His lips where warm just like his hand. He kissed softly, she could feel the passion in his lips as they stayed connected for what felt like forever. If she had any words for this they escaped her. Just being with him, in a moment like this was all that mattered.
He slowly pulled back, still looking into her eyes.
"There you feel better?" he asked politely.
Blake could only nod, too caught in the emotions of that moment to make a proper response. Her shame made way for a sense of happiness as she clutched the warm tea cup in her hands, desperate for warmth, the warmth only he could provide.
"I apologize if I sprung it on to you that suddenly. It was….a spur of the moment decision, I had no idea what came over" Carlisle said as he sat back into his own seat.
"It's fine. I hope I don't cause you any…well…confusion."
Carlisle grinned at that "hardly dear Blake, if anything you're the only clear thing that I see. What just occurred with Miss Weiss was…well unplanned. I must admit I feel bad for what just occurred with her. To tell you the truth, I know she likes me, knew it from the start, but I'm kind of taking advantage of that" he admitted.
Blake looked up curiously at him, unsure of what she just heard.
"I might make it sound worse than how I mean it but let me explain," he started "you see the Schnee Dust Company possesses a special kind of device, it is said to be able to find anything or anyone with a stand of DNA. I recently lost something quite important to me. The reason I go along with Weiss' advances is for the device so I may find what I lost."
No words came out of Blake's mouth after this revelation.
"I know it is a horrible thing to do and I do not want to upset Miss Weiss, but I have been searching for weeks, in every corner of Beacon and I'm at my wits end. I know what you might think of me now but.."
As if she moved at lightning speed she had wrapped her arms around him in a flash. Holding him tightly, her head on his shoulder.
"No I understand, I know what it's like to lose something and want it back so badly" she said.
Carlisle was in stunned silence. This girl just kept surprising him with her behavior. Was she just that desperate to be accepted? Or was it more at play. May she genuinely like him instead of the idea that Weiss seemed to fantasize him to be.
Slowly but surely he wrapped his hands around her as well.
"You are truly kind Blake Belladonna" he told her, holding her tightly.
Blake felt magical in his embrace. She felt a familiar feeling build up inside of her, a wet feeling between her legs and a tingling in her stomach.
No I cannot…but I want him badly.
They moved away from each other, his hands around her waist and hers on his face. She leaned forward and their lips once again touched, only this time more hungrily.
Carlisle kept his hands on her waist as Blake infiltrated his mouth with a more fiery passionate kiss then before. Blake clearly had gotten comfortable enough with him.
The kiss lasted for about 2 minutes until the young professor put a stop to this "as much as I enjoy this Blake, spending this moment with you, I'm afraid we must discuss how to move further first considering the situation."
Blake nodded, Carlisle still held her waist, implying he didn't mind her sitting near him.
"I do not want to involve you into a situation you do not want to be a part off. I feel already guilty enough taking advantage of Weiss' feelings and she's your teammate. I do not want to cause trouble or friction in your team, nor do I wish I was in this position. But you're looking at a desperate man here Blake, and I'm running out of time."
Blake softly caressed his face "what have you lost."
Carlisle didn't answer instead he looked down in dismay "that is still too much too share for me Blake, but no worries in time you will know. I'm sorry I have to keep this from you for now, and I'm sorry that I upset you today."
Blake was unsure of what to say next. Clearly whatever he was seeking was so personal he couldn't mention it. Was it an object? A person?
"I don't want to keep you in the dark Blake, so if you want to take distance from this and…from me. I will understand."
Blake's smile sunk at that thought. Taking distance from him seemed impossible now, after the events of tonight, she wasn't sure what they were. She had seen a new side of him, one that didn't make the best decisions to achieve what they wanted. Just like Adam…
She didn't want that, she didn't want to lose Carlisle like she lost Adam.
"I just…I wanna help you" Blake said solemnly.
The young professor chucked at her before embracing her once more "you already help enough dear Blake, you are here. I can trust you with this."
Blake allowed the warmth of his embrace to wipe away her worries.
"But I wanna do something to help you with this" she noted, her head resting on his shoulders. "You being here is enough, you keep me from overthinking."
They stayed just embraced for too long it felt.
Carlisle released her and looked at her "just remember if you see me with Weiss, it is nothing personal, it's just a necessary evil I must endure to get what I need. Also I don't like ice queens, I like a woman with fire in her veins" he said looking at her with a smile.
Blake blushed bright red at that.
In School:
Jaune and Phyrra where walking through the hallways as night was closing in.
They were talking about nothing in particular until they ran across the infirmary on this hall. The tall warrior woman glanced a look inside and pulled Jaune beside her.
In the room they saw Cardin Winchester sitting upright in a bed, or more accurately it felt like a shadow of himself. His face was composed of only a blank stare, no movement, no response to anything around him. He was like a shell.
"Anything new head nurse?" a voice asked.
The head nurse who was next to Cardin shook her head "no nothing. He is still physically healthy but he is completely catatonic and won't respond to anything" she declared.
Pyrrha reeled back in shock. Yes Winchester was a prick but even he didn't deserve that. She grabbed Jaune's hand and pulled him away from the infirmary doors.
"Jaune, something is really wrong with Cardin, it's worse then I heard" she said, causing Jaune a look of surprise "what are you saying now Phyrra, Cardin has been nothing but a pain in our ass from the moment we arrived, why should we care about what happened to him."
Jaune was callous and totally apathetic to Cardin's state, not surprising considering the massive bullying Cardin put him through. But Pyrrha was determined.
"Regardless you saw him. He is basically just a shell, and it happened so suddenly. Something must have occurred?" Phyrra wondered.
Jaune scoffed at her question.
"Jaune come on you have to take this seriously. What if this happened to one of us too" Phyrra said angrily.
"Yeah sure, because we are likely to get on Carlisle's bad side" Jaune laughed.
Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at that "what do you mean?" she asked. "Well people are saying this happened after Cardin attacked Professor Carlisle during class a week ago remember?" Jaune replied.
The warrior started to think back. Cardin's attack on the new professor was the talk of that day, and not long after Cardin was found basically in this catatonic state, unable to speak, as if he had seen something so horrible his mind broke.
"Now that you mention it that's right, it happened not long after that altercation. But are you really implying professor Carlisle is behind this?"
"I don't know Phyrra, but I don't trust the guy, I followed him once…" he was cut off by a surprised and flabbergasted Phyrra "you followed him? Jaune what were you thinking you could have gotten in real trouble."
"I know, I know but I saw him and a weird guy talking with Weiss and I became suspicious." He answered.
Pyrrha sighed at that, as always Jaune and his stupid unrequited crush on Weiss.
"Still Jaune those are pretty hefty accusations. We can't just assume that, we need prove that he had something to do with it" Phyrra said.
"Yeah. But how do we manage that?" the young warrior wondered to his teammate.
At Carlisle's residence:
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you outside Blake, can't have your team growing suspicious now can we" the young professor inquired.
Blake nodded in agreement, though still slightly disappointed.
"I understand" she replied and she made her way to the door, with the professor following right behind her.
As she stepped out of the warm home and faced the bitter cold air of the night, she turned to see the man she had fallen for, a smile forming on his face as he stood there in the doorway looking at her.
"I'm sorry about tonight Blake I truly am, I feel I burdened you with too much info" he told her, looking despondent.
"You didn't Firen," saying his first name was still an odd feeling too her "I just wish I could do more to help you."
Carlisle took a step towards her, taking her hands into his own.
"If I need you I will let you know, just don't judge this desperate man too hard for what he needs to do" he meant his continued "business" with Weiss, a means to an end to acquire something very important.
"Blake," he grabbed her chin gently "know that no matter what I do from here on, I value everything you do for me, the support you give me as well as the passion you inspire in me. In just a short while you have done so much, never underestimate the wonderful impact your presence has."
He gave her a kiss, a small and gentle one. One meant for a goodbye.
"Thank you Firen" was all she could say as she started to run to campus. Carlisle smiled and returned inside his house, looking over his kitchen, grabbing the cup she had drunk out of and inspecting it. He smiled at it.
"Am I really liking this girl?" he wondered too himself.
He had never intended for this to happen, sure he had noticed Blake Belladonna, she stood out without trying to stand out. But his mission was clear. To find her. No matter what it cost nor how long it took. Three months he had spent trying to get to this place and weeks after looking every place he could for just the faintest hint of her presence.
But now love was throwing a wrench in his plan?
Bitterly ironic, he thought to himself.
He had to proceed with his plan, as crazy as listening to Vadim was he was correct. The Eliphas Code was the only thing he knew that could lead him to the object of his search. The other alternatives would be too time consuming and he didn't have that time to spare. Who knows how long she still had?
Tired Carlisle passed by his study and walked in, grabbing the photo on his desk and taking another good look at it. A tear rolled down his cheek as he chuckled at the photo in his hands.
"I was a fool sending you here first, it should have been me. We always looked out for each other and now I was the fool that didn't look out for you. But I will make it up to you, I will find you no matter what."
He put the picture down back on his desk. Wiping the tears from his eyes.
"I will find you, I promise you, Milena."