"I mean, that's decently accurate, no?"
"Kiddo, you're practically standing still."
Lila looked down at her SMG in shame. She wanted to improve, and in many ways she had, but not nearly fast enough. Not even Serix could bridge the gap between the Earthling and her fellow students.
"Just imagine a horde of Incipents is chasing you; sometimes running and gunning is about calculated panic." Serix fiddled with a large buck knife, its pink edge catching the light as he ran it across his fingers.
"You heard about that, huh?" Lila's shoulders drooped.
"You did well to survive them."
"But I got my ass carried by my girl."
"Then take what I have said." Serix flicked his knife towards a seat of straw sacks, hitting his mark with perfect accuracy.
Yrix didn't actually own any real dummies for reasons Serix found obvious. So to facilitate her exercise, Lila had to draw a series of faces on a few provisions. She, of course, got a bit carried away and added her own little touch of stick figures and animals.
She was a natural shot, to her credit. But Serix cared little for martial prowess alone. To him, the military art was just a game of multitasking.
"Run the course again, shoot as you go," he gestured with a huff. "You'll get better."
It was a double-edged test. To even set up her little jungle gym of crates and ramps, Lila had to exhibit great control of the Psionic grasp. Suffice it to say, she was busy all day.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"I-I can't!"
"Have faith in yourself, Lila." Lunae's encouraging voice ran down the Earthling's spine like a warm breath.
"Mmmh!" Lila gritted her teeth as her legs spread apart.
"Flexibility is a core aspect of your body's movement; we have to start somewhere if there is to be any improvement."
"I can't even do the splits!"
Lila had already reached her limit, trembling like a flower in the wind. Nevertheless, Lunae maintained expectations for the Earthling, easing her deeper into the position. She seemed oddly confident that everything would work out.
"It is at the breaking point that we can grow." The princess hovered over Lila with a firm hand. She too was splitting her legs apart, albeit with far more ease.
"I don't think that metaphor is-," Lila nearly choked on her spit. "H-holy shit!"
She heard a crunch as the tendons in her legs unfurled like a broken spindle. Suddenly, Lila's chin successfully reached the floor, the pain in her body nearly vanishing. Something had shifted.
"There," Lunae giggled. "Don't forget who I am."
The Earthling panicked at the revelation, her voice coarse and uneasy. "Did you just rearrange my shit?!"
"Indeed."
"Can you even do that?"
Lunae pecked Lila's nape with her nose, proud of both her own work and the specimen she called friend.
"It was a challenge, I'll admit. Surgical treatment via the Psionic arts is usually something only Yrix can perform. But recently I've been more...focused."
Sonera's kiss wasn't just an invitation to curl up like a loyal dog. It had unwound something within Lunae. Having lost even a fraction of her doubt, it seemed anything was possible.
"Man," Lila croaked. "I can barely even move an apple."
"You should practice. Motivate yourself."
"How?"
Lunae rose to her feet effortlessly, placing a finger on her chin. "Ivy's corset has a pin in the back. Take that out, if you can. Her outfit will fall apart."
"What kind of motivation is that?" Lila giggled mischievously. "No, seriously."
"Well your more flexible now," the princess shrugged. "Perhaps you can distract her with that?"
"I dunno, maybe I can just skip that part of my-." Lila regretted her words instantly. "Wah!"
Lunae plucked her off the floor like a banana peel, using a strong Psionic grasp to drag the Earthling around by the ankle.
"Eek!" Lila yelped. "Okay! Okay! I get it!"
Lunae felt like her mother, tough love and all. "Don't forget that if not for the weight of our common enemy, that being those fattened aliens, we Psions can just toss around whoever we please. Without a good grasp on your abilities, there's little you can do to avoid this."
"But like, isn't all this voodoo shit tiring?"
"Not in a brief scuffle, it isn't. Do recall who it is we must fight."
Lila didn't need a reminder of how unprepared she was to fight her peers. It wasn't hard to recall the time when Rena dangled the Earthling over a field of napalm, with nothing but a conscience holding her back.
"Okay, okay, fine," Lila groaned. "Haven't you told me this before?"
"Repetition is a good teacher. Now, on that note, let's tie you up."
"Oh, brother."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Too fast, too quick!"
"You're getting there kiddo."
"Need for speed!"
"Just stick the landing."
"LeBron J-."
Lila fell face first into the cockpit, managing to narrowly catch the Riven before it flew past her. From a makeshift jungle gym to a high-speed interception, the Earthling was nearly flawless in her approach.
"That might be a new record." Serix checked his wrist. He had something of a mechanical watch in place, although it used magnetic measurements beyond what Lila could interpret. "Way to go, kiddo."
"That's why she's the goat." Her shrill voice tapered out of the cockpit like a feeble grunt. "The...goat..."
"Whatever that means."
Serix had to watch Lila crawl back over the course of a few painful minutes. But for all her struggle, she made it. The pilot's pride for his student was palpable even behind that visor.
"Can I ask you something?" Lila sat cross-legged, staring up at her mentor.
"Shoot."
"Do you ever feel a little...out of your depth?"
"If you mean to imply that we're both ultimately a bunch of normal people surrounded by lunatics, then sure. But that's just part of the magic."
"The magic of what?"
Serix chuckled loudly. He seemed almost out of character. Checking his watch once more, he looked to the sky.
"The magic of your victory. That bit where you conquer the fantastical. Being an underdog isn't just a challenge; it's a privilege."
Lila's pigtails blew backwards. She squinted with an uneven expression as a second ship suddenly descended into the hangar at alarming speed.
Another Riven.
It flew towards Serix as if intending to splatter the pilot. Yet at the very last second, and without looking, he managed to leap into the cockpit with perfect form. He stood proudly atop his seat for a moment, looking down at his student with folded arms.
"Wow," Lila gasped. "You're leaving now?!"
"Duty calls. I've said my goodbyes to Yrix. And now, I'll give them to you." Serix nodded in a winking manner. "So long, Lila. When we meet again, you'll be more than a fledgling. I know it."
"Thanks for being cool!" Lila waved, hiding how disappointed she was to see the pilot depart. "I'll uh...catch you later...yeah."
His Riven flew off before she could say what she really meant.
"Oh." Lila stared down at her own hands. "Hmm."
She pouted in silence for a bit.
"Did that guy do that shit with autopilot?" Lila chuckled to herself. "Showoff."
Serix had left just as swiftly as he arrived. But something told Lila he was always like that.
A blur.
"No wonder Yrix liked him. Fucking baller."
Thus ended the brief allure of repetition. Lila knew things wouldn't be the same. The time of reckoning was drawing near.
Still, she thought she'd have more time. On her way back to the bunks, the Earthling took another detour, following the sounds of distant booming. She wasn't exactly surprised then to find Yrix hard at work.
"So we're going with this one?" Lila leaned against the wall, much like her mentor.
"Ah, yes." Yrix turned to greet her. She would have smiled if she could. "I'm expanding the borders. You'll need room for the battle."
"Four against four?"
"Naturally. Your family against theirs. To the death, if you wish."
"I don't." Lila's voice was stern. "You know that."
"Then do be prepared to struggle under your morals. Not everyone will be thinking so justly."
"Is this the part where you warn me?"
Yrix chuckled, tossing a bit of sand across the arena like wet tissue. "The twins and your assassin."
"Hey, I trust Sonera." Lila frowned.
"She was raised to be a callous weapon. The twins are no different. Their brothers led them into a life of crime. Deeply private, yet vicious all the same. You don't get to make friends as a gun runner. All you have is family."
Lila's eyes widened. "So that's who they are..."
"And do you really think Sonera of all people will bend when faced with an equal?" Yrix pinched the air with her usual disdain.
"I mean-." Lia didn't want her to be right.
"You'll see. The moment it all falls apart. Consider it a prelude to the final trial."