Vulcan woke up as the sun slapped its rays onto his eyelids. He covers his face before sitting up. The dojo is quiet which is an unusual occurrence. The young man stepped out of his room, glancing down the hallway in search of someone.

He walks down to Ducks room which he knocks on, “Duck, you there?”

‘No reply’

He slides open the door, getting his first glimpse at Ducks room. It was fairly empty and very clean. His bed was made which wasn’t surprising at all. Vulcan's attention immediately panned over to a pair of blades hanging on his wall. They looked old and worn as if they had been through hundreds of battles. A part of him wanted to explore some more but he decided against it since he’d be intruding on his personal life.

Vulcan closed the door and continued his search. He found his teacher out in front, sitting in a chair.

“Good morning, what do you have in store for today?” He questioned but Duck didn’t have anything planned.

“Nothing, you’re free to do whatever you want. You’ve earned a break.” He replied, expecting Vulcan to run off. “Oh…”

Duck looked up at Vulcan who stood there awkwardly.

‘I guess he’s not used to having downtime’ Duck pondered to himself before pushing himself up.

“How about we head into the city, check out what it has to offer today?” Vulcans face lit up as he now had something to do. He probably would’ve just continued to train if he couldn’t find something to do. Duck definitely didn’t want that. Training was good, just not too much.

The two left the dojo to the children inside who were doing their own thing. Duck trusted them enough to leave them alone. The teacher really didn’t have any plan in mind as they sauntered through the streets of Lushwood. He didn’t expect to be out at all but Vulcan looked lost after being told to go take a break. Perhaps they could grow closer.

“So, have you decided on what you want to wear as a hero?” Duck tossed out a question which was one Vulcan hadn’t considered.

“Hmm, I’m not really sure. Maybe something like yours with no sleeves. I don’t want anything too tight that’ll hinder me in combat.” Duck nodded his head, envisioning what Vulcan might be talking about.

“That's a good start. You just need to figure out the finer details. You have to look friendly to the people but strike fear in your enemies. Not an easy thing to do.” Vulcan took note of that so he could build upon what he’s thought of so far.

“Don’t forget, you have to come up with a weapon too.” Duck added on which seemed to really excite Vulcan.

“I haven’t even considered that. What would fit me best?” Vulcan jumped with enthusiasm.

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“Now, now. Lets focus on clothing and then your weapon. It’ll come to you easily, I’m sure of it.” He calmed the boy down, resulting in a low grumble.

Vulcan went silent before realizing that it would be a good time to learn more about Duck if possible. He hadn’t even bothered to ask questions about the man, well, not a lot at least.

“Duck, how long have you been teaching? It seems like you’ve been doing it most of your life.” Duck thought for a moment, not knowing off the top of his head.

“About thirteen years now. Since I was twenty eight.” Vulcan was baffled at the numbers. Not only was Duck fairly old but so was his career. It’s hard to believe that he used to fight.

“That's a long time. Don’t you ever get bored or want more excitement in life?” Duck let out a hearty laugh as if both questions were preposterous.

“How could I get bored of meeting new people and creating the future? This isn’t just a job because there's a dream and adventure waiting in every new class I get. Nothing could be more exciting.” He replied with sheer confidence. Vulcan could see why so many people knew him in Lushwood. He was buoyant and admirable.

“I can’t imagine doing anything but fighting. The thrill from winning and being the best!”

Duck glanced down at the young man with a distressed frown.

“Fighting isn’t a sport to indulge yourself in. It should only be done when needed, not when it's wanted because real heroes only walk towards the battle if there's something at stake.” His tone suggested that he was very serious about the subject. It was clear as day that something led Duck to think in such a way.

“Don’t you know how to have fun?” Vulcan replied with a slightly annoyed tone.

The teacher suddenly grabbed his shoulder before forcing him to a stop. The two locked onto each other.

“The world isn’t fun. Fighting isn’t fun, it kind of is but both are dangerous. Not everyone is going to be fighting you for fun, kid.” Vulcan looked at his feet as Duck let him go. He followed behind with a gloomy mood hanging over him now. It looked like all the fun had been sucked right out of him. Vulcan knew Duck was right but being yanked out of the sky hurt.

Duck looked over at him with regret. He sighed softly and moved to resolve this quickly.

“Hey, after we check out the latest news, how about we get some grub and then take a look around some shops?”

Vulcan gave him a quiet side glance, “You can’t tell the other kids though or they’ll gang up on me.” Duck added shortly after which managed to get a small smirk from Vulcan.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

The two continued into the town square and beelined it for the newsboard. A decently sized group surrounded it, making it clear that there was something big going on. Duck couldn’t see what the big fuss was about.

“Stay here.” He had Vulcan stay back while he squeezed past everyone. Duck got to the front where a paper could be seen. He got a good look in as his eyes filled with concern. The teacher pulled away and returned to Vulcan.

Vulcan looked up at Duck who held a distraught face, “What happened?” he asked moments after.

“Nothing good, but let's try to enjoy the day while it lasts. It's all government rubbish anyway.” Whatever Duck saw seemed to worry the man immensely so Vulcan didn’t ask about it. He’d probably find out later when it was more convenient.

“Fine, but I want to know later. You can’t keep me in the dark if it's important.”

Duck could settle with that, “Alright buddy, let's get out of here.” Vulcan gave a nod of approval as they walked out of the town square.

Duck loved Lushwood but it looked like they planned on changing how things would be done. A new war general was being decided which wasn’t a bad thing but the last one was thankfully passive. Who knows if the next one would be the same.