Keir
[Friday, Umbrafall 5, 4310]
—Ajei Family Training Room—
The air in the training room was still warm from the earlier drills when she stepped back onto the mat, hair pulled back, stance already braced. Good. She is learning to always be ready. Having Korran, Aspen, and Lux occasionally supplement her training by ambushing her has been beneficial. She has quickly picked up the basics of the Ajei Paramilitary fighting style. It is time to arrange a sparring partner for her.
"From the beginning," I command as I walk around her, observing her from all angles. Nyx moved with precision — pivot, strike, shift, low sweep — chaining together three weeks of form and footwork into something sharp, efficient, hers. She wasn't perfect. Her weight still tilted too far on her back leg during counter-rotations, and her scent kept spiking — sandalwood gone smoky, tea bruised at the edges — signaling the edges of fatigue.
But she didn't stop, and I couldn't be more proud of our little warrior queen. I corrected with a tap to her elbow, a hand guiding her hip, my voice steady as stone. "Good. Again. Lower your shoulders. Good. Keep breathing. Again." She pushed harder each time. Good. She is getting stronger and remembering to correct previous mistakes.
When I finally let her stop, her chest was rising and falling in controlled breaths. I nodded. "You're ready to advance." Her eyes widened, faintly eager. "We will start on exposing you to different fighting styles and weapons next. Not today. Next week." I stepped back, folding my arms. "And I'll be bringing in a sparring partner. Someone who is trained in different martial styles I think will suit you."
Nyx paused in her stretching, raising an eyebrow. "Who is going to be my partner?"
"I have a few candidates in mind," I said, letting no further detail slip. "You'll meet the person when I confirm who it will be." Her scent flickered — curiosity, then a faint tremor of anxiety. She grounded it quickly, but not quickly enough to hide from me. I softened the edge of my voice. "Nyx."
She looked up. "How are you really doing?" Not the polite version. Not the answer she gave when others asked. The truth is what I want to hear. This has been a rough week for her, but she hasn't let it slow her down at all. In fact, she is pushing herself even harder.
Her shoulders lowered a fraction. The fight drained from her posture. When she spoke, her tone was even, but exhaustion laced every word."Most days are fine, with only one or two minor breakdowns. I can handle those okay because everyone is understanding that I'm not trying to be a bitch or a spasming mess."
A pause.
"But then there are moments like yesterday morning. My body, my mind—everything fights me." She inhaled shallowly. "But I still keep moving. Even if it's one step. Even if it's crawling. I work through it as healthily as possible and give myself grace."
She didn't shake. She didn't cry. She just stood there, stripped down to her truth. And it hit harder than any emotional collapse would have. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. She stiffened for half a second before melting into it, scent settling into the softer notes of sandalwood and warm tea.
"You're not walking this alone," I murmured into her hair. "Venus and I—we want to know when it's hard. The whole family does. You can lean on us when you are drowning, not just after you've struggled to swim and are tired."
She nodded against my shoulder. When she pulled back, I kept my hands on her upper arms, steadying her. "Venus is cooking tonight," I grinned, ecstatic that I can finally publicly court Venus now that Nyx isn't against her. In fact, I get very worried for entirely different reasons if they are left alone together now. "A full table type of meal. Everyone will be there. Come eat with us."
Her eyes softened. "I'd like that."
"Good." I released her, stepping back pleased. "Go shower. Azrail will walk you over when your lesson with him is over." She bowed her head — something small, almost reverent — and left the mats with a steadier scent trailing behind her. I'm proud of her. She earned that steadiness today. Next lesson, we begin the real training. Boot camp is over now. I whistled happily, thinking of how upset my little sister will be when she realizes that everything up til now was the easy stuff.
Oh, how I do love my role as a trainer. Their tears fuel my ascension.
Nyxara
—Pavilion Small Ballroom—
I'm tired. Not the kind of tired you feel after a bad night's sleep — the deeper kind, the kind that sits in your essence and drags against your veins like river stones. Keir's training earlier had wrung me out completely. Looks like my body is reaching the limit of how far I can push it. I've been having to keep moving most of the week on sheer willpower. Because my network has been in such a flux without the suppression, I've only been allowed two rejuvenations a day and limited mugs of Korran's brew.
Hopefully, when Aspen does his next check, my network will have stabilized enough for them to increase the usage; otherwise, I will have to slow down so my body doesn't break, really putting a delay on matters.
Azrail noticed my exhaustion the moment he stepped into the ballroom. I'm not sure there is anything these days he doesn't notice about me. I'm pretty sure he has someone always watching me. Haven't decided if that makes me annoyed or feel loved. I think the abuse from my past has warped me in strange and unexpected ways when it comes to love. I'll save that observation for whatever therapist Aspen finds to handle the topics I'd rather not unpack with my brother.
Azrail pinching and pulling my cheeks pulled me out of my thoughts painfully. "Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if I would need to rearrange your face to bring you out of your head." He pats my cheeks, healing them from his torture.
I rub my healed cheeks and only internally glare at him. My instincts are very clear: this man is not the one I should playfully trigger Alpha behavior in unless I'm fully prepared for the consequences.