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"Put that thing away. We're not fighting today."

"..."

.

Aisha unsheathed her sword, looking down at the sheath on her hip to drive it in properly. She still hadn't gotten used to the sword yet, after all, she'd only been using it for a week..

.

She felt a cold blade on her neck and jumped away, panicked.

.

"What the hell?!"

"I told you. I'm not your friend. You let your guard down. And if I was behind you, you would be dead right now."

.

Aisha put her hand back on the sword on her hip and drew it, but it was quickly knocked out of her hand.

.

"..."

"Go pick it up."

.

Aisha warily backed up until her foot felt a bit of steel on the ground. She squatted down, feeling around for the sword and wincing a bit, cutting her hand, but finally finding the handle of the blade, turning around quickly and picking it up.

She squinted at a chalk circle, newly drawn on the ground.

.

"Do you know what this is?"

"...That's a circle."

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

"So-"

"Do you understand what the importance of this shape is?"

"...No."

"Perhaps you need a different drawing."

.

.

"Do you recognize this?"

"Yeah. It's… yin and yang. The elders wouldn't shut up about it. It's a load of spiritual garbage."

"The concept of yin and yang was developed to represent the balance in all things. The shape as a whole is meant to represent one concept, or one object. The idea is that there are two halves of a whole, good and evil. In the evil, there is a little good, and in the good, there is a little evil."

"You're not going to tell me that-"

"But in reality things are not so simple."

.

The drawing was destroyed, white chalk flying everywhere. Aisha coughed at the dust that was kicked up. When the dust settled, there was no longer a circle, just a… kind of grey blob on the ground, with various splotches of lighter or darker color.

.

"This is a more… accurate model of how our world works. It's just a loosely kept together mass of interlinked elements. You can point to a point here, and say that it's dark, but there is only grey. You can say that as a whole, there is more dark than light, but you would have to count every grain of chalk. And even if you did, the dark is merely the absence of the light. There is no way to count it."

"...What's your point?"

"The point is, is that there is no real such thing as dark or light, good or evil."

"I already know-"

"Of course, you should already know that. Especially you."

"..."

"It's not the meaning of the symbol that we need to focus on. Yin and Yang is a tool used to teach children. For our purposes, it's more important to study why people use it."

"... It's just a model."

"A model is just a simplification of a larger idea."

"What does this have to do with fighting?"

"Not everything is about fighting."

"I thought I was here to get stronger."

"You are."

"..."

"..."

.

Aisha sighed. She supposed she walked right into that one.

.

"People like to simplify things. It's the way that our minds are structured, it's why people like symmetry, why people feel the need to organize things, why they desire order. It's because humans are not designed to live in chaos. People aren't good at working under pressure, or reacting in tense situations. It's why the world is shaped around us to shape this desire."

"So?"

"This is also how your brain works. When you feel under pressure, you start to crack, and break. It's because you're overcomplicating things. When we battle, the only outcome that matters is if you win or if you lose."

"...You can't possibly be telling me that the entire point of this lecture was to tell me to "just win!"

"Winning is simply a matter of planning and execution. Failure is a direct result of insufficient consideration of one element. If you want to win, then it is just a matter of creating a plan, and executing. Simplified even further, every plan can be simplified into a series of actions, and then into conditions for those actions.

If you want to win, then you have to be better than your opponent.

You have to be faster.

You have to be stronger.

You have to be smarter.

If not, then you are weak."

]

.

.

.

Celeste was woken up by the beginnings of sunlight streaming in from the gap in between two curtains. She held up a hand, shielding her eyes from the light, smiling slightly at the prospect of a new day. Celeste stretched her arms above her head, bringing attention to the warm body still laying on top of her, shifting slightly with her stretching motions.

.

Aisha looked up at her from under the covers, red eyes shining, covers wrapped around her like a caterpillar.

.

Celeste beamed a big smile and pulled Aisha up, face to face, and pressed their noses together, nuzzling her affectionately. She squealed in her throat; even though they had been together for a while, her oblivious cuteness still gave Celeste such a warm feeling in her stomach…

.

She squished Aisha's face with her hands, making little kissy faces with her cheeks and lips.

.

"You're so cuteee!!"

"Ah... Thanks… I guess."

.

Celeste hummed happily and squeezed Aisha, rocking side to side. She was in heaven… Everything around her was just so soft, and silky, and fluffy, and warm... She wished she could stay like this forever. But she knew…

.

"So what contract are we taking today?" Aisha asked.

.

Celeste's smile faltered a little bit, and she let out a deep sigh. She would be so happy to just spend time with Aisha… but that clearly wasn't enough for the girl, no matter what she said.

.

"Let's do a trade escort."

"...But those take so long!"

"It's time well spent."

"You spend the entire contract laying down on pillows in the back of a wagon."

.

Celeste just smiled and winked at Aisha, sticking her tongue out a little. The offer was tempting, very tempting, but Aisha had… things to do. She shook her head.

.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. I'll miss you, on those cold nights, though...."

.

Aisha turned her head away at the sweet, but sad smile on Celeste's face.

.

.

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Aisha strolled into the dingy little street that she was all so familiar with now, having visited the place many times. She absentmindedly licked at her double scoop strawberry cheesecake ice cream cone in her hands, her eyes locking onto an unshaven, shifty looking man, with a bad haircut and a deranged look.

.

"Here for another contract?" Korian asked.

"No. I'm here to discuss our contract."

"...What?"

"Our agreement. That we made last time we met."

"Oh. Right what about it?"

"...Do you have anything ready for me?"

.

Korian sighed.

,

"Listen, enchanting armor isn't as simple as waving your hands, and then magicking the armor into a masterpiece. Everyone else does magic boosts, because it's really easy. Spell enchantments are difficult. And expensive. If you can get me a platinum coin, I think I could make a single piece."

"...Then you're useless."

"I have this."

.

Korian reached under his chair and withdrew a white cowl. He slid it across the desk slowly.

.

"Put it on."

.

Aisha looked at the little thing, and unclipped her black hood, replacing it with the cream colored one. It was much lighter than the other one, but…

.

"The other one is drakehide. Why would I need this one?"

"Just watch."

.

Korian held out his hand, and a weak bolt of green energy exited his fingertips, headed straight for Aisha's head. She watched as the ball of magic impacted the side of the cowl and dissipated along the surface.

.

"...What was that?" Aisha asked, flatly.

"What, you want me to do it again? My magic isn't that strong-"

"What was the point of doing that?"

"Oh. Uh, put the other cowl on again and I'll show you."

"Are you trying to say that this cowl is more magic resistant than the other one?"

"Yes."

"...Are you going to explain?"

"The way that magic boosts work, is kind of like the barrels of those ancient rifles. It doesn't amplify anything, it just makes the magic waves… straighter. This actually also means that magic coming inwards is also stronger, but for most people, their mana shield makes sure that they don't come in direct contact."

.

Korian held out his hands straight in front of him, looking at Aisha.

.

"The way that I've crafted this armor, is that the conduits, instead of running perpendicular to you, are parallel to you. Like a shield. This way, instead of straightening incoming and outgoing magic, it'll block it."

.

He moved his hands out to the side, so that he was making a T pose with his arms. Aisha took a lick of her ice cream.

.

"You look really stupid." She said.

"Just pay me."

.

.

.

Aisha opened those familiar wooden doors to hear loud shouting and the clamoring of wooden stead grinding on wooden floors, as well as the casting of magic. She peeked her head in, to see all the adventurers in the guild, crowding around a large space in the middle of the guild.

.

She pushed aside a couple of people and peeked at what was happening in the middle of the crowd. She saw a man, slumped over, and a young boy, probably no older than 16, his arms restrained behind his back by an adventurer.

.

"Adventurer scum! Let me go! I've done nothing wrong!"

"You killed him, in plain view! You stabbed him in the back!"

"He killed my dad! He deserved it!" The boy screamed.

.

Aisha's eyes caught on a hint of the metallic sheen of a platinum adventurer's plate on the dead man's neck, as well as the blood staining the front of his jacket. Aisha left the crowd of people, losing interest. She bumped into someone, frowning as her ice cream was flattened into a white metal breastplate.

.

Vigil looked down at the red ice cream streak that ran down her heavy plate mail, her armor creaking with the motion. She reached around the table to the left of her and took a napkin from a holder, wiping at the stain.

.

"Hey." She greeted Aisha.

"Hey."

"You don't look surprised. Not your first time seeing this kind of thing, huh."

"No, it is."

"You're not at all surprised?"

"I mean, if you run around killing whatever you want, you're probably going to piss somebody off."

.

Vigil sighed.

"Yeah. It's why people don't take the kill contracts anymore. There's no protection for us from the magistrate." She explained. "Chen was a fool."

"..."

"So, why are you here?" Vigil asked.

"That seems like a pretty dumb question."

"... I guess you're right. Do you want to party up with me?"

"Not really."

"Why not? You haven't been listening to Amir, have you?"

"I just think that contracts will go faster if I do them myself."

"Didn't you get really hurt on your last contract?"

"..."

"Celeste told me to take care of you."

.

Aisha sighed.

"Alright, fine."

"She's really got you whipped, huh."

"Whip your mom." Aisha said, turning away and walking over to the contract board.

.

.

.

"What's a… Yensa?" Aisha asked, squinting at the little paper.

"It's a fish, but it's big and uses water and air magic."

"Have you fought one before?"

"Yes. It wasn't very difficult. Although Fei and Kua were with me."

.

Aisha looked up at Vigil, her helmet now off, letting flow loose her luscious, wavy brown hair. It looked silky and smooth, looking almost as soft as Celeste's… The woman was confident and proud, stoic, but kind and friendly around her friends. Aisha wondered if she fell into that category.

.

Vigil laughed.

"Celeste didn't come with us that day. Well, she did, but we were in the waterways and she slipped in her heels and got really angry!"

"Why is Celeste so lazy?"

.

Vigil's smile slowly faded away, into a more serious expression, as she thought about the question.

.

"I don't know. She used to be so energetic, when she first came to the guild. But… I don't know. It feels like she doesn't really want to adventure anymore. She used to be so eager."

"Did she go into a bad contract?"

"No, not that I know of. She just slowly… got lazier and lazier. I kind of regret taking her on that first escort mission. Now that's all she'll do."

.

Vigil looked directly at Aisha.

"Well, until you came."

.

.

.

Aisha followed Vigil, walking alongside the riverbank, boots sinking slightly into the loamy dirt.

.

"So, where are the yensa?" Aisha asked.

"We'll see then when the river starts to get wider. You won't miss them."

"How big are-"

"We'll be fine." Vigil interrupted Aisha, waving her off. "You talk about contracts too much. Father always said that you should enjoy the time you have."

"I think it's best to have as much information as possible before we risk our lives."

"I've done this before many times. I'll keep you safe. I promised Celeste."

"...That's a very foolish attitude to have." Aisha muttered.

.

Vigil chose to ignore Aisha's comment.

"How did you get injured on your last contract?"

"..."

"Sorry. Might be a touchy-"

"It was a sacrifice."

"What?"

"I used myself as bait. To test something."

"Soo… why'd you do that?"

"Impatience. Arrogance. Anger."

"..."

.

Vigil gently put her hand on Aisha's shoulder.

"You don't need to be so hard on yourself."

"I have to, if I want to-"

.

Aisha stopped herself. The rest of the walk continued in silence.

.

.

.

"Look. That's what we're looking for.."

.

Vigil pointed to a golden blur in the water, moving fast and snapping up smaller fish in the river. She put on her helmet and drew her sword, igniting in a large plume of orange flames. Aisha drew her crossbow, loading in a bolt, but Vigil stopped her from firing.

.

"Wait."

"Why?"

"Wait for it to come out of the water."

"Why would I do that?"

"Look at the way that the water is shimmering. It's some sort of light magic. You can try to aim at it, but your aim will be off."

"I think all water does that."

"Yeah, they all have that light magic."

.

Aisha had her doubts, but nonetheless if it made an easier shot she saw no reason to argue. She put her crossbow down, waiting for the fish to make a sign of aggression...

.

Vigil pointed her sword towards the water, a massive plume of flames spilling out of the tip and creating steam on the waterbed. The flames didn't breach the surface of the water, but the golden blur in the water stopped, turning towards the two women on the riverbed.

.

A massive, golden plated shark jumped out of the water, green stripes along the side and sharp fins fluttering dangerously with wind-laced cutting magic. Vigil extended her left hand, a red barrier of magic being projected from her hand, but the fish was knocked out of its trajectory by a crossbow bolt. It fell to the ground, thrashing violently, as Vigil stuck her sword into its head, igniting her sword and killing it.

.

"Great shot!"

"Hm."

.

Aisha got a better look at the Yensa, it's body still flopping around a bit. The monster was encrusted with bright, golden, metal scales that shone brilliantly in the sunlight, with a strong, rock-like jaw and bright green fins and highlights. She could still feel the powerful energies emanating off the creature…

.

"I wanna eat it."

"H-huh? You want to eat it? We're on a contract!"

"I want to eat it. I'm hungry,"

.

Vigil took off her helmet, looking at the short little girl. The way she bounced on her heels excitedly… At first, she seemed a little… off, but as she got to know her…

.

(She's so cute… )

.

Vigil laughed and took Aisha's hand in hers.

.

"After the contract, we can get some food. Yensa meat is nice, but I doubt you want to just eat it out here roasted on a fire."

"...Getting food might be a little more difficult than you think."

"Why? Are you low on coins?"

.

Aisha pointed to her ears.

.

"Oh right. Well, I'll just take you back home then. You can meet my father."

"You talk about him a lot."

"I consider myself lucky. People usually don't have a lot of… parents around here. He taught me everything that I knew."

"Hm."

"He's a swordmaster. Maybe he can teach you something!"

"Maybe."

.

Vigil thought about hugging Aisha and running her hands through that velvety fur… She blushed red and looked away. She was Celeste's girlfriend... She stopped her arm, reflexively reaching for the fluff.

.

Maybe she would ask Celeste. She had heard gossip from Kua that they had let Fei…

.

"Four Yensa left. Shouldn't take that long. After, we can go to my father's house and have hugs."

"..."

"I-I mean lunch!"

.

.

.

"Hey." Vigil said.

"Yeah?"

"Can you stop touching my hair?"

"Sorry."

.

Aisha withdrew her hand, previously running through and feeling Vigil's silky brown hair. It had just looked so… alluring. She had been looking at it ever since they had turned in the contract, and Vigil had taken off her helmet. It just looked so soft, and it was such a nice shade of brown...

.

"Doesn't Celeste let you touch her hair?"

"Yeah."

"Then why do you need to touch mine?"

"Your hair is brown. Hers is blond."

"What does that have to do with touching it?"

.

Aisha looked away.

"I-I don't know…"

.

Vigil looked at the girl with a curious expression. What a strange girl. She was curious and childish, but sometimes she would just close herself off, and take on a hardened expression. It sometimes made Vigil very uncomfortable.

.

Speaking of uncomfortable though…

.

"H-hey! What are you doing?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you… holding my hand? And getting so close?"

"Don't girls do this all the time?"

"Um… sometimes. But they usually don't have girlfriends."

"Don't worry about it."

"..."

"You smell nice."

.

Vigil turned pink, her cheeks burning up from the compliment. She tried to shake off the clingy girl, but she was much stronger than Vigil. She relented, sighing in defeat. She shook her head. She was being paranoid…

.

But even so, Vigil was glad to see the familiar, small gate of her Father's house. She could see a redheaded woman in a maid outfit, trimming the shrubs outside the walls, absentmindedly clipping leaves with a pair of shears. She walked over, removing herself from the awkward little hug, and tapped the woman on the shoulder.

.

"Hey!"

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The woman turned around, putting down her shears and looked at Vigil. The deadpan expression on her face told Aisha that the woman... probably didn't like her job all that much.

.

"Oh. You've returned. And you've brought a friend." The woman said, monotone.

"Yeah. Can you tell Father that I'm visiting?"

"Yes."

.

The woman turned back around and went back to her hedge clipping.

.

"...Can you do it now?" Vigil asked.

.

The woman sighed and unlocked the gate, ushering Vigil and Aisha into the small estate, tossing aside her hedge clippers. She opened the doors to the house, walking inside and trading her gardening gloves for a pair of frilly white ones.

.

"Wait here." She said, sighing.

.

She walked upstairs, her heels dully clacking on the wooden floors. After a bit, the sound of excited footsteps could be heard, followed by the same dull footsteps of the maid.

.

A surprisingly young man, probably in his mid-thirties, excitedly ran down the stairs, dressed in a nice red coat and dress uniform. His eyes brightened at the sight of his daughter, running over and wrapping Vigil in a big hug.

.

"Vigil! You're back! It's so good to see you! It's been so long!"

"H-hey dad…"

.

(Dad? What happened to "father?") Aisha thought.

.

"Who's your friend? Your girlfriend?" He asked.

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Vigil turned pink, struggling out of the man's hug.

"Dad! No! She's just a friend. She's Celeste's girlfriend. Her name is Aisha."

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The man frowned, but nonetheless he walked over and shook Aisha's hand.

.

"Hey! I'm Sin, Vigil's father! You're one of her adventurer friends right? You're a little young, but thanks for taking care of my daughter!"

.

He turned around to address the maid behind him, slowly walking down the stairs.

.

"Mihyang! Please prepare dinner for four. Vigil's home!" He said, excitedly.

"Yeah. I know. I let them in." She muttered.

.

Sin ignored her comment, taking Vigil's hand and leading her through the large house. Aisha followed, surprised at his tolerance of Mihyang's behavior. She probably would have gotten whipped if she had tried that when she was a servant.

.

He led the girls into a parlor, a roaring fire crackling, an insignia and ornate sword and sheath resting on a mantle.

.

"Sit, sit! Come on. Tell me about what you've been doing!"

"I'm going to take off my armor first." Vigil muttered, turning around. Sin looked disappointed, but he stopped himself from fussing over his daughter to entertain his guest, turning to Aisha.

.

"So, you're an adventurer, right?" He asked.

"...Yes."

"You look a little young to be risking your life like that."

"You look a little young to be a parent."

.

Sin chuckled.

"I guess you're right. I was probably your age when I had Vigil. I was young and stupid, but I don't regret it one bit."

"How old do you think I am?"

"Uh... "

.

Sin looked at Aisha's blank stare, reminding him of his maid.

.

"Probably older than I think you are."

"..."

.

The cracking of the fire was the only sound that broke the awkward silence that flitted in between the two.

.

Sin cracked a wry smile.

.

"I know how awkward it must be having to talk with your friend's dad. It hasn't been all that long since I had to as well, when I was dating Alice."

"Vigil's mother?"

"Mhm. Her mother was a real piece of work. I had to sneak into her house at night to see her. But it was all worth it."

"What happened to her?"

.

Sin's smile faltered.

"She got drafted into the army, when Vigil was still a baby. I don't know if she's still alive. I've asked the magistrate every day, but they never tell me anything... She was really gifted, a real powerful mage. It's where Vigil gets it from…"

"Drafted?"

"You don't know about the draft?"

"No."

"The magistrate randomly picks gifted mages to force into the army. It's compulsory, unless you're doing an important job, like armorsmithing, weaponsmithing, leatherworking, going to university… or adventuring, like you."

.

(University… huh.)

.

Aisha turned her head at the sound of Vigil coming down the stairs, out of her armor and into a nice button up shirt and long skirt. Sin smiled at the sight of his daughter, who gave a small little wave. Vigil took the only seat available next to Aisha, smoothing out her skirt and sitting straight, a stark contrast to Aisha's lazy slouch.

.

"So, Vigil! What have you been doing? How's Fei and all your friends?"

"Well, I…"

.

Aisha tuned out all further conversation, losing interest. She stared into the licking flames in the fireplace, enraptured by the dancing flames. The warmth… made her eyes kind of heavy.

.

Vigil made an unladylike squawk as she felt a fluffy head resting on her lap, and a pair of small arms encircled her waist.

.

"H-hey!" She stuttered, gently attempting to roll Aisha off her.

"Mm... " Aisha mumbled.

"Am I going to get grandkids?" Sin asked.

"We're not dating!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"I don't get girls." He muttered.

.

Aisha closed her eyes and relaxed, breathing in Vigil's scent. She smelled… really perfumy, which she didn't like, but underneath all that perfume, in Vigil's lap, she smelled a smoky smell…

.

She breathed in deeply, the scent relaxing her greatly, her body releasing all of the tension of adventuring, enjoying the heat of a warm fire, and a soft lap. As well as the scent of good food.

.

"Is dinner ready? Smells good." Came the voice from above her.

"I think so. Let me go check. Mihyang never calls." Came a further voice.

.

Aisha groaned as her nice pillow got up to eat dinner. Her face flopped unhappily on the couch, bouncing slightly as she tried to enjoy the residual heat and scent.

.

It didn't last long, so Aisha got up and followed Vigil into the dining room.

.

.

"Come sit with us, Mihyang!"

"There are guests, Sin sir."

"You're like part of the family! Come on, eat with us!"

"Whatever."

.

The redheaded woman rolled up her sleeves and went back into the kitchen to grab some silverware for herself.

.

"Mihyang's gotten happier since I last visited!" Vigil observed.

"Yeah, she really has!"

,

Aisha didn't really care for conversation, absentmindedly gnawing on a piece of meat. She actually kind of liked hume cooking. She liked it better than the flavorless, unfilling meals that she ate back in her village… Although that might have been because she couldn't catch any animals.

.

"...Aisha!"

"Huh?"

.

Vigil and Sin stared at her, in the middle of a huge bite of steak. Mihyang looked straight ahead, not caring.

.

"Father says he's willing to teach you swordplay, if you want." Vigil said.

"Oh. Ok."

.

.

.

Aisha stepped into the large training room, full of sword racks, training dummies, straw, and mats. She stepped lightly on the ground towards a sword rack, a satisfying echo reverberating around the room.

.

Picking up a sword, Aisha admired the ornate engravings left on the blade. The sword looked really nice, but at closer inspection... it was just regular, unenchanted steel. She could feel no pressure emitting from the sword.

.

"Checking out the swords, I see." Came a voice from behind her.

"You don't actually use these, do you?"

"I do."

"And you're still alive?"

"I don't fight with them. I don't have the mana to."

"Vigil said you were a master swords-"

"Listen Aisha, swordplay isn't really like it is in the old legends. It's unlikely you're ever going to touch another man's sword, with all the mana barriers and fireballs and whatever. Swordplay is more like art or meditation."

"..."

"I'll show you. You've got a good sword there! Come at me with it!"

.

Aisha's eyes narrowed, as she drew her sword, glinting in the light. Come at him...

.

Sin barely had time to see the murderous glint in Aisha's eyes, as a flash of steel flew at his neck at an incredible speed.