Lazarus Peirsaly

5. Friendship Beneath the Stars

I wake up to the sound of something being struck repeatedly. Judging from the clanking, it must be metal against metal. Rubbing my ears and groggily sitting up from being rudely awoken, I take a minute to fully wake up. After gathering some energy, I look through the window and notice light barely spilling through. It must be very early in the morning... Could it be a thief or a murder ongoing?

I slip out of bed, moving towards the door. Opening it up, I knock on Synlie's door to get her to deal with it. No response... Maybe a heavy sleeper? I apologize quietly and open it up, finding it unlocked. Looking around, she isn't inside. All that inhabits the room is a bed, a stool in front of a tall mirror, weapons leaned against a wall, and a closet that probably contains her wardrobe. What poor timing, she must be at work doing whatever a Vice Captain does while some unholy creature creates a ruckus at this time. 

I arm myself with a sword, taking a moment to try to get accustomed to the weight and feel of the weapon. It is heavier than I expected, but at the very least I can get the jump on whoever is outside from a safe distance. Exiting the room, I sneak my way to the door that leads to the backyard of the house, which I previously stumbled upon earlier when exploring my new residence. Listening closer, the sound does seem to be coming from the backyard. No time to waste, I always did have the occasional intrusive thought about how it would be to stab someone with a sword, so at least I could fulfill my morbid curiosity through self-defense. Maybe Synlie will be proud as well and I can get praised.

Taking a deep breath, I burst through the door and swing the sword haphazardly. Before I can process what is going on, a force knocks away the sword, and a spear is pointed at my neck. Looking at the wielder, it is Synlie who appears to have been practicing against some dummies donning onesies, though they are in tatters now. She did say she practiced, but this early in the morning...? I won't be able to get much sleep at this rate.

"I am terribly sorry, Miss Ansietria! On instinct I disarmed and restrained you because you were wielding a weapon." She pulls the spear away and grits her teeth, probably ashamed of her display.

"It was my fault for coming out swinging. You don't have to apologize."

"No, I should have used my brain rather than instinct. Of course the only person who could exit my house would be you since you are the only one in it, so there is no need for me to have been so on guard."

"Really, you don't have to be sorry. I could've used my brain too and realized someone making noise from the backyard would be you practicing against these ferocious monsters." I try to lighten the mood with a little joke, motioning to the cosplaying dummies.

"They are mere dummies Miss Ansietria, not monsters. Do not fear them, they are inanimate." The joke went right over her head. That failed spectacularly, now she thinks I'm an idiot who gets frightened by such things.

"It was a joke... Nevermind. I was trying to sleep but woke up from the sounds of your training. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes, it is 4:27 AM. I wake up at 3:30 AM every day so that I may eat and shower to get early training in." Wait, they have proper time here? And she knows? My mind is blown.

"What? How do you know the time?"

"Ah, I forgot to give you one of these. We shall buy you one whilst we shop for new clothing." She motions to a device on her wrist. It looks like a watch, but instead of a regular hand, some sort of green mist swirls about to depict the current time.

"What is that and how does that work?"

"This is a watch, a type of magical equipment. You feed it some of your mana and it will channel it into displaying the time. It is taxing on the body to constantly keep powered, so people only use it when needed." The mist dissipates, leaving an empty glass screen. This place is more civilized than expected... Oh, but my special magic probably wouldn't be able to use it well.