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There was so much to do, and always so much more once the initial load had been completed. It was easy, inviting even, to get lost in the haze of paperwork and database revisions. There was always another investigation to be done, always requisitions to be made to other departments. To be fair, Aila tended to take on more work than was required of her, simply because she enjoyed the feeling of being productive.

As a result of this productivity, however, she also tended to forget to maintain a basic training regimen. She did her best to spend at least an hour in the morning or evening swimming or running, but she recognized that she needed a more intensive routine at least from time to time; there was no telling when she would be summoned for a mission, or what would be asked of her on said mission. Nothing stung quite like failure due to sheer ineptitude and unpreparedness.

Aila was far from a fighter, and so she instead relied on flexibility and speed. It was difficult to practice in these areas outside of a highly controlled environment, though, but it was necessary to be prepared for spontaneity. To accomplish this, a Venusaur occupied the expanse of the gym, lashing out with Vine Whip at its small trainer. Any other of her pokemon would have hesitated to attack the girl seriously, but Fleur was innately familiar with this routine, having practiced it for many years. She knew her human was capable of dodging the strikes, and she knew just how much to hold back so that any connecting blows would leave no more than a brief and mild sensation.

Immersed in the task at hand, Aila initially failed to notice when her partner entered. The appearance of the Zoroark, however, was hard to overlook, especially when proceeded by the unmistakable sound of a sword's blade leaving its sheath. A meaningful moment of eye contact was all that was necessary to let Fleur know that they were taking a break, and a rumbling "saurr" noted the grass-type's understanding as she drew her vines away.

A nod of acknowledgment from the girl as she stretched her arms and waist in an arch, "Afternoon. How's your shoulder feeling?" She'd dealt with an arm injury herself and understood all too well just how limiting such a wound could be. The grip in her left hand was still weak from the incident, and at this point she doubted she'd ever have full power again. It was inconvenient, but it wasn't something she couldn't live with.

The thoughts worked their way around to the sword in his hand. That was an interesting exercise to pursue as a means to rehabilitate a healing shoulder. Studying the weapon in fascination, Aila realized she'd never actually seen one of the weapons in action - strange, in a way, considering the art seemed to be popular amongst the Grande Ile nobles and her own brother was said to be so proficient with it.

The Zoroark wasn't the only one who noticed the hint at pain, but Aila refrained from commenting on it. She knew little of medicine, so she could only leave it to Asch himself to decide whether or not he was pushing himself too far.

Though she had intended to return to her own activities in short order, the movement of the blade caught her attention. The motions were graceful, not unlike dance. She watched with all interest, unawarely attempting to anticipate the next blow or the next dodge. The swordsman's skill was evident even to one unfamiliar with the art.

"Ah--" She hadn't noticed she'd been staring. That was uncharacteristically rude. "I'm sorry. I'd never seen someone practice with a sword before." She patted Fleur's side absently. "...Is it hard to learn?" It certainly looked like an effective way to exercise the whole body, and she found herself with a vague interest in perhaps giving it a try for herself.

She nodded once in understanding. All new skills required intensive practice to master, unless the practicer was innately talented in the art at hand. She had endured countless of her mother's lessons before the woman had been satisfied with her performance. Aila watched as his pose subtly shifted in a way that returned his physical attention to the blade.

Another nod as he spoke once more, "My mother often seemed rather upset that she could not teach me a traditional weapon." She left out that there had been times she'd felt rather upset that she'd been unable to learn, though a wistful glint to her expression whispered as much. It had been a connection with her heritage that she had sadly unable to make.

Her gaze lingered momentarily, as if under hypnosis, but she returned her attention to the Venusaur. They'd come for training, after all, and as interesting as it was to watch, watching would do little to actually facilitate exercise. Fleur waved a vine as a signal that she was ready to continue whenever her human was, though said human's attention was pulled back to her partner at his offer. She floundered momentarily to find a reply - was it too forward to readily accept? would it not be a bother for him to teach a complete novice from the very basics? She attempted to keep her silence as brief as possible.

"I would certainly be interested to learn, if it would be no trouble," she replied carefully.

Well, that made sense. She ducked her head slightly, "Very well, then... I would like that." She consciously refrained from her habit of adding a request for permission to the end of her acceptance. Permission came with the offer. It was always a struggle to remember that. She cast a look at Fleur to indicate that the grass-type could stand down for a while, and the Venusaur nodded and made herself comfortable.

"I must confess that I know next to nothing about wielding," she warned as she stepped away from her pokemon and approached her partner, eyeing the blade in his hand curiously and with a tangible sense of wonder.

With a nod, she accepted the blade from Asch, and the weight of it immediately dragged the tip to clatter against the floor. She kept a firm grip on the hilt, though, however surprised she both felt and appeared. "...This is much heavier than I had expected," she confessed, forcing the sword into a more upright position and adjusting her posture to more comfortably bear the weight of the metal.