The Fan and the Flame XIII

"'... the witch grew even more furious and cursed her, such that she would always ask questions, but at the end of each day would forget all she learned.'"
Temerity looked up from her sword practice to raise an eyebrow at Eisna. "A witch cursed her?" she asked.
"Have you never read The Blessings of Ykona?" Eisna replied.
"No," Temerity said. "You really believe all that?"
"Don't you? They're our gods, after all."
"I believe in them. But gods aren't born from curses."
"Maybe some are," Eisna argued.
"Or maybe some religious fanatic wrote a story about a mortal becoming a god so that they could convince other mortals they might be just as special." Temerity practiced the strike again, trying to figure out what was off. Eisna looked up at her and sighed.
"You have a tell," he said. "When you're about to feint, your off-hand twitches."
"... Oh." Once he'd mentioned it, Temerity had no trouble seeing what he was talking about. "Thanks."
Eisna nodded, then went back to reading, to himself this time. After a moment, Temerity frowned at him.
"You're not going to keep reading aloud?" she asked.
"I don't want to distract you," he said.
She shrugged. "I don't mind. And it's interesting."
Eisna smiled slightly and went back to where he left off. "'Confused by her new existence, Ykona returned to her village...'"
He kept reading, and Temerity kept practicing, until it was dark. Finally Eisna looked up at the sky and closed his book. "We should probably get back. You'll miss dinner."
"Probably already missed it. A few more minutes won't hurt," Temerity said. "I'll just sneak into the kitchen after hours."
Eisna sighed. "A few more minutes. The chefs will be making something for me anyway. I'll ask them to make extra and bring it to your room."
Temerity smiled slightly. "That's very kind of you, your grace."
"You need food to stay healthy, which is quite important for a soldier."
"Still, thank you." Temerity continued practicing for a few more minutes, until she'd gotten a better handle on the twitch in her hand. She sheathed her sword and looked over at Eisna.
"I suppose that's enough for the night. Will you be heading back as well?" she asked.
"I think it's about that time, yes," Eisna replied.
They walked back to headquarters together in relative silence. The halls were quiet at this hour, and they still hadn't seen anyone by the time they reached Temerity's floor.
"Goodnight, your grace," Temerity said with a bow.
"Goodnight, Temerity. I'll see you tomorrow."
Temerity nodded and turned down the hallway to her room.