I wake up. Yesterday was too familiar for my tastes. Isn't this supposed to be my holiday? Why do I always stumble upon hidden conspiracies? Naturally, we still managed to pull through, though. I stand up and stretch while looking around.
Everyone seems to be sleeping. Everyone but Leanna of course, she is always up bright and early to practice. Not too much out of the ordinary for me either, although she wakes up even sooner than I normally do. Maybe she is rubbing off on me.

"Poooiii?"

I look down at my pango.

"What the-?"
He's a bigger blob than I remember. He grins contentedly.

I raise an eyebrow.
"Were you absorbing energy all night?"

"Poi poi!"

I shrug. He can do whatever he wants. However, I am glad to see him happy again after he was so deflated in Wolfsden.
I smile and pat him on the head. He snuggles against my hand.
"Glad to see you happy little guy."

"Poi!"

"I hope you left some?"

He nods vigorously.
"Poi!

I pat him again.
"Good boy."

I stretch again. Ever since I got into the routine with Leanna, I look forward to our morning spars. Between the magic training and sword training, maybe I could eventually become a Mage-Knight? I mean, they would be pretty stupid to turn down a god, wouldn't they?"

It doesn't take me long to find Leanna, back in her usual outfit. Oh man, I wasn't complaining.
She sits cross-legged with her eyes closed as if in meditation. Her crystal glows in her manipulator, but otherwise she doesn't move.
As I move closer she breaks from her trance and gives me a warm smile.
"Good morning!"

I return her smile.
"Good morning, Leanna. You sound like you slept well."

She blushes slightly.
"Yeah."

I nod.
"Glad to hear. You are just practicing energy channeling?"

She nods.
"Mmhm. I was just waiting for a certain someone to wake up so we could spar."

I wear an apologetic smile.
"My apologies. I should not keep a lady waiting."

Leanna giggles.
"Aren't you quite the gentleman? But don't think that means I'll go easy on you!"

I ready my blade.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"We'll start with a standard spar. The goal is to knock your opponent to the ground. Ready?"

My grip tightens around my blade. I nod.
"Ready when you are."

She nods as well.
"Let's go!"

We dash towards each other and our swords meet in a metallic clang. Leanna spins around and swings her sword towards my side.
I bring my sword down and hear another clash as metal hits metal. Then I push her blade back as I move to strike. Leanna easily parries it as she knocks my sword away, creating an opening. I manage to dodge her strike due to my honed combat reflexes.
She ducks low to avoid my retaliating blow and thrusts her sword again.
We continue to dance back and forth as the duel progresses. I can feel myself improving. I'm not having as much trouble defending against Leanna's attacks as I used to, and I'm even able to get a few jabs of my own in too.
Beads of sweat cover Leanna's forehead in a light sheen. It doesn't look like she's using her wind magic to augment herself.
Leanna matches my intensity, something she does every match. Just as I feel confident I have the upperhand, she increases her skill level and I have to scramble to keep up again.
Regardless of my improvements, I still haven't been able to beat her in a single match and those statistics do hurt my pride a little more than I care to admit.
Maybe if I can distract her and catch her by suprise I'll have a better chance of winning a match.
I've been playing by Leanna's rules this whole time. Maybe it's time to take a play from Zack's book: Do whatever it takes to win.
I wonder if it's even possible to rattle Leanna… guess we'll find out soon.
What would be the best way to distract her? Maybe I just have to mix up our routine a bit.
I fall back into the Niman style, sword held in a single hand. I strike with a simple swipe, which Leanna easily parries.
But my goal is achieved, as she lost sight of my other hand. I keep that hand behind me as I charge up telekinetic energy.
I throw out another series of low powered swipes, which she either deflects or dodges.
When she dodges the last strike of my combo, her footing is vulnerable. And since Niman is a lightsaber form focused on weaving Force abilities into combat, it translates into my movement of throwing my hand out and unleashing a heavy Telekinetic Blast.
Leanna is completely taken by suprise, as she did not anticipate the blast. She staggeres back and remains standing, but her footing is slightly unbalanced. I press my advantage and throw my sword as in a lightsaber toss. Completely suprised again, she has to parry the sword in a wide arc, leaving her open.
That's my chance!
Taking advantage of the opening, I connect a shoulder tackle and Leanna falls ungracefully to the ground.
"Oof!"

It takes a moment for this image to set in.
"...I did it!"

Leanna glares at me and frowns.
"Hey! That's not fair! You used your Force powers, didn't you?! And no one throws his sword!"

I wave my hand dismissively.
"Who ever said a fight is fair?"

Her eyes flash.

"You can't always expect your enemies to uphold the same honor you do. Expect the unexpected. Don't be so vexed that I won."

Leanna's manipulator flickers to life and her voice is threatingly low.
"Two can play at that game."

She glares daggers at me. Uh-oh...
I stand still. It was not my intention to anger her. I must face the consequences of my actions.

Leanna thrusts her gauntlet forward and a powerful gust of wind pulls me into the air.
"Woah!"

I wave my arms helplessly as I try to return my feet to the ground. Then my momentum ceases and I hover for a split second before I come crashing down to the ground.
I gasp for breath as I stare up at the bright blue sky.

As my vision clears, I see leanna looking down on me with a triumphant smirk on her lips and her hands on her hips.

"Alright, I might have deserved that."

Her voice is still low, unimpressed.
"Might?"

"Let's go with definitely."

Leanna laughs and extends a hand.
I can't let her win on such a smug note, though.
I grab her hand and yank her down with me. She yelps in suprise as she loses her footing and falls to the ground.
Before she can make sense of what is happening, I roll over and pin her under me.

"W-What are you doing?"

"That's twice you've let your guard down."

She frowns.
"And that's twice you've used cheap tricks!"

I shrug.
"Well, how else do you expect me to beat an unbeatable Mage-Knight?"

Her frown melts to a look of suprise.
"Huh?"

"I've seen the way you fight in a real battle. You'd mop the floor with me in an instant if we sparred and you used even half of your abilities, given I don't use my other abilities."

"That's not true! In our last couple of spars I've been pushing myself to match your intensity."

I doubt that.
"You're just saying that."

Leanna shakes her head, her expression and voice relaxing.
"In the beginning that would've been true, but your growth as a swordsman has been tremendous. How much you've learned an improved in such little time... I've never seen anything like it."

Leanna looks up at me with a genuine smile and pride in her eyes.
If I wouldn't already be aware of my feelings for her, I would be now. I feel my cheeks getting hot.
"Well, I am somewhat of a natural learner. I guess that's the positive thing when your choices are limited to learning something and dying. But let's be honest, the credit should go to the person who works tirelessly to train me everyday. Who goes out of her way to make sure I can grow in capabilities and improve."

I genuinely smile at her and she smiles back. This time it's her turn to blush, and as our eyes lock I feel a warmth course through me. One of a kind I haven't felt in over a decade. I'm reminded again just how amazing she really is.
It still impresses me just how much time Leanna invests to help me in whatever way she can, and I am eternally grateful.

She searches my eyes with her own and then her cheeks turn redder.
"I suppose you did technically knock me down first, which would make you the victor in this spar."

I breath out in an exaggerated manner.
"I'll take any win I can get at this point."

She laughs.

I'm acutely aware of her body beneath me, but neither one of us seems eager to move apart. There's a moment of hesistancy to her voice as she speaks softly whilst tilting her head cutely.
"Well, you finally got me. What are you going to do next?"

Again, her eyes search my own, like a gentle breeze urging me into their direction. The sunlight glints off of her armour and I feel the kiss of her skin as she shifts beneath me.
"What do you want me to do?"

She lowers her eyes and parts her lips as if about to speak, but no words come out. My gaze falls to her full lips, and I can't stop myself from imagining how soft they would feel. The small part of my conscious mind that is actually still working rings warning bells, but my instincts tell me that it's okay, that I should go for it. Well, I could always trust my instincts before.
Slowly, I begin to bridge the gap between us…

…When we hear a noise beside us.

"Where did you two disappear to-"

I whip my head around to see a stunned Zack. He looks at me pinning Leanna to the ground and shakes his head as he quickly turns away.
"Forget I asked."

Leanna calls out from underneath me.
"It's not what it looks like!"

She quickly pushes me off of her and scrambles to her feet, her face a bright shade of red.
"We were just sparring!"

Zack's voice is deadpan.
"What an interesting way to spar."

Leanna's blush somehow deepens and stomps her foot indignantly.
"You have it all wrong!"

"Riight. Anyway. When you finish up your, ahh, spar, feel free to join us at the camp. Food's ready. Not that I have an appetite anymore…"

Zack heads back to camp without giving her a chance to retort.

Leanna points to me, refusing to make eye contact.
"You stay right there!"

I look confusedly at her.
"Why?"

She crosses her arms.
"I'm going back first! You can follow later! We are not going back together!"

I can't help the look of hurt rushing over my face. She still refuses to make eye contact, so she can't see it.
"Right, if you say so..."

Leanna collects her sword and miscellaneous items, then power walks away from me and back to the camp.

By the Force, what just happened? Why was Leanna mad at me? Was she even mad at me? Did I do something wrong?
Okay Xerath, calm down for a moment and assess the situation from a neutral perspective.

Hmm, it is likely that Leanna was just extremely flustered by the sudden, and untimely, appearence of Zack. So there is still hope that she's not mad at me, that I didn't blow my chances. If anything, if I interpret her actions and reactions correctly, she just might like me too!
But still, this situation is extremely frustrating. I was on the verge of greatness, I was this close!

"Aaaargh!"
I let out a frustrated yell as I unleash a particulary powerful Telekinetic Blast towards a large boulder, which gets shattered upon impact.

After taking a moment to compose myself and still my pounding heart, I also gather my sword and items. I think I already stood long enough here, so I follow Leanna back to camp.

Just like Zack said, everyone else is already up as I return to camp.
I smell the delicious aroma of food and grab myself a bowl. Once everyone is served, we sit down together to eat.
Leanna makes it a point to sit as far away from me as possible. She stares hard at her food as if it's the most interesting thing she's ever seen.
I glance around at the rest of the group to see if anyone takes notice. Zack remains expressionless. Amy looks between Leanna and me.
As I catch her glance, she speaks up.
"Is everything alright with you two? You seem somewhat distracted. Further, I heard a yell earlier and I recognised the source as your voice."

I glance at Leanna, who seemingly tries to hide herself behind her food.
"Let's just say that our spar took an unexpected turn."

Zack cracks a laugh.
"Yeah, you could say that."

I glare at him.
"One the both of us don't appreciate."

I turn back to Amy.
"So don't worry, just give us a bit to calm down. Isn't that right, Leanna?"

"Y-yes, that's right! You don't have to worry."

Amy looks between us again, her expression still slightly confused.
"Alright, if you say so."

I glance at Kara, quite sure she would tease us, but she seems to be in her own world as she is cheerfully enjoying her meal.

Silence settles in for a few moments, until Amelia seemingly remembers something and grabs a book from her pack.
"Here."

She hands it to Kara.

Kara blinks in suprise and I notice it's the same book Kara gave Amy back at the earth temple.
"Hm? You don't want this anymore?"

Amelia shakes her head.
"I have read through the literature and it does not contain any information which could be of use."

"Really? We found it in an old temple... Are you sure it's not something that the Mage Academy would want?"

Amy shakes her head again.
"This text is a subjective moral lesson in the way of a fictional story about an adolescent. This yields no academical benefit."

I throw a challenging gaze Amy's way.
"Are you sure about that?"

She nods.
"As I said, it is not an academical text."

"While that may be true, you should understand that literature, as well as art, are windows to the culture of a society."

She looks pensive as she mulls over my words.
"I have to admit that I did not look at it from this perspective."

I smile.
"I thought so. You are a scholar, a scientist at heart, and what I pointed out stems from archeology. It never hurts to widen your horizon, however."

Her expression turns grateful.
"I concur."

"Besides, not everything must have an academic value. Whilst you can learn new things or skills through anything, it is also perfectly acceptable for you to do something sorely because you want to do it. Because it's fun. We know how hard you work, how intelligent you are. We would think no less of you if you were to just relax for once, you know? I mean, have you ever tried to read a book like this fictional story without academic purposes?"

Her eyes lower when I'm finished, as if in deep thought.

"You are still young, Amy, and you are not a slave to your research, nor to the Academy. Don't force yourself to become someone you don't want to be. Do whatever makes you happy. If science makes you happy, then go for it. All I really can ask of you is to keep your mind open, try out different things. Who knows, maybe you'll find something unexpected that's still fun?"

She looks up at me, and I can see the gears running in her head.
"Thank you for your words. I will keep them in mind."

I smile genuinely at her.
"That's all I can ask for."

Amy turns to look at Kara.
"I think I would like to keep it, after all."

Kara smiles warmly.
"No problem. It was a gift to you anyway."

Amy nods.
"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She turns to me, an amused sparkle in her eyes.
"You seem to be quite wise for your age."

I chuckle.
"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as one, don't worry."

I nod and we resume eating.

Once everyone has eaten their fill, we clean up and continue our journey.

We travel together for quite some time.

Finally, the sun begins dipping low and streaking the sky with sizzling pinks and yellows. Rocks crunch under our boots as we continue down the path.
The air is brisk and goosebumps shiver up my arms. A sharp breeze cuts through my clothes and I wonder how much further we need to walk. Oh, how I would like to wear my nanofabric robes. Their thermoinsulation kept me warm, even on that frozen hellhole that is Hoth.
We manage to drag our way through, the chill deepening with each vanishing beam of sunlight.
Kara leads the way a few steps ahead of us. Zack's expression is hard to read, but I notice him pull his coat in a little tighter around him.
Leanna rubs her hands together before puffing a a hot breath into the cradle of her palms.

"Pooii…"
The pango nuzzles against my neck and disappears into my scarf. He's even colder than usual, making me shiver again. I guess I'm not the only one noticing the chill.

Leanna speaks up.
"Aw, poor little guy. It's pretty cold out, isn't it?"

I nod.
"Yeah, it is. Though I faced worse."

Zack chimes in.
"We should pick up the pace. When night falls, it's only going to get worse."

"I agree. Let me help out again."

No objections arise, so I grant the group another slight Force Speed.
Still, I feel the cold in my teeth, and I tuck my freezing hands into my coats.
The bitter breeze swirls through Leanna's hair and makes her shiver. She coils tighter into herself.
Amelia's cloak balloons out behind her, and she lifts her hood over her head.
I call out to her.
"Hey Amy, can't you use your fire magic to keep us warm?"

"Such an expenditure of energy would be wasteful."

"Aw, come on, Amy."

She shakes her head.

I pout playfully.
"Alright, but if we freeze to death, I'm blaming you."

I let out a defeated sigh. A human furnace would be nice right about now.

We continue on. The wind ruffles my hair and passes right through me, sending chills down my spine.
Even Zack folds into himself and stuffs his hands deep into his pockets.
Amelia yanks her hood tighter around her ears and face and tries to keep her cloak from billowing out too much.
Leanna keeps her head down, the frigid air turning her cheeks pink.
But Kara is walking ahead of us with a little skip in her step. Her arms dangle at her sides as if she's just taking an afternoon stroll.
I nudge Zack.
"Is Kara not cold?"

Zack untucks himself from his coat to take a look. Then his voice drops too.
"Doesn't seem like she is."

Leanna hears us talking and blinks in suprise at Kara.
"How is she not cold?"

I narrow my eyes at Kara.
There are many things about her that do not add up. First, her super hearing. Then, her ability to completely conceal her presence and sneak up on someone, even me. To completely supress ones presence in the Force takes years upon years of rigorous study - or a natural born talent. And now her absolute disregard of the cold.
There's only one explanation.
"...She knows magic."

Zack and Leanna just stare at me.

I shake my head.
"Never mind."

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you guys talking about me?"

My mouth drops. How does she always hear us?! I reroute one of my thought processess towards observing Kara through the Force.
Leanna and Zack look alarmed as well. Amelia just blinks at the commotion.

Leanna speaks up.
"Aren't you freezing?"

Kara looks at her blankly.
"Umm… I don't think so?"

Zack's stare intensifies. His face is frozen in a confused grimace.
"Seriously? How is that even possible when you're barely wearing… "

Kara tilts her head and raises an eyebrow. She smiles, and the rest of Zack's sentence trails off.

Leanna gapes at her.
"Seriously, what's your secret?"

"Secret?"

Leanna crosses her arms.
"There's gotta be a secret to it, right? Or some kind of heating device that's keeping you warm?"

Amy steps over and checks her manipulator.
"She does not seem to be using any magical assistance to keep warm."

Kara laughs.
"Are you guys a little chilly or something?"

Leanna's trembling becomes a little more noticeable as she huddles between me and Amelia. Kara glances at each of our trembling forms and for a moment she seems confused.
"Oh, wow, you guys do look cold."

Leanna calls out.
"Because it is!"

Kara watches Leanna, Amy and I step closer together for warmth and her expression changes, like a lightbulb went off in her head.
She turns to Zack and her mouth spreads into a slow smirk. The way she's looking at him seems predatory.
"Actually, you're right. I'm freezing. Brrrr!"

She wraps her hands around herself and feigns a violent shudder before cozying up to Zack.
"It's terribly, terribly cold."

He shuffles away from her.
"What are you doing?"

Kara pouts.
"Trying to stay warm, of course! Aren't you cold too?"

Zack frowns.
"I'm not cold."

Just as he says that, the winds pick up again. He shivers and crosses his arms. A sly grin spreads across Kara's face.
"Oh, of course you're not."

She moves towards him, and Zack shuffles away again. He crosses his arms.
"Not happening."

Kara frowns.
"But I'm not dressed appropriately for this weather."

"How is that my fault?"

Kara looks up at him with big, shimmering puppy eyes.
"O-Okay."

She looks defeated and sniffles.
"I... I guess I'll try to manage somehow…"

She hugs herself with another theatrical shiver and exaggerates a few more sniffles for added effect.
Zack shifts from side to side, clearly uncomfortable. He crosses his arms again and let's out a deep, deep sigh.
"...Fiiine."

He goes to take off his coat, but Kara stops him.
"Wait. I don't want you to be cold too."

"Well, there's no other option."

That same devilish smirk slides across her face.
"Sure there is!"

She lifts up Zack's jacket and slips inside, pressing herself against him.

"H-hey!"

"What? We have to keep warm, right? This jacket is big enough for the both of us."

Zack looks like he's about to argue but says nothing. Kara smiles and snuggles into him. Zack's cheeks tinge pink, and he looks away from her. Kara notices his blush and smirks again.

"Don't think I'm enjoying this! I'm only doing this because it'll be troublesome if you get sick!"

"Of course you are. That's so sweet, thank you."

My eyes drift over to Leanna. She glances at me and blushes before quickly looking away. Maybe that means she wants to get close too? Based on our, uhm, situation this morning, that could be a very real possibility, one she is just too embarrassed to voice herself.
But it would be prudent to jump to conclusions. She certainly is worried what the group might think of her, so snuggling up to her might not be comfortable for her when we're walking as a group.
One thing I know, however, is that Leanna is cold and I have something that can help. I'd rather be more cold than I already am instead of seeing Leanna freeze like this.
I unwind my scarf, much to the dismay of the pango, and hand it over to Leanna.
She balks.
"W-What are you doing?"

I smirk despite the cold.
"I'm being chivalrous."

Leanna arches an eyebrow.
"Chivalrous?"

I settle the scarf over her shoulders and shove the rest behind her neck. Leanna flushes as I reach around her to loop the other half up to the front. A half smile rises on my lips.
"I can be gallant and knightly, when I want to."

Her blush deepens.
"W-Well you don't have to do that."

"I know, but I want to."

I cocoon the scarf around her throat again, and Leanna's eyes dart to the ground. I tie it in a loose knot and hoist the fabric up to cover her pink ears.
"You need it more than I do."

"P-Poi! Poi poi!"
The pango shoots me an indignant look, then hops off of my shoulder and into Leanna's arms. He finds his way up to her neck and burrows back beneath the scarf, then lets out a contented sigh.
"Poooi."

I chuckle.
"Sorry, I should have mentioned the scarf is a two for one deal."

Leanna laughs.
"It seems that way."

She pauses and nods while smiling softly.
"Uhm, thank you."

I return the smile.
"You're welcome."

Suddenly Amelia calls out.
"We are nearing Elendale. The journey should not be much longer."

Kara pouts.
"Oh, really? What a shame."

Zack gives her a look.

"I mean, oh, boy. Yeah, it's so cold! Good thing we're almost there."

Zack and Kara quicken their pace and we follow them for the rest of the journey.
Not wanting to spend more time than necessary in the cold, especially without my scarf, I want to accelerate the process.
I call out to Amelia.
"Amy, just how much time is 'not much longer'?"

"A few days."

"A few- yeah, no, I pass, thanks. I don't know about you guys, but I want to get out of this stinging cold. If you have no objections, I'd like to take us there rather sooner than later."

Leanna and Zack come closer to me without objection. Kara Protests as Zack carries her with him.
Amelia raises an eyebrow in curiosity.
"How do you plan to accomplish that?"

"Phase Jumps. Plenty of Phase Jumps. So, if you guys could form a circle, we need to hold each other."

They do as I instruct, and soon I start to teleport us around.
Even though our group is smaller, the distance is even greater this time compared to my travel to the farmstead a few days ago. Plus, the pathway is quite winding, my visual range is severely limited, which means even more jumps.
After several hundred jumps I begin to feel the strain on my powers, but I power through. I don't want to risk camping in this cold. I can put up with a little discomfort if it means I will know my friends in safety.
Another few hundred jumps later, and I can see a town in the near distance.
Amelia confirms my hopes.
"We have reached Elendale."

"That is rather fortunate, because I cannot go any further."

My blatant overuse and abuse of my Phase Jump ability catches up to me. I feel the feedback, and my vision goes dark. The last thing I am aware of is air rushing past the back of my head as I supposedly fall backwards.