I was in the staff's private dining hall enjoying my supper when Fred popped in to tell me that Chuck was in the restaurant area dishing out punishment to an errant wait staff member. I thanked Fred but remained there, finishing my meal. I knew that Master was busy running his establishment and we would cross paths again in due time.

All-in-all, the after lunch session with Mom went rather well. She showed me a few basic moves in self defense and I proved to be an apt pupil. I quickly learned the moves and then she continued to show me several things that would give me an advantage over someone who outweighed me and was stronger than me. "It's all about leverage" she said as she showed me a particularly intricate move. That one took me several hours to learn, and I spent the rest of the afternoon in the gym doing several exercises that she had recommended to aid me further in my training.

When I asked her about a job in security, she simply said, "We'll see. I need to speak to Chuck about it before I make any promises. But you are learning quickly. Much of what I would need to teach you takes many hours of practice to perfect and a calm, clear head during crisis situations in order to execute"

I quickly bussed my empty dishes to the kitchen and slid them into the hot soapy water. I didn't want to burden the staff if I could help it. After cleaning my dishes and the table I used, I made my way back to my suite and ran a hot bubble bath. I knew I would be sore after today's exercises with Mom and wanted to fend off whatever soreness I could.

I slid into the tub with a sigh of relief and let the heat soak into my body. I lay back, listening to some soft jazz I set the radio to and fell into a light sleep.