Gemini

The Swordsman and the Twins

The tea seemed to get stuck my throat. I almost choked, almost.

Not even twenty-four hours had passed since our first meeting with a person and we had already been discovered.

I sent an alarmed glance to Nate, who seemed as shocked as I was.

«You must be confused Sebas, neither Ellie nor I are one of the Twins» Nate tried to say, trying to save the day.

«Please. Next time you try to go unnoticed avoid keeping your marks in plain sight. Or wear something other than t-shirts. Take your pick» Sebas replied to him with amusement.

Oops. We screwed ourselves.

«All right Sebas, we are the Twins. So what? Are you going to report us?» I asked him in a serious voice.

«Uh oh, none of that my boys. I don't hold any kind of grudge against you, unlike the rest of the world. Then again, I am just a poor hermit trying to live his long life to the best of his ability».

He sounded honest, but there was something in his answer that didn't quite convince me.

«You see, this house is very big and living in it alone for thousands of years certainly hasn't made it any fuller. 

I believe it was a couple of centuries ago that I started to think about the possibility of taking pupils with me who would carry on my style and legacy and pass it on to posterity, spreading the result of my research. But you see, I'm basically a lazy person, and I didn't feel like going around the world looking for pupils.

So I reserved the right to test those who, one way or another, appeared before my door to see if they were worthy of being my pupils.

I must admit that I was deeply disappointed with the previous generations who, while producing a large number of interesting individuals, failed to provide me with the right ones. So congratulations, you are my first pupils!» said Sebas.

Nate and I exchanged an amused glance. He looked like the classic cute neighborhood grandpa. A strange one, no doubt about this, but basically a good one.

We had no reason to reject his teachings and so we more than gladly accepted, telling him that we would set up a small house over the hill if it was not a problem for him.

What can you do? By now we were experts in the field.

The answer he gave me finally made me realise what I wasn't fully convinced about just now.

«Uh-oh, no need. I already have the necessary rooms here in my house. Sure, they're a bit of a mess, but I'm sure it won't be a problem for you, right?»

What a cheeky bastard.

But in the end it could be seen as a fair exchange. 

Emphasis on "could".

So it was that my life and Nate's took an unexpected, but after all welcome turn, under the guidance of wise Sebas.

-

Days passed, and finally the training began.

I can say with certainty that at the end of each day I would spot a bruise that was not there the night before.

To say that the training was tough would be an understatement. 

It was devastating.

Sebas had decided that he would have no half measures to make us experts in his sword school, the Phantom Dragon (I still believe it is a name he made up on the spot).

For some reason he had seen fit to teach us the fundamentals of sword fighting by beating us until we could no longer stand up.

«Non, non, non! Ellie dear, your guard is so low that I could literally jump over it and Nate, boy, your attacks lack bite! You must do it like this» Sebas calmly (sort of) told us, patiently showing us what he meant by hitting us.

Again.

And again.

And so, day after day, the training continued tirelessly as did our task of cleaning and tidying Sebas' house, which was now our house too. That old geezer seemed to be able to make a mess faster than we could tidy up.

«That's part of the training too, right Sebas? It's training like "wax on, wax off" right?» I asked him one day, genuinely interested to see if there was an explanation that didn't include him being lazy.

«I don't know what wax you're talking about, girl. But if someone managed to put something like that into a training program, then he certainly was a visionary. I will see if I can modify your training program to include this "wax on, wax off" you speak of» he replied cheerfully, winking at me. 

As if we needed something else to include in the training. «Don't bother Sebas, it's fine as it is. I'm sure Master Miyagi won't be offended by so little» I said trying to avoid further exertions in the near future.

«Master who?» asked Nate and Sebas puzzled. «Oh, nothing» I replied, walking away. All we needed was for that nutcase of Sebas to come and discover Master Miyagi's magical teachings.

And so, day after day and month after month, the training continued, the bruises increased and we improved.

But it still wasn't enough for Sebas.

Another year passed.