Strax was standing with his arms crossed, leaning against a pillar, watching Daniela closely as she approached, now fully dressed.
She had returned from the mansion, where she had changed quickly, and her attire now made it clear she was ready for combat. She wore a long-sleeve black top, made of tight fabric that subtly shaped her curves and allowed freedom of movement.
The top was almost like a second skin, with subtle silver details along the seams that glimmered faintly when the light hit. Her training pants, also black, were tight-fitting but durable, perfect for quick movements and fighting. She wore mid-calf leather combat boots, sturdy and practical, ideal for the terrain they were on. Around her neck, she wore a simple black choker that accentuated her imposing posture.
She somehow looked like an amazon, but her expression, as always, was one of mischief, a playful smile on her face...
Her attempt to focus on the training was clear, but the distraction consuming her was far beyond that.
*He saw me like that!!! I'm so embarrassed!!* She didn't show it, but internally, she was struggling with herself.
She tried to convince herself that everything was fine, but the emotions and tension still hung in the air, like a weight.
*He saw me half-naked... he must have seen even the areolas of my breasts... that airhead!! I got so focused on mom that I forgot I was with a man... what's he thinking of me with that smug look of his!* She growled and huffed before glancing at him.
With a sigh, Daniela picked up a training sword beside her, getting into a solid stance, trying to refocus. She crouched slightly, preparing for the first move, but then Strax's voice cut through the silence, interrupting her concentration.
"Are you going to pretend nothing happened?" His blunt, straightforward question made Daniela stop mid-motion. She froze, the sword in her hand slightly lowered, as if analyzing his words.
"Also, this training is about controlling Fire and Ice at the same time, not with swords..." Strax added, but internally, he was already laughing at the sight of her frozen like a statue.
For a moment, the sound of the wind through the trees and the soft rustling of leaves seemed louder than the conversation itself. Daniela slowly raised her eyes to Strax, a mix of confusion, frustration, and a hint of exasperation. The anger of being interrupted by something she wanted to forget, and at the same time, the sense that he was right, was starting to emerge in her.
*Asshole!!* She screamed internally, dropping the sword to the ground, and glared at him.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Daniela replied with a forced smile, trying to mask her growing irritation. She quickly turned around and made a cutting motion with the sword through the air, as if testing the blade and ignoring the pressure of the situation.
Strax didn't move, still standing with his arms crossed, watching her intently. "Daniela, your mom said it was... to learn to control..." He said, "Besides... You can't pretend nothing happened, Daniela. You know what I'm talking about. That... moment between us. You won't even mention it?"
'At least she'll stay away from me...' Strax thought, a mischievous grin forming on his lips. He knew what he was doing, and it was all part of a carefully calculated plan. He had provoked Daniela specifically to make her distance herself, to make her stop caring about his presence. It was a strategy, even though it was hard to admit it to himself. But something in him, something he didn't want to confront, seemed to like her closeness. And that bothered him.
'This man... he's crazy like mom, but... he's funny...' Daniela thought, the half-smile that appeared involuntarily on her face revealing how much the situation was affecting her. She wanted to get mad, to stay angry, but somehow, she couldn't help but find his attitude a little... funny. He was relentlessly making her feel uncomfortable, but he also knew how to break the tension with laughter.
"Okay! Let's go!" Daniela said suddenly, as if the whole situation had been dismissed in an instant. Her expression changed, now more upbeat, as if she had decided to move on, no matter what had happened before. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at Strax with a determined gleam in her eyes.
"Make a flaming ice sword!" she ordered, her energy suddenly returning full force, as if the anger she had been feeling until then had been channeled into the training.
Strax raised an eyebrow, an incredulous look on his face. He didn't know if he was being challenged or if he was daydreaming. "Are you crazy? That's impossible," he said, his voice full of skepticism, but there was still a hint of amusement present.
Daniela was unshaken. "Then make it possible," she said, with the authority of someone who doesn't take "no" for an answer. She was so determined that, for a moment, Strax had to control himself to not laugh again.
"You're asking me to do this, but you don't understand what you're asking, do you?" Strax said, stepping to the side, already preparing to explain the difficulty of the task. He felt like he was dealing with a child, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't underestimate Daniela.
"I know exactly what I'm asking." Daniela interrupted him, her hands still on her hips. "I know what you're capable of. You can control Fire and Ice at the same time, so why can't you do this?"
Strax sighed, a little exasperated, but his expression softened. "I'm not a god. I'm a man... with limits, Daniela."
"Oh, don't give me that!" Daniela exclaimed, grimacing. "If you're as good as you say, you can do it, end of story."
The challenging look in her eyes didn't go unnoticed. Strax knew that when she had that expression, there was no backing out. He had to try, or she would challenge him to the end of time.
"You're stubborn, you know that? Airhead," Strax commented, his mischievous grin widening. He didn't just want to defend himself; he wanted to see how far she would go with this challenge. "This airhead has an incentive... if you manage to do this in less than two hours, I'll let you see my whole body, no towel."
The proposal left his mouth almost casually, as if he was making any other comment, but the provocative look in his eyes and the energy he was radiating made it clear that, for him, this was a game. And Daniela was about to be the target of his playful tease. He knew how her mind worked; he knew she'd take the bait. No matter how much she tried to keep up the posture of a powerful woman, an offer like that was impossible to ignore.
"HAHAHAHA, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE HAHAHA!" Daniela screamed internally, though a laugh escaped involuntarily from her lips.
[Mission...]
'And another plan goes wrong... my wives are going to kill me if they find out...'