The thing you don’t realize, when you’ve heard something bad that s, is that sometimes people say things to help you but don’t think through how it might be interpreted. This then leads to people being totally horrible to one another. And sometimes, those careless words and the reactions they spur turn into fuel for stupidity. And man did I feel stupid.

I popped open the map function of my crystal and took a gander at where I found myself. Surprisingly, I was pretty close to the mat room where Fianna and I sparred a while back. Maybe that is the answer, maybe I just need to work out all the nastiness that came with being cooped up, and maybe that would let me apologize to Fianna about my actions. There wasn’t any excuse, but at least I could apologize.

I took a breath, sent off a ping asking Fianna to meet me in the mat room with her sparring gear, and made my way there. Each step felt like I was trudging through sludge, but my breathing got easier, so I guess I was on the right track. Even that felt like a lie though.

I got there first and got changed into some spare clothes that were present in case of drop ins. I then grabbed some gloves and started slamming full force punches into the sandbag that was off in the far corner. I spent about ten minutes just punching the stupid thing when I heard the door creak open.

Fianna was there, looking sullen… with red eyes, the kind you get from crying for some time. She walked to the center of the room and waited for me to join her.

“Look,” I said as I slowly got closer, “I’m sorry. I overreacted in a major way. There was absolutely no reason-“

I was cut off by an “oof” noise and found my vision suddenly filled with the ceiling. Déjà vu…

“You know she’s going to keep coming after you now. She knows you’re here; Samhain saw to that. I wanted to protect you, to keep her from getting her dirty claws into you… and you…” Fianna trailed off.

I stood up, dusted myself off, and assumed a stance I vaguely remembered from a Bruce Lee movie.

“If she knows I’m here, then she knows I exist.” I breathed for a moment before continuing. “And if she knows that, I’m not safe anywhere. We both know that.”

I tried to strike, and once more wound up flat on my back.

“But I could have done something! Obfuscate records, destroy information, hell… I could have had you hidden by my family!” Finna said defiantly.

I stood again, assuming a boxing pose next. “It wouldn’t have mattered. What if others had gotten hurt because of that? Could you really live with yourself if someone in your family had gotten hurt trying to keep me hidden?”

I came at her with a straight, and then I felt the mat on my face while she held my arm behind my back.

“I…” she couldn’t even get the words out, but her loose grip answered my question for her.

I sighed, “One more go. If I manage to get you, you let me take you for dessert as an apology. If I don’t manage to get you at all, I’ll fill out the paper that says I will no longer be a student here. One condition, you have to come at me.”

Fianna let me get up, we moved apart, and I watched her face. The storm inside screamed to be let out, her desire to help her friend even at a personal cost versus her desire to keep me here, selfishly. She steeled her resolve and rushed in at me, gloves up, and tried to hit me with a southpaw strike. But I had one trick up my sleeve, and not even the queen of kicking arse was going to take that from me.

She had her legs apart to anchor herself when throwing the punch, which was all I needed. I ducked the blow and slid on my back between her legs, grabbing her extended arm s I did so. I counted to three during my slide, and pitched myself into a forward roll by adjusting my heels. It wasn’t graceful, and I had to let go of Fianna’s arm to get myself righted, but the “thump” I heard behind me told me the move had paid off.

I turned around slowly, and there was a bewildered looking Fianna, flat on her back. “Never underestimate the power of observation and mimicry.”

Her face looked even more confused when I said that.

“I saw that in one of my brother’s fighting games. One girl grabs her opponent’s arms, slides between their legs, and then bounds off their back. I’m not that graceful, so I just did what I could. And it worked!” I said.

Fianna started to laugh, the kind of laugh that you know if using their whole body, and just lay there for a bit. When she finally petered out, I moved over to her and put my head right above hers. Looking down on that soft face with that gentle smile reminded me about why I fell for her.

“So, that dessert?” Fianna said after a moment.

I gave her room to get up, and then I tackled her to the ground again. “Only after we kiss and make up.”

She smiled again and shook her head, “You are so hopeless.”

I leaned in closer, “But that’s why you love me, isn’t it?”

She leaned her head up so quickly and caught her lips on my own in a quick peck. She leaned back down and chose not to say anything. So I went in for a much more passionate kiss, and let my mind wander back to when I had made those fireworks in my bedroom. The air whizzed and cracked above our heads as we lost ourselves in a torrent of emotion, the longing we both felt and the remaining adrenaline finally getting an out.

I started to slide my hand up her shirt, but she arrested that development before I got too far.

“You’ll have to do a bit better than fireworks and dessert to get under these clothes.” She whispered in my ear.

We broke apart then, went and showered separately, and made our way to the café. I knew our relationship was mostly patched up, and we held hands the whole way there, so I knew I wasn’t some embarrassment to her.

“You know I let you win, right?” FIanna teased as we got to the doors.

“Right, I totally believe you.” I kidded back as we made our way inside.

After we got ourselves some chiffon cake and French vanilla ice cream, Fianna’s eyes grew wide. I could tell she had just remembered something, maybe not something really important, but something.

“I totally forgot, what with that Oswald issue, we need to get you back on schedule. Your training to take over after me has been on hold for some time now, and that just will not do. I talked to Lillian, and she said she would swing by and pick you up tomorrow before classes for a patrol."

Great, I thought, patrol.