There was a little cement pad just outside the diner, lit but secluded. She could just see her motorcycle around the edge of the building. The parking lot was filling slowly as the bars let out. The all-night eatery was filling with the night owls not ready to head back to wherever home was for them.

"So, you think you can handle yourself, and this," he reached out unabashedly and patted the holster at her side, "will protect you?"

"I should hope the threat of a gun would deter most thugs."

His scowl deepened and he shook his head. "Let's put that to the test. First, you do know how to make sure the safety is on, right? Don't want to risk you shooting me on accident for the sake of this exercise."

Ellette nodded and pulled the weapon from the holster awkwardly. As she fumbled with it and showed him, his words caught up with her. "Wait, what? Exercise?"

He checked to make sure it was safe before speaking again. "Yes. I want you to see if you can pull that thing out to defend yourself before I'm able to disarm you."

"Oh, really? You some kind of kung fu master, then?"

He rolled his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I am rather familiar with more than one of the martial arts, but that's a moot point. Any thug could disarm or capture you easily should they want to, unless you're a hell of a lot better with that thing than you've shown me a reason to believe."

"You sure do know how to flatter a girl, don't you?" Ellette muttered. She took a few steps back from him, sizing him up. "So, how are we going to do this?"

He stepped back from her a few more paces and rolled his shoulders, eyeing her up in much the same manner she had him. She couldn’t help but think those keen, icy blue eyes read far more into her capabilities than her glance had. "There's a good amount of distance between us, so you should have enough time to defend yourself, right?"

She considered for a moment, "I suppose. I'd have to know I needed to, though."

"Right," he replied. "Someone looking to give you a hard time might not even give you this much space to act."

She sighed. "Why does it seem like I'm going to fail miserably?"

"That's the point, Ellette."

Her eyes widened as he closed the space between them, grabbed her by the wrist, jerked it painfully behind her, his other arm around her neck quicker than she could respond.

"Sorry, that wasn't fair. I'll give you a little more warning this time." He released her and took a few extra steps away from her.

She rubbed her wrist and glared at him. "Show off."

"Just remember, someone looking to harm you might sneak up on you, you may never even see them. Let’s go again. Ready?"

She nodded and watched him warily. This time, she managed to get her hand on the gun, pull it half out of its holster before his fingers were over hers, crushing and twisting. She lost her grip and found herself at the business end of her gun before she could blink.

He tisked and shook his head. "Those guys back at the park would have eaten you alive."

She sighed and took the gun as he handed it back. "I got your point. The damn thing is pretty useless if I can't even draw it."

He nodded and turned to watch a noisy group enter the diner. Running his hand through his hair, he turned back to her. "Listen, Ellette, I’ve got to go. You probably should too."

"So, that's it? Point made, you're heading off?"

"If you want to meet up again, I can show you how to better defend yourself, if you want," he suggested, arms crossed.

She kicked at the gravel on the pavement. "I don't know, Matthias, I don't know if I can."

He shrugged. "Well, if you can, come to the dojo on Madison and Fifth tomorrow night, about the same time I found you at the park. I'll be there anyway."

"Right," she muttered. This had not gone as expected at all.

"Could you give me a ride into town? I can show you the place, it's on the way."

She smiled. "Sure."

* * *

Ellette woke with a smile. Though it seemed she hadn't accomplished much of anything during the night, the time spent with Matthias had felt right. Considering nothing had really happened, there was a good chance she would find her way back to him again.

She hummed as she readied for the day, despite the gnawing hunger in the pit of her stomach and the fact that it would be a good few days more before either she or Dani would bring home a check. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Today was her day off, thankfully, and she could spend the morning scavenging.

She checked her watch before grabbing a bag and jogging out the door. She cursed as she realized she'd forgotten to tell Dani good morning. Dani knew the routine, though, and if she was lucky, Ellette would be back before Dani left for work.

Ellette tapped lightly on the bakery window as she walked by, smiling and waving as Sarah looked up, flour on her cheeks. Hefting a pan into the oven, the older woman waved Ellette to the back of the store. Ellette ran around the building, finding a few lurkers already waiting for the stale bread dump. The door opened, and a rush of warm, deliciously scented air wafted out.

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Silhouetted in the light of the ovens stood Sarah, a paper bag in hand. "Letty! II had a feeling you'd come by this morning."

Ellette gave her a guilty smile as she neared. "We still haven't mastered stretching our checks till payday. Rent is killing us."

Sarah hugged her and pushed the bag into Ellette's hands. "Don't you ever hesitate to come here, Letty, dear." Sarah soothed, taking Ellette by the chin. "You're thin as a rail, and I know you girls do your best. Everything in there I can't sell, but it's all good still. I packed you a few sandwiches. Run along and give one to that sweet Dani so she has some lunch."

Ellette beamed and gave Sarah a hug. "Thank you so much, Sarah!" She turned on her heel and dashed back down the alley.

Triumphant, Ellette returned home, slightly soggy sandwiches and stale bread in hand. Dani was thankfully still home, and Ellette was able to stash a sandwich in her bag with a quickly jotted note.

"I have a bagel for you!" The brunette trilled, toasting it and slathering it with their last bit of butter.

"Really? Ah! That's great! It was going to be a long day on an empty stomach." Dani finished off braiding her long, blonde hair before tackling Ellette with a fierce hug. "You are amazing, I don't know how you do it."

Ellette only shrugged and handed off the chewy treat. "Just enjoy it, and have a good day."

Dani stared down at the offering and shook her head. "You take half. It's too much."

"Sarah gave us plenty, I even stashed something in your bag. Now go on, before you miss your bus."

The petite blonde did as she was told and scurried off to work.

Her little sister taken care of, Ellette sat down to write in her journal. She needed to get her thoughts down before the details of her strange dream were completely lost. The details were so vivid as her dreams often were. The boy, Matthias, she hoped she would see him again. He was intriguing, and though it was only a dream, she found herself wanting to explore the possibility of what he could teach her. Could she really learn self-defense from a boy in a dream? Her dreams were so deceptively real, she couldn’t help but hope so.

Once she'd jotted down the details she could remember, she cleaned up the apartment and went out the scavenge as best she could. If she found enough, they might be able to pawn a few items and make do until payday. Despite their need, she found it hard to concentrate. All her thoughts were focused on the potential of her dreams, and what would happen should she see Matthias again.

* * *

Sleep came with some difficulty, as it often did when she was anxious. Ellette had assumed her vivid dreams were the result of her need for an escape. Now, though, when her life was getting back on track, she wondered if that theory was true. Things were still hard for her and Dani, but ultimately, they were both happy. They had goals and dreams of their own. Ellette no longer craved escapism the way she once had.

Except for tonight. Tonight she wanted to see Matthias again, to see if he could truly teach her. If so, it would change everything.

Once sleep came, Ellette found herself on a familiar street, in front of a familiar building. It was the same one she'd dropped Matthias off at the night before. Her bike was nowhere to be found, and her attire was strangely casual for the dream world. She wore yoga pants and a close-fitting tee shirt along with a pair of sneakers.

Ellette couldn't help but laugh to herself. She'd never really found a way to control the dream world, but this situation implied that perhaps she could. Or perhaps meeting Matthias had been the goal all along. She turned to the large glass windows of the dojo. The shades were down, obscuring her view of the interior, but the lights were on. He was waiting for her. After trying the door, she knocked and stood aside to wait.

"Hey," he smiled when he found her waiting there. "I had half expected you to be a no show."

She shrugged. "Me too. Seems it was meant to be."

"Come on in," he held the door for her, gesturing to the wooden-floored room with a few mats stacked in the corner. Along one wall was a rack of weapons and shelves with padded gear. "Shoes," he prompted, pointing to a rack that held a single pair of shoes, his.

"Oh, right," she fumbled, working the laces loose before setting them beside his, and pulling off her socks. No sense in keeping them on and slipping around like an idiot. She laughed at the thought.

He turned to give her a questioning look.

"I can't believe I’m actually here, that you're actually going to teach me."

"Why wouldn't I? I'm bored and it will help keep you from getting killed."

She rolled her eyes. "I won't get killed, but I appreciate it."

"What makes you so sure?"

She shrugged. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"What, like the fact that you were wandering in a fairly dangerous park at night because you think you were sent to meet me?"

"Yeah, but even crazier than that."

"How about we just go with the whole idea that you're crazy, and I'm a little too generous?"

"Works for me. Now, what exactly will I be learning? Wax on, wax off? You going to have me polish these already glistening floors?"

He ran his hand through his hair and gave her a bemused look. “Do what now?”

“You know, Karate Kid?” She shook her head. It was easy to forget not everyone liked to watch old movies the way Dani did. “You know, never mind.”

“Yeah, never seen it,” he confirmed. “Not big on movies. Anyway, what we will be starting with is some very basic Tai Chi."

"Tai Chi? You mean that slow-motion business old people do in the park in the morning?”

“Yes, that. It helps a person become more aware of their body. You focus on breathing and movement.”

He walked her through a series of motions, correcting her posture, her stance, and always, always, was the focus on breath. It was a lot more difficult than she had expected, her legs burning from the way he insisted she sink into her steps, her arms shook from holding them up for extended periods as they moved through a simple set of motions. She was surprised to find herself drenched in sweat. It was a dream, after all, wasn’t it? How and why could she feel it all so clearly?

“Well, that’s good enough, I suppose,” Matthias told her after they’d finished yet another run-through of the motions. “You’re weak and lack any sort of tone. Practice these and it will help. We can move on to something more useful next time. You can come back again, can’t you?”

Ellette shrugged. “I’ll do my best.” She considered for a moment, wondering if she would be able to return. She never had much control over her dreams, though they did seem strongest during the nights of the full moon. “I’ll be able to come every night for the next week and a half, I think. I might have to skip a week or two, then I can come back again.”

He nodded absently, as if considering this, and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, sure. That’ll work. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep doing this either. I’ll see you tomorrow night, then?

“I think so.” She rubbed absently at the back of her neck. “Thank you for this, Matthias. If I don’t make it back here, it’s not because I don’t appreciate you. Things are just... a bit complicated in my life.”

He barked out a bitter sort of laugh. “Tell me about it. I’m filling my free time teaching you because I don’t think I’d know what to do with myself otherwise. It’s a rare stretch in my life seemingly free of the usual chaos.”

“Lucky me,” she said with a bittersweet smile. She knew the feeling, at least in part. Rare were the days that she wasn’t struggling just to survive.