He was smiling.
"Downing the enemy in one shot, at the very beginning of the fight? It's a shame that strength had to be used against the Lions, but I'm very impressed, Hilda." If only she were more motivated... he could only imagine what a good training regimen would do for her.
Diamant chuckles, "And to even take down the Archbishop! What a thrilling battle."
He rests a hand on her shoulder. "You should come attend one of my classes sometime. You've got a lot of strength, which is useful for the battlefield, but your strikes are too haphazard. If you were to perfect your form, then..."
As soon as she saw the upturned corners of his lips, she sensed danger.
"Oh! You were... watching?" A nervous laugh. "I didn't really do anything. That first hit was just, well... first time lucky, you know? It was mainly the other Deer... They did the hard work, I was just the one in front of the archbishop at the end, and she wasn't really attacking back, more observing, I think..." She was babbling now even to her own ears, so she shut her mouth quickly.
The hand on her shoulder, even lightly rested, held so much strength, she could have laughed at the idea that she'd last more than five minutes in his class. But that wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"Oh, yeah, for sure! Yeah, my form, uh huh." She nodded with false enthusiasm as she took an almost imperceptible step backwards. "I'll have to check my calendar and let you know. You know how it is!" Another step backwards. "But I'm totally down to learn about, um, strength, and... and form." She was already turning away. "A- anyway, I've gotta go get ready for the next one. Wish me luck, Professor!"
And she was off like a shot without waiting for his response.
Note to self: find her knee brace and keep it handy for emergencies.
