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[heartofalioness]

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[tea_rs]

[Nodding, nodding!]

They spun all around us. It was like snow, except they were lights instead!

[...She's very good at this describing business, as Allura can tell.]

I wish I could use dunamis like that, too...

[heartofalioness]

Can you not? I'd think Mr. Kevin would be happy to, if you asked him.

[tea_rs]

I'm not very good at controlling it... The only thing I can do is make calming tea, but that just sort of, um...

Happens?

[heartofalioness]

Ah, I see. Still, Mr. Kevin's excellent with honing lacks in control. Keith's style of fighting has become MUCH more refined than in our world; when I first sparred with him here, it was like I fighting a totally different person.

[tea_rs]

Has it...?

[She's seen them spar sometimes, but she knows nothing about weapons, not really. The household has been content to let her remain that way.]

So it wasn't very re-- um, very good before?

[heartofalioness]

[Okay, Allura can't help but laugh a bit at that.]

It was good, Hibiki! Just very rough and aggressive. I only meant that Mr. Kevin's lessons have given it more polish and precision.

[tea_rs]

[Words are hard.]

So it wasn't bad, but now it's better?

[heartofalioness]

Exactly. Much better.

[tea_rs]

[Aha!]

That's good. Kevin-san seems like a really good teacher...

Her reminds me of my Master a little, sometimes.

[heartofalioness]

Your Master?

[Hopefully it's the teacher kind of master.]

[tea_rs]

Uh-huh!

[And at the call, the little gusk that accompanies her everywhere peeks out from inside her hood.]

When he had his old body, he took me in and taught me. Or, um... Tried to. I wasn't a very good apprentice, I'm afraid...

[heartofalioness]

[She'll just... head tilt at the little squirrel creature.]

Old body? Do squirrels in your world undergo some sort of... [metamorphosis, before she reminds herself that Hibiki isn't one for big words] transformation?

[tea_rs]

[She shakes her head.]

It's because of a magical experiment. He meant to switch bodies really quickly, just to see if it worked, but...

We got interrupted partway through.

[heartofalioness]

I... see...

[Allura can't help but think that wasn't exactly the brightest idea ever, but mostly she's concerned for the poor girl.]

What happened after that?

[tea_rs]

[Here, her expression begins to fall.]

We got interrupted when robbers broke in, so... My Master had me finish the spell to complete the switch and told me to leave.

He set the house on fire to make sure they couldn't get to his research, but he couldn't get his original body out before he left.

[heartofalioness]

Oh no... I'm so sorry, Hibiki...

[tea_rs]

[She shakes her head, offering a small, if melancholy smile.]

It's okay. It was a long time ago now, and he's still here with me.

[Perched on her shoulder, yes, but still here, which is the important part.]

[heartofalioness]

[She shakes her head.]

You don't have to put on a brave face for my sake, Hibiki. I've had a similar expereince to a loss of that kind, with my father. For a while I also had a sort of ghost formed from technology and his memories, but... one day my enemies made him very sick, in a very similar way to how Elios was last month.

[tea_rs]

Technology...?

[She's not sure how you'd make a ghost from that, but more importantly:]

They made him sick?

[heartofalioness]

Yes. His program was connected to the rest of my castle, the ship my friends and I use to travel through space. Our enemies made it so he would trick me into flying the castle into a sun. It... made him act quite a bit like Elios when he was lovesick. Unfortunately, the only way I could stop him from doing that was to destroy him.

[tea_rs]

Um...

[Goodness this is confusing to a girl who is not only from a world with much lower technology, but also not the most well-studied to begin with. But she does at least listen to the last part!]

He got... destroyed?

[heartofalioness]

[Trust me, that IS Allura being simple. For that question, though, she just gives Hibiki a solemn nod.]

[tea_rs]

[A-ahhh...]

I... I'm really sorry, Allura-san.

[And sorrier still for bringing it up.]

[heartofalioness]

[At the tears she's quick to bend down and lightly touch the girl's shoulder. There's no "it's fine" because that would be belittling what happened, but no "don't cry" either because that would be belittling HIbiki's emotions. And really... Alfor was a man who deserved those tears.]

I'm sorry for making you upset.

[tea_rs]

[She sniffles, shaking her head even as she wipes away the tears with her arm.]

N-no... I'm s-sorry for bringing it up.