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Ekanite had known not to be late to a training session the day he chose to stop and talk to Limosa on that rooftop. Still, he probably should have come up with a better excuse than not using one at all when he did finally show up to his usual meeting spot with his teacher. Unsurprisingly, Painite had not been pleased with his delay, or his reason for it, and went extra hard on him because of it.

Still, he was nothing but proud of himself, despite his new bruises, as he was pretty sure he had landed a punch without her actually letting him do it. She looked just as surprised as he had, in that moment, after all. Of course, then she sent him flying off the roof and into a dumpster below.

But it had been worth it, all told.

He was hoping she remembered their plan to meet up again, and felt a spark of hope when he followed an aura back to their meeting spot. This time, it was on the ground, though. That was unfortunate, as he had taken a high path to get there. Looking down, he at least knew from his training that he could survive a fall from that height. He was just not so sure about how to land. One way to find out, he thought to himself, before hurtling over the edge of the roof and dropping down to the street below.

Almost nailing it, he hit the curb with one foot while the other ended up in the road, causing him to lose whatever small amount of balance he was aiming for and flop over like a fish out of water.

"Not too much!" Ekanite laughed, dusting himself off. If he weren't so bone weary, he probably could have caught himself better after that jump. Training with Painite was hard, but pulling double time was almost beyond his ability to keep up. Still, his energy was high and his spirits higher.

He grinned, though he winced at his black eye. It was hard to pull his cheeks up too high with it smarting like that.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting, I half forgot where we were supposed to meet up! I should have taken some notes. But I'm glad you're here! I really liked our chat last time! How have you been doing?"

Ekanite moved to sit on a nearby fire hydrant, sighing heavily as he caught his bearings. That fall had left him a little light headed, but he was feeling better.

Ekanite chuckled. He was always in a good mood, but he was in particularly high spirits tonight. He was excited to meet up with a friend, and wanted to tell her everything that had been going on, even though not much of anything had. But wasn't that the good part of having friends? They could just talk about stuff, even if it was not particularly important.

He hesitated, though, when she said she had been attacked. That made sense, what with being in a war, but it still made him feel a little guilty.

"Well, I went back to training with Boss and she was pretty mad I was late, but I actually managed to hit her! A General! She beat me into next Tuesday because of it and I only just got back, but it was pretty exciting. She even told me good job. I think I might be getting stronger and better, so I'll be able to do more for her. That's all I really want, anyway."

He tilted his head, looking a little nervous.

"Not that I'd attack you. You know that right? Like... I get we're supposed to, but... it's working pretty well this way, too. You weren't hurt in any of those fights, were you?"

Ekanite laughed, nodding his head. He knew it was not the best thing to be so damn proud of, but when it came to Painite he was sure he had done something pretty remarkable.

"Yeah, I'm getting to know ranks the hard way, I think. I know I'm not much of a match for anyone, but I'm getting there. I'm sure you are, too. I'm sorry he made fun of you, though. A lot of folks seem to like doing that, my side and yours." Granted, he did have drumsticks as a weapon, and it was hard to be intimidating when dressed like a christmas ornament, but still.

The hug caught him by surprise but he quickly hugged her back, almost picking her up off the ground. He put her down just as quick, though, grinning ear to ear.

"Whoops, sorry. I'm a hugger. No need to apologize, I get it. I ramble, too. But it's worth saying. We're not going to attack each other. Good. Just don't tell Boss that, and we'll be fine."

"That would be a very good idea," a deceptively soft, English accented voice said from somewhere in the darkness. A flare of Chaos indicated a sudden power up, and a General stepped out to look at the two chattering idiots with a disapproving frown. "If she was not very, very good at sneaking."

"B-Boss!" Ekanite stammered, moving to step in front of Limosa protectively, but bowing his head at the woman who was quite a bit shorter than him. Stature meant nothing, however, as her power level was clearly indicated by the strength of her aura.

Painite looked at him, rolled her eyes, then looked at the White Moon girl trying to get her claws in him.

"We can cut to the chase here, and you can tell me what your angle is with him. Just what are you trying to hide from me?"

"N-nothing, we were just talking and we figured you wouldn't want-" Ekanite's voice was cut off as a palm slammed into his chest, sending him sprawling across the ground to land somewhere behind Limosa.

"Not talking to you, kiddo." Painite's eyes never left Limosa, and she tilted her head to indicate she was still waiting for an answer.

Ekanite was collecting himself from the floor, not really hurt but definitely stunned quiet, as Limosa spoke to Painite. The General watched the senshi quietly, eyes impossible to read. They were so pale and icy cold, but there was something behind them. Something new, even to the General herself. She folded her arms over her chest and heaved an annoyed, slightly dramatic, sigh.

"I don't care what your name is, Samosa. I just need you to understand that this boy is my Lieutenant. That makes me responsible for him. Anything you say to him, treat it like you're saying it to me. You wouldn't think to say something misleading or dangerous to a General like me, right?"

Painite was being surprisingly patient, at least as far as Ekanite knew. She always had such a short temper, but she was actually listening, talking, and not just lashing out. Thinking about it, he was not sure he had really seen her outside of their scheduled training sessions and patrols, and he vaguely wondered if she was always putting on the tough Boss front.

But it was impossible for him to doubt anything about his General. She had saved him, and he was devoted to her.

"Boss... please..."

Painite did not spare a glance his way, but grunted after a moment more of intimidating staring before turning her back.

"Just don't be late for training again."

Painite knew she was being placated, but she allowed it, shaking her head.

"He knows when he should arrive. If you two are going to be friends, or whatever it is you think you can do, you'll have to figure out how to make it work. I'm not going to go easy on him, and I won't accept excuses."

All at once, Ekanite burst forward and threw his arms around Painite's neck, hugging her tightly despite how she had thrown him across the city a moment ago. She groaned and tried to push him off, but this time did not put any real force into it.

"Thank you boss! You're the best! I promise this won't be a problem!"

"Don't even talk to me about problems, Ekanite. That's all you are," Painite grumbled, but she allowed herself to be hugged as he squished his cheek to hers. She almost looked at Limosa for help, before disappearing and teleporting further down the street. She waved her hand over her shoulder, though Ekanite did not see it as he fell over.

He grinned, looking at his friend excitedly. He knew that Painite not attacking her or promising the kill her meant that she was going to leave them alone. It was a close call, but she must have saw something in Limosa that she liked. Or she was particularly tired tonight. Whatever the case, she was leaving them be.