Three weeks of training and case-building had worn a groove into their days.
By the morning of the hearing, Ossara felt less like somewhere they were passing through and more like a life they had accidentally begun living.
Mornings belonged to Kest, when her leg allowed it.
She trained Ashe first, then gradually the others who proved willing to endure the pace she demanded. Vane struggled with stillness more than he liked. Valerica learned quickly and hated being told that quick learning was its own trap. Mara treated every correction like a structural problem. Nyx seemed to understand half of Kest's instructions sideways and somehow still arrived at the right answer.
Afternoons split them apart again.
