Mallet nearly leapt out of his skin.
Process of elimination, combined with previous conversations about vents, helped him realize that it was probably Tumbler. He seemed like a kind soul, if not a bit oblivious sometimes, and Mallet was really looking forward to getting to know his ori'vod. But now, with his composure hanging on by a thread, the shock of Tumbler's entrance smashed down the walls he'd so hastily thrown up.
The tears started rolling down Mallet's face faster than he could stop them.
As soon as he saw that the barracks were miraculously empty, Mallet stumbled in and nearly collapsed onto his bunk. His hands, which he'd forced to be steady for the last half hour, started trembling.
Of all the senators he'd had to run into during his patrol of the Senate building, it had to be Orn Free Ta.
He yanked off his bucket and put his head in his hands. As he tried to breathe, Mallet decided that it was better not to say anything. It had barely been a week since he'd joined the Corrie Guard. He was sure that his ori'vode had dealt with much worse over the past two years. The least he could do was keep to himself, since it wasn't an emergency.