Raising the Stakes

"I didn't even take his card! You deprived me of my spoil, Zenobia!" 

Upon hearing him, she let go of his hand and glared into his wronged eyes.

He noticed how her face firmed and the shadows dancing on her frown.

"You won't leave until you learn a field and boosting spells. You angered our mentor with your casual approach to the tournament."

Her solemn voice only made a wry smile stretch his lips. 

"I focused a little too much on learning the dwarfs' crafts. My bad."

She sighed in response, shaking her head. Honestly? She wanted to scold him in Shepard's place. But could she blame him for his wholehearted learning style? Somehow, she felt it would be wrong. Still, he messed up by not even reading the rules.

"You know what? We'll skip the senior's earful if you promise me you'll be more careful in the future. You can't jump into tournaments or missions wielding mana and a sword in hand. Focus more on subtleties."