There is a lot about me you don't know -Tales of Arcadia ENG

12- Not a Pleasure

"But you do a lot of feints!" the blond blurted out.

"...I did not? Not even a single one."

At this comment, Steve put on a blatant pout. Toby, on the other hand, burst out laughing, waving his Warhammer, which had been in a confrontation with Aaarrrgh earlier in the day, though he paused to catch his breath.

"Maybe he's not gifted with the sword?" Suddenly intervened Claire, appearing not far from Jim through a portal, from which Douxie had emerged as well, letting out a faint whistle of appreciation.

"That's not true, I have a knack for the sword!" Retorted Steve in an annoyed tone, not even two seconds after she had spoken.

"You managed to form a Portal without Morgana's Staff! That's great, Claire!" Exulted Toby, drastically changing the subject.

"And with a pretty good finishing position," said Douxie, receiving a satisfied smile from the girl. "...We're not that close to the door, but we didn't fall through the ceiling either. A big step forward."

"Fell from the ceiling?" Asked Aaarrrgh.

"Uh... Yes, it happened three times," she replied in embarrassment, with a peal of soft laughter.

"Emphasize just before saying three times. And remember, you've been working on it for less than an hour." Retorted Hisirdoux with a smirk, tilting his head.

She opened her mouth, apparently not finding the words. Then she closed it again and nodded.

"Do you think a different weapon might help him?" Asked Jim to Claire after a couple of seconds.

"I don't know, mine was just a guess. You lot are the experts," she asserted, looking first at him, Toby, Blinky, and Aaarrrgh, seeing them all thoughtful and absorbed. At last, she laid her gaze on Douxie. He caught her look almost immediately, his eyebrow arched, something perplexed painted on his face.

"Don't look at me," he asserted instantly, tensing his shoulders and raising his hands, putting them forward. "It's not my field."

"Hey! Are you all listening to me or not?" Jumped up Steve again, sounding even more offended than before at being ignored.

"...Perhaps yes, maybe we really should let him try something else," said Blinky in a thoughtful tone, after casting a glance at him. "But for now, let's try to continue with the sword. It's only the second day. To succeed so quickly would be nothing short of a miracle."

The pout already on Steve's face visibly worsened, darkening. He looked so disappointed that it made Jim feel guilty, even though it was essentially not his fault.

"You'll get there. Just not instantly," Toby tried to reassure him. Jim found himself nodding along with him, just like everyone else.

"You have to lay the foundation first and then go up from there. Everything is always like building a house. Without them, you are going to have more weaknesses than anything else." Douxie added simply. It seemed to work, weirdly enough.

Steve recovered almost immediately after that, so much so that he got into a defensive stance. The sword was no longer swinging forward, no longer held just to hold it, but giving it balance.

"One more time, Lake!" He asserted with determination. Thankfully, not screaming anymore.

"Okay, but this time keep an eye on how I move, and don't attack blindly," Jim said, preparing himself in response, launching one last look to the two Wizards before properly giving attention to the blond.

"Well, we'll see you later, anyway," Claire commented, just before both she and Merlin's Apprentice disappeared back into the Portal.

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