Chương 103: 131 - Intimacy

When Leon and Elise were finally finished, they lay in each other's arms breathing heavily and sweating only a little.

"So, how was that for 'no uncertain terms'? I wasn't too ambiguous, was I?" Elise asked as she snuggled even closer to Leon and rested her head on his shoulder.

"No, you were very clear," Leon responded, gently squeezing her into his arms with a smile.

"Ooh! You're not going for another, are you?" she asked with a surprised chuckle.

"I'm down for it, but I need some rest first…"

"I think I'm done for the time being," Leon responded.

"You've quite exhausted me."

"Was I that good?" Elise asked teasingly.

"You were," Leon affirmed, as he smiled again and gently pressed his forehead into hers.

"That's good to hear. You were wonderful as well," she said as she drew closer for a kiss. Then, as she pulled away, she said, "But, there's still some room for improvement…"

"Well do tell, my lady, how can I satisfy you better?" Leon asked with a laugh.

"Hmmm, we're going to need a lot of practice, when do you leave the city?" she inquired.

"Two weeks from now, I'll be taking a Legion galley northward," he answered.

"Where are you going and who are you squiring for?" Elise asked.

"… I don't know yet," Leon replied.

"You don't know? How can you not know?!"

"They didn't give me any specifics. All I know is that I have to report to the citadel in Cyrene in the Northern Territories, and I'll get further instructions about where I'm going from there."

"That's an odd way to go about things," Elise said with a frown.

"I thought so too, especially given that everyone else knows exactly who they're going to be squiring for. I asked about it, but I was assured that despite its oddity, all my paperwork is in order, so… yeah. I guess I'll see when I get to Cyrene."

"You just be sure to send me a letter or something, I want to know where you're going to be," Elise sternly ordered.

"You got it," Leon said.

"Good. Now, where are you going to stay for the next two weeks?" Elise asked.

"Probably an inn somewhere. I need to get out of the Academy dorms by the end of tomorrow, so I'll be looking for a place when I leave here." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"You should just stay here. That way, we'll have plenty of time for that practice I mentioned," Elise suggested with a lustful smile.

"… Works for me," Leon answered, matching her smile with one of his own.

"With that settled, I should probably go get my stuff."

"Do you need any help? I can have some of the servants here accompany you to carry your things if you need it…"

"No I-" Leon began, before he remembered the large pile of silver coins he had yet to take care of. At that point, the pile had grown to over eighty thousand coins; he'd have to make four or five trips to transport just the coins to the Heaven's Eye Tower.

"Actually, yes I could use some help," Leon said. He explained the situation to Elise, who, after intently watching Leon get dressed, quickly followed suit before organizing half a dozen servants to carry Leon's silver coins to the Tower. At the same time, Leon packed all of his things and left the Snow Lions tower behind. He had more clothing than he did when he moved in, so he needed more than just the one pack he had originally, but he made it work.

Leon wasn't too worried about seeing his friends again, as he knew where they were staying, and he could stop by to say goodbye whenever he wanted to. So, he happily returned to Elise's estate with all of his stuff packed and everything else taken care of.

"Took you long enough," Elise playfully chastised when Leon finally returned to her rooms. The servant who guided him respectfully bowed and left.

"I think I did that rather quickly, though," Leon said as he put all of his things down in the corner, as out of the way as he could.

"Well, I guess we're just going to have to work on your speed, then," Elise said as she sat down on her bed and gave Leon a suggestive smile. Leon smiled back and moved to join her, pulling his clothes off as he went.

"So, why a lion?" Elise asked as she admired Leon's new armor, with the stylized silver lion on the chest drawing most of her attention.

"Apart from my name?" Leon jokingly asked.

"I was placed in the Snow Lions unit when in training, and the biggest beast I've ever brought down was an actual snow lion in the Vales. Plus, I like lions."

"But I would've figured you'd have taken some kind of bird motif," Elise said. For a moment, Leon was a little confused, until he remembered that Elise knew his real identity; she had been there when Ajax, the Heaven's Eye Tower Lord in Teira identified him.

"I did," Leon said, indicating the wings off his helmet. Such decorations were so commonplace that Elise hardly even noticed until Leon pointed it out.

"Hmmm," Elise hummed. A long silence followed, until she turned to Leon with a serious expression and asked, "Why did it take you so long to make a move on me?" Leon matched her serious expression and said, "Do you remember how strongly you came onto me when we first met? You made me second-guess your later actions, because if you would be so forward with someone you just met, then how could your subsequent displays of affection mean anything?" Elise frowned at the realization.

She had been following her mother's teachings to make Leon hers as soon as she saw his power and his gold card, but her behavior toned down considerably when she learned more about him and how such forwardness might drive him away. Then, she started to actually like him, far more than just the initial attraction to power that she had to begin with. But, it seemed that her forwardness had the unintended side-effect of making Leon insecure in their relationship until they finally confessed to each other.

Elise clenched her teeth in frustration. Her mother had taught her that those techniques were guaranteed to make any man fall for her, but instead, they had nearly made it so that Leon left without speaking with her. She was going to have some words with her mother later, but for now she turned back to Leon and said, "Well I'm glad you finally made your move. I was getting a little tired of always taking the lead…"

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm certainly intending to be more proactive than I have been," Leon said as he rose from the bed and embraced Elise.

"We've only got two weeks until you leave," she said sadly. She then pushed herself deeper into his arms and continued, "We should make the most of this brief time…"