Saturday, 20 November 2021 - Chinatown, New York City, United States

Ella fell back. The leg catch and sweep knocking her down.

“Damn it.”

“Get up.” Donna’s voice was flat. Almost bored sounding. As opposed to the endless punk music screeching from the radio.

They had been here for hours. Donna seemed to take delight in knocking her over. They were mostly sticking to striking since they were in a Muay Thai gym but Donna didn’t have problems throwing in hooking moves and other illegal moves.

Ella was there to learn to fight, not compete, so she grimly got back up. Her arm still smarted from her booster shot and she felt like crap. But she got back up.

Perhaps it was a sign, but Donna’s playlist looped back to the beginning and Donna stepped back and started stripping off her gloves without a word.

Ella dropped to the mat and started bashing out push-ups. She finished her first set of 33 and looked up to see Donna looking at her.

“What?” She rubbed at her face in case there was something weird on it. After a bit, shrugged, and started her next set.

Donna said something but it was lost over the music. “What?” Ella said between reps.

The music shut off.

“Craig wasn’t lying. You are a machine. I am pretty sure I just beat the shit out of you for three hours and you just dove right into your routine.”

“Twenty-five… yeah… twenty-six… i need to… twenty-seven… get tougher.”

“Why?” Donna actually had a bit of intonation in her query as opposed to her normally frigid, affectless speech.

Ella finished her set, “I’ve gotten attacked a couple of times now. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t keep my head. And, well, I actually sort of have been loving it.”

She paused for a moment, “I had only done ballet before. And I was dead serious about it for a long time. Still am. But hitting stuff is fun as hell.”

“Fuuuck…. I do know you. Joffrey auditions two years ago, right before quarantine.”

“You ballet?”

“Not at all. My sister was at the same audition right next to you and got eliminated in the same round as you.”

“Small world.”

“Yep. Small world. Anyway I am getting out of here. It was fun beating on you, but I gotta go.”

Ella paused and couldn’t believe what came out of her mouth, “Want to do it again sometime?”

And finally Donna’s composure cracked with a smile. “Sure. Just know I’ll stop taking it easy next time. Anyway, off to the range.”

Ella held her hand up… “the range?”