As the day wore on Bella and I got along great. We laughed and joked about how we almost had each other on this and that last match. If only the sun hadn't reflected in my eyes at that specific moment. If only a drop of sweat hadn't gotten in her eye on the swing. It was good times, much more enjoyable than Walt I have to confess.

By the end of the day I was utterly spent. After the abbots healed us I wasn't gasping for air or anything like that but my whole body was exhausted without feeling like it. I was walking noticeably slower than everyone, and even my friends were teasing me about it.

For a small bit of solace though, Bella was in the same condition and was trailing even behind us. I tried calling to her to catch up but she pulled her young master routine and just stuck her nose in the air. Mightily of course.

We had a chuckle on that note and so just continued on our way chit chatting. We grabbed some food and sat down. I regaled my friends with my latest training exploits. That scoffed at my retelling of the whole affair when I mentioned the power we were putting into our swings. As I was wolfing down my food I happened to notice Isabella was sitting off on a table by herself. She too had just as much as a gluttonous appetite as myself and was wolfing things down as quick as I was. Thinking this was an excellent time to expand my circle, I waited till a lull in our conversation. When it finally happened I seized my chance.

"Hey guys, I just noticed my sparring partner is eating alone. Since we seemed to get along fine in the spar, how about we join her?" I tried to slip it in there nonchalant. Let's see if they bite.

"You want to go over there to sit with her?" Bea stared at me for a bit.

Well. This got dangerous awfully quick. She was putting some very interesting emphasis on certain words. But its okay. I knew how to get around this.

"Well don't you need some other girl friends Bea? I thought you might find it nice to be able to get away from Tom and I at sometime ya know?" See, I'm doing it for you Bea! All you!

Tom picked up on this as well "Well I wouldn't mind if we had another friend Bea, maybe she'll be able to teach us something! That way we can catch up to and eventually surpass Will!"

I stuffed my last bite of food in my mouth and stood up. "Come on, I need to grab another tray anyway. Don't make me go over there without you Bea!"

"..... I just didn't want you to be embarrassed when she starts telling us how bad she actually beat you is all. But if you're wanting to be put in your place that badly I guess I could go." Bea poked her food for a bit, looking a bit downcast. "Fine, get your second tray and then we'll go."

Hopping up and heading to the food line I got my second serving and also grabbed another tray for Bella, grabbed my friends who tilted their head at me inquisitively when they saw the third tray, then headed over to Bella.

As we got close Bella noticed us. She continued eating for a moment before realize we were coming with purpose to her table and it wasn't an incidental passing or anything. She froze like a deer in headlights and just stared at us as we sat down. Pushing the third tray to the middle of the table I smiled at Bea.

"Hey there! You looked like you could use a chat or two so we came over. These are my friends Tom and Bea. Guys this is Isabella. She's the one I was telling you about that could just barely keep up with me." I smirked at Bella as I finished. It looked like I needed to get a rise out of her to shock her out of her stupor.

Eyes widening even further than they already were, she fired back at me "You know very well it was you who barely kept up with me. You should be lucky I took pity on you and lowered myself to your mana level after all."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I was unable to contain my smile as she took the bait.

"Please forgive Will, Isabella. His ego inflates everyday and we have to spend our whole time knocking him down a peg or two. We would be very grateful if you could keep him in his place during training as well." Bea was sitting up primly as she was putting me down.

I glanced at her briefly and quirked an eyebrow at her and then turned back to Bella. Surprisingly Bella had adopted an air similar to Bea. Uh-oh. Maybe they would actually get along too well....

"Yes well, he's at least passable in his power application. Far better than my previous sparring partner, so he does have that going for him. If he manages to hold his position for a few weeks he may actually be able to learn something from me." Bella had gotten haughtier and haughtier as she spoke and her nose kept going further and further up in the air. It was hilarious from my perspective, but I could see how it would annoy others. Bea didn't seem to mind though.

This continued for a bit, and everyone did seem to get along and have a jovial time, although with Bella she was still putting on arrogant young mistress façade. It didn't seem to bother Bea or Tom though, so that was nice. Eventually though I interjected to talk about the food. I had just finished my second helping and I was in a weird place of feeling like I wanted and need more, but simultaneously feeling too stuffed to do so.

"Anyone else feel like the mana was a little too light tonight in the food? I know I'm done with my second tray now but my body feels like it wants more, yet I don't think I could eat another bite." I pushed my tray away for emphasis.

"You just secretly want to be fat Will, that's all. Maybe its time you listened to your inner voice." Tom joked. Honestly though, if the food had more seasoning I may be tempted. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either.

Bella raised an eyebrow at me "You finished a second meal? That's very surprising for a tier 3, most cannot finish it until they're either tier 4 or almost there. I feel satiated completely when I finish a second meal myself..... wait. What's with the tray in the middle then?" She looked utterly confused at the circumstances being thrown at her back to back suddenly.

"Well I just grabbed it for the table really. I figured Bea, Tom, or even you may want a second meal so I planned ahead." I groaned and patted my stomach.

"Oh.... well.... I do need some more sustenance, would you mind?" Bella blushed while she looked at Tom and Bea.

"Its all yours Isabella, we wonder how Will puts it all away sometimes. Tom and I only think about seconds on really intense days." Bea waved her hand towards the tray.

Bella nodded gratefully and quickly grabbed it and began taking bites. They were smaller and more controlled than when I caught her wolfing down her food earlier. Like she was trying to use some fancy table manners or something. I began chuckling when I got a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I wonder what was causing that? I glanced around at the table between my friends and Isabella. Nothing was coming to mind though. Was it something they said? I began replaying some of the conversations in my head, when it clicked!

"Say, Bella, how did you know I was tier 3? And are you saying you're tier 4?" I shot out quizzically. That's what was bugging me!

"Of course you're tier 3 Will, you just got here. Don't be silly." Bea scolded me a bit on that,

I smiled with some chagrin at that, but the comment seemed to indicate something else.

"Oh is that how you knew Bella? It was just an educated guess?" I pressed her a bit more, it was still not a satisfactory answer after all.

Looking at Bella seemed to confirm my hunch. She had gotten wide-eyed again like a doe. She really needed to work on her poker face. Blushing and casting her eyes downward again, she spoke up. "Well... actually I did examine you to determine your mana pool when you first walked up for sparring. I... I was taught already how to sense mana levels. And while anything at the next stage all feel monumentally the same, anything in our current stage I can pick up on accurately. T...That's why I dismissed you to begin with." She kept accelerating as she spoke until it eventually all blurted out.

Well this was interesting! Sam had mentioned the knights could sense your mana levels before, but Bella knew how to as well! I wonder... could I get her to teach me? That would be so cool to "sense" what everyone else is like that! I feel like it would acclimate me to the world a little.

Let's not jump to asking her right now. She seems embarrassed that she did it. Maybe its considered rude or something?

"Hey that's awesome Bella! I wish I could do it myself! I noticed you avoiding the other question though... are you tier 4?" Saving the lesson for another day, I decided to press her about some more personal info.

Sighing quite heavily she stared me down. "You are quite the conundrum Will, you know that? Yes, I am tier 4. That should hopefully explain my power to you. Now if you don't mind what is your secret?"