For someone who lived with a small family most of her life, Valerie wasn't accustomed to spacious quarters. It helped make the barracks bearable. Being in such a sumptuous area, she expected a grand scene that awaited her beyond the door. To her surprise, she found a decently-sized living room shared with a small balcony. There was no elevated ceiling nor were there any fancy portraits placed around the room. A standard collection of things were sprawled in places, but otherwise, it looked like a normal room she would have at home.
She stepped forward and admired the filled bookcase. Kane came following her in, his gaze nowhere near as interested as hers. She sat on the couch and found it was comfortable. She stood back up and noticed a small table and a pair of chairs on the balcony outside. It had a gorgeous view of the streets below and a sight of the ocean from afar. She couldn't believe this was what she'd be waking up to from now on.
She breathed, still in awe. "This...is not what I imagined at all."
"Your stay just needs to be convenient and comfortable."
"I am grateful for that." She realized he was standing beside her. Her heartbeat quickened as she swallowed. "I feel like I belong in here."
She turned around and found the kitchen right behind her. There wasn't much space, but enough room to move around. She admired the lone dining table. It was placed in front of the balcony so she could gaze off every time she sat down, admiring the stars once nightfall came along. Around the kitchen was her bedroom and a singular bathroom. She found a bath tub inside with a small sink, but didn't pay much mind to it. Her room came with a full-sized bed and she wasted no time laying on it.
As she stared at the ceiling, she could hear the Commander's footsteps. They stopped at the doorway. Seeing him watching made her tingly, but she managed to keep her cool. "-This is nice."
He stood at the edge of the bed and opened what looked like a brochure. "Your instructor is a couple of blocks away. It's a safe walk. You can easily get there in 10 minutes."
She sat up and took a look at what he was showing her. It was a small map of the location he likely picked up from the lobby. She took it from his hands and started looking at the rest of what they had around - shopping areas, dining, libraries, things of the like. She managed to find the logo of an Armada Base not too far from where she was. She pointed at it and looked at him.
"-Is that where you'll be staying, sir?"
"Yes."
"It's close, isn't it?"
He was quiet for a moment. Without a word, he began walking out of the doorway. She was about to ask where he was going until he motioned for her to come. She got up to her feet and followed behind him as he made his way to her door. He paused for a second and turned to her with his hands held together.
"I want to accompany you to your instructor. I can show you the way and properly introduce you to him."
She attempted to conceal the enthusiasm in her voice. "That sounds appropriate."
He motioned her to go first and held the door open. Again, she thanked him. She held a hand over her smile as she passed by. This was the third time he did this for her. For a military man, she was starting to see how much of a gentleman he truly was. The Commander led her on a path through the gardens and eventually onto the walkways of the city.
As they walked together, she realized how much time she's been spending with Kane. Her graduation was held just this morning and now she traveled to an entirely different city. There was also the necklace she received from her mother - placed securely in her bag, which she left back at her new home. And finally, what happened on that ship, where she nearly drowned. It gave her a firsthand witness to how...unsuited she currently was for the seas.
Needless to say, she had a lot on her mind. She felt hot, but it wasn't because she was in the Commander's presence - it was from a growing feeling of frustration building in her chest.
She looked around at the buildings, statues, and fountains they passed. Nearly all of them were unicorns or shared elements of the mythical creature. It gave her a mild flashback to the lobby - display cases filled to the brim with small unicorn figurines. She clenched her fists as she found the twentieth one on their walk alone. She despised the fact that she even counted them. Seeing so many made her eventually snap.
"What is with Florenza and unicorns?" She asked exasperatedly, more to herself than anyone. "I haven't seen anything but those horned creatures my entire time here."
"They consider it a prestige symbol of their accomplishments and noble statuses. To them, a unicorn is a rarity that deserves the upmost respect and attention - which is what they consider for themselves as well." Kane calmly explained.
She looked at him in disbelief. "They're using unicorns to show how competent and rich they are?"
"Practically." He brushed some dirt off his epaulets. "The King shares a fascination with them. He is much more obsessive about it. His castle has several in every room, at the least."
Something in Valerie possessed her to laugh, remembering Kane is his right-hand man. He must be surrounded with them all the time. "How terrible for you..."
An amused noise emerged from his lips. "-If this bothers you, his castle would drive you insane."
She was intrigued to hear of Casimir's obsession with such a...wealthy creature. She could only imagine what a castle filled with unicorns looked like. It humored her to picture the Commander in the middle of it - a man of his esteem, working for someone obsessed with something that wasn't even real. Now she found herself relaxed. The heated feeling in her chest dissipated and in its replacement were the butterflies in her stomach. She wanted to hear Kane chuckle more, to feel the tingles on her shoulders when she heard it the first time.
"This is it."
His voice snapped her back into reality. They were in front of another mansion. She noticed a large window out front, surrounded by smaller ones lining to the top. Just like the others, this building had a few unicorns etched into the designs, with two large pillars placed at the sides of the entrance. She was uncertain to lay a foot on the marble path. He had to motion her forward to start walking again.
As they stopped in front of the door, Kane spoke quietly. "There is something you should know before we go in." For the first time since she's met him, he hesitated. "Your instructor is a little...coquettish around his clients."
"He's flirtatious?" She asked. He made a gesture with his hand to show she was correct.
"I expect you won't be affected by his behavior, but if there is any discomfort at all, please let me know. He is respected in his field, so there should be no issues."
Her eyes traveled to the door. She appreciated his concern and smiled, nodding firmly. Kane had the pleasure of knocking. They waited before a light voice from the other side invited them to come in. He let her through first. She cautiously stepped in and peered around, not knowing exactly what to expect.
The inside looked nothing like the outside. There was a gigantic indoor pool at the farther end of the room, with diving boards lined together along the side. There was an extremely high ceiling and a large window that allowed most of the light to seep into the room. The floor was entirely made of marble. She could see the moisture atop the tiles as she and Kane moved along. Another room to her left likely served as some sort of shower. She turned her head just as a figure was helping himself out of the pool, a white towel on his head to dry his hair.
She was not expecting to see the abs lined along his stomach, nor the muscles exposed on his arms as he approached them. Her breath grew short as she covered her mouth with her hand. She tore her eyes away from his stomach, but didn't need to worry for long before he draped the towel on his shoulder. He was slightly shorter than her and had bright, blonde hair with green eyes. He had a small goatee and was currently wearing a pair of swimming shorts. He stopped a few inches away and flashed a grin, his eyes notably coming to Valerie first before settling on Kane.
"Supreme Commander..! I wasn't expecting you so soon. I thought our arrangement was tomorrow morning?"
"My ship left at a sooner time. I apologize." He motioned to the woman beside him. "This is Valerie Toscani. I mentioned I would be bringing her over for the lessons. Valerie, this is your private instructor, Aristide."
"Oh, yes! Of course." Aristide went over to her and winked. "-Such a beautiful name, might I add! You must be anxious to learn, aren't you?"
He was observing her face and she grew a little warm under his stare. She hesitated with her answer. "Well...I am afraid of water."
"No worries! I will help you. I can see that you are a strong woman." His eyes trailed over her uniform before he turned to Kane. "-Do you have the, eh, payment, now?"
"As promised."
The Commander reached into one of his pockets to surface a decently-sized bag filled with gold. It was brought to Aristide, who looked more than pleased once it was in his possession. He discarded it out of sight and shook his hand with Kane's gloved one enthusiastically.
"Grande! Such a pleasure doing business with you...I appreciate your references, but rarely do you give me a student of my own! Be sure to send a good word my way to the King, yes?"
As soon as he was finished, Aristide eagerly turned to Valerie. "Today will be forming our lesson plans, then. Tell me, on what days are you indisposed?"
She thought for a moment. With this new place and location...she didn't have anything planned. "I am available at any time."
"Anytime, you say? Hm..." He held a finger to his lips. "How about private afternoon lessons on Tuesdays through Fridays?"
"Four days a week? That's it?"
"I offer sessions during the weekends, but they're, erm, public." He eyed her for a moment before smiling. "You can come in for them any time for no additional charge, cara."
Her heart skipped a beat at the term and she thought of his offer. She wondered how much free time she'd end up getting if these lessons weren't as frequent as she thought. While she quietly contemplated this, Kane turned to Aristide and asked, "-And what time will her lessons be?"
"Well, typically they start at noon and last a few hours. Sooner if the lessons go well." He rubbed his chin. "Technically, we could start her lessons tomorrow."
She seemed happy with this, stepping forward and finally shaking his hand. "Thank you. I look forward to learning. I will be here on time so we can get started."
He put his hand over hers. "I expect to see that beautiful face here tomorrow so we can start working on that fear of yours."
She withdrew her hand. His were warm, but they weren't as strong as Kane's. Aristide bid them farewell as they left. Valerie couldn't help musing over what he called her. Beautiful. She was called that by her mother plenty of times, but it was different coming from a stranger, especially a man. Her hand found its way to her cheek and she slid her fingertips across it.
She wondered what she looked like. She hadn't gotten a good look at herself in months. 'How much could've changed?'
The sun set during their conversation. The air got cooler as they made their way on the path. Again, things were quiet. She could hear crickets and the slight shuffling of those nearby, but what sounded to her the most were Kane's footsteps. His combat boots exaggerated them no matter what surface he stepped on. She was starting to recognize the pattern. The way his badges quietly tinged against one another was strangely calming. She was content listening to these things.
Eventually, she decided to speak up. "I see what you meant. Aristide was quite charming."
"Many women work with him for that reason. You'll find a lot of them if you attend the weekend lessons."
She observed his face in the dark. Even though his mask concealed most of it, she could see his jawline and cheekbones from the slight light that illuminated them. She melted being this close. Even if they were just walking, she felt like this was the most contact they've had so far. She understood clearly: no man could be as attractive as the Commander. No one else gor her heart racing as he did...
She licked her lips. "I have no time to get distracted."
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He looked away to motion to the building they were approaching. "We're nearly there."
She frowned. Then she remembered he was going to come back. 'This isn't the last time I'm going to see him. He wants to...visit me.'
Her thoughts were interrupted when Kane held the door open for her. It was a habit to thank him and continue on. They climbed the stairs together to her room. She searched for her keys and unlocked the door, relaxing when she was through the doorway. Kane lingered as he closed it, then began searching through his coat. She watched him curiously.
"I have one more thing for you before I leave." He informed.
She mouthed an 'ah' and patiently waited for him to find whatever it was. He pulled out another small bag filled with what she presumed to be gold. When he offered it to her, her brown eyes widened in surprise and she quickly shook her head.
"Commander, I can't take anything more from you-"
"I insist. This is to support yourself while you're here. Food, clothes, necessities. There is a market down the street where you can obtain these things." He slid the bag into her hand despite her protests. "You do not owe me for any of this. It is all yours to use as you please."
She opened it and found quite the sum inside. She frowned as she closed it. "Sir, you must've paid Aristide a lot to teach me. Are you sure-"
"I mean to keep my promise in supporting you. I remind you money is not an issue for me."
She was quiet. Then she set the bag down on the counter. He relaxed his shoulders as she did this. Truthfully, she was more than thankful for his help. The thought of affording groceries and clothes hadn't even occurred to her until this moment. She had some money set aside, but it wouldn't suffice to afford anything in a location like this. What he gave her was more than enough for awhile.
"I have to go, now. Good luck with your lesson tomorrow."
He headed for her door. She tried to comprehend his words. That's...it? All he's going to say before he leaves? She turned frantic as she followed after and grabbed his wrist, wishing to have her final word before he's gone again. He always seemed to do this - pop out of nowhere, do so much for her, then leave again...She couldn't take it, especially with her growing feelings for him...
"Wait!"
He flinched when she grabbed him, so she let go. He stopped in his tracks. He looked at her with impatience, obligating her to wring her hands together and quickly think of the words she wanted to say.
"I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me today. You saved my life, you gave me somewhere to live, and because of you I'm going to learn how to swim. All of this in one day, and...I do not know how to take it all in." She paused to rub her arms, finding herself cold. "I wanted you to know that-that I am looking forward to seeing you again, s-sir..."
He was silent for several moments. Almost long enough for some tension to grow in the room. She shifted her weight to the other foot as his eyes continued to observe her. She regretted saying all that. Had it been the wrong time? She wanted to express how much she appreciated his help. Maybe she meant a little more with the last part, but he couldn't pick up on that, surely?
After awhile, he replied. "It was all my pleasure. I expect you'll have plenty to fill me in on once I am back."
His words were gentle and felt sincere. She smiled. Was he suggesting that he'd...like to speak to her again? She couldn't deny their conversations felt...nice. Her breath was hot as the next words left her lips. "Farewell, Commander."
He tipped his hat before leaving through the door. She allowed her eyes to linger on his form as he walked off. He moved briskly when she wasn't beside him. It took a few seconds until he was out of her sight. That was when she finally shut it and sighed. She was left with an empty and rather quiet apartment - the Commander no longer there, her completely alone...her chest grew cold as she shut her eyes tightly, deciding now would be the best time to bathe and change into better clothes.
She ran a hot bath that night and allowed herself to soak. She realized how dirty she got from the ship ordeal and cleansed herself as best as she could. But her mind was elsewhere. In her right hand she clutched her father's pearls, holding them delicately and stroking them every time she thought of him. Her mind wandered back to the Commander - reminding herself that he is the reason she is here, and not enduring more training like her fellow soldiers are. She has time to be at peace, alone with her thoughts. She didn't know how badly she needed this until she had it.
She sunk a little more into the water, closing her eyes. 'I'm going to miss him. I only spent a day with the man and yet...I'm starting to feel something more.' She smiled under the water, content knowing of his true nature, how she is the only one who will get to see it this close.
