I eventually found Amelia sitting alone in the fourth-floor dining hall, at a small table by a window. She had not ordered food yet and was still reading the menu when I cautiously approached her. Glancing up at me, she gave me a cold look before looking back down.

"Are you here to whine more about how mean I was to you? If that's the case, you can take it somewhere else. I'd rather not get your tears in my food."

I gritted my teeth and shook my head. "I am not used to failing like that or getting injured, even during training, and frankly, it was frustrating. But that is not your fault, and it was rude to take it out on you. So, I apologize."

I bowed a bit at the end, before straightening and examining her face. After a tense few seconds, her face broke into a smile, and she gestured to the other chair at her table. 

"Apology accepted. I'm not entirely blameless either, though don't think I'll take it easy on you next class," she said, giving me a grin.

I snorted slightly and nodded before taking a seat. "I suppose that is understandable. But on that note, I wanted to ask you about something. You clearly are far more capable and experienced than I am in a fight. While training with Sig will be helpful, I could always use more practice. Is there any chance you could help me get a bit better?"

Amelia blinked in surprise, before rubbing her chin with one hand. "Not a bad idea, though I think you'd be benefitting more than me. I'll think about it, but first, dinner."

After a bit of deliberation, I settled on a simple meal of a grilled steak and vegetables, with a hearty soup on the side. I had not eaten since the morning before classes, and I had not realized how hungry a day of classes would make me. Amelia ordered a few sandwiches and some seasoned fish for herself, before adding a bowl of mixed fruits for both of us as a dessert.

Glancing over at her with a raised eyebrow, she shrugged a little bit with a smile. "You look like a starving prisoner of war. If you ever want to keep up with me in a fight, you'll need a bit more muscle on your bones."

While we waited, I turned and looked out the nearby window to see the sun just beginning to creep under the horizon, lighting up the cityscape with a stunning orange hue. Nearly a month here had not diminished the impact that the city's scope had on me. After a few minutes, our food arrived floating on trays, and we began to dig in ravenously.

"So where did you even learn to fight like that? It is not hard to guess you have more than a bit of experience with weapons." I said after several minutes of eating, taking a bite of meat as I waited for a reply.

Amelia was caught midchew and took a few seconds to finish her mouthful of food. "I always liked being outside, but when you're young, there are risks, you know? I was a bit on the small side, and it's not unheard of for some gutsy idiots to kidnap a noble kid for the ransom. My brother wanted me to be able to take care of myself just in case, so he taught me how to throw a punch, swing a staff, and so on. I ended up liking it more than he'd expected, and he convinced Sig to help train me more formally in his free time. We grew up here, and my brother and Sig have been friends since they were students, so he was happy to help. My mother would've preferred I stay inside studying some dreary book on history instead, but she has always had trouble saying no to me."

"I suppose swinging a stick is not the usual thing a mother would want for her children. In my experience, they would prefer more 'noble' practices, like learning another language or figuring out how to socialize appropriately at a party."

"No, she was livid when she found out at first. Mother has always been more of a researcher, and she was hoping I'd follow in her footsteps. She has always felt scholarly pursuits are essential tools for a mage, and their greatest weapon isn't their body or their magic, but their brains. She wanted me to take alchemy instead of Sig's class, but honestly, it sounds like I'd fall asleep in the middle of a lecture on herbal tinctures. Anyways, it's my turn to be curious. Why are you taking this sort of class?"

My early impressions of her personality reminded me of Leon, with a sort of natural ease and charisma that made me lower my guard just a bit. I idly noted that there could be a bit more hormonal reasons for that as well, but did my best to push those thoughts aside. I was still keenly aware I needed to keep most students at arm's length, and took a few seconds to think of an appropriate reply.

"I guess a part of it is a childhood dream. I grew up hearing all these stories about heroic knights saving people from monsters, and part of me wanted to learn a bit more about fighting. I also realized I had never even learned how to make a fist right and wanted to fix that problem. I have always been a bit of a perfectionist, and knowing I had such a weak point bothers me deeply." 

It was not a lie in hindsight. I hated feeling inadequate at anything, though I knew I would need to become used to that feeling if I kept training with Sig and Amelia. I could not afford to let my ego get in my way if I wanted to succeed Cortos and change my future. 

"Not much of an athlete then? Most nobles I meet have plenty of time on their hands to learn how to shoot a bow or fence, at least. What happened, did your parents not want their precious baby, hurting himself? I suppose I can't blame them after what I saw today." Amelia flashed a smile at my expense at the end, which I returned with a laugh of my own.

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I was still far from a great liar, particularly when caught off guard and settled on a half-truth for now. Part of me hated lying to possibly my first genuine friend at the Academy, but I knew it was the safest move. I noted that I might need to start using a journal to keep track of my lies, and wondered how someone like Duke Estton or Girem kept all the details of various nobles straight in their heads.

"I spent most of my life how your mother wanted, inside a library with a head buried in books or getting yelled at by tutors. I never really had any reason to practice with a sword or learn how to defend myself. The closest to exercise I ever got was when I learned to ride a horse, and even then, I nearly got thrown from the saddle. Growing up like that had benefits, but as you can probably tell, I leave a bit to be desired when forced to swing a weapon. Truthfully, these past few weeks have probably been more physical exertion than I have had my entire life."

Amelia slowly nodded as she considered my words. "I could have guessed that much, based on the way you move and talk. You speak like a politician, all formal and guarded, and you move like you have two left feet. And, no offense, you walk like you have a stick where the sun doesn't shine. You should try and relax a bit. If you recall, Sig took my staff with him when he left."

I felt a bit of shame at how easily she bought my explanation, nervously laughing at her words. "Sorry, I am still getting used to talking with other people. I was never what you would call friendly, and this is still a bit new for me."

"I noticed by your reaction when you lost. So, you wanted some tips to help get better in a fight?  Sig said it best. Practice makes perfect and more practice is usually better. I've thought about your offer, and I'll help you get in some extra training. Provided you do me a favor, of course." Amelia flashed a vulpine grin at the end.

"Whatever it is, I accept. What are you thinking?" I answered hastily. 

"Two things. First, you have to keep me company during dinner every day after classes. I've already met a good chunk of the nobles here, and let's say that most of them get on my nerves. I like some of them, but I'd still prefer to have someone new to talk to after classes and discuss what I've been learning. And you haven't gotten on my bad side yet, so you're currently one of the best candidates."

"I think I can manage that, but what is the second thing you wanted?"

She leaned back and bit her lip before answering. "I can handle myself in a fight, but I could always use a hand with my studies, especially something like enchanting or magic beasts. I'm smart enough and can handle practical elements fine, but my memory has never been great. An extra hand with studying for tests would be a huge benefit for me. The old saying about scratching backs comes to mind."

I took another bite of the steak in front of me, savoring the rich taste as I considered her offer carefully. My schedule was already densely packed with nearly constant training and practice of some kind, but I could not afford to pass on her offer. Not if I wanted to make any real progress in combat. 

"You have yourself a deal, as long as we can start right away. I need all the help I can get, and I want to be better off next class with Sig." I answered, giving her a broad smile.

Amelia grinned widely as well before nodding. "Perfect! Tomorrow night after classes, meet me downstairs, and we can get started. We can do some sparring and then hit a dining hall."

The rest of our meal passed quickly, and after we finished, I went to bid her good night, but she stopped me before I left and handed me a small wooden container. When I opened it, a fresh herbal smell wafted up to my nostrils, and I could see a thick green paste inside.

"Before you go to bed, rub this onto your bruises. It helps clear them up a bit faster and dulls the pain a bit. Trust me. You'll thank me in the morning."

I blinked a bit before bowing my head slightly at her before digging into my coin purse. "Thank you. This sort of thing has to be a bit expensive to make, right? Let me repay you for the cost, at least."

Amelia held up one hand and shook her head firmly. "Don't worry about it. This one is on the house. You can call it payment for the workout if you'd prefer. If you weren't in the class, I would've been stuck training with just Sig, and I'd be the one going to bed covered in bruises from a few dozen losses in the sparring ring."

After returning to my room, I sighed in annoyance and teleported to the sanctum for tempering. I had considered skipping this session, but the realization I would struggle in a physical fight made my magical training even more critical. Hopefully, private instruction with Amelia would help bridge the gap a bit, but I had no delusions I would become a master before the end of the semester.

Sitting cross-legged in the circle, I went to activate the enchantment but paused after thinking of something. Standing up after a second, I walked over to my bookshelf and retrieved one of Cortos' books on mana cultivation before laying it on the ground in front of me. If I were stuck here for an hour, I may as well try and get some reading done simultaneously.

The pain of tempering was just as bad as ever, and my ability to ignore it had only increased the tiniest amount. I turned my tear-filled eyes down, barely managing to read a few words before losing my place and being forced to restart. As the minutes ticked by, I slowly worked my way through a few pages, gradually increasing how long I could read before my focus broke from the agony. After the hour ended, I nearly collapsed onto the ground but managed to hold myself up.  

Sitting up, I wiped the sweat off my face and stretched my aching body gingerly, wincing at the bruises still left behind from Sig's class. Between sparring and tempering, I felt more like a walking mass of injuries than a person. Mentally I did some calculations and realized I still had a few hours until I needed to go to sleep and decided to take care of something I had meant to handle.

Teleporting back to my room, I retrieved the clothing I had initially worn when I first came to the Academy and a large leather bag I had been using to carry alchemy supplies. Returning to the sanctum, I took a half-hour to carefully pack the bag with my clothing, a few weeks worth of Yardley's supplements and Cortos' journal. I would need to add more supplies to the pack when I had more time and funds, but that would have to do for now.

Fortuna seemed irritated by my constant teleportation when I popped back into my bedroom and gave me a small hiss. I laughed at his reaction before walking to the bathroom to take care of my nightly ritual. Right before I slipped under the covers, I unscrewed the cap on Amelia's ointment and applied it to the sorest points on my body. The mixture was cold to the touch, and the bruises almost immediately became numb.

Finally, laying down in bed, I began to doze off with my mind running through the day's events. That night, visions of battling mighty dragons with nothing but a stick in my hands occupied my dreams.