William smiled, he was happy that she accepted. He turned around and walked outside. Once he was outside he felt a gust of wind, in the confusion of earlier he hadn't put his armor on. He also saw his ash armor, he made the ash scatter and reassemble next to the inn. He turned around to Claire. "Do you want to train here? Or do you want to find a place better suited for training?"
Claire looked around at the area, scanning it for a better idea of what was around. thinking it over, she decided against it "lets see if we can find a more open space; I don't want to hit the Inn and deal with an army of angry Ghouls." she said, voicing her thoughts.
She took a moment to offer a quick prayer the others could remain unobtrusive for however long it took them to finish their second spar. she doubted it was possible, but hey; that's what prayers were for.
William looked up, he didn't much mind the cold. It made him remember the way things used to be before, and how he had turned them around. He looked around for a more spacious area. "How about just outside the gates? It is spacious but still quite close to the inn." William suggested looking at Claire.
"works for me" Claire responded with a shrug; it was honestly the best place she could think of, not that they knew the area well. She had to admit, the weather was hardly good for their spar, and worse her own night-gown was hardly the best dress for the situation. She wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep warm until they had begun their training - after which she would be plenty warm.
William nodded, he noticed that Claire looked a bit cold. He focused and his ash began to float around Claire. Some of them had been in the fire earlier and where still a bit warm, he smiled at her and began walking towards the gate. He looked around to see a couple of more ghoul guards, he was happy he didn't have to fight them earlier. The gate was closed, William walked over to it and began opening it. Once he got it open he stepped aside and allowed Claire to go first, women where supposed to go through a door first.
Claire was surprised by a sudden warm feeling, the source of which became apparent when she noted the ash flowing around her. "thanks" she said quietly. She disliked depending on others - it made her feel weak - but she let it go this time; it was too chilly of a night for too much complaint. Besides that, she felt the need to say thanks; she was many things, but ungrateful wasn't one of them.
As they reached the gates to the town, William opened them for her, allowing her to pass without difficulty. she smiled at the gesture. it had been some time since she had last been in civilized society now, so the brief reminder of it was more then a small blessing; it was a piece of home she had forgotten she missed.
When the pair had finally arrived outside the gates however, the mood changed for her. Now it was time for business; not reminders of home. drawing forth her blade, she held it up in an "en guard" stance ready for the spar. the stance was one better suited for a rapier - her weapon of choice - but it was a versatile enough stance to allow such a weapon to be used. She was sure William would critique the stance soon enough, but at least she was better then a novice with a blade. "So; shall we begin?" she said with a smirk on her face; they may have made peace, but the previous fight had left her deeply unsatisfied with the result and she was more then ready to redeem herself and her skills; her fencing master would haunt her if she didn't and, to be frank, she never much liked him in life.
William smiled, he was happy she hadn't made a complaint about him opening the gate and such. The stance she took was an good rapier stance, but not a good long sword using stance. William smiled "Want me to help you get a better stance first?" He asked.
Claire looked at William a little indignantly, saying "And what's wrong with my stance?" she was hardly a bad swords-woman - she had been fencing since childhood and knew, at least in part, how to use a blade. a moment later, she realized she was being a bit dumb; she knew how to use a rapier and other fencing blades, and she could make-by with a longsword, but William had likely been practicing with a longsword for far longer then she had - it was exceedingly stupid to ignore his council. None-the-less, she had a certain amount of pride to maintain; she wasn't unskilled after all, so she added - somewhat sheepishly - "oh, very well; how should I hold this blasted thing?"
William laughed. "I will show how to hold that 'blasted thing'." William grabbed his sword with 2 hands and lowered it, until it almost hit the ground. "This is one of the most common defensive stances. It is used to draw inexperienced fighters in. Making them attack you, and by doing that making sure they leave themselves wide open. Because it looks like you can hardly defend from this position, while in reality you can defend really well from this starting position." William quickly moved the sword upwards showing how he could block attacks from that positions, and then again lowered it to the same position as before.
Claire watched William's stance closely, trying to make out the position of his legs and arms, the pivot of his torso compared to his waist, and the location of the sword relative to it all. Before he swung the sword up, Claire took a mirrored stance. It was unpolished and imperfect, bt it was a good approximation. It was also extremely uncomfortable given the difference in muscle usage between rapier and longsword users and, more importantly, the head difference in their heights. When William swung the sword, Claire tried to do the same. the results however were far different. Where William executed the act with practiced precision, Claire's movement was jerky and her hold on the blade far to light, the result was Claire's sword flying from her hand - fortuitously nowhere near William, but still a quite spectacular failure. Claire blushed crimson in embarrassment at the failure. "I.. ah... may need some help with that." she finally said, avoiding William's eyes.
William looked at Claire, she seemed to be doing okay for her first time. She then swung her sword, it flew from her hands and landed a few feet away before her. Claire blushed as she looked away from William. William walked over to the sword and picked it up, he offered it to Claire. "I will help you try that again. Now take the same positions as before please." William was giving her a reassuring smile, He didn't laugh or did anything else to make her feel more embarrassed.
Claire, having more then made a fool of herself, took the same stance - as best she could - as before. she was glad William hadn't made a big deal about it - letting her keep some small piece of her pride and self-respect. when she was in the stance again, she turned her head toward William and asked for confirmation "Like this?"
William looked at her. "Well it looks better, but it can still be improved." He took a positions behind her. "May I?" He asked, asking her if he could help her move her body into the right position.
Claire nodded her consent, still a bit ashamed at her earlier failing, but more so wanting to get a hang on the heavier sword
William nodded. "Well first you need to move your leg left leg, a bit further to the left. Your legs are to close together right now, making you and your stance less stable."
Claire moved her left leg as instructed, getting it into roughly the right position. As she did, she became acutely aware of William; now standing behind her, directing her movements. For some reason, she felt nervous and uncomfortable. after a half-second thought, she attributed it to her earlier failing and moved on. When her leg was in the correct position, she replied "Okay; now what?"
William felt his heart rate increase a bit, he wasn't sure why. "Secondly you need to put more strength behind your grip. You are holding a heavier sword now, so you have to put more strength into your arms, to be able to successfully swing it." He said remembering the sword throw from earlier.
Claire tightened her grip on the hilt. The uncomfortable feeling still remained, at it seemed to get worse as William spoke; his voice tickling her ear. Maybe it was just that she was thinking like a student, and it was the watchful eye of the master that was making her uncomfortable. It seemed logical enough, but at the same time she felt warmer then she had before, and her heart rate was elevated. "Physical exertion?" she thought, before shaking her head free of the thoughts. and finishing adjusting her grip. "Okay... um.. anything else?" she asked, hesitating at the strange feeling.
William saw her tightening her grip on the sword. His heart rate slowly increased, as a warm feeling began to spread through him. He was unfamiliar with this feeling. "Yes only one last thing, you are over pivoting your chest. Here let me help you." William touched her shoulders gently, trying to help her take the right position.
Claire had started "un-pivoting" when William offered to help, his hands touching her shoulders. it was a light touch, but it sent her nerves into a frenzy. She'd never felt this way; it was alien. It wasn't her self-consciousness at her failing, it wasn't the stern "eye of a master" or the labor of her body. She had no idea what it was and it scared her. Her heart rate quickened further, and her mind went into a craze; she couldn't think with his hands there. Suddenly, she was extremely aware of her state of dress and she panicked; though she couldn't explain why that was a concern in her frazzled state. She dropped the sword with a clatter and started to pull away; her mind desperately trying to buy time.
When William gently touched Claire's shoulder he felt something. His heart began to beat even faster, nearing a dangerous point. He could also feel her tensing up, he wondered if she felt the same thing he did. She suddenly dropped her sword and pulled away, William was shocked because of the sudden loss of physical contact with her. He grabbed her hand as he stepped forward "Are you okay?" He asked with a worried tone. His heart was beating so fast, he was afraid it would burst out of his chest. But he couldn't let go off her for some reason, he needed to be with her, he needed to hold her.
Claire had managed to break free to find some space when William's hand grabbed hers, and the feeling increased dramatically. Her ability to breath, to move, to think was draining from her quicker then water from a bucket with no bottom. He asked if she was okay, but she couldn't even think of an answer; the pressure was too great. Unfortunately, while she could no longer move, she still had the forward momentum of her pulling away and no ability to curb it. Because of the iron-like handhold, it resulted in her pivoting to face him, her arm crossing in front, maintaining the handhold. With the change of view, she was staring into William's eyes, concern plain to see in them, as well as something else. William's question went unanswered, distracted and bothered as she was. Her mind screamed out to do something; anything, but no part of her could receive the messages. All she could do was stare at the warrior; her heart beating faster and faster, her face a bright red, her breathing as though from a long run, and her hand on fire with the touch of his skin. The only conscious thought in Claire's mind was "WHAT IS THIS!" Claire's eyes moved to the tall man's lips, her chest tightened, and she was all but lost. She wanted to run until her mind cleared, but she could no more let go of the mans hand as she could cease being human. This all occurred to her in the short time it took to spin to face the man, but it was far from the end. Even with the spin, her forward momentum was hardly stopped. With the immovable handhold, the only place that could give were her legs which skidded on her heels, sending her backwards toward the ground
William felt his hand touching Claire's hand. The feelings he felt was completely new to him, he wasn't certain of anything anymore, all he knew was that he wanted to be with Claire. The momentum of her step made her turn around. He saw Claire's face, there was a reflection of the moon on it. She looked just like an angel, and the look in her eyes made him break out in cold sweat. Claire's eyes then moved to his lips. Her momentum was too much to lose with just a spin, she fell backwards towards the ground. William was dazed by the event, he was pulled to the ground with her. Claire fell to the ground and William landed on his knees. He looked down to see Claire lying underneath him. His chest began beating even faster, he was now sure it would explode. A red blush spread on his face as he looked at Claire. He didn't know what to do, so he just gave in. He moved his face closer to Claire's, his lips were getting closer to hers. He had lost all ability to think clear at this point, the only thing he could think about was Claire.
Claire barely registered the feeling of her back hitting the soft ground. It wasn't that she didn't register the change in orientation; that was made explicit by William's presence above her, on his knees, staring down at her. Her mouth dried and her stomach pulled in from the tension from the stare. For a moment they stayed like that, her eyes locked on him trying to decipher the information. It seemed like an eternity staring at the figure above her. The illusion was broken as she saw his face growing larger - closer. his lips were jutting forward toward her own. Her mouth opened slightly, drawing a short, shallow breath as inch by inch, he moved closer and closer. A moment before their lips met, her mind screamed back into existence; finally recognizing what this was; attraction, want, desire, and more. With the realization, her free hand moved, entwining itself in his hair, pulling him closer as her own head moved up toward his quickly approaching lips. In a moment that seemed to last longer then her life, the lips were but a hair width apart. Then their lips crashed together and the feelings exploded in her mind; her lips were ablaze and her heart fluttered like never before.
It tasted like steak
William moved closer to Claire, he could only see her surprised expression. He could then see a change as he was getting closer to her, she opened her mouth and moved her hand. She placed her hand on him and pulled him closer, and finally it dawned on him that she wanted him too. Their lips met and the world seemed to stop moving around them, emotions unknown to him flooded over him. Desire, attraction, love he didn't know what it was called, all he knew was that he would never forget this feeling. Their lips moved as they kept kissing each other, William's mind was completely filled with these new emotions. He didn't stop kissing her, he couldn't stop kissing her even if he wanted too.
Claire kept her hand on the back of William's head, gripping his hair and pulling him in. William quickly took command of the interplay of their lips and tongues, though not without a great deal of fighting on Claire's part. Her now recovered mind protested against their actions; screaming about how this was the worst form of breach of military protocol, how she was dishonoring herself, how her duty demanded they stop; how wrong it was. But, all that aside, Claire didn't care. She'd dedicated herself to duty, to honor, to doing what others needed of her. Today it would stop; she was putting her life on the line for her country, for her people, for her way of life. She didn't just want this; she needed it. She could no more stop it then she could cease the tide and no more wanted to stop it then stop the sun rising in the morning. Tonight was for her. and William. She broke the kiss long enough to stare at William once more, broke the iron handhold to wrap her arms around him. She didn't quite know what this all was, but she wanted... needed to find out. She pulled him in once more, and the spar of their tongues began anew.
*Fade to black*
William woke up feeling different, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the sun. It blinded him for a second, he sat straight up and placed his hand on his forehead. All the events of last night came back to him, his feelings for Claire had grown even more since then. He turned his head and saw Claire laying next to him in the field. William looked at her, he smiled as he looked around some more. He spotted his weapons laying about 20 feet away, he suddenly got worried about the others. What would they think about them not returning, but once he glanced at Claire again none of that seemed to matter anymore. He had her, what could he ever otherwise wish for? He moved his right hand through her hair and smiled at her. William then leaned over to Claire and kissed her on the cheek "Good morning sunshine." He said with a happy tone.
Claire opened her eyes groggily to the sight of William leaning over her, a smile on his face. She wondered for a moment what the smile was for and why it was so bright. She wondered why her bed was so cold and why she couldn't feel the covers. In a flash, the previous night came to her. Her mouth widened, her eyes grew larger, and her face grew a particularly bright shade of red. For a moment, a feeling of guilt and embarrassment washed over her. She grabbed the nearest article of clothing, covering herself as best as possible - not that it really mattered at this point.
A second later, her resolution from the previous night washed over her; this was the path SHE chose. She'd gone against everything she'd ever fought and believed in, but it was for something she wanted as much, if not more. She looked up into William's eyes and knew she'd made; if not the right decision; the one she wanted.
At that she was able to finally relax. And smile. It was the broadest smile she could remember ever making; so much so she brought her hand to her face just to confirm what her face was telling her brain.
Her words failing her, much as they had the night before, she muttered several "um"'s and "ah"'s before she was finally able to respond. "Good morning William" she said, her face still bright red and smiling ear-to-ear. "So.. um... about last night... what... where do we... yeah" she asked; honestly having no idea what to say.
William looked at Claire's face. She opened her eyes and she seemed confused for a second, her eyes and mouth then opened wide and she turned red. She grabbed his shirt and used it to cover her body. William suddenly got terrified, was last night a mistake in her eyes? She then smiled, but not an ordinary smile. It was the widest smile he had ever seen, and he responded in kind smiling brighter then ever before himself.
She then started muttering, she seemed very uncertain. She was still smiling and completely red as she muttered a good morning. She then tried to say something about last night, only to stop talking mid sentence. William had completely turned red too, he was also uncertain about what to say. "So?about last night. I just wanted to tell you? That it was the best night of my whole life. I was wondering, if you felt the same way? " William began scratching his face, something he did when he was really nervous.
Claire looked up at the now red colored face of William and sighed in relief; at least she wasn't alone in her embarrassment and confusion. To answer his question, Claire pulled herself up; still holding William's shirt, and kissed him lightly on the lips. It was hardly the passionate kisses of the night before, but it was an answer she could give without the articulation that had abandoned her. Finding her words, though unnecessary, she added. "I do... so what now? What are... we?" she said trying to define "them". They certainly were no longer "commanding officer" and "diplomat." She knew they had skipped a few steps in the previous night, some of them a bit on the important side.
"and... what do we say to the others? The truth, a lie, ... what?" she asked. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what she wanted to say, though there was a certain desire to look at Rias and Karen and say "mine", but she would try to resist that particular desire.
William was waiting for an answer, he got on in the form of an kiss from Claire. She then said that she felt the same way, William felt a fire raging inside his chest. He felt pure happiness inside of him, nothing like he had ever felt before, except for last night. Claire then asked what they were, and what they would tell the rest. William just smiled, he placed his hand on Claire?s hand and said "We can be whatever we want, I suggest calling us a couple. Unless you have a problem with that?"
William began moving his hand, slowly moving it up and down her hand. "And as for what we tell the others, I suggest we tell the truth. Nothing good ever comes from lying, and besides I don't think they will mind. And if they do." William moved his face closer to Claire. "They will just have to live with it, since I am the leader of the party." William had a naughty smile on his face as he kissed Claire on her cheek.
Claire returned the kiss, turning so their lips would meet. She stopped it from going further however; they didn't have the time for a repeat performance of the night prior, despite the rave reviews. "Yes commander" she said, still beaming. After putting everything in order, she grabbed William by the hand and pulled him toward the Inn.
She stopped for a moment to look back at the dirty field in the middle of a swamp, memorizing every piece of it she could. She grabbed a simple swamp rose from nearby to take as a souvenir, slipping it behind her ear for the time being. "I guess we should get going... love." she said as she turned from the simple field toward their duty at the Inn.
