Thanks for sounding so convincing. Meet me here?
Pandora
Okay. Should I bring a friend or two?
River
Depends on which friends you plan to bring.
I don’t have a boxing match this upcoming weekend, so it’s not like there’s anyone I need to avoid.
Pandora
I was thinking of bringing my brothers…
who do you think? Asch and Blaze, duh.
River
Should see if you can get Asch in the ring, too. Tell him to dress for it.
He’d been more than capable when we’d taken out the guards at the hotel. I’d bet on him against a lot of the opponents I’ve gone up against there.
Pandora
Do you think Blaze will let him?
I snort.
River
Good point. Maybe you should ask Blaze for permission before you ask Asch.
Envy slithers through me when I think of the bond betweenBlaze and Asch. It had been rocky for a little while after the shit Pandora had pulled, but it’s like now that they have Pandora to connect them even more closely, things have changed for the better for them.
I want to be a part of that, a fourth wheel that matches seamlessly instead of feeling like I’m on the outside.
I guess I should spend time with the two of them away from Pandora, too.
Somebody jostles me, and I grunt in annoyance.
“Watch it,” the woman says. She’s almost as tall as I am, and her black hair is cropped close to her head. Judging by her muscles, and the wraps around her fists, she’s here to fight.
I glare at her. “You’re the one who bumped into me.”
“You were in the way.” She flips me off before she continues toward the registration table.
I wonder what tricks she’s got up her sleeve that she thinks she could keep up with any of the men here. They all weigh considerably more than she does, and there are reasons boxing is divided by weight class.
Of course, dirty tricks are welcome here, so the divide is less than it might be in that setting.
That will be a fight worth watching, I think.
I watch the first fight that’s up for the evening, studying the moves the taller guy uses. It’s possible I’ll face him later, and it never hurts to have a preview of what I might be up against.
I’ve also learned some valuable tricks here that have leveled the playing field.
The announcer calls my name, and I get up, weaving my way through the crowd to get to the cage. I step into it, facing an opponent who’s got at least ten pounds on me. That isn’t enough to sway the outcome of the fight too much, so it’ll come down to skill as much as luck.
