A Step Towards Happiness
Cardia stared out over the lake, tracing the ripples of water with her eyes. It amazed her that wind could be so powerful as to knock down a building, yet gentle enough to caress the water's surface in the form of a light breeze. She was also thankful that this breeze was one of the things she could truly touch, the cool air brushing her cheek and lifting up ringlets of loose hair only to let them fall haphazardly against her shoulder a few seconds later.
"You seem rather content out here all by yourself," a smiling voice said, and Cardia turned just as Lupin stepped out of the small grove of woods separating the lake from the mansion. Her lips curved upwards briefly, still not quite used to the feeling of a full-on smile. Lupin strode up to her side, adjusting his white gloves as he settled into place next to her and turned his own gaze out over the lake.
"It is... very peaceful," Cardia said, to which Lupin let out a soft laugh.
"That it is," he agreed. Cardia glanced up at him curiously.
"I thought you were helping Impey with one of his machines today?" She formed this as a question, and Lupin met her eyes, though his body was still angled towards the lake.
"I decided to take a break and let him handle it on his own." One half of the man's face raised in a sly grin. "Besides, I think I was doing more damage than repair, in all honesty..."
The small attempt at a smile passed over Cardia's lips again, and Lupin felt a tug on his heart. All he wanted was for her to truly be happy- he had realized this quite soon after saving her, though he knew that it would take a miracle to make this happen. The poison preventing this beautiful girl from leading a normal life was impossible to remove.
Still, Lupin hoped that, if nothing else, he would at least find a way to make Cardia's entire face light up in a genuine smile.
Moreover, he wanted make sure that he was the one to make her smile first. It was a silly thought, he knew; Cardia was not a prize to be won, but a lost young woman looking for people to help her get through life. However, that did not stop Lupin from desperately searching for a way to accomplish his goal before the likes of Impey could get into Cardia's psyche first. The gentleman thief's search had been fruitless until, with the help of a friendly scientist, his prayers finally seemed to have been answered.
At least, he hoped this to be the case.
"Cardia, I, um...," Lupin began, angling his body towards the girl at his side. She gazed up at him, sea-blue eyes wide, and the man felt his breath catch in his throat.
"Yes?" Cardia questioned, tilting her head. Lupin cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back, cheeks flushing a light pink.
"I... I would like to try something, if you would permit me." He grimaced, realizing how vague and potentially worrying that request sounded out loud. "It is nothing dishonest; I swear on my reputation as a gentleman thief!"
Despite the irony of that statement, Cardia let him continue, more curious than before. Nearly everything the boys had shown her since her rescue was something "new," at least in her mind. However, at this point after months of training there had been very few things that the boys deemed important or necessary enough to teach her that she had not already learned. Therefore, Lupin's proclamation intrigued her a great deal.
"Please close your eyes," Lupin said. Cardia followed his request, clasping her hands in front of her torso as she did so. Lupin took a deep breath, hoping that Victor's inventing skill held up to this new challenge. To Cardia, he murmured softly, "Now, My Lady, please try not to be startled with what is about to happen. I have taken precautions in case something goes wrong, so do not worry."
Cardia frowned, excited but admittedly a bit worried. What was Lupin possibly going to do that had a chance to "go wrong?" A few tense seconds and some shuffling of fabric later, Cardia had her answer.
Her eyes flew open as a warm object was placed against her cheek. Lupin still stood in front of her, his expression a mixture of worry quickly fading into relief, while his hand... his hand, still covered by his signature white glove, now rested gently against Cardia's skin.
"L-Lupin!" she exclaimed, pulling away, clutched fists instinctively raised to her chest in terror. She could not imagine what he must have been thinking, touching her like that; he knew that her poison went straight through fabric. In a matter of seconds, his palm would be forever scarred, providing that he only suffered the mildest result of her monstrous condition.
Yet, despite Cardia's expectance of screams of pain and the all-too-familiar smell of melting flesh, Lupin remained perfectly calm. In fact, he almost seemed giddy with excitement. With a laugh, he held his hand up, palm facing the scared girl. The glove was perfectly in-tact, showing no indication that it had just been exposed to the most volatile poison in the known world- meaning that the hand underneath it was perfectly fine, too.
"Wh...What?" Cardia whispered, dumbfounded. Lupin's smile widened and he took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
"I asked Fran if he could coat my gloves in the same substance he uses for your clothes and bed sheets," Lupin explained, turning his hands over to show off the gloves. "Just because the poison is in your body should not mean that you are the only one able to use that specially-treated fabric, should it?"
"I... I suppose not," Cardia agreed. She had never thought about that aspect of her predicament before, but it made sense. The poison was restricted to her and only her, but anyone could potentially use the antidote if they wished. Suddenly, unexpectedly, her eyes began to water.
"Oh, no! Did I upset you?!" Lupin grimaced, unsure of what to do. "I'm sorry, I-"
"No, I... I don't think I am upset." Cardia brushed a tear away from her eye and gingerly grasped Lupin's hand in her own. She knew that her own gloves would protect him when she was holding his hand, but when she brought his palm up to her face, she hesitated. Giving her a soft smile, Lupin understood her request and gently placed his hand against her cheek once more.
With Cardia's now-overflowing tears came something that Lupin had begun to think he would never witness. The girl's lips widened into a full smile, even more beautiful than Lupin ever imagined it would be. He ran a finger over her bottom lip, and Cardia's grin crinkled the corners of her eyes.
"Thank you," she said, to which Lupin merely chuckled.
"I promised that I would make you happy, Cardia," he responded. "This is only the first step, but I know that someday, not even a glove will be necessary to separate us."
Cardia merely nodded, unable to speak any longer from the emotions welling up inside her throat. Lupin wanted to say more, but he knew that it was still too soon. After all, as he had just said, this was only the first step towards a better future.
They would both have to wait to see what the next part of their adventure would be.