Lys looked up from his stance. The aura flickered out the moment his attention shifted.
The back door of the guild building stood open. Two women stepped out into the drill yard. The first one moved fast and light on her feet. She had short brown hair tied back and eyes that looked around the whole yard before her body had even cleared the doorway. She carried a small pack over one shoulder and a short blade at her hip.
The second woman walked in right behind her. She was broader in the shoulders and looked like she had spent years working on a farm or something like that. Her hands were big, and her steps were steady. She did not smile, but she did not look mean either. She just nodded once at the yard and at the people in it.
All four of them stopped doing whatever they were doing and turned to look at these two women. Doran wiped sweat from his forehead. Kord stood still, and Kira just crossed her arms.
The first woman to speak was the brown-haired one. "Hey everyone. I'm Calla. Just registered this morning." She said it fast and smiled at each person as she spoke. Her eyes moved from Doran to Kord to Kira and then stopped on Lys. "And you are…?"
Lys opened his mouth to answer, but she kept going. "You were doing some kind of footwork just now, right? Yeah, I bet you were! Looked different from the others. How long have you been training here? What rank are you at? Have you taken any real jobs yet?"
Lys blinked. He had not even said his name yet, while this woman was babbling on her own. "Uhh, I'm Lys," he said. "I've been here a few days."
Calla nodded like she had already moved on. "Hmm, few days, I see. That explains the form. Ohh, why are you guys stopping for us? Keep doing what you were doing. Don't mind us. We're just going to train by ourselves over there."
She pointed to a spot a few steps away from him and started her own warm-up without waiting for an answer. She dropped her pack, rolled her shoulders, and began light steps on the dirt.
The second woman had already walked to the far side of the yard. She had nodded at Lys once, then at the others. She didn't seem to take much.
She just found an open space, set her feet wide, and started her own slow stretches. Her movements were big and calm. Almost as if she were used to training on her own.
Doran stopped his drill and greeted them. "Uh, welcome. I'm Doran." He gave a short wave.
Kord just nodded.
Kira looked at Calla for a second, then back at her own hands. "Kira," she said. She did not sound excited.
No one else said much.
The yard felt a little awkward now. These new women had come in, and the rhythm of the morning had broken.
While she kept warming up, Calla kept glancing at Lys. She watched how he held his shoulders and how he reset his feet after every try. She did not stare, but her eyes kept coming back to him.
Lys felt it. He activated the aura again and tried to keep it while he moved. It slipped after five steps. He started over. Calla was close enough that he could hear her breathing steady and even. She did not ask more questions right then, but he knew she was still looking.
They kept working like that for an hour or so. The sun was tilting a little toward the west. The dirt under their boots grew hot. Sweat ran down everyone's backs.
Calla just drilled near Lys but never got in his way. Bren stayed on the far side and worked in silence. The others went back to their own routines, but the yard felt different with the two new people in it. Nobody was talking to each other like before.
After a long set, Vessa came back out for a moment. She looked at the two newcomers, gave one short nod, and said, "Keep going. After today, you two are eligible to take quests in this guild."
After saying her piece, she went inside again.
The drills continued until it was almost lunchtime. Finally, Vessa called from the doorway, "Water break. Or lunch break, whatever you call it. Twenty minutes."
Everyone stopped almost instantly.
They walked over to the water barrel and the small bench area beside it. Doran drank first, then passed the cup. Kord took a long drink and sat on the ground. Kira just leaned against the wall and stretched her arms.
Calla dropped onto the bench right next to Lys. She sat close enough that her knee almost touched his. "So, Lys," she said, like they had been talking the whole morning. "How long have you been registered here exactly? What rank are you now? Have you done any escort jobs or monster hunts yet? I want to catch up fast, so I need to know what the regulars are doing."
Lys took the cup from Doran and drank slowly. As he wiped his mouth, he said, "I'm not a regular. I may have joined the first day, but no way that could be called regular if the guild itself was open that day, right?" he said again. "And I'm just F rank now. Mostly training so far for the past two days."
Calla leaned forward. "Hmm, training is good, but don't forget, you have to take real jobs to rank up. I already signed for my first escort tomorrow. You should also do it if they let you."
Lys didn't say much. He was friendly as far as he knew himself, but even by his standards, this girl was too friendly. Almost to the point of being a little annoying, with all her talking and talking.
He looked at the others. Everyone seemed to be too quiet, as if they didn't want to initiate any conversation now, unless they got caught up in her yapping.
The bench felt crowded now because Calla just kept talking.
Bren sat on the other end of the bench. She unwrapped a piece of flatbread from her pack and took a bite. She chewed slowly. After Calla asked another question, Bren spoke for the first time. Her voice was low and flat. "He is still a rookie, Calla. Let the boy breathe."
Calla stopped mid-sentence. She looked annoyed for exactly one second. Then she smiled again. "Yeah, you are right. Sorry, Lys. I talk too much when I get excited. Bren is always the one who keeps me in check, hehe."
Bren took another bite of flatbread and did not answer.
Lys watched the two of them. Calla was full of energy and questions, and Bren was the complete opposite. She said what she needed to say and went back to eating. It was clear they knew each other already. Lys thought it was interesting how they balanced each other without saying much.
The break went on for a few more minutes. Calla asked two more questions about the guild rules, but she kept her voice lower now. Doran answered one of them. Kira gave short answers without being too rude.
Kord just stayed quiet. Lys only nodded when someone looked at him.
When the break ended, everyone stood up and went back to the yard. Calla jumped up first. "Okay, let's get back to it. Nice talking to you, Lys. We should train together sometime." She moved to her spot and started again.
Bren stood without a word and went to her space.
Lys wiped his hands on his pants. His legs still felt tired from the morning. His mana was low, and his shirt was soaked. He looked at the back door of the guild building. After deciding that it was time to go inside the guild hall for a bit, he started walking toward the door.
Calla noticed right away. She stopped her steps and called out, "Hey, Lys. Where are you going? Break's over. Won't you train anymore?"
Lys did not turn around fully, "Nahh, that's it for me today." He said it while walking.
The others did not ask anything. All of them were busy with their own drills; only Calla seemed to care about Lys more than her own drill.