Ghostly Love

Part 1 (NOT FINISHED)

    Erie shook her head and tsked at her assistant, walking over and adjusting her stance. She stood with her torso pressed flush against the other girl's back and nudged her back foot away from her with her toe while she grabbed Niemi's wrist and moved it up and to the side a little.

"If you don't have proper stance, you will fall. And if you fall while trying to fend off a ghost, you will die. And if you die... I will have to find a new assistant," Erie whispered the last bit against Niemi's ear, "And that would be quite a shame now wouldn't it, love."

Niemi gulped, face flushing red, "Yes, Miss Grace, it would. I rather enjoy working for you."

Erie smirked and stepped away, "Again, now."

Their fencing lessons continued, Erie teasing her employee with slightly suggestive actions and watching her squirm while Niemi tried her best to do as her boss had taught her. Every time she stood incorrectly or her swings were off by the slightest, Erie stood unnecessarily close to correct her. It made the poor girl's heart beat like a bass drum.

Erie sighed when Niemi messed up her stance for about the eighth time in one lesson and rubbed her eyes.

"Let's break for lunch, Nancy, I'm getting hungry."

Erie could never pronounce her name right and so she called her by every name she could think of that started with an N. Sometimes it drove Niemi up the wall.

Niemi put the rapier into a rack on the wall by the door and started up the stairs from the basement. At first the place had creeped her out but now she was down there so often, it was as familiar as the room Erie had given her upstairs. She had even begun to get used to the constant cold of the place.

Erie followed her up and Niemi could hear the creak of the stairs as the shorter brunette ascended. Niemi walked to the kitchen and got started almost immediately on the tea they always had with lunch. Her boss smiled and chuckled at her as she got out the bread and lunch meat so they could make sandwiches.

As soon as Niemi was finished putting the water in the pot to boil and turning on the stove, she turned around and watched Erie scuttle around the kitchen. She admired her smooth, precise movements most of all. The way she looked as if she knew what she was doing, even if she didn't.

It was one of the things about her that mystified her the most.

"Turkey or ham, dear?" Erie asked her, taking out two pieces of bread for her sandwich.

"Ham, please," Niemi answered.

She watched as her graceful fingers laid the meat over the bread. She watched her arms move from the package of ham to the plate and her shoulders as she turned them to hand the plate to her. Then her hips as she pivoted those too so she could face her. Her eyes traveled down her legs as she stepped forward towards her and then suddenly the teapot screamed and she jumped a foot in the air and blushed bright red.

She cleared her throat and muttered an apology as she took the plate in Erie's hands and set it on the table before coming back and turning off the stove. She grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and set on the counter, feeling Erie's eyes on her the whole time. She didn't have to look at her to know she had a smug smile plastered on her lips.

Niemi poured the hot water into the cups and nearly dropped them as she moved them to another counter to put the teabags in to steep. She refused to look at the other woman as she picked her plate back up and sat at the small round table. Erie set hers at the seat next to Niemi's, even though there was another three chairs elsewhere and in easier spots to get to.

Niemi pretended not to notice and sat down, subtly moving her chair a little farther away. Erie chuckled and sat down as well, picking up her sandwich and taking a bite. Niemi glanced over at her and blushed some more, picking up her own sandwich and taking a rather large bite to avoid talking to her boss.