Basilio was essentially there to get them to Arena Ferox quickly and safely so they didn't have to extend their trip due to getting lost on the way there or the way back (although Morgan had yet to determine if it was for his, Robin's, or Frederick's sake as the three who were most prone to worry). It felt like his main purpose was to weave tales, however; Lucina seemed to enjoy these stories and usually requested them, if only because Basilio was also willing to tell Marth's tales and exploits, which were mostly innocent but still a bit of an…uncharted territory, if you will. Morgan knew Lucina wanted to learn as much as she could about her counterpart, and second-hand stories were all she could get until he could send a letter or some other communication source through to them.
Basilio always took the lead, with Lucina close behind him. Brady and Laurent were following her, while Morgan, Owain, and Cynthia brought up the rear. The latter group was chatting amongst themselves, likely the closest knit trio within the Mini Shepherds; Owain was more like a brother than a cousin, while Cynthia used to visit the castle when they were younger just as much as Noire did now (that being once or even twice a month, both because of their mothers either not being home in Cynthia's case or wanting to see Robin in Noire's case). Sure, Owain had his own friend group now, but for years they were the unstoppable trio of Ylisstol, and the other two were one of Morgan's only few windows into the world outside castle walls. They were still good friends even as teenagers, with a common interest in weaving tales and seeing how they compared to real legends.
They made it to Arena Ferox within a few days of passing the border, Basilio fulfilling his job to that end. Flavia welcomed them with an almost smug smile. "I can see the oaf got you here in one piece!" she said. "You're a bit earlier than I thought, but we can still start fairly quickly; we have swords, axes, and lances, which should satisfy most of you. There's a few guards if any of you feel like you need them, but other than 'don't do anything ridiculous,' you have the same freedoms and restrictions as in Ylisstol. Any questions?" No one objected, and Flavia's smile widened a bit. "Good. If you're tired, go ahead and take a nap; if not, follow me!"
Even though Lucina gave them a nod that told them they were free to chose, every one of the Mini Shepherds followed Flavia to the training area. They all generally trained together; a few stabs at one Mini Shepherd, then a few stabs at another one. Flavia, who fought alongside them, almost seemed a little impressed with how orderly it looked. After a few minutes of alternating sparring, Flavia asked them to form groups so she could teach them basic Feroxi techniques.
"Why couldn't you pick an even number of people?" Flavia asked Lucina rhetorically. "It almost feels like you did it just to spite me. Anyway, group up as evenly as you can—make sure it's someone you fight well with."
Morgan, Owain, and Cynthia opted to fight together, while Lucina and Kjelle teamed up—this left Laurent and Brady to be together, the latter of which seeming a bit annoyed. They began, with Flavia being a semi-harsh teacher (possibly just because it gave her an excuse to yell at them; that aspect reminded Morgan of Sully, who would sometimes train the Mini Shepherds in her spare time or while they were at the Shepherds' garrison). It alternated between learning new things and going over the basics, which eventually led to Owain spouting wonderful fantasy as Flavia looked at him quizzically.
At some point, amid the flowery words Owain said, "Come, Justice Cabal! We shall teach our steadfast allies the extent of teamwork!"
Before Morgan or Cynthia could properly respond to the cue, Kjelle sighed. "You three do know that the word 'cabal' implies it's a secret, right? It's one of the only things that I can understand from any of you."
"It can be known but still a secret," Morgan replied simply.
"That's not what 'secret'—" Kjelle tried to protest.
"Nope! A plan could be known to the soldiers, but the actual purpose could be a secret," Morgan explained. "Similarly, you can know that the Justice Cabal exists without knowing what, exactly, its members do."
"I'm pretty sure you just run around saying nonsense," Kjelle responded bluntly. She didn't argue any further, however, instead keeping any other thoughts to herself. They proceeded to fall into idle banter, occasionally falling back on previous topics and quieting down when Flavia got back to teaching them. They trained for an hour, then most of them took a break. Lucina had opted to talk with Flavia, who waved Morgan over before he could leave.
"How's it feel to be out and about?" Flavia asked.
"It's amazing," Morgan replied cheerfully, turning to her. "It hasn't even been a year yet, but it feels like I've made up for lost time; even if it wasn't all great, I'm glad I'm not at the castle all day, every day. I mean, I made a friend, promised that friend something, proceeded to lose communication to the same…"
"Yet you say it with a smile on your face!" Flavia said. "That alone is impressive. Your swordsmanship is remarkable as well, considering that you've only been learning how to wield it for a few months short of two years."
"Lucina helped a lot," Morgan admitted. "Malin helped too when he gave a word of advice or two while I was training."
"I see more improvement while we travel than at home," Lucina observed simply. "When the Mini Shepherds started, you could barely defend yourself with a sword; now you're close to Owain's skill, if not better. A little bit more practice, and we might be able to spar without me holding back."
"You've been holding back?" Morgan asked, partially joking. "It always feels like you're tying to get back at me for something I did when we were younger."
"That's love for you," Flavia said with a chuckle. "I bet your mother is the hardest one to train with."
"It depends on the day," Morgan replied honestly. "She's tough to beat right after tactics, but when she's training in the morning I can land a hit or two—although it's even easier a few hours after dinner."
"Well, you sound just like her," Flavia said. She started heading out, offering a wave. "You can go out to the closest town if you want, just be back before sunset." She left, then Lucina and Morgan did the same.
