"Have you come to destroy me?" The platinum-blond woman remained seated with her legs folded under her as Will entered the small church. She wore loose dark blue garments belted by a wide sash. The staff across her lap had a series of iron rings looped through an ornimental top that made noise as she reached for a short sword.

Will was blindfolded to mimic his character's blindness. Though he was supposed to treat this scene with somberness, internally he couldn't help but smile at the line the lady had given him to work with. Like her, he wore the attire of a monk. His robes were rough brown fabric with a simple knotted rope belting it at the middle contrasting with her Buddhist robes.

A staff was in his hands, formerly to help him navigate, now held at the ready. "I will do what I must."

"Time!" A third voice called. Jeff looked at his phone and swore. "Guys we're gonna have to cut this."

Will pulled the blindfold off and looked to Jeff. "What's wrong?"

In response Jeff handed Will his phone. The text message simply read, 'Your brother has been arrested I need you here to watch Winter while I go sort this.'

After handing the phone back Will nodded. "Go."

Then he looked to the blonde and gave a small bow. "Miss Ishida. I'm glad you've decided to join us while you're here on business but. No reff so-"

"I get it," The blond woman looked to Jeff as he excused himself. Several onlookers looked back at her causing the blonde to shrug. "We can still go for a spar. Was kinda curious on how someone who can't see would fight other than 'flail around.'"

At that Will looked at the backpack leaning against one of the pews. "KARR, care to officiate?"

"I still insist that it is strange that every one of the characters you make for these things is blind." KARR huffed as his camera refocused. "Approach and touch weapons."

"Well, I figure if I'm going to have my lights punched at some point I better get used to it." Will slid his blindfold back on. to call it a blindfold though was doing it a disservice. It was more of a half-mask covering the bridge of his nose all the way up in a hard plastic painted and sculpted to mimic black-painted ceramic.

The dueling area was narrow; as it was the widest aisle in the building between rows of seats, giving only a few feet to either side, which was the reason Will chose this place for their confrontation.

Ishida's sword touched Will's staff and she smiled. That smile faltered as she was pressed. A series of chest-high attacks. each one ended with a pause, reposition from her opponent, and another attack. She tried pressing, causing Will to slide back, sweeping his staff to generate space.

If she were to have to describe how her opponent fought 'twitchy' would be the proper term. There wasn't a smooth grace to any movement. A sudden burst forced her back. A twitch to bat her blade away. Thus it went for the next minute.

A minute was a long time for a martial fight. Boxing rounds only lasted three minutes, and boxers didn't have to worry about weapons.

Neither combatant spoke. This was not some cartoon or movie where talking could happen no matter how winded people were. This was not a movie where exposition was needed.

Will jabbed the end of his staff at Ishida's legs, forcing her to stumble back.

"Foul!" KARR yelled. "Below the belt. Will, one more and you forfeit."

Will's head shook as he approached, weapon held at the ready. "Right. Sorry Ishida."

"you're good." She reassured.

Their weapons touched. This time she tried to ease inside his striking distance to effectively slap his head with the flat of her blade. Instead, he ducked, lightly hitting her in the abdomen with his staff.

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"Point, Will," KARR confirmed.

Yet neither reset their position. Will brought his staff up, luck or skill at play as it caught his opponent's blade.

Ishida tried to back away. Yet he pressed, his staff twitching this way and that. Relying on being unpredictable to keep her from simply sliding past his defense to end it.

When she tried he tapped her chest with the end of his staff.

"Point, Will!" KARR announced. "Match End."

Ishida frowned at Will as he took the blindfold off. "How? I've fought people who tried the whole blind man act and it's always-"

"Some fat out of shape tryhard?" Will snorted. "I've spent most of my life preparing for when my eyes stop working."

That earned a dismissive snort from the blonde.

"Well, it's true. Plus it's as much keeping an opponent off balance as having any sort of personal skill." Will shouldered KARR's pack. "I'm not too proud to take the win here. Especially after the showing you gave with Moira."

KARR grumbled at the memory.

Ishida gave a soft laugh. "KARR, don't take it so personally. You got beat by the better driver. It happens, no shame unless you get salty and sulk instead of work to improve."

"Fine." KARR spat, still salty over his loss.

In contrast, Will smiled. "She's a lovely car. Always been a sucker for Lotus."

As the pair walked, leaving the space free for others in the group to take positions for thier own scene, Ishida opened thedoor for Will. "I've heard the two of you have been testing out components from the local plant."

"Most everything aside from the batteries and body paneling is badly out of spec," KARR stated.

A vaguely Irish accented feminine voice came from the blue and black lotus emira parked in front of the 'church' building they were using for weekend shenanigans. "That tracks with what I'd gotten from Star City."

"Star City that's..." Will's brow furrowed.

"City of the future, no guns, no smoking, big cryo prison." Ishida clarified.

"Oooooh," The metaphorical lightbulb went off in Will's head. "So did KORRA send you or...?"

"Well, Haruka is my sister and the way Kamio talked about KARR left me interested."

"It was mostly KARR," Moira confirmed. "she's a sucker for older cars. I mean, she's got a series two espirit."

"Lotus has a reputation for being expensive on upkeep," KARR said dismissively. "Though if it is any consolation I do like the geometric simplicity aesthetically pleasing."

"Fair on both points," Moira answered. "Though given how much of me has been replaced I'd hardly qualify outside of basic outer shell and chassis. Similar to how the fiero you ride around in has almost nothing in common with a stock fiero."

KARR was going to respond when Will's phone buzzed.

He frowned. "Jeff's brother got arrested supposedly for stealing from the plant."

That caused Ishida to frown but waited for elaboration.

"Cops are being evasive. Aren't confirming they had him on camera, or that any of the doors logged him going in or out of where he wasn't supposed to be." Will explained. "Doesn't make sense. If he had taken from them they'd have incentive to big up how good their security was instead of 'Oh hey cops found these things in your garage."

Ishida's frown deepened. "Moira?"

"Yea boss?" The blue lotus sounded thoughtful as it started.

"Call KORRA." She looked to Will, "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't do anything stupid." She looked at KARR's camera very deliberately. "I don't trust them to not take your friend and I doubt they'd give him back once they have him."

As she drove off Will was busy loading KARR into the Mera. Once the connections were made, and as the wires were being tucked into place, KARR spoke. "Do you trust her?"

"Why shouldn't I? She's got a point." Will pivoted the seat back into place and, after it clicked, got in. "She's got no real reason to lie to us, and you can check with KORRA to make sure she's on the level."

"Nnn. KARR sounded thoughtful as the pair waited. "Trust is difficult for me. My formative experiences have been less than pleasant."

Will watched Jocelyn slide into the driver's seat. "Jeff's gone."

Will looked at her, head tilting slightly. "Fast pullout. Gone. We should go check and make sure he gets home OK."

"Why not just call him?" KARR asked.

As Jocelyn started driving she spoke. "He probably won't answer or will be shouting if he does answer. Something's very off about all this and I don't want him left alone with Winter dumped in his lap."

"Why not? She is of age as near as I've been able to gather." KARR questioned, "Yet she is spoken of as if she is a child in need of full-time care."

"She's got a lot wrong with her brain." Will frowned as he looked to the triple bar of KARR's voice modulator. "I sorta know some of the techniques of it but her birth parents were abusive, neglectful, and the way I understand it her mother did drugs while she was developing. So she's about mentally about five or so... ish."

"I see." KARR took this information in.

"Which itself is not great, but she had seizures constantly. It'd gotten to the point the medication was essentially doing nothing. So. they took a gamble and put an implant in her head."

"Nnn," KARR again sounded thoughtful. "I remember you once saying something about possibly getting replacement chips for me from medical applications. I assume, given my architecture is one of a thinking mind, that this would be that application?"

That got a nod from Jocelyn. "Still ungodly expensive about a quarter century after they started human trials and it's done nothing for her cognition."

There was a pause before Will added, "She hasn't had to take medication in years. She's happy."

"That is enough then," KARR stated as they drove. "I will be polite if I am shown to her."

On they drove.