"Practice is the heart of mastery," he encouraged, smiling at his friend and student but feeling an unexpected trickle of trepidation at the hint of awe in her tone. Respect, he appreciated, but awe? No, no, he had no desire to go down that road again or add another burden to his collection of souls. But she was so earnest, so sincere, that he couldn't help but swallow his discomfort and offer her a courtly bow.
"With all of that you will be not merely a loreseeker," he said quietly, "but an adventurer in your own right, with your own legend for Sam to record and for future loreseekers to look to for inspiration." A prediction of the future, he hoped, and not an unrequited dream as their world teetered and hung in a precarious balance.
He moved to gather the besom twigs, scooping them into the fireplace to crackle and glow with the fire that crawled inside them before they shriveled and curled to ash amid the flames. "Oh, there are plenty better," he said lightly. "With broadsword and longsword and shortsword as well... though I will admit I have not seen many rapiers here, and with our slighter builds those are the blades that suit us best." He turned back to her, his usual wry smile back in place as he placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head in acceptance of her words. "But I, too, am glad my road brought me here. Thank you, Maea." He glanced towards the open door of his office, and the fading natural light that spilled from it. "Though it might be time for you to head home, so you don't have to travel in the dark. I hope I'll see you again tomorrow, though. I'll leave the chalk marks up for awhile so you can practice whenever you're here."
"With all of that you will be not merely a loreseeker," he said quietly, "but an adventurer in your own right, with your own legend for Sam to record and for future loreseekers to look to for inspiration." A prediction of the future, he hoped, and not an unrequited dream as their world teetered and hung in a precarious balance.
He moved to gather the besom twigs, scooping them into the fireplace to crackle and glow with the fire that crawled inside them before they shriveled and curled to ash amid the flames. "Oh, there are plenty better," he said lightly. "With broadsword and longsword and shortsword as well... though I will admit I have not seen many rapiers here, and with our slighter builds those are the blades that suit us best." He turned back to her, his usual wry smile back in place as he placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head in acceptance of her words. "But I, too, am glad my road brought me here. Thank you, Maea." He glanced towards the open door of his office, and the fading natural light that spilled from it. "Though it might be time for you to head home, so you don't have to travel in the dark. I hope I'll see you again tomorrow, though. I'll leave the chalk marks up for awhile so you can practice whenever you're here."
