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A day, a week, a month, time marched on and soon enough the ball became memory. [i][color=#DC143C]Thankful?[/color][/i] She may have been. Truthfully for a Duodecim daughter last month's premier event had had very little import. She was not privy to the same relaxation and glamour her fellow students indulged in. If anything it was

[i][color=#DC143C]A chore[/color][/i].

Those social gatherings were rife with politics: who to dance with, who to show interest towards, who to shun. Politics she was glad to be rid of. So she spent most of the evening on her own. Enjoying the night sky and patiently waiting until she could once again dance with her blade under the moonlight. 

By contrast, the training in the days to come was far more relaxing. [i][color=#DC143C]Well...[/color][/i] Mentally, far more relaxing mentally. She was not one to slack after all. Physical exertion was a must when it came to properly building herself up. In that sense, she was never quite physically relaxed during her training. Not if she wanted to reach the lofty standards she held herself to; to do right by her family name. She was a Diana, from the vaunted name came responsibilities and duties aplenty. 

[i][color=#DC143C]Unready[/color][/i].

She still had a long way to go. Her older brothers would probably laugh if they saw how unrefined her elementum control still was. Sure it wasn't like she was lacking behind her peers and by itself the formulation of Aether was exactly failing. But combining everything she was learning in training with her own swordplay? That was laughable. At least for her standards. Everything felt half a second disjointed, not quite the smooth motions she had come to expect. There was no tandem, just a flow that felt wrong. 

[i][color=#DC143C]Unbalanced[/color][/i].

For those outside her family the disconnect between Elementum and sword was probably unnoticeable. But for Vanna it was a feeling that persisted. Becoming an Ars Magi had granted her a new tool with which she would achieve even greater heights, so to have a part of her being not yet fully under her command? [i][color=#DC143C]Frustrating[/color][/i]. Frustrating indeed. She knew she'd eventually master the power and blend it with the rest of her abilities and until then she'd continue to train and work, making this new power her own. Til blade and magic truly became one. 

Outside of training there wasn't much change in her daily life after the ball. Still the same invigorating morning drills, the same diligent schoolwork during the day and the same novel evenings whenever the others decided her presence was necessary. [i][color=#DC143C]Oxymoronic[/color][/i]. Perhaps, but every such excursion with her teammates did prove to remain novel for the young lady. 

And yes, that's officially what they were now: teammates. 

Which brought her to the present day and their first official exercise as a team. Protection detail was a job any Diana would be happy to take on. The VIPs in her charge consisted of cadets from the sister academy including Nicole's current paramour. Combat drones would serve as the exercise's opposition, and Team 3 would work with their charge to secure a few key locations. On the surface a fairly simple exercise and one quite relaxed from the dangers her team had faced thus far. 

[i][color=#DC143C]The catch?[/color][/i] She wasn't sure yet if there was one, but she didn't put it past the instructors. 

Since there was no immediate danger, like they had experienced on the airship, Vanna was more than content to allow her fellow Ars Magi to converse and devise their plan of attack. Commandeering in every situation would be [i][color=#DC143C]excessive[/color][/i]. Besides, how could her peers ever grow if she always took charge. 

Penny and Cordelia were the first to chime in, both with strategies of their own. Penny Grenoble, ever stalwart and self-sacrificing, immediately offered her own body as a shield. Forever steadfast, the young girl always seemed determined to set up as a strong vanguard. Cordelia Whittaker, the newest member of the team, quickly built upon the strategy by proposing, in her own terms, a pawn sacrifice. It was a solid strategy, one that prioritized the lives of their charge first and foremost. 

[i][color=#DC143C]But[/color][/i]...

Words first spoken by her father rang out in Vanna's head: A lesson he had instilled in his daughter years ago. 

"[color=gray][i]Do you know the mark of inexperience I see most often in new officers? Fresh out of training and ready to serve. And mind you some of these kids are actual geniuses; at a tactical level I'll never catch up to.[/i][/color]"

She could still hear his laugh. 

"[i][color=gray]They treat real combat like it's a game. Lives will be endangered in the pursuit of efficiency. Soldiers will be asked to take on risks just because it can save time or manpower in the grand scheme. And sure, the strategies are sound and there's a time and place for them but, well...[/color][/i]"

The somber look on her father's face, a reflection of years spent on the front, never left her. 

"[i][color=gray]Even if it costs me more time and bullets, I'd rather get everyone out without a scratch than risk my gunner losing his hand because his focus waned. I guess what I'm saying is, always remember you're dealing with real lives, real people. If you don't get them home in one piece you have real families to answer to.[/color][/i]"

Sure this was all an exercise, but that didn't mean she wanted her comrades to pointlessly endanger themselves. 

"[color=#DC143C]If I may,[/color]" Diana's daughter finally took the stage, "[color=#DC143C]I do not believe we should split up or expose ourselves to excessive danger unless it becomes an absolute necessity. I agree with Miss Cognoscenti, evading the drone's notice by using the tools at our disposable should be our primary focus. Whether through the methods already discussed or by taking advantage of their sensitivity to magic and providing false positives.[/color]"

She paused, somehow she had found herself taking charge once more. She could never back down from her duties, even if she hadn't planned on being such a domineering force in the conversation. 

[i][color=#DC143C]Responsibility[/color][/i]. 

Turning toward her ranged focused teammate, she had one last advice, "[color=#DC143C]Miss Noel, I believe you should keep your sights on the nearest drone at all times. Thus, should we inadvertently trigger them, we can rely on you to take one enemy out of the fight before the battle even begins.[/color]"

And then turning towards the team as a whole once more.

"[color=#DC143C]If we must fight, stay close, cover each other's backs and make sure no one gets overwhelmed. As Miss Cognoscenti illustrated we all are well aware of each other's strengths. Play towards them, don't overexert yourselves and victory is assured.[/color]" 

Inscrutable as always on the outside but the fire had long begun burning. 

The next challenge was here. 

And she would win.