It became routine.
Mornings, they sparred. Aegis was still losing more than she won, but the gap was closing, and Sylceris had stopped going easy on her somewhere around day four. After sparring, they grabbed food together. After food, they walked to class together. Between classes, they studied together. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, Aegis started noticing that Sylceris was looking at her differently.
Longer glances across the table during study sessions. Her knee brushing against Aegis's under the desk and staying there a beat too long before pulling away. The way her eyes tracked Aegis when she stretched after a sparring match, dipping briefly to her chest before snapping back up.
Aegis noticed all of it. And she made sure to give Sylceris plenty to notice in return.
A hand on Sylceris's shoulder when she made a good point in conversation. Sitting close enough during meals that their arms touched.
