Training Day

"Tch." Morrigan said and turned her head. "I will be the one mistress turns towards in the end. All your attempts are pathetic." She said and squealed the tires as she burned rubber and drove off to park the car.

Suddenly the door burst open once more and Hilde came rushing out. She moved surprisingly well in her heels and was soon practically tackling Cardia as she hugged her tightly. "Y-You were out with Valkoinen!?" She asked. She had seen them both arrive and with Vals injuries couldn't begin to imagine what had happened just thankful Cardia hadn't been left in the same condition.

Cardia raised an eyebrow at the maid's strange remark, calling out after, "When was it a race?! I'm just trying to..." The car was gone. "Pathetic... yeah, that's me," she muttered to herself. Cardia waved off at the maid dismissively, shaking her head. The maids who worked in Lukretia's main house were even bigger nuts than Cardia tended to be.

She massaged her temples softly, it was a stressful evening, and she was completely drained. She wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed and not move until the next morning... maybe the morning after, and the walk around back to the pool house felt like it may as well have been on the other side of the country. She sighed, "I'll still sleep better than that bitch at the warehouse... ... oh man, am I joking about it already?"

The sound of the door opening caused her to jump in surprise, until she saw about the one thing she was happy to see these days. "Hilde!" She shouted, feeling a burst of energy from the sight of the blonde. Cardia stood up, catching Hilde with only one slight step backwards and squeezing her tightly, leaning over Hilde's shoulder to embrace her closer. "Oh, you're a sight for sore eyes."

Cardia froze at Hilde's question, only to clutch Hilde tighter. "Y-yes... I was." If she saw Valkoinen... I've... got to tell her. "It... I... Hildeee..." She muttered, her blood running cold at the thought of this horrible news she was about to drop on Hilde. Don't think about it. Do it. DO IT.

Swallowing, she pulled herself back out of hug to face Hilde eye to eye, "Hilde... it... I shot someone." She took a sudden breath after saying it, "She... was shooting at Val. I... disarmed her and... I didn't even think twice." She turned away, "Hilde, I..." She wanted to beg her not to let this be a problem, but... she was in no place to try to make demands on Hilde. Cardia felt lucky to have the heart of someone like Hilde... she just hoped she hadn't messed it all up.

Hilde let out a soft purr as Cardia embraced her. She squeezed as tightly as she could, knowing that she had to get in as much love in a moment like this as she could. The fact that Cardia even was glad to see Hilde too made her tingle with warmth.

Bit the tingly pleasure in her bosom turned to a pit in her stomach as she suddenly heard Cardia's stammering. She stepped back from the embrace and let her hands slide down Cardia's arms and took her hands, tilting her head and widening her eyes, encouraging Cardia to speak. Trying to visually ensure her that whatever she had to say would be alright.

When Cardia first spoke, the words sailed over Hilde. So preposterous was the idea of Cardia even being in that situation that the words didn't even register. But as she spoke about Valkoinen, she began to tremble a bit. "Y-You were being shot at!?" She gasped. Her knees weakened and she grabbed onto Cardia's shirt to keep from falling to her knees. She leaned her head against the valley of Cardia's breasts.

"How could I believe it..."She muttered weakly. "It sounds like a joke... Like something Lukretia would say just to unnerve me... To work me up..." She lifted her head. "You'd never do something like that..." She looked up at Cardia, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Which is why I can't believe that you would do it. Tell me... Tell me you're lying..." She was panting hard. "Tell me!" She yelled. Hilde buried her face back in Cardia's bosom. "W-why... Why would you go anywhere with Valkoinen?" There was just no way for Hilde to put together this puzzle that was slowly breaking her down.

Cardia whimpered as she saw how much her words hurt Hilde. Oh no... please... I can't take losing her. She rubbed her shoulders softly, shushing her as she screamed. "Don't... please not quite so loud. It's true... it's true..." She whispered, "I wanted to be stronger and... Valkoinen... I thought she was just a crazy midget. So, I went along with her, and... one stupid thing led to a bunch of other stupid things. And then a bunch of gangsters and..." Cardia bit her lip.

"It was stupid. I was an idiot. Hilde, pl-please don't cry," She looked down at her, stifling a soft sob, "If... this is too much, I... understand. I'm just... you deserve so much better than me..."

Hilde kept her tears at bay despite the words. She listened to Cardia's explanation. She just didn't know. "C-Cardia..." She said weakly, not looking up. "I... I don't understand what's happening to you." She paused for a moment. "If you wanted to get stronger... That's what the gyms for... That's what I'M for... We can train together. But Valkoinen... She's twisted and dangerous... And... And..."

She could no longer contain her tears. She pulled away and turned her shoulder away from Cardia. She trembled and then swiftly turned and aimed a hard slap at Cardia's face. "Don't ever say that!" She said and sniffed. The slap was for more than just for saying she didn't deserve Hilde, it was also for being so stupid and going out with Val. "If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't be. I... I honestly can't process the fact that you..." She sighed and pressed her hand against her chest.

"But I'm angry that you would put yourself in danger like that! What would have happened if you hadn't come back! Y-you didn't even tell me! I would have had to have found out from Valkoinen..."

Hilde once again Hilde wrapped her arms around Cardia and hugged her tightly. "I don't know what it is, but lately you've been different. You've been preoccupied with something. If ... If these sorts of things are going to become regular occurances... I don't think I can take it. I... My heart will burst if I have to watch two people I love destroy themselves..."

Cardia took the slap, recoiling, but quickly turning back to Hilde, brushing her cheek. She embraced Hilde once more before holding her by the shoulders and looking at her eye to eye. "Hilde, I love you... more than just about anything. But... you're not my mom. You can't expect me to just... call you every time I'm about to go do something on my own." She looked down at the ground, "I've been to the gym. I've been to dozens of gyms my whole life! And look what it gets me. Every fight... EVERY one, I leave in a stretcher." Cardia blinked back tears, her eyes meeting Hilde's once more, wide-eyed and distraught, "This is what I'm supposed to be good at. I sure as hell don't have much else I can fall back on." She pulled Hilde close to her once more, "I'd love to train with you... but it'd just be something else for Lukretia to interrupt, to deny us, to lord over us... Hell, I have trouble being in the same room with you without constantly checking the door for her. I keep... I keep seeing her... violating you again, beating you again... And the only way I can hope to stop her is to just inconvenience her enough that she doesn't find it fun! Sometimes... it feels like the whole AFW is the same way..."

"Val... she saved me... She did everything she could to keep me alive. She..." Cardia shook her head, "She's not... that bad."

"But... destroy ourselves? You mean Lukretia. How is she doing that? Between being richer than most countries and having legions of women who beg for a chance just to touch her AND the fact that nobody, but NOBODY can hurt her... how is she destroying herself?"

"Cardia!" Hilde called out. She wasn't mad but her eyes searched her lovers. "It's not like I call you every five minutes... I..." She frowned and lowered her head. "Don't you think this might have been just a little important." She shivered again. "I... I'll thank Valkoinen for protecting you." She said softly, squeezing Cardia's hand. "To say worrying about you is like I am your mother... I don't understand... Should I be cold? S-Should I be like Lukretia!?"

"Cardia... She's ... I don't know if she's capable of loving... Whatever else she has..." She closed her eyes and threw herself against Cardia and held her tightly. "She could never know what we have. She's forsaken her family... for what? I would rather be poor and be able to love you than to have what she has and never know what it's like to know love. Whatever Lukretia does... To be with you, it's worth it..."

She closed her eyes and sighed agaiunst Cardia. "I would leave it all.... to be with you.... you know that? I don't stay here because this is the life I want. I am here because I need to be there for my little sister and even if she doesn't acknowledge me. I can't be like her. I was like her once and never again. And even if she doesn't think it. I know deep down she would be lost without me...."

"I... I don't know... maybe I'm foolish... Cardia...She hugged Cardia tightly and then lifted her head up and slowly began to draw her lips towards her lover's. She then kissed Cardia deeply, longingly like it may be their last kiss. She pulled away, leaving their lips a few inches apart. "This crazy... fucked up life we have..." She smiled. "Because you're in it, it makes it worth it. I'm just worried that if you fall too deeply into it too you might stop being the girl I fell in love with."

Hilde's indignant reply stung at Cardia, "No, no, I don't want... Please, don't be like Lukretia. I just... it was all so sudden and..." She shook her head, looking away from Hilde's eyes, "I never thought it would end up like this."

She let out a soft sob hearing Hilde's confession, "Oh, Hilde..." She squeezed Hilde tightly close to her, sniffing her hair softly. "I'd do the same in a heartbeat... My job, the ring... even Lukretia... Of course, then we'd have to eat the next day." She punctuated that statement with a soft chuckle that was a poor disguise for a second sob.

Cardia returned Hilde's kiss eagerly. It was the oasis at the end of this just terrible night. "You're not foolish. You're wonderful. I'm... I'm the fool... the loser, the killer, the weakling... You're so... wonderful... and beautiful... why do you waste it all on me?" She sniffed softly.

Hilde smiled weakly at Cardia's rebuke and put her hand on her shoulder. "It's fine..." She said softly. "I just worried about you." She tried to reassure Cardia. She could do whatever she wanted, but she wanted to tell Cardia that she did worry.

Hilde purred softly at Cardia's squeeze. She really felt wonderful in Cardia's arms. "Danke..." She said softly but then smiled at Cardia. "I'm not helpless, you know..." She said, not saying that Cardia was implying it. "I do have my own income. I run a few businesses and have been saving my own nest egg. We would be fine." She said with a soft grin.

Hilde furrowed her brow at Cardia's words. "Cardia!" She said suddenly. D-Don't you dare speak that way about yourself!" She cupped her hand around Cardia's cheek. "You're beautful." She said and kissed Cardia on the lips. "You're strong." She kissed Cardia again. "You're kind." She kissed Cardia again, each time staying closer to Cardia. She clutched Cardia's shirt tightly. "You're exactly what I want. Not one second of my time with you is wasted." She then gripped Cardia's shirt tightly. "Now... If you speak like that again, I'll kick your ass, Verstehen?" She said sharply. She then let go of Cardia and blushed deeply. "Hah..." She said panting. "I can't even pretend to be a bitch anymore." She said and lauged.

Cardia blinked softly as Hilde complimented her. She trembled, and began to tear up, letting out a few chuckles mixed with a sob when Hilde threatened her, "I'd... like to see you try." Her voice cracked at the end, "Hildeee..." She broke down crying on her shoulder, "Oh, whatever I did to deserve you, it wasn't enough." She sniffled, "I love you so much..."

She pulled her head back after a few seconds of quiet hugging and sobbing, "Wait, CAN you kick my ass? You're... like, the only one who hasn't had a go at it." She arched her head to the side a bit, smiling, "And you've got a couple businesses? Does Lukretia like you THAT much?" She tapped lightly on Hilde's nose, "You're full of surprises, aren't you, my... my little, oh so delicious, strudel?"

Her smile faded to mock seriousness, "Seriously though, if you CAN kick my ass, we need to go back to that training together idea..."