R U [ I ] N E D

But He Really Did Have a Nice Bu- Butterscotch?

Gareth Ellinor watched from the shadows as his star pupil decimated the practice targets around her. Her swings were strategic and forceful. She followed through her hits with all her might, just as he has taught her to do. There was a certain elegance to the way she moved and fought that didn't quite seem to parallel with the brute force she possessed. It made watching her fight all the more intriguing. Gareth couldn't bring himself to stop her in the middle of such an effective practice set, so he sat back and admired the skills he'd taught the young girl.

"You do know that I can sense your presence there, Master Ellinor?" The girl flicked her honey blonde hair back off her neck and swiveled to crane her neck at the man. "Well? Did I do all right?" She leaned forward, planting the tip of her blade down into the dirt for support, and panted heavily as if she'd just run for hours upon hours on end.

"You did very well, Phoena. You've spent much of your free time practicing recently." Gareth moved to stand at her side, gauging her state after her spar. She was tired, but still had a spark. Give her a few minutes, and she'd be all ready to go yet again.

Phoena swiped her arm across her forehead, using the lightweight fabric of her practice gear to wipe sweat beads away from her skin, her evergreen eyes shining brightly as she stared up at the former Commandant, her devoted teacher. "I figured it might come in handy with all this Elieveta this and Elieveta that stuff going on recently." She let out a soft sigh, lifting her sword to sheath it. "Only I didn't realize how right I was... That's why you're here, after all, isn't it?"

The man nodded. "You've been summoned by Grand Commander je Dellal for a co-operative restoration mission with the other Runeholders."

Phoena's eyes went wide with surprise, her voice growing softer and meeker as she spoke again. "So that's what the whole meeting was about... They're gathering all the Runeholders together."

"Yes, they are. Only you six can restore the runes to their former glory." He placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "You should've been there. Your mother put up quite a fuss at the meeting to make sure you'd be okay."

"Yeah, I wish that meant more to me. The least she and my dad could do would be to visit me at the Academy. Last I saw them was at the holidays." She shrugged her shoulders and frowned. "Forget that though. It's not really important anyway. We should get going. Wouldn't want to be late to greet the Commander..."

Gareth nodded in agreement. "If you insist, but Phoena?"

"Huh?" The girl looked back to him with a confused glance. Even then, she had her hand rested instinctively over the hilt of her sword. It was as if it were second nature for her to be prepare at any moment. No weakness.

"You may want to change first. You'll be meeting the Grand Commander. Don't you want to look presentable?" Phoena glanced down at her tattered clothing, which clung to her skin feeling sticky and damp. Her boots were scuffed from dragging them through the dirt, and there were more holes in her pants than she could could on both hands. There were even pieces of straw and paint from the targets crushed into the fabric of her gear, not to mention the fact that she looked as if she'd fought a twister- and won, of course, but that hardly helped her dreadful appearance.

She tossed her master a lopsided grin and scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "Heh. Yeah, I guess you're right. Give me a few minutes to change and freshen up, and I'll meet you outside the student housing."

"Be quick." Ellinor instead. "Time is of the essence."

"I always am! Don't need to tell me twice." She called as she dashed off in a full-out sprint. Gareth gazed after her, chuckling softly to himself as he walked steadily to their agreed rendezvous place. Some things just never change, do they? He mused, reminiscing over his time training the spritely young woman who possessed the same rune as his dear old friend- the rune of Bravery.