Start of a different routine, Part 3

—1It feels pleasant. Did you prepare it, Fasnilthar? 

—Not quite. The blend had been mixed by the two of us. 

—I see. This is based on the Selthilisterisian herbs, right? They've been used just right so far. — Chiaisei said, while breathing in the tea between sips. 

—Indeed. Star girl isn't familiar with too many different blends, and I suggested these as a means to start out our routine with some variation already. Knowing different herbs mostly comes down to measuring well the needed amounts and means of preparing them, so teaching more on the topic shouldn't be an issue. — A part of me was questioning whether I hated the idea of "star girl" becoming a nickname for me or not. 

—I would love aiding with that, then. I'm sure it would assist in adding more variety to my own repertory as well, in fact. 

—Speaking off, did you have any trouble traversing the park without help? — Chiaisei and I had made use of that place for part of our time together, but this would have been the first time she roamed through it completely on her own. She was familiar with exploring this kind of place already, so I wasn't necessarily worried, though it was still best to check. She also had an option I didn't, namely talking to trees, however I wasn't sure how useful the ones around that area would be. 

—There were no issues. The previous visits and maps were enough for me to familiarize myself with the area. I've also already found the appropriate space to practice my fields, and the walk needed to go from here to there is short enough for me to manage well. Yet I am slightly partial to the sparing rings over our very backyard as of this point. I'm not well accustomed to the idea of training before an audience, and there appear to be plenty of those around the various training grounds here. So though the backyard itself might be a bit too small to accommodate my magic, I would appreciate it if we all communicated frequently towards rounds of joint training. — Chiaisei said, while falling back to the usual face she put up. She was more relaxed about it than for most of the previous day, though. Seeing as she no longer was this distant when talking to me on our own, I supposed this meant she was more at ease around Nalfimiria than the others. I took note of that, considering it was evidence to a point the elf had mentioned just a little earlier. 

—That would be good. We also need practice on working as a team, besides. Speaking off, have either of you done some of your morning guidance by now? — I asked. Guidance usually meant spending some hours at home. I usually would take that time to read something, be it news or whatever else I found to spend my time. I preferred to go through it with other people's company, though. Made it feel like a more natural usage of time. 

—I've finished most of my first round. Planned to continue it while making breakfast. Less sleep time means longer mornings, right? — She took a brief pause to take a sip of the tea before continuing. 

—Both of you have prepared a flexible schedule for training as well by now, I assume? We can never know how much time a job will require until it is given. — Nalfimiria asked, to which both of us complied silently. I already had the experience with work to keep that in mind ahead of time, and Chiaisei had been careful enough with preparation to where she was already ready on that end before we even met. It was reassuring to see Nalfimiria go through those questions either way. It might have been for basic things in this case, however it was always nice to have someone more experienced present to remind you of this kind of thing. 

—That aside, I haven't started my daily guidance yet. Would you mind if I accompanied you to it, Fasnilthar? — Chiaisei answered, seemingly eager to hear my answer, something I imagined as her smile grew a little wider while asking that of me. 

—Not at all. Guidance is always easier with company. — In the old gang, I made sure to always share guiding time with my friends precisely for that reason. Needless to say, the period I spent without direct coworkers meant I had to confront lonely guiding hours far more frequently. In that month I had burned through most of the reading material I reserved for this purpose as well, and I didn't like the idea of drying that well fully. 

—I was planning on taking a warm dip before heading there, though. Maybe even start guidance while bathing. Since we're both finished training, want to join? — I proposed. Since the first time we did it, Chiaisei always seemed to enjoy sharing baths. It tended to make her a little fidgety during the process, though for some reason it seemed to improve her mood. 

—Yes, surely. I'm done walking through the park for now, so this timing is quite fitting. I mean… Oh, nevermind. — At first the idea seemed to really excite her, but something appeared to make her nervous as she glanced at Nalfimiria, even if she recovered quickly. 

—Never mind what? Might be best to speak up in this case. — Nalfimiria said, paying close attention to Chiaisei as she backed down from whatever she had in mind. 

—That? It is just something I wanted to ask for help with. I was hoping to begin placing a little more emphasis on the aggressive lesser styles within the major ones I practice. As many of them put some focus into direct fighting, I was looking for opportunities to practice more. 

—I see. And you want my help to begin? 

—Yes. You're the oldest among those trained in direct fighting in this group, so I thought you might be better informed in teaching than the other two. Hence, I was questioning whether now might be the best time to bathe, supposing the second part of my training might be more active today than usual. — Chiaisei explained, while occasionally taking sips of her cup. Both of ours were getting close to empty by that point. 

—Maybe so, but not to the point it would leave you too dirty. Simply explaining the basics for technique shouldn't require that much physical effort as of now. If anything, being at the center of a wind wall probably would treat your clothes far worse. You would probably still take a second shower regardless, right? — Nalfimiria said, referring to a common habit some people took on in our field. 

The first shower of the day would be just after the heaviest part of physical training, and usually was the point where our hair would be washed. If there was a need for a second, we would do it before getting into PJs, and that time just to make sure to get completely clean before bed. Training was a constant on our days on standby, but that didn't mean most mages liked the idea of spending the whole day sweaty after the initial burst of activity. Some guys I knew would leave the heavier workouts for the afternoon due to that, though once your hair passed a certain length I felt it was best to give it time to dry naturally. The first bath was also the part where I would prefer to handle things like shaving, and to make sure my body was in order. Sometimes when healing your bones they aren't placed perfectly in their usual spot, and we can't always tell immediately. It was also best to do the occasional check of if the body was recovering well after long cases of infusing abuse. Hence, it is best to take the occasional test, even if you're not getting messed up on the regular. 

—Usually so. Learning to protect my eyes and breathe during my magic was hard enough, so worrying about my clothes wouldn't be very practical. Then again, one could argue being at the center of a wind caster's control zone probably also counts as dry cleaning. I don't like to switch from training to day clothing directly, either way. 

 —There should be no issues, then. I'll start blending our morning supplements, if you don't mind. They should be ready by the time you're done. — Nalfimiria said, having arranged what would be put into each of our drinks. Saying so, she took each of the bowls containing the ingredients for the rest of us to the blender. She mentioned preparation for different snacks as well, so that when the whole group got here everyone had what to eat. 

—Okay! Let's get to it. — I said while finishing my tea and calling Chiaisei along. She nodded before emptying her cup as well. From there, we both headed to our room, in order to pick up our change and the towel we would be using. The cleaning necessities were already in the changing room, in each of the stashes we choose for ourselves. Normally a unit might agree in just sharing the same products and buying them as a group, but there was too much variance in the price range of what each of us would usually go for. With this out of the way, we got ready to bathe before entering the dedicated room for it. 

* * * * *

Looking at the bathing sink in front of me, I made sure to adjust its temperature while it filled up, as I watched the water surface rise until it reached around the mark for how much I typically used in a bath. When it was around that spot I used my magic to make the last adjustments to the temperature before filling the cup beside the sink with it and spilling it over my body. Chiaisei, sitting in the sink beside me, did the same, though she spent less time messing with the temperature of the water. She was better at heating things up than I was. 

My choice for order usually was to clean the body first, then the hair. Since the hair was the part that lasted the most, it helped to keep it second, as it would enable doing it while sitting down. Each sink had a mirror in front of it. It helped. Chiaisei followed the same motions, while occasionally glancing at me through the mirror in front of us. She had the habit of doing that occasionally when we were sharing a bath. Never decided to ask why, since I figured she might have just been worried at first. Chiaisei had lost the habit of sharing baths some years before meeting me, so she sort of had been getting used to it once again. The situation as a whole sounded odd at first, however when she did offer some context it did make more sense to me. 

—Hey, Fasnilthar. Can I ask your opinion on something? — Chiaisei asked suddenly, as we were starting with washing up. The chat between us hadn't been focused some time before then, though it seemed there was something in her mind as of that point. 

—Sure. What's it about? 

—You two were talking about the rest of the group before I arrived. This made me wonder… What are your impressions on Nalfimiria, so far? — She asked, while glancing at me indirectly. I thought of how to answer that for a second or two. 

—She's smart, good with people and really attentive. She isn't the most serious person, though in some ways this lines up with the other two of her kind I've known. She seems like someone who lives in the present. Just making decisions as they come, preferably in ways to make things around her more entertaining. I think this kind of mindset is seen as a positive among elves. Life gets tedious quickly if you live hundreds of years without seeing much change and all that. Despite the carefree attitude, she is still capable of offering advice, or acting like a bit of a leader. At times it feels like the way she speaks changes entirely as well. — I said the first things that came to mind, while cleaning my hair. I then took an extra second to consider other things about her. 

—She was born around a lot of big personalities, but seems fully intent on living as her own person. She is also compatible with what I came to expect from sisters. Looking like she is always in the know about everything around us, yet keeping as much of it vague as she can. This applies with what I came to expect of those carrying her color as well. She is probably really ambitious as well. From a technical perspective, she seems to have a lead on most others I know around her level, and the main style she practices seems to need a lot of constant training as well. Maybe it has to do with the master she mentioned. — I said, recalling the conversation I had the previous night with Nalfimiria. 

—A master…? When did she mention this again? — Chiaisei asked in response. 

"Right, it was just Nalfimiria and me for that talk." Little details I forget about at times. 

—Oh, the two of us were alone. We had a small chat on the balcony yesterday before heading to sleep and she brought up this master. 

—Before you came back to the room, then. Is this master her grandmother? 

—Nope. Someone way older, from the sounds of it. This master also taught her grandma. 

—Truly… That might explain her ambition then, as you claimed it. Either way, I mostly agree with what you've said so far. How do you think she compares to the other elves you were close to? Personally, I haven't spent that much time interacting with a single one of them in particular. The ones your friends with should be about her age, right? — Chiaisei asked. It looked like she viewed me as the one most in the know about elven girls. 

—A single day isn't enough time to judge them well. But she does seem more cheerful than the other two, especially given we've just introduced ourselves. A bit more open as well. She talked more about her past yesterday than Galmindris did in the first year of us knowing each other. And I have the feeling that if we give her an opening to do it, Nalfimiria might spend entire days talking about her life. Not sure if I want that, to be honest, though we'll probably get to learn more about her pretty quickly compared to those two. She knows how to live at our pace, in some ways. 

—And that would be undesirable because…? — Chiaisei seemed curious on that point. Probably went against her own priorities when dealing with others. 

—It breaks the illusion, in some ways. The more you learn about them, the less impressive they feel. Either that or the two elves I am close to are simply weirdos. 

"Nalfimiria did say Falminoria had the fame of a recluse. I wonder if this also applies to Galmindris… Who am I kidding with? Normal people don't forget to eat." Galmindris had a specifically designed calendar in her lab for her to keep track of how many days she could go without eating before fainting. Need I say any more? Different views on months or years aside, it sure felt like she valued time she had to research freely. What made me lose my faith in Falminoria was her habit of taste testing things, mostly the random plants we would find while exploring. It helped to understand all of their properties, she said. Even when their poisons were harmful enough to affect her. After some time, whenever she would hand me a concoction before trying to eat something, I would immediately fall on guard. Unfortunately, I wasn't strong enough to win that sort of struggle, though we did end up convincing her not to try anything dangerous without warning all of our healers beforehand. As much as those two acted like the babysitters protecting me from my decision making skills over my teenage, at times when I recalled our relationship I realized it was mutual. 

—Really now… Well, whatever. Do you think Nalfimiria is also…? — She didn't need to finish her question for me to know what to say. 

—Definitely. I'm just hoping her type of crazy isn't as difficult to deal with as those other two. I'm starting to think the Great Wander is just a means that elves found to have their youths adjust themselves to the world. It's sometimes hard to tell if one of them is hyper functional or completely useless. — As Nalfimiria would one day tell us, 90 years of sitting in a room, going to school and studying can drive anyone crazy, even if their heads are built for this. This was the main reason why elves always felt terrified of a monotonous routine while they were young, from what I heard. Nostalgic in all of the worst ways. Forcing elves to see the world was just the accepted part of the treatment for them. 

—Understood. Hopefully she will remain useful when it counts the most. Though I do feel a bit conflicted with the Senshinzako situation. She shows no intention of making things easier for him. Not that I can sympathize with his exact stance on the issue in the first place. — Chiaisei said, to which I nodded while continuing to wash myself. She continued looking at me, probably waiting for an answer of sorts. 

—Neither do I, really. As stupid as it can make you feel, it's always fun to just let yourself be pulled by this type of whim. And even if her response would never match his exactly, she would probably end up playing along. That's already good enough, especially if you're dealing with an older race. 

—Indeed. The sooner he accepts his state, the better off he will be for it. It might help with his bigger issue as well, contrary to his expectations. 

—Yeah, probably. Hard to conclude anything about old Kalfisnar, but if my experience about her is accurate she seems like the type to embrace her feelings very… Aggressively, I guess? — Painting the people you love mid sex probably would be considered one of the most aggressive ways to express attraction out there. "Show the world the sights you love the most", as the Great Liberties herself likes saying. Chiaisei laughed a little at my way of expressing the situation.

—Yes, if our sage Dreaming Star can't be considered aggressive, I don't think anyone could. Who else would spend centuries on end drawing, painting, writing or singing to express their affection? Her case might be a bit obsessive, but at times I deeply wish I could borrow some of her boldness. — The mention of said boldness in this context made me a little curious about a different topic. 

—Really… Based on some of the stuff we've talked about before, I wasn't sure if you ever had this kind of liking. Was it recent? — I figured I should ask. I was barely used to seeing Chiaisei laugh or smile sincerely, so I was curious of what she would feel like while under any sort of crush. Probably confused, if I was correct in my guess. There was also the detail that she was a recent arrival in a different region, so odds were that love of hers had stayed behind. The question caused her to smile again. 

—Yes. Very recently, in fact it started this year. As someone going through this for the first time, the feeling is quite lovely as well. Almost makes me want to drop my hard earned composure entirely. — She said, while dropping some water above her head. It must have been somewhat hot, because Chiaisei was getting bright red as she said so. She seemed to like her water really hot, from the looks of things. 

—I see… Did they stay behind, or…? — I wasn't sure how to ask that question. From what I knew about the situation, it was unlikely it had been someone she met in our present region. 

—No. I met her during the move here, you could say. If that's what you're worried about, you could say that she is near enough to meet frequently. Just some steps away, really. — As she continued talking, I noticed how much she seemed to enjoy this talk. 

"Her feelings must be developing pretty intensely, if just thinking about them causes this sort of reaction. Did they meet over the course of our introduction…? It didn't look like she met anyone like that over the train ride, at least." I wondered who that woman might be, before deciding to just straight up ask her for an answer. 

—Is that so… Maybe we should all meet her one of these-. — I stopped when I realized my sentence was causing her to laugh again. I had a suspicion she was laughing at me by that point, yet that wasn't an issue. The first time I ever saw her laughing was during the second day we met, which might not normally sound like an issue, though considering we literally spent two entire days with each other before even the smallest crack started appearing that did make me worried. Whatever the motivation might be, any sign of her demonstrating positive things, I thought of them as a positive. Even if I felt I frequently was the cause behind her laughing. 

—Oh, sorry. But that would be difficult. I'll try to arrange something, though I'll need some time to get ready. — She was still half laughing while saying as much. I wasn't sure what my stumbling did in this case, however it certainly did strike at her weak points. After quieting down, she suddenly turned more serious, though. After doing so, she looked up towards me. 

—Before that, it might be relevant to go over the topic of those stories you had mentioned, however. I can't say with confidence I'm ready yet, but I'm trying my hardest. Since the day we were supposed to have split up, I've been trying to find the courage each day. — Chiaisei said, looking resolute. 

"She pretty much heard everything Nalfimiria and I talked about, then." I wasn't confident if this also included her diagnosis of yours truly, since I wasn't sure if I wanted any of the others to listen to that. There wasn't much to do other than trusting whatever she did say, Nalfimiria did so with good intent, either way. 

—You don't have to force yourself so much. Give whatever time you need until you feel comfortable. There is no need to worry so- 

—Rich words, but you're constantly worrying yourself. How couldn't I be as well? — She cut me off, before I could even finish that sentence. 

—Well, maybe, but… — The accusation was too accurate for me to deflect it with ease. 

—No "buts". Having to worry about this as well will do nothing to improve your own mood. Besides, you make it sound like a painful situation… As difficult as my past can be to look back at times, even thinking about sharing it feels somewhat relieving. I may not be ready yet, though this isn't simply a matter of explaining things, or paying you back for your consolation the other day. This… It will probably make me happier as well. — She grabbed one of my hands while saying so, holding it close to her chest with both hands while looking at me. Maybe the fact that we were doing this mid bath may make the scene sound weirder, though I felt the smile she offered then made her look all the more resolute. Beautiful, even. Due to some of the troubles she explained to me, I tried keeping that detail away from my mind most of the time, that said Chiaisei was still one of the most gorgeous girls I had ever met. Having her lock my glance on her made it harder to ignore that detail. 

—You say that, but-. Sorry. Hah… Everytime I'm the one causing worry all I do is try to brush it aside and smile away, though. I'm not being fair with you. 

—You aren't. You can worry about me as much as you want, but as soon as it becomes mutual you turn away. And you barely even take the thought to worry for yourself, it often seems. Taking your time as well instead of just asking me to mind mine is a way of accepting my worries, though. Or do you think I want to see you hurt for my sake? Not to say that I don't want to hear things from your side, however. Few things in this world could be as precious to me as your trust, as of now, and I would love being the one relied upon for a change… But if one needs time, so should both, and that time shouldn't be determined by anything other than how prepared we feel. If you want me not to worry, don't treat this as a race, or a paired deadline. We're talking about our lives here, right? — Though I felt pressured by the accusations, Chiaisei didn't allow me to turn from her while speaking. When she ended, both of us got quiet for a moment. A moment became more time, and after some time looking at each other straight, she suggested we continue bathing. 

Chiaisei then got to commenting on some random things she thought about the house. The beds, the rooms, the wardrobes and other personal spaces, even the comfort of that very bath. Seeing as she was trying to change the topic, I decided that might be for the best as well. I wasn't really sure how to say much more to it. This didn't necessarily change my way of thinking, but I knew she was right. I've always hated causing others trouble, though never thought for even a second before getting involved in things affecting others. Chiaisei wasn't the first person to point that out, even. Both the elven girls I mentioned tried to talk me out of it at some points, and would often be there to stop me from getting too deep into any said trouble. It was some of the decision making that they felt I needed help with. 

The bath continued and got done in that way, without the serious part of the conversation necessarily leaving my thoughts. Again, those weren't things that I hadn't heard before. What did surprise me slightly was how quickly Chiaisei took note of some of them. "I've probably been looking like quite the mess recently. Maybe that just made these little quirks all the clearer. Still… That would make her the fourth to call me out on this. She is pretty quick at noticing these things, and pretty bold to point them out immediately as well. Damn. Why does it feel like the roles flipped as soon as the introduction got done?" Conflicted feelings about getting a light scolding from the girl who had been my student just 3 days before then aside, this reminded me a little about the other occasions others would point out some of my tendencies to my face. 

The first was Galmindris, and second was Falminoria. With Galmindris, mostly because I had a tendency to take up too much additional work besides studying while in the academy. As I was her lab assistant, among other things, this would often affect her as well. She would then tell me to mind my limits while trying to help others. If I didn't have the time to manage everything I would try to take part or help with, the people needing assistance would probably end up worse off, either way. That, and she would frequently tell me to be careful of the things others would ask of me. Falminoria was similar. Sort of. The academy was a particularly good environment to try to tackle too much at once, and working in a unit didn't allow for as many opportunities of this kind. Instead, the ground was a bit more familiar than the previous discussion. 

I had a group of friends, all of which came from situations far different than mine. They each had their share of problems rising from their lives. Not the kind that is particularly abnormal, just the kind of thing that most of us tend to carry. This didn't make it any easier from their own perspectives, of course. So I tried being there to help, in my own ways. Whenever they needed someone to talk to, or whatever else they might be thinking of, I would try to stay close. My own life felt way simpler, so I doubted helping with that would take that much from my end. Falminoria did warn me occasionally the way I did things could cause problems, though. Seeing as we did end up having some massive issues as a group, I figured that might have been part of the trouble I had been causing. And the third person to bring up the issue with me was also a member of the group, Clarssimin. 

Funny thing is, Chiaisei reminded me of Clarssimin in some ways, and the details of their answers were somewhat similar. This had happened after things had started getting worse with the other group, and a bit over a month before I had temporarily split up from them. A relatively big discussion had just happened, and after I tried interrupting I started getting a bit of a panic attack, before running off. Clarssimn had been the one to follow me, and spent some time talking to me until I calmed down. After I recovered my temper, I spent some time complaining about my own weakness before the situation as well. Everybody was in a bad state but I was always the one taking their attention away, or having the biggest meltdowns. They probably had so much to think about, yet there I was, acting like a scared child. Her words then sort of matched Chiaisei's own, in some ways. Those being: 

—Well, you're having a hard time because you're worried about each of us, right? Isn't the contrary also expected, then? — She said while smiling, before giving me the time to nod along or something of the sort. I thought of asking her why, which caused her to continue. — It's as Lady Zeymalteul says, dear friend. Healthy bonds, ones born of appreciation… They're based on sharing things, be them positive or otherwise. Friends are bound to share in laughs or smiles just as much as tears and sorrows, because in both cases having others alongside you can make the experience far more pleasant. You're worried about me, so I'll worry about you as well, regardless of what you think of it. That's what it means to care for someone for me, and I won't quit it because you're being stubborn. A path tracer needs to be more persistent than that. — She went on some more after that, but for the most part this was the main connection I noticed. 

While I reflected on those similarities and those other situations, we had returned to the changing room and mostly finished drying ourselves. As I started putting my clothes on again, I kept thinking of those similarities. Namely a detail about it that still frustrated me. "Not one by this point, but two. It's starting to feel like Clars might not have been an exception. Not a good sign for me, not a good sign at all." I liked both of them. Clarssimin was a dear friend, and though we knew each other for very little time I was growing to like Chiaisei all the more by the day. Sometimes I felt a little lacking compared to them, though. 

Namely, despite both being younger, I often felt they were far more mature. Maybe I was normal and they were just a bit premature. Clarssimin to this day is still the person I know who was considered ready for combat at the earliest at least, as she became our coworker at 15. Both had higher magical affinity than mine, so that might have played a role as well. That said, if they were the normal ones, that meant there was a problem taking place for me. And honestly, two years wasn't that much time, in the grand scheme of things. Still, feeling immature compared to someone younger than you should always be interpreted as a bad sign, even if you might be wrong. I had a hard time dropping that feeling when talking to either of them about life things. 

We then finished changing for the most part, while the situation still had a small echo in my head. We had been talking in the meanwhile, but not a whole lot. At one point, I noticed Chiaisei was getting more silent. Since the lockers we were using were on opposite sides of the room, I turned around to check on her, and as I did so I realized she was no longer there. I was confused for a second before feeling her arms hugging me around my waist. Not too suddenly, of course, as my girl was aware I had a tendency to jump on the offensive at the slightest sign of being surprised. Feeling part of her face leaning against my back reminded me of the moment we originally thought we would split up. At that point, she was neither shaking, weeping or wailing, though. From the glimpse I got at her face, it looked like she was smiling happily, without any attempt at masking her feelings either. The hug felt warm, something I wasn't entirely used to coming from her. That got me a little curious as to the reason behind it, even if I still accepted holding her arms. 

—Hey, Chiaisei? 

—Yes? — Her voice felt softer than usual. Maybe it was also the closeness between us, but it also felt like she was whispering by then. 

—Is, like, something up? — I wasn't sure how else to ask about the sudden hug. 

—Not really. I'm just happy. Do you mind? — She adjusted her head's position a little while saying so, to make it easier for us to look at each other. Her smile did seem radiant as she turned towards me. Whatever was on her mind, something we had said clearly had improved her mood. 

—Nope. You can have my back for as long as you like. — Hearing me say so, she began holding me tighter. Not enough to bother me, of course. Her breathing, her heartbeat, her heat… It all became much easier to notice at this distance, I guess. We spent some more time like that before leaving the changing room.

* * * * *

After leaving we returned to the kitchen, to find Nalfimiria still preparing part of our meal. The drinks she blended were already done, being that each of us got a cup for that purpose. I liked the taste, and according to her it would fulfill my needs for post training food almost entirely. Being that the main reason each of ours was made differently was to account for the difference in protein ingestion that every unit member had*. I had no clue when Nalfimiria even got ahold of that information, but decided I was better off thinking of it as an estimation as of then. There was also some grub she mentioned that would go well with bread. Apparently she had sent Sowanar on a bakery errand during our bath due to that plan. 

(*Here is a fun fact for the people who haven't met many magic kin. Despite being the most athletic of us bunch, Nalfimiria was also the one who ate the least. It wasn't usual for elves even to have 3 meals a day, and ignoring the fact her peak physique was monstrous by human standards, it wouldn't take one a third of the consumption you would expect of a human being at their peak. It also takes then weeks below that line for their bodies to go through any sort of digression, and barely half a year of training to reach their peak. The convenience!)

Most of it was planned for the boys, since their diet was way more loaded than ours, although I still asked to get a bite at least. I was decently fit and all, though you know… It was more like the "I have decent endurance, and have the muscle to use a weapon to a good effect without magic" kind of fit, not the "peak form for some friendly violence" kind of it, you know? The same more or less applied to Chiaisei, even if her build was far more specialized than mine. Agility was her playing field, not necessarily endurance or raw strength. Not much of a point in either of us eating as much as Sowanar when he had about as much muscle mass as I had total mass, as a result. 

While we were taking a few sips from our drinks, Chiaisei brought up the matter of martial training with Nalfimiria again. They decided to start going over some of that then, as a result, which caused us to move to the backyard. We set up one of the spare tables and a few chairs there, as they had been hanging around the exit for precisely that purpose. Lastly, Chiaisei also set up the perch for Finarkzir, who had been standing on top of the pull up bars for some time. We then gathered some training weapons, while the sister asked Chiaisei how much basic knowledge she had about their usage. 

My girl talked a little about the subject, both from her outside understanding and the occasions in which she saw direct fighters practicing with each other, even if she didn't take part in it very often. She also mentioned having some skill in hand to hand, and knowing the basics of footwork from training in the Gale Sparrow. Either way, the discussion ended with them agreeing it would be easier to start at the simplest point. Especially since Chiaisei had no interest in shifting to direct fighting as her focus, instead just keeping it as an option. Which meant spears and different types of polearms to begin. 

I've mentioned this before, but there is nothing as simple as a weapon with a single striking point. Just looking at it should tell you everything about its function, and sure, polearms had a lot of variance. Still, this applied to every different kind of head you could put on one. Axe or hammer heads, spikes, specialized tips of all kinds, some people even put blades as long as a sword on top of a pole. With any of them, I still felt it was really intuitive to guess at the reason why they were there. If it's blunt, use it to bludgeon plated armor or break bones, if it's some kind of spike, thrust, if it looks like an axe, just remember to strike from the proper direction, and try to make use of gravity while you're at it. A normal quarterstaff more or less just functioned as a mixture of a less deadly spear and a beating rod. Thrust the point if there's a need for pressure, always strike near the tip because levers are magic. You couldn't get much simpler. 

That aside, before they got officially started Nalfimiria also brought up the matter of menstruation. Namely, so that we could already mark off in our schedules the periods in which Chiaisei and I would be unavailable. The guild already had that information, so we wouldn't be asked to act during the needed days, at the very least. Still, she also pointed out it would be essential to inform the association of Chiaisei's tolerance to transport while cramped all the sooner. The guild often liked matching period days with the traveling part of our job, and since we had an intermediate level healer with us they would be acting under the assumption the cramps would only last some hours. Personally, I was fine with train trips during even the heavier cramps, and Chiaisei said the same was likely true for her. We decided to cut off cart or carriage travel as an option during bleeding days, though, much less heavy walking. I disliked going on normal carriage rides myself while cramped, so before knowing any more on Chiaisei's tolerance for this we decided to use my limits as the group's. 

The intervals on Nalfimiria's cycles lasted nearly 5 months, so we wouldn't have to worry about her fertile periods too often. According to her they tended to last around 9 days, so if I ever got to see any of them basically it would mean a week long vacation. Some busy vacation days as well, if Chiaisei and I remained as the only girls in the group. Not that I minded it. There was always something fun about seeing elf girls going completely crazy over these days. 

With that aside, Nalfimiria started a demonstration of technique as soon as the period talk was done. How to hold a spear, how to use most of your weight while thrusting with one, how to switch between targets when delivering repeated thrusts. She would demonstrate some of these things then ask Chiaisei to try the movement herself. As I sort of expected, my girl picked up part of this quickly. I've already explained the simplicity of most polearms for quite some time, and under the accelerated mind of a spell caster learning how to put one to use should be all the easier. Spears are popular for a reason, and the simplicity in making and using them is a massive part of it. 

Combined with the fact Chiaisei was just smart as a whole, this showed nothing shocking to me. The intensity of their swings didn't really match real combat, though it did still feel like she understood how the basics should be handled. That wouldn't be enough to make one capable of matching up against other mages. However I still figured it wouldn't take long for her to get good enough at it to be able to use it in easier tasks, especially since Chiaisei's lack of martial training referred only to the aggressive parts of it. In terms of movement, she would be much better than me at least, being trained in a style that favored extreme mobility. 

After Nalfimiria showed off the basics, she also mentioned the recommended fighting styles for someone trained like Chiaisei. The short of it was, unless Chiaisei put active effort into surpassing her rankings in wind casting which was unlikely, the spear would always be a less potent tool than the wind, sound waves or thunder. So the wisest thing to do was to just train with it as a intimidating tool, a means to stall or in rare cases to catch someone off guard. In other words, prioritize keeping away, and if someone did close in on her, use the weapon as a final means of slowing down or weakening an opponent. 

Wind casting and infusing are all about speed and all, not only offering her a simple means of keeping gaps in her favor though also of closing them instantly, if needed. More than anything, holding a spear in hand would be a threat due to that factor, since it would pressure knowledgeable foes to avoid charging in recklessly. That would buy more time, and more time would make it easier for her to escape or to disable them using her magic. In the hands of an elemental caster, weapons weren't simply a backup but a deterrent, given most rivals will assume any Favighea practitioner has some level of skill with one of the elemental infusing types. Nalfimiria also gave some suggestions to Lesser Styles that favored that philosophy, though that would only be a worry once Chiaisei had a grasp on weapon usage, at the very least. 

During that, Nalfimiria would also ask for my girl to occasionally try to attack her as a target, being she would only use her spear defensively (though honestly what is a training spear if not just a glorified stick). It still wasn't that active, but it did look instructive enough. Nalfimiria was a difficult target, even while playing at a lower speed than normal, so I felt this probably might have been the easiest way of teaching Chiaisei how to attack with a weapon, as of then. It did look like our friendly sister had taken part in a lot of similarish training in the past, at least. 

Sowanar arrived during this training as well, and after the bread-using grub got done Nalfimiria explained the practice and invited him to spar a little with her to illustrate some of the explanation in a clearer way. To do this, he picked one of the training spears himself. I felt a little bad for our knight, though. Nalfimiria wasn't going serious on him, however she clearly was still serious enough to put him through quite the beatdown. The practice was one sided, even if she was actively avoiding taking the offensive (She probably chose to fight focused on defending/ dodging/ counterattacking instead of exerting pressure directly since it would fit Chiaisei's skillset better as of then.).

The matches were balanced enough to be somewhat entertaining still, and as a distraction it looked good enough for me to ponder on bringing out the Guiding Eye while watching their matches. I ended up rejecting that thought however, as sticking so closely probably would make me want to take part. Either way, it was around the tenth round they had or so that Senshin arrived in the backyard as well, officially bringing all of us together for the first time that day. That marked the start of breakfast, and of a bit more of collective training. I will leave that to my training worshiping buddy though, since he liked talking about it so much. See you soon!