Things are getting back to normal

Waking up alone in Asune's bed isn't a surprise, it was about the normal time you wake up so pretty early but Asune woke up before you normally. Rolling over and seeing her sitting on a chair reading a book is. You asked why she'd gotten out of bed and the plain explanation of needing a bath then not wanting to wake you was a lot more mundane than the 'I like watching you sleep' you expected.

She put the book down gave you a kiss and told you a maid had readied your bath and was waiting outside the door. Said maid would also handle your morning wood if you wanted her too, Asune didn't want to dirty her uniform unless you asked her too. You left her room and was led to the bath by the maid in question, deciding to leave her outside the room as you cleaned off. Waiting for you in the room was a uniform your size.

You got dressed assuming had the uniform made or bought and not that she'd stolen it from your room for just this sort of occasion. Leaving the room the maid opened her mouth and extended her tongue. You turned the silence invitation down, to no disappointment on either of your parts, and she took you to the front door where Asune and her mother were waiting for you.

"Have a good day at the Academy." Kiyo said hugging Asune.

"I will." Asune returned the hug, patting her mother's back exactly three times and holding her arms out. Kiyo held on for a second longer before letting her go.

"And you as well Lord Christopher." Kiyo said wrapping you in a hug. She was a lot shorter than Asune her head below your chin and her arms wrapped tightly around you. That she was warmer than her daughter, in most ways, didn't shock you but the firmness of her hug did. She looked rather soft but her arms were hard around you back.

"Thank you Lady Kiyo." You said back hugging her. She sighed happily and let you go, probably the most loving hug she'd gotten from someone her daughters age.

"Please call me Kiyo." She said letting you go. "And next time you violate my daughter please be careful to not make it so obvious whenever she walks." She walked away from you and you heard giggling as she went.

Asune rolled her eyes, not bothered by her mother asking you to not fuck her butt quite so roughly. "The carriage is waiting for us." She said walking out the door while you tried to contain your blushing.

The carriage had some breakfast waiting for the two of you. However after last night neither of you were very hungry. You don't feel all that different but Asune's aura does look a little brighter so maybe the vitality thing wasn't just a subtle jab Vatarie's dowry offer.

When the carriage arrived you both went to the training arena. Vatarie was there already as was Nika and they were squaring off. Circling each other slowly. Nika was wielding a wooden sword while Vatarie was unarmed, her gauntlets not yet formed.

Asune stopped moving you felt her focus on the scene. The two eventually ran at each other, Nika's sword in both hands pointing at Vatarie. Vatarie grabbing the sword in one hand, totally stopping it and moved to punch Nika in face. Nika knew it was coming. Her two hands on the sword tensed and she used Vatarie as leverage. Lifting herself off the ground and slamming both her feet into Vatarie's stomach.

Vatarie's hand holding the sword and the now airborne Nika drove her into the ground. There was grunt as Nika's back hit the ground then the hilt of her sword dug into her stomach. Vatarie didn't appear to have noticed Nika's kick as she ripped the sword from her hands and pointed the tip at her neck.

"Yield." Nika said then coughed. "Didn't think you'd reinforce your stomach." She got up with Vatarie's help.

"I did the same thing to her yesterday." Asune said. Both women looked over at the two of you, one with metaphorical tail waging the other with per-exersperation. You kinda thought you had been making progress with Nika but maybe like Blue she'll never like you so much as tolerate. More justified in Nika's case though, she doesn't like you becasue your presence interfered with her career plans, Blue didn't like you over a boy even though marriage was apparently a conversation away.

Vatarie walked over and grabbed your hand, apparently picking up on your sudden frustration. "What's wrong?"

"Edin and Blue are getting married." You said squeezing her hand in yours, feeling your frustration melt away.

"Is that good or bad?" She asked.

"I'll get back to you. Warm up?" You asked, letting go of her hand and taking the wooden sword from her other. She smiled and nodded. The other two joined you and together you ran through forms, Vatarie and Asune doing so with their left hands to copy your limitation, Nika did not.

You all went to the baths afterwards. Vatarie helped release the last of your frustration while Asune watched very closely and Nika pretending to be swimming and not shooting occasional glances. You all had breakfast, you and Asune not eating yourselves, Nika and Vatarie chatted happily. About how their duel went, listing little mistakes they had each made in the ones preceding your arrival. You and Asune both chipped for the fight you saw but the errors were pretty obvious.

As people started trickling in for breakfast you kept an eye out for the people you cared for. Cynthia, Auria and Oriana made their appearance, the latter being thankfully quiet, only jabbing her sister in the side whenever she brought up yesterdays events. Cynthia was rather upset she'd missed it, her mother had dragged her to a meeting, apparently the number of insurance claims had increased and she wanted her daughter to see how the accounts were managed.

Ana and Edin arrived a little after that, Ana asking to speak with Cynthia alone at the end of the day. Edin couldn't sit next to you but the two of you chatted as much as you could around people. He was more than a little excited about his news. When he revealed it and everyone looked at you and Ana to see how to react her pouted a bit. His news being less important than how others reacted to it mustn't feel great. You got out of your chair and gave him a hug.

After that class were starting. You ran up to your room to grab your book with Edin. As he did the realisation that he won't be here, maybe from now on, settled into your mind. He's getting married and you don't see Blue being fine with him living with you. At least you trashed Ana's estate so he has to stay here with you for a while, silver linings and all that.

Heading to class you looked for any sign of Delilah or Clare but found none. Vatarie said that Clare had been sleeping in her room and Delilah in yours, using your window as a doorway. It was good to know that for all the utility the keystone provided, security was lower than you thought it would be. Asune asked if she and Clare had gotten intimate but you saved a fight from happening by kissing Vatarie into distraction.

Class was boring, first break less so. Ana hinted very subtly that after a week without she was very much hoping for details on activities that happened in her absence. And by subtly you mean she put a hand into her pants and asked how you'd fucked each of the women here. Asune rather happily said that there hadn't been much becasue Mary had mostly monopolized your time. Half and hour later Ana was very happy and you had exhausted the details of the various ways you'd taken her sister.

The male etiquette class was as boring as ever but Adam, you newest friend and burgeoning equal rights advocate pulled you aside, mention you not attending the meeting yesterday despite his father giving you the details, without any passive aggression in his voice as he did. But he himself had brought up your idea of a strike and it had gotten some mixed support. He asked if you'd be willing to explain it further to him, or maybe possibly at the next meeting.

Vatarie swooped in and saved you, hardly sparing a glance at Adam as she took you to lunch. Unlike Ana the details of your time Mary hadn't turned her on, so much as turned on her competitive side. The rest of the half hour was spent with her trying to find out how best to one up Mary, Asune repeatedly offered her own ideas while Ana whined needily. Vatarie turned most of Asune's suggestions down but a challenge to see who could bring out the biggest load was given a lot of favour by all parties.

After lunch you and Edin went to the magical practice. It wasn't all that helpful. A lesson on how to correctly balance your magic in all of your limbs is a little redundant to you.

Lady Stephanie's class afterwards took a bit of a morbid turn however.

"How much magic does it take to heal a cut?" She asked. She had a pouch in one hand and was compressing the aura in her other. No one answered and she took out a small red stone from the pouch. "Does anyone know what this is?"

"Firestone." Asune answered as all the other students took a half step back. Including you. Firestone is basically phosphorus and adding magic makes it go boom.

"Correct. How much magic does it cost to heal a cut?" She asked again holding the stone between her thumb and forefinger. Again everyone was quiet. Quantifying magic isn't something you can really do, it's different enough with every person that trying would just get complicated. Like a measurement based on the ruler at the times foot length except for every single person at once.

"You want us to hold a firestone, cut ourselves and heal without blowing our hand off." Asune judged.

"Watch." She put the pouch on the ground and drew her dagger, cutting the palm of the hand holding the firestone. Everyone flinched but there was no explosion. The cut healed without any issue. "Wasting magic to heal is common, it is a natural reaction. Your bodies want damage to be undone and will expend more magic than would ever be needed to make sure it is."

"Lady Stephanie, we can't." Number ten said nervously.

"The stone is impure, failure will only do this." The was a pop and the skin her thumb and forefinger turned back, the parts touching the stone missing, not down to her bone but deep. The damage healed immediately. "Minimal and likely less painful than most sparing matches thus far."

She picked up the pouch and walked over to you. "I've only got one hand to lose." You said nervously. You'd never touched firestone before. The tutor who'd instructed you about this and other varieties of chemical, magical reactions had been very clear about you never ever touching firestone. The limit was supposed to be defined, a stone could only blow up so much, but with your below average control of your aura even with compression, don't risk it. In hindsight you might have missed a few hints you were above average.

"Do you trust me?" Stephanie asked.

You looked into her eyes. Your hand clenched as you lifted it up, as far away from yourself as you could. She gave you the stone and it didn't blow up. Your heart was pounding as she put the bag on the ground. You did notice that everyone to your right took a step away from you. Stephanie grabbed your hand in hers as her other hand lifted her sword to your palm.

"I trust you." She said as she cut your hand open.

There was an immediate pop but the pain didn't last long. "Sorry." You said your magic just moved too fast for you to stop it. Stephanie took her hand away, shaking it as it healed. She didn't respond but moved on to Asune.

She kept going down the line, everyone but Asune, Ana and Nika failed. "Good." Stephanie said as she put the pouch down. "Now we start the test." She pulled out a bigger bag and you missing right hand pulsed in sympathy for your left.

At the end of the training session you were the only one who'd failed constantly. Even number Ten had managed to hold off. As you were leaving, feeling more than a little worried about what she might do tomorrow she pulled you aside.

"Do you have the sword yet?" She asked.

"No."

Stephanie nodded. "Must be confident you're a quick learner." She rationalised and walked off. Not a bad point, when you get the sky steel you still need to figure out if you can imbue it without it being destroyed. And even what your imbuing does. It's quite a varied reaction and you've only got a grasp on the basics. When you imbue an object what it does isn't necessarily what you want it to do, extend your reach, harden the metal, move faster, seems a bit undetermined to you mind. If all your imbuing does is make the metal really hot it's not that great of a skill, a burning hot rod is only really useful if it doesn't turn to a liquid mid fight.

Leaving the arena you make a mental note to ask the elf about the sword after class tomorrow. It is only when notice you are follow Stephanie do you remember the deal you'd made about her bathing with the students. You hurry up to walk beside her.

"Joining us this time?" She asked.

"Absolutely." You said, unable and unwilling to hide your eagerness.

Everyone is waiting for you outside the baths. Ana looks from Stephanie to you. You can see in her aura that she'd been told this might happen, and on her face that she only just now believed it.

"Try not to stare so much Princess Anastasia. Being easily distracted is often fatal." Stephanie said as she walked into the upper class baths ahead of everyone else. From the mood around you, no one else seemed to be excepting her attending the bath would be an annual event.