CHAPTER 253: LET’S DANCE

Caius said nothing at first and then he lowered his head.

"May I ask why?" He asked, "If you’re going to be sending me on my way, you might as well do me the courtesy of telling me why. And how I’ve made it worse."

A gentle breeze lifted Cynthia off the ground then and she stood back on her feet, turning away from Caius who stood up the old-fashioned way.

There was about a minute of silence that Caius didn’t break. He just waited to listen.

Eventually, Cynthia let out a sigh.

"The poses," she said, "The poses are the problem. I shouldn’t have shown them to you. I shouldn’t have allowed you to create complementary poses to them. And I shouldn’t have indulged you in practicing the complementary poses together.

In all this, I alone am in the wrong."

"Well, that electrocution made it feel different," Caius said gently.

Cynthia laughed once and turned around to look at him. Her arms were crossed and she stroked her fingers across her smooth, bronze, glistening skin as she stared at him quite hard with her storm-grey orbs.

"I’m sorry about that," she said, "I got a bit carried away."

Caius waved her off,

"Nah, we’re good," he said, "I stabbed you with a couple of darts that sapped your mana, and you nearly shut down my nervous system. I’d say we’re even."

Cynthia smiled.

"What you’ve proved to me today is what I’ve always known: You have a talent in the Traditional Mage ways.

But... You also have talent in being a Mage-Knight. Well, as much talent as is required to succeed on that path. Not a lot, I’d wager..."

"Professor," Caius cautioned Cynthia gently, knowing she was starting to stray off course to rant about her detest for Mage-Knights.

"Sorry," Cynthia said and let out a breath,

"The point is, where there is talent in both, there is choice. You’re fortunate for that. I’d like you to choose the right path but I must accept that I can’t make that happen. Or, at least I can’t base how I teach you and how I react to things you do when not in my classroom or my home on that.

My job is to guide you. Give you all the options, show you the truth of the Traditional Mage ways and how convinced I am that it is better than being a Mage-Knight but if you choose wrong, that is your right. I cannot decide for you."

"So what are you saying?" Caius asked.

"I’m saying the Extra Lessons will continue. And I will not be kicking you out of Combat Magic class. I will remain your Professor for as long as you want me," Cynthia said.

"Oh that’s great," Caius said, making a nice show of how much of a relief that was to hear. It was exaggerated for effect but he really was glad.

Cynthia put a damper on the mood with her next words though.

"Yes, I’m glad to continue teaching you as well. However, we will no longer perform the Focus poses together. I will teach them to you but we will only perform them individually from now on.

I’m not convinced the poses are helping you anyway."

Caius frowned.

"I’m sorry, I can’t agree to that, Professor," he said.

"What?"

"I just don’t see why we need to stop the most revolutionary things to come out of our Extra lessons thus far," Caius said with a shrug.

"’Revolutionary’ is pushing it. Again, it wasn’t even helping you," Cynthia said.

"That’s what you think," Caius said, stepping closer to her,

"I created a spell with the combination of Fire and Wind after that."

Cynthia laughed sarcastically.

"Yes, I’m sure that was all because of my poses."

"What else would it be then?" Caius asked.

"I’ve been performing the poses myself for years, and not even I have done that," Cynthia said.

"I don’t know what to tell you," Caius said with a shrug, "I was bursting with focus after that last week that I was having breakthrough after breakthrough and... Well, I think the results speak for themselves."

"Lie all you want, Caius, I’ve made up my mind," Cynthia said, "If these Extra Lessons will continue, then we cannot perform the poses."

"Then I suppose the Extra Lessons may as well just end then because what is the point of anything if I can’t gain Focus?" Caius asked, taking another step toward Cynthia. She was so locked into the conversation that she didn’t even seem to notice.

"Caius, you’re being silly," Cynthia said, "You can gain Focus by performing the individual poses."

"They’re not made for me though," Caius rebutted, "They’re made for a more flexible, graceful, sensual body."

"Thanks for the compliments, but I think they work well enough," Cynthia said, suppressing the blush that had been about to send her bronze cheeks aflame as she continued,

"And if the poses don’t fit you, you can always return to the good old-fashioned way and meditate."

Caius took the last step now and wrapped an arm around Cynthia’s waist. The only reason he had engaged in the short argument—though all he spoke was how he truly felt—was so he could distract Cynthia and get close enough to do this. He didn’t want to take the chance that she’d get away if she noticed.

Well, he had lost the element of surprise now.

Cynthia frowned and reached a hand back to easily pry his arm off her body while also slamming her other hand against his chest, which she cast a spell directly against.

The spell circle appeared and vanished too fast for Caius to really catch it. But then a gentle force of wind pushed him away from Cynthia.

Caius had expected this, so he closed his hand around Cynthia’s waist and used her to anchor himself and not get tossed too far.

"Nghh," he groaned at getting pushed.

"Mmph," Cynthia let out because she hadn’t expected him to grab her, and she got pulled into his arms as they slid a few steps but remained standing.

In retrospect, seeing as this was the second time he was pulling this sort of wrist-grabbing move, Cynthia felt she should have expected it.

Caius was still holding her wrist. His other hand was on her back as he and Cynthia breathed against each other’s faces.

"Let’s address the real reason you want us to stop the poses," Caius said, "It’s not because it’s not useful for me. Not really anyway. It’s because you’re scared."

Cynthia tried to laugh it off,

"What could I possibly be scared of?" Cynthia asked.

"Me," Caius answered.

"Y-you?" Cynthia said and tried to laugh again, but it didn’t come out as naturally, "Please, Caius, don’t flatter yourself."

Caius said nothing for a few seconds, searching her eyes, and then he smiled and leaned forward. Caius took his time in his approach, and considering how good Cynthia’s reaction time was, she practically watched him get close. She had the time to get away. To put a stop to what she could tell was coming.

Unlike Caius, one of her hands was free. And even the one Caius was holding, she could have wrenched free. And yet she stood in place. Cynthia wasn’t surprised at herself though. The manner her body was reacting was especially why she wanted to put a stop to the poses so they didn’t get close enough to each other to tempt such a reaction.

Caius’s lips touched hers then in a gentle kiss that soon grew firmer and a tad bit more insistent. Their tongues stayed in each other’s mouths though, but the deed was done as far as Cynthia was concerned. She had finally crossed the line from normal to inappropriate and didn’t know how to feel about it.

Caius pulled away then with a smile that Cynthia couldn’t help but return. She smacked her lips together like she was trying to get even more of the taste of Caius’s lips.

"See? Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?" Caius said, "And now that we’ve gotten that out of the way..."

He spun her out of his arms, still holding her hand, and while looking into her surprised face, he said,

"... Let’s dance."

And dance, they did.