Any Progress is Still Progress

With the day-to-day life falling into a routine, Joe became comfortable with his current situation. His mornings consisted of private training with Clara where she became more and more proficient at accumulating her own magic. He would also help her to adapt to her newfound strength through a variety of endurance practices.

She was able to complete the usual run without an issue, but she still finished almost a lap behind Joe. Having noticed the changes within herself, she was convinced that she would overtake him once she finished assimilating the remaining twenty five percent of her magic. If she had known that he had been holding back all this time, then that thought would have long been extinguished.

Every day for class, Joe would notice the minute changes in the two squads he had taken the role of guiding. Originally, they all moved with only their own wellbeing as a concern. Little by little, every member was now looking at how their efforts effected the rest of their squad. Next, he would attempt to unify both of the squads' actions, so they moved as one conscious unit before the midterms.

No matter how tiring the day had been, Joe never neglected his sword training. Immediately after the rest of their class cleared out of the courtyard, Joe would turn his full attention to Clara. Every word she spoke, every guidance she gave, he engraved in his mind. Today was no different for him. For her, the changes she had noticed and withheld from commenting on finally voiced themselves.

"You know, when we first made this agreement, I thought you may have had some ulterior motives. Growing up, I got used to people trying to get close to my father by associating with me. Now, I see that you seriously wanted to learn from me."

"Why would I want to get close to your father? I highly doubt I'd ever learn anything worthwhile from him. I may have never met him but I'm sure I'll enjoy myself more with you than him."

With a light laugh, Joe parried the strike that Clara had aimed at his torso. He forgot to hold back most of his strength because they had been talking and he was distracted. The direct effect was Clara being forced to stagger backwards a few paces, something that had never happened during all their training to this point.

"You've been holding back all this time. Don't look down on me and come at me with your full strength!" She was slightly agitated that he hadn't taken her seriously up to this point and wanted to show that his swordplay was never going to surpass hers.

"Fine, but don't end up regretting it when I have to pick you up off the ground. I'm not as weak as you think, and I've been getting stronger every day partly thanks to you."

Having gave the warning that he visibly saw get shaken off without concern, Joe took up an irregular stance. In his right hand, he held the longsword that he had meticulously trained as a two-handed weapon up to this point. With a slightly forward lean, he kicked his dominant foot off the ground and was propelled forward at his highest speed.

Before Clara even had time to react to his blitz attack, she was struck in her abdomen and sent flying nearly thirty feet back. Her heightened senses quickly felt the searing pain coursing through her entire body. She covered her contorted face with her arm. She was ashamed that she had underestimated him so greatly and didn't want him to see her in this state. For a reason unknown to her, the thought of him seeing her like this pained her more that the hit she had taken.

Without her knowing, Joe had already gone and retrieved the first aid kit. He silently kneeled beside her and quickly injected a pain suppressant into her shoulder.

'Should I have faked it and only used a bit more strength than normal?'

This idea was quickly thrown aside. From the time they had spent together up to this point, he knew that she would never forgive him if he'd done that had she found out.

Gently, Joe reached forward and removed the arm blocking his view of her face. His hand then moved to her face where it quickly found and wiped away the lingering tears. Speechlessly, she could only stare up and his smiling face.

'He's mocking me!'

She was initially enraged when she saw his smile but after the warmth of his palm found its way to her cheek, she was left with only a sense of relaxation. Still having said nothing, she found herself being picked up in his arms and carried over to the benches on the outer edges of the courtyard.

"I can walk on my own so you can put me down." She felt her face heat up as it quickly went from its usual fair complexion to an alluring pink.

"I don't mind carrying you a bit more. You're extremely light and seeing the embarrassment on your face makes me want to walk slower so I can savor it a bit more."

The teasing tone showed its effects near instantaneously when the pink turn to a vibrant red.

"If you keep saying things like that someone will get the wrong idea, so put me down already."

While maintaining a firm grasp on her waist, Joe allowed her feet to slip towards the ground before he lightly lowered her to support her own weight. Her face turned to the ground to hide the increasing brightness it was being enveloped by. Before she knew it, her hand had a firm hold on his jacket.