Lena glanced at me briefly, her sharp demeanor softening—just for a second.
"Don't worry," she said quietly, her voice low enough that only I could hear. "We'll take it one step at a time."
I gave a small nod, still trying to wrap my head around everything.
Somehow, I'd managed to avoid embarrassing myself too badly earlier… only to end up getting what looked a whole lot like special treatment. Right in front of everyone.
Great. Just what I needed—more attention.
"Since I don't know how you usually fight," Lena said as she stepped back and folded her arms, "I want you to attack me. Freely. Show me what you've got."
That was the first thing she said to me as we began what I could only assume was her idea of a "practical introduction" to hand-to-hand combat.
Truth be told, I'd never been in a real fight before.
Not in this world.
Not in my last one either.
Still, I couldn't just stand there and look clueless. That would be worse.
