sparring

After Miranda left her students at the battle simulation building James shows his three teammates a couple of useful simulations, the four standing inside one of the rooms while he loads the training and explains the benefits gained from each exercise.

"This is no fun. Can't we train like normal people and see who's the strongest?" Yasmina asks, striking a simulated enemy with a lightning whip, making a loud clapping echo through the room.

"I agree, this isn't fun, but if you're talking about seeing who's strongest isn't that kind of pointless in this group? We all know it's James. And each of us is specialized in completely different fields." Lily says, stopping the simulation and the room turns back to its clear, white color.

"What do we do then? I want to get stronger and you didn't want to join Kai's workout." Yasmina asks.

"You don't have to do what I do. Go ahead and pump your muscles. I might even enjoy my time better alone with James." Lily says, smirking at Yasmina.

"Why are you two fighting?" Serena asks while James is currently away getting them some drinks.

"Why are you here anyways? You don't seem to enjoy James company much." Lily asks Serena.

"That's not true." Serena says saddened.

"Don't harass Serena. It's us two who are going to have to see who James'd rather spend time with." Yasmina tells the blonde, defending their redheaded classmate.

"I'm back. And... what's with the mood in here?" James says, entering the room with four drinks, handing them out one at a time.

"We were discussing what to do, since this is not what we were hoping for at the moment." Lily explains.

"And? What did you come up with?" He asks looking at the three.

"Yasmina wants to join Kai's workout." Lily says quickly.

"I never said that." Yasmina replies with a pout.

"How about you fight me? I haven't seen much from you all and I have to say amongst our class you guys are some of the people I'm most curious about." James suggests.

"What do you mean curious? Such a rude thing to say to a lady." Lily retorts.

"You are among the stronger people in class and I would like to see what you're all about." James tells them.

"I'm in! But if Lily and Serena don't want to join, we can just use our own room James." Yasmina tells him quickly, moving closer to him.

"If that's OK, I would like to join." Serena says insecurely, looking at James as if asking for allowance.

"What about you Lil.? Are you going to support your classmates?" James asks, the blonde's mood brightening when he shortens her name as he does for their teacher.

"I suppose as the tactician I have to be make good example." Lily says, joining the two other girls.

"Good. You can work on your teamwork then. The three of you actually fit together pretty well. All you'd need is a range caster like Miranda or Sam and your squad would be complete." James tells them.

"What so you mean range caster? Isn't Lily doing that?" Serena asks curiously.

"I guess, but Serena is more about enhancements and healing as far as I've seen. I'm talking about someone who casts fireballs or traps the enemy in one area." James explains.

"Do mages work in four person squads usually?" Lily asks intrigued by the subject.

"I'm not really sure to be honest. I was always more of a solo person." James tells them sheepishly.

"We could help you with that James, I can be very friendly. Especially since I don't have to waste time on trying to impress your brother anymore." Lily tells James, trailing a hand up his jacket.

"You stopped fawning over his brother?" Yasmina asks surprised.

"Yes. James here organized a meeting and Alfred Rowan is just not worth my time." Lily tells them.

"Anyways girls. How about it? You three against me. I will only defend, so don't worry." James offers.

Yasmina, Serena and Lily look at each other, somehow managing to convince each other to work together and they nod in unison before turning to face James, set up in a backwards triangle, Lily being the tip pointing away from him while Serena and Yasmina prepare themselves to attack him from opposite sides.

"We're ready." Yasmina tells James once the three are in position.

"Then come at me." He says, making a wooden staff.

"Holy Light bless us with your strength!" Lily says casting a spell on her two comrades an orange glow running over the two girls.

Yasmina mumbles something quietly and her a blue hue appears around her before disappearing.

Yasmina then rushes at James, Serena moving in on their sparring partner as well, but Yasmina is twice as fast, making James guess that due blue hue was a speed increase the girl applied to herself.

Yasmina runs up to a meter in front of him and jumps, flying at him while jerking her leg around, her shin connecting against the wooden staff in a roundhouse kick when James blocks the attack aimed at his head.

He pushes back against the blow and Yasmina bounces backwards landing on her feet, closing in immediately again and throws a punch at him.

James dodges it, moving his head down and catches her between his staff and his body while her hand is outstretched. He pushes with his shoulder and elbow against the arm and forces her to turn sideways, before pushing her into the direction.

Once Yasmina is pushed away he catches a foot at waist height in his palm while the staff disappears in a shower of leaves. Serena looks at him, visibly still unsure whether to fight him seriously or if James will take it personally and think she still wants to assassinate him, which she doesn't.

James continues holding her right foot and sees her conflicting emotions barely hidden by her eyes.

He yanks her towards him by pulling on the foot and slides the hand up her leg, keeping it raised besides him.

He blocks her barely thrown attempt at a punch by using his forearm to raise both her arms above her and holds on in place.

Lily sees Serena getting so close to James and pouts, before making up her mind and going over to the three as well while casting the strength spell on herself.

"Fight seriously. I know you feel awkward and probably a bit scared. But I promise you it's alright." James whispers to the girl he pretty much holds tightly in an arousing embrace while jumping back from Yasmina.

"I don't know if I can." Serena replies.

"Alright, just do what you can and we'll talk when we're alone." James says softly, releasing her arms and slips his hand from her inner thigh to her belly, pushing her away a good distance, Yasmina catching the redhead who comes flying at her.

"What's going on with you Serena? You can do better than that." Lily says arriving next to the two but is only met by a guilty silence from the redhead.

"She's scared I will react instinctively and hurt you guys." James jumps in quickly.

"James wouldn't do that. Right?" Yasmina says, looking at the boy.

"I don't think so." He says.

"Well, that isn't helping." Lily groans.

"Alright. Let's just continue. We're probably just still rocky because none of us know each other that well." Lily tells them.

Yasmina is the first to attack again, sliding on the floor with a streak of electricity running along her arm over it.

She attempts to kick James's feet away from under him and he jumps up, Yasmina having counted on it and rears her hand around, shooting a bolt of lightning at the airborne teen, who takes the hit in his left shoulder, landing on the ground with a small burn on his shoulder while Yasmina gracefully hops to her feet behind him.

Serena then rushes at James, an elbow strike coming for his right ribs, which he barely manages to block with a metal baton he creates.

Serena freezes up at the close proximity and intense eye contact with the teen and jumps backwards, putting some distance between them.

"Take this." Lily then shouts, trying to tackle James down, coming directly at him at waist height and attempts to knock him over with her strength enhancement, but James instead grabs the sides of her stomach and throws her over his right shoulder with ease, holding her down with a hand on her lower back. Lily blushes at the close contact to the prince and enjoys his warm hand holding her before snapping back focusing again and she starts flailing around, hitting his body with her fists and knees over and over, James barely reacting to the hits however.

"Lily, I think you'd benefit from doing Kai's workout if your plan is to learn close quarters combat." James says chuckling, the two other girls stopping amused as well while James sets down the busty blonde who is blushing embarrassed.

"Shut up. You're all jerks." She says and tries to kick James in his side, the teen catches her leg and pulls her close similar to how he handled Serena.

The two are close enough that their nose could rub when he says "I'm going to block seriously from now. I'm not trying to make fun of you. I just don't think you're suited for this kind of fighting currently." James informs her, kicking out her other leg from below her, grabbing onto her back and sets her down on the ground not as gently as she'd like, the movement having felt slightly romantic with her hanging off his strong body.

Once he set Lily down, he catches a downward heel strike from Yasmina in his crouched over position and pushes the leg up, the quick girl jumping up and using the momentum to do a flip and land on her feet again.

Yasmina then casts a spell, only whispering the words and the next thing James knows is he's getting tackled to the ground by Serena, who attempts to get him in a submission hold, wrapping her legs around one of his arms and reaches at his other hand, pinning it down as well, her sizeable breasts pushing up against this chest and under his chin, making him blush slightly for a moment, before using the same magic they saw before and a burst of energy comes from below his feet, lifting the two up, Serena quickly instead of pinning him down wraps herself around his arms but loses her hold during James speedy flight maneuver and would have fallen down if he didn't wrap her arms around his neck and held her at his side while landing.

"Thanks." Serena says in response, smiling for a moment before looking him in the eyes and looking down on the ground guiltily again, stepping away.

"Lightning Flash." James hears Yasmina shout and the girl comes flying at him with her foot crackling with lightning and James dodges, pushing down Serena just to be safe and lands on the ground with him above her, Serena looking up at him thankful but still obviously confused.

"I think that's enough for now. I could use a break." Lily says, not liking James intimate contact with the redhead and pulls him off the girl by his ear.

Yasmina chuckles softly at this while helping up the martial artist.

"How did we do?" Yasmina asks, James rubbing his ear annoyed.

"Well you and Serena are obviously talented at close quarters fighting. And I'm curious how much Lily's spell helped, because some of those hits hurt." He says, kneading his hands.

"I am a support mage afterall." Lily says proudly.

"Water of healing, regeneration." Lily then says, casting a spell and a blue-purple hue washes over James, his hands feeling better quickly.

"Thanks." He says giving her a grateful smile.

"Well, I know just what we're gonna do next." Lily says, grabbing Yasmina's and Serena's hands before wiggling her finger at James to follow them.

He considers staying and training, but Yasmina's hopeful look and the still worried expression on Serena win him over and he follows them.

The four exit the building and Lily wastes no time leading them somewhere.

"Where are we going?" Yasmina asks curiously, her

short white-haired ponytail bouncing behind her with every step.

"To cleanse ourselves." Lily says chipperly and a few minutes later the group is standing in front of James house.

"Well open it. Or you could give us all keys if you'd prefer." Lily tells him.

"Whatever." James sighs and opens the door, the four going inside and Yasmina and Serena stay at the door confused why they are in James apartment, or house since he lives in a separate building but his space is only moderately bigger than their own rooms, given his royal status.

"Come on you two." Lily says, while walking to James bathroom, the man getting himself a water before watching the scene with various emotions, amusement at Serena's and Yasmina's confused expression, worry at what the blonde is planning besides using his bathroom and excitement while trying not to stare as the three girls are taking off their training outfit in front of the bathroom door, Lily looking over to him sure of herself and smiling victoriously when she sees him stare at her and the girls beside her who are all now in their underwear.

Lily opens the bathroom door and lets the two embarrassed girls enter first, Serena wearing a red pair of undergarments matching her hair, Yasmina is wearing black underwear and Lily herself is wearing white underwear with bright pink lines over it.

Once her two classmates are in the bath she winks at James with a devilish smile before joining the two girls.