Two days until the Monthly Ranking Test.
Aegis ducked under Scarlett's swing, the practice sword whistling past her ear. She rolled left, came up on one knee, and immediately had to throw herself backward as Scarlett's follow-up nearly took her head off.
"You're getting faster!" Scarlett grinned, spinning her sword like it weighed nothing. "Still slow as shit, but faster!"
"Thanks for the pep talk." Aegis wiped sweat from her eyes. "Really feeling the support."
They circled each other in the training courtyard.
The afternoon sun made everything too bright and too hot. Aegis's uniform stuck to her back, her hair plastered to her forehead. Scarlett somehow looked fresh, like she'd just stepped out of the bath instead of spending the last hour trying to beat Aegis into paste.
