Vittea had followed Merritith to a smallish office filled with stacks of scrolls and books along with a large desk, at least large compared to the occupant. Merritith sighed and pushed enough silk scrolls and various office miscellanea to set down a fresh notepad. Vittea cautiously tried to find a place to sit, with even the few chairs in the room being utilized as ‘temporary’ storage.

She settled on some documents that she hoped weren’t too important, tucking her wings into the curves of the chair. After more shuffling sounds Merritith’s head popped up from amongst the silkwork. “Alright, this was a bit of a surprise for me, but this is not the first time I’ve had to improvise. Now, you mentioned earlier you knew almost nothing about our realms? How ‘nothing’ is your nothing?” she asked, a quill made from an enormous silver feather bound in silk strands poised and ready.

Vittea gave the clerk an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately, all I know are some basic terms that Leppida breezed past. Something about dungeons, delvers, and being her representative. I’m sorry to say that’s just about my entire knowledge base so far.” Instead of disappointment, Merritith simply nodded and scribbled some notes.

“That is fine, all I need to know is where to start. A blank slate is preferable to having to unteach misinformation. Then our study plan is going to treat you as if you just popped out of your cocoon. Basic information of the operation of the hive, context of the dungeon and the realms, fundamentals of magic. And though I have not spoken to Captain Yasua regarding your training…” 

A complicated expression vanished quickly as Merritith cleared her throat. “...I can assume that she will start likewise, giving you combat and survival fundamentals. Expect to spend most of your waking hours studying, training, or eating. I’m not going to lie, this will likely be exhausting. Are you prepared?”

Vittea gulped. It did sound somewhat intimidating. A crash course to bring her up to basic standards from effectively zero. On the plus side, Merritith was being honest and seemed to be taking this seriously. She was relieved that the trainers she had been foisted on were not dismissing her. Or, at least Merririth was not.

The rest of their discussion was mostly scheduling and some basics about life in the hive. Vittea was given an enchanted layout of the diadem, showing routes to necessities like the closest mess hall and the training center. Her physical training was scheduled for the mornings, with a break for food and showering before tutoring in the afternoon. 

Tutoring would last until dinner, after which she would be given free time until bedtime. It was a packed schedule, but, according to Merririth, Vittea was effectively receiving a compressed version of the training that freshly hatched mothlings would receive over multiple years.

Multiple silks were shoved into Vittea’s arms for her to read in her limited off-time before she was politely yet firmly booted from Merririth’s office. Vittea sympathized with the poor overworked moth-woman, and quickly got out of her…hair? Chitin fibers? She had a lot of questions for Merririth during their first official session. She resolved to write out a list…and to learn how the moths wrote. 

She really did have a lot of work ahead of her.

After swinging by her room to drop off her documents, her next stop was Yasua’s office, one of many lining the training center. Vittea was quickly grateful for the map Merritith gave her with the myriad of twisting hallways packed with busy mothlings. She only got lost twice, which she considered an achievement.

The training hall was larger than she expected. An enormous vaulted ceiling allowed airspace for different flying drills that small groups were carrying out. A raised track ringed a center made up of a mishmash of courts, workout equipment, and open areas for group training. Glowing crystals hung from the ceiling suspended by thin wires illuminated the space in a soft light, just enough that Vittea probably wouldn’t trip on anything by accident.

As she made her way to the offices that lined one side of the hall, Vittea couldn’t help but feel both impressed and a little intimidated. Moths of all sizes and body plans were making use of the hall, and everyone was helping their neighbors. Some of the clerks she had seen while walking to Merritith’s office were chatting with enormous guards who were giving them tips on how to hold their weights, and agile fliers were giving wing control tips to hefty, thick plated moth-hulks.

She was slowly getting used to mothkin expressions, and everyone here seemed engaged and supportive. Mothkin of all types were taking part in the group trainings, and the different teams in the sport courts were as diverse as the other crowds she had seen so far. There was a spirit of camaraderie and of a collective working together to better themselves that made Vittea itch to join in.

There were too many offices, all labeled in the interesting woven language of the mothkin that Vittea was going to be taught, but which currently only confused her. As she stood in front of the wall, trying to figure out which was Yasua’s or, failing that, which to blindly walk into and ask for directions, she heard a polite cough behind her.

Vittea turned around to see not one, but two familiar faces. Looming above her was her rescuer and future teacher, Yasua, in what was apparently casual workout gear. Many of the armor plates that she assumed were just part of Yasua’s body were gone, replaced by loose, very comfortable looking silk shorts and a top. Wow, Vittea’s trainer had muscles. She swore to herself to work hard enough to get at least a tiny percentage of Yasua’s strength, even if just to look that good. 

Next to her was a shorter but no less fit Hendria. Vittea smiled and gave a friendly wave to the guard who had originally shown her to her room. Hendria gave a miniscule nod back. Vittea beamed. Progress.

“Hello, Vittea,” the large guard captain rumbled, lacking much of the reticence Vittea had been expecting. In fact, Yasua looked in her element, a complete reverse of poor swamped Merririth. Yasua even chuckled at Vittea’s raised eyebrow. 

“Yes, yes, I know how we parted, and I do apologize for my rudeness. I…I suppose I was worried about the consequences of your arrival, and I am sorry that affected my attitude towards you, especially being so new to our realm.” She gave Vittea a deep bow, drawing shocked reactions from many of the moths exercising around her. A quick glare sent them all back to their tasks, though her expression relaxed as she re-addressed Vittea.

Vittea stared for a moment before her mouth shifted into a soft smile. Not only was Yasua an intimidating grump, she either also had some solid introspection skills, or an attentive boss. Either way, it made her chuckle. Yasua did seem genuine, as far as she could tell, but if her mentor wanted to make amends and start on better footing… honestly Vittea could appreciate that. 

“Honestly, I appreciate it,” Vittea said. “I’m glad I get to train with familiar faces, and I look forward to learning much from both of you.” She smiled and returned the bow to both Yasua and Hendria, who looked momentarily shocked before their polite smiles grew warmer. 

Yasua nodded to Vittea. “I am sure we will all learn much. However, we have specific aims for the time being. Just to be sure, is it right to assume you have little to no combat training or experience?” Vittea felt a tinge of guilt for lacking any, but Yasua’s tone carried no judgement. So, she swallowed her doubts and simply nodded. 

“That is alright. No habits to untrain, fewer unhelpful preconceptions,” Yasua carried on. “What plans does Clerk Merritith have for your education?” Vittea saw the same complicated emotions she had seen Merritith display sprinting across Yasua’s face as she mentioned the clerk, though Yasua clamped down on them with admirable speed. 

What was going on between them? Merritith seemed to respect the captain, but acted hesitant, like she wasn’t sure what Yasua thought about her. Vittea had seen her smiling behind her frustration during their interaction on the landing platform. It was also fairly obvious, even with Vittea’s limited time with either of them, that though Yasua made an effort to maintain a professional demeanor she enjoyed talking to Merritith. There was something more here, and Vittea was curious enough to want to find out. She resolved, however, to simply observe for now. 

Yasua stared at Vittea, and she realized she hadn’t answered. “O-oh, uh,” she stuttered, completely natural and collected, “she mentioned also wanting to discuss with you, but she anticipated you starting with the basics, and she plans to do the same. She intends to hold lessons after our training.” She was right! As soon as Vittea mentioned Merritith already guessing what Yasua would plan, her lips twitched into a smile that was quickly tempered, covered with a quite unsubtle cough.

“Very good,” Yasua said. “Then we will go with that. I will inform you of any changes we decide on when we meet for your first official training session. Think of today as a casual introduction to our facilities. Guard Hendria here will assist you, as well as serving as your sparring partner for the duration.” Vittea gave her a grateful smile, which was returned with a polite nod. 

The rest of their training session went quickly, and Vittea gained a new appreciation for physical activity. Normally, the thought of having to get up and exert herself made her empathize with Leppida and her realm of infinite blankets. However, with the two experienced guards guiding her through the various mechanisms, both mundane and magical, she found herself falling into a pleasant rhythm. 

Hendria, for the most part, spent the time doing her own exercises near Vittea, watching only occasionally chiming in to correct Vittea’s form or suggest different angles to target alternate muscle groups. Yasua’s expertise was clear, and with her guidance Vittea found herself enjoying the way her new body moved. There were even some wing exercises, which Vittea had to be pulled away from lest she sprain herself before her official training had even begun.

After a few hours, Vittea was drained, and her trainers had other business to prepare for. Hendria gave Vittea a slightly less stiff bow than before, making Vittea smile as both moths left for Yasua’s office. Progress was being made, hopefully as well as friends. There was no rush, as far as she was aware. She was here to prepare, and her earlier dance with toothy death made it clear to Vittea that she had a long way to go before feeling confident out in the wilds.

She only got lost once on her way back to her room. After a very pleasant shower she found that new sets of clothes had been delivered and were neatly folded in the dresser set against the foot of her bed. It was slightly hard to tell the difference between the sets, with them all being made of the same mottled silk, but after some investigating she identified two workout sets, two sleep ware sets, one set of stiffer formal wear which she had no idea how to put on, and four sets of comfortable, soft casual wear.

Something about the clothes, the room, the study documents, her whole day, had settled some of the whirling emotions that had been pushing her forwards since she arrived. Sure, she still had a lot to learn, and sure, she still barely knew who she was or what she wanted to do, or much about the world she would do those things in, but she was around people who wanted to help, in what felt like a relatively safe place to simply grow. There were likely some palace politics she was going to have to deal with, but she had a feeling she was a more clever person than even she had seen yet.

She fell asleep with a comfortable smile on her lips.