"Striders have a saying," Natya answered. "Never believe what you haven't seen. I mean... granted, Letto did say he saw it, but still." She shrugged. Carson stroked at his beard, tugging Malia closer. Natya shrugged. "The Runners are doing okay. Learning to shoot is easy enough, but trying to explain the fear of imminent death is a little harder. We're going to be starting harder drills before long, help work on their reflexes and hand to hand stuff."<br/><br/>"I'll be taking over from here," Carson said, and after a pause he squeezed Malia. "She'll be with us. We'll teach you how to fight, but we'll take our time. No putting you in danger."<br/><br/>"Not until you're all better, anyway," Sunny said, winking at Malia, but Carson gave her a look that made her blink.<br/><br/>"Come on, Lia. Let's go visit the other Runners. They're in the dorms. We can pick up my things, too. I moved after... everything." He kissed her in the hair as he walked past the other two Striders, then turned down toward the dorms. "We'll need to pick out new weapons for you. One for melee, one for range. Maybe a third for more versatility. There's lots to figure out for now. Think about it, alright?"