Case File 2017.02.28
For the most part life around the Castle the past weeks were routine. Each keeping to their own errands or worries individually. In her usual checks around Mac's throughout the week, Rhea had encountered Raina...one she hadn't seen since Victoria's first long absence with the hit out on her life-- odd family issues. She had wanted to catch up and make sure the young woman was doing well, but before she could something else had called her away to fullfil the role she now held as a Warden. Something she'd never thought herself as being involved in short of annoying one enough to get unwanted attention.
It was that very job that she had yet to figure out and balance for herself. As if her day already weren't taxing enough with juggling the few mundane errands she needed to take care of during the daylight hours...the beast of metal decided this evening would be a wonderful idea to seize and spit out all kinds of fluids and gases as it broke down at the corner a block away from her home away from Home. Though these days she wasn't sure what was really home anymore. Already tired from the walk and wanting a small moment of peace before going out for the evening, the last thing she expected was to run into her apprentice looking for a sparing match.
Apparently today nothing was going to go as planned and the Universe didn't pass on that memo. Alex had been making a good deal of progress and between the times she'd been able to spend with him, he had been showing more control. Reluctantly she thought she'd humor him...and then things escalated rather quickly. Rhea knew that Alex was unusually quick when he wanted to be, and as he toyed around in the beginning trading blows with practice blades, she finally called him out on it-- that's when things got rough. She was already tired and dispite the taunting...when he started to lash out with flames and forcing her to counter, that's when Rhea started to realize the point he'd been trying to make prior. Not that Alex himself hadn't progressed on his own, but she was rarely at peak performance and constantly operating on lower resources. If she'd had some of her gear, she could have put on more of a show but at the same time she realized she was letting that be a crutch to her own personal resources.
Taking up that practice blade in the beginning, she hadn't given it a second thought about having her gear with her. Being within the walls of the Castle was the last place she expected to need them unless an emergancy occured. The fight went back and forth for a bit...and while it ended in a draw, Rhea got the point Alex had been complaining to her about at not taking time for herself. There was still a bit of guilt for her past actions and mistakes, regardless of her counciling with the Wizard Art-- she'd felt more responsible than ever to make up for things...and when this role of Warden came into her life, she pushed outside of logical boundries. There were good days...and bad days...but she'd let her own need to recover and keep in top shape slip more and more as the days wore on since taking up that Grey Cloak and its associated duties. This was a reminder for her...of something Alex could see that she'd been pushing to the side in name of responsiblity-- yet not taking responsiblity for her own proper care. Rhea would be no good to anyone as a teacher or a protector or a friend if she ended up dead.
