Because Nyxie handled most of the observation, Liam did not have to sacrifice the rest of his routine. After classes ended each day, he still trained with Mabel. And just like the weeks that had passed before, the training remained trapped in a stagnant circle.
He still could not mimic her swordsmanship correctly.
That fact became more obvious the longer he tried. Liam could reproduce certain surface motions from Mabel's style, but the deeper quality remained out of reach. His copied movements had shape, but not continuity. They carried angles, but not the natural transitions that made her swordwork so difficult to read.
Whenever he tried to force the flow, the motion became stiff. Whenever he tried to relax, it lost structure. When he slowed it down, he could understand pieces. When he sped up, the pieces broke apart.
Mabel found the entire thing more entertaining than she felt guilty admitting.
