Avatrice in the Alps

Tired?

The sun was hot and dry and it sparkled off the lake like stars in the sky. Ava could feel the sun on her back, warm on her hair and dry through her throat and every second bit back the impulse to complain or to stop.  She had been training for hours, well before the sun had risen and now the sun was beaming down  potent and bright.

As another punch was thrown, Bea eyed her cautiously, watching every movement.

Stopping, Ava pushed back the dangling strands of hair in her eyes, put her hands on her knees and took great big lungfuls of air, that was somehow too warm.

"Why did you stop?" Beatrice asked firmly crossing her arms, in her head Ava compared her an angry teacher at the orphanage and would have laughed if not for the exhaustion.

"I think if I had continued one second longer I would have collapsed onto the floor and never have been able to get up. What would you have done with a useless warrior nun? If you think about it I was doing you a favour."

Beatrice chuckles. "Uh huh."

Ava replied with a smile "No really. One second away."

There was a short silence where Bea considered and then smiled "You can stop."

Quickly, Ava cut in breathing a big sigh of relief "Thank goodness."

"On one condition." She finished and smiled again when Ava moaned loudly. "If you beat me sparring."

"What." Ava whined kicking dry soil around her feet.

Laughing, Beatrice stepped closer "It's your choice."

"But I'm tired." Ava whined taking a step to meet her and glancing up with big convincing eyes.

For a second, Beatrice turned and it seemed like Ava had won but in a mere moment her legs were out from under her and she was lying on the ground.

When Ava looked up she peered into Bea's deep brown eyes and for a while was lost in the way the sun danced across them creating golden flecks. All thoughts fled her mind and it took a moment to gather herself to realise Beatrice's hand were under her head and stopped the impact of the ground.

Having Bea this close made Ava giddy and she couldn't help but smile up at her face. It took minutes to trail ever inch of her face, the slope of her check bone and length of her jaw before landing on her lips. Now there was nothing else that mattered.

"Still tired Ava?" Beatrice asked with a smirk.

All Ava could do was shake her head because she was definitely no longer tired.

Slowly, Beatrice inched her face closer to Ava, who had completely at this point lost all decent thought, until their noses touched when either breathed.

"Does that mean you're going to beat me at sparring now?" Beatrice murmured right onto Ava's lips.

"Shut up." Ava replied and pulled her face down to meet hers.