Fátima let the bokken drop on her opponent. Selene propped up her only remaining tonfa above her head with both hands. The wooden sword collided onto the center of the tonfa shaft with tremendous force. The shock of the impact traveled through the material of the weapon and straight through Selene’s injured hand. She let out a sharp groan as she staggered back, swinging her hand behind her. Tears formed in her eyes from the sudden throbbing that had travelled the course of her arm. Despite her blurred vision of her watery eyes, Selene didn’t lose track of Fátima’s movements. Another stabbing strike was performed; Selene reacted by stepping back again, using her tonfa to deflect the attack. Despite her parry, the end of the sword drove into Selene’s arm, pushing her back and making her wince from the blunt blow.

“Thirty seconds!” Spencer shouted. The trio of instructors became silent as they all leaned forward with jaws agape. Both Fátima and Selene heard what Spencer had said. Selene stole a glance downwards and behind her, noting that the heel of her foot was backed against the perimeter forged by the rope. Her instinct urged her to move forward but Fátima had her pinned against the edge of the ring. The positioning of the kendoka was precise; Fátima was close enough to strike Selene with a multitude of attacks and prevent her from getting away, yet far back enough that her opponent’s tonfa had no chance of reaching.

“You did alright,” Fátima said, still maintaining the same somber manner she had throughout the fight. As she raised her sword above her head, Selene’s arm followed the angle of the weapon to block the impending strike. Fátima performed another slash, the edge of the blade hitting both Selene’s forearm and shoulder. The impact pushed her back, her heel catching onto the back rope and sending her onto the mat back first as her other tonfa flew out of her hand and across the room.

“Three minutes, fifty-five point seven seconds,” Spencer blurted out. Kiki and Jake started laughing as Spencer moved into the ring to congratulate Fátima. “That took you longer than expected,” he continued as he gave her a pat on the back. “But you still won. That’s all that matters.”

Selene turned over, propping herself up as her eyes clenched shut while she hid her tears. By the way her body bobbed up and down, it was evident that she was sobbing. The trio of instructors looked on at the defeated woman, snickering and pointing when they caught wind of her sorrow.

“You’re awfully quiet now,” Spencer said as he stood next to Selene. “For someone who-“ Quang stepped between him and Selene, forcibly butting him in the chest with his arm. He knelt beside her, placing one hand on her back as he tried to get a look at her face. But before he could make eye contact, a pair of hands grabbed onto his jacket and lifted him to his feet. Spencer turned Quang around, staring at him with of a look furor behind the long and wavy hair that covered his face.

“Who do you think you are, huh?” Spencer barked with one hand balled into a fist while another pointed at Quang’s chest. “You’re next! And we’ll-“

Fátima’s bokken interrupted the conversation. She smacked the Spencer’s wrist with it’s broad side, making him wince and take a step back. “Why are you acting like you’ll do anything? Huh, babaca?” she snapped as she held onto her bokken. “The three of you were spending more time on the ground than standing up before I arrived.” Fátima pointed her weapon towards the employee’s lounge. “I had to cut my reading time short to stop you three from tarnishing the honored name of… tonko… jo… jitsu… whatever it’s called. And now you’re acting like you played a part in me winning.” Fátima gestured with her thumb towards the locker room with a soured face. “Get out of here and clean the showers. Maybe then you’ll learn a bit of humility.”

“But Fátima-“ Jake muttered. Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the lashing of solid oak against his back.

“I said get moving!” She commanded, still looking irate.

“Yes Fátima…” The three instructors said synchronously as they headed towards the shower. Belanger rubbed his eyes and shook his head at the same time.

“You always have to be the center of attention, don’t you Fátima?” He asked with his arms crossed.

“That’s what you pay me for, isn’t it?” Fátima replied with a turn of her head. Her expression was calmer but by the way her body move it was clear that she was still worked up.

After putting the palm of his hand to his forehead, Belanger began dismissing the class by waving at them and then pointing towards the exit. “Alright, alright. We’ll end it here for today. You guys learned something today, right? Spacing? Respect? How to hold a kendo sword?” The pupils looked at each other and started to murmur as they all rose and left the room as a huddled mass.

Quang returned to Selene’s side. She remained on her knees, her sobbing becoming more discernable. “You alright?” He asked. Selene kept her head low, but Quang could here a tear drop splat against the mat. He gave her a pat on the back before looking up when he noticed a shadow standing over them. Looking up, he saw Fátima holding her bokken over her shoulder with one hand while the other held Selene’s tonfas. She tilted her head before dropping them onto the ground by Selene’s hands.

“You did good,” Fátima remarked dryly. “A lot better than I expected.” Selene didn’t respond, instead tucking her head further underneath her elevated body. “But you’ve still got a lot to work on.” Fátima looked down at Selene. Her fists clenched and scrunched the spongy material of the mat as the rest of her body trembled. “I appreciate the fight,” she continued, her back now towards Quang and Selene. “I really did. So much so, I’ll fulfil some of the terms we had agreed upon if you had won. You’re looking for that Vic guy, right?”

Quang darted his attention towards Fátima. “You know where he is?”

“No. But he was here. Said he was looking for The Union. Wanted to know where he could find them. Didn’t say anything else on the matter.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t tell him about a little Vietnamese restaurant on the other side of town, eh?” Quang replied.

“No,” Fátima replied sternly. “All Hudson told me is that they’re working on some kind of memorial. For the Ingwersen family. And that’s it. That’s what I told him. And that’s what I’m telling you.”

Upon hearing the information, Quang’s eyes widened. He nodded his head slowly, contemplating what the information meant. “Thanks for that,” he said hesitantly.

“Don’t thank me. Thank Selene. She earned it.” Fátima then took out a familiar turquoise necklace, letting it cascade between her fingers as she slowly walked away. “But I’m keeping this. For now.”