A pleasant boringness

Frankly it's a good thing after you recent actions. Asune makes some not so subtle allusions to if you would be needing to test your sword on her. Vatarie was a little awkward around you but that didn't last once she sniffed you a few times to confirm you were still you. Ana looked kinda lost until Asune filled her in. And all three of them bombarded you with questions about where you got the sword but thankfully just saying 'the elf' was an acceptable answer with only the follow up of why she offered it to you easily waved away but the starting of class.

You spent the breaks with everyone and learned that while you had spent your time emotionally exhausted, they had gone back to the tavern/strip club. Apparently they weren't the only ones as you kept hearing other women mention the place and the men who were serving. Edin is the only one who seemed to have not enjoyed being dragged there, not hard to figure out why that was.

Magical training was as unhelpful as usual. This was a refreshing on transferring magic to others, and you didn't want anyone to spontaneously combust so sitting out was how you spent your time. Edin was getting much better at it. Not even needing a second try and helping his partner to accomplish the same feat.

Lady Stephanie's class was a break from tradition. When she arrived you were all collectively surprised she didn't produce some new method of punishing education.

"I'll be teaching individually for the rest of this week. For those I am not teaching you may spar, run laps around the academy or perform forms until class is over." You guess that could qualify as punishing education. She walked to number Nine and talked with her about her strengths and weaknesses. Asune grabbed your arm with noting short of joy on her face.

"Christopher, with me." Mary called from outside the arena. Asune looked at her and you couldn't tell who she wanted to fight more at the moment, you or Mary.

"Christopher and I are sparing." Asune shouted back at her.

"No you aren't. Christopher." Mary said flatly.

Asune was clearly disappointed Mary didn't even try to argue back with her. However, as much as she wanted you to potentially mutilate her, she retained enough of sense to know better than to get into a public fight with a Princess, and one who wouldn't get off on having you taken from her, wasn't a good look for any noble. "As you wish, your Highness." She bowed slightly and went to talk to Ana and Vatarie who were working out if they wanted to spar. She grabbed Vatarie by the ear and walked her into the arena. Visibly angering olive skinned berserker.

You walked to Mary as the sound of someone being punched in the face and enjoying it echoed behind you. "I'm really sorry for yesterday." You said when you were closer.

"You weren't yourself, and I did attack you." She said it through very tight lips. Not used to losing a fight that woman. "Get your sword we'll be going to the muster grounds for your imbument training." You opened your mouth to ask if that was necessary and closed it when she raised her eyebrow.

"Sorry." You repreated and followed behind her into the Sarean's classroom. "Can I have the sword?" You asked the room.

"Going to try cutting off Asune's hand again today?" Sarean asked. Emerging from the desk in her matronly avatar. "Princess Mary." She bowed her head.

Mary bowed her head back. "No, he won't be."

You sheepishly fidgeted. "Mary is going to help me with my imbuing." You explained.

Sarean walked over to Mary, standing sightly taller than the Princess. "You aren't to follow your mothers suggestion that you use yesterday to guilty young," she chuckled slightly at the word, "Christopher into marry you are you?"

Mary's eyes went wide and she swallowed. "No."

"So you do blame him for defending himself against you, after restoring the women you caused to be wounded?"

"I-" Mary looked like she was drowning. "Mum didn't-"

"And you certainly aren't going to use teaching him as an excuse to prevent him from seeing his other lovers by keeping him at the muster grounds." Sarean circled around Mary as she spoke.

Mary snapped her mouth shut and her eyes locked onto yours with a slightly pleading look. Wow, you never expected someone worse at this sort of thing than you were. "I need to learn how to imbue and she's one of the few who can teach me."

Sarean looked at you. "Then of course I will assist." She walked over to you and whispered. "And we can discuss your debt for that tomorrow."

You aren't sure you really owe her for that but you aren't going to argue about it here. "Thank you -" You open your mouth to say Sarean but are cut off by Mary coughing.

"My pleasure. Princess Mary always a pleasure, you are welcome for saving you from having to lie to Christopher." She pulled the sword and held it out to you. "And you should respect your mother enough to not destroy her letters."

You took the sword and nodded. "Thank you." You and Mary left as you rethinking something, Sarean must be in the muster grounds to know about the letter. Just how big is she?

You and Mary climbed into her carriage awkwardly. "You're back to being yourself then?" She asked as the carriage rolled out of the academy.

"Yeah, got the emotional equivalent of a magical transfer. Thank you for stopping me cutting anything off anyone." You felt a level of uneasiness at the fact you were so easily willing to do just that.

"Anytime." Mary said putting an arm around your shoulders. "I am sorry for putting you through that. And for listening to my mother about trying to trick you."

"It's fine." Hard to hold against her something Sarean was entirely correct about, there is no way she'd be able maintain a manipulation. "How'd the orgy go?" You hoped the change of topic would be appreciated.

"It ended when they saw you fly away." Damn it. "How did you do that?" Saved.

Spending the rest of the carriage ride going into a lot of detail about aerodynamic and the specific magical control used to do it. She directed it towards the possibility of scouting, combat, general aerial combat and if you can teach people how do it. That last one earned a very weighted maybe. Technically anyone could but you doubt they would have the magical reservoir to succeed.

When you reached the muster grounds and climbed out the level of desertion was remarkable. "Everyone is with Green drilling sailing, and sea combat."

"Thank you." You didn't really want to be watched by hundreds of women, which is a different feeling from your normal exhibitional tendencies. "Where do we start?"

Mary took you to the beach and had you run form without imbuing, correcting minor errors until she was satisfied. "Alright now imbue."

"You might want to cover your eyes." You suggested as you flooded the sword and it shone for a moment. You couldn't keep a grin off your face as it didn't explode or melt after that. Really rather proud of yourself for being able to imbue something.

"Run forms slowly until you get the feel of the new weight, once you do speed up until you are going as fast as you can."

You looked at your clothing. Here is the part where you were glad to not be watched. "I need to be naked or I'll destroy my clothes." You said to Mary.

Mary looked at your body and licked her lips. "Sure." She nodded and you saw her eyes dilate slightly.

Stripping naked and leaving your uniform by her side you took a centreing breath and started swinging. The blade didn't really feel like it was cutting through the air, it felt like the air was getting out of its way. Mary made a few more corrections then you were ready.

Threading your magic through your body you sped up. You reached your normal speed limit and exceed it without feeling the slightly resistance from air or blade.

Moving faster and faster you felt your muscles limbering up. Finally able to move properly rather than being shackled by the limits of a sword.

Around you sand started to melt. The occasional light igniting on the blade as it met a little moisture in the air and heated the water so much the molecules split.

You were feeling it now. Not a slowing down but the hesitation you'd found foolish this morning. It was met with a noticing of a fault. Even with Mary's help your left hand just wasn't up to your right standard. It fueled a slightly worry the sword was going to come flying out of your hand and hit something.

You stopped moving and unthreaded some of your magic. "My left isn't as good as my right." You sighed. Would Gabrielle be able to learn how to restore you before your duel with Stephanie?

"Yes it is." Mary said walking over but stopped outside of arms length. You looked down and saw the puddle of liquid sand was starting to cool and that your feet had sunk into it. Climbing out of the glass you were really glad you hadn't taken the magic out of your feet or that would have been painful. "The reason you think that is becasue you think that."

"Yet you were correcting me." You pointed out. While the idea made some level of sense you didn't think it was the case. You weren't left handed after all, even with magic helping to make up the difference.

"I'd be doing the same with your right hand." Mary said plainly. "You need to relax."

"I'm swinging a sword that and I have no idea what it does, what happens if I let it go or," you stopped for a moment to admire the irony of the sentences end, "hurt someone."

"You're never going to be good at sword play." Mary said, putting a hand on your shoulder. "Because you don't want to be good at it. Because you think to be good a sword play mean hurting people."

"It does."

"No, it's a skill, using it can hurt people but knowing it doesn't."

The argument falls rather flat. "But it makes hurting people easier."

"Christopher." Mary raised an eyebrow at you. "You elbowed me in the face, destroyed my tent and weren't even putting effort into it. No sword could make hurting someone easier for you. But failing to embrace it might. Yes you might let your sword go, because you are holding it so rigidly in case you let it go, someone on your level could disarm you."

You look at her for a moment. "How are you so bad at this when it isn't about fighting?" You asked, finding her reasoning rather hard debate. Never having fought someone on your level before has fed into your fear of hurting someone. Something you are completely aware of but needed to be empty of emotion to acknowledge. Now that emotions are back however, "I can't spar with anyone on my level, so," you lift your sword and look at it, "so a healthy fear of this isn't about my health."

Mary shook her head. "Fine, now if you aren't going to put any clothes on I am going to pound your hips into this sand."

You look down at your lightly sweating body. "Fair."