"The sooner we understand what's going on, the better.  I just hope I'm strong enough to protect her next time," Lukas said in resignation.<br/><br/>He managed a thin smile.  He had spent most of his waking hours outside of class this week training with his longsword and had had little time for socialization.  It was nice to see his friends again, despite his personal shame.<br/><br/>"It's really nice to see you guys... I've not seen a friendly face in a while," he hesitated, "I guess I'd better be off to class; I don't want to miss Ms.Nanbu's lecture."<br/>