Awakened levels are a very rough measure of their power.

  For Awakened each level typically makes them half again to twice as powerful.

  For one on a Combat Path this has clear impacts while for one on a Non-Combat Path the effects are sometimes more subtle.

  The progression wall at level 10 hints at more complexity, but no one who has overcome it will explain what it is, or why the gap between 9 and 10 is so deep.

  ~ * ~

  Eventually discomfort will overcome the need for rest, especially when part of the discomfort is an increasing chill on one's behind. Opening her eyes Anya found herself staring at Seb's shoulder. Immediately she tensed, trying to figure out where she was and what was going on.

  Cold feet, cold- Oh, she was on the bathroom floor. But why was she- Memories started to flood back, the pain and terror muted but still present. Squeezing her legs she felt the towel shift against her back and with it came realization.

  She was wrapped up in a towel leaning against Seb on the bathroom floor. He was sleeping, his head hanging to the side. He must have come in when I- Her mind balked at completing the thought. She knew what it had to be but now was not the time to think about it.

  Carefully she slipped out from under Seb's arm, keeping the towel around her best she could before scurrying out into her bedroom and pulling the door to. Shutting it risked noise and she didn't want him to startle awake before she could pull some clothes on.

  A minute or two later she slipped back into the bathroom, lounge pants and a loose t-shirt the best she found herself able to do. Buying clothing for Lisa meant she had very few choices for herself, undergarments, a few pairs of pants, and a few tops.

  "Seb?" she called out softly, crouching next to him. When he didn't answer she put her hand on his and gave a squeeze, repeating herself a bit louder. "Seb?"

  ~ * ~

  Seb woke to the sound of his name. Blinking he started to straighten and immediately hit his head against the wall behind him. "Ow?"

  A suppressed giggle had him opening his eyes to find Anya covering her mouth but unable to fully hide her amusement. He couldn't help but roll his eyes in response before straightening out his legs and using his not quite bruised skull as a pivot point to stretch out his back. "What time is it?"

  "Uh, where did we leave our phones?" Anya asked while straightening to look around.

  "Mine is-" pausing he thought back to his mad dash into the bathroom. "Probably on the floor next to your couch? Yours might be out there too." His whole body felt stiff although he wasn't sure if it from how comfortable the wall was or his physical reaction to their trauma reaction.

  Watching Anya head off to find at least one of their phones he pushed himself to his feet and looked in the mirror. What a mess, he thought, his eyes puffy and bleary. Without another glance he followed her into the living room as she put his phone on the coffee table and looked at her own.

  "Nearly 8."

  "And we got here just after 6," he answered as he checked his own phone. No notifications, not that he expected any, so he put it back on the table.

  "Are you-?" "Are you-?"

  "I'm sorr-" "I'm s-"

  Seb tried not to laugh at their echoing one another. Thankfully Anya capitalized on that moment to break their rhythm.

  "You go ahead."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "I'm sorry I barged in on you in the shower," he started then immediately shook his own head. "No, I'm not sorry for what I did. I'm sorry we ended up in a situation where I felt the need to barge in on you and that I somehow keep seeing- I mean- I have eyes and a good memory, I wasn't thinking about anything but what I was hearing and feeling." He ended in a rush and frowned then forced himself to get out of his own head and look at her. "Are you ok?"

  Seb saw a hint of color reach Anya's cheeks before he saw her make the effort to focus, yet even still her voice barely carried at first. "Thank you."

  "For coming running that is. I d- It was bad. Everything just got to be so much and I-" she trailed off. He nodded and let her continue.

  "Thank you for being there, for trying to help. I'm not ok, not really. But I'm not going to curl up screaming again, at least I hope."

  "Thank you for trying too," he answered. "I was holding you, trying to just be there, and then all I could think of was-"

  "Stop," she snapped before closing her mouth with a look of surprise. "We both- Now is not the time."

  She stepped into the kitchen and opened her pantry before looking at him. "I really don't have much, but we should eat something. Cereal? Protein Bar? Oh! Popcorn."

  She'd pulled out the bag of popcorn and had it in the microwave almost fast enough for him to believe she was in her Husk.

  "Water?" he asked.

  A moment later she'd put a glass of water next to his phone and another at the far end of the couch. He sat down and took a sip, his thoughts still circling darkly although they were slowly moving back to focus on what needed to be done.

  She set the bowl of popcorn down on the couch before sitting opposite him, one leg tucked under her so she could lean back against the arm.

  "No apologies, no talking about the bathroom. Not until we eat our popcorn."

  Grinning he nodded and took a handful. "Yes Ma'am."

  He ate his popcorn in silence, sipping his water as he went until she shifted, showing she was ready to talk again.

  "How do we explain what happened?" she asked.

  "He attacked you, you fought back."

  "No, I mean how do we explain my winning," she clarified.

  "Oh.." He thought for a moment. "Can we say you got lucky?"

  "His Husk BROKE Seb. Husks don't break, War Husks don't start falling apart mid-battle leaving you in your True Self. A 3rd Level doesn't win against an Elite. A 5th level instructor doesn't win against an Elite. That's why they're Elite, that's why I should be-"

  She was too far away for him to reach so he did the next best thing and threw a popcorn kernel, managing to bounce it off her forehead and interrupt her.

  "Did you just-?"

  "What if I did?"

  "That isn't-"

  "Oh? And you freaking out is?"

  She sighed and he felt himself grin for a moment before reality came back.

  "We'll have to tell them how I helped. The Seneschal probably told her about-"

  "Wait, he knew you could do that?" she nearly sputtered in shock.

  "Do what we did to Rios? No. What you did in the first fight, yes. I told you we tested my ability to see past patterns. When I noticed I could see spots where the patterns could be disrupted they had me test that too."

  "That makes sense," she muttered. "He always was looking to catalog every little thing he could about everyone."

  "Isn't his job to know how everything in the Holding works?" he asked.

  "Technically, but Awakened abilities, at least the ones that are unique to each of us, are usually private. You choose who you let know about them."

  "Really…" he felt his tone darken, anger welling up at the fact that they never told him he had a choice. Before she could answer he went on. "Regardless, if he's there or told her Majesty about the training-"

  "He probably did"

  "- then I tell them it was my ability," he finished, barely pausing for her interruption.

  "And then they execute you for being an Unaffiliated who caused the death of an Elite."

  "He was attacking you!"

  "You're Unaffiliated. It doesn't matter why, it matters who you are, and that's nobody. At least," she trailed off, looking away as she did.

  "At least?"

  "If you were my retainer then your actions would be justified. You were acting in my defense." She still avoided looking at him, reaching to fiddle with her water.

  "Your retainer? As in a pledge of service and fealty? That sort of retainer?"

  "Yes?" she finally turned to look at him. "It explains why you were there, it explains why you got involved. It makes what you did acceptable in the eyes of the court, no matter how they feel about me."

  Seb found himself pausing and considering. His first reaction was to say no. But then he considered the fact the Holding was pressuring him towards the exact same thing for their benefit. Anya was trying to protect him by giving him a reason for what he did. Which, when he thought about it, was the same thing he had done. He had helped her with Rios to protect her, he'd run into the bathroom to protect her even though there was nothing to protect her from.

  "Ok. I'll do it. But after we get to Court. Someone has to witness it and-" he paused as she interrupted him once again.

  "Right. You said they had you looking over the rules, obligations, and expectations, didn't you."

  "I doubt this was why," he answered then yawned, barely covering his mouth in time. "Sorry-" he paused seeing her yawn just as widely. "I guess we should probably sleep if we're going to court in the morning."

  "Probably," she answered as she grabbed the nearly empty popcorn bowl and their water glasses to put on the counter.

  "If you can find me a blanket I'll sleep on the couch." He stood and grabbed his bag, moving it over to the couch so he'd be able to rummage through it while sitting.

  "I- I think I'd rather you sleep in my bed."