Despite the bitter cold, Orchidia was as busy as ever. It was hard to imagine this town not doing some kind of work. Lamia Scale mages, like Assama, were not exempt from this. It was their duty to provide for the town as well. Though they may not have been merchants or craftsmen, they were able to assist the town with a myriad of services. Assama planned on taking a request from the guild hall. She was sure to find plenty of work to do there. She wanted to start out small. This would only be her first request since she came back to Orchidia.

Entering the guild hall, Assama went straight towards the request board and took a few moments to look over the various requests. There were some for a high caliber mage, and others so simple that a random citizen plucked off the streets could complete almost effortlessly. Assama decided to snatch the one admitted by somebody by the name of Seheda Linas. Seheda was in the outskirts, waiting for someone to train her. If Assama could train a few rude rune knights in training, she could train one other person.

Taking the request off the board, Assama set out to find Seheda. As she walked out of the guild hall and towards the forest, Assama looked up at the sky. Her lips pursed into a small pout. Clouds were gathering and were making the sky appear more gray than blue. She hoped that they wouldn't be training long, because Assama didn't want to be caught in a cold rain. Snow she wouldn't mind, but rain or sleet would be a nightmare to go back home in, especially since she didn't bring an umbrella.

Assama arrived at the forest outskirts. It thankfully didn't take her long to find the person she was looking for. She was standing at the edge of the forest, casually leaning against a tree. Her attire told Assama that she was ready for training -- clothes that she could move around in, comfortable looking running shoes, and a water bottle was by her feet. Her gray hair was tied up in a pony tail. Despite her hair color, she didn't look old at all. Once she saw Assama, she put a smile on her face and waved to her. Assama walked up to her and smiled too.

"Are you the one who took my request?" Seheda asked. Assama nodded her head and replied, "Yup, I'm Assama Sinclair, a member of Lamia Scale." Just to show that she was telling the truth, she pulled down part of her shirt and jacket to reveal her tattoo. Seheda gleamed with delight and said, "Thank you for doing this. I um..." Her voice quieted down and the excitement drained from her face. "You see, I actually wanted to train with someone because I've actually been rejected from the combat academy three times now due to me not being fit enough for it. Three times! That's why I wanted someone to train with. I don't want to fail a fourth time..." Assama frowned for a moment. That must have been tough, getting rejected three times. Assama's brother was accepted by Myras to be a fighter. If he didn't though, she knew that she would just train even harder to get accepted the next time. She gave Seheda a reassuring look. "Don't worry, you won't," she replied. "We're gonna make the best out of this training, okay?" "Okay," Seheda mumbled.

They began their training. Seheda informed Assama that they were going to be working on their speed by running through the forest and dodging any natural obstacles, just like adventurers, mercenaries, mages, and the like had to do. Like Seheda, Assama too, put her hair up in a pony tail. Then, they both began to stretch. As they did, Assama asked, "So, what made you want to go to the combat academy?" This time Seheda did put on a smile that didn't turn into a frown. "I'm a mercenary. I help mages and adventurers with their requests. It's easier than doing the whole request myself, but I need to step it up if I want to help stronger people, which is why I wanted to enroll in the combat academy." Assama nodded her head. "Ah, I see."

Their conversation didn't last much longer before they had enough stretching and wanted to get started with the main part of the training. They got into the start position and, on the count of three, dashed into the forest. Apparently they weren't focused on pacing themselves. Instead, they were testing and strengthening their speed and agility. They were simulating the kind of situation where they would be fleeing from danger or having to get to a teammate in trouble or a different situation that still had some sense of urgency in it.

As Assama ran, she ducked under low branches, made sure not to trip on any roots, and jumped over creeks. After a bit of running, Seheda, unexpectedly, began to talk. She began to talk about how much being a mercenary meant to her and how much she hoped this training would get her into the academy. Not long after she started talking, Seheda's foot got caught on a root. She tripped and fell onto the forest floor, getting her clothes stained with dirt in the process. "Are you okay?" Assama asked, hand extended to help her up. "I'm fine," Seheda grumbled, ignoring Assama's gesture and getting up on her own. Her cheeks were red from embarrassment. "I think I'm done training. Besides, I think it's going to rain soon." It was true, the sky was looking even grayer. "You weren't that bad. You were running pretty fast. Just... try not to get distracted," Assama advised, wondering if that's what made her slip up when she tried to get into the academy. "Thanks," Seheda replied, obviously still embarrassed, and perhaps a bit annoyed. Maybe she'd heard that advice too many times. "Here's your reward." Seheda paid Assama and thanked her for helping her train. With training done and money in her pocket, Assama made it home just in time to escape the cold rain that followed.

Word Count: 1034/1000