...No?

Both Brian and Eliza bow deeply, and then Brian quickly leaves the office. I notice Eliza stays, but becomes perfectly motionless, as if she were turned into a statue. I decide to ignore her, and focus on planning the economic development, as much as I can. As I carefully consider the sheer magnitude of the task of building, effectively from scratch, the economy of a galaxy, I find I just can't. The scale is so stupidly large that there's no way I can make a detailed plan. For a moment, that admission of failure hurts, and I begin to feel that the task is impossible. My mind begins to sink into despair, as I consider the fact that I will be a failure here to. I feel my throat begin to close, and my heart begins to race. I'm so lost in my fears that when Eliza places a hand on my shoulder I barely **** down the scream. While her face has a the same expression, somehow her eyes are filled with a deep, soothing warmth. Her voice is tinged with concern. "Young Lord, I suggest you step away from the economic plans for a moment, and exercise. You have done what you needed to. Now, let your servants carry out your will." A deep sigh slips out of me, and I nod ruefully at her words. I rise from the desk, and on impulse give Eliza a quick hug. "Thanks, I really needed that." I step back, and give Eliza a thoughtful look. A grin splits my face. "Eliza, lead me to a space we can spar. You're going to be my partner. Assuming that it won't slow down your planning to much."

She gives a brief bow, before responding. "Young Lord, a brief sparring session will not impact my planning speed in any real way. Now, please follow me." With my concern addressed, she leads me through the labyrinthine corridors to a small clearing outside the manor house. When we arrive, she stands a short distance away from me, and her whole demeanor shifts. My spine tingles as I feel threatened, and my heart rate spikes. On instinct, I attack, knowing that the longer the fight goes on, the more likely I am to lose. Eliza reacts in a blur of motion, grabbing my outstretched fist, and hurling me over her shoulder. I slam into the ground, my breath knocked out of me. A cold blade touches my throat, and I freeze, knowing I have lost. After a moment, Eliza removes the knife, and helps me to my feet. Already, the my breath has returned, and my back feels normal. "Young Lord, while it was wise of you to attack first, you were entirely to predictable. Had I been an assassin, you would have been dead before you hit the ground." Her criticisms sting a fair bit, but I know that they are entirely fair. I take a calming breath, and then nod. On some level, I know that I will never really be able to defeat Eliza as I am. But, this is a great chance for me to blow off some steam, and put my existential crisis behind me. So I attack, and get beaten down again. Eliza critiques me, and then I attack again. That pattern repeats it self time and time again. With each cycle, I improve slightly, and develop a very rudimentary sense of the flow of battle.

Night falls, and I find myself in my bedroom, The lights are out, and I am under the covers, but an odd feeling comes over me. I find the room to be to quiet, to sterile for me to sleep. After what feels like hours of lying awake, I resolve myself to drag Eliza to my bed as a hug pillow. I slip out of bed, and begin to approach the hallway door. Before I have gone three steps, The door has swung open, and a figure has dashed inside, heading for me. I dive to the side, to see Eliza standing where I was, two metal batons clenched in her hands. She immediately slips them behind her back, and then bows deeply. "I apologize for my hasty entrance Young Lord. However, I must ask that you refrain from trying to sneak out at night." As she rises, an odd sense of judgement passes over me. I blush slightly, and shuffle on my feet. "Well, I was looking for you, actually. I would like it you slept with me tonight." An odd tension seems to fill the air, as Eliza calmly begins to strip. I hurry to explain, almost stumbling over my words. "A-and I actually do mean sleep. The room was too quiet tonight." Eliza glances at me, then nods briefly to herself. Then, in only her underwear, she slips under the covers, and holds them up for me as well. I slide in beside her, and thoughtless begin to squeeze her. Very quickly, I feel sleep take me over.