Flower Falls and Crystal Calls

Second Spar

Chapter 17

Elle was still not smiling when they made it to the training grounds. Laer was already out there with the older boys, but handed them off and jogged over when he caught sight of them. He stopped when his eyes landed on Elle's expression. He gave her a side-eyed look and whistled. "Who spit in your fruit this morning?"

She rolled her eyes at his teasing. "Stow it. Don't we have better things to do? Like beating the crap out of each other."

He laughed and shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm not letting any of the trainees spar with you until you lose whatever crawled up yo-"

"Enough." Caius was frowning at both of them, but he turned to Elle with a contemplative look. "I had hoped to ask you to spar myself."

Both the others froze and looked at him in shock. He hadn't bothered since the first time, and no one wondered why. The skill difference was clear. Even Elle could admit that. "Why? Not that I would say no, but I thought you didn't feel it was a challenge."

He didn't say anything right away. Instead, he gestured toward the empty area typically used for hand-to-hand. She raised a brow but followed him out as murmuring broke out around them. This time, Elle caught a few bets being passed back and forth and had to repress a grin. Oh, what a difference a few months and a behemoth made.

When they got to the middle, Caius finally turned to her. "I had hoped to have you face me as a l'cie. I need the practice, and you have improved greatly since our first spar. It makes sense that I ask you."

Elle froze and frowned at him. "You are asking me to fight you with my l'cie powers?"

Caius nodded. "It would benefit us both."

Elle clenched her fists and almost walked away. She wasn't sure if she was angrier that her friend just asked her to purposely hurt him, or pissed that he might feel she couldn't. She finally managed to reach back and yanked the knife from her belt. He raised a brow as he watched her toss it to the side before she reached for the other two. Neither of them noticed the fact that they had garnered an audience, including two that generally would not have been on the plateau. Both the Ballad twins had come to see what an average day was like for the Apprentice and his charge after they had the chance to fight by her side.

Caius ignored them all as he frowned at Elle's jerky movements. He lowered his voice as he stepped forward. "I thought you would be pleased. This should allow you the opportunity to release your frustration with no worry that your opponent would be harmed."

She glared back at him and practically spit her answer back at him. "No worry? Caius, do you realize what I'm capable of? I know you may be rightfully arrogant when it comes to your skills, but you haven't seen half of what I can do as a l'cie. You pretty much just told me to not hold back, and I'm not sure if I'm more offended at being underestimated again, or pissed off that you don't seem to care that I could hurt you. Badly. Just for the record. I do care, even if you don't."

Caius stood stiffly as he realized how she had taken his request. He should have known that in her current mood, she would miss his underlying meaning. He sighed and shook his head. "Elle, I do not underestimate you. I would not have asked to stand against you if I felt you were not capable. As for hurting me, I trust that you would not. I only ask that you do not hold back more than necessary to keep from permanently harming me. I will do the same for you, as a mark of the respect I hold for you."

She froze and narrowed her eyes. When she realized he meant it, she huffed. Her huff then turned into a laugh, and she shook her head before she held out her hand. "I apologize. I guess my temper really does have me by the tail. Let's make it count, shall we?"