Leandros did brim with a bit of pride at Mimi's excitement and the growing wonder in the small woman. On top of that, the other students seemed to engage well with a more practical lesson. Conjuring light is good practice, but healing wounds is always exciting. There is a much more visual response to seeing a wound disappear.

He was a bit worried at how people seemed to avoid the fellblood boy and Mimi, but that wasn't something he could tackle today, if ever. Getting people to be accepting of everyone was an uphill battle he felt he would always be fighting. Still, they found each other and were able to continue the lesson. That is what mattered in the moment.

The knight was quick to step in with a nervous laugh, "I do not want to encourage harming yourselves. The magic will not do any harm if you are not injured, but you should feel the same sensation. I know you will not see the effect young man, but you will feel it Mimi and can tell him if it is working."

The fellblood looks between the large knight and Mimi. He does seem a little disappointed he wouldn't get to see an injury heal, but he also understands not encouraging people to hurt themselves no matter how small. He clenches his little fists to focus and gets ready to heal Mimi if she allows.

“Oh, I -” ‘I don’t mind’, she had wanted to say, but a look into Leandro’s blue eyes made the words die on her lips. “I’m fine with that too. I’ll let you know when I feel something”, she said instead and offered the fellblood her hand.

As the boy closed his eyes, Mimi shot Leandro’s a knowing smile. The knight really was a gentle soul and Mimi liked him a lot for it. He also seemed like an excellent teacher, going by the success that could be seen all throughout the classroom now. Every student was intently focused on the their task and more than a few hands were glowing with different colours of light.

Hope rose in Mimi’s chest. If there were more lessons like this to come, who knows what she might learn? And if she became a true healer, then she could really go out into the world and help people in meaningful ways! Maybe she should ask Leandros about future lessons...

Her attention snapped back to the boy in front of her, as she felt a warm tingling sensation in her hand. “That’s it!”, she exclaimed excitedly. “You’re casting healing magic!”

The boy’s eyes flew open and the soft purple glow died from his hands. “Did I really?”, a big smile spread over his face. Mimi nodded, grinning back, and pulled the youth into a warm hug. “Yes! Well done!”

“Thank you Mimi! Sorry I did not introduce myself earlier. My name is Rogellio.”

“That’s okay. I forget things too when I’m excited.” Mimi could not resist the urge to ruffle the boy’s hair a little and the shocked look on his face made her burst into laughter, with Rogellio soon joining in.

She wasn’t sure what it was - the magic still flowing through her, the warmth of the people here, or just how comfortable this space was - but something about this place made her feel happy and at ease in a way that she hadn’t felt in... She wasn’t even sure how long, maybe ever.

Still grinning, her eyes scanned the room for Leandros. There were so many questions she wanted to ask the blue clad knight.

Leandros departed from the table to help the others who might be struggling. Some seemed to come to find a natural talent, while others needed more guidance. It was hard to not be impressed by the levels of skills on display. Even ones who couldn't completely heal wounds were still performing the magic, elated at their partial success.



He offers another word or demonstration to those that need it. The same steady and comforting hand is used to help encourage others along. Soon enough, there were lots of healed wounds matched with tired faces as some thought it was about physical exertion as well as magical.



"There is a lot of good progress here today...with time I think many of you can become some of the best and brightest healers in Charon....the more mastery you gain over light magic, the more impressive your healing will become. You can achieve the greatest feats of healing grievous wounds and bringing back the dead....Of course if you so wish in the future, this magic can also be used in several different ways. Protecting yourself, protecting others, filling your friends with confidence, you can also learn some offensive skills, amd grant yourself wings."



The knight smiles a bit seeing the sparkle in the eyes of some students. As the day progressed he was getting more and more hopeful that this effort was worth it. Either through their own natural talent or his unknown talent as a teacher, they were learning a lot it seemed.



"In time you may even find ways to shape light itself into your own needs....but for today, I think that concludes the lesson. You are free to stay for awhile if you would like. Ask questions if you like, talk with others, but remember these lessons and continue to practice whenever you can."

At Leandros’ words about what they might be able to achieve, Mimi’s spirit lifted. Could this really be her future? Was she sitting with the next generation of Charon’s best healers? Could she be one of them? It seemed too good to be true, too much like a dream, and yet this day had kindled a hope in her she’d never before even dared to consider. This was what she wanted more than anything in her life.

‘Breathe. One step at a time. You are a long way off yet.’ she reminded herself in an attempt to not get overwhelmed.

As Leandros declared the lesson to be finished, the room erupted into excited chatter. Several students immediately rushed to the front of the room to bombard the knight with all manner of questions. Mimi smiled to herself, understanding well what must be on those people’s minds, since her own questions burned inside her.
Not wanting to add to the gaggle surrounding their teacher, nor in any hurry to leave, she hung back. Instead, she used the time to stretch and relax a bit. She certainly felt tired after all this. Casting magic seemed to strain her body in an odd way she was not used to at all. Physically she felt fine, but her mind was tired and felt slightly sluggish, as if she’d been up all night. Hopefully with enough training she could expand her magical endurance. Other mages certainly didn’t seem exhausted after casting only a couple small spells. She quickly pushed the worry, that she might just not be capable of more than healing one single small cut at a time. There was really no point in fretting about this yet.

Rogellio and her shared a warm goodbye and a hug before the boy departed, and they promised each other to practice daily so they’d both be much better the next time they met.

Finally, the crowd around Leandros dispersed and Mimi approached with a wide smile.
“Thank you for today’s lesson! It was amazing! You’re a great teacher. I still can’t believe I actually healed someone. Me! And it’s all thanks to you...”, she bit her lip, unsure where to begin with the thousand questions burning within her. Poor Leandros must probably be tired after all this... and he probably already answered some of these questions earlier. Stupid! She should have listened while he talked to the students earlier. But he was a nice man, surely he’d indulge answering a couple of her questions even if he had to repeat himself. But, which ones were the most important ones?

In the end, everything just burst out of Mimi’s mouth in one mad rush, with some words tumbling over each other. One might even be wondering how she managed this many words without taking a single breath.

“Will you be teaching us more? When is the next lesson going to be? Did you really mean it when you said some of us might become great healers? Do you think I could be one of them? You mentioned the Oath Watcher earlier? Who are they? What do they do? This is their guild hall? Are you a member of the Oath Watchers? You are really nice. Tell me more about you. And, finally, can this healing magic be used on animals too, or is it just for humans?”

Gasping for air, as the flood of words ceased, Mimi stared up at Leandros with wide eyes. Oh, that had been way too much...

The reaction of the students after his speech was enough to lift his own spirits as well. It was good to know he could inspire people even outside of battle. Somehow it seemed easier to rally people against a daunting enemy than it was to speak to people in a safe situation. Strange how it works sometimes.

He is happy to answer a few questions and speak with some of the students as they begin to filter out. Some want to know more about healing, others about the adventures he has been on. He had forgotten his own reputation while he was teaching, but now that people had the freedom to ask it all came rushing back to him. He couldn't blame them though. The events of the Vulcadreus fight still shook some halls across Charon.

The knight smiles as Mimi comes up to him, a gracious look still on his face, "It is thanks to you as well. My words can only take you so far, it was your skill that brought it out as well."

As much as he didn't want to, Leandros laughs a soft bit as Mimi finishes her slew of questions. It is not a derisive laugh, just one of surprise at the flurry of words that came out and his brain's struggle to make sure he heard all of it. He didn't want to leave a question unanswered.

"It might be a few weeks before the next set of lessons, I want you all to have time to practice and learn to handle the magic more readily before adding on to those lessons. Yes, I do believe some of the people here could become great healers, including yourself, with practice and dedication to the craft."

He pauses and smiles as she askes about the Oath Watchers, "It is a guild of my own creation and yes, this is Watcher's Hall...it used to be a church, but The Crown has graciously allowed me to repurpose it...The goal is to help give people a purpose and help serve the people of all of Charon...protect those who might not be able to protect themselves. Instill in adventurers a reason to adventure beyond just coin.....And a recognition that simply swinging a sword and fighting monsters is not the only way to help people. There is a focus for healers, protectors, and fighters in the Oath Watchers. For example, I took the Oath of Sanctuary because of my desire to protect people."

Another cheerful, but small laugh, "I suppose it can be. Healing magic should help any living creature, I have never thought to try it but I can not think of a reason it will not work."

Mimi had to blink away a few happy tears that threatened to spill down her face. This man might be the kindest person she had ever met. He’d had plenty of opportunity to belittle or make fun of her, but there had been nothing but compassion and patience in him. She was truly lucky they’d crossed paths.

She looked up at him, her shining wet eyes offset by a bright smile. “I will practice every single day I promise! I’ll practice every day until I become a healer good enough to join your ranks. Mark my words!”

With that, she darted forward and quickly hugged the knight, her short arms barely reaching around his sides. Letting go just as swiftly, she darted around him and dashed out of the room with her cheeks burning. A happy laugh could be heard echoing in her wake.

The torrential rain from earlier had eased into a soft drizzle and the setting sun managed to peak its face through holes in the clouds, setting the whole city alight with an orange glow reflecting off every wet surface. Mimi skipped most of the way back to the grubby little inn she was currently staying in, the joy of today blazing through her and offsetting most of the wariness in her tired body. What an incredible turn of events. This was it. Dreams she hadn’t even dared to entertain before were suddenly coming true and she was on her way to becoming an actual healer! Her trip to Sol City could officially be considered a success now. Oh yeah, finally it was all coming together.