Chapter 11

I walked into the training room with my blade on my back. I had my hair back in a thick braid and out of my way thanks to the purchase of new hair ties. The room was empty. I saw a weight bag to one side of the room. There was a long walkway down the middle of the room. It was perfect for the gymnastics I had in mind. It was great that it was a huge open room and I had plenty of room. I set my sword to one side and started to stretch. Once I was limbered up I tested my range of motion with the wounds. They stung as they pulled but nothing I couldn't handle and they wouldn't open back up.

I started to run and then started doing forward flips and backflips across the room. I didn't stop until I got to the far wall. Breathing hard I turned and made a return trip with tumbles and flips from rolling to my back and flipping up onto my feet without using my hands. It was a hard workout but it felt good to stretch my muscles. I hadn't done much physical exercise in days. I finished my tumbling and went to the sandbag. I put in my headphones and turned up the tunes. I started to bob and weave around the bag, throwing punches and kicks. I spent about thirty minutes alternating from the sandbag to jumping rope for wind endurance. Now it was time for my favorite part of my exercise routine. I walked over to my blade. I unsheathed it and took a moment to check the blade for any nicks or flaws. I kept it razor sharp and it had saved my life many times. 

I walked to the middle of the room. I checked to make sure there was no one around me even though I knew I was alone. It was a good habit. Satisfied, I fell into a warrior's stance and began my dance. It was a shadow dance a Japanese warrior had shown me. I fell into the trance of the movements, whirling and battling my shadow opponent. I was lost to the rhythm of the fight and didn't notice when the door opened and someone came into the room. 

I made my movements faster and faster until the blade was just a silver whirl in the air. You could hear it cut through the air as it spun in my hands and I turned and ducked. After some time had passed, I wasn't sure how much, my movements started to slow as I began to bring the dance to an end. As my movements stopped and I sheathed the blade on my back, I gave a bow to my shadow warrior for a good training session. 

"That was amazing. Where did you learn that?" I turned and found Steve leaning against the wall watching me.

"I trained with a Hunter from Japan once. He took a liking to me and taught me the art of sword and dagger. A gun can jam and isn't always good for close fighting. With dagger skills, I have a better chance at survival in close quarters. And swords never run out of ammo."

"You've had a hard life. I can't even imagine what that was like. But I'm glad you are here now and we can help make that life better."

I walked over to Steve and stood next to him. "Yeah, it wasn't always bad though. It had good moments too. Seeing the gratitude as you save someone. Knowing that you made a difference. It can be lonely but to me, it's worth it. It's the only regret I have about leaving. How many could I have saved before I went down? How many people die now because I'm not there to protect them. It's hard to think about. But this is the life I chose. And I don't think I'm going to regret it. You have all been amazing and I feel grateful for you taking me in even though you don't know me. I may not be the prettiest stray, but at least I'm useful."

Steve looked at me seriously and said in a quiet voice. "You are beautiful Ariane. Don't forget that. You are a rare person that is beautiful on the outside and beautiful inside too. You have been through so much in your life, but you haven't lost your ability to care for others. You never give up and it makes you all the more beautiful."

I stared wide-eyed. I seemed to be doing that a lot. They just kept shocking me and at times my brain just couldn't keep up.

"Umm...thanks. I will be honest, I'm not sure how to take all that. I'm not a beauty and never will be with these scars and I'm ok with that. I wear each scar proudly as it reminds me that somewhere, someone is alive because of the battles these scars came from. It doesn't make me special. I just have a skill and it just happens to be something I'm proud to do."

I shrugged and just looked at Steve. He didn't say anything else and just stood staring at me. I started to feel uncomfortable and then shivered. I had worked up a good sweat during my workout and now standing still, my skin was starting to chill.

"I… um... need to go shower. But I will see you later, ok? Do we all eat dinner together or is it a fend for yourself kind of thing?"

Steve nodded. "Sure. We try to eat together but it's not a hard-fast rule. If you wanna eat later or in your room that's ok. It sounds like you spent a lot of time alone and it can be a hard transition to having people around all the time. I'll see you at dinner then. Enjoy your shower."

I could feel him staring as I walked away and I resisted the urge to look back. I went to my room and shut my door. I leaned against it for a moment. This had been a very strange day and it wasn't even over. I pulled out a new set of jeans, brand new pretty underwear, and a new top and headed for the bathroom. I turned on the water and stepped in. It was harder to relax this time as I had so much going on in my mind. Obviously, Loki was interested in me and now so was Steve. And Wanda said Bucky was interested too. I never had this much attention from one man before, let alone three. What was I going to do? I still needed to get with Wanda about this whole soulmate business. What did that mean? And what does she mean by a bond? I washed up and got out and dried off. I was no closer to any answers on what to do about three men. It seemed a normal life was more confusing than a Hunter's life. I sighed and got dressed. I combed out my wet hair and put it back into a braid. It was usually how I wore my hair since it was so long but I didn't want to cut it.

I left my room and headed towards the kitchen. I was sure I would find the dining room near there or at least find someone to ask. I ran into Thor in the living room.

"Hey, Thor. How's it going?"

"Hi, Ariane. Things are well. How are you doing? Settling in?"

"Yep. It still feels a little unreal and more like a dream but I'm beginning to really enjoy being here."

"Good. We will always be here for anything you need. We have your back, Ariane. Always."

I smiled. "I really appreciate that. Umm... I feel awkward asking but... can I have a hug? You just seem so much like teddy bear and I don't know, I just really want a hug."

Thor beamed, pleased that I had felt comfortable enough with him to ask. "Absolutely. Come here." 

Thor enveloped me in a big bear hug and lifted me off my feet. I started to giggle as he twirled me around like a little kid. He set me back on my feet as I laughed. I caught sight of a very angry-looking face behind Thor as Loki walked into the room.

"Uh Oh. I think I may have gotten you in trouble. Sorry, Thor." I gestured behind Thor.

He turned and saw Loki. He grinned, seemingly delighted in Loki's black look. 

"Ho Brother! I didn't know you were there or I would have had you give Ariane the hug she wanted. I'm sure she would prefer your arms around her than mine. Unless you prefer I take care of the hug department Brother?"

"Thor!" I smacked his arm as I blushed. Damn it why do they keep making me do that. I hated feeling all girly. I was supposed to be a bad-ass, not affected by this stuff and being all blushy. 

"Absolutely not Brother. I would prefer you to keep your arms to yourself. If Ariane wants a hug, or anything else, she is most welcome to seek it from me." Loki looked into my eyes as he spoke. 

I caught my breath as I got his meaning and my imagination took off double time. What would it be like to kiss this man? To be with this man? I swallowed hard as I realized how much I wanted to know. But I was also afraid. What if I was abandoned and betrayed again? I was scared to trust my heart. And I was scared I would lose who I was. Would he try to control or change who I am like Dean did? Wanda said I was someone's soulmate so that would mean I wasn't destined to be always alone, but what if she was wrong? I was scared to put myself out there, but part of me yearned to be his.

Loki seemed to sense my internal struggle. He walked over to me and held out his arm. "Shall we go to dinner then sweetling?"

I took his arm and smiled, a quick devilish thought popping into my head. "Absolutely, Kokoro no Yokubo. Lead on."

Loki frowned. "What does that phrase mean?"

"Look it up. Let's go eat."

I took impish glee in his aggravated confusion. I would be in some trouble when he did figure out what it meant but until then, it was my secret. I cared more for this man than I was willing to admit, even to myself. Especially as I didn't know much about him yet. He kept getting me worked up, so some revenge felt good. I went to dinner with a light heart.