Neeka backed off a few feet and stood partly behind a barrel. Li watched her go and then looked back at me. When I didn't move, he cautiously stepped back a couple of paces himself.
I tranced, then I turned sideways to the board. Watching my target spot, I jumped up in the air, drifting slightly in the direction of the board, pulled back my right leg and kicked at the board as hard as I possibly could.
I didn't even feel the contact. The board exploded with a loud crack and flew apart in a cloud of splinters and rope fragments. When I rebounded and landed on my feet the only part of the board that wasn't splintered was the part still in the braces.
Master Li brushed some of the splinters off of his arm and picked a fragment of rope out of his shiny black hair. "Thank you," he said, looking at me. "Can you tell me how it is that you have managed to keep from killing your friend here?"
I looked back at him with as inscrutable a look as I could manage. I briefed Neeka mentally on what I wanted to do. She walked over and stood facing Master Li with her back to me and closed her eyes. I walked up behind her and pulled back a fist about a foot from her head. I silently counted to five and then I punched as fast as I could at the back of Neeka's head. Of course, she moved at the same instant I did and my fist went right through the empty place where her head had been. While I was extended, she slapped me in the stomach with the back of her hand.
"Ah!" Master Li said. If his next word had been 'so', I would have died laughing. He chose to spare me, however. "She is the perfect practice partner," he said. "A ghost who can't be touched, but who can strike back. But you..."
He stared at me as though he wanted answers, but the look on my face said he wasn't going to get them. It hadn't escaped him that I hadn't really answered his question about how Neeka survived sparring with someone who could break her spine with one blow. I had merely demonstrated conclusively that she wasn't depending on my restraint or her fighting skill to do so. Now I was trying to give back as much inscrutability as he had been giving us. It was mulish of me, I know.
"You said you wanted to learn control," he said, finally. "Very well. I will try to teach you control. But that is enough for today. Practice well and come back next week. Good day."
Of course we discussed Master Li on the ride home.
"Can we trust him?" Neeka asked me, speaking aloud. This was going to be one of those soundingboard discussions.
"I think so." I said. "He won't jeopardize having me for a student. Not to be egotistical, but he'll never have another opportunity like this."
"That's true. I was watching him when you demolished his board. He obviously suspected something, but he wasn't prepared for that. He actually flinched. I jumped pretty good too. I had no idea you could do that. I mean, I knew you could break it, but you freaking destroyed it!"
"It sure surprised me. Scared me, too. You know, I almost ripped the gym door off its frame without trying hard. I seem to be getting stronger every day."
"You wonder how far it will go." It wasn't a question and I didn't answer.
"Bambi says the workshop will be ready Friday," I told her. "Can you get off work so we can check it out after school?"
"Sure," she said. When we had stopped for a light, she put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Sam? I can quit if you like. You sound like you need me."
"You'd do that for me?" I was about to ask how she'd pay for her car expenses, but it occurred to me that Bambi had probably told her not to worry about that when she gave her the key to the house. Bambi had been very positive that having Neeka by my side was a good idea and she was the kind of woman who never stopped at just lip service. I was living proof that she took moral obligations very, very seriously.
"Yes," Neeka said firmly. No qualifications, no conditions, just 'yes'. I can't put into words how good, how safe, how secure that made me feel. It went a long way toward calming the fear that had been growing in my head. Neeka was more than a friend, a lover, or a partner. She was part of me and I was part of her. The closer she was, the better I felt.
The light changed, Neeka drove on, and I reached into my bag for a tissue to wipe the tears from my eyes.
We were only a few blocks from home when I noticed a commotion on the sidewalk ahead of us. A guy in baggy shorts and a red t-shirt was running away from an elderly woman who was pointing and yelling. He was carrying a blue handbag that did not go with his outfit at all.
Neeka pressed down sharply on the accelerator and sped up to close the gap. As soon as she came to a good spot, she pulled over next to the curb and I jumped out and ran after the guy with the purse.
I closed on him faster than I thought. I almost ran right past when I caught up to him and it took me a couple of seconds to match paces.
"Nice day for a run!" I said to him. He didn't answer. "How about giving the purse back?" I asked, politely. Polite never hurt. "It really clashes with that shirt, you know."
He tried to backhand me, but I dodged. Then he ran faster to try to get away from me, but I kept right with him. We came to a corner and he tried to cut me off, but ran right into a metal light pole instead. The pole made a clang sound. The thief made a thud sound and lay down for a nap. I picked up the purse and walked back to the woman.