"There," the Bishop of Warwickshire's voice filters through Audrey's clouded thoughts, bringing her back from the haze the prayer of health had left her in, "the Lord has seen fit to mend your wounds. I assign you thirty Lord's Prayers to thank Him properly."
"Thank you, Father," Audrey clasps her hands and bows her head in thanks, the return of her teeth leaving her words clear and crisp as they should be. A surge of anger sparks at the memory of her once-lisp, of the snickers held behind fingers and teasing grins concealed by a mask of friendship.
"Thank the Lord, my child, for I am but a vessel of His Will," the Bishop's kindly eyes glitter in the candle-light as he rises to his feet. "He wills that you be healed, so He lends me the strength to see it done. No more, no less. He loves all His children and you are no exception."
Taking his crozier from where it leans against the stone-brick wall, the Bishop returns his hat to his head as, with a final smile, he taps his way from the cloister and into the light of the sun. Audrey isn't alone for long, for the familiar shape of her master soon darkens the door.
Sir Reinald Vieux steps into the room, the unusually prominent wrinkles about his eyes casting long shadows in the candle-light. "I take it you have healed?" He says, gesturing to where Audrey sits on a spartan bed.
"I have," Audrey answers, her words slightly stilted and awkward. Reinald had held himself in a most unusual way ever since she had been injured. The stiffness and uncertainty had even started afflicting her! It was almost as though he held himself responsible for her being injured, but that couldn't be the case. It would be ridiculous to shield a Squire from pain and injury, for their lives will be filled with nothing but come graduation into Knighthood!
Reinald's lips thin as he looks about the room for any spare chairs. Upon failing to find any, a light sigh slips his lips as, with a gesture, a chair of salt forms from the stone-brick ground. Taking the seat, he takes a deep breath and turns his attention entirely on Audrey.
Reinald has an odd way of interacting with people. He never gives anyone his full attention, some part of himself is always keeping active tabs on those around him, the landscape, the state of the wind, and all manner of other minor variables one needs to track to thrive on the battlefield. But when he does turn one-hundred percent of his attention on something, well, it can send shivers up a spine of steel.
Audrey swallows, but Reinald breaks the silence first, "I failed you."
Three simple words, spoken with a candidness that belies their severity. Three simple words, but they were enough to send Audrey reeling.
Three simple words.
Audrey blinks, mouth opening and closing in shock and confusion, "W-what?"
"I failed you," Reinald repeats as he leans in, eyes never leaving hers for even an instant. Not even a blink separates his gaze from hers. "I should never have brought you there. As your Knight, my task is to make sure you learn the skills and practices necessary to being a Knight. Instead, I brought you to a battle far beyond your level. I failed to do my due diligence and, for that, you nearly died." His eyes haze as he says those words before a blink, the first of the conversation, wipes the slate clean. "I failed you."
"I-I don't understand."
"I am prepared to end my mentoring of you and ensure that you receive the training that you should have under me," as he says this, he reaches into his clothes and retrieves a rolled up and ribbon-bound piece of paper. Undoing the ribbon, he unrolls it before Audrey's eyes, "All you need to do is sign here and you won't have to see me again."
Audrey blinks and rubs at her eyes, then pinches herself when that does nothing. When the paper still doesn't vanish and she still doesn't wake up, a frown tumbles down her face as her brows furrow and her fists clench.
"You idiot."
The words hang in the air as Audrey's eyes snap wide. Reinald stares at her with jaw slack and mouth cracked open a half-inch.
D-did she really just say that?
…oh God.
Reinald closes his mouth and sits upright. Running hands through his hair, he fixes her with a stare that could cut glass. "I will take that as a 'no'."
"Y-yes," Audrey manages through a frozen face. Reinald is a social superior, to insult him at a time like this is nothing less than the height of impropriety! She's the idiot, not him!
The corner of Reinald's lip tugs into an upward curl as his nostrils flare. As if reading her mind, he says, "There is a time and place for all things, Audrey Eotenslaga," oh no, that's her full name… "and this was the right time for your words, though," he chuckles, "I can't recommend that you go around telling people that they're being stupid in those specific words."
"R-right," she's quick to nod, anything to save her from her stupidity.
"While I'm here," Reinald starts after a moment of silence, "I read your family's history, but I didn't come across any mention of that black lightning you were using. In fact, it almost seemed peculiar how un-present it was, like someone had purposefully removed any mention of it."
"That's… Odd," Audrey frowns as she considers the words. While she isn't especially familiar with her family's history, specifically what outsiders would know, her family's usage of black-red lightning isn't exactly a big secret. So, why wouldn't it be mentioned in the records? It's not like there is shame in it! It's the tools of her family's work!
"Well, if you know anything more, don't hesitate to tell me." He smiles, "After all, the more I know of what you can do, the better I can tailor your training."
"Speaking of training," he turns the topic elsewhere, "I have a martial style I think you might be able to make use of."
"Oh?"
What martial style will Reinald teach?
[ ] Hordebreaker - Martial Style for fighting multiple foes.
[ ] Francisca - Martial Style for ranged combat involving thrown weapons
[ ] Lutter Corps à Corps - Dedicated wrestling style with appropriate moves.
[ ] Thunderous Charge - Cavalry style based on using a lance.
(Note: Reinald has all of these Styles, but the criteria for learning a Style and teaching it are somewhat divergent, and he will not be able to teach any but the one selected. At least not without significant difficulty. Obviously you can also engage in all of these kinds of fighting without a specific Style, but the Style will be better within its area. On that note, if anyone has a better name for the wrestling style, we'll hear it out, we're not completely satisfied with it.
Normal update tomorrow, this one's just a bonus)
