The days passed, progressively getting the four apprentices to forget about the impediments that the first day made them move slowly and awkwardly. After a couple of weeks, Iris could be seen even without the mask beyond the hours of the training with Elyn since she had discovered that indeed, the rule that in the past would have forced her to fall in love with Ram or Derek (or kill them) lacked in the present of any effect. For her part, Elektra did continue to wear the mask outside the Colosseum but her efficiency as a warrior had not been affected again: she had become the best of the group by far and although Elyn didn't know if it was because she had adapted to show her face or that she just let herself go, the result was masterful. Her mastery of the cosmos was exceptional as well as her movements in combat and defense, so the Pisces Australis Saint soon began, without realizing it, to fix the eyes on her much more than on the rest of the apprendices.
The four quickly learned complement each other, understanding at all times what their allies needed to take advantage of the different tests that Elyn prepared for them. Little by little, the difficulty also increased, but Australis did it in such a delicate way that no one noticed their progress until the day came when they faced other apprentices who had been wearing bronze cloths for years. The guys' trust with their Master was also becoming more and more remarkable: Iris, Ram and Derek understood very well when and where they could joke with Elyn; they found moments in which to suggest that she go out with them for Rodorio, and also to maintain respect in every workout or every time the Silver Saint's gaze sharpened into a clear sign of annoyance.
The trainees managed to be a real team in no time.
Perhaps for this reason, the day Elektra lost her nerves because she stay last in several exercises, none of them chose to pay too much attention to her; stoically they endured her hints, her comments as a bad loser, and even her attempts to cheat them to impose himself on others.
However, and as expected, the young Ram was the one who stood up to her when her behavior became unbearable:
"Stop it, Elektra, you can hurt us!"
"Oh poor... Did I something for bother you? Sorry, little baby! Go and cry somewhere else."
Furious at such a remark brimming with arrogance, Ram stepped forward ready to engage in a fight with his training partner but Elyn's voice stopped any attempt at aggression between both. It didn't take much, not even the Silver Saint had to pronounce their names for the two to end their conversation and even eye contact.
The rest of the training was carried out as the previous days, adding some complaint from Elektra but the patience of the apprentices was rewarded at the end of the day since Elyn considered that they could enjoy one more hour of freedom:
"And what about me!?" The redhead exclaimed.
"Today you have been an useless" Elyn said seriously "You have failed in all the tests and to top it all, you haven't ceased to annoy others in a crawling way, so close your mouth, Elektra and continue training."
Australis saw how for a second, the girl's red eyes blazed with anger but she didn't care. She wasn't going to tolerate behavior like that one more time, so she hoped that with a little "injustice", Elektra would think twice about the next time she wanted to upset her training with a childish behavior. The next sixty minutes passed in a heavy silence, interrupted only by Elyn's voice to change the rhythm or speed at which her apprentice had to move; however, despite believing that Elektra's poor concentration was due to the frustration of being overcome by others, the redhead didn't improve the results at all and her immature attitude continued its course until was overcome by the situation... Barely five minutes left to finish the training when the girl left the arena of the Colosseum after hitting the ground with her fists for not having completed the minimum time that her teacher had demanded.
Australis couldn't believe what she saw, it was the first time that she saw the apprentice so out of her mind and so extremely lost, not even the first day of training had behaved in such a childish way. Elyn followed in her footsteps genuinely concerned about the redhead's condition. As she ran towards her, the Silver Saint noticed that Elektra walked tense, holding the mask with her right hand with disproportionate force and it could be heard her snorting with each step she took. When they both entered the arcades of the Colosseum, Australis grabbed the girl's wrist and forced her to stop:
"Elektra, are you ok?"
"I'm fine."
Lie. Elyn was an expert in detecting absurd excuses, mainly because Deathmask had been in charge of training her in that art since the beginning of time. Cancer had an ugly habit of say lies every time he wanted to escape an awkward situation, and over time both Australis and Aphrodite had learned to spot the same pattern in other people:
"I don't know what you want but trying to trick me, you're not going to get me to leave you alone."
"Really, I'm fine."
"Go with that story elsewhere, Elektra, you can't..."
Suddenly, and without knowing why, Elyn found herself leaning her back against the door embedded in the wall behind to her, engulfed in a passionate kiss that took her by surprise.
Elektra let her frustration flow through her Masterr's mouth, forgetting the protocol that, even though they were both the same age, it positioned one above the other. She was tired of listening to the voice of Pisces Australis and that turned out to be the most effective way to shut her up and release the tension that had been building up since the morning. Perhaps she was also surprised by the kiss, not by giving it -because Elyn was quite attractive to her- but because her superior gave herself to the gesture without opposition. The redhead sought Elyn's tongue with desire, pinning her body against her as she dropped her saint mask to the ground. She ventured to put her hands under the Master's shirt, meeting the smooth skin that reacted to her caress. She could feel how the hair of Pisces Australis stood on end along the path that her hands traveled and before such reaction, the redhead was unable to stop.
"F*ck, to hell with the protocol and good manners."
Without stopping the kiss they both shared, Elektra opened the door on which Elyn was leaning, she didn't care if it was the training materials shed, the bathroom or the changing rooms because whatever the place, it would be where she would end what had started: They entered the cabin in a rush, Elektra took the opportunity to remove her lover's shirt. That garment was an obstacle after having tasted the softness of Elyn's body in the same way, that her own clothes were also beginning to be a nuisance.
The rage contained in the redhead raised her temperature, her libido shot up the instant her Master moaned between her lips, making the only thought that crossed her mind at that moment was to melt into her. Despite being "The Sorcerer of Water and Ice" little sister, Elyn proved to be more ardent than she seemed. She returned each of the caresses she received, turned her mouth to Elektra's neck, biting and licking every inch of skin she found her step. The redhead let out a ragged sigh and, shuddering at the amount of sensations Elyn's tongue aroused in her, brought her hands past the tight pants of her Master. Pisces Australis had to admit that for the first time he had sex in a dark room, she was having an incredibly good time. They were both enjoying it. Neither knew if their ecstasy was heard through the walls, through the door or even if it was recorded by the Colosseum's security cameras because, in fact, none knew where they had ended. Only one thing was obvious: that act had marked a before and after in their relationship.
***
The positions had been reversed at the end of the meeting and now, was Elektra who was leaning against the wall while Elyn got up after kneeling before the redhead. At the end, and still engulfed in rapid gasps, one looked at the other:
"Wow... you are pure fire, Elektra."
Despite the fact that the words she had said were a compliment full of admiration for the passionate encounter, the effect it had on the apprentice was completely the opposite. Elyn watched as the redhead ducked her head and hugged herself, suddenly transforming into an unprotected girl who was trembling for no reason. Australis wished with all his might that she hadn't gone too far with her, it was true that Elektra had been the one who had started the meeting so risqué and that she, as a Master, should have put distance but everything had happened very quickly and always seemed to her that everything was consented.
"By Athena's tears... what have I done?" Elyn thought, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Elektra ..." she started to say.
"... Everything burned..." the girl answered in a whisper "...Twelve years ago, everything burned... with them inside..."
Elyn quickly understood the strange humor that had consumed Elektra throughout the day: Her mood had been affected by the anniversary of a disastrous memory, something that although it had happened a long time ago still continued to hammer the consciousness of the apprentice. Australis felt a lump in her throat at the collapse of Elektra, she had never imagined that the girl could feel so overwhelmed by something that had happened so many years ago, so she stretched out her arms with the intention of hugging her, doubtful that she was meddling in a subject that neither didn't concern her... but Elektra didn't reject her. The redhead rested her head on her collarbone, wrapped around her waist and drew her close; There, the girl destroyed the walls of her heart that she had built over time so as not to feel vulnerable.
She cried like a little girl, remembering second by second that turning point in her life that she had tried by all means to eliminate from her mind while her Master, and lover for a few minutes, cradled her until she recovered, without asking her anything or press her to tell her exactly what was happening to her.
When Elyn was left alone, she had the feeling that it would take a while for her to cross her eyes again with that redhead whose explosion of feelings had left a deep mark inside her.