shadysided | IC CONTACT for ximilia.

Hey, didn't get any bites taken out of you did you?

[It's easier to ask a teasing question than to reveal the real actual worry he's feeling having not spoken to her throughout all of the chaos that went down.]

Some of my hair got singed, but other than that, I think I actually made it out of one of these stupid missions without bonus damage.

How about you? You doing okay?

Ziggy, are you USUALLY injured on missions? [Excuse you? That is unacceptable! Who does he need to yell at? He's gonna yell at someone.]

I'm fine, I was totally useless and cut off from all the action. Please elaborate on your first point!

Oh, don't make it a big deal when it's not! I'm not exactly a soldier or a trained magician or a giant robo-man that turns into a car.

So yeah, maybe I've been hurt on most missions so far.

It's a learning experience.

That's why I'm training with you and in the gun range and with throwing axes.

It's a big deal! What kind of laoshi am I if I'm allowing my student to be harmed? [He pauses to consider how long he's been here and how long she's been here, and then adds] Even retroactively!

[Yes, he is suggesting he should have been able to prevent harm coming to her before they met. No, he's not being serious but this is the level of ridiculous Ziggy signed up for, sorry Ziggy.] Do you train with anyone in any of the martial arts?

You're the kind of laoshi who definitely wasn't around for a bunch of the missions where I got hurt. Besides, it wasn't so bad on the Giva one; I got, like, a black eye and gross scraped up knees from almost falling into neverending purgatory.

Which didn't end up being purgatory, so THAT was cool.

You mean like... fancy punching and kicking? I haven't really done a whole lot of that, no. Peter usually just tells me to aim for the balls, and only after I've exhausted shooting them a bunch.

Why would you bring in logic when I am being intentionally unreasonable? This backtalk!

But yes, that is what I mean. Peter in all of his eloquence isn't wrong, though it won't always be possible to finish things that way. We could add it to your training if you want. It's not my strongest area, I'll admit. [Mostly, he's thinking of evasive maneuvers and breaking holds. Things to get her out of melee combat range.]

My deepest apologies, laoshi. (●'◡'●)

[Where'd she even find that emote? Don't worry about it.]

Hey, it takes a village to raise a violent teenager, or something.
I'll take what I can get! Anything that shows me how to punch people who try something with me in the face.

[Don't think he doesn't pick up on the sass!! But it makes him laugh out loud so he'll let it go.]

I remember how hard you threw those dishes in Taeum, I wouldn't want to be on the other side of that arm. Alright, consider it added to the curriculum.

You betcha, I'm a plate-flinging MACHINE.

So we do the hand-fighting and meditation thing.

Do I have to like... study books? Or... scrolls?

... Whatever the lesson plan's written on?

how do you feel about extremely interesting lectures?

It's important you understand what cultivation is especially as we get further into it, but my writing is messy and I'd much rather teach you directly.

but you can take notes!

Ugh, lectures.

... As long as it isn't a lecture about how I'm wasting my life? I guess I can do you a favor and actually be a good student. Promise, laoshi. I'll take so many notes, your head will spin. 😏

Who lectures you about that? Here you are learning everything you possibly can, I've never met a better student!

Also I was a terrible student but only for the worst teachers. I give you permission to be a bad student if I am a terrible lecturer. But if you try to pull any pranks on me I'm warning you now that I will retaliate.

Oh, mostly just the people back home.

I wasn't exactly the most popular kid in class, to the students OR the teachers.

I'll save pranks for very, very special occasion, and only done out of nothing but fondness.

Sound like a deal?

[He makes note of that information, filing it away. Something to come back to another time maybe, if she's feeling like it. But they're far away from her world now and even if the protective instincts inside of him twitch at her words, there's nothing to be done for it now. The best he can do is to keep her smiling now.]

Deal. And I'll let you in on a secret, you are MY favorite student. Clearly your previous teachers and classmates simply didn't appreciate you the way you deserved.

You're just trying to flatter me so I'll be a student who DOESN'T prank you.

...

But thanks. I'll be nice to not be the total lost cause.

Just try not to get TOO sappy on me, okay?

Sappy? Me? Blasphemy! [He's definitely grinning.]

I speak nothing but the truth.

IC CONTACT for ximilia.

[Text] Backdated to the day they return from Vrefesea

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