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There was little Koray loved more than a little peace and quiet. Yes, he absolutely adored his family, and the friends he made, but when it boiled down to it, he was an introvert. Those blissful moments where he could be alone, softly humming to himself while he worked on his latest bit of embroidery were treasured.

Though at first, he was a little frightened being by himself in their temporary little cottage. Everyone had things to do, parents selling goods at the market, Ilkay doing whatever it was that Ilkay did, and he was to watch the home.

What they expected him to do when someone came to ransack the place, he had no idea.

And then, the dreaded knock came, and Koray gulped as he picked up his little staff and went to answer the door.

Behind it, a woman. Seemed to be about Ilkay’s age and that was already a good sign! Someone his age probably was one of the many many friends he made going all over the place.

“Hello.... Um... Did you need something?”

“....” When her eyes went wide, so did Koray’s. He was a little shocked himself at the pause, and then instinctively smiled back. She seemed friendly enough, so he opened the door a bit wider for her. And he simply beamed at her when Ilkay was mentioned!

“Mhm! I’m his little brother, Koray! It’s... It’s really nice to meet you.” Anyone who was Ilkay’s friend was guaranteed to be a friendly, kind person! Koray had no real idea why that was just yet, but a friend of his big brother was a friend of his!

And she was really cool looking. Big and strong, and pretty... And she complimented him! A vibrant blush crept up across his face, to the tips of his ears.

“You... You really think so?” Grabbing the edges of his clothing, he did a little twirl, the fluttery edges of his clothes picking up and billowing around him. “My Papa made them for me! I helped though! See the embroidery on the edges? The spirals? I did that!”

Ah, but it was rude to keep standing there like that, so he hurried a little more inside, holding the door open for her.

“Did you want to come in for a little bit? I’m sure Ilkay will be home soon! You can tell me about this sparring ring thing over a cup of... Something. Tea? Juice? I got milk too!”

“Hehe... Thank you!” He bowed his head a little, still feeling ever so slightly flustered at the lady’s compliments. No wonder Ilkay liked her! She was super nice with her words, and he knew Ilkay enjoyed what he called ‘small talk’.

Once she was inside, Koray closed the door behind her led her to the little dining area. A simple, plain room, given that they wouldn’t be staying in this house for too long. There never was any time to decorate. The moment it would go up, it’d come right back down and get packed away. That was fine though! He still knew where the cups were.

“It’s completely fine! Ma, Papa, and Dad all know that I’m smart enough and a good enough judge of character to know who to let in and out of the house.” He poured her a sweet cup of the local fruit punch, and placed it before her. His own cup was taken to a small chair that was by the window, where he was at before with his embroidery kit.

“So yes! This um... This Sparring stuff! Where’s it at? Are the people tough there?”

"Yup, I know! Sometimes people come by with weird questions and want some help, or try to peek into the windows. I just go ahead and tell them. 'Sorry, no one here can help, go to the city guards!', or toss them something out the window. It's hard to say no to someone who just wants some help finding another kids, or a lost pet, but... It's not my job. I-I mean it could be my job, but Ilkay would beat them up if something goes wrong, and I wouldn't want someone to get a black eye over me, if they don't really deserve it!" Koray knew how protective his big brother could get, especially if anything made Koray startled or scared enough to cry. He didn't even want to think about the trail of black eyes, contusions, and broken bones Ilkay left behind in their travels because of him!

... Though he would secretly admit, he loved the attention, and hoped Ilkay stayed with him forever! A cool big brother like that was too perfect to have leave his side!

He listened to her describe the little arena, eyes cast downwards has he focused on his little embroidery project.

"... Oh! Yes, I know where you're talking about! I think Ilkay would really like it, yes! I... Um... I'm not that big of a fighter, so I don't think I could fight, but thank you. He'd really REALLY like it though! Especially if there are really pretty people around. He says he likes to 'tumble in the sheets' with them out of the arena too! I don't get why you would wrestle in a pile of sheets, but I think it's because it's softer than the ground at alot of those places. Ooh, but anyway, do some of the fighters use magic, or is it all punchies?"

"Thank you... I do like to help people, and I promise I'll give Ilkay the message too! That'll be me helping you, right? Right!" He got up from his little sitting space and hurried over to the table with a parchment and a quill, jotting down everything, including Iro's name at the bottom of the note. Perfect!

"A metaphor? For what?" Wait... Wait a minute, he knew that reaction! Ma, Papa, and Dad all did the same thing! Ilkay did it too! He knew what it meant, it meant they thought he shouldn't know what they were talking about!

... Alright, fine. Koray didn't know Iro all that well, so he only nodded at her and smiled.

"Okay, if you say so, Miss Iro! Ooo, no, can I call you big-sis? Since you're Ilkay's friend, you feel like a big-sis to me!" Alot of the people Ilkay hung around didn't seem to like formalities all that much. It was a habit he noticed was shared between those of the scrapper type. But they did like it when they were called big-bro or big-sis!

"That's a little sad. Some people don't have big muscles or strong arms to fight. Papa says that my arms are meant for holding a book or staff, rather than punchin' people. And I am a little good at magic! I still like watching people fight like Ilkay does as long as they don't... Um... As long as it's not really them being mean and fighting... Sparring!! That's the word!"

"Big-Sis it is then! Hm... I know other places have them! Like further north, and the isles across the ocean. Here, I'm not sure. And my magic... I'm still figuring that out. Ma is like Ilkay, good with her firsts, but Papa and Dad both are really bad at any sort of combat. One's a chef, the other is a carpenter. I guess I gotta find a good teacher one of these days, but it's hard when you're travelin' all the time." Books could only teach Koray so much, and even then, form was hard to learn from text alone.

And you couldn't learn magic simply by hopping in to a ring. He learned that he hard way. It didn't often just come to you, there were basics to know!

"Ohh, but how do you fight? Are you good with your hands like Ilkay is? He says his hands are magical and he has people begging for more! .. I don't understand why people would beg to be punched more, but who knows!"

“I hope so too... W-would you really? That would be really kind of you, Big-sis!” A teacher of his own!! The best case scenario would be a teacher willing to travel with them, but even he knew that was a long shot. He could hope though!

Again, Koray gave a knowing smile, assuming that she was hiding something. It was fun to watch! Sure he didn’t get it, but it was still entertaining.

What he did gasp out though was her hands! They were much bigger than his own, and he took one between his hands, feeling the callouses and admiring what he knew was hard work.

“Wow... That’s... That’s so cool! Your hands feel just like my mom’s! You must be just as tough as she is!”