Of Training and Cloth

None of the girls had anything to say in this moment. Nelly's mind wandered soon from the lovely family in front of her to what this meant for the grand scheme of things. If Oracle was her grandmother, by blood given, then that meant there was a faction somewhere that still danced to her tune. And that faction had enough power to hold a black market and none of the words leaking to the top of the nation. 

"If my mother is back, that means I wasn't able to end her completely. She could have had another vampire progeny that now bears the same name." Dana said and ran her fingers through the hair of the youngest. "Let us go with the worst option that mother is back and that she has another progeny. In that case we have our work cut out for ourselves and in the worst case we will have them publicly lay claim to the throne."

"This could be the reason why the Walsh were daring enough to go through with their plan, even with the risks." Nelly said, having come to the dreary conclusion that her family might be wildly out of the loop. She hadn't considered them infallible, but as close as you could get to that point. Now with a simple wedding gone wrong, they were closest they had ever been to crumbling. 

"And I am sorry for what happened to you as well." Mother said looking at Nelly. She thought she had been bottling up everything so well, with every day bringing her something new to think about. She thought she had become an expert at the topic, but broke down like the youngest when mother continued. "I'm not sure if I have said it before, but I do love you."

Nelly had always thought herself part of this family, but you could never get over all the pangs of: what if I am not good enough. She did not share blood in the common sense, their births came different ways, so sometimes she doubted. It was indeed the first time, mother had told her those words. Nothing meant more for her in this moment. 

Cathrin got her own apologies from mother as well, and they were all bonded through the tears of love they shared that day. If there was one thing Nelly was sure of in her life, it was that this family would never break apart. 

***

"Can't it be anyone else, mother I beg of you" Nelly said, ready to go on her knees for it. Mother's expression was icy again. 

"He is the best we have, one of the best the academy has every raised" Mother said, but Nelly could read a bit of confusion behind that cold mask of hers. Then again, Nelly knew unless she told mother everything, there was no way she would approve of Nelly's denial. She wasn't quite ready to share everything yet, even though they had gotten closer yesterday. 

"Fine, I will start training with Paco." Nelly said, but still hated the idea. Nelly left, but could hear her mother ask Red a question. 

"What has gotten in between Paco and her?" 

"Empress, I would say love is in the air." 

"Huh…" Dana said, and Nelly couldn't help but pick up speed so she wouldn't have to hear anything more. 

She crossed over the yard to enter her own gym. With all implements and tools one could hope to have. It had a sparring room as well, which hadn't seen much use outside of yoga lessons. She had learned the basics of fighting, but there hadn't really been a need to get in deeper. Now she would have to do the combat training, with Paco to boot. 

She sent a message, in the group channel dedicated to her closest team and asked for them to send over Paco. There was no way she was going to call him directly. Nor ask anyone to grab him for her, she needed time to think, but it never went as she hoped. There was a knock on the wall and the man himself stood at the door. 

"Have you been shadowing me?" Nelly said jumping. She had almost said stalking, but managed to maneuver to the shadowing smoothly. She wasn't quite ready to accuse him that harshly. 

"Miss, I am on your roster for todays personal guard." Paco said and gave a bow with fist over heart. Nelly wanted to rip her hair out, she hadn't checked the lists lately, when she stopped caring for him to show up. Red had her hand in it, days had become more bearable with her companionship. 

"Yes of course you are. Mother ordered us to practice combat together, saying you are the best." Nelly said moving on to another topic, dallying on an uncomfortable topic wasn't a precious past time of hers. 

"As the Empress orders," Paco said and spoke words in to the radio behind his ear. "Someone else will pick up the position while I help you out." 

"Fine. I'll get dressed." Nelly said and left for the attached dressing rooms. She was pumping herself up, if she couldn't get anything else out from Paco she would at least pummel him real good today. She opened her own labeled closet and was annoyed at the selection. One she had ordered herself of course, so she didn't have anyone else to blame. In all other situation in her life she wouldn't have minded, but now she had better win, it didn't feel right to let mr "runaway" Paco get so much skin to grapple with. 

All dressed up—up if you considered them to be new clothes, down if you considered the amount of cloth—she approached the ring. Paco was there, ready. And was he ready, he had also found some gym clothes. A tight pair of shorts and one even tighter sports shirt. Nelly couldn't believe she had forgotten how unbelievably appetizing Paco was. She gulped, and would have slapped herself to get it together, but remembered how last time didn't go so well for her. 

"I have no special instruction for the first round, lets get a feeling for your level miss." Paco said doing a few crouches, getting his blood flowing. Nelly's eyes couldn't help but follow the shorts that hiked up his thighs. 

Nelly had to react purely on instinct as Paco flung himself toward her, knee in the air. It was only a a hairs breath from knocking her on her back, but she managed to take enough of a step out of the way. She gave a kick towards his only grounded leg, but he deftly took another step inside her guard. 

Baring her teeth to get a split second of hesitation from Paco, didn't work, he didn't even blink. Nelly's follow up punch was swifly moved to the side by one hand and he crashed in to her. They both struggled on the ground a bit, but Nelly couldn't even with her superior strength get out of his grips. Nelly tapped out, but didn't let Paco speak in between rounds and only attacked him again. 

A few exhausting rounds later, they both were panting. Nelly was being choked from behind, Paco's legs wound around her stomach. He must have stopped using the perfume, she couldn't a whiff of it, he only had that enjoyable workout smell about him. She tapped out again, having lost once more. 

"Why did you stop wearing the perfume?" She asked as Paco let go of her. She thought he would just answer it nonchalantly but was very surprised at how he followed up. 

"I didn't think it mattered anymore." Paco said, wiping some sweat from his brow. Nelly was splayed out on the floor, but did turn to look at him. He hesitated for a second, before continuing. "I got lambasted by Yellow recently." Good job Yellow, Nelly thought and added another notch to the thank Yellow column. Nelly didn't say anything and with that let Paco come out with his words at his own speed. "I was going to quit." 

"WHAT!" Nelly changed her mind, she didn't wait for him to get everything out. "You'd leave just like that?" Nelly sat up, her nose flaring in anger. But her face turn perturbed as Paco laughed out loud. It was a warm laughter, all his strong features amplified by the smile on his face. 

"That was exactly how Yellow said you'd react if I told you." Paco said after gaining a foothold against the laughter. "No, no don't say anything." He motioned for Nelly to hold back. "I got really jealous about Kabek, I'll readily admit that as my weakness. Part of it was my disgust at myself when I was relieved your wedding didn't go so well."

Nelly had trouble keeping up with all the new information. There was one more piece of news that got her even more confused. 

"After the events at the maid's day party, I was upset and needed to get my thoughts back in order. Which to some degree I managed, but I sent you a gift before I had calmed down properly." Paco said and scratched his head awkwardly. "You can imagine my surprise when the collar and leash I sent you, wound around the neck of Kabek. Even worse for my heart was you, teeth in his neck, those teeth I wished would make me your loyal dog."

Nelly's heart was beating fast, embarrassment hot on her cheeks. Paco was in so many words confessing to her, and she had used his gift on another man. 'I am such a heartbreaker,' she thought and flared doubly in redness when Paco moved closer, his eyes back to the strong oak Nelly had yearned for. 

"Yellow told me you cared for me," Paco said, and Nelly removed all good girl points from Yellow in that instance. "I also heard what you said in your room after your wedding gone awry."

"What was that…" Nelly said not sure which words he was talking about. But recognition dawned on her when Paco wrapped his arms around her. 

"It was shut up and hold me."