Not the exercise you thought it was

The way she flinched away from him set his back up. Did she really think, after all that, that he was going to strike her? He was already doing her an honour she would not understand, letting her into the place inside of him that he held all the people important to him. Foolish woman. He set his teeth and kept his silence as she let him drap the skin over her back.

Once she was dried, the exercises began. She did a good job of mimicking him. More so than most trainees, and he wondered how much her security in life depended on her being able to complete a task for her Masters in a timely manner. There was strength to her too - but he was not prepared to call it muscle. Not without a proper diet. Food and nutrition would build the muscle, for now she was just skin, bones, and determination.

“Alright, enough for now.” he said, calling an end. “You strike me as having a good memory, so go through these stretches each day while you build up your strength. It’ll prepare you for the movements you’ll be making in spars” he explained.


"Speech"