Bajulate

Rue somberly looked over the small sea of graves left to the edge of Winburn. The gravesite was empty, mostly ignored by the townspeople with no need for the presence of a second death on their shoulders. An occasional flicker of recognizance danced in her gaze as she read off names. Both the innocent and the guilty laid here... people who had done nothing wrong and people who did wrong for the right purposes. Civilians and reapers. 

Though that may have sounded harsh, it was the truth. No reaper could ever call themselves innocent. Their first sin was simply becoming a reaper in the first place... It was common knowledge, the things they had to do. No truly innocent person would go down that path. But it wasn't for them they did those things. It was for their kingdom and by extension, their president. It was for the multiverse, their home. In the end it didn't matter what they did. It just mattered why it was done. At least, that was the state of mind they had to adopt. 

She finally came before one tombstone in particular. The snow gave way beneath her as the commander took to one knee in silent respect. This person had been her mentor and in charge of the Northern Headquarters before her. Once she took her place those years ago, due to her recommendation, she was given another burden to shoulder; she had to run North Headquarters efficiently and care for the people who worked diligently beneath her. Not that she had many complaints... That was simply how it was. She became a reaper, knowing she would have to obey the president and fight for her universe, just as when she became commanding general she knew she would be in charge of the well-being and workload of those below her. It was simple to understand, despite the many people who merely saw the level difference between her and them.

She heard their whispers. 

What she did wrong, how they would've ran things if given the choice, how they envied her position... but what they didn't understand was that such things - including her job - were much easier said than done. She had to take blame for all casualties. She had to be the glue to keep their system from falling apart. She had to know everyone well before she even thought about retiring for the night. Maybe if they were in charge they'd be able to learn. But at the same time, letting such immaturity take lead would cause everything to fail. With knowledge of that, she refused to step down from where she was. She'd never move, not unless their president thought some other place or office suited her better. 

That being said, it didn't mean she didn't wish for a break sometimes. Having enough free time to even take a single step away from the facility was exceedingly rare, let alone being able to make a trip to town. Charlotte was always the one that had to leave when certain things were needed. She knew she couldn't spend too much time wishing, however, for there was always something to be done, whether it be as 'exciting' as neutralizing intruders or as menial as paperwork... And she refused to go without getting it done.