“I just got it appraised,” Fátima said as she continued to gaze at the necklace twirling above her face. “It’s not worth anything.”

“I don’t care what someone else thinks it’s worth! It’s mine and I want it back.” Selene outstretched an open palm, gesturing for the other woman to place it in her hand. Fátima cocked her eye, raising one eyebrow as she looked at the confident person in front of her.

“If it’s that important then you’d fight for it.”

“What are you talking about? We just breezed through three of this place’s instructors in a few minutes. And the owner over there is too scared to take us on!” Selene pointed at Belanger. His arms were crossed, his lips pursing as Selene called him out.

“That was just a warm-up. Got your blood flowing, didn’t it?” Fátima’s demeanor remained stoic.

“I see where you’re going with this.” Selene found her legs bouncing in short bursts rhythmically as she eyed Fátima. Her gazed started at the bokken behind her before following her arms then going all the way down towards her feet. She was fit but not fully muscular despite having a taller build than herself. Confidence began to swell in Selene as she contemplated the implied challenge.

“You sure about this?” Quang come from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Fátima has competed in world tournaments for Kendo and Aikido.”

“Then what’s she doing at a circus like this? She has to be all talk,” Selene whispered back.

“Who knows? But one thing’s for sure, she’s by far the most competent person here.”

“That’s not saying much. You’ve only heard of what Fátima can do. But you’ve seen me handle myself. Just let…” Selene’s words were interrupted by the sound of solid oak smacking onto the mat. Both turned to look at a clearly annoyed Fátima. Her weapon was now pointed downwards, pressing into the blue floor beneath.

“I don’t have all day,” Fátima said in her usual placid tone. “I’ll cut you a deal. You,” she pointed at Selene with the tip of her bokken. “Versus me. If you win, you get the necklace. You get answers. Hell, Belanger will even throw in a couple hundred dollars. Won’t you, big man?” She looked towards the irked owner.

“Fine.” He said in a huff. “Whatever gets us back to the lesson faster!”

“And if you win?” Selene inquired with narrow eyes.

“You two leave.”

“That’s it? You don’t want us to put money down too? Or even ban us from the dojo?” A puzzled Selene asked. Fátima shook her head.

“Nope. But I wouldn’t put it past you to never show up here again on your own accord. Imagine losing in front of all these people after all that talk. It’d be humiliating!” Fátima cracked a smile. All the while Selene remained still, holding her stance. A brief stare down between the two martial artists ensued until Quang stepped between the two to end the tension.

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“There’s no need to do this, alright?” Quang said as he shifted his head from side to side, making eye contact with both women. “Like I said, this is all a huge misunderstanding. Fátima, instead of a fight, what if we gave an apology?”

“Quang!” Selene exclaimed with an irked look.

“I got this, Selene. Let me finish.” He looked back at Fátima. “We apologize. And I’ll even give you a meal at Pho 68. Completely on the house. What do you say?” Quang reached out for a handshake. Fátima responded with another swing of her bokken, striking the palm of his hand with the hilt of her weapon. There was a loud slapping sound followed by Quang drawing his hand back and applying pressure from his unharmed hand to the stinging area.

[https://i.imgur.com/G2PEV3r.png]

“Ahh…” Quang closed his eyes and tensed his muscles from the pain.

“You got this, huh?” Selene said with one her hands on her hip while giving Quang a scolding glare. Fátima stepped forward, nudging Quang to the side with her bokken. He moved away, looking on as Selene and Fátima faced each other.

“I’m not waiting anymore,” Fátima said, her eyes peering down at the woman in front of her. “You going to accept the offer or not?” She let her weapon continue to bounce on her shoulder again, as Selene refused to break eye contact.

“I’m all for it. What are the rules?”

Fátima grinned. “I’m glad you asked. You seem tough, and since no one here is actually qualified to officiate a real match, we’ll have to try something a bit… unorthodox.” She extended her Bokken, offering the handle to Selene. “Take it.”

With a befuddled look, Selene analyzed the weapon in her hands. It was lighter than she had anticipated, allowing her to hold it in one hand and still move it to view it from an assortment of angles. “You’re challenging me to a kendo match?”

“Yeah. And don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.” Fátima raised one hand above her head and snapped her fingers. Spencer, Jake and Kiki rose to their feet and ran out of the dojo’s main room and into the supply closet. After vanishing for a few moments, all three returned, each carrying something. Spencer returned to Fátima’s side, kneeling next to her and holding up another wooden sword still in it’s sheathe. Meanwhile, the other two uncoiled a long rope and placed it on the ground and ran in opposite directions. Before long a wide circle surrounded both Selene and Fátima.

“What kind of crazy ritual do you have planned?” Selene said as she looked the rope surrounding the floor. Fátima took the weapon from her fellow instructor and unsheathed it. The crimson wood glistened from the lights of the ceiling as she turned to face Selene.

“It’s not a ritual. It’s a challenge,” Fátima said as she placed the weapon along her shoulder. “With a specific set of rules. And like I said before, I’ll go easy on you.”

“What’s the catch?” Selene asked as she let her bokken rest at her side, tip of the blade wedged in between the crevices of the mat.

“If you drop your weapon or step out of the ring, it’s over.”

“And what about getting hit?”

“Not a big deal. If you can still fight, that is.”

Selene began to walk the perimeter of the rope with her arms crossed. She looked at the wooden sword she was given and then back to Fátima. “If you’re a kendo champion the same way your boss is a black belt then I shouldn’t be too worried.” Selene stopped her walk and angled her body towards her opponent. She put both hands on the hilt and tip the edge at Fátima. She became uneasy when she saw the smirk come across her face. Selene’s hands shook as she tried to find a comfortable position to hold the weapon.

“It’s not too late to back out now,” Fátima replied. “Looks like you don’t know the difference between a bokken and a baseball bat.”

“I’m not backing out. But I want to modify one thing about the challenge.”

“What’s that?” Fátima replied as she raised an eyebrow.

“I want to change my weapon.”