Lydia
Two weeks after their… disagreement, Lydia was out in the same clearing once more, training the apes in the art of archery.
Both males and females, this time.
Granted, it had taken some cajoling, but it had turned out that many within the colony were partial to the idea. Unsurprisingly, at least to Lydia, most of the females immediately welcomed the opportunity, nodding amongst themselves before Caesar had even finished presenting the human woman's suggestion to the apes. The Ape King himself had seemed greatly surprised by this.
Of course, there were also those who did not take to the idea, even among the females. These mostly counted themselves among the older members of the colony and Lydia theorised that it was probably because they had already settled their mind on the idea of gender-segregated tasks a long time ago. It was probably all they had known since Caesar had first established the colony and so, they did not appreciate change – much like the Ape King himself.
And of course, there were plenty of males who opposed the idea, old as well as young, though not as many as Lydia had initially feared.
Those who did, however, did so vehemently.
"So now the females will hunt. Will males be made to pick roots and mushrooms too?" One of the younger males, an orangutan, had signed once he was given permission to speak and Lydia had almost sighed out loud at the youth's cocky remark. It had earned him a few, approving nods as well as disgruntled huffs of agreement.
But, Lydia was pleased to note, most of the females, even those who had not agreed to Lydia's suggestion, had regarded him with frowns and sneers.
"You have no place to insult our tasks. You make them seem unimportant, but you would not eat half as well if those roots and mushrooms were not picked at all." One of the elder female gorillas had risen to sign, many of her compatriots agreeing soundly and making the young orangutan cower when he saw how he had turned most of the colony's female populace against himself with his statement.
Lydia had chuckled discreetly at the scene. The thing most didn't realise when it came to the apes was that, no matter how dominant the males appeared to be, even they would think twice about messing with angry female apes – especially when faced with large groups of them.
"Who will take care of ape children if females will hunt and fish? Who will forage?" Another male, a chimp, rose up to sign with challenge clear in his eyes. "Just because a human does it, it does not mean apes should too."
The chimp had sent an obvious, pointed stare towards Lydia as he said this, as if to prove his point, though he hardly received any support once he added this to his statement. Quite the contrary, as many apes, even those opposed the idea, frowned at the poor attempt at an insult towards the human woman.
And it was at that moment Lydia knew that Caesar had forgiven her for disobeying him the day before, as the Ape King stood up from his place on the large Council Rock, his stature challenging and his gaze intimidating as he spoke to the objecting male.
"I do not require that you agree. And I accept you speaking against it. That is your right." He said in his gravelly voice, an all-too obvious warning present in his tone. "But you will not insult a member of my Ape Council in front of me."
A pregnant pause had followed in the wake of Caesar's words, shock apparent on everyone's faces as realisation dawned on each and every listener present – even Lydia, who had gone completely slack-jawed as she turned to regard the Ape King, her blue eyes wide in surprise. He had told her nothing about this and as such, she was probably even more surprised than anyone else at this revelation.
Thinking about it now had Lydia shake her head in amused exasperation.
What an absolute ape, she thought fondly before spotting a young male doing a wrong pose as he made to draw the bowstring, and she hurried over to correct him.
Still, she had expected an uproar at the announcement Caesar had made that day, or at the very least a strong objection from the majority of the Ape Colony at the prospect of having a human on the Royal Ape Council.
And they might have, had it been anyone else than Lydia, she realised.
Of course, there had been those who felt that this wasn't appropriate either, but those were few and far between, and the ones who did voice their objection did so quite meekly, most of them merely shrugging and grumbling once the shock had worn off.
All the present members of the council, while not having been informed about the decision either, fully supported it once Caesar had spoken the words, Luca nodding in approval and Tinker smiling encouragingly at the woman by her side. Maurice had raised a surprised brow at his king at first, though his expression quickly transformed into one of approval as well as he had laid a large, heavy hand onto Lydia's shoulder.
Speaking of the aging orangutan, Lydia noticed out of the corner of her eye that he had appeared in the clearing as she finished helping the struggling male, loping towards her with slow mevements as the long hair on his arms swayed with each step. She smiled brightly at the red-haired ape, casting a last look across the students she was teaching today before she walked towards him with long, easy strides.
She touched her friend's shoulder briefly in greeting and Maurice returned the gesture before he cast an approving glance towards the row of apes training with bows and arrows. Among them, as per usual, was Ivy, ever eager to practice and, in Lydia's opinion, a natural at archery. She had taken to it like a fish takes to water, and the human woman suspected that it wouldn't be long before she would ask to join her on her hunts. It would be very much like her to do so, after all.
"Making progress, I see." The orangutan commented with graceful movements, a satisfied look on his face. "Let us hope Caesar will be pleased."
Lydia couldn't help but give a bark of laughter at that, shaking her head at the aging ape in front of her. He was endlessly loyal to Caesar, alright, but that didn't mean that he wasn't able to poke fun at the chimp's stubborn nature.
To be fair, once Caesar had seen the amount of support Lydia's proposition had received from the colony and Lydia had eyed him with an obvious I-told-you-so look, he had been able to smile about the whole thing and roll his green eyes at her in defeat.
"He's not that bad, Maurice – cut him some slack." Lydia replied with a fond smile on her face, though the laughter still hadn't completely died in her throat.
Maurice lifted a brow at her, amusement playing on his face and Lydia knew, she just knew that it was somehow her turn to be poked fun at now.
"That is not the attitude you had a few weeks ago, if I remember correctly." He signed teasingly, barely keeping the deep rumble from within his throat at bay as he continued. "Did him making you a council member improve your opinion of him that much?"
Lydia's eyes widened a fraction at that.
"Are you suggesting he did it to get on my good side again?" She challenged good-naturedly, though with a hint of curiosity present in her voice. She'd had a sneaking suspicion about that herself but had yet to directly ask Caesar about it.
The aging ape huffed at that.
"I doubt it. I have made the suggestion many times as well. But I do believe he felt he needed to make it up to you somehow."
At that, Lydia crossed her arms beneath her breasts as she regarded the orangutan in front of her with a thoughtful stare.
"I had the feeling that you had a say in the matter. Only you seemed so surprised when he announced it."
"Because I was. As I said, I have suggested it before, but Caesar never seemed to think it was the right time. I had no idea he was going to do it then." Maurice replied with an exasperated look on his face, clearly not too impressed with having been left out of the loop by his king. The aging orangutan did always seem to know everything, after all, so it must have been slightly unnerving to be sidestepped like that. Especially by someone he knew as well as he did Caesar.
Judging from his demeanour, however, Maurice hadn't taken it too much to heart, choosing instead to look at the benefits of Caesar's actions.
"But I am glad that he did nonetheless, though his reasons remain his own."
Lydia shrugged at that, returning her gaze to her students as she spoke.
"I'm happy he did too and honoured as well." Then, she returned her gaze to the orangutan with a crooked, fond smile on her face "And thanks for putting a word or two in for me on the matter."
"I have a feeling he would have done it even without my urging. He holds you in very high regard." Maurice replied with a heavy shrug.
Lydia pretended not to notice the look he shot her out of the corner of his eye, teasing, yet curious. It was like he was trying to gauge a reaction from her.
And she was having none of that.
"Was there something else you wanted? It's rare for you to venture all the way out here." She swiftly danced around his words, starting on a new topic instead. "Or do you want to be an archer too, now?"
It was quite odd that he was out here, after all.
He shook his large head amusedly, his flat cheeks swaying as he did so.
"I only wanted to see how you were doing – and inform you that the evening meal is going to begin soon."
"What!? It's that late already?" Lydia exclaimed, looking up at the sky for confirmation.
Sure enough, the light was fading – in fact, Lydia estimated that it wouldn't be long now before twilight would be upon them, and she found herself grumbling at how easily she got consumed by tasks such as this. They must have been practicing for the better part of three hours, for crying out loud!
What surprised her the most, however, was that nobody had protested or even mentioned it in passing. Not even one of the apes she had been tutoring had as much as made a comment about it. They had seemed completely consumed by the lesson.
A loud rumble of a chortle left Maurice when she mentioned this to him, and he nodded at the bewildered woman in front of him, his entire body shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter.
"The mark of a good teacher, Lydia." He nodded at her in acknowledgement once his laughter had subsided.
Well, at least there was that.
Later that evening, when the colony was beginning to settle down for the night and the cookfires had begun to die, Lydia sat with Caesar in the main cave, the two being the last ones left of the council after Maurice and Tinker had retired for the night, and Luca had gone to oversee the planning of outposts for the Gorilla Guard. Cornelius, meanwhile, had fallen asleep in Tinker's arms not long before the female ape had decided to go to bed herself, bringing the Ape Prince with her. She enjoyed the company of the child as much as Lydia did, and seeing as neither she, nor Caesar seemed to be going to sleep anytime soon, nobody had thought twice about it when she had brought the Cornelius with her to her own nest further inside the colony.
Lydia and Caesar had then spent the better part of an hour discussing the progress of her lessons with the apes, as well as her hunting and the continued skirmishes with the soldiers in the forest. It had been a quiet week on that front, with no casualties among the apes, so Caesar seemed less troubled this night.
As of right now, a comfortable silence had settled between them as Lydia was about to finish the task of fletching a few arrows – a tedious task, but a necessary one nonetheless. She was just glad she had something to occupy her mind with, really.
When she was about halfway done with the last arrow, she noticed the Ape King staring thoughtfully at her hands as they performed the task, his intense eyes seemingly following every little twitch of her fingers.
"Something on your mind?" She ventured, not taking her gaze off the object between her fingers. It had to be done correctly, after all, if she was to continue to provide food for the colony. A botched arrow wouldn't do.
He inclined his head towards the forest.
"Could you teach me as well?"
At that, the human woman had to divert her attention from the object between her hands, staring up at the chimp in front of her through thick lashes. He had to be joking.
Only, the look on his face told her that he was as serious as ever.
"Now? Caesar, it's dark outside…" Lydia protested, a soft frown appearing on her face as she finally raised her head to meet his gaze directly.
She should have known he had meant it just by the tone of his gravelly voice. Caesar rarely made such requests if he didn't intend to follow through with them.
"The moon is out and full." He replied with a brow raised at her in an almost challenging manner. "I am never here to learn during the day. And I feel like I should."
Lydia couldn't help the gentle smile that reached her lips at that, shaking her head gently in amusement at the Ape King. Even now, he was ever eager to learn and did not take no for an answer.
"You are not easily denied, are you?" The human woman sighed, though there was no trace of agitation to be found in her voice.
"Not two times in a row." He replied teasingly as he shook his head at her, his voice deep and low.
Lydia tried, and failed, to hold back the chuckle that fought its way out between her lips before raising her hand to wiggle her index finger in a reprimanding gesture at him.
"Hey! To be fair, you were the one who said no when I came asking permission to teach the females."
"And you refused to teach anyone else because of it." He shot back, arms folded across his chest as he looked at her expectantly, as if daring her to question his logic. If his lips hadn't been slightly curved into a subtle, teasing smirk, Lydia might have thought he was still honestly sulking about the whole incident.
Still, she couldn't help going further down that path, giving a soft groan at his words.
"You mean to say you haven't forgiven me for that yet?" She asked, her lips arranged into a poorly-executed pout of mock-sadness as she tilted her head at him.
He huffed out a laugh, seemingly amused by her poor acting.
"Maybe I have not… entirely." Came Caesar's cryptic answer as he shot an amused glance at Lydia out of the corner of his eye.
Oh, he was in for it now!
The human woman promptly stood up at that, dusting herself off before placing her hands firmly on her hips as she stared expectantly down at the Ape King still sitting on the ground.
"Well, I'll just have to try and make amends, then. Come on." She spoke with a grin on her face, turning promptly on her heel to walk somewhat briskly towards the exit of the cave.
Caesar
Admittedly, after such a long time knowing her as well as he did, Caesar really shouldn't be surprised at her straight-forwardness. Even so, moments like this, when she'd promptly get straight to business without much preamble, always served to stun him for a few seconds.
As it had just now, the Ape King just sitting there, his lips slightly parted as he watched her walk away, back straight and hips swaying as she did so.
He managed to compose himself before she had gone too far, however, shaking his head at himself as he, too, got up and walked towards the exit.
It didn't take long for them to reach the clearing, Caesar nodding at the few guards they met on their way. Lydia was carrying her bow and quiver full of arrows, looking for all the world as if she was prepared for a hunt. Still, Caesar made sure to inform the guards of the purpose of their little outing, so none of them would be getting the… wrong idea.
But is it really wrong? Caesar questioned inside his mind, his piercing gaze once again drawn to the delicate sway of Lydia's hips as she walked on towards the training grounds with long strides.
It's not like we have no interest in one another.
The Ape King discreetly shook his head at himself once again. He was out here to be taught archery, not to speculate on his relationship with Lydia.
When they arrived, Lydia handed him one of the ape-made bows that they had stored inside an old log for easy access, handing it to the Ape King without further preamble.
"Okay, first you need the right grip – we don't want the arrow to slip between your fingers when you draw it." Lydia immediately began instructing, making Caesar huff amusedly at her.
"I have seen you do this before." He spoke matter-of-factly, though he didn't protest as her delicate hands reached forward to shape his fingers' hold on the arrow, her touch gentle and her eyes intent on her task.
They felt nice against his skin.
"You want me to teach you or not?" Lydia asked with a raised brow, though Caesar detected only amusement in both her tone and her expression as she looked up at him through her dark lashes, her head tilted downwards as she had begun correcting his grip on the arrow.
The Ape King pressed his lips tightly together into a line in an effort to keep from chuckling and nodded his head in the affirmative.
"That's what I thought." She winked at him with a crooked smile playing on her lips before going back to the task at hand.
Was she flirting with him? Or was it just her usual, teasing self he was experiencing right now?
Perhaps he had spent so many days away from the colony that he'd forgotten?
Once she was satisfied with his hold on the weapon, Lydia instructed Caesar on how to position his arms before he would begin actually shooting at targets, the Ape King listening intently as she explained and he tested out the flexibility of the bow and string. They seemed easy enough to pull for him, though he was certain that, had Lydia not already been practiced in the art of archery, she might have had trouble with it.
Soon, she nodded and urged him over to one of the improvised shooting ranges the apes had set up, choosing one of the painted targets for him. Caesar estimated the distance to the target from where he stood to be about 25-35 yards, which, judging from the distance of some of the other ranges, was about medium.
"You seem confident in me…" The large chimp commented amusedly, a heavy brow raised at the woman in front of him. "I have never used this weapon before, Lydia."
"What happened to 'I have seen you do this', huh?" She challenged, arms crossed beneath her breasts as she cocked her hip cheekily to the side, smirking at him. He still couldn't decide if her demeanour was flirtatious or if his mind only chose interpreted it that way. "Besides, no one but me is out here to see if you happen to screw up, so you don't have to worry about that."
Caesar grimaced and released a curt huff at her words, rolling his eyes when she began chuckling at his reaction.
"You'll do fine, Caesar – as long as you do as I say, that is." Lydia went on, her tone now reassuring as she reached out her hand. "Now, want me to demonstrate first?"
He nodded and looked on as she gently took the weapon out of his hands, moving to stand with her back to him and getting into position. He appreciated her consideration, he really did – he was a quick study, but he did prefer to have the opportunity to observe an action if he was to copy it later on, rather than simply having it explained. She seemed to take this into consideration when teaching him – like any good teacher would.
If only he had been able to focus properly on what she was doing. Something that seemed to be extremely difficult for Ape King at the moment, what with the way he was made to openly study her form – he had a strong feeling that it was all the wrong things he was paying attention to.
Like her long, slender, deerskin-clad legs planted firmly beside each other as she took her stance. Her shapely hips and rounded buttocks, accentuated by her low-riding pants and belt. Her strong, straight back and squared shoulders as she drew the bowstring back.
The soft, barely-audible exhale she did right before she released the arrow.
It was only when said arrow pierced the bark of the redwood tree several yards away, a dull 'thump' following as it hit its mark, that Caesar was pulled from his thoughts and made aware of the fact that he really hadn't payed enough attention. At least not enough to be able to sufficiently imitate Lydia's pose and technique, in any event.
He said nothing of it when she turned and asked if he got it all, however, very much aware that he would probably end up doing the same thing once more if he asked her to demonstrate everything again. He would just have to remember all the other times he had seen her do it. When his mind hadn't been focused on… other things.
"So, let's see what you can do." Lydia spoke encouragingly, handing him the bow and another arrow from the quiver she had brought over and dropped on the ground beside them.
Bracing himself, Caesar took the items offered to him, went about adjusting his grip like she had showed him earlier and took his stance in front of the target.
He could literally feel her eyes going over his form, studying him intently as he got into position. He lifted the weapon and, making sure the arrow was placed correctly within his grip, started drawing back the bowstring.
Caesar knew he had done it all wrong the moment he let go of the arrow. It flew through the air, alright, but was completely off its mark, going way past the redwood tree and disappearing into the darkness of the forest with a pathetic 'whoosh', never to be seen again.
When the two looked back at each other after the arrow had irrevocably disappeared, Lydia only took a brief moment to look at him before she shrugged her shoulders, a good-natured smile on her full lips.
"Well, you're not overdrawing, so that's a start." She said simply, and Caesar could only laugh at her positivity. She directed him to start over again with another arrow, and the Ape King did as he was bid.
"Hold it there. Don't shoot just yet." Lydia told him once he had knocked the primitive arrow, and the large chimp held perfectly still as the human woman began to circle him.
There was something about the way she had said those words, a hint of softness in her voice that made Caesar hyperaware of everything around him. The distant calling of the crickets, the pale moonlight shining down on the two of them, the sound of her careful steps across the soft forest floor beneath them both.
He could sense her standing right behind him, and yet the Ape King still jumped ever so slightly in surprise when he felt something warm lie flatly against his back, right against his spine.
"You have to straighten up a little." She spoke gently as her soft palm splayed against his back, below his shoulder blades.
Caesar immediately complied, pushing his shoulders back against her touch.
He hadn't witnessed many of Lydia's lessons since Malcolm and his family had first been taught, and the instructions that Caesar had manage to remember all but disappeared from his mind when he had felt her touch his back.
There was nothing for him to fall back on now. No half-forgotten memory he could desperately pull information from as he stood here. No past experience with this task which would help him get it right on his own.
No. There was nothing but her gentle instructions, spoken in a voice which somehow seemed to grow more hushed with every word she uttered.
"Good. Now, reposition your feet." Lydia went on, moving to put both hands on his hips, her palms warm and her grip firm as she tugged him into the correct stance. Caesar resisted the tingle that threatened to go through his pelt at her touch. "That's better. Let your back do the work as you pull."
Her hand returned to his back, her fingertips grazing his fur ever so slightly as she slid it up to rest right between his shoulder blades, presumably so she could feel how they drew against each other as he pulled the bowstring.
Caesar stopped the movement when the string was by his cheek, drawing in a very calculated breath as he did so. It was incredibly hard to concentrate on doing this right when she was touching him like… this.
And her voice… Well, her voice had become so hushed now that it was like velvet to his ears. It seemed like she didn't want to break his concentration by speaking too loudly, though all it really did was make Caesar stand completely still in anticipation at her proximity.
All the Ape King knew was that it stirred something within him. A certain tingling within his gut, not unlike the feeling of strands of grass gently brushing against one's fingers.
It was so distracting that he must have forgotten to maintain his posture. At least that was what Caesar managed to deduce when her voice sounded once again.
"Back straight, Caesar…" She instructed lowly, her face only inches from the back of his neck, breath tickling the hairs there as her hand went further down to that spot just below his shoulder blades to guide him.
He could feel how her fingers gently splayed out against the expanse of his back, feeling for the muscle underneath his fur to make sure they did the work while the heel of her hand put a gentle pressure on his spine to straighten him.
The Ape King exhaled slowly, letting her hand ground him as he took aim.
"Now," Lydia's voice sounded beside his ear. "you're ready to let go."
And so he did.
His fingers released their hold on the bowstring and the arrow was thrust forward with incredible force, swiftly piercing through the air until it hit the painted redwood tree with a resounding 'thump'. It struck the innermost ring, just outside the circle that marked the bullseye of the target.
Caesar's mouth parted slightly in mild astonishment – he really hadn't expected to even hit it, especially not with Lydia's distracting presence just behind him to divide his focus.
"Excellent, Caesar!" She exclaimed happily, though her voice was still slightly hushed as she patted his back.
Then the hand completely disappeared as she took a step back from him, probably to give him some space now that her guidance was no longer needed.
It was like an icy handprint had suddenly appeared on his back, the night air hitting the spot where her warm palm had been only moments before, and Caesar immediately missed the sensation. It was not often the two of them touched.
Come to think of it, he didn't really get to feel anyone's touch these days, save for when Cornelius huddled up against his chest as they slept.
The Ape King turned around to face the human woman behind him and was met with her beaming, blue eyes and a proud smile as she looked at him. The pale moonlight cast a soft, cool glow across her features and made her look almost ethereal.
She was beautiful as always.
"You are a good teacher…" He spoke lowly, not breaking eye contact as he stepped forward to shorten the gap between them.
"I'm glad you think so…" Lydia answered in a similar tone as she stared back with lidded eyes, her expression turning thoughtful as he held her gaze.
He was less than half a foot away from her now, so close he could feel her warm breath across his face. Close enough to get a whiff of her scent, heady and alluring as it drew him in. Close enough to see how her pupils dilated ever so slightly and her full lips parted as he got nearer.
The Ape King hadn't even noticed how his own green-and-golden eyes had become hooded, nor how his heart pounded ferociously inside his chest as anticipation took hold of him. Her touch from before, her low and gentle voice as she had instructed him, had reminded him of just how much he wanted this woman in front of him.
The bow in his hand dropped to the ground with a subdued clatter as Caesar let go of it to reach his hand up to her face, the need to feel the soft skin of her cheek against his palm almost overwhelming him. She didn't flinch at the sound at all. Didn't even take her eyes off the king's own as his hand gently moved upwards. Their shallow breaths mingled when his face was only inches from hers, and he could see all the subtle change in her beautiful features.
There was the obvious anticipation present in her deep, blue orbs, but... The large chimp could also sense a certain trace of hesitation – a twitch of her lip, a tremble in her breath.
And a sudden voice sounded inside Caesar's own mind then, persistently telling him that this wasn't right. That it was too soon.
And a wave of guilt washed over him.
It prompted him stop his hand before it touched her face, only for it to hover a fraction of an inch from her cheek as the Ape King was suddenly gripped by uncertainty.
He craved closeness.
He craved her.
But…
His hand retracted several inches away from her face, closing into a loose fist as his lips formed a thin line.
"Caesar…" Came Lydia's quiet voice, tainted with confusion at his behaviour.
"I apologise." The Ape King spoke softly, turning his head to the side and breaking eye contact at last. "I thought I was… ready to let go."
A deep sigh left him, making his broad shoulders slump with the action. What was he even thinking?
You are lonely, that same voice from before sounded inside his mind. You are moving too fast because you cannot stand it.
"Oh, Caesar…" He heard her say, her tone laced with sympathy and… was it affection? He didn't quite know if he was interpreting anything correctly right now. That, and he had let himself get caught up in the moment, thinking he could put his conflicted emotions aside.
A soft hand came up to rest against his cheek and Caesar turned his head to stare back at the human woman once more, a hopeless look on his rugged face.
"Please, don't be like that, okay?" Lydia spoke gently, brushing his cheek with her thumb. "I think I got a bit carried away too, but… I don't think either of us is quite ready to let go just yet."
Caesar leaned into her touch, sighing once again before he nodded in acknowledgement of her words.
He was surprised, however, when she pulled his face forward and placed her forehead against his own, closing her eyes slowly as she did so. It was the first time she had initiated this gesture between them, and Caesar could only marvel at how natural it felt to him.
And even though it wasn't the closeness he had originally intended when he first reached out to touch her, it seemed to be just what he needed. It grounded him in a way he hadn't felt for a long time, and Caesar did a soft exhale and closed his eyes once the initial surprise had passed.
She grabbed his hand, the one he had retracted from her face, and laced her fingers with his own, but did nothing to pull him further into her touch.
For the two of them, this was enough… for now.
"Still want me to teach you?" Lydia's voice sounded gently, and Caesar reopened his green-and-golden eyes to see that she was looking at him with a soft smile, her forehead still pressed to his own.
Despite what had just happened, Caesar managed to return the smile, accompanied by a low chuckle.
Really, this woman just had a way of making him feel good, even when he thought he had messed up…
"If you are still willing to do so." He replied in his usual, baritone voice, pulling back from the intimate gesture to stare at her with fond eyes.
She scoffed good-naturedly at that.
"I think I could be convinced." Came her teasing reply, and she winked at him before picking up the weapon he had so unceremoniously dropped moments before.
Then she passed him, took an arrow out of the quiver on the ground and got into position to shoot once again, to demonstrate, Caesar assumed.
"And try not to stare at my ass this time, okay."
And though Caesar would readily admit that he was slightly embarrassed at having been caught red-handed, he couldn't help letting out a deep chuckle at her request.
"I cannot promise you this." He retorted teasingly, the moment from before easily shoved into the back of his mind. "But I will try."
And with that, the arrow was released, piercing through the air as their lesson resumed.
