Isolde had initially been relieved with the break. While she was no stranger to training, it was often in a private setting, and multiple breaks were ensured so that she wouldn't overwork herself. She naively assumed the Officers Academy was the same--after all, the school was filled with nobility, some who had never seen the battlefield. Instead, Michail was a stringent, incessant commander. There was no doubt in her mind that he was treating them like he did other soldiers, barking orders every once in a while and only stopping to critique one's technique, at which he would then demand a demonstration to show that they were listening.
So a break was good. She had missed breakfast like most of her classmates and was delighted to take a plate. That appetite, however, slowly left her as the discussion took place. Her gaze seemed to lower more and more as everyone spoke, often citing the same criticisms and her same flaw. It must have been so obvious since it felt like that was all anyone could come up with. No one seemed to comment on her footwork or her strikes, just...her confidence.
For some reason, she resented it. She felt like she was getting ganged up on, but at least she recognized that that was just her own hurt talking. She didn't even know why she felt offended, really. It wasn't like anyone said anything that wasn't true, but somehow hearing it out loud made everything feel worse. Honestly, she didn't have the luxury of having confidence, not in her position. Everyone else got to attend normally, everyone else got to focus on their studies and learn, everyone else had their positions secure and their place in the world.
None of them understood.
"Isolde?"
Professor Kalonic's voice seemed to finally snap Isolde out of her thoughts. She blinked slowly, having lost her train of thought on anything productive. The blonde was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her own critique of the rest.
There were a few things in mind that Isolde could say that she had noticed. Ultimately, however, she decided against it. "All that was needed to be said was already said. There isn't anything meaningful I can contribute," She ended up replying with a slight shrug. Her voice wasn't as quiet as usual, for once, but it was obvious she wasn't really pleased with the whole exercise.
Surprisingly, Euphemia seemed to accept it. "It's good that we take each other's critiques to heart and focus on what we can to improve ourselves. Well done, everyone," She stated, cautiously getting up from the bench. "Eat up, okay? I'm going to check on Professor Michail."
With a nod, Euphemia left, not pleased that Michail had let his student leave. While Michail would normally cower at her glare, however, this time he was entirely indifferent, more focused on filling himself. Still, he was acutely aware that Euphemia would keep glaring until they spoke. He finally tore himself away--though not without grabbing one last croissant--and jogged over to the blonde.
"If you keep glaring at me like that, you're gonna make me look bad," He couldn't help but whine.
"How could you let Lienna walk out?" Euphemia whisper-hissed, furious. "We're supposed to guide them through this!"
Michail's comical expression quickly evaporated, though he outright rolled his eyes. "If she would rather run away than confront her demons, that isn't something I can help with," He ended up stating plainly.
"That's what we're here for," She reminded him.
"You're wrong. We're here to make sure they know how to survive," He corrected her.
Tomai didn't have anything to say to his own group, so he just walked away and joined the duo. "Are we done for the day?" He asked, either ignorant to the conversation or just not caring much.
"Nope. Next part is defense," Michail replied.
Euphemia let out a huff of disproval, but said nothing. Kaira returned to the classroom, approaching the trio. "She wouldn't heed me after I called out to her," She said sadly.
"What was that about?" Lysander ended up asking Michail as he joined the group.
"A personal problem, probably," Michail replied. "Derec pressed the wrong button and she stormed off. The kid's got a decent head on his shoulders and a knack for identifying problems, but Goddess help him when it comes to solving them."
"I'm amazed you paid that much attention," Tomai admitted.
"You know, sometimes the things you say are hurtful," Michail frowned.
"Only sometimes?"
Lysander held back his groan, wanting the professors to focus. "I'll look for Lienna and make sure she's okay. How about you continue the lesson?" He suggested.
Euphemia wanted to protest, but she decided not to. Unfortunately, Lienna wasn't in her house, so she couldn't really say much without Michail overriding her. Instead, she clapped her hands twice to get everyone's attention. "Alright everyone! We're moving on with the second half of our class! Let's get back to the arena!"
Michail felt his energy coming back once the entire unit sans Lienna stepped back into the training area, and as he took hold of a wooden lance once again, he had a mischievous look on his face. "Alright, then. We've seen your attacks, now we're going to see how you handle yourselves when getting attacked," He announced. "You're all going to line up and go up against my lance, Euphemia's sword, and Tomai's magic. You'll be trying to dodge against all three of us, and then you'll be defending against the three of us. Worry not, our lovely Nurse Simeon is here to heal up your wounds. And if any of you attended the match on the first day, then you'll already know you're going to need it."
Tapping the lance on the ground twice, Michail grinned. "Line up! Let's go!"
The students would line up into three lanes against the three professors, with the obvious exception of the line for Tomai's magic being to the side to avoid getting hit by any magic. Michail was, as always, merciless. It stood to reason none of the students ever saw a strike coming, and more or less everyone was on their ass by the time he was done. He was a little too happy about it, too. Still, at the very least any bumps or bruises came from the fall and not the attack itself.
Euphemia, on the other hand, was the much more instructive Kalonic. She often pointed out the differences in dodging a sword and a lance, reminding the students that you had to change your tactics depending on the enemy's weaponry. Of course, much like her brother, her strikes were unavoidable, though for an entirely different reason: Euphemia was fast. She never fully connected her strikes, not wanting to harm anyone, but it was obvious she got to them before they knew what was coming.
And finally, there was Tomai's magic. Whereas before he was mostly if not completely silent, he instead reminded them of what they learned in magic theory. Dodging magic attacks was easier than tanking them, but it was a good practice in focusing their magic to properly take the hit. Of course, it was better for some than others; the more magically inclined obviously did better. He did, however, periodically remind them that dodging was best, and taking a magical hit was often the last resort. Even with that in mind, he resorted to a very basic Nosferatu spell--it was obvious he was holding himself back as best as he could.
By the time the training finished, there were bumps and bruises all around, and amusingly enough, Kaira had her own line. Fortunately, she didn't comment much aside from some encouragement, focusing on healing them up as quickly as possible.
Once they were dismissed, Isolde found herself sore and slightly irritable. A hot bath would likely hit the spot right now. She offered no words to her fellow Deer, choosing to put away her equipment.
While everyone was getting ready to leave, Kaira tried to get everyone's attention. "You might end up feeling weary after this. I think you should all get yourselves clean and go to the Sauna, it'll help ease you!" She suggested.
Isolde felt that was a little too much of a coincidence, but she wasn't going to question it.
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