Snippet #2531013

Tanis and I watched the fight from the table, which surprisingly had been spared in the midst of all the turmoil. It would be an expensive tab, paying for all of the broken furniture because the men couldn’t take things outside. It looked like a tornado had been through the place. There was no doubt that this Darius fellow had talent when it came to fighting though. I was pretty confident that he could train me.

During the fight I recorded my agreement on the device adding that there were to be no face injuries, if it could be helped. Bruises anywhere on my body I could hide, except the face. Makeup never seemed to quite cover bruises. I had learned this long ago when I was accidentally dropped on my head while learning lifts in dance.

Once everything was finished Tanis pulled me up from the table and led me over to Darius. “We should get going, sister-mine,” he whispered. “If the guards catch us your jig is up.” I nodded my agreement as we reached Darius and smiled awkwardly, handing him back his device.

“We should get going,” I told him quickly.

“Wassa matter girlie? Party’s just getting started!” he exclaimed back before belching with gusto and then dropping to the floor unconscious like a sack of potatoes.

We just started at him for a moment.

“Gross,” I said finally, breaking the silence.

“I guess we should take him home,” Tanis sighed. When I paled he laughed and shook his head. “Not our home, his home. Here, give this to the bar keep and I’ll meet you outside with him.”

Tanis handed me one of his payment cards and I nodded finding the bar keep and letting him know I would be paying for Darius’s tab and the damages to the bar. Once it was settled I headed outside to accompany the boys to Darius’s place.

We ended our journey at a dojo. I frowned. “He lives here?” I asked.

“Well, no, he lives with his mother I think,” Tanis replied, having hoisted the unconscious man over his shoulder. “But I’m not sure where that is exactly so I figured here would be just as good.”

“I don’t suppose you have a key?” I asked raising a brow.

Tanis offered a key card. “It was in his pocket,” he said grinning. “It was a good excuse to touch his ass.”

I snickered and took the key, opening the door and walking inside to flick a light on. The place was immaculate. For being just on the Hemera side of town I was impressed. I found a set of training mats and laid them out and rolled up a towel as a pillow so Tanis could lie him down. It was then that I got a decent look at his face.

He was handsome, I realized. Maybe this class wouldn’t be so long after all.

I found his com system on one of the walls and typed in the command to record a message so he would be informed of our plans again in the morning.

Good day mister Pendragon. My name is Silver. As we have discussed I will begin training under your guidance as of today. If you have any doubts about this please consult the gadget you had me use to record my agreeing to your terms. I will require night classes, a factor I hope you will agree to as I expect it might hurt your business if people were to know you were training a woman. It is frowned upon after all. So I must implore you for the safety of your revenue that we keep this all rather hush-hush. I have agreed to pay you thrice your regular rate and I paid for the expenses at the bar, which you trashed. I trust these will keep us in good standing.

I will see you at say, ten o’clock? Should you have need to make adjustments, reschedule or notify me of things I ought to bring I would encourage you to contact Golden Light Tanis, whose number I have left at the end of this message. Until tomorrow, mister Pendragon.

And then we left, setting the door to lock behind us and leaving the key card with the com system.

All the way home Tanis babbled on about how I was crazy and that I would quit in a week. Yeah right, it was either survive the training and become a killing machine or marry one of the pompous cocks that were my suitors.

The day was long and for lack of a better word, excruciating. I had been forced to meet with suitors 4 and 7 today for lunch and dinner respectively. The only thing that even gave me an appetite with their boorish conversation was knowing I would need the strength for training.

And then finally I was sneaking out of my window and outside the palace grounds to meet with Darius. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Tanis sprang on me from one of the alleyways. I should have known better than to think that he would let me travel in the city alone. Not that I really remembered how to get to the school anyways.

At 9:55 I bid Tanis fairwell and walked inside. I had worn what I would normally wear to dance: a pair of black capris and a sage green tank top. I had braided my hair tightly behind my head and twisted it into a braid for good measure. Toeing off my shoes I tiptoed inside the school – not having heard any sign of life yet.

“Hello?” I called tucking a loose strand of my curly hair behind my ear.