We started again with empty hands. Julius insisted. It felt strangely disrespectful to Valeria, like leaving a part of my own mind in the other room.
She forgave me, on the grounds that watching me get humbled would be highly entertaining.
"No blade," he said, stepping to the center of an imaginary circle on the floor. "Swords let you hide the truth in steel. Today, we hide nothing."
I mirrored his stance. Feet set under hips. Hips stacked under the spine. Hands loose at my sides. The only metronome allowed was the steady four-in, six-out of my own breath.
"The tower leans on you," he said, his voice calm and instructional. "It pushes with threads, lanes, and suggestions. You've learned to ignore the push. Now, you must learn to deny the pull."
"How?"
"Stop needing help," he said, and moved.
