>>19820423>"I hope we meet again soon, Ms. Ma..... Maria. Until then, rest well."Valari nods to Mighty Milf and follows the Queen from the room. It is sometimes difficult for her, to know when to be formal, and when to be familiar. She had never lived among a royal court before; among her own people, greetings and banter would be casual, even crude, but always braced with an underlying respect, unless the one addressed was truly unworthy of respect, or unless the one speaking was drunk or not in a mood to keep all of their teeth intact. Here, too often, she was disciplined when she was supposed to be casual, casual when discipline was called for, rigid and polite when she should be familiar, familiar when distance is better.
Alone, with the Queen, she is more comfortable. She muses on the offer as they are transported back to the castle.
>"I've been training a great deal these past few months. My strength has increased tremendously. If you believe it's time, your Majesty, I'm ready to put my skills to the test. Maria or her daughters would be fine opponents to try myself against in competition, or fine partners and allies. Best to understand my skills against a friendly adversary, before we encounter anything like....."Valari thinks back again to the sorceress who summoned the blue fire. Thanks to her training with Gemma Stone, and energy bestowed upon her by the spirits, she has now developed a talisman that will offer protection from magical fire. But even so, she could not afford to fail in physical combat against such an opponent either. She concludes her earlier half-statement in a low, solemn voice.
"Before we encounter an adversary who means us harm, and has the capability to inflict it."
She looks into the gray clouds rolling over the night sky.
