Under the brilliant chandeliers.
In a picturesque lounge holding three sofas, sewn with intricacy. A coursing light bathes the hall and dazzles the onlookers as they behold a scene.
There was a scent of drifting lavender. Audrey stood before an open window, gazing outside from the balcony as the servants tend the garden beds.
With her coiled hair, she practiced examining the servants from a spectator's eye.
Mr. Ronald's hand twitched as he pulled the shovel. His brows also arched unnoticeably. Under the scorching sun, as he pat his arm. It is clear that he's irritated and possibly hungry...
She retracted her head, it didn't came to her that her dog, the golden retriever Susie had been wagging its tail observing her.
"You're also spectating me?" She asked as if already knowing the answer.
The dog opened its mouth, from the gap between its vocals and tongue, the air reverberated.
"You seem troubled by something. Your hand had been caressing each other as you look outside", Susie responded, her head lifted over to her owner.
I'm talking to my dog... Audrey did not hesitate to deprecate herself as she opened up a gentle smile.
"And now you're degrading yourself as you converse", Susie keenly added.
Days ago, just as she was about to encourage Susie for a walk in an attempt to exercise her beyonder powers on the nearby residents. The dog mustered itself to produce human sounds to her surprise, all to decline her.
Audrey lifted her spirit and lowered herself to the dog, "I'm alright. Being an Spectator is intriguing isn't it?"
The dog looked at her enigmatically and wagged its tail thrice.
"We get to observe their behaviors and deduce their mood. Mr. Hanged Man was truly right to refer to them as silencers if were left unattended. Yesterday, I saw that Miss Shola, wife of Duke Ravene, had an affair just by noticing the shifting of her perfume to strong and her dress hurriedly fixed.
"Yes, she also initiated it, evident by her lips paler than when we first met on that day." Audrey's words were sweet until she hit a milestone.
"Wow... I was not aware of how complex these aristocrats are until now."
"I saw it as well!" Susie rose in excitement.
Audrey chuckled, set the hems of her dress aside to better accommodate herself to the floor. Her hand started caressing the dog.
From the hall's heavy door. Appeared a gentleman who has loose skin, clad in a very formal attire consisting of a frock coat with matching high-waisted trousers and a waistcoat.
He called her name gently, "Audrey, a few of Tingen City's constables came here. After expressing their gratitude, they informed the issue surrounding the past postal town Milo had reached their agencies.
"It's safe to say your suggestion of looking for areas that were unattended bore fruit. This pressured those pigs on coughing up explanations."
Due to Audrey. Certain towns that were far away from cities was immediately given attention by the Loen Kingdom. To her surprise, many had very few officials to protect them, some don't even have police departments, relying solely on their own.
This made her thought that perhaps if this continues, many towns will become breeding grounds for evil organizations, risking many lives.
Her suggestion and question that were relayed by her father challenged the system of their Kingdom. It allowed for the masses to piece together how those in power operates.
Unsurprisingly, these enlightened them to the cause of increasing poverty within their Kingdom.
"They needed to clear these to calm down the people. Coincidentally, this made them notice the town of Milo that was apparently sieged by cults. I assume they saw this as an scapegoat to achieved a level of control", Earl Hall explained.
Earl Hall is Audrey's father. One of the top bankers in the country, as he is the largest shareholder in many banks in the Loen Kingdom, as well as in the Intis Republic.
With his connections, it allowed his words to reached certain trustworthy members of the cabinets.
Earl Hall smiled at his daughter, "Perhaps the news you received as headlines were their actions trying to regulate this issue."
Audrey creased her brow, asked her father softly, "They won't stop at Milo right? Only after it was mentioned did they began taking actions—the towns that were devoid of our police forces. What is the meaning of all of this?"
Seeing his daughter develop a sense of principle. Earl Hall quietly commended himself as he said, "Let's not concern ourselves heavily over political matters. Annie is at the dressing room, waiting for you. Shall we head there?"
Audrey and her father were invited to a ball for celebration of the development of a company, producing industrial machineries.
Audrey exhaled, "Alright. Let's go Susie."
The golden retriever followed closely as both Audrey and Earl Hall left the room, casted with the sun's glow.
...
At two in the afternoon, outside of a simple two-storied building that was in disrepair at the outskirts of the North Borough.
Selina, who had deducted a pence from her fare, looked at the weed-filled garden and the vines that had crept up the walls. She turned her head in surprise.
"Is this where my combat instructor lives?"
We're not in the wrong residence... Right?
She subconsciously reviewed what Dunn Smith told her.
Before she arrived here. Selina was at a lost as Dunn had clearly forgotten to tell her where her combat instructor lives. In the end, Leonard became her guide.
To her side, the young gentleman who had a poet's temperament snickered and said, "Don't underestimate Mr. Gawain because of his residence's surroundings. Although he was never conferred an aristocratic title, he was a true knight back in the day."
Having said that, the poetic Nighthawk, who was dressed in a white shirt, black trousers, and buttonless leather boots suddenly felt melancholic.
"He was active during the waning era of the knights. The warriors donning their armors would storm through enemy ranks despite the gunfire and cannon fire, destroying their enemies and redefining the battle lines. But alas, they were quickly met with the invention of the high-pressure steam guns and six-barrel machine guns. From then on, the knights had to gradually step down.
"Mr. Gawain met the same fate. More than twenty years ago, the Awwa Knights' Order of Chivalry faced the most advanced weaponry of the Intis Republic army..."
While listening, a thought stirred in Selina.
A knight who had fallen due to the advance of technology... It's familiar, perhaps I've read a few literature about it.
"Is that why Mr. Gawain had chose to seclude himself in this apartment?"
"Not seclude", Leonard lifted his spirit a bit, "More of, retirement that he did not wish. He still held dignity and pride over his chivalry... Sigh, every time I recall this, it seems like I'm touching the dust heaps of history. The poet in me stirs when thinking of this irreversible and fated destiny, but alas, I do not know how to compose the poem."
Selina took note of this and decided to suggest, "Perhaps do so with intimacy and emotion?
"While composing of poems requires a certain degree of talent, there are certain cases that allows a professional composer to better visualize and describe a heartfelt poem."
After all, emotions connects more to the audience...
"You can take inspiration from the Classical Poem Anthology of Loen Kingdom or the Poems of the Century—a compendium of famous composers of poems in this Iron Age." She added.
Leonard's mood changed on a whim. He replied with a light-hearted tone, "I purchased those books a long time ago, as well as other titles, such as the Selected Poems of Emperor Roselle. I will work hard to become a true Midnight Poet, Ms. Apothecary."
Selina's demeanor shifted.
Is he... hinting at the acting method?
While seeing the lady gave no additional words. Leonard offered a hand toward the door, "Alright then, let's enter?"
He watched Selina nod and pushed open the half-closed metallic gates. The two of them followed the path towards the house.
They were still a distance away from the house when she saw a tall man walking out from behind the main door.
He had short blond hair, his brows already laced with white hairs. His facial features looked like they had been ravaged through age, his wrinkles were etched deep across his face.
"What are you doing here?" the aged man asked in a deep voice.
"Mr. Gawain, as per your contract with the police department, this probationary inspector will be learning the art of combat under your guidance," Leonard explained with a smile.
Having heard this, Selina creased her brow and tugged at Leonard's wrist collar.
She whispered, enough for him to notice but limited to their vicinity, "Probationary inspector?"
Leonard was taken aback by this. He leaned closer and replied, "Did captain not told you that? He forgot to assign you?"
Yes! Selina nodded.
Seeing this, he chuckled and said, "Well, now you're assigned. Good day to you Ms. Inspector."
As she express puzzlement. Leonard quickly retracted his attention so as to not raise suspicion. He heard the man on the porch say, "Combat? There's no need to study combat in this era."
Gawain looked at Selina with turbid eyes and said in a dead voice, "You should learn how to draw your gun and shoot. You should master the most advanced weaponry."
Amid her confusion, Selina failed to listen as thoughts whirred in her mind.
Are department members allowed to assign their fellow members? No, I guess I will be assigned to it eventually, after captain remembers.
"The art of combat is still a skill a policeman has to master. Most of the criminals we face are not those who must be executed on the spot. Some might not even have weapons. In that case, we have to rely on combat techniques," Leonard said, obviously prepared for the situation.
With a dark expression, Gawain sized up Selina and fell silent for more than ten seconds.
"Throw a kick", he said gravely.
He was speaking to Selina.
Selina snapped from her reverie and reviewed what the man asked.
He said to kick? While in the midst of her processing. She recalled the actions being done in movies.
With this, she pushed her lower coat aside, revealing her trousers.
Tilting to the side slightly and twisting her hips, Selina tightened her thigh muscles and kicked forward with her right foot.
It was too high. She quickly staggered back for balance.
Gawain's lips twitched indiscernibly. He thought for a moment and said, "Punch."
After she recovered, Selina raised her right shoulder, bent her arm like they would in wrestling matches and threw it to the air.
Her face began to steam like a tomato. She refused to lift her head to face them.
Cough... Gawain covered his mouth and cleared his throat. He looked at Leonard and said, "I will honor my contract. But based on her foundation, she needs to come here four times a week, three hours each time, for the first month."
"You're the combat expert. It's up to you." Leonard nodded without hesitation. He smiled and said to Selina, "See you tomorrow."
After Leonard walked out the metallic gates, Selina asked out of curiosity, "Instructor, how should I begin practicing?"
Starting with strength? Though I prefer not to engage with it...
As a movie critique for herself, although she was fascinated by builds, it did not came to her to have them as well.
It is just not aligned with her preference.
Gawain stood akimbo as he shook his head lethargically.
"Since you're a woman. I will be instructing you accordingly.
"Here's what you're going to do. Go to my backyard and warm-up before doing fifteen different stretches; three each for torso, legs, hips, arms and back.
"After that, one kilometer run or thirty lap around my resident. Do that three times. Then a drill will be prepared for you. There will be sparring for your speed and agility. Let us take them one at time."
While Selina was in a daze, Gawain suddenly raised his voice and said sternly, "Understood?"
"Understood!" Selina subconsciously straightened her body in response.
"I don't have any set of knight's training clothes fit for a woman. So you'll have to buy one for yourself. For now make do with your current attire", Gawain suddenly sighed. He turned around and walked back to his door.