>>19739846Trainer Borracho came before Valari next, clapping her on the shoulder with a large hand as he smiled with encouragement.
Borracho:
>" Miss Valari. WELL DONE, cadet. You've been training here for two months, and your strength and skill have developed considerably. Please, don't take this as your cue to get soft now, but you've been working as hard as anybody and it's really paying off in your performance. I will be reporting to the Queen that your performance is at considerably above expected levels and that you may indeed be ready for some of the specialized tasks she has in mind for you."Valari looks up at him and smiles faintly. She has tried to remain disciplined and neutral at all times, but she can't deny a certain happiness at receiving this praise. Something about Trainer Borracho's bearing and his sureness as a capable warrior reminds her just a bit of Fyodor, her deceased husband, who had been one of her home village's finest hunters and warriors, until--
No. Just as the beginning twinges of sadness and loss clutch at her heart, she shakes them off. No time for sad memories, or thinking of the past. This was a sign of how she she was building her future, and thriving in the present. Trainer Borracho said she was highly fit for service in The Queen's objectives, and that was an honor. Nothing would be a greater honor than to capably serve her monarch and benefactor, whom she had grown increasingly to respect and even like in these past few months, to give her value in return for the investment and friendship she had placed in Valari.
Valari:
>"Understood. And thank you, Trainer Borracho. Sir."The 'thank you' was not strictly protocol, but Paul Borracho simply smiled and moved on. Valari stood and started an additional set of stretches to cool her body down from the day's ordeals.
