"Shin, why the long face?" Elior asked, finally finishing most of the work for today. There were still alloys to be purified, but that won't be today. Other than the tournament, he had other things to do. He removed the thick apron from his body while Aanya turned off the burner, bringing the temperature of the hall to normal.
"It's nothing," Shin lied.
"Whatever it is, you got to perform your best," Elior said, checking the sweat as well as the wet dress. His eyes drifted off towards the clock to find there was still time to take a shower. "Show the world what you are made of."
Shin nodded. The thought of his mother watching him perform his best was not bad. Not bad at all. She should see how much effort he had pulled into it.
Abruptly, Ileana's cell phone rang, and she opened it to say, "My mom, they should be here." She moved away, picking up the call after that.
