Vega again. Oh sure stopping by her mom's shop for a coffee was cool, it gave them a chance to hang out outside of drill and training but he really did want to get to know her a little better. She was nice and he felt like he could be himself around her which was something that was fairly rare back at the barracks. He also felt a little bad that the Kraken had messed things up for them that first time. Granted he had gotten to fight beside her and that had worked out well but he hated that they didn't have more time to just have some fun.

That was going to be changing tonight. He had been dealing with reports and disciplinary actions all week and he could use a break. That the break included Vega just went to show how well he got along with the girl as normally he preferred to spend his R&R time alone but the Favonius girl definitely had an easy going attitude that was refreshing and for once he thought he would change things up a little. He had spent enough time dealing with the legion's rules and red tape. It was time to pull a little rank and get Vega for a night on the town and he wasn't talking Rome.

First though he needed to stop by the cafe to pick her up. Granted this was a bit spontaneous so there was a chance she wouldn't be there but Cam had found if she wasn't at the barracks and wasn't with her friends he had a pretty good shot at tracking her down at her mom's place. That said he hoped she didn't have any plans or this idea was going to have to wait. Popping inside the cafe he glanced around and waved to Vega's mom. "Hey Ms. S. Is Vega here. I was wanting to ask her something."

Vega Starling

Vega was working today. That was good. If they were under attack he was going to need all the help he could get without his soldiers at his back. He was just thankful that he always remembered to pack his imperial gold sword so he at least had a way to defend himself. Judging by the bag that Vega grabbed before pulling him outside he figured she had her armor and weapons too.

Cam nodded to her as she grabbed him. There was no time to explain or really even say hi. This was serious but they didn't know how serious until they got outside. Even here in New Rome they could see the massive beast and it looked vicious. "Gods, what is that thing?" He asked the girl beside her not really expecting an answer. "It must be attacking the camp. You got your mace in there?" The legion was probably already organizing but they were going to have to find a way to fight from this front by themselves. "We need to get back to camp. Maybe we can figure out a way to attack that thing from behind as we go but it's going to be tough. Are you with me?"

"You probably don't want to hear me sing." He chuckled out at her high school musical comment. "But thanks for thinking of me so highly." He caught the hushed tone and decided it was probably best to let the mundane comment go. It wasn't all about the glory and honor. He didn't have to have some spectacular life up on a Roman pedestal. Was that mundane? Maybe but she didn't know everything about him yet.

He was kind of impressed that she knew about his position though. Most girls didn't take an interest in that sort of thing but something told him that Vega wasn't one of those girls. "I think you've got the idea." He said as his grin grew a little wider and he took a sip of his coffee which was still quite good despite him forgetting about it for a bit. "I'll take you to a game sometime if you want. Maybe then you can see we're not all meat heads." The Legion didn't have to be your life even if you were serving in it. Describing it was kind of hard but perhaps seeing that not everything had to be about Rome would help. Besides, she might like that.

“And here I thought we were trying to avoid your mother’s stories.” He said conspiratorially. He wasn't looking for any handouts coming here and he certainly wasn't looking for war stories but if he hadn't learned it already he could see that Vega was getting a tired of hearing them. Life here wasn't exactly what she wanted for herself but that didn't mean it had to all be bad. Maybe he could show her that. "Come on. I'll walk you to drill and if you're feeling up to it you can tell me more about how mundane I am." With that he gave her an inviting nod and led the way for the door.

Cam honestly considered what she said. He had never really thought about things that way but he could see where she was coming from. Still, this was what he knew. He was good at it. He wanted to help defend New Rome not for the glory that it could bring and not really because his commanders where telling him too. He supposed that kind of attitude was pretty common among the higher ups but it wasn't. Vega did have a valid point in all this but she was missing one thing. He really did have honest motives.

"I want to do a lot of things. I want to play college football. I want to study physical therapy, maybe some medicine. I want to go places and see things that few get the chance to see. But," He said with a small note of emphasis. "I do want to continue to serve while I can." He paused and considered her for a moment. She seemed to think that by serving here she was giving up on some of her own dreams and maybe that was true that. Maybe the legion wasn't for her but if that was the case she could serve her time and then pursue her own goals and aspirations like everyone else. "I don't think I have to give up any of those things just because I serve." He said honestly. Cam saw the legion as more than just a place to fight and maybe that was what drove him. "For me I've just found something more important to me than just pleasing myself. It doesn't mean that's wrong or that I don't take time to do the things that I enjoy like long jogs, sports, or even listening to music. It just means that I've found more here than pointless bloodshed." He grinned at her before continuing. "Surely you don't think legion is just a machine to wage needless wars. That's kind of a dehumanizing viewpoint don't you think?"

Cam chuckled. He had expected as much from this one. She certainly wore the look of someone who got tired of all the background work and politics that was behind the legion. Admittedly Cameron couldn't really get into it much himself but he could understand how it was important. Some people really bought into the whole idea of things being hereditary and having a name that stretched back hundreds or thousands of years was something they were proud of. He had even seen it on some of the football teams he had played on in the past. Legacy was important. It gave people something to fight for and inspired them to do better. It wasn't everything though and it wouldn't make someone a better soldier or help them survive when times got hard. There were some in the legion who could stand to remember that.

Voice turning a little thoughtful for a moment Cam was very careful in how he responded hoping that she would at least keep an open mind about what he said next. He wasn't trying to scold her after all. "That's a pretty grim outlook on things there Vega, to not have any concern for the future. Why else would we be doing all this if not?" His tone softened again and his smile returned. "Or maybe you have greater aspirations than just being a career soldier? The best café owner in New Rome maybe?"

Cameron smirked at her when she laughed. Apparently he had hit pretty close to home with his comment about getting away from the barracks. That was fine. No one could be focused on their duties all the time, not even him. Granted his off time was generally spent in New Rome exclusively but it usually offered all the distraction that he either wanted or could afford with his duties. Besides, he did like it here most of the time.

What she said next made the smirk fall away from his face however. "I'm afraid legion rules prohibit an officer from accepting hands outs." He said seriously. "It might start a rumor that the Centurions can be bribed." He held his rigid stance for a moment longer but eventually he relaxed letting his face return to his easy grin so that she would know he was only kidding. "Of course if I ate them here before you started getting busy in sure no one would find out. I'm Cameron, eh Cam, one of the Centurions of the Second. It's nice to meet you Vega."

Early mornings in New Rome were the best time to take a jog. Cam liked getting out this early before his day could get really busy with all of the requirements of commanding the second cohort. It was also nice to just explore the roman streets. It wasn’t often you could catch New Rome before things really got busy and the streets got crowded but every once in a while you could have a good day like today to just jog and enjoy a few minutes alone. That being said he should probably pick up some breakfast and start heading back to the barracks at some point.

Slowing to a cool off speed Cam began looking around to see what shops would be open this early. Not many for sure but maybe a nice café. He was in New Rome after all, might as well enjoy the specialties. Cam walked for a few minutes and was about to give up when a small shop caught his eye as someone flipped the sign from closed to open. ’Good enough for me.’

Cam wasted no time in heading over and letting himself inside. The place wasn’t that busy but that was probably normal for his time of day. That being the case he glanced up at the menu and then stepped up to the counter to place his order. “I’ll have a macchiato and a blueberry bagel.” He said to the barista and then turned to examine his surroundings after he had paid. There was one other patron this morning sitting off to the side by herself. Cam thought that he recognized her dimly and that most likely meant she was a legionnaire. As for himself the tank top he was wearing displayed his legion tattoos and rank plainly. It didn’t really matter of course but it made it a little difficult to sneak around. Giving the girl a nod Cam spoke. “I see I’m not the only one who likes getting away from the barracks early. Morning.”