Her eyes widened as my fist approached her, but she was much faster than I was, smoothly catching my fist with her palm and creating yet another shockwave that resonated throughout the courtyard.
"Not bad," she stared down at me imperiously with her right eyebrow slightly raised. "There isn't much to teach you, but there are some bad habits to break. However, those habits are no fault of your own, as had you been taught among us, they wouldn't have been embedded into your fighting style to begin with," she said somewhat cryptically, letting me know the fight was over.
"I-I'm sorry? I don't know what habits you're talking about," I said, pulling my hand away from her as I stood upright and scratched my cheek. "Also, that's one way to greet someone for the first time," I said with a raised eyebrow at Syldir, who held a surprised look on her face, but said nothing.
"Indeed, Thoma Fayren. I apologize if that seemed rude by any means, but I had to make sure that Vauv and Bernar weren't blowing the stories about you out of proportion," Kanarin said, offering me a slight bow. "W-Well, I, uhhh…" I trailed off, not sure of what to say.
"Don't worry, it seems she wasn't exaggerating at all. You fought well, particularly for someone fresh out of the infirmary," she grinned, prompting me to turn and look at Ysevel. "Did you know about this?" I asked, genuinely surprised to see her giggling a few meters away.
"Of course I did. During the week you were unconscious, Bernar grew restless and asked Syldir for a sparring partner, though I will say I think he got more than he bargained for," she smiled brightly, giving Kanarin a knowing nod.
"W-Wait, you've already sparred with Bernar? I guess that explains the surprise attack," I said, raising my eyebrows and shifting my gaze aside.
"I have, and while I don't usually play favorites, he's certainly a force to be reckoned with for someone his age," Kanarin said with a thoughtful smile. "I should have expected as much," I sighed and shook my head. "He's always been an absolute monster when it comes to close combat," I continued with a chuckle, but Kanarin raised an eyebrow.
"Funny, he said the same thing about you. It seems he wasn't wrong, after all," she said, putting a finger to her sharp chin. My eyes widened in surprise, and somewhere off in the distance, I could have sworn I heard my brother cry out in embarrassment.
"Th-thank you, Lady Kanarin. I'm grateful for the kind words," I bowed again. "Nonsense. Where did you learn to fight like that?" she asked, prompting Ysevel to gingerly take my arm in hers. "Lady Kalia of the Iron Plume clan had a similar philosophy to learning. It was either Learn Quickly or Get Slammed on Your Ass with her, much like my mother, Siraye," I shrugged, getting a light chuckle from Kanarin.
"Well, perhaps I could teach them something as well, but that will have to wait until after your mission. I just wanted to have an idea of your skills before you all set off for it tomorrow," she replied, turning to get a nod of approval from Syldir. "I'm sure they'll be just as honored as we will," Ysevel said, offering her a bow.
"No, Lady Ysevel. The honor would be mine to train the granddaughter of Duke Ryfon Ansuz," she said, giving her a much deeper bow than she'd given me.
Well, well! It looks like you're royalty no matter where you are, I sent her with a gentle nudge. I know, she sent back cheekily, prompting me to chuckle and shake my head. But I still wonder just how much more we'll be able to learn from her, given that she's the headmaster of Polarion Academy, she sent, putting a finger on her chin pensively.
She's fucking what now? I felt the color flush from my face, slowly turning my gaze back to the one giving me a knowing look that told me she'd just heard everything Ysevel told me. "B-but how?" I hardly managed to voice. "Insight," Kanarin said with a wry grin.
"O-Oh, of course," I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my neck since I knew what she meant from Kalia and Devyr. "In any case, I think it would be best if we completed this mission quickly. From what Duke Ryfon has told me, it won't be a simple task," Syldir stepped forward as Kanarin moved aside. "We? You're coming with us, Lady Syldir?" I asked without bothering to hide my surprise.
"Would you prefer anyone else? Also, I thought I told you not to call me Lady," she raised an eyebrow, forcing me to blush as Kanarin and Vauv both looked stunned by her casual tone. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just taken aback that you're the one coming with us," I managed, raising a hand placatingly.
"I've already given you and the others enough of my blood to consider you my family. Why wouldn't I go along?" she asked flatly as I felt my face burning again. "F-Fair enough," I chuckled nervously.
"Syldir has offered to help us deal with The Mouth, as he won't be likely to help us without anything in return. You saw Bernar's memories just like I did, but we'll need her help if we want to save Ed," Ysevel chimed in, squeezing my arm gently and giving me a warm smile.
"I-I don't know what to say except thank you," I said calmly, though my emotions were all over the place at the thought of Polarion royalty stepping up to not only help us, but Ed as well. "That's good enough for me. Besides, I'm curious to meet the others who had a hand in bringing down Mideia's puppets," she grinned wryly.
This is going to go well, right? I sent Ysevel with a crooked smile. I guess we'll find out, she smiled and raised her eyebrows.
"In the meantime, I suggest you gather your belongings and prepare for our journey back. We'll meet back here within the hour," Syldir said, turning to leave with a wave. "It was a pleasure to see you fight, Thoma! I can't wait for you and the others to come back for training!" Vauv said with a wave and a bright smile, following behind her mother. "We're looking forward to it!" I called out with a similar wave.
We'll be back soon, I thought, getting another tight squeeze from Ysevel.