It was a sunny and peaceful day at Cerberus HQ, the Deadlands remained in a slumbering state, the specters hadn’t reached the wall in a couple of weeks, and scouting missions in the deeper parts of the Deadlands had been put on hold temporarily.

Claire proudly strode through the open outdoors of HQ, glancing from side to side as she inspected the training of young recruits—watching many of them fail spectacularly at the tasking exercises of their instructors.

“Brings back memories…” she smiled.

“Sure does.”

A strange voice from behind caused the lieutenant to flinch in surprise—turning around quickly to face the man. “Wha—you?”

In front of her was Sovereign, who wore his usual black suit with a red shirt—keeping his eyes hidden under a black wig with long bangs. “Are you busy?”

“I am, as always.”

“That doesn’t sound right,” Sovereign frowned. “I made sure to clear your schedule at this hour…”

“What are you setting me up to…?” Claire closed her eyes while pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Nothing, but if you are actually free then how about a date?”

“No.”

“Damn…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“How about now?”

“Why are you… ugh, fine.”

“Yes!”

“Hold it!” Claire interrupted the man before he could celebrate any further, extending one hand towards him—like an officer stopping vehicles in the middle of traffic. “If I am going to go with this, then you will have to earn it first.”

“Shoot me.”

Claire hummed in contemplation when a bright idea suddenly struck as she glanced at the training grounds—drawing a smirk on her face. “Follow me.”

Moving away from the crowded grounds of HQ, Claire led Sovereign to an empty and dry field of dirt—prepared for long distance runs. She stepped in front of the young CEO with her head high and her arms crossed—her expression as serious and stern as a drill sergeant. Sovereign looked into her eyes, somewhat confused on how to proceed.

“So, uh…”

“This is the place,” Claire stated. “We’ll do some basic exercises, and then you’ll prove yourself on the field, got it?”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“It’s yes, ma’am! Let me hear it!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

“Good,” Claire smiled with satisfaction.

And just like that, the lieutenant’s trials began with simple stretching exercises—preparing Sovereign and herself for a rigorous session of intense training. Despite only stretching however, some of Claire’s techniques were a little too complicated for him to even follow—groaning in pain as his limbs crossed through areas he didn’t even know they could.

“I’m dying…”

“We are only stretching…” the lieutenant frowned. “Alright, that should be enough. Take your suit off.”

“Wha—! Shouldn’t we go inside for stuff like that?”

“Say that again and I will shoot you,” Claire warned. “I meant your vest. You can’t run with all of that on you.”

“Ah, of course.”

Stretching and preparations done, both Sovereign and Claire stood next to each other at the end of the open field—just behind the starting line. They bent their knees slightly; the lieutenant rested her hands on her knees while Sovereign glanced at her before copying her stance. In order to prove himself, the young CEO would have to run a marathon across the large field—reaching the end, and back towards the beginning.

“So, you like them athletic?”

“What?” Claire suddenly glanced with a raised eyebrow—puzzled by the question.

“I mean, if you are making me do all of this. I assume it’s because you prefer someone who’s fit, right?”

“Of course, a man shouldn’t strive for anything less than a six pack.”

Sovereign raised an eyebrow at her statement—flinching away slightly. “Some would disagree with that… me included.”

“Just look at my father,” Claire replied. “He was fit last time I saw him, and I’m sure he kept up with his training after joining Cerberus.” her lips curved upwards as she closed her eyes, smiling brightly with pride. “He’s a clear example of what a man should be.”

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“Sure…”

“What I’m saying is,” the lieutenant began to explain. “Where I come from, it was common for the men to perform heavy labor all the time. I used to accompany father when chopping wood, working the field, and even making repairs around the village. Needless to say, I was too weak to help, but it was expected of the men to be able to handle those type of tasks.”

“I see…” Sovereign said as he listened to her story with great interest. “Sounds crazy.”

“Ready?”

“No.”

“Go!”

The lieutenant began her run with paced and short steps, her technique and swift movements were honed to perfection during her time at the academy—utilizing every bit of her energy in the most efficient way possible. She closed her eyes for just a moment, taking a deep breath while enjoying the cold breeze as it flew pass her face—carrying her long hair backwards.

“The wind feels great, don’t you think?” she glanced to her side, noticing the empty space next to her. “What the—!"

Turning her head to look over her shoulder, the lieutenant set her eyes on the man lying flat on the ground behind her—his face planted on the dirt not too far away from the starting line.

“You have to be kidding me…”

She immediately made her way back to Sovereign, kneeling down in front of him. Thankfully, the man was still breathing, but his confidence and spirit had already been shattered into pieces—just like his body as he forced himself into a sitting position.

“Surely you can do more than that…” Claire scrunched her eyebrows with a worried look.

Sovereign panted heavily, his eyes and mouth fully open as he kept his head low. “I’m not… as good… as I used to be…” he kept gasping for air in between words.

The lieutenant sighed in resignation, knowing well a jogging marathon would simply be impossible. “Fine… we’ll walk then.”

Giving the man a few minutes to regain his breath and strength, they both started walking side by side across the empty field with moderate steps—an easier way to complete the tasking trial.

“Shall we hold hands?” Sovereign suggested

“No.”

The pair’s stroll continued in silence, although the finish line was still far from view. Claire calmly kept her gaze forward, but Sovereign already began to drop his shoulders with fatigue—huffing heavily through his nose.

“Maybe… we can go a bit slower?”

“We are just walking…” Claire said through gritted teeth.

“Well, there I go…”

And just like that, Sovereign plummeted to the floor a second time—burying his face on the dirt once more. With the training session cut short due to the man’s incapability to keep up with the basics, the pair made their way towards one of the benches placed on the side of the field—sitting next to each other while hiding from the sun under the shadow of a tree.

“So…” Sovereign scratched the back of his head—slightly tilting the already messed up wig. “I passed, right?”

Claire slowly turned her head to face him, eyes half closed and mouth curved downwards. “No.”

“Dammit…” the young CEO’s head dropped with his heart—disappointed in his own performance.

“Are you giving up?”

A loud sigh escaped Sovereign’s lips, huffing with frustration before offering a smug grin. “Not in a million years, how about we go another round?”

“Sure.”

It didn’t take long for Sovereign to drop flat against the ground once more, plummeting mere inches away from the starting line—again. Claire dragged his body back into the bench, sitting him down before taking her seat next to him.

“…”

“…”

“So?” Claire broke the silence. “What now?”

“I, well…”

“You can’t do it,” the lieutenant stated. “Whatever I had in mind, even if I ease up the conditions for you. You simply won’t be able to handle it… give up.”

Sovereign let out a low grunt, lowering his head in front of him. After a few seconds of consideration, he suddenly lifted his gaze forward—turning his head to look at Claire. “I won’t insist if that’s what you want,” he smiled. “But if you want to give me another chance instead, then I will simply keep asking you out.”

“You shouldn’t,” Claire retorted. “I know about your condition thanks to Yeon, she told me about your health issues.” she explained. “I’ll be honest with you… I knew you wouldn’t make it.”

The young CEO kept his gaze fixed in Claire’s amber eyes, who stared at him with a calm, yet somehow stern expression. He did not utter a word, and they simply looked at each other as the gentle breeze swayed the leaves of the tree. Sovereign’s wig was suddenly swung away by the wind, revealing his silver hair under it.

“You are right, I’m not delusional to think I can just believe in myself and run a marathon when I can barely lift my feet off the ground.” he broke the silence. “But if there is one thing you should know about me, Lionheart.” a confident grin suddenly emerged in his face. “Is that I simply don’t know what staying down is.”

Claire remained unaffected by his words, offering her reply. “So, what will you do then?”

“I’ll ask you out again, of course.” he replied. “Let’s come back here next time, and I’ll show.”

“No,” the lieutenant’s answer was plain and simple—unhesitant in her reply.

“…!” Sovereign flinched at the fast reply—clenching his jaw with a surprised and saddened frown.

“I’d rather go somewhere else instead,” Claire finished her sentence.

“What?”

“You clearly can’t keep up, so I don’t see the point.” she claimed. “How about you think of the place next time?” she said, offering a gentle smile.

The young CEO remained stunned as her words reached his ears, slowly and carefully processing the lieutenant’s suggestion. He exhaled all the air in his lungs through his mouth, releasing the stress and tension built up inside him. With a quick chuckle, the man wiped the drop of sweat rolling down his cheek—giving his answer.

“Sure, I think I know a few places. Oh…” he reacted suddenly. “But which one has the best chicken pot pie?” he started thinking out loud—rubbing his chin.

The lieutenant chuckled at Sovereign’s words, shaking her head gently. “How about you think of something new instead?”

“New huh, I can do that easily.”

“Maybe we could go to a gym.”

“Maybe I should be the one to pick as agreed.”

“What are you afraid of? I’ll be there to guide you.”

“All I want is a quiet and romantic atmosphere, with a delicious meal on the table. I don’t want to sweat out of existence.”

“This is why you can’t even walk without getting winded.”

“Listen, you let me plan the date while you go out there and kill specters or something. Don’t I pay you for that?”

“Arwen does.”

“Same thing when you think about it.”

“No, it’s not. And it’s not a date either.”

“What?”

“You didn’t earn it, remember? I am not going on a date with you.”

“But you said—”

“I said I wanted to go somewhere else, not that I wanted to go on a date.”

“You are killing me here…”

END OF CHAPTER