“Have you no sense of time, boy?” Crow shrugged wordlessly as Udolf chided him for being late for the second time in a row. He didn’t see why it mattered. They still had plenty of time left for whatever the tutor had planned for his lesson that day. However, the older man seemed quite offended by his tardiness. He stood in front of the viceroy with his arms folded sternly over his chest. His brow was furrowed, and his jaw was clenched as he went on: “I thought you had actually learned something after yesterday’s teachings, but it seems you’re just as hopeless as I expected.” “I don’t see the problem,” Crow said defensively. “You tutor me all day, and it’s barely the afternoon. We’ve barely lost any time.” “It’s about the principle of the thing,” Udolf shook his head in exasperation. “It doesn’t matter if you still have time to finish the content of your meeting or not. Showing up on time demonstrates respect to whomever you are meeting with.” “Then consider my lateness a reflection of how much I ‘respect’ you,” Crow muttered under his breath. “What was that?” “Nothing,” Crow said airily, stepping past the older man to sit down at the table. “So, what will you be teaching me today?” Udolf eyed him for a moment before responding, “Since you seem to have forgotten everything I taught you yesterday, we’ll start by reviewing your etiquette.” “Again?” Crow groaned. “I already showed you that I memorized it all. Why do you want me to do it again?” Udolf held up one index finger, “First, because repetition will help you perfect it.” He held up another finger. “And second, because I don’t believe you’ve memorized it. You certainly aren’t acting like you have. You turned up late, you didn’t greet me properly, and you’re still walking like some sort of wild animal.” “I have,” Crow said indignantly. “I’ve just chosen not to put it into practice.” That was the wrong answer. “Oh, really?” Udolf’s jaw clenched again. “Tell me this, Lockton. Do you believe I’m just here to waste my time?” Crow said nothing, sensing that the tutor was baiting him with the question. “Because if you do,” Udolf went on without waiting. “Then we might as well end this lesson here, and I’ll go tell His Majesty that you are unteachable.” “No, wait,” Crow objected quickly. He wavered for a moment before going on through gritted teeth, “I’ll do what you teach me.” “You will practice acting like a proper nobleman?” Udolf clarified. “…Yes,” Crow muttered. “Good,” Udolf nodded, stepping over to stand by the viceroy’s side. “Now then, review for me what you learned from yesterday’s lesson.” -- Crow spent most of his lesson reviewing and refining the etiquette that Udolf had taught him, along with learning a few new things about how he should interact with people of different statuses and—since he was the king’s ambassador—different cultures. Silently, he found it shallow that he didn’t have to show respect to lower-class nobles. It made much more sense to him to return whatever respect was given to him in the first place. Of course, he kept his thoughts on the matter to himself, since he knew he would just earn himself another lecture from Udolf if he voiced his opinion to the stubborn old man. By the end of the day, Crow grew sick of being told how to behave and was relieved when he was dismissed for supper—the tutor didn’t make him repeat everything this time, since he’d proven that he really was memorizing everything as they went. He ended the meeting in the formal manner that Udolf had taught him, although, inwardly, he cursed the old man with whatever profane names he could think of in the moment. The tutor may have forced him to give in to noble doctrine on the outside, but he refused to let anyone break his spirit. Once Udolf left, Crow and Preston—the attendant had reappeared toward the end of the lesson again—walked to the Great Hall for supper. As he did at breakfast, Crow searched the vast room for Penelope and frowned slightly when he didn’t see her again. After missing her that morning, he’d been hoping to see her at least once that day, but it was starting to look like they wouldn’t cross paths at all. He let out his breath in a disappointed sigh. However, before he could take one step toward the closest empty table, he flinched as someone threw an arm over his shoulder. “Hey, Collin,” Naida grinned. “Looks like we got here at the same time today, huh?” “Looks like it,” he returned her smile once he’d recovered from his initial surprise. “Come on,” his sister stepped away from him and waved her hand in a beckoning gesture. “Let’s find a place to sit.” “Alright,” Crow nodded, following her into the room. “Just as long as we don’t sit near Braden again.” He wrinkled his nose. “I still need some more time away from him before I can handle another bought of his insults.” Naida laughed, “He’ll get used to you eventually. He’s just protective of his heritage. Once he realizes you’re not trying to cut in line for the throne, I’m sure he’ll warm up to you.” “Perhaps,” Crow shrugged. “But I still don’t want to sit near him right now.” “[i]Okay[/i],” Naida rolled her eyes and reached for his wrist. “Come on. I think I saw an empty table over here.” “Fine, fine,” Crow smirked, finding her enthusiasm infectious as he followed her through the crowd.