Valerie received a letter from her mother a few weeks after she sent the last one. She remembered speaking mostly of Kane and grew embarrassed when she received a response. She regretted pouring her heart out on that last page. Regardless, Emilia was happy for her and encouraged her lessons. She commented on the mentions of Kane, asking how if she had seen him lately. She decided not to answer that directly, beating around the bush in her reply.

It wasn't serious, anyway. Sure, they were on a name-basis with each other now...but that couldn't mean anything special, the longer she thought about it. She saw no need to make a big deal over him yet and stuck with her personal details to write to her mother. She felt a little uneasy sending the letter off, but focused onto her lessons instead. The parts she truly looked forward to were the times she met with Kane afterwards.


The afternoons she spent with the Supreme Commander were the best times of her day. While she formed a sort of friendship with her instructor, Aristide, she valued the time after her lessons more. It was always a pleasure being out with him due to the looks they'd receive - ones of astonishment and admiration. She learned that Kane had the greatest respect in Florenza, and every time they passed any guards or military men, she would receive a tip of the hat from them. It was an entire different experience - and she loved it.

The next time she saw Kane, she wanted to spend their time together alone. He appeared the same as always - in his elegant uniform, hat, and mask on his face. She began to dress a little differently. She bought a few more dresses in the Supreme Commander's absence, which were conveniently golden and black in color. She found an appeal to the combination and couldn't help herself. Every time she walked next to him, she felt like her outfit was complimenting his.

She led him to her apartment and settled in while he idled in the living room. Ever since he praised the necklace, she wore it almost every time she was out. She got a few compliments from strangers on the street for her appearance. His advice was working too well - she caught herself taking notes on what the other women were wearing. Rarely, she would eavesdrop on nearby conversations to pick up on the dialect and was trying them for herself.

She liked how Kane spoke. It was...intelligent, but not as arrogant as the men on the streets. He also had that accent that she liked. No man could ever replace that, as far as she was concerned!

She walked out of the room after tying the necklace on and found him sitting patiently on her couch. She stood for a moment or two, wondering what to say. She felt nervous under his gaze; the way he sat, resting his combat boot on his knee while laying his frame against the cushions...it wasn't helping the situation! She began looking around the room, thinking of what they could do. She had excuses to go in public with him, but now she had to entertain him herself. She remembered about the games laying around and searched through the cupboard where she kept them.

"Would you like to play a game..?" She asked.

He was watching her, his blue eyes intently pressing on her back. He brought his attention to the shelf she was searching through. "What do you have?"

"Let's see..." She picked through the boxes. "I have a deck of cards, Bang!, chess-"

She heard some movement. She noticed his stare was on the box her hand was on. She slipped it out and observed the picture of a chess set on the front. "Would you like to play..? I don't think it's an ideal game to start off with; I would prefer checkers, or-"

"Va bene così. Bring it over and I'll set up a game."

She blinked once or twice before bringing over the box and handing it to him. She watched Kane remove the set inside, setting everything on the table before them. The set wasn't anything special in appearance - a wooden board game with simply-detailed pieces on a poorly-printed board. He didn't seem to mind, arranging the pieces where they went. He set it up to where she played as white. He motioned her to sit across from him. She pulled up a chair and brought it to the other side of the table so they were facing each other.

"Have you played before?" He asked.

"I used to play with my mother. I don't think I was ever good at it, though."

"Chess is my favorite game. My father taught me how to play when I was a child." His voice was eager as his fingers trailed over the head of the pawns. "I'm a renowned player."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Why have I not heard of that until now?"

"Have you ever been to a competition?" She shook her head. "-Then you wouldn't. I entered dozens of them in my childhood. I've won quite a few awards. I'm prestigious in the eyes of fellow chess enthusiasts."

He made his first move. She waited a minute before making hers. She felt uneasy about the outcome. She was playing with an...expert? Her mother played the game with her to pass the time while they waited for her father. As far as she remembered, neither of them knew much about chess, past the simple playing rules. An uneasy feeling arose in her chest as she played with him, praying that he wouldn't look down on her lack of practice.

A thought distracted her in the meantime. Perhaps conversation would deter him. She sat back in her seat coyly. "It makes sense chess would be your favorite game..."

He moved his piece without looking at her. "-And why is that?"

"Well, you're the Supreme Commander. Surely you've heard the saying, 'war is like a game of chess'..? The soldiers are the pawns and the pieces?"

"It's an insightful analogy." He moved his knight along. "Then again, some also say war is like a card game."

"Hmm. What do you think..?"

He was quiet as he focused on their game, pressing his gloved fingers against his chin. He played his turn, addressing the question with a slight shrug. "Truthfully? It can be a bit of both."

She took a glance at the board. She had an idea of what she was doing, but he already captured a few of her pawns. The game just begun. She decided to continue on with the conversation, in hopes of distracting him. "Why?"

He sat back in his seat, finally tearing his eyes away from the board. "Imagine yourself in my position. If war were truly like a chess game, I would be telling my pieces where to go and what to do. I account for any losses or victories - I'm one step ahead. But the things that are unpredictable would be considered a sort of wild card."

"So, you have your chess pieces and a joker?"

"Practically."

She held her piece in between her fingers. "That's an odd way of looking at it, isn't it?"

"The most true to my experiences. I would know."

He watched as she played her piece, then proceeded to capture it. She huffed in her chair as she took a good look at their game. In the span of their conversation, he captured quite a bit of her pieces. She hadn't realized she left so many openings; she must've been too absorbed in his words. Valerie continued to play and curiously watched his turns. He'd spend a minute or two staring, thinking, before he'd move his piece. And it'd be somewhere completely unexpected - yet, she quickly learned, it was all apart of a strategy he played.

While she spent several agonizing turns attempting to find any openings to capture his pieces, he already cornered her. Her gut sank as he moved his piece towards her last one, the word smoothly slipping off his tongue. "-Check."

She examined the board in awe, then slumped in her seat. She admitted failure. She moved her piece to the side and watched as he easily captured her king within the next few turns. It felt like a great weight was lifted off her shoulders knowing the game was done. She ran her hands through her hair as she watched him clean up the pieces, arranging them into their rightful spots again.

"I don't think I could play another game with you," She confessed. "I already know I am going to lose."

"I don't intend on a second game. I want to teach you something." He informed her.

She was inclined to listen. He set up the board with ease and looked at her carefully. Then, he motioned to his black pieces with a gloved hand. "You seem to play with only the next step in your mind. Chess is a game of strategy - you want to think several steps ahead, and consider your opponent's move every time you make yours."

"That is a basic rule, yes."

"But you're not executing it." He picked up a pawn and leaned back in his seat. "You move your pawns without much thought. They give room for your other pieces, and there are advantages you can make with them. If you'd have seen what I did with mine, I'm sure you'd understand."

He moved onto another piece and began explaining to her how it could be used. Despite not having much interest in the game, she found herself listening intently. He sounded so confident in his words. He went to the extent of executing some of these strategies in action, and she followed his words carefully. When the time came for him to wrap up his advice, she found herself wanting to play with him again. She held a hand over his as he went to remove the pieces.

"I would like to try again, if you don't mind? Now that I know a bit more about the game..."

His eyes glanced down before he nodded. She got excited when she played her first move. Kane was more than willing to partake in another game, and this one went by much quieter than their first. She was too focused on her turns, trying to follow his advice. She didn't understand how he could've talked to her so casually while playing all of these strategies...even with her head in the game, he still managed to capture her pieces. And while she nearly got to corner him, he played the game so that she ended up in the same corner as before.

Watching him take her king away and end the game with that infamous 'checkmate', she sat back in her seat with displeasure. He was smiling, looking at all of his pieces that she captured on her side.

"Not bad."

It beckoned a smile on her face. "Really?"

"You're in the right mindset. That's good." He had the freedom to clean up the board now. "That was fun."

A noise emerged from her lips. "Rarely do I hear someone call a game of chess 'fun'..."

He chuckled as he placed the game back in the box. She took it from his hands to return it on her shelf. She felt confident knowing he enjoyed their game together. She was rusty with chess - but that didn't ruin the afternoon. He looked spirited as she leaned on the table, keeping her attention on his mask and his eyes.

"Thank you for teaching me. I can see how this would be a competitive game..."

"I've taught quite a few people how to play chess. You caught on quicker than most."

"How much have you earned from this game, exactly...?"

"Competitions yield more gold than one may think." He shrugged. "I was also paid to teach the game. If I could earn a salary on it, I'd keep it as a job."

"I never would have guessed this about you..." She confessed. "Every day I seem to learn something new about you."

Kane grew quiet. His eyes went about the table in thought. She didn't need a reply, anyway. They'd grown closer spending more time together, and by this point she could very well call him a friend. But every day, feeling these things around him and knowing that they were growing stronger...she wanted more. As she observed his face, he looked to the nearest window. She realized they played these games until the evening - the sky was now a beautiful shade of orange, signalling the sun was nearly setting.

She stood from her seat. "I did not realize how much time has passed..."

"Neither have I." She heard Kane get up. "I tend to lose track when I'm having a good time."

Her heart skipped a beat. She turned around and found him checking a pocket watch. He returned it as he went to address her, giving her a dip of his head. She felt it was too soon to bid him goodbye. If only they could spend hours together longer...she wouldn't even mind playing a hundred chess games! He made everything enjoyable, and as long as she could hear his deep voice and stare at his beautiful mask...

"I'll be heading off, now. I stayed a little longer than intended." He informed her.

She rubbed her arm as she looked at her door. "If I'm going to be honest..." She hesitated with this sentence. "I wish today went longer. It was fun learning how to play chess with you. The rest of the time we've spent - it is all so enjoyable."

He let out an interested hum. "I enjoy our time together as well." She was elated at this reply and his lips twitched. He headed towards her door. "Have a good evening, Valerie. I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow."

There was a tight yearning in her chest as she watched him go. Yet she did nothing to stop him, watching as he carried on. "You, too..."

His eyes lingered on hers as he left, and only turned away once he had to. For a moment, she swore they shared something in their gaze. She closed the door behind her and let out a long sigh. For once, she didn't feel entirely at peace being alone in the confines of her home - she wished she had someone to share such time with. Begrudgingly, she went to make herself dinner, but stopped when she looked at the shelf of games. When her eyes locked on the chess box, her thoughts went to Kane.

It's going to be like this for awhile, She thought.