In the sennights that followed the Baron's downfall, Xochitl and her squadron were promoted to the Advanced track for getting skilled recruits out into the field faster. Alvaro and the rest of the children were all fostered out across the city, but once a sennight they were all allowed to get together to have dinner together to keep their camaraderie strong. It was uncovered that the Baron was operating with a slaver out of Limsa Lominsa, secreting vagrants and children off to them to be sold in black market slave trades the world over. They didn't catch the slaver, but with the Baron's supply chain broken they'd likely sail on for more cooperative waters.

It was as good an outcome as anyone could have hoped for given the circumstances. Aside from their promotion, the cadets weren't given any great accolades or celebrations for their achievement; it was just part and parcel to being a Landsguard and protecting their people.  But for Xochitl and her comrades, they didn't need them. Just seeing the light on the children's faces as they were taken to good homes where they'd be well-fed and well-treated was reward enough.

"Man... save a bunch of children, break up a slaver ring... and what do we get?  Gate duty." Izco groused as he and Xochitl stood at the gates of Brightbloom Post.  They were dressed in full Landsguard regalia now, though they were lowest of the low ranking, which meant they got the more onerous duties that people dreaded. 

Xochitl laughed across the entryway at the hhetsarro. "Well, you could always shirk your duties and spend the next two sennights on kitchen duty."

Izco straighened, putting his hands on the hilts of his long knives that hung from his belt. "Nope, I'm fine. If I don't have to peel a potato for the rest of my life, that'd be grand."

Atlan and Pixie came walking up the ramp toward them. "All right, relief is here!" Atlan said, extending his arms outward. His new lance gleamed brightly on his back.  Beside him, a crossbow hung from Pixie's belt and a quiver of bolts peeked over her shoulder. "Xochi, you're to go to Sergeant Major Pāinalli for weapons practice. Izco, you're to report to Lieutenant Nezhui for... alchemy training?" That wasn't exactly standard training for most recruits, likely something Izco had been earmarked for given his background. The hhetsarro didn't talk much about his past, his family, or what his experiences were before he wound up here, so it was certainly a curiosity.

"Thank every Vidraal..." Izco said with relief, slouching as he left his post, trading out with Pixie. "We didn't notice anything untoward the whole morning. Just normal people coming and going along the boulevard. Nothing suspicious."

Atlan could only laugh, much as Xochitl did, when Izco got to grousing. One would think that with as much as he complained Izco would be trying tooth and nail to get out of his contract with the Landsguard, get himself drummed out of the gates. In spite of all his whining, though, he stuck by them and went about his duties better than most.  He was certainly a bundle of contradictions sometimes.

"I'll see the lot of you at lunch." Xochitl said, waving to them as she took off at a trot. "It doesn't do to keep the Sergeant Major waiting."

No, no it did not. In fact, the Sergeant Major was standing there, hands behind her back as she waited. She was another xbr'aal, much like Xochitl was, except she had more the coloration and likeness of a proper lioness.  Golden fur, gold and copper mane, fierce amber eyes. Her tail flicked back and forth, annoyed, as the tigress approached. "How long does it take to switch out gate guard duty?  You're late." She inclined her chin toward a weapons rack along the wall. "Longsword. Shield. Now."

Xochitl trotted over to the weapons rack, trading out her spear for a longsword. She already had a round shield, so she stuck with that. As she belted on the longsword, Pāinalli paced toward her. "Hup!" 

That was all the warning Xochitl received before the Sergeant Major swung her own longsword at her. Reflexively, Xochitl brought up her shield to bear and it shrieked against the metal as Pāinalli didn't pull the stroke. Using the momentum of her attack, Pāinalli pirouetted on one foot to take another swing. Again, Xochitl kept her shield aloft, greeting the longsword with the roundel of metal. 

Without a telegraph, Pāinalli dropped into a crouch, sweeping at Xochitl's legs but the tigress was in full armor so she just planted her feet and held her ground. The cadet trainer impacted the metal plating of her greaves with her shin. There was no grimace of pain, no inclination that the impact affected Pāinalli at all.  With her in a crouch, though, Xochitl took the advantage and swung with her shield; the shield bash connected with the trainer broadside, sending Pāinalli rolling sideways. The lioness controlled her roll, using that momentum to regain her feet a few fulms away.

Pāinalli straightened to her full height. "Good." The lioness paced back toward Xochitl, but the Yak T'el tigress remained ready for any sort of attack. That made Pāinalli laugh in a low chortle. "At ease, cadet. You're skilled, I'll give you that.  You're Ixchel's daughter, as I recall, the eldest."

Xochitl gave a short nod, still wary. "Yes, Sergeant Major."

Pāinalli chuckled again. "I said, at ease, cadet."

With that emphasis, Xochitl sheathed sword and shield back where they belonged on her person, standing at-ease as she continued to watch the lioness warily.  Pāinalli drew closer, within a fulm or two of the former Yak T'el huntress. "I've spoken with your mother numerous times in her trips to Tuliyollal to sell her pelts and her leatherworks. She's very skilled, one of the pride of Iq Br'aax.  It's said there's no beast living that she cannot fell." 

Xochitl smiled with a small bit of pride. "Indeed, that's my mother."

"I take it she taught you?" Pāinalli asked, turning sharply to her left to pace away. 

"From the time I was six, aye." Xochitl provided. "I was trained in all manner of outdoor survival and how to hunt the ibruq, both with a partner and without. I have also hunted the br'aax beyond the village to keep their numbers from overwhelming us and becoming a hazard to travelers and merchants."

Pāinalli nodded. "Good. You've Landsguard blood in you already. You'll come to me, every day, in the two bells before your lunch period. We're going to train you hard and well, but when I'm through with you, there will be nothing that can break your shieldwall and your sword will be one of the best the Landsguard has to offer. If you don't think you're up to the task, then say so now and I'll find me some other recruit to train."

Xochitl shook her head, frosty mane dancing about her shoulders in artful waves. "No, Sergeant Major, you don't need to find anyone else. I'm up to the challenge."

Pāinalli smiled. If Xochitl didn't know any better, she might have thought there was something slyly malicious about it, but Pāinalli was known to be tough but fair. She trained all of the frontline combatants in the Landsguard and they were known to be some of the toughest individuals in their squadrons. Some considered it an honor to be chosen by her for training. 

"Welcome then, my Prodigy of Steel." Pāinalli said, drawing her sword once more. "Let's begin."