“Fair.” Elizabeth nodded, smirking back. “Oh, it's just… in my experience, Marines also have a very crude sense of humor. I swear, I knew this one guy who wore a thong with one of those little fox tails hanging off the back every time he went to the showers.” she laughed shaking her head at the memory.
She sighed a little with a smile at the assurance. “That's a relief to hear. Hopefully, I’ll be able to tell when he’s not.”
Farah’s eyes widened immediately, and she blushed at the image Elizabeth had created. “Oh…” She blinked quickly, attempting to recover, and that was just the moment when the door swung open and Andreas sauntered in.
“Got tired of waiting,” he said by way of greeting. He immediately noticed the fairy’s wild blush and snickered. Saul came in after him, a frown on his face. Rose and Ben trailed Saul. “Now I have to know what kind of dirty talk she used on you, Farah,” the cocky Specialist remarked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush that much before.” That earned him a sharp elbow in the ribs from Saul.
Farah, still trying to calm her blush, only glared.
Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at Farah's reaction to the story. It wasn't unexpected but it was still adorable. Though she rolled her eyes when Andreas walked in and made the joke. “Why? Do you need advice on what to use on your boyfriend?” she smirked back, giving Saul a semi-apologetic shrug.
Elizabeth’s laugh only made Farah blush harder. The fairy fanned her face lightly, willing the heat underneath her skin to fade away.
Andreas scoffed. “No,” he answered. “I know what to say to get him going. I was just trying to find some new ideas if you’re willing to share. Obviously not.”
Saul winked at Elizabeth, very quickly and almost unnoticeable. He didn’t mind Elizabeth’s jabs at his boyfriend. “Yeah, well if they only knew about-”
Quickly, Andreas clapped a hand over Saul’s mouth. “No,” he muttered, and Saul nodded. Andreas watched and uncovered the other Specialist’s mouth.
Farah glanced at Rose and Ben, who were already looking back at her. Silent words flew around the room, and the intensity seemed to double when Farah and Saul made brief eye contact too. I’ll fill you in later, Farah said, projecting the words into Elizabeth’s mine.
“Depends on who you use it on.” Elizabeth quipped, her old flirtatious smirk sliding easily on her face. She caught Saul’s wink and replied in kind though she raised a brow at how Andreas' reaction to whatever Saul had been about to say.
I hope you will. That looked interesting. she replied in her mind, fairly sure that Farah could hear her.
Farah noticed the flirtation in Elizabeth’s voice, and she stiffened slightly. She was rather possessive of relationship partners. Not too overly so, but enough that she made it known. Her arm slipped around Elizabeth’s waist easily and shooting Andreas a warning look.
Saul noticed Elizabeth’s returning wink and the jealous glint in Farah’s eyes. Wisely, he stood down.
Elizabeth was right. Farah read the thought easily. Obviously, darling, she projected back, suddenly taking a keen interest in the nails in her free hand. It is. There’s plenty of drama to go around here.
“Come on,” Rose quipped, breaking the silence. “Let’s go somewhere. Do something!” Her eyes lit up. “Hey, let’s spar!”
Both Specialists looked very ready for that idea, but Farah frowned. “I don’t know,” she said evenly.
Andreas didn’t hesitate to roll his eyes. “Come on Farah, dig that stick out of your ass and spar with us.”
Farah’s eyes narrowed immediately.
Elizabeth raised a brow at Farah’s arm around her waist but nuzzled into the embrace and kissed her cheek in response. She may be playfully flirtatious at times but she would never cheat on her partner. But she laughed a little at the mental reply and nodded. Thank you.
The former Marines' eyes also lit up at the opportunity before shooting a look at Andreas' smart comment. “I’d spar against you but I’d rather have a challenge.”
Farah wasn’t used to the playfulness of flirting when in a relationship. In her relationship with Rosalind, it was like she was being owned. Any outward flirting got her in steep trouble. But Farah was possessive of partners for different reasons. She also knew the tendencies of her friends.
Of course, she replied, returning Elizabeth’s kiss with one of her own to the woman’s temple.
The reactions to Elizabeth’s comment were instantaneous. Farah’s eyebrows arched and she smirked while Ben’s mouth dropped open. Saul’s eyes widened, and Rose snickered.
“She’s got you there, prince of Eraklyon,” she quipped.
Andreas scowled, but it wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. He didn’t feel like evoking Farah or Ben’s wrath by glowering at their partner.
Rose glanced at Elizabeth and shot a wink in her direction. “Come on, let’s go,” she enthused. “To the training mats!” She slipped her fingers through Ben’s and led the way. Andreas and Saul walked in the middle and spoke to each other quietly, which left the back for Farah and Elizabeth
“That was incredibly clever,” Farah praised Elizabeth’s remark. “I’m quite tired of him reusing the same ‘stick up my ass’ joke.”
Elizabeth wasn't going to possess Farah in any way. Their relationship may have been new and she knew that… both of them had a not-so-great relationship before now and didn't want to push her in any way.
Though she did a doubletake when Andreas’ title was dropped. “Wait… Prince?!?” she questioned in disbelief. “That guy is a Prince? Saul? How did that happen?”
“Something told me he wasn't the most creative.” she smirked back at the fairy. “But I'm glad you enjoyed it.”
Farah blinked at Elizabeth’s shock. “My darling, I didn’t tell you?” she asked, an embarrassed blush flaming across her face.
Meanwhile Andreas’ cocky grin slipped back on his face. “Yes, sweetheart. I’m a prince.” He winked flirtatiously at her. Farah’s grip on Elizabeth tightened slightly.
Saul laughed hesitantly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Uh… I can explain it later.” His boyfriend smirked and wrapped an arm around Saul’s shoulders as they began to walk.
Farah laughed quietly and bumped Elizabeth lightly with her hip. “I enjoyed it very much. It takes a real shot to put Andreas back in his place. You’re doing so well.”
“No. You did not mention that.” Elizabeth shook her head, chuckling at the situation. Though she ignored Andreas' smugness and leaned into Farah’s hold, wrapping her arm around her in return.
Though she smirked when Saul answered. “I'm looking forward to that explanation.” she quipped as the group walked out of the cell room.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” she laughed with her, bumping her hip back. “He’s annoying but easy to banter off of. It's an interesting dynamic.” she admitted.
Farah bit her lip gently. I’m sorry, she projected. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you.
Saul gave both Elizabeth and Farah a little look. Farah replied in kind, glancing toward the door, then nodding. Somehow, Saul understood. They had developed an effortless way of communicating during their days in the battalion. It clearly hadn’t faded.
“I told you that you’d get used to him,” Farah quipped, grinning as she took the other woman’s hip bump in stride.
It took about three minutes of walking to reach the training mats. Rose and Ben arrived first, then Saul and Andreas, followed but Elizabeth and Farah.
“Fairies and Specialist pairs?” Rose suggested.
“Hey, we could always do old Alfea pairs,” Andreas suggested. “Then you could actually have a partner, Rose!”
The female earth fairy sent the prince a vulgar gesture his way. “Not that I wouldn’t be opposed,” she added quickly, giving Farah a little glance. The mind fairy nodded briefly in return.
“We can start with old Alfea pairs and switch up on occasion,” Ben suggested.
“Aww, don’t want to be my partner anymore, Ben?” Andreas teased.
“Of course he wouldn’t,” Saul muttered while stripping his jacket off. “You always overcompensate on the mat. Ben hardly gets to do a thing.”
It's alright. she assured. You are probably just so used to it. Plus I never actually met a prince before so… a bit caught off guard.
Even though she didn't catch the meaning of the shared look, she respected it as she had similar experiences from her Marine days.
"Used to him might still be a stretch at this point." Elizabeth shrugged. “But… we’ll see how things go.”
She raised a brow at the conversation of sparing partners. “So, I have a few questions/comments on this. I can assume what Fairy and Specialist pairs are but what are Alfea pairs? And who am I sparing?” she started out before giving Saul and Andreas a look. “Well… that sounds kinky.”
Farah chuckled quietly. “Fair enough. “But you’ve gotten familiar with him faster than most people he’s met, aside from us.”
Ben smiled at Elizabeth easily. “They’re talking about the pairs we’re we’re set up with when we sparred at Alfea. It varies whether the fairies get to use their magic or not. But the normal pairs with magic allowed were Saul with Farah and me with Andreas. That means you’d be partners with Rose.”
Rose covered her mouth at Elizabeth’s comment and snorted. “Oh my gods!”
Andreas rolled his eyes, and Saul smirked. “You have no idea,” he remarked.
The prince grabbed two blades and tossed one at Saul. His quick reflexes snagged the weapon out of the air as Andreas stormed up onto the mat. “Let’s go asswipe. First blood.”
Saul rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. “Now you’ve really done me in,” he teased Elizabeth, shooting her a quick wink before he ascended the few steps to be on to of the raised platform and wielded his sword expertly.
Farah glanced over at Elizabeth and arched her eyebrows. “Troublemaker,” she teased. “I guess we’re starting with one-on-one duels.”
“Have I set a new record with him?” Elizabeth laughed teasingly. Though the idea that she had understood Andreas so quickly was probably a good thing. “Honestly, I just know his type.” she shrugged.
She nodded at Ben’s explanation and smiled back. “Sounds good to me. Any tips you can share for a newbie going against your wife?” she asked, winking at the other woman as she laughed at her earlier comment.
“Kick his ass, Saul!” she called out as the two Specialists got to the platform and watched for their match to start. “Oh, come on, Farah. That was too well phrased for me not to say something.” she teased back.
"Probably," Farah remarked with a grin. She shook her head and sighed. "I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not, darling."
Rose grinned at the wink. "As fun as going against you would be, what Ben meant was that those pairings worked in teams. Two-on-two. You and me against, say…" Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Saul and Farah?" She tossed a lock of reddish-brown hair over her shoulder confidently. "But I'll take you one-on-one any day, honey."
Farah laughed quietly. "You're not wrong," she agreed before turning her attention to the men.
Saul grinned at the comment, and the fight began. Each of them attacked, countered, and defended with stunning speed and precision. The fight was incredibly even, but Andreas' rage made him more careless than normal. It took less than a minute for Saul to nick his boyfriend's arm and draw a drop of blood. Farah smirked to herself while Rose whooped.
“Well, we’ll see, won't we.” Elizabeth shrugged, smiling back before kissing her cheek.
Her eyes widened as Rose clarified and blushed at her misunderstanding. “Oh. I see.” she nodded. “Do you really think we could take those two? Even I know Farah is a powerhouse.” she pointed out with a smirk, knowing her experience with magic was limited. But she laughed at the idea of sparing one on one with Rose. “Let's have a go sometime then.”
Elizabeth watched the fight in interest. She may not have used swords much, if ever, in her training but she was a visual learner. And she was making notes. Though she tried not to smirk too much when Andreas’ rage caused Saul to win the duel. She did cheer with everyone at the end of the match.
Farah kissed Elizabeth’s hair softly. She meant more through the action than just a reciprocation, and her lips lingered for a moment before drawing away.
Rose, however, was waving her hand in dismissal of Elizabeth’s blush. “Ben’s not exactly the greatest with explaining himself at times.”
Ben immediately perked his head up. “Excuse you,” he muttered.
His fiancée only grinned back then looked between Elizabeth and Farah. “Definitely,” she answered. “We’d win in a heartbeat.”
Farah cocked her head to the side. “Is that so?”
“It is,” Rose chirped. She flashed a grin at Elizabeth. “You’re on.”
“Again,” Andreas demanded. “First blood.”
“You’re already bleeding,” Saul teased casually.
His boyfriend didn’t seem to appreciate the joke, and he narrowed his eyes. Andreas’ blade raised evenly at Saul’s chest. “You heard me.”
Saul held up his hands to feign indifference, but by Elizabeth’s side, Farah tensed. She sensed something was off, though she didn’t act on it… yet. The second fight between the Specialists started, this one more intense than the first. Farah watched every bit of it intently.
Elizabeth hummed contentedly at the gesture, wrapping her arm around Farah's waist and giving her hip a playful squeeze before laughing at the engaged couple's banter. Though she wouldn't deny being tempted by the idea of her and Rose going against Farah and Saul even if she wasn't completely convinced they could actually beat them. "You take Farah, I'll handle Saul?" she suggested, fairly confident in her abilities against a more tradional fighter as opposed to a magical fairy.
As the two started another round, the former Marine raised a brow at the aggression Andreas' was displaying this time around. "Hey, Andy! Lay off! We would like a turn too!" she called out. "Is this normal?" she whispered in concern to the others.
Farah flushed at the little squeeze Elizabeth gave her as Rosa grinned. “Obviously. That’s why we’re paired the way we are. And it makes it more interesting than just a one-on-one fights. Don’t you think, Fa? Fa?”
But by then, Farah was distracted by watching Saul and Andreas’ fight. The prince of Eraklyon was slashing through the air with strength and intensity while Saul blocked and dodged the incessant attacks.
Rose frowned at Elizabeth’s question. “I mean, Andreas is always super into spars, but… I don’t know.”
The Specialist’s blades met with a clash in the middle of the mat. With their faces close together, Saul hissed, “Andreas, what is wrong with you?”
The other man’s eyes narrowed. “The fuck are you talking about. I’m only trying to put on a show like you are.”
Saul’s eyes narrowed, but Andreas shoved him away. Saul staggered back, and Andreas charged. Farah knew what would happen next as she saw the way Andreas’ weapon was aimed at Saul’s arm. She shoved herself out of Elizabeth’s embrace and mounted the stairs to the mat two at a time. Her magic unleashed itself in a powerful blast and blew Andreas clean off his feet and back to the other side of the mat, away from Saul. The mid fairy stalked over to him, seething.
“What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?” she demanded.
Almost knowing Elizabeth would want to follow her new partner, Rose hurried over to Elizabeth’s side and gripped her arm. “Stay here,” she whispered. “Farah and Andreas have a… a nasty history with sparring until first blood. If that strike landed…”
Elizabeth immediately let go of Farah when she rushed to intervene between the two men. She completely understood her desire to protect Saul and figure out what the hell was going on with Andreas. Something told her this was more than the prince having a bruised ego from the first round.
She nodded as Rose grabbed her arm. “I get it. I may not know a lot about swords but even I could tell how that blow was likely to hit.” she admitted, actually grateful for the other holding her back. She really was tempted to stand by Farah’s side but she knew she would only be in the way this time. Especially since she didn't have enough experience with the group to fight anyone in this situation.
Rose nodded. “I don’t want to speak for Farah, but… I’m sure she’ll probably tell you later.” The female earth fairy lowered her voice to barely a whisper. “About her scar.”
Ben frowned at his fiancée. “This is why I tell everyone you can’t keep a secret.”
On the mat, Andreas’s eyes narrowed. “You’re one to talk, Farah,” he shot back immediately. “Loosing your mind? Really?”
The fairy immediately stiffened. Saul came up slowly beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Farah, don’t let him get to you,” he said quietly, glancing over at Elizabeth, Rose, and Ben.
“I’m not,” Farah replied evenly, not taking her eyes off of Andreas. She didn’t trust him. Not even one bit with the look in his eyes and the sword in his hands. Her gaze met his and all Andreas saw behind her stare was cold fire. “This is supposed to be fun,” she snarled. “Easy spars. Not murder-matches until first blood.”
“Afraid of a little nick, Farah?” Andreas taunted. “Under Rosalind—”
“Rosalind isn’t here anymore,” Farah cut him off, her voice and words echoing over the silent training grounds. “I run Alfea now. Not her.” She breathed deeply before stepping back from him. “Give someone else a turn to fight. Save your anger and jealousy for later when it won’t be harnessed into killing someone.”
With that, Farah turned from him and strode across the mat back to the others. Saul followed her, and behind him, Andreas grunted as he got up.
Farah looked down at Rose and Elizabeth. She looked tired but also surprisingly calm for what had just happened. “Two-on-two?” she asked. “The both of you against me and Saul?”
Rose grinned and looked to Elizabeth. “Your call, honey!”
Elizabeth raised a brow at the way Rose mentioned the scar and how Ben was so quick to admonish her about it. Though she kept a stern gaze fixed on the action on the training mats. “Just tell me that this behavior is normal for him.” she whispered, not wanting to think that Rosalind had somehow reached out and messed with Andreas's mind.
“Only if you’re up for it.” she smirked softly at Farah, her concern still showing. “I prefer to have a fair match.”
At Elizabeth’s side, Rose had tensed. “Well, yeah. Sort of. Andreas has always been intense with training. I’m not sure what Farah might have noticed though. I’m not as talented in the mind as she is. No one is.”
“I would say it’s similar to how he normally is on the mat, with the exception of having a new face to show off to,” Ben chimed in knowingly.
Rose narrowed her eyes, only to don a smirk when Farah and Saul approached.
Farah saw the hesitance in Elizabeth’s expression and heard it in her voice. “We don’t have to-” she began, only to be interrupted by Rose.
“Of course it’s fair! Two on two, let’s go sissies!” She paused and caught Ben’s eyes to mouth Sorry. “Get a blade, Liz!” Rose added with a grin.
Farah turned back to Elizabeth and flashed her a shit-eating smirk. “Liz?”
Elizabeth nodded at the couple's answer, agreeing that Farah was likely the most talented mind fairy present. Though she scoffed quietly at Ben’s last comment. “Yeah, if he thinks acting like a madman with a blade is going to do anything for me, he really is crazy.”
The former Marine blushed as she realized that Farah could most likely read her like a book but chuckled at Rose’s insistence to spar together. “Fine, fine.” she sighed.
“Oh, it's just one of my many nicknames, Fa.” she grinned back. “At least she didn't call me Lizzie. The only ones I let call me that are family.” she explained. “If she had tried, I might just have left her open during a moment in the match.”