Piyumi looked long and hard at the face staring back at her in the mirror. By all accounts, it wasn’t a bad face — she had a nose, a mouth, and a pair of functioning eyes, so it did the job just fine. But like all things in life, it could be better. Nothing was ever perfect, after all. 

Her mind flashed to her mysterious new roommate. 

That didn’t mean she couldn’t try though. 

Luckily, Piyumi's almost two-year long sabbatical from makeup didn’t rust her prowess. It was like riding a bicycle. Once she got into the groove of things, she found herself having fun as she twirled up her eyelashes with mascara and pecked her lips with gloss. With each dab of foundation, she felt fresh, invigorated, reborn, as if she were physically smearing her old self into her body again. 

She stepped back from the vanity to survey her handiwork in the mirror. Her crimson hair fell loose and wild over her shoulders, ending just past her collarbones. Clicking her tongue, she swept up the curls into a high ponytail and wedged a silver lotus pin into the front of the hair tie. She couldn’t recall where she'd gotten it, but she’d had it for as long as she could remember. 

“Perfect.” She grinned at her reflection, the flared skirt of the mint peter-pan collar dress she’d made herself swishing as she turned. If she was going to be Queen, she should at least look the part, no? 

Shutting the door behind her, Piyumi walked to the room at the end of the corridor. She peeked inside just to find Yuu dozing on an immaculately made bed. It was getting close to noon, so the fact that Hisa had already woken up wasn't too surprising. Piyumi was surprised, however, when she caught a glimpse of the bathroom. 

There was a reason why she specifically told any guests to use the ensuite. She knew the main bathroom looked like a tornado had swallowed it up and then spat it out again. Well, that was what she'd thought anyway, because the room staring back at her was absolutely spotless. The empty toilet paper rolls and toothpaste tubes that’d once littered the room were gone and the tiles lining the floor were sparkling as if no-one had ever set a foot on them before. The shower and sink had been scrubbed and polished, and the toilet  — well, even she hadn’t been brave enough to use that monstrosity lately, but it now looked as if it’d never been laid siege to at all. 

“Since when did I own soap?” Bewildered, Piyumi picked up the floral-scented bar from the holder affixed to the mirror. She began to wonder if she’d slipped into a parallel dimension in her sleep. It was the only thing that made sense. That, or she was paid a visit by the cleaning fairy last night- 

Ah. 

It didn’t take long for Piyumi to find Hisa in the backyard. With the hot Australian sun blistering the earth below, the lieutenant had shed the top half of her uniform to don a simple t-shirt instead. It hadn’t been apparent last night, but Hisa was actually boasting some serious muscle. The tendons in her arms flexed as she wove her dual swords in and out, and Piyumi could spy telltale signs of a strong set of abdominal muscles. An unsurprising discovery given Hisa’s rank, but one Piyumi welcomed all the same. 

“You didn’t have to do that.”

After bowing lowly, Hisa gave Piyumi a chiding look. “I am afraid I had no choice, Your Highness.”

Piyumi laughed without the slightest hint of shame. “That bad, huh?” 

“Your bathroom may have been a breeding ground for new lifeforms.” 

Piyumi grinned. She gestured to the blades in Hisa’s hands. “Getting some practice in?” 

“Partially correct. I was actually awaiting your arrival, Your Highness.” 

“Really? Why?” 

Hisa’s icy eyes gleamed as they caught the sunlight. “For your first lesson, of course.”

Piyumi nearly fell back when a sword was suddenly thrust under her nose. Unlike Hisa’s curved blades, this sword was of the generic sort she’d seen before in comics and tv shows with its long, straight blade and standard cross hilt. She reached for it, only to almost drop it when it was placed in her hands. Hisa had made the sword look far lighter than it actually was. 

It had occurred to Piyumi after her conversation with Hisa last night that she'd probably have to learn how to fight. One of the many things her father used to prattle on about was how Queen Piyumi was supposedly an extraordinary warrior. Yes, he’d used the word warrior, as if he was describing some character from a mediaeval fantasy-epic. Piyumi had rolled her eyes and entertained Miyuru’s ramblings like she would the nonsensical stories of a child, but now she had to admit the term was apt. Hisa was a warrior. The Orionese woman from last night was a warrior. No reason Piyumi couldn’t become one either. 

“Okay,” she said, grateful she’d decided to wear leggings underneath her dress. “What do I do now?” 

“Hold your blade like this.” Hisa tossed one of her swords aside to demonstrate on the other. “Ensure your grip is not too light so that the sword will fly out of your hands, but not too firm so that you cannot manoeuvre it flexibly.”

Piyumi shifted her feet as she lifted the sword and readjusted the fingers curled around its handle. “Like this?” 

“Right hand atop the left. That is your dominant hand, yes?” 

“Oh, whoops. Thanks.”

Wow. That really did make a world of difference. Piyumi grinned from ear-to-ear. She swung her sword this way and that, making a whooshing sound between clenched teeth. “Look at me! I’m practically an expert already!” She tapped her weapon against Hisa’s. “I’ll cut down everyone who stands in my way!”

Hisa rolled her eyes. “Not with that stance. In order to properly wield a sword-” 

“Oh, I know this one!” Piyumi’s eyes lit up. She raised a knowing finger as she began to recite. “‘Anchor yourself to the ground so that you won’t get your ass handed to you no matter what comes your way’. Right?!” 

Hisa blanched slightly at her crude rendition of the lesson. “Where did you learn that?” 

“Oh, there are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” Piyumi turned her nose up to the air. “I’ve been in my fair share of fights. I won’t be knocked down no matter what comes my way! In fact, I can sense surprise attacks from a mile away. Just the other day, I- mrgh!” 

A burst of searing pain exploded from the centre of Piyumi’s face when Hisa’s open palm strike made contact. Her sword fell to the ground as she doubled over.  “Mate!” Her hands flew to her gushing nose. “What the fuck?!”

“Apologies, Your Highness!” Hisa cried. “You said you could sense surprise attacks, so I thought-” 

“I was obviously just doing a bit! Holy shit, my nose is broken!” 

Piyumi was aware that that was probably not the case, but that knowledge did nothing to lessen the throbbing pain. The force of the impact had somehow travelled through her nose to hit the back of her skull. She wasn’t so sure she appreciated the muscle Hisa was packing anymore. 

“This way, Your Highness!”

With tears obscuring her vision, Piyumi allowed Hisa to lead her by the arm across the backyard. The small pond they approached was a cacophony of colour as bright red lotus flowers shot out between the verdant lily pads floating atop a crystal blue surface. After she was instructed to sit by the water, Piyumi flinched in surprise when she felt a cold bundle of silk press against her palm. 

“Hold this to your nose.” 

She didn’t need to be told twice. The chill against the burning pain was a god-send. As her eyes cleared, she realised she was holding a deep blue handkerchief wrapped around a block of ice. 

“Is that better, Your Highness?” Hisa asked, dipping another handkerchief into the pond to clean up the blood flooding out of Piyumi’s nostrils. She looked so apologetic, Piyumi didn’t have the heart to be angry. Instead, she directed her attention to the ice in her hand. The question had been weighing on her mind after last night's events. Now seemed good as any time to ask. 

“You have superpowers, don’t you, Hisa?”

“Well, ‘superpower’ is not the correct term, exactly,” the lieutenant replied. “In our land, we call these abilities ‘affinities’. Everyone has one, although how helpful or powerful an affinity is varies from person to person.” 

“Everyone? Even me?” 

Hisa smiled indulgently. “Yes, even you, Your Highness. Would you like to try?” 

Dropping the ice in her earnestness, Piyumi nodded vigorously, flecks of blood spraying from her nose. Hisa drew the wet handkerchief away from Piyumi’s face before gently taking the redhead’s hands into her own. 

“Affinities are the physical manifestation of ‘chakra’ — a person’s energy or lifeforce,” she began to explain. “Chakra travels around the body like a second bloodstream, everpresent and thrumming just below the surface. We can grab onto that energy like a rope from certain focal points such as your hands and feet,"

A shiver ran through Piyumi as a featherlight digit traced down her palm to the ends of her fingers. “And when we do this…” Hisa’s eyes fluttered shut of their own accord. “We can give birth to unimaginable power.” 

The cobalt blue glyph that sprung from her fingers was just as majestic and beautiful as the ones she’d summoned the night before. Even more so actually, now that Piyumi had a front row seat. When Hisa flung her hand, daggers of ice, sleek and sharp, shot out of the glyph and whizzed through the air before piercing a nearby tree like a set of darts. 

“Oh hell yeah,” Piyumi said, her heartbeat spiking. If she could wield even a fraction of the power Hisa seemingly had… 

Piyumi shut her eyes. Hisa’s instructions echoed in her head. Chakra. Energy. Lifeforce. Stream. Rope. Points. Grab. She mirrored Hisa’s movements, holding out a hand with the palm facing outwards. Chakra. Energy. Lifeforce. Stream. Rope. Points. Grab. Grab. Grab… 

Grab what exactly? 

Her brow furrowed. What…what was she supposed to be feeling? There were no whirlpools of energy, no electrifying charge. She just felt…normal. No, scratch that. What she was doing wasn't normal at all. She actually felt quite silly. Like a five-year-old playing hero, complete with an old towel for a cape and a mask sloppily crafted from leftover cardboard. In fact, that had been her, long ago. Her father had- 

“Do not force yourself, Your Highness.” 

The fingers suddenly curled around Piyumi's outstretched hand were gentle as they guided it back to her lap. Piyumi hadn’t even noticed that her wrist was trembling until her eyes flashed open again.

“No-one expects you to master anything right away,” Hisa said kindly upon seeing Piyumi’s frustrated scowl. “After all, there are many ways for one’s affinity to manifest. Sometimes it is by accident, other times, with the guidance of a teacher. For an unlucky few, it finally appears in times of great danger, as a last resort when all hope seems lost.” 

“Unlucky? I’d argue that’s pretty lucky, actually.” 

Hisa rolled her eyes. “I believe you missed the ‘great danger’ part.” She leaned in close, using her thumb to remove the last remnants of blood from Piyumi’s upper lip. “I would say that I hope it does not come to that, but the road ahead is a treacherous one. Are you prepared, Your Highness?”

Suddenly, Piyumi’s lungs couldn’t get air fast enough. She wanted to say that she was prepared, that she was more than ready, but she couldn’t so much as nod with the way Hisa’s eyes were boring into her own. They were like two suspended spheres of ice, the irises almost melting into the white that surrounded them. It was as if Hisa was staring straight past Piyumi and right into her soul.

It was as if Hisa could see everything. 

“Hey, Piyumi? I’m here for Morell’s check up! Hunter tagged along too!” 

“You sure she’s even home, Waliyha? We shouldn’t just let ourselves in…” 

“Relax! She gave us a spare key for a reason!” 

“Yeah, nah, but…” 

Startled, Piyumi fell back, her hand catching the stones edging the pond just before she hit the water. Her head whipped towards the house. Hisa peeled her gaze away from Piyumi, also looking towards the source of the sudden commotion. “Were those your friends, Your Highness? I should introduce myself and-” 

“Hide.” 

“What?” 

“Hide!” Piyumi hissed more urgently this time. She scrambled to her feet, tugging Hisa up with her. 

“Where?” 

Piyumi’s ears picked up the sound of the door to the backyard being pulled open. “I don’t know! You’re a soldier! Figure it out!”

Hisa looked confused, but Piyumi’s panic spurred her into action. Her eyes swept her surroundings before they drifted upwards. Determination washed over her face. Taking a few steps back, she broke into a sprint.

And ran straight for the house.

“What are you-” 

Hisa took a leap. One of her feet pushed off the house’s brick wall to propel her higher, before the other made contact with the nearby wooden fence to do the same. In no time at all, she’d zigzagged her way up the height of the house before she jumped onto the roof and disappeared completely. 

“Piyumi! There you are!” 

Piyumi swivelled around to see Hunter and Waliyha strolling towards her. She chanced one more glance at the roof before she plastered on a smile and gave her friends a wave.