He stepped towards her, his eyes scanning over her features. The balaclava did a good job of hiding her identity, but he could make out her slender build and delicate features.

He spoke in a quiet tone, his gaze steady. "You're Fields, I presume?"

"fields?" She asked him unaware of the nickname she was already given for how many different fields of the military she feated

Ghost's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her response. She didn't recognize the name "Fields"? He had assumed that she was aware of the nickname she had been given.

He studied her for a moment, trying to figure out how to continue the conversation. "Yes, I have a file on you," he said bluntly. "It lists a variety of different fields you've worked in, hence the nickname."

"oh.." she said in quiet realization

Ghost nodded, still studying her in silence for a moment. He could sense her uneasiness, her shoulders tense and her hands clenched into fists.

He took a step closer, his voice low and calm. "Is something bothering you?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her.

"no sir..I didn't expect to be given a nickname so quickly.. usually those are earned...I didn't think I'd already have a callsign yet" she said

Ghost understood her point, knowing that nicknames were usually earned through experience and camaraderie.

"It's not a nickname given lightly," he assured her. "Your file shows your extensive training and experience across multiple fields of the military. It's an impressive feat, even by TF 141's standards."

"well I suppose I'm honored..but otherwise you can call me Charlie or Romaro" she said confirming she was in fact Charlotte 'charlie' Romaro

Ghost nodded, recognizing the name from her file. He filed it away in his mind for reference.

" Charlie, Charlie Romaro" he repeated, testing the name on his tongue again enjoying how it sounded when he said it. "That's quite a masculine name," he said in a dry tone.

"This is a masculine dominant procession, and your's?" She says inquiring his name.

It was smart having a more masculine name in this line of work. She got more respect until they discovered she's in fact a petite woman.

Ghost didn't normally give out his real name, especially not to new recruits. But there was something about her demeanor and straightforwardness that intrigued him.

"Simon," he said after a moment's hesitation. "Simon Riley."

"so you're him?... the ghost?" She asked

Ghost's eyes widened slightly at her question. "You've heard of me?" he asked, surprised. He was used to being known by his callsign as the "Ghost," but rarely did people refer to him as such face-to-face.

"of course.. you're the lieutenant of the task force right? Just under captain price?" She asked

Ghost nodded, impressed by her knowledge. "That's right," he said. "I'm the lieutenant of Task Force 141, under Captain Price."

He studied her for a moment, trying to gauge her reaction to the revelation. Not many people knew of his rank within the task force.

She was smart that was for sure.
"Yeah thought so... you'll be my trainer right?" She asked

Ghost raised an eyebrow at her question. She was perceptive, he had to give her that.

"Yes, I'll be your trainer," he confirmed. He noticed the way her stance straightened imperceptibly at his words.

"Does that bother you?" he asked, studying her reaction.

"Not at all " she said

Ghost nodded, satisfied by her response. "Good," he said. "I can assure you, you'll be put through the wringer. This unit has no room for slackers or weaklings."

"sounds like my kind of unit" she said in certainty of her capabilities.

Ghost couldn't help but crack a small smile at her words. Her attitude and confidence were more than he had expected.

"Oh really?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You like pushing yourself to the limit, do you?"

"what soilder doesn't?" She asked seeing it as there was always room for improvement.

Ghost chuckled softly at her question. "Fair enough," he admitted.

He crossed his arms, studying her stance and demeanor. She held herself tall and proud, with an air of confidence about her that was commendable.

"You have potential," he said after a moment. "But potential means nothing without the willingness to work hard and push yourself past your limits."

"you read my file... tell me if you think I'm not willing to break my body..my soul..my limits.." she said knowing her file has all the history to show her strength and determination.

Ghost raised an eyebrow at her words. She was definitely bold, that was for sure.

He let his gaze roam over her for a moment, taking in her lithe figure and the subtle way her muscles flexed beneath her clothing.

"Your file shows a hell of a lot of training and experience, both in and out of combat," he said bluntly. "You've been through a lot, both physically and emotionally. You're resilient, I'll give you that."

"there's resilience and survival..both only mean you do what's necessary to get by" she said with the memories of her horrors still in mind.

Ghost chuckled dryly at her response. "You're quite the cynic, aren't you?" he observed.

He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. "Do you truly believe that resilience and survival are just about making it to tomorrow?"

"what I conquered yesterday means nothing if I can't overcome today" she said firmly

Ghost frowned at her statement. There was something about her way of thinking that bothered him.

"You're not wrong," he admitted. "But it's important to give yourself credit where credit is due. Your past experiences have shaped you, made you stronger. You've survived things that would break most people, and that's not a small feat."

She paused a second as if taking in his words rattling them around in her head.
"I agree with you..I'm certainly not most people" she said the fabric of her balaclava shifting in a way that looked like a small smile beneath it.

Ghost caught the subtle movement of her balaclava and the small smile beneath it. He couldn't help but wonder what her face looked like under the hood, but he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind.

"No," he said, his tone firmer. "You're definitely not like most people. You have a strength and determination that sets you apart from the rest."

He paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully. "But don't let that strength and resilience turn into arrogance or isolation. You need people to lean on, to back you up. We're all in this together."

"Until we're not" she said with previous betrayal in her mind.

Ghost frowned at her response. The way she spoke about trust and comradeship was cynical and untrusting.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice low. "Are you saying you don't trust your comrades to have your back?"

"you may be a lieutenant.. and I'm just a rook.. but one thing I know is to be careful.. it's the ones you lean on the most that let you down the hardest" she said recalling from experience when she was betrayed by the ones she held closest to her.

Ghost had to admit that she had a point. He knew firsthand how painful it was to be betrayed by someone you trusted your life with.

He studied her for a moment, marveling at her insightfulness.

"You're right," he said after a moment. "trust is a dangerous game in our line of work. But you can't go through life with walls up, never letting anyone in."

"do you want me to let you in Simon Riley?" She asked in a soft Honey coated tone.

Ghost was taken aback by her question. He had never let anyone get close to him, always keeping his emotions and past buried deep.

He didn't answer her right away, his mind racing with thoughts and conflicting feelings.

"Why would I want that?" he asked gruffly, trying to hide his inner turmoil.

"said so yourself.. we're all in this together" she said turning his words against him.

Ghost clenched his jaw, knowing that she had him there. He had just told her that they needed people to lean on, to trust. And yet here he was, shutting down the very idea when it was offered to him.

He let out a frustrated huff, his shoulders tensing under his jacket.
"not so easy... practice what you preach before you go giving advice Lt" she said finding the irony of catching him in his own terms.

Ghost let out a short, dry laugh. She was really giving him a hard time, putting him on the spot.

He let his gaze roam over her again, admiring her confidence and ability to call him out.

"Yeah well you're not exactly making it easy for me," he shot back.

"oh?" She asked in feigned innocence.

Ghost felt his irritation with her rise even further. She was enjoying this, he could tell.

"You know what I mean," he said, his voice gravelly. "You're challenging me, trying to get under my skin."

"I'm doing nothing of the sort.. you're my superior officer..to challenge you? Get under your skin? That'll be direct insubordination..I'm not that stupid lieutenant ghost" she said

Ghost let out a low growl, his irritation growing with each word she spoke. But he also found himself intrigued by her response. She was testing him, pushing his buttons, but she was also toeing the line of insubordination.

He took a step closer to her, his eyes narrowed. "You're walking a fine line, recruit," he warned, his voice low.

"am I?" She asked him tilting her head slightly.

Ghost was starting to lose his patience. She was pushing his buttons, and his emotions were starting to rise to the surface.

"You know damn well you are," he growled. "Watch yourself, recruit. Don't forget who's in charge here."

"oh I know my place" she says softly

Ghost observed her stance, her tone, her body language. She was holding her ground, meeting his gaze unflinchingly.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "You're testing me," he said, his eyes narrowed. "Trying to get a rise out of me."

"can I ask something of a professional curiosity?" She asked, crossing her arms.

Ghost raised an eyebrow at her question, his irritation slowly fading into curiosity.

"Go ahead," he said, unwittingly mimicking her action.

"are you always so defensive speaking with women? Or is it just the ones you work with?" She asked blankly

Ghost's eyes widened at her question, taken aback by her directness.

He let out a huff of annoyance, his defenses immediately going up. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, his voice low.

"you feel I'm challenging you" she stated

Ghost let out a sharp breath, his irritation rising again. "Damn right I do," he said bluntly. "You're pushing my buttons, testing my patience. You're not used to being told what to do, are you?"

"that couldn't be further from the Truth I can be rather obedient" she said mater of factly

Ghost narrowed his eyes at her response. Was she being truthful, or just trying to get under his skin?

"Then why are you so difficult?" he asked, his voice thick with frustration.

"I'm not difficult I'm different" she shrugged

Ghost let out a scoff, her answer only further frustrating him.

"Different how?" he asked, his irritation clear in his voice. "You're not like other rookies I've trained before, that's for sure."

"what do you mean by that?" She unfolded her arms

Ghost paused for a moment, considering his words. "You're more challenging, more independent. Most rookies follow orders without question, but you seem to have this underlying defiance, this questioning of authority."

"ah I'm not as needy or clingy as the ones before" she claimed

Ghost rolled his eyes at her response. She was right - she was definitely different from the rookies he'd trained before. She was more independent, less likely to fall in line and blindly follow orders.

"Yeah, you're definitely not needy or clingy," he admitted, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"do you disagree?" She asked picking up his sarcasm

Ghost let out a dry chuckle, his annoyance slowly giving way to amusement.

"No," he said after a moment, his voice low. "I don't disagree. You're definitely... different."

"ohhh..." She said in realization of something

Ghost noticed the change in her tone, the realization in her voice. He raised an eyebrow, curious to know what she was thinking.

"What?" he asked, his voice guarded.

"you never trained a woman before" she said snapping her fingers like she was on point.

Ghost froze, her words hitting him like a punch to the gut.

He hadn't thought of it like that before, but she was right - he had never trained a woman before. All his previous recruits had been men, and now he had her: a female who questioned him at every turn, who pushed his buttons and defied his authority.

He felt a pang of insecurity, of vulnerability. She had just unraveled one of his weaknesses.

She scoffed at his changed demonor knowing she was on track.
"now don't look like I just pulled your pants down" she said

Ghost gritted his teeth, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment at her words. She had seen right through him, and he hated it.

"Shut up," he growled, his voice gruff. "It's not a big deal."

"right, yet here you are.. making a big deal" she said shifting her weight in her hip.

Ghost scowled at her, his irritation rising again. She was right, of course. He was making a big deal out of it, when it should just be like any other training situation.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I'm not making a big deal. I can train a woman just as well as I can train a man."

"For both our sakes I hope that's true.." she muttered rolling her eyes.
Ghost let out a huff of frustration, her words cutting through him.

"I can train a woman, damn it!" he yelled gruffly. "I'm not some misogynist who can't handle being around a female!"

She straightened up seeing him lashing out at her.
Other soilders look his direction at his outburst.

Ghost noticed the looks from the other soldiers nearby, their heads turning in his direction. He cursed under his breath, realizing he had accidentally drawn attention to himself.

"Damn it," he muttered, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment

"lets take a walk yeah?" She asked knowing the sun was going down and there would be a beautiful sunset that could calm him down.

Ghost gave her a reluctant nod, his irritation only growing. He hated that she had the upper hand now, that she had gotten under his skin.

Without a word, he began to walk, gesturing for her to follow.