Ryuken announced it casually at breakfast on the first day of week five. He finished his bowl, stood up from the low table, and dropped the news before walking out: "No training today."
The heavy iron doors clicked shut behind him.
The four of them sat in the dimly lit dining hall and stared at the empty doorway.
Kaito calmly refilled his tea. "He does this exactly once every two weeks," he advised the table. "Do not spend the day standing around the outer ring looking lost, or he will immediately revoke it."
Ashe had already stopped eating. She turned and looked at Vane. Her amber eyes held the specific, calculating gleam of a tactician who has just been handed a massive opportunity and is rapidly deciding how to violently deploy it. "Eastern city," she ordered. "Get your heavy jacket."
"I haven't even finished my—"
"Bring it with you."
She was already on her feet and moving toward the door.
