Jaw

Chapter 15

A month passed, and training with Isabelle became a regular occurance. It never got easier– Isabelle made sure of it– but every night Silena dragged her aching muscles home, she felt a little less like a failure.

Working personally with Isabelle had most certainly given Silena an edge. She started feeling better after a week thanks to the extensive self-care lists Isabelle had supplied her with, and the personal time she spent with her put her even further over the top. Kaiser Atlas would have to do some serious ass-kissing if he ever wanted to get to her level, because, when Silena was at a physical disadvantage, she worked around the problem. And Isabelle Tybur didn't respect brute force, she respected cunning.

Zeke would be so proud of her.

The two women had taken to having tea on off-days. They'd discussed doing it in Liberio, but Willy wouldn't allow Isabelle to stray so far from home so often. So, twice a week, Silena put on her nicest clothes, schlepped herself over to Quincey and that big, big mansion, and drank tea with one of the most powerful women in the world.

Under strict order from Willy Tybur, Silena wasn't allowed in the house, so they drank tea in the yard. Unlike the other estates with acres and acres of plain grass, the Tyburs' yard was a highly diverse botanical garden, brimming with flowers and trees and vegetable plants that Isabelle said Willy's wife grew as a hobby. Silena had never met the woman, but she had to commend her for the hard work.

Silena always brought her bag full of creations. She had been embarrassed to show off the jagged-edged spearheads and poorly-carved arrows at first, but now it was second nature for Silena to overturn her bag onto the table and let Isabelle judge what she had made.

It was silent as Isabelle looked over them. She was slow and deliberate, turning and touching everything before her. The judgements she made were always fair and accompanied by an explanation of how to fix it.

"Longer strokes of the knife make it more even," Isabelle said, turning a particularly poor-quality arrow in her hands. "You should aim to keep the same cut all the way down the shaft. And make sure to sharpen your knife routinely– every two or three months at the least." She put the arrow back on the table and took a sip of the Earl Grey before her. "You've improved greatly, though. I'm impressed."

Silena beamed at the praise. Compliments from Isabelle were always few and far between, but meant the world. "Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that."

"Of course– you've earned it. And keep in mind that this is just a way to prepare you for creating weapons from the Warhammer's skin– that's much easier to do. This is just honing your technical skill."

She nodded and took a sip of her own tea. While Isabelle placed a sugar cube between her teeth before every sip, letting the tea sift through the sugar, Silena drank like a commoner. The first time they'd drank together, she'd felt poor and tried the same technique, but ended up crushing the sugar between her teeth before she could even pick up the cup. Sure, she may have been so nervous that time she had clenched her teeth without meaning to, but the sickening taste of straight sugar disgusted Silena away from trying it again.

The green tea before her was mild, but Silena could taste the lavender honey in it. It made her smile immediately after swallowing.

"A good brew?" Isabelle asked. She'd revealed herself to be a tea fanatic the first time Silena came over, and could probably imagine perfectly what Silena was tasting just from memory.

"Excellent, thank you. Your staff did a perfect job, as usual."

Isabelle agreed before popping another cube of sugar between her teeth. Silena took time to savor her own tea as Isabelle drank until the sugar dissolved. She placed the empty teacup back on the saucer when she was done and a servant came out of the woodwork to take it away.