Slade almost laughed at this. How easily she trusted him! Slade shook his head in amazement, then reworded his previous statement. "Never trust your opponent. Until they are destroyed, keep attacking, even if it seems like victory is already yours."
Terra nodded, and Slade was aware that she was already tiring. The earthquake she'd unleashed hours before had taken a lot out of her. She lifted another boulder with her powers, but Slade clearly saw the boulder shake as her body quivered with fatigue. Right before she continued her attack, Slade put up a hand to stop her.
"Did I do something wrong?" Terra asked, blinking and letting the boulder fall with a crash.
"You are fatigued," Slade said. He saw her blush at these words, as though embarrassed for allowing him to see her in a compromised state. "We will take a respite and resume training later."
"No, Slade!" Terra said, running toward him. "I can still fight; can't we train for just a little bit — "
Slade turned to her. "Obey my orders," he said icily.
Terra froze, and Slade saw a flash of fear in her expression. Then she bowed her head. "Yes, S-Slade," she muttered.
Now she feared him as well. Excellent.
Terra sat down on the ground and rested her arms on her knees. As Slade casually watched her, he saw that she licked her lips once before glancing at the ceiling.
"Are you hungry?" Slade asked.
Terra looked at him in surprise, and Slade reveled in the fact that she was so easy to read. Such an emotional teenager as Terra was, her emotions were almost as obvious as her impressive strength. However, she didn't seem to recognize the strength of her powers, so maybe she neither realized —
"You actually care?" Terra blurted out, blinking once.
Slade's smile came through his words. "Yes, child. I do."
Terra blushed deeply at Slade's comment. Then she got up and shrugged. "Eating would be nice," she said.
Slade nodded curtly. "Follow me," he said.
Terra fell into step beside him, saying nothing. The pair walked into the dining room and Slade left her side, returning with two platefuls of food. He gave both trays to her; as his apprentice she had to eat well. Not only that, but when he'd tossed her against the wall in their previous training session, she'd weighed practically nothing.
"For me?" she asked.
Slade nodded.
With a grin, Terra took both platefuls of food and devoured them instantly. Seeing she was still hungry, Slade retrieved four more trays of food and gave them to Terra. Apparently, prepubescent females required more food than he'd previously believed. Once puberty arrived, she would require even more food.
As Terra began her sixth plate of food, she glanced up at Slade and paused.
"Am I eating too much?" she asked.
"If this is what you require, then it is what you will receive."
Terra beamed up at him and finished her meal. "That was delicious!" she said, rubbing her nonexistent stomach. "Thank you."
Slade blinked once. To him, food was just that. Sustenance that allowed him to continue training, fighting, or simply existing. He had never considered the taste of the food he consumed, and to hear that it actually tasted good surprised him. "Now that you are finished, I will show you to your room."