The couple sat on the windowsill and carried on conversations about various topics. Lia seemed quite happy and actively kept the conversation going without a shadow of shyness or officiousness.
"So you're training?"
"Yeah, how did you know, have you been peeping at us?" Dima asked with a sneer in his voice.
"No, not at all," the girl with a red face denied. "It's just that you stink from a mile away and from your clothes too, I know that smell well, my duties also include laundry."
"Even so, I thought I'd start looking around,' Dima turned his head theatrically and smiled at Lia."
"Min gave me a good beating, my whole body still hurts." Dima complained about his plight, expecting to receive a dose of sweet pity.
"And rightly does that chases, as my father said to my brothers 'Hard in learning is easy in fighting'." Dima whistled at her words, 'I guess people in all worlds are more alike than I thought.
"But I can help you with that." These words of the young girl made the young guy, who was Dima, tense up, no he was not against spending the night with a beautiful girl, but the present moment he considered extremely inappropriate, after all, the mental trauma and all that, but apparently Lia had a different opinion.
Seeing the confused expression on her interlocutor's face, Lia didn't fully understand the reason for his bewilderment, but when she realised it, she jumped on the spot.
"No, I don't mean that, you slut," Lia tried to slap Dima, but because of the height difference she couldn't reach him.
"I'm a healer, if you don't understand," the girl shouted, actively waving her hands. Dima just kept silent, bewildered, watching her interlocutor's antics. 'It's better not to interfere yet,' flashed a thought in the guy's head.
"Come here," a little calmed down Lia said, Dima slowly approached, Lia stretched out her hands to him and put out her palms and closed her eyes.
"Don't move," Dima stood like a stumbling block, the guy was wondering what would happen next. 'Well, in the worst case I'll just die, scattered in the corridor bloody mess.' As the guy pondered this the girl's palms lit up slightly and a strange wave travelled through his body.
"What? What's going on?" A strange wave of energy ran through the guy's body. Warm soothing it seemed to creep into every cell of his body. All that fatigue that the guy had been saving up so diligently throughout the day gradually vanished, and with it the pain in his muscles.
The therapy lasted for a couple of minutes, all this time Lia did not speak and did not move, and her face expressed concentration and humility. Suddenly, Lia lowered her palms and exhaled.
"That's it." The girl said, breathing heavily.
"Wow, ah... how?" Dima was amazed, real magic happened in front of his eyes, not cheap special effects and not trivial sleight of hand, but the same magic as in the books.
"I told you I learnt from a healer, and now I'm continuing my studies at the monastery, because of him they took me in."
"What else can you do?" Dima could not restrain his curiosity and was ready to pounce on the poor girl with questions.
"Well... I'm a healer, I know two spells it's 'Tonic', which helps the body to recover faster and get away from stress and 'Healing', well, everything is clear by the name." Dima listened and thought to himself, he had somehow missed the mention of magic during his conversations with Hin. He rightly thought that here, as well as on earth, this subject was exclusively quackery.
"Well, I have to go, thank you." Lia said uncertainly, looking back into the darkness of the corridor.
"Thank you very much, too." Replied her slightly disappointed Dima.
The two separated, and Dima slammed the door behind him carefully examining his body. 'I still can't believe it, nothing hurts and the fatigue is gone, I'll have to ask Hin more specifically about their magic system.'
...
The couple dispersed, but the watchers did not. Min stood in the far corridor, reflecting on what he had seen and the fact that he had almost been spotted twice. To his sadness Dima had never once uttered anything worth his attention, except for a couple of passing phrases. 'I should probably ask the librarian about winged expressions, see if I can find out where he's from.'
'If I find out where this foreigner came from, the picture will be clearer and...'
"Who are you?" An angry voice came from behind, Min instantly turned round and saw a monk like himself, wrapped upside down so that he could not be recognised by his face or other body markings.
"And you care!" Min parried with confidence in his voice.
"I ask you again, who are you?" By the sound of it, this monk was closer to thirty, and also his voice was extremely angry with a note of irritation.
"Your father!" Shouted Min somersaulted, breaking the distance, the young monk quickly regrouped, was ready to run away, but a strong hand at the last moment grabbed him by the edge of his dressing gown and pulled him back.
All Min could say was a resounding blow to his skull, which echoed through the stone corridors. The guy fell, creating even more noise. Min's attempts to get up were instantly suppressed by his opponent's knee on his back.
"For the last time, who the fuck are you?" There was no answer, only the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, the observer, quickly deciding to retreat, let go of the intruder and vanished in an unknown direction.
"What a bitch!" Min grunted and raised his head, a slightly frightened foreigner with a cleaver was looking straight at him.
"Min what are you doing?" he asked as he came closer.
"Can't you fucking see I fell," Min paused for a moment and added. "What are you standing there, help me up." To his surprise, Dima didn't give him another barb, and put his knife in its sheath and lifted him to his feet. Min's eyes were a little double, as sometimes happens if you get hit on the head, without giving any sign Min silently extended his hand to Dima.
He shook it silently, and after a few fleeting glances the boys parted. Naturally, everyone understood what had happened here. Dima understood that they don't fall with such a sound, Min that the stranger had understood it and would be more attentive from now on, and the observer, who was hiding nearby, that he would have to write another report instead of a deserved rest.
After such an intense adventure Dima fell asleep before he landed on the bed, right in the flight.
...
This morning was much easier than the previous one, his body was getting used to the early rise, and he thought that was thanks to Lia. 'If it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be able to crawl to the bathroom right now.' Once again thanking fate for such a generous gift he stretched and headed for the washbasins.
A cold bucket shower was just as 'reassuring' as yesterday, finally waking up Dima went back to the room waiting for breakfast or Min.
'Min, is he even coming today?' - Dima wasn't aware of yesterday's scuffle and could only speculate, but one thing he knew for sure yesterday he had scared off someone or something that wanted to beat up Min or worse. After yesterday, he wouldn't be surprised by anything anymore. When he got to his chambers, the guy found a tray of food, 'I missed Lia after all, too bad.'
He thought to himself and realised that the meat had been left out again and started eating. The next day was a complete copy of the previous one, to his surprise Min came to pick him up and they repeated yesterday's training programme and went their separate ways. Min was mostly silent and did not even think of bringing up yesterday's subject, Dima naturally supported him in this endeavour, rightly reasoning. 'If you wanted help, you could have asked for it.'
After lunch and washing up Dima went to meet Hin again, today he would finally be explained his role in this performance. And from the realisation of this seemingly simple thought the guy was seized by a monstrosity. Silently nodding to the guards and saying goodbye to Min, he entered the abbot's office.
"Dima come in," said Hin, this time something was wrong, firstly, for once he was not filling papers hunched at the table in a fishing hook pose, but was smoking with his feet on the table. Secondly... Dima didn't know what, secondly, but something was wrong here.
The guy sat down on the chair and stared at Hin, he exhaled a thin stream of smoke and putting aside his pipe, took the usual pose, taking his legs off the table.
"Did nothing disturb you last night?" The abbot asked casually, beginning the dialogue. 'So Hin is already aware of it,' Dima pondered over the development of this scenario. On the one hand Hin, for him now naturally Lord God and guardian angel in one person, on the other hand Dima had his own notions of honour and correctness, so he was not going to give up Min. 'Maybe I'll regret it, so be it.'
"No, nothing, why do you ask, what's wrong?" Dima asked, pretending to be a fool, with a surprised look on his face.
"No, I was just asking, you're a newcomer to our world, you know, things happen."
"No, I'm fine for now, but I don't think that's why you called me down here."
"Of course, so let's get started, and today I'll tell you our plan." Both men smiled.