Our kiss stretched into an endless moment. Everything focused on her lips, and the feel of her body pressed to mine. I gasped as Snowy pulled back from me and then I followed her gaze over my shoulder. It was frightening how befuddled I was, our sudden kiss having come right after our bout. My breath was still coming in gasps, and it left me a little light-headed. Staring at her lips, I realized that her smile wasn’t the happy one I was expecting but more of a combination of pride and satisfaction. She gave the same smile when she managed to improve her [Arcanum of the Blood] for the first time. It was the look of a hunting cat grooming itself after a successful hunt. The smile distracted me long enough that I missed the second, but not the third cough.

Slowly edging away from Snowy, I turned to see my day guard, a man who managed to talk even less than Sir Wincome. He was, oh so casually, staring at the training yard’s open roof, his right foot kicked back and his body leaning against the wall. With his arms crossed, he conveyed silently that he had seen nothing and wasn’t involved in what was happening, though I wasn’t so insane as to think the Baron wouldn’t hear about this.

Somehow, I couldn’t find it in myself to care.

Turning back to Snowy, our hands slowly drifting off each other, we shared a smile. Snowy’s lopsided grin and still sweat covered face, clearly saying that we would later deal with our actions.

There was an awkward moment where we almost collided, both of us reaching for our dropped weapons simultaneously. But, my chuckle strangely broke the tension, and we returned to our training.

Suddenly, I realized. I had a Skill Point waiting.

I paused at this discovery, mouth held open in confusion, and gently poked at the knowledge that I had a free point. My parents claimed that a Skill Point could happen from sudden personal growth and unexpected personal revelations. Still, I had never grasped how odd the discovery was. It wasn’t in my mind. I was used to how Skills felt in my mind, shifting, pushing, gently guiding, and while related, this wasn’t the same thing. In some ways, it felt the way [Meditation], and the strange crystalline growths had.

“Josh?” Snowy asked at my distracted look, a moment of concern coming to her face.

Shaking my head, I grinned at Snowy, my smile wiping away her worries, though the raised eyebrow remained.

“Later,” I said, my continuing grin convincing her that I wasn’t suddenly regretting our impulsive act.

Putting the discovery of my new wealth aside, I wiped off my swords and quickly resheathed them.

“You’re almost there with [Swordsmanship], let’s put that aside for now. I want to focus on your [Arcanum of the Blood]. It would be nice to figure out the pulse thing you mentioned before.”

Smirking at my blatant attempt to regain my professionalism, Snowy flicked her sword then moved into a routine she had demonstrated before. She had shown me this routine after describing her earliest training and how she practiced these forms endlessly. It was an impressive display with long full sweeps. The cleaving strikes were stopped through pure force instead of through redirection; it was mainly a routine designed to cause as much exhaustion as possible for the swordsman. It was inadvertently perfect for Snowy to practice her [Arcanum of the Blood].

After watching her movements for a few minutes, knowing that it would take another ten minutes or so before she would need to use her Skill, I tried to calm myself. My hands still shook from the exertion and my lack of oxygen. That, I put aside, reaching to [Meditation] to work through those physical effects. It took only moments of deep breaths, fighting the urge to speed my breathing before I mastered the sensation. The tingle in the tips of my fingers, the sudden waves of cold rushing through me, was ignored. These were the usual effects of adrenaline, something I was well versed in counteracting.

In and out. The air was passing through my lungs and then out again. My nose was drawing in the cold crisp air and warming it as it entered my lungs, the bite quickly countering the flood of chemicals my body produced from fight or flight. With my pulse slowly pounding in my ears, my [Meditation] left me watching the slowed world of Snowy’s attacks, and I finally had the time for my mind to rest and drift.

Idly, I noticed when Snowy stopped her movements to begin her breathing. Unconsciously, I synced our breath, watching her body shift in her lungs’ rhythm and the pump of air. There was something in her movement. Some rhythm that [Meditation] and [Teacher of Skills] were trying to bring to my mind. My Skills both worked to draw my attention, but I was distracted by the movements of her slow rhythmic breathing. Something was there, some hint that I was missing. The hint was muddled, another pattern distracting me from the clue. As I chased after the answer, it ran whenever I pursued. The very act of trying to understand the clues pulled them away from me.

Snowy checked for the signal on if she should continue, which distracted me, and pulled me from my introspection. Circling my finger to suggest she repeat the cycle, I tried to focus on her movements and ignore the hints my Skills were trying to provide. There was a temptation to dive inward in [Meditation] to see if something had changed with the sudden acquisition of my Skill Point. From long practice, I ignored the distracting urge that the boring parts of teaching always brought - no matter how much I enjoyed the challenge of training and the satisfaction of knowing I’ve made a student better.

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In this case, I had to admit that my current routine had less boredom, watching the lithe, strong woman in front of me as she threw her body into controlled swings, chops, and cuts. Every move performed as if opponents surrounded her. The imaginary foes were harrying her from every side, and her movements were always at the full extension of her sword. The form forced her to step, attack, and turn, her body always pushed to stretch, at full speed, and at every move, her blade would then stop and reverse direction in moments. The artistry and the effort of her actions, the performance outlining her form - arms, back, and legs - each movement proved that she was in complete control of her body. Her current armor barely hid her womanly curves, and each toned body part drew my eye, her skin no longer dewed but dripping with sweat. My pulse began to race as I was distracted with thoughts that no longer included training. With a suddenly dry mouth, I forced my focus away from her, lest my body betray my interest.

It was in that moment of distraction, focused through [Meditation] when Snowy began her measured breathing. Watching her sway as her breath pumped her shoulders gently up and down, that I noticed the subtle bob of her head to a second pattern. A fast double bounce, delicate and sharp, as a second double beat, slower and out of rhythm, flowed around her movements. The rapid beat delayed for a moment, but it matched. The pulse was the beat of my heart. My pulse calmed as I watched, my heart slowing as I was no longer distracted by her form and instead focused on my job.

Snapping my attention to the waiting guard, I watched his sudden look of interest at my movements. Turning back to Snowy, I could barely see it. Still, the second pulse began to race, her head bobbing along, her unconscious effort to understand moving her with the beat.

Checking her Skill, I confirmed the change that came with my new knowledge.

Arcanum of the Blood - Tier 1: 7

The power of the unseen world courses through your blood.

Passive Effect:

Minor: Stamina Recovery - Stamina recovers faster than usual at the cost of mana.

Active Trigger Effect:

Minor: Reinforcement of Blood - Through focus, heal the body with mana.

Minor: Pulse of Blood - Through focus, detect the pulse of those around you.

Lesser: ?

Snowy stared at me at my sudden tense approach. Her one eyebrow rising in her usual silent method of demanded inquiry. The proud and confident look somewhat ruined by her continued deep breathing and sweat.

Reaching her, I gently pulled her close, the movement looking like I was reaching for a kiss - which caused my guard to suddenly rediscover his cough.

Surprised by my apparent newfound expressiveness and comfort in our relationship, Snowy hesitated as she leaned down. I could see the shy and ostracized young woman hiding behind her mask, slipping out. Pulling her forward, I tipped my head back as my lips reached her ear. I tried to mimic the movement of kissing her cheek as I whispered, “The pulses are heartbeats. You are feeling the beat of my heart!”

My guard must have assumed I gave her a peck on the cheek, given the strangled chuckle I could hear behind me. Snowy was surprised by my actions or my words - likely both. In part, I told her in a way to hide it from others. I didn’t have a reason to do it. I felt no pressing need for the subterfuge. It was doubtful that the guard was a traitor, or untrustworthy. It was likely that this aspect of the Skill would be quickly shared as gossip - at least with the trusted guards. But still, I couldn’t resist sharing my discovery while pressed close and teasing her. Impishly, I decided to go further and gently nipped her ear with my teeth and withdrew at her sudden jump.

Smiling, I watched Snowy’s repeated wide-eyed blink, then her lips curved up, and she burst into laughter. It was a deep, joyful kind of laugh that devolved into snickers as she tried to cover her face, the handle of her sword still held in her hand, making the movement difficult. The quick look to my guard caused her to return to her chortling, though I did notice the smile she shot me after seeing the guards face that said I would be paying for my actions. I didn’t care. I was still basking in the light and free feeling of a new relationship. The curious sensation of knowing that my actions were based in part in giddiness and the daring of doing something that I knew was a bad idea - but doing it anyway.

Stepping back, Snowy set her face and tried to wipe away her humor, though I could see a smile peeking through. Backing away myself, I watched Snowy return to her movements, her actions faster than they had been earlier. Her speed expressed her eagerness to practice her Skill and see if my declaration was accurate. Despite the evidence that she had from her Skill’s description corroborating my claim, nothing could take the place of experience.

Her body twirled, the movement throwing sweat from her striking form, her exercise causing steam to swirl off her in the cool air. When she finally stopped, she shifted her focus from her attacks and into her [Arcanum of the Blood].

She was no longer bobbing along with the pulse. Snowy wasn’t trying to anticipate the pulse or analyze the pattern, she was rock still as she felt the beat of blood pumping in our heart as we watched. Slowly, she let her eyes drift closed, and she tilted her head despite the beat having nothing to do with sound. Despite our silence, I watched as she shifted her head, once to face me, and again to meet the guard. Moving to the side, careful to avoid making sound through the sand and grass, I felt a cold shiver as her slowly breathing form turned to follow my movements. It was slow, the action delayed by distance and the speed of my pulse, but she was able to track me by my heart’s beat.