“Because this isn’t your city. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. There’s no point in you risking your life for something that you don’t need to,” Rodney said with confidence. Selene looked at him, her lips closed tight. Even though she was angered by the sentiment, the rest of her face showed that she understood where Rodney was coming from.

“He’s right Selene,” Quang said, still huddled forward. He angled his head towards her and made eye contact. “I never should have gotten you involved in the first place.”

“Don’t say that, Quang. I can help you. I can help search. Follow leads. Fight if I need to,” Selene said, practically pleading with her eyes.

“You already got yourself hurt. That match you had with Fátima could have gone a lot worse.”

Rodney scooted forward in his chair, poking his head closer towards the other two. “Did you say Fátima? Like the one that works at that Dragon’s Bite dojo across town?”

Selene nodded.

“What in the world made you two decide to head over there?”

“Quang said that Vic might have stopped by there to cause trouble.”

“And I was right,” Quang interjected. “Fátima said that Vic did show up at Dragon’s Bite. She said he was asking about the Union. That’s why I brought up the Ingwersen family. Apparently the Union is doing something for them. She didn’t say exactly what though.”

“And you fought Fátima for that information?” Rodney said as he looked towards Selene. She shied away, keeping her gaze towards the floor.

“Yes,” she replied in a low voice.

“And you lost. I could tell something was off with you the moment you walked in here.”

“She did pretty good,” Quang said, now sitting upright. “You should have seen her. She managed to hold her own for a few minutes. Fátima was impressed enough to let us have that bit of info.”

“See? This is exactly what I’m talking about. Didn’t you know that Fátima is a world class kendoka? She’s the only one in that place that knows a thing about martial arts!”

“I know. But I wanted to help Quang find Vic!” Selene looked back at Rodney, her eyes red but her tone carried a hint of determination.

“You’re only getting yourself hurt if you keep following Quang around.” Rodney then gave a cold look to his former pupil. “And you need to stop letting her tag along! If you want to get yourself hurt that’s one thing. But don’t let this nice girl get caught up in your and Vic’s nonsense. Things could have gone a lot worse with Fátima. That woman is always itching to show off, especially without proper equipment. I’m amazed you walked out of there without a broken limb!” After his rant, he leaned back with crossed arms.

“But I’m no pushover!” Selene declared as she put a hand to her chest. “You weren’t there! I kept up with her! I was able to keep Fátima on the defensive. I deflected her strikes. I knew what I was doing.”

“You got a lot of confidence, Selene. There’s no denying that. And I don’t doubt for a moment that you’re talented,” Rodney said in a calm manner. “But that’s not a good combination to have for someone in your position. I’ve lost count of people I’ve seen ruined by their own hubris in this city. You’ve got too much life ahead of you to be throwing it away on someone you never met before. Especially someone like Vic.”

“B-but-“ Selene said with a slight stammer.

“Quang,” Rodney said as he looked towards the young man, cutting Selene’s statement short. “If you really cared about her, you’d tell her to stop coming along with you on this crazy search. You know I care about Vic, I really do. But he’s more than old enough to fend for himself and make his own decisions. You don’t need be dragging anybody else into this. Especially not when the Ingwersen family is involved. Understood?”

Quang scratched his forehead, avoiding making eye contact with Rodney. “Yeah. I get you.”

“And you better mean it. I know you usually don’t listen, but if you’re going to listen to me one time in your life, it’s now. You’re not gonna be risking someone else’s life.”

“I won’t. Sorry, Rodney.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to Selene,” Rodney said as he pointed to her.

“Now wait a second!” Selene darted up from her seat and stepped towards Rodney, looking him straight in the eyes. “I’m more than capable of making my own decisions. I know what it’s like to lose someone. And if I can stop Quang from losing someone close to him, I’ll do everything I can.”

“You never even met Vic! What you’re doing is foolish, not heroic. Why don’t you have a seat again? Before you go out risking your life for this guy, why don’t you let me fill you in on who he even is?”

After taking a deep breath, Selene returned to her seat. She brushed back a stray hair and regained her composure. Rodney gave her the eye; not one of anger but rather of intrigue.

“You know, you’re a bit like Vic,” Rodney said in a calming tone. “Your drive is a bit like his.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Selene asked.

“Both.”

Selene kept her head down, visibly embarrassed. She buried her head into her hands and parsed her hair with her fingers. She tried to hold back her tears, but she could feel her palms become moist. Then there was a nasally snort that both Rodney and Quang heard.

“Don’t beat yourself up, Selene,” Rodney said in a soft and friendly tone. Quang carried a look of confusion upon hearing his former mentor speak in a manner that he had never heard him use before. “Nobody’s perfect. I know I made a lot of mistakes when I was your age too. You just gotta roll with the punches.”

Selene leaned back in her seat, staring up at the room’s lights. She took in a deep breath and wiped away the bit of tear drop that was in her eye. “Thanks Rodney. I appreciate it.”

“Just because it’s rough right now doesn’t mean it’ll always be that way. But I’m serious about wanting you to stay out of this searching for Vic business. What do you even know about the guy?”

“Well, I know he’s not the easiest person to get along with.”

Rodney let out a huff of air. “You can say that again. What else?”

“Erm, he’s a talented martial artist according to Quang.”

Rodney nodded. “I can’t deny that.”

“And he’s been living on the streets of Isla Lucrecia ever since he was a kid. That’s about all I can remember.”

“And that’s why I’m worried about the boy but I’m not losing any sleep. Vic may be a bit eccentric, but he knows what he’s doing.” Rodney got into a comfortable resting position on the back of his chair again and looked towards Quang. “Why don’t tell Selene her a bit about how you and your good friend met?”

“Oh man, what a trip that was,” Quang said with a chuckle.