The recovery day was a total bust. He had ideas on how to do things, but didn't have the right circumstances and could exactly ask without tipping people off what he was working on. He tried infusing his body with more aether, but it did nothing. He couldn't remember everything about those cultivation books he read about where they would go after reaching that "body refining" stage they spoke of but even thar didn't translate cleanly what he thought he was doing.

The following week was a slog of increased physical training, etiquette clases, close order marching and drilling. How to salute properly, when to bow, and when to speak.

The instructors went over times to automatically draw weapons to protect your assignee. Watching long range site lines for snipers. Sorin had don't security operations before and was good at reading people. He had once read "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Becker in his spare time reading to help read people and learned just how important it is to listen to your intuition or "gut feeling." If you thought about it, your entire body and mind is dedicated to keeping you alive.

Listening to how people speak and how they conduct themselves gives so many warning signals of impending attack. From the dossier of Lady Euryale Aegis there may be times her mannerisms will cause anger and he didn't want his journey home cut short over something stupid such as an errant strike in anger.

That Friday morning things were very different.

"Fall to formation!" Sergeant Agron commanded. "Today you will not be training. From now until mid day you will wash yourselves throughly. Extra soap has been provided. Hygiene kits have been provided. Men, you will attend to your beards if applicable and have your hair trimmed if it's appearance is unprofessional." Agron said as a female soldier stepped forward.

"Women, likewise you will attend to yourselves and be made presentable. A culture is defined by it's women and the Serpent Empire is no differnent even down to our conscripts. A culture of powerful women is a culture that endures, regardless of what our counterparts might thing." She said looking over at some of the men. There was a subtle laughter across the formation.

"We will see you here mid-day in full armoreweave and new robes. Make sure you look sharp as you will be meeting your assignees today. Dismissed."

Agron said as he walked off soldiers following behind. Sorin and the rest of the conscripts went in and on each of their cots was a small canvas bag with various materials. There will multiple men and women standing by with chairs offering haircuts to both men and women.

Sorin felt his hair and saw how it had become rather unruly and long. For his entire adult life he had always had short hair and he didn't like it when it was long. Brittanie didn't like it either, so he jumped in the chair and got it drastically shortened. It was a scizzor cut so it wasn't his usual, but it worked. He grabbed the canvas kit and went down to the pool. He pulled the razor out of it and the bar of soap. He shaved everything and looked into the provided palm sized mirror. He was way more slender than he remembered him being. He cheeks were more sunk in and his eyes were different, but to his suprise, he looked like he did when he was 25 but sharper.

They didn't have the same dark blue, but now contained a red shimmer he assumed from his aether. He scrubbed down and got out. He moved over to his clothing and after activating the cleaning circuits on his boots, gloves, and suit; he out everything on lastly tightening his boots. He stood up and after a moment he looked down at his old trousers. He pulled the ring out, snapped the lace it was secured to, pulled his glove off and put it back on then replaced the glove to hide it. He opened and closed his hand smiling to himself. Such a simple thing, but it meant so much to him.

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He threw his pack over his shoulder and headed out to the arena again about a half hour before mid-day.

"Gather your weapons and ensure they are cleaned and in their sheaths. You will then form up with your teams in sequential order!' A soldier said. Sorin went to where his team kept their weapons. He was the first one out it seemed. He took his swords and pulled them from their sheath one at a time to inspect them. For the abuse they had been put through they had no damage to them. Looking at their structure he wasn't suprised. They were aether steel and followed an internal circuit that pulled ambient aether in and seemed to repair. He wondered how it knew what to repair, but figured that was a question for later when he could explore more things. He ensured they were clean of dirt, blood, and sand. Once complete he secured them to his sides and waited for his team.

It didn't take them long and they did the same.

"What do you think she will be like?" Linx said standing on line shoulder to shoulder with Sorin. "I don't know man, I'm going to prepare for the worst and expect her to be a snot nosed brat that has not be disciplined enough. Definitely expecting her to throw daddy around a time or two." He answered.

"Ugh....I hope not. I'm glad pretty boy over there doesn't do that." Linx said.

"I'm not deaf Linx. I'm also a conscript or tribute just like you. How is throwing "daddy" around going to help me? Besides it would be "mommy" for me. She is the matriarch." Cain responded with a flat look at the fox beast man.

Sorin looked him over. It really did look like he was going for almost slicked back look with some hair falling forward.

"It's a joke not a punch man, don't have to take it so hard." Linx said to Cain.

It was at that time Corporal Varris came up.

"Pay attention you lot. Remember your etiquette and manners. Lady Euryale is just that. A lady. You will conduct yourselves appropriately. With luck...she wont hate you or turn you to a useless lump of stone. You will now follow me." She said.

She led them out of the arena and down the corridor they took when heading for the reserve. They went to the elevator and pressed the star button. It took a good 10 minutes of going up before they finally stopped. They were led into a giant entry way that opened into an even larger atrium with banners depicting a purple and black snake eating it's own tail. They were led through the atrium where a bunch different people stopped to watch the group.

After five or so minutes they were led through a hall and a door. Varris pushed it open to a very large parade field. It was made with helix shaped stones fitted together with statues of different people in various states of combat. Banners hung all over the edges of the parade field. Sorin looked around and eventually saw the green and black with the symbol of a snake with read eyes and open fanged mouth he assumes was the Aegis house symbol.

"Stand here hands behind your back always away from weapons as you were taught when in front of superiors." Varris instructed.

"You will remain here until told otherwise to move." She said as she walked off.

Sorin breathed out through his nose.

"The classic hurry up to wait." He said.

"Whar does that mean?" Cain asked. "It means we hurry up to get to a location where we proceed to wait for God knows how long for nothing to happen until when privileged people decide they are bored and don't want to be here anymore."

Linx giggled. "Hurry up to wait." He repeated. "I'll have to use that.

Over the course of the next half hour team after team lined up making a corridor of 7 teams on each side with 50 years between the lines.

Sorin began to notice different people in elegant suits, dresses, martial arts robes, and even full armor began to fill the parade field.

Then far to Sorin's right a set of double door's opened up.

"Presenting this years Senior Cadets!"

Sorin saw what he guessed were 14 young looking men and women walking in line 7 and 7.

They kept walking more marching until they were lined up exactly on each conscript team where they stopped together then faced outward together simultaneously.

That's when Sorin, Linx, and Cain came face to face with Lady Euryale Aegis at last.