Mei got up early that morning so she wouldn't have another terrifying encounter with her master. That habit was already well ingrained in her mind. Before throwing on her tunic and shoes she looked at the Serpent tattoo on her left backside it was pretty cool looking, but still it felt sort of like a slave branding, and that made her mildly uncomfortable about the whole thing. In the end, though she felt that Vasu-Jin was more similar to her than any other deity she could have chosen. Both are outcasts from their respective societies. It was a connection he hadn’t even felt with her mother who was a very pretty commoner with normal eyes. If someone didn’t know that she had a blue-eyed daughter they would simply treat her like they would anyone else.
As she exited her room she saw Master Xinya stretching in the courtyard, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon. Giving the morning a calm tranquil feeling.
"Master, what are we doing today?"
Cui Xinya yawned one last time before responding "Seito don't be too eager or I will think yesterday's exercise wasn't harsh enough" She looked at Mei "Today we will be finding a weapon type that suits you."
A smile blossomed on Mei's face as she heard those words "Really? I will get to choose my own weapons?" she said perhaps more excited than most young teens her age would be.
"Who said that?" Cui Xinya said as she bent down stretching her lower back.
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"I don't get to pick?" Mei asked, confused.
"Who said that either? You get to pick from weapons that are the best compatible with your abilities."
"I suppose you're correct." Mei nodded in understanding.
"Of course I am Seito!" Her master rolled her eyes "Learn to accept that more times than not I will be right and you will be wrong. Your life will be much easier then."
Mei felt a bit awkward as she waited.
Cui Xinya turned to Mei and smiled. "You are still a young child, Seito, you still have much to learn about this world. This world I know has not been kind to you… I am not ignorant of your struggles, but know this…struggle forges you into a strong person."
Standing up straight, Cui Xinya sighed. "Alright it is time to go to the weapon's market my student lets off." She said before bolting towards the courtyard entrance without warning. Her speed was so explosive that she could get to full run pace in moments.
Mei followed closely behind as they made their way through the winding streets of Ei'en. The city was always pleasant for Mei to run in because it gave her a chance to take in all the sights even after living in Ei'en for so long she had not been in the city that much at all. The roofs of Xian were not uniform at all even in districts that would change from building to building in height and shape…the only thing that remained uniform was general architectural design. As they jumped from rooftop to rooftop Mei became more and more comfortable. After several minutes they arrived at the blacksmith district which was famous in all the kingdom for the weapons they produced.
Cui Xinya walked past all the vendors at the beginning without hesitation as she knew precisely where she would take her new student. There was only one man she trusted in the kingdom who sold reasonably priced high-quality weapons.