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"How was school, honey?"
She tries to make the kids' favorite meals on their first day of school, but when she asked Iomedae's favorite meal the girl first stared at her blankly and then after some extended clarifications proposed that they could roast a pig, and she can't actually roast a pig, so dinner is pork chops, and potatoes, and salad from the farmer's market. Iomedae is not a picky eater.
(The girl is in fact clinically obese. The doctor suggested they talk with her about cutting back on junk food, but the social worker said that was a bad idea, with a kid new to care - don't restrict her food access at all, just get her more exercise. So Jenny signed her up for swim lessons at the YMCA and for track and field at school. Iomedae balked at the swimming lessons on the grounds that swimsuits were immodest, and they do actually make hijabi wetsuit things but apparently not in her size. Hopefully track and field she'll actually enjoy.)
They fight twenty rounds!
With an absolute newbie Nicole would do quite a lot of standing still and encouraging them gently to hit her. With Iomedae she's going to treat her more like someone who's been fighting for a year; she sets the pace at about half a notch above where she thinks Iomedae's at, and this results in her winning seventeen fights and losing three. Every time she loses she compliments Iomedae.
After the last fight she gives her another salute and reaches out for a fist-bump. "Excellent work. I really wasn't just letting you win there - you earned those - you should come back and fight more, I think you're going to be very good at this."
Iomedae is happy. Iomedae has not really been uncomplicatedly happy since she came to America. She's been - making progress, and able to bear it, and then for the last week things have really been quite bad. But here, she is learning what Aroden commanded she learn, she's getting stronger, she's among people who know what that means even if they're missing some pieces.
"Thank you. I fight until I go to Heaven or build it here," she says to Nicole.
Nicole is also pretty thrilled to have Iomedae! She talks very oddly but she's a fantastic talent and it'll probably be really good for Lucy not to be the only younger woman fighting at practice.
In England's green and pleasant land? Nicole almost quips, but the poor girl does not need to also be exposed to obscure song references while she is trying to learn English. "I doubt I'd stop fighting just because I went to Heaven, honestly, I think if anything if I turned out to be immortal then I'd take up jousting."
"Do you need help with anything? I think Lucy is dying to fight me, but if there's anything you need..."
"Also in Heaven we fight," Iomedae agrees, beaming at her. "I need no thing."
"I hope to fight you again!" Nicole agrees, and goes off to meet Lucy (who has been impatiently hovering and trying to make eye contact) on the field.
Iomedae is left to her own devices for a minute.
Iomedae will actually follow her to watch. Watching people fight isn't as good as fighting but you can learn some things from it.
"I have been working so hard on my timing for the past couple weeks but I think I'm moving on now and I want to just work on my aim, honestly? I keep not turning my wrist over quite enough and not quite getting the finger snap to put pop in the shot."
She is still getting used to being called Lucia.
"Yeah! Or you can just beat me up. I want to feel like I'm ready for War of the Wings!"
...yes, she knows this, Lucy is always excited to just get beaten up, it's kind of one of her most noticeable traits as a person.
Nicole shakes her head, amused, and gives Lucy a dignified salute - still much more casual than the good-role-model one she gave Iomedae.
Lucy salutes back and then does her absolute best to kick Nicole's ass! (It goes badly for her, because Nicole has a decade of experience on her.)
Cináed is getting some fruit and cheese and chatting animatedly, complimenting the embroidery going on at the crafting table, when he spots Iomedae standing around watching a fight. He rapidly finishes his cheese. "Give me a minute - gonna go see if the newbie needs a fight!"
He approaches Iomedae with a welcoming smile and a tiny wave, just enough to get her attention and check whether his interruption is welcome before he proceeds.
"Hi! I'm Cináed - you're new, right? Great to have you here!"
What a great name. It's awesome that she already has a Society name picked out! It sounds vaguely Greek, but... no, it's not made of any Greek elements he recognises. Possibly Japanese?
"Aye-oh-med-ay? Fantastic. Are you waiting on a fight with anyone, or would you like a few passes?"
"Hey, Iomedae, I'm glad you're having a good time, but you're in the kids' league, I don't want you fighting grown men."
"....oh, normally everyone just fights everyone at practice. We don't have gender categories - wait, how old are you?"
"I think fifteen, I do not know." The problem is that it is a different season in America than it was at home.
Oh, that's... well, if Reynhard okayed it then it's probably fine for her to fight at practice, but that's too young to authorise so she can't fight at events, and it makes sense that her parents might be a bit protective. He nods seriously.
"Okay, yeah, sorry about that! Let me know if you want to be introduced to any of the crafts people, yeah?"
Cináed turns his warm welcome on Jenny and Robert. "Either of you interested in giving it a go?"
Iomedae is pleased! Robert has never had occasion to train to be a knight but he is a virtuous man so he will try if offered! Of course Jenny will not because she is a married woman not a woman given to a paladin order.