This Is What It's Like To Be Lovers [ON HOLD]

9: I'm Nothing Like You

Without thinking, her companion replied, "yes, that's a good observation. In fact, I could fit in a little training around there too. Mind if I join you? Actually, do you mind if I teach you the basics of combat? You could learn how to use that favorite dagger of yours."

Larimar went red. "Wouldn't archery suffice?" She asked, her mind swirling with images she could never speak of.

If Jade was aware of these images, she wouldn't continue speaking. "Arrows are for more long-range combat, right? When the foe is too close to you, you may not have the time to pull the string and launch an arrow. Or even if you do, without the impact of a fully taut string, the arrow would just limply fall, right? At such close distances, it is recommended to use things at hand. Like, your own fists, or something handheld, like a dagger. If you don't mind, I can teach you a little of both."

Lari only smiled and nodded, not too enthusiastically, but Jade was content with it.

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Lari's quiver was full of arrows the moment she latched it to her back that afternoon. The fetching of every arrow was made with platinum-white feathers, too beautiful to be real, their color matching the grip and limbs of the bow.

"Let's do some stretching exercises before we start, okay Princess?" Jade advised, walking a little ahead of her companion.

The sun was on the western front, the light shrouded by a canopy of branches and leaves. Squirrels ran up and down and across the barks of trees, squeaking, relishing in the air that picked up the coolness of the stream.

Lari pulled an arrow out of her leather holder and anchored it to her bow. Just as she was about to aim and shoot, Jade sounded a warning moan at the base of her throat.

"Princess!" She admonished. "Stretching comes first, always. You can damage... How am I amusing you, Princess?"

Larimar shrugged, failing to contain her giggle. "It's just..." she finally said. "The swordmaster side of you is... umm... amusing. Fine, my Queen, I'll warm up."

Jade nodded, maintaining her careful demeanor and the Princess wanted to pinch her cheeks. They dropped their weapons on the wild grass and proceeded to twist and turn and stretch to wake up the muscles that had been out of practice for a few days.

Jade started the session with hand-to-hand combat, teaching Lari the weak spots on the human body that she could make use of. To keep them from slipping her mind, she also meekly punched her in said areas.

"Now when you see the enemy approach like this..." Jade swung a fist toward Lari's face and pulled her in the opposite direction with the other hand. "Shift your weight on this leg, grab their arm and neck, and you can easily pin them to the ground. Let's see you do it, Princess. Mind you, I'm not going to go easy on you."

Larimar was not ready. She concluded that she wouldn't have been ready even if she was given a month to prepare. Jade was just too strong and she did not go easy on her at all.

Although it was the Princess' turn to try the trick out, she was in Jade's grasp and pinned to the forest floor in the blink of an eye.

The Ironwood Warrior trapped Lari's body between her thighs, binding the Princess' hands behind her so she couldn't even wiggle out. "You need to be quicker, Princess," she egged. "Especially, if the opponent is visibly stronger."

Jade loosened her grip and Lari sat up, a frown etched on her forehead. The Queen was quick to amend her words. "I bet... If you tried to teach me archery in an hour, I'd be aiming miles away from the target. Let's continue these lessons for as long as we're here. Would you like that, Princess?"