The Sole Prince

See, you just had to trust me. [part 2]

The day moves by surprisingly quickly, Sage continuing to give tips to James as the hours pass. They move past the basic arm mechanics, Sage then talking about the different basic swings to use. It takes a while for James to get them all, but he does eventually. Sage moves on to movement during a fight, about how to move forwards and backwards, and when someone should charge or retreat. James trips on the edge of the bed during an awkward bout of movement, but luckily Sage is there to catch him as he falls.

Every so often, James will ask a question, and Sage happily answers all of them. It's not that big of a deal, of course, but the action makes James feel appreciated, nonetheless. Sage also enjoys the questions because they prove that James is a tad bit more interested in fighting than he lets on.

They move onto stance variations as the afternoon rolls by, both of them forgetting about lunch. This part makes logical sense to James, so he picks up on the basic modifications right away, only having to spend more time on the complicated ones. The younger man even has fun with it at points. It's like dancing, but, then again, he was never very good at that either. But the nice part about this dance is that he doesn't have to lead. It's Sage who is in control, saying which foot to move, where to place each arm. James has come to realize he enjoys not being in control when he chooses not to be, especially when it's Sage who's calling the shots.

Evening eventually makes its usual intrusion as the two men are reviewing all they learned for the day. Sage asks some version of a test question, and instead of a verbal response from James, all he receives is a stomach growl as a reply.

"Hungry?" the older man asks, on the verge of laughter.

"Starving," the younger man says with a smile. "I just realized we forgot about lunch."

"Just shows how much fun you were having leaning to fight," Sage says, smug.

"And that you don't care about the health of your students." James rolls his eyes playfully.

"Oh, really?"

"Indeed." The smaller man nods his head for enphasis, thinking he's won. Little does he know.

"Then," the larger man says, in a lower voice, taking a step towards James, closing the distance between them, looking down at the man who looks up at him. "I guess I don't care enough to kiss you either." There it is, the killer blow, and James recognizes it instantly.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that," James says, red creeping onto his cheeks.

"Yeah?"

"I think you care about me enough to kiss me. More than enough, really," the younger man admits.

"I do," Sage replies with a smile, leaning down to close the space between them, letting his lips find those of James. It's a brief kiss, the desire for dinner outweighing the desire to lock lips for longer, but it's a good kiss, nonetheless. Eventually the two men pull away, sharing a moment of just admiring each other's eyes. That's when Sage's stomach growls.

"Shall we?" the older man asks with a laugh.

"Please."

The two make their way to the dining hall, sitting down with the other three members of the group. Everybody seems to be in good spirits, it seems. Celine and Eric inform that the ship is making good time on the water, that Roriark is around two months and a half away. The name of the kingdom sends a shiver down James' back, but, somehow, Sage was able to sense it, grabbing James' thigh a bit tighter. Scotty brings up the suggestion of another party, just the thought very promising in everyone's minds.

They continue to chatter and eat their food, talking about plans and laughing at stupid jokes. Sage and James end up finishing their meals first, but then again, that's what usually happens. The two men would deny it, despite knowing it's true. They excuse themselves from the table, after sharing a look with one another that they both have memorized. And, before too long, they're back in Sage's captain, laughing at the joke that Sage just made.