“Thanks,” Krya smiled as Leon walked out of the headmistress’s office and joined them in the hallway.

“For what?” he asked looking at her, the blue tail that he had come to rely on to see a lot of her emotion was now hanging limp, as though it had no will to move. He looked at her and he could see a weariness in her eyes that didn't seem to be there before like she was drained. He looked at her, a feeling growing in his chest, one that he could not quite put his finger on. Slowly he closed his eyes, exhaled a deep breath and calmed his frayed nerves. Sh didn't need him like this, she needed him composed and calm.

“For believing in me,” she said, the words seeming to echo hollow.

“Anyone who thinks you did poorly on any sort of test has never met you,” Lira said. “And are the type of people I doubt we need to interact with.” she looked at Leon and Fluffy who both nodded at her words.

“It seems like such a silly thing to be this upset about doesn't it?” Krya said, walking down the hall, leaving behind the rest of them at the door, Leon glanced at Lira and followed right after her.

“Do you want my honest opinion?” Leon asked, and she looked over her shoulder at him.

“I never want to hear another type of opinion,” Krya said.

“Then I will just say that it is indeed a strange thing to be upset about, we are still in the tournament, no one we love is hurt, and it does not affect your academics in the slightest,” Leon spoke the words surely. “It might be cruel of me to say but there are much worse things in this world than simply placing last in some tournament’s ranking.”

Lira gapped at Leon, unbelieving at his lack of finesse.

“You don’t sugar coat anything do you?” Krya grimace.

“No,” he simply stated, looking at the back of Krya’s head. “I find no point in making something bitter taste sweet, sometimes it needs to be bitter to learn.” he smiled, “I have lived multiple lives, and I can attest to that fact myself from personal experience, sometimes it is the bitterness that teaches one to avoid, much like pain teaches a person to avoid things that cause it.” he smiled, “You only touch a hot pan once,” he paused and thought about it, “hopefully.”

“So what then do you suggest?” Krya asked she had turned around now that they had neared the end of the hall. “Oh great and wise familiar?” she snapped at him. Leon smiled at the sound of her anger.

“You are already doing it.” he smiled and brushed past her, her eyes flared in anger as he pushed her slightly out of the way.

“I was talking to you,” she growled, turning on her heels, she followed behind him with quick steps, “Leon!!” she grabbed the back of his robe, and yanked, he paused mid-step and turned to look at her, a look that was filled with laughter. “What is so funny?” she snapped.

“You,” he simply stated and with a single hand he grabbed the edge of the robes in her hand and yanked, pulling the cloth out of her hands. “You are, come we have things to do.” he walked away, leaving behind three completely puzzled women…

***

An explosion shook the entire keep, small motes of dust drifted down as Krya beat out her frustration, it was honestly the largest amount of emotion he had ever felt from her, the rage the anger. It was like she was releasing an entire lifetime of rage that she had kept bottled up until that point. He smiled at the noise of it, so vibrant, so alive, so unlike the woman that normally kept all her emotions hidden. This would either destroy her, or change her, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and he could not wait to see what emerged from that fissure. A lifetime of suppressed emotions finally set free and allowed to rage with all the life they could manage.

Simply beautiful.

The door of the chamber banged open, and in came the smoking wreck that was fluffy, part of the fur on her tail was singed off, leaving the pink flesh underneath visible, a complete color contrast to the darkened skin that covered the rest of her body. “LEON!” she cried out, crawling on all fours, reaching one hand out to him for salvation as tears began forming in her eyes. Wisps of smoke still rose from her now ruined clothing. Lira simply stared at the poor smoking mess that was the wolf-girl, in complete and utter shock. Leon simply smiled and watched as she crawled pitifully into the room, ears, and tail drooping.

“Fluffy!” he heard the shout, and Fluffy squeaked in fright, scampering into the room to quickly take up residence under the bed, with only her poor, poor tail sticking out to let anyone know she was there. It was then that the demon who had ravaged the poor wolven maiden so showed her face. “We are not done training yet!” Krya said rounding the corner, her face was in no way shape or form emotionless, there were so many of them going across her face all at once even Leon could not count them all. She spotted the cowering familiar’s tail and marched over, seizing it in the hand that was not holding her staff she hauled the she-wolf out with a single motion.

“NOOOOO!!!!” Fluffy wailed, her words sounding more like a howl than something spoken. “LEON SAVE ME!!!” she screamed, her arms latching onto the bedpost with such fervor that when Krya pulled her by her tail the opposing forces lifted the poor familiar off the floor entirely.

“I think Fluffy wishes to be done with training for the day.” Leon looked at Krya with a smile, Krya narrowed her eyes at him, her entire figure tightening like she was about to strike.

“I am not done training,” she said, still holding the struggling fluffy aloft by the tension of her tail.

“Perhaps you would like a new training partner,” Leon said, a smile carving its way across his face. She looked at him and released Fluffy, who fell to the floor with a meaty slap of flesh against the stone, she did not lay there long, but rather scampered up and over the bed and into Lira’s arms, wrapping herself around the mage and putting her between her master and herself.

“I think that would be nice,” she said, a dark smile on her face, one that mirrored his own.

“Oh great, now there is two of them,” Lira sighed as she cast a healing spell over the traumatized familiar and gave her a soothing petting on the head...