Ellyn endeavors to follow these directions. She does not have a lot of muscle mass to back them up with.

Yet, somehow - 

She still successfully rolls Gideon off her back. 

Gideon of course keeps rolling, turning the quasi-throw into a smooth return to her feet, but she's grinning ear to ear. "Exactly!!!"

Mrrr.

"Ellyn, I didn't let you do that." Other than by putting her in a hold where that was the best way out, of course. "Told you: it's about control. Grappling's applied bones, not applied muscles."

"I'll apply your bones," she mutters.

"So long as we're both getting better at fighting..."

"Ugh. Fine."

"That's the spirit."

She's having too much fun with this.

So Ellyn doesn't like beating up Gideon? 

That's not what she said.

Then why is Gideon having fun a problem? 

It's just Suspicious!!!

Ellyn will find that Gideon is, in fact, a very straightforward person, who rather straightforwardly just loves fighting. 

Gideon is Weird. But loving fighting isn't... the worst... trait in a cav, so Ellyn supposes she will learn to live with it. Despite the inconveniences.

And it means they both can enjoy it when Ellyn beats her up. 

Hm. She'll work on that.

Good.

For today - cool down stretches (very important!), then back to studying bones? (Fighting gave Gideon ideas for how Ellyn can improve her constructs - )

Clearly she has a long way to go, yes.

They're both head and shoulders above everyone else already, but why not go for 'best ever'?

As if there's any

other option.

Not for them, there isn't. 

Over the next while, Ellyn incorporates Gideon's new sparring habits into her routine. It... goes, is about the best she's willing to say for it. (Out loud, anyway. There is a certain vicious joy in sending the other girl tumbling.)

Her constructs get better too, she understands more intimately about where reinforcement will be most effectively and how to translate movement to programmatic theorems.