It can be both

Stephanie took you and Three out of the others earshot and looked you both over. Three looked back at her without faltering. Asune said she had trained to overcome her exhaustion, if Three said she hadn't done the same you would call her a liar, irregardless of the contradictory fact she hadn't been excused from Stephanie's class yesterday.

"Why did you help the other students?" Stephanie asked after a long minute of evaluation.

"It was the lesson you were teaching." Three answered. She put her hands behind her back and line her feet up to her shoulders.

"How did you know?" Stephanie's eyes noted the parted feet and general stance.

"You smiled when Vatarie was defended." Three's response got a smile from Stephanie.

"I told you, you were to clean up after Christopher each morning. Why weren't you there for the last two days?" Stephanie looked at you but Three's eyes didn't leave Stephanie.

"You told me to leave because you were afraid of him. If you are afraid of him while he is recovering his magic he'll kill me on accident." She still didn't look at you and after a pause added. "He also won't be damaging anything until he is recovered which he still isn't."

"Why did you leave at the end of the class rather than talk to your fellow students?" Stephanie's smile was growing while Three spoke.

"Why would I?" Three answered with a question but it sounded too indifferent to be considered one.

Stephanie looked over the two of you for another long moment. "Congratulations starting next week you'll be tutoring Christopher each morning instead of me. At the end of the week I will evaluate your progress, if I am not satisfied I will have removed from your classes until I am."

"What?" You asked .

At the same time Three said, "If I have too." You looked over to see Three's smooth out her face. You didn't catch the emotion on it but you doubted it was positive. "Is that all?"

"Yes, you may go." Stephanie said to her. "Not you." She said to you as Three walked off. Once she was far enough away she said, "I want you to make her give up because she can't teach you anything."

"What?" Your confusion stopped you from asking anything more specific.

"She has what you don't, potential for leadership. She just needs a push." Stephanie said. You didn't know how to take that since she was probably right. You didn't really have much of a drive of leadership, at the moment you were struggling with self-governance.

"And you think that push is for me to annoy her into quitting." You aren't seeing the logic in that particular strategy.

"You are a better fighter than she can be, she is aware of that. Pushing that fact into her face will **** her to realise that she has more than just combative skills she can utilize." Stephanie answered. It was a rather reasonable idea you guess but you aren't sure how you are supposed get her to exercise her leadership skills.

You thought about it for a few moments than realise she is asking for a favour so you should ask one back. "Eight minutes." You say making her arch an eyebrow. "Eight minutes and you take me for lunch." If she agrees to lowering it it could mean she is getting more open to your attempted romance.

She regarded you for a moment then nodded. "Eight minutes." You grinned for a moment. "You should go check on your, friends?" She left the word floating there as a reminder of the relationship you were talking to start with her and the relationships you already had. You hesitated for a moment and she walked off swaying her hips and making your eyes dart down for a moment. "Nine minutes." She says with a light voice.

"Worth it." You say walking back to your 'friends'.

When you get back no-one is there. Not surprising of the girls, they were mostly asleep on their feet and Asune had already got what she wanted from you for today. You were a little worried about Edin and Asune going off together even with Anastasia as a buffer but not enough to run after them since you already have plans.

As you walk back to the Dorms for a quick bath and change of clothes Lucia is waiting for you unlike you she isn't wearing her uniform she is wearing a plain brown top and pants and has the bag she kept her performing outfit in over her shoulder. "Finished, just getting a bath and –"

"I have clothes for you." Her eyes were far too happy about that comment. "Hurry up don't have time to wait for you to get made up." She clapped her hands together and together you made your way to the baths. Inside you were a little worried to see more than a few people occupying the benches but unlike the last time you saw this, the groups seemed to exist to stop it's member from falling asleep under water.

You hurry to clean yourself and without anyone making a pass at you. You do check over everyone just in case someone is passed out in a not safe place but don't see anything of the sort. Getting changed into your only uniform you consider running up to your room to change. You don't want to lose this one as well. Unfortunately Lucia is waiting for you outside the baths and she excitedly hurries you off.

"I really don't want to lose this uniform." You say as she leads you out of the Dorms.

"Relax I won't be sending you home naked." She has a grin on her face that makes you think she is referening something.

"Ok how do you know that?" You ask as the memory of walking back from Anastasia's estate in a robe because your uniform had been shredded is refreshed. No one saw you how could that be a rumour. Her smirk told you she had been joking. "Damn it."

"Am I the only woman who hasn't tried to take advantage of you?" She asked with a raise eyebrow.

"No, you are absolutely taking advantage of me." You say as you reach the academy gate. "Will they be here later tonight? we aren't going to be stuck outside all night are we?"

"Relax, the gate house is maned all the time." Lucia says ignoring the first part of what you said. "Hey," she waved at the gate house. "We'll be back late."

"Have a good show my Lady." The hidden guard calls back as the door opens.

"Why do they call you my Lady?" You ask as the pair of you walk out off academy grounds.

"I may be a dirty peasant your Lordship but I'm still a student." She says with a mock bow.

"You wouldn't be as dirty if you had a bath." You say pinching your nose and waving a hand below it.

"Why do you keep trying to see me naked? All those other woman just disappointments in comparison?" She stuck he tongue out at you.

"You're right, Auria's tits are disappointing." You jab back.

"Ha I win, you had lie." She said with a chuckle.

"Well at least you admit you are a dirty peasant." You smirk back.

"Proudly." She puffs up her chest and jabs herself with her thumb. You both last for a second before breaking down into laughter. "Though you aren't as bad as some of the other Lords and Ladies."

"And your pretty good for a peasant." You say back before lapsing into a comfortable silence. As you reach the bottom of the hill you look back up. Doing that later without magic to help your legs is going to suck. "So how far are we walking?"

"What so used to carriages you can't handle a little exercise?" She asked with mock seriousness.

"I can fly remember, walking is for everyone else." You point out smugly.

"Oh good I'll just hop on you back and direct you." She challenges stopping her walking.

You stop as well and stare her down for a moment. "Just tell me how long we'll be walking."

"Man recovering from exhaustion must suck for the all powerful." She laughed and kept walking. "Round this hill and two blocks seaward. It's an open air theater so if you feel like going for a flight there isn't a roof to stop you."

You don't make a comment back to her and keep walking on the grass. The park is populated with a wide array of people, some family eating dinner, some groups having parties or get togethers and the people running across the street with food and drink. There must be some sort of law preventing people from selling food and drink on the parks themselves since the food and drink runners are deliveries not member of the groups. It is a lively situation and if happens every night this must be an amazing business for the restaurants around the park's ring.

"Why not perform in the park?" You ask Lucia. The only time you'd seen her perform had been in the street, the park seems a much better place.

"Law says no one can do anything on the grass for the intention of making money. If I could get away with it I would but the punishment for performing is being forbidden from performing in the capital entirely." She nods to the runners. "That's the closest anyone has gotten to making money on the grass, only reason it's allowed is because everyone pays at the store and waits for their food on the grass. Sometimes a guard will check over everything but risk of punishment stops almost everyone from trying." She sees some kids run over to her and smiles at them. Kneeling down and making sparkles pops from her fingers.

You smile as the kids giggle and cheer then run back to their parents. "What if you don't perform for money?" You ask as she stands back up and keeps walking.

"Little things sure you can get away with but a big performance no one would believe you are doing it for free. Even if I was only advertising for one of my performance it would be illegal." She shrugs and keeps walking.

Seems to be an effective rule though you wonder at the punishment. It seems kinda harsh, even if that harshness is supposed to be the deterrent. "How did you get into Incartoring?" You aren't sure if that is the correct way to tense Incartor.

"When I was eight I went to an Incartor performance. I liked it and now I'm here." She said plainly.

"And that's it?" It seemed like a rather basic start for her desire to be the best Incartor in the world.

"I didn't want to be a baker like my mum. It was Incartor or concubine for a noble lady and in case you haven't figured it out noble ladies are freaks." As she said it a couple were in earshot and gave the two of you scandalized looks.

"Yeah that's fair." You said acknowledging her factual statement before continuing. "So why be the best Incartor Calitian has ever seen?"

"Why wouldn't I want to be? If you do something why aim for some less than the best?" She answered you in a way that implied she had said that more than once.

"And your sponsor?" She hadn't been open about her sponsor before but now seemed an ok time to ask.

"Wants me to be the best so she can make more money. Not complicated." She says back to you. It was about what you expected though you were curious who her sponsor is and were hoping for some more detail. "What about you?"

"Help a Goddess defeat her sister so she can engage in some extremely kinky sex things." Saying it aloud didn't make it any less silly.

"And you always had this goal?" She asked sounding a little worried.

"Only for the last few days, before that I mostly just wanted to improve myself, help people and make my dad proud."

"Not much of goal. Considering who you're fucking I figured you were angling for king."

"I," You didn't have much of a response since there is a non-zero chance you are going to end up like that with the way things are going, "that'll be more of a consequence and not technically fucking. Honestly as far a goal goes I never had a solid one, I just wanted to be better than I was the day before."

"So you're saying I'm getting more than you." Lucia said with a grin taking the conversation back out of the serious stuff.

"You're getting some from Auria, that doesn't seem like much of a challenge." You don't say anything about her being a concubine since that seems mean.

There is a slight pause before, "Fair." You both laugh and keep on walking.