Not an easy student

Artorias knew Lia would show up for the training. He knew because she would have done anything he asked of her without hesitation. In the days that followed his acquisition of the fireborne fae, Art had learned just how loyal to a fault Idalia actually was. She served Briar well and gleefully, and Briar seemed entirely smitten with her new handmaiden confidante. This had gone over better than he'd hoped! The only reluctance Lia had shown towards anything was when Briar had insisted on her handmaiden learning basic fighting and self-defense skills. It was understandable; Lia was coming from a life where resistance or fighting back was a grievous sin and punishable in the worst ways. But those days were over. Both Carpathius and Fatalis wolf intended on keeping Lia in a more comfortable life—but to do so would mean preparing the girl to defend what she wanted to keep if she ever needed to.

So, it was for that reason that Artorias had asked Lia to join him at the seaside training rings for some basic introductory lessons. He wouldn't go too far, hard, or complex with the girl; just basic exercises to build muscle and ways to fight back against an aggressor. He knew she wasn't looking forward to this, so he tried to keep an open mind as he stepped out of the barracks to head over and meet Lia for their training. Imagine his surprise when he saw the fae who had been so opposed to the lessons there ahead of him! Blinking a couple of times to ensure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, Artorias strode up almost silently across the soft sand, a relaxed smile on his face.

"Y'know, for someone who loathed the idea of fighting lessons, you're my only student who's ever shown up early," he commented with a soft chuckle as he padded up alongside the fireborne woman, following her gaze out across the ocean. The cool sea breeze rippled through their fur, tousling it gently and filing Artorias' nose with the comforting familiar smell of salt. "How was your day today? Settling in to your new role?" He turned warm amber eyes down to Lia as he spoke. The training could come at its own time; Artorias was in no rush.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"