Louis was looking forward to a day of martial arts training. It had been a while since the last time he had paid a visit to his old dojo, the Screaming Eagle Dojo. Just thinking about it was enough to give him a powerful feeling of nostalgia. He could practically smell the faintly stale smell of the rubber crash mats, and feel the heft of the sand-filled body bags he used to toss around him with fellow pupils. He had rooted around and even found his old Screaming Eagle water bottle from when he had first started training there.
And, best of all, he would be sharing something he loved with someone who had become a close friend, multimedia personality Ken Stokes. The older man was bouncing with excitement as they made their way to the dojo. Even as they had walked to Louis's car, there was a spring in his step which Louis found energizing.
"You and Stefan are going to get along great," Louis said as they got into the car. "You're both weirdly similar."
"How so?" Ken asked, sliding into the car and buckling his seatbelt. "Are we both older, distinguished gentlemen who enjoy the finer things in life?" He looked at Louis with a certain sense of self-importance. Louis laughed a little. Ken was the least self-important person he knew.
"Not exactly like that, no," Louis said as he buckled his seatbelt and checked his rearview mirror. "I mean, you're both very centered in who you are. You both enjoy learning new things, and you're passionate about the things you already know." Louis cocked his head to one side and thought for a moment. "I actually don't know many people like that."
Ken waved a hand. "It all comes with age," he said cheerfully. "You spend years as a kid thinking you're going to do everything and be everyone you could possibly be. And then you get older and you realize, hey! You've still got time."
"Wise words, indeed, Ken," Louis said with a smile. He understood where Ken was coming from, but he wasn't sure he agreed. For Louis, at some point in his life, he wanted to take a break and have a month or two where he was doing absolutely nothing. Especially after all the nonsense that RIley had put him and his friends through. A month of absolutely nothing would be more than welcome.
But first, martial arts. Louis pulled out of the driveway and started driving toward Baltimore. He put on the radio.
"Good afternoon Baltimore," said the newscaster. "If you're just joining us, there had been a pile up on the main highway leading toward the airport. If you are traveling in that direction, please be advised to make your transportation plans around this."
"Well that sucks," said Louis as he switched to a station which played a collection of rock songs from the 1980s. "Good thing we aren't going to the airport."
"Good thing indeed!" Ken said. "This is going to be fun."
The two men said nothing as they drove through Baltimore. All the while, Louis couldn't help but replay Riley's email in the back of his head. It was so distracting that he almost missed the turn, and by the time he parked, he felt like he was going to be sick.
"Kid," Ken Stokes said, crouching down to Louis's level. "You feeling okay? You look a little green around the gills."
Louis wasn't sure how to respond.
Louis was still slightly shaken by the email he had received from Riley. Out of morbid curiosity, he had opened it.
It had read, "Hey Louis. I survived. Listen, I'm trying to be a better person, but I don't know how. Sorry for trying to kill you and your friends. Can we please meet to discuss the whole being a good person thing? I'm painfully new at it. Best, Riley."
How was Louis supposed to respond? "Hey Riley! I've completely forgiven you for trying to kill me and my friends. Let's have coffee sometime, maybe see a movie and catch up the way old enemies do! You take care now, Louis."
Louis decided to just pretend that Riley was dead. He didn't trust an email from him in the slightest.
That email now lived in the trash bin on Louis's computer. Although he tried to forget about it, Louis felt like he was being watched. He became concerned that Riley would jump out at every corner, waiting to surprise him.
Louis couldn't think about that right now. He had a job to do, and that job was to help Ken Stokes learn about martial arts. Louis had gotten in contact with his old sensei, Stefan, who owned the Screaming Eagle Dojo in uptown Baltimore. Stefan was a three-time World MMA champion, and all the greats came to learn from him. It had been a while since Louis had trained with Stefan, but all the same, he was excited.
Louis was thrilled that Ken had agreed to learn martial arts. Ken had an artistic integrity which Louis respected. They had found free parking nearby and were walking toward the dojo. Since it was a nice day, with the sun out, the walk was pleasant.
"This Stefan guy sounds awesome!" Ken said.
Louis smiled. It was hard not to be a little positive when Ken Stokes was nearby.
"He's an expert in the field," Louis explained as they walked into the dojo. "Trained all over the place. Learned Kung Fu in China, Judo in Japan, kickboxing in Thailand, jiu jitsu in Brazil. This guy is the real deal."
The dojo appeared ahead of them. Bold red letters spelling out, 'Screaming Eagle' shone in the sunlight. Underneath was a picture of an eagle wearing a standard karate uniform with a black belt around its waist. People were walking in and out. Stefan had multiple senseis working under him, always teaching a class or private students.
Inside, the dojo smelled of sand, sweat, and passion. Louis smiled, savoring the musty air. It felt good to be back.
"This place stinks," Ken observed. "Does Stefan ventilate the place?"
Louis shrugged. "He does, but what you're smelling right now is the smell of years' worth of hard work and passionate training."
"I'll take your word for it," Ken muttered, looking around. He was wearing a pair of loose-fitting trousers and a t-shirt. It would do for his first few lessons, but Louis would have to take him shopping for some more suitable attire.
Louis looked around the dojo and spotted Stefan over in the corner. He was wearing his black sensei uniform, with his black belt that had several red tabs. Louis immediately felt inferior upon seeing him. Stefan was a living legend in the martial arts community. If anybody spoke about him, they said his name in a revenant whisper.
Stefan spotted Louis and Ken and beckoned them over.
"Long time no see, my friend," said Stefan, pulling Louis into a hug. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and blond hair which he always combed back. He also spoke with a strange accent. Not American, there was a vague hint of Englishness to it. Stefan always brushed Louis off whenever he asked where he was from.
"It's good to see you, Stefan," said Louis. "Thanks for agreeing to help us out."
"No trouble at all!" he said, then he turned to Ken and gave him an appraising look.
"Pleasure to meet you, too," said Ken. He returned Stefan's smile.
"Ah, the legendary Ken Stokes!" Stefan said, clasping his hands over his chest and offering a slight bow of greeting. "Truly an honor to meet you, my friend! I must say, I'm very familiar with your work. The nature documentary about the Baltimore woods? I ate it up like it was pudding!"
Stefan could be a lot to take in when you first met him. He was such a nice guy that by the end of the day, you felt like you were his best and only friend. It had been a little much for Louis when he had first met Stefan, but he had grown accustomed to it. Louis looked over at Ken to see how he was faring.
To no one's surprise, Ken Stokes absolutely loved how nice Stefan was.
"A fan!" said Ken, looking at Louis with an excited grin. "You sensei is one of my fans!"
Stefan tapped a finger to his chin and made a noise that sounded like, "hmm." After a few moments of quiet contemplating, he nodded and said, "Yes, excellent material. I can work with you."
Ken squealed with delight. "Thank you, sensei," he said, offering a bow of respect. "I truly appreciate it."
Stefan returned the bow and said, "Pleasure to be of service!" Straightening, he asked, "Remind me what it is you're doing? Louis mentioned in his email that you were having trouble with a new documentary, but I'm not sure I understand."
Ken's eyes lit up, excited by the opportunity to talk about his passion project.
"We're making a documentary," he said, the restraint on his excitement obvious. "It's about martial arts in Baltimore. We started off with a general history, but it turned out to be a lot more inspirational than we anticipated."
Stefan nodded. "Inspirational content around martial arts is sorely lacking," he said. "That's my opinion anyway."
Ken paused. "I see," he said. "Well, I want to make something a little more grounded. Grittier, you know? Somewhere between The Karate Kid and Kung Fu Panda, but with a little more emphasis on why people do martial arts in the first place."
"An interesting range," Stefan commented, putting his hands on his hips. His massive shoulders strained the confines of his uniform. "And why are you here, today?"
Ken blushed. "Artistic integrity."
Stefan nodded, completely understanding.
"Ah, I see!" he said, smiling so much his perfect white teeth showed. "Well, I can certainly help with that. I trust Louis has filled you in on the martial arts' social scene?"
Ken nodded enthusiastically. "It's going to be a big part of the documentary!"
"I've taken him around all the usual spots," Louis said. "I told him that spending time in an actual dojo might help get the creative juices flowing so he can better understand what martial arts is."
"Wonderful!" Stefan said. "Have you filmed much in the way of the documentary yet? I'd be honored to see what you have! Being, of course, that you would like my honest opinion."
At that, Ken Stokes was lost for words. His face broke out into a wide grin.
"Oh boy," he said, curbing his enthusiasm. "I think your feedback is going to be beyond value."