Nyxara
[Friday, Umbrafall 12, 4310]
—Outdoor Training Field—
"How did you convince Lux and Keir to let you take over both their sessions?" I asked Elias the moment I stepped onto the field. There was no one here besides the two of us. When I was halfway to where he stood in the field, he motioned for me to stop where I was. Elias seemed to teleport to my position, then without greeting me he began to walk at an unhurried pace around the perimeter of the field. "Walk with me, Lady Nyxara."
Taken by surprise, he was a few steps away before I broke out of my stupor to catch up. A low breeze carrying the scent of dust, leaves, and distant water accompanied us. I instinctively aligned my posture the way Keir and Lux had drilled into me over the weeks—core engaged and shoulders set. Elias paused to glance at me, then shook his head. "Don't." I glanced at him back. "Don't what?" Somehow gliding closer until he was on the edge of my personal space, he explained, "Don't anticipate." He pulled a stick from somewhere and poked my set back. "You will not be fighting. Just walking."
A pulse of irritation went through me before I exhaled it away. Don't let him get to you today. You promised yourself you wouldn't let behavior from him that is no different from your brothers' get under your skin. Keep your cool. This is just another puzzle to solve. I forced myself to loosen my limbs. I attempted to not let the feeling of my steps being wrong unbalance me.
So we walked. One lap, two laps, now we were on our third lap. Gravel crunched softly beneath our boots. I waited for him to say something. For him to do something. Nothing. Not a word or action for three laps. Then Elias shifted. If I hadn't been so focused on him, I wouldn't have noticed when his foot crossed into my path. He wasn't blocking or trying to trip me—just once again in my space in a way I could not control. I reacted automatically, stepping wide to regain my space.
"That," he said calmly, "is why we are doing this." I slowed down, but his hand kept me going at our current pace. Before I could fully register, he was close enough to touch me; he was a few steps away again. Not letting my body or emotions distract me, I refocused on trying to figure out what nonsense this man was trying to sell me. I frowned with annoyance, "I avoided you. How is that the reason we are walking around this field!"
Elias did not respond until my breathing was calm again. "You surrendered space. Why? Your body would have reacted as it should, but you are still anticipating an attack that isn't coming. Your eyes and anticipation told you one thing, but your body and instincts knew I wasn't going to attack. You got in your own way." He went silent, and I marinated on what he said. We continued walking our laps.
I was in a trance when his foot edged into my path; I instinctively stepped through instead of around. He adjusted immediately, turning his hip just enough to redirect my momentum. My balance tipped. I caught myself—barely—my heart jumping. How is this man making me feel like I can't even walk properly! "Stop thinking in lines," he said. Don't punch your tutor. Don't punch that handsome face. No matter how bloodthirsty I'm feeling…no matter how much I want to feel his blood on my fist right now, I will not punch him. He would probably block the punch anyway, and then I would be embarrassed.
I tightened my jaw and flexed my fingers. I clocked how he moved. I tried to imitate what I saw. Again, he interrupted my path—not with force, but with placement. Out of my trance now, I of course overcorrected. And again he used my failure to understand this exercise against me. He wasn't being condescending. He just kept correcting me. Every. Single. Time. Precise and exhausting must be his goal for this lesson.
By the—damn it, I lost count again—correction, my calves burned and I was just trying to catch my breath. "Why do you keep doing that? Blocking me. Why can't I block you in return?" I snapped. Elias finally stopped walking and gazed straight into my eyes. "I'm not blocking you. Blocking assumes impact. What I'm teaching you is the Spiral Doctrine, which assumes you were never in place to be hit."
I opened my mouth to argue—he does not allow it. "Walk with me," he said. So again we walked. I changed my focus this time. I didn't watch his feet. I watched the space between us. I split my focus between being aware of my surroundings and analyzing the space. The distance. The angle. The way his weight shifted a heartbeat before he moved. I kept calm. I matched the rhythm of my steps to my breaths.
When he edged once more into my path, I didn't evade. I let body and instinct guide me. I rotated. Not away but around. My foot traced a shallow arc, hips turning just enough to keep my center under me. Elias's shoulder brushed past mine, close enough that I could smell the clean leather of his uniform. For half a second, we just walked as if I hadn't just done what I did.
He smiled brightly with approval. It was only for a moment, but I was dazzled and frazzled nonetheless. I gave him a small smile back. It was instantly wiped away by his next word. "Again," he said. I threw a kick before I was even aware of it. He twisted away with a quiet chuckle. I pretended my cheeks did not feel warm from my involuntary action.
We walked until my legs shook with every step. When he knelt down so I could be carried on his back, I was glad he could not see me. If my blush gets any deeper, I'm going to pass out like a cartoon character. I climbed onto his back because my pride is twisted enough that I would rather be carried back versus having to be dragged back to the entrance.
As he walked us back, my lips pulled into a small pleased smile as he spoke on things I needed to know as a Sentinel. Neither of us commented on the comforting scent of vanilla bean and tonka that seeped from him. Nor how I'm pretty sure even with my eyes closed, he walked another lap before depositing me on a bench by the entrance.
After making sure I would be able to get myself to my session with Aspen, Elias informed me that he would be speaking with Azrail about joining my martial arts review in the evenings to help me grasp the style quicker. He left quickly to do just that, leaving me basking in the sun for the last few minutes of the session. No one but me would know that the red of my cheeks was from revisiting the memory of how good it felt to be pressed against his back on that last lap.
I might just have to get the virginity check done sooner rather than later. This female may not be able to stay celibate if I encounter another fine specimen like Elias. Hell, Elias alone is already enough to make me feel tingly.