TBATE - Brother's Once More

The Line Between

"So, what classes do you plan to take?" Claire asked, thrusting forward with her rapier.

I ducked and sweeped low with my left leg, pivoting to a neutral stance.

"Who knows. The classes here don't interest me much."

She jumped back before lunging at me with a volley of the same wind bullets Kaspian used against Arthur, but noticeably slower and less powerful.

"Well, I guess that's that but don't you think you should at least take some?"

I cycled mana through my body and blocked the bullets that were aimed at the weaker spots.

Shaking off the throbbing sensation in my arms, we both retreated and bowed before each other.

"I wanted to see if I could at least take one class, but nothing's really piqued my interest. I could also just make a class myself but that'd be annoying."

Claire chuckled, sheathing her blade before tossing me a towel.

"I think it's more concerning that you sound serious about it. Knowing your relationship with Director Goodsky and Princess Tessia, you could do a lot more than just make a new class."

I emptied another bottle of water and crushed it in my hand, throwing it near my things as I made myself comfortable on a bench.

"Certainly, I could do more than just that. But, I'm not the kind of guy to flaunt influence like that. Power, maybe. But influence is another matter."

Claire sat down next to me and sipped from her canteen.

"You know you don't speak like a ten-year-old, right?"

It was a given that I looked nothing like a ten-year-old boy should, let alone spoke like one, but I'd submitted myself to that when I found out my father grew a full beard when he was fourteen.

"Let's just say I was unlucky enough to grow up young. It's not a secret, but it's personal, incredibly so."

She just left it at that before looking up to the sky, changing the topic.

"Do you think Theo would be up to spar?"

I glanced at the dark-haired giant as he continuously defended against Leonard's strikes.

"He seems like the kind of guy to fight strong people. His stature and attitude suggests an inability to tolerate weak or worse, incompetent people if and when he works with others.

The day we met and shook hands, he actually bestowed his Gravity affinity onto me as a test to see how tough my skin was.

If I even implied an offer to spar with him, he'd take any chance he could get."

She stared at me blankly before chuckling. Patting my shoulder, she stood up.

"Well, if anybody could profile a person they've known for less than a week and be right, I'm sure it'd be you."

Claire left to join Theodore and Leonard and then there was one.

"Yep. Just me alone. Again." I muttered to myself.

I closed my eyes and took in the environment.

The wind blew, a light breeze running across my face, with subtle movements of my tied-back hair.

I could hear birds calling each other, chirping here and there. The conversations that I could normally hear with my augmented senses were quiet and distant, like an ambience.

The scent of beef wafted in the air as well, followed by chicken, then fish. My appetite was more than ready to be satiated and my stomach growled quietly in hunger.