It's not as dire as she interpreted it, at least - he was meaning to say that he was twenty-three years old when he accomplished the rank. So it's really more like a decade of training than two decades... though that still might not be of comfort to her.
He's surprised that she doesn't know what aether means. Perhaps her world uses a different term? That assumption seems to be confirmed when she mentions Chi and chakras. Both are concepts that he familiar with, though neither are as universal as aether itself.
"Something like it," he says, patient enough to explain this much, at least. "The ninja of Doma do use 'Chi' in their techniques, though it may differ somewhat from my own experience. By aether, I mean the energy that comprises your being... the elements of nature, and the soul."
no subject
He's surprised that she doesn't know what aether means. Perhaps her world uses a different term? That assumption seems to be confirmed when she mentions Chi and chakras. Both are concepts that he familiar with, though neither are as universal as aether itself.
"Something like it," he says, patient enough to explain this much, at least. "The ninja of Doma do use 'Chi' in their techniques, though it may differ somewhat from my own experience. By aether, I mean the energy that comprises your being... the elements of nature, and the soul."