Kosmo boarded the bus headed for the most southern neighbourhoods of Polassa. He recalled how his mother would always lock the Gale-Cart doors whenever they crossed the river that divided the city. Not because anything bad had happened to her there, but because of what other Taurs always said when they first moved to the city, “Never go south. That’s where all the crime manifests.”
But for Kosmo, since moving into his studio, the south had been the opposite. In the northern suburbs of Polassa, you were boxed in by your Kin – Taurs stuck with Taurs, Folk with Folk, and Akila with Akila. But down here, different Kin mixed easily. In just over a month, he had more friendly conversations with his Folk neighbours than he ever had up north.
A tap on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. He removed his headphones.
“Huh?”
“Can you please stand?” A Folk man was gesturing at the seat and the overcrowded bus. “You’re taking up like a seat and a half. Two other Fo—Kin could fit there.”
“Oh, sorry.” Kosmo stood up, awkwardly shifting into aisle.
As the crowded bus glided along, his mind wandered back to Tai, to the address on the card he was heading to now. He suddenly remembered where he knew Tai from – it was the same Libri he’d seen leaving the bathroom with two Folk dudes after the Saints game.
Kosmo reached out into the air did a subtle Flow Pull directing the scent to no Kin in particular. It wasn’t necessary, but the positive emotions from a Flow Pull, always helped him focus especially when trying to recall. And sure enough, his memory slowly became clearer. He remembered the Porenadi from his meeting with Vilena. The one that had walked out shortly before he went in. He had shorter hair, but it was definitely him. There was something about his slouchy posture.
He arrived at Tai’s place and stood before the mahogany door, processing it all. Before he could knock, the door swung open. Tai stood there, a proud five-footer, in a black and white tracksuit, barefoot.
“Come in,” Tai said, his voice ringing with familiarity. Really familiar.
Kosmo entered the apartment.
“Go on,” Tai insisted. “Sit. You want anything to drink? Beer maybe?”
“Sure,” he shrugged.
Kosmo ran his finger along the dusty couch. In fact, everything was dusty from the furniture to the television, everything had been covered by a thin layer of flimsy dust.
“Messy, huh?”
“Never been much for cleaning,” Tai said.
“Same. If it weren’t for my Elise, I’d probably be living in a squalor.”
Tai grinned and returned with two beers. They settled into small talk.
“So, how’ve you been?”
“Good. You?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“The scar.”
“Still painful –”
“—but manageable.”
This got Kosmo thinking again. The Folk that had attacked him at the zoo – it had been a Hanu. And though their exchange of words had been brief, he remembered something about the voice. He didn’t sound all too old, probably around the same age as the Porenadi walking out of Vilena’s office.
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“So, have you given it any thought?” Tai asked, breaking his focus.
“My scar,” Kosmo muttered, touching his side. “I still worry about it.”
Tai scoffed. “You seen the new gear they’re making out of Sap material? It’ll cover that scar right up nicely. Sure, you’ll feel more pain than you peers, but it’ll be manageable. Especially with a Healer to properly attune it.”
‘There’s the grift,’ Kosmo thought. ‘So, Vilena gets her share that way. How about the other two Folk,’ he wondered. It didn’t feel like a coincidence that he kept running into these people. “So, what’s in it for you? Me being a KY fighter, I mean.”
Tai didn’t flinch. “Money.”
Kosmo raised an eyebrow. “Just money?”
“Yeah. Money. I’ve got a good eye, and a solid project. My biggest fear is someone else doing it first.”
“What project?”
“I want to build the perfect Tatu team,” Tai began, his eyes lighting up. “I went up to Kive for some meetings with Porenadi businessmen – you know the type. And what I noticed is, Kin still segregate. It’s always been that way. For us. Not for you.”
He leaned forward, a bit more animated. “When I was in Ettad, and had my evening walk after dinner, all I saw was Porenadi kids repping all kinds of merch – Iron Blitz jerseys from the Akila world, T-shirts stamped with faces of legendary Taur KY fighters. It got me thinking.”
“Thinking what exactly?” Kosmo asked.
“How much money there is for me as a manager. And for you as the Talent. Think about it. Tatu’s original sin – her taking the Bull, the Eagle, and the Monkey into the mountains and coming out with the original Kin.”
“I know nothing about Kai-YO. Or fighting in general.”
“Good. That means you won’t have bad habits. And I’m quite the competent teacher as it turns out.”
Kosmo’s thoughts drifted. Iron Blitz was supposed to be his destiny, but that future had been stolen away from him. Now, he imagined himself in a Kai-Yo ring, his heart pounding as thousands of Taurs cheer him on.
“So, you’d teach me everything?”
Tai set his beer down, leaning back with a grin. “The basics. Osarok Taiga will take over soon. You’re the missing piece.”
Kosmo’s mind flicked to the iconic image of Osarok Taiga: her hands firmly planted on her hips, her waist draped in gold, with countless Kin hands reaching out for her. A shiver ran down his spine. He felt goosebumps rise on his skin. It was the same rush he used to get as a kid, lying in bed, imagining what it would be like to win the Aradahi Cup.
“I can see it in your eyes,” Tai said, leaning back. “I’ve hooked you.”
Kosmo smiled. ‘Not quite. I’m still figuring out your angle,’ he thought as he nodded, “I’m in.”
They stepped out into Tai’s small backyard – some grass, a few pieces of outdoor furniture, and a wooden shed. Kosmo couldn’t help but feel out of place in the cramped townhouse. If it weren’t for the northern suburbs with real backyards, he’d have lost his mind.
They ran through the basics quickly. Tai explained what an Inside, Central, and Outside Pulser were, but Kosmo had no trouble mastering the Duration Cycle. When Tai asked him to throw a few punches and kicks, Kosmo’s time was perfect.
“Damn,” Tai said, almost frowning. “Impeccable. Guess you don’t need much training.”
Kosmo shrugged. “I was in the Iron-Blitz Academy. They teach you trust your cells’ timing. If that makes sense.”
Tai nodded thoughtfully. “Makes perfect sense since you have to overextend a lot anyway in Iron-Blitz. You’ll still need some fine-tuning of course, but most of the time will be spent learning the rules.”
Back inside, they watched an episode of WKYE. Kosmo hadn’t watched much Kai-YO – his parents had banned it, saying it glorified violence and wasted Talents.
“Talentborn should use their abilities for more positive contributions to society,” one of his parents would say.
The only times he’d seen it were with friends, or when a Taur was fighting a non-Taur Kin in one of the big events. For some reason, his parents were occasionally lenient about that.
But about ten minutes into that week’s episode, Kosmo was hooked. A MegaTaur named Oatras strutted onto the platform, draped in a designer suit with the WKYE world title wrapped around his waist. On one side of his arm stood a MegaFolk lady, her skin like the petals of a rose, while on the other side was a sleek MegaAkila girl, her plumage like a living sunset, a mixture of whites, greys, and orange.
An interviewer in the ring asked him how it felt to finally put down the lengthy reign of Letifa. But as he pressed the microphone against his lips, a Lokra Taur beamed in out of nowhere and gave him a headbutt right under his chin.
His name was Izidoro, and as his shirt said, chaos erupted. They exchanged blows, even the security guards struggling to separate them.
“What’s happening?” Kosmo asked, eyes wide.
“Shhh…” Tai leaned in closer, captivated by the tv.
On the screen, other KY fighters had rushed in to help break up the brawl just before the broadcast cut to commercials.
“Izi… my boy,” Tai said, shaking his head with a smirk, “that temper is going to put a target on your back one of these days.” He took another sip of his drink, watching intently.