Ari laid on the floor gasping for air as sweat dripped down her face. A curly haired young woman with a bright beaming smile and caramel skin looked down at her, equally as sweaty. "Oh my God that was great, didn't think you still had it" she said with a smile, lying in between Ari's legs. "Lemme catch my breath Nia, please" Ari said as she unwrapped her legs from around Nia's waist and Nia got up, leaving Ari laying on the floor of a dojo like a starfish.
As she stared at the rickety ceiling fan as it turned, Ari's mind remained fixated on her last mission. Feeling her back begin to stick to the mat she rose to her feet. Despite the burning sensation in her lungs from fatigue and her clothes which now clung to her body from sweat she knew this was where she needed to be.
A lifelong martial arts fan, she would beg and plead with her parents to let her take any and all martial art classes she could find. That led her to a place where she spent most of her free time not preoccupied by Zoe. An old martial arts dojo that could barely afford to keep the lights on.
As evidenced by it's small size, outdated training equipment of a few punching bags hanging up, various ropes and weights and the blue mats that covered every inch of the floor in the sparing room. A relic of a time passed it remained lovingly cared for by it's owner. The girl Ari went to when she knew she needed to refine her skills. Nia.
Friends from the day they first met in the gyn Nia had since gotten from her late grandfather, much like all her friends Ari and Nia were polar opposites. Nia was a beaming ray of sunshine during both good and bad times. An accomplished life long martial artist she was a source of envy for Ari due to her endless stories of training and traveling abroad doing the thing they both love for a living.
Despite her cheerful demeanor, Ari knew how strict and obsessive Nia was with fighting, making her the perfect person to train with for life or death situations. Ari remained guilt ridden over the previous night. As the sweet relief of water from her bottle touched her tongue she knew that she had to be better. No more sloppy mistakes because her missions were a matter of life and death.
A part of her had never let herself consider that fact as to downplay the risk she was taking going into the 4th Dimension. But she had to face reality and prepare for missions as though her life depended on it. Because now it did.
So despite the aching in her thighs and arms she readied herself to continue working with Nia. Punch after punch. Kick after kick. Holds and reversals they fought and grappled from the bright and early morning until the sun began to set.
As Ari sat, looking out of a window at the orange early evening sun she felt her hand ache. Unwrapping the bandages she'd forgotten to change throughout the day she looked at her again bloodied hand.
"That looks pretty rough" Nia asked as she threw a first aid kit next to Ari. "Thanks" Ari said as she cleaned up her wounded hand. "So what's going on?" Nia asked with a concerned look on her face.
"Don't worry about it it's nothing" Ari said with a smirk. "Nothing?" Nia repeated with a her arms folded. "Mhm" Ari said as she sloppily wrapped the new bandages around her hand.
"Can I get a hand... for my hand... cause I only have one working hand?" Ari said as her lip quivered as she tried not to smile at her own joke. "Not funny" Nia said as Ari yawned. "I know but like you know when you're tired and something that isn't funny just sounds funny" Ari said as she fought through abother yawn.
"You haven't been here in awhile now all of a sudden you're back. You're more jacked then you've ever been even though you told me you haven't been in a gym in a month. Now you've got a stab wound in your hand. And nothings going on?" Nia asked as she tied Ari's bandages a little too tightly.
"Ah easy. And you concerned or you jealous I'm jacked now" Ari said jokingly. "Stop. You've changed a lot in next to no time. So yeah I'm concerned. That's the kinda thing people do before you see them on the news or in a coffin" Nia said as she fixed Ari's bandages.
"Trust me Nia, nothing I do would end up on the news and I'm damn sure not gonna be in a coffin. Just my usual cool, sexily mysterious self" Ari said with a smile. "You talk way too much to ever be mysterious" Nia replied snarkily. "I resent that but I appreciate you fixing me up. Thanks doc" Ari said as she stood up and blew Nia a kiss with her bandaged hand.
"Hey you're not getting out of this conversation" Nia said as she watched Ari grab her bag. "Oh but I already have, very well if I may add. You can get your rematch tomorrow, if you up for training some more" Ari said as she headed for the door.
"Fine, that is if your body doesn't lock up on you" Nia said as she began to stretch. "Stick around we can do a cool down" she continued as she leaned forward grabbing her feet with her hands while sat down.
"Don't worry about me I'll just walk it off" Ari said. "You sure?" Nia asked. "Of course I am, look at me I'm a tank" Ari said as she flexed her biceps. Nia felt her eyes trail down Ari's now muscular body and she looked down to avoid staring. "Yeah yeah whatever you say tank" she said she felt her face become warm as she blushed lightly.
"Wow rude, goodbye to you too" Ari said as she left the gym, oblivious to her friend's flummoxed state.
After a peaceful walk home followed by a much needed hot, long shower Ari found herself sat on her bed. Feeling her soreness somewhat subsided with the hot water she smirked. "Imma regret that in the morning" she said as she heard her stomach grumbling.
Listening to her body she stood up and gingerly made her way out of her room, to the kitchen. Following dinner and a mundane sitcom with her father Ari poured herself a glass of milk. With a stomach full of food and heavy eyes and limbs Ari elected to down the milk in one go and immediately put the glass in the sink.
"Wow you really love that stuff huh" her father joked. "Oh well what can I say... Auntie was right this stuffs been really key to me going... I mean feeling better" Ari said catching herself mid Freudian slip in her tired state. "Goodnight dad" Ari said as she shuffled her way to her room.
"Goodnight sweetie, love you" Patrick said. "Love you too dad" Ari said with a smile before turning the corner and going into her room.
As she laid in bed she remembered she hadn't used her phone at all since the morning. Obeying Nia's phone free policy she had turned it off for the whole day. As she waited for it to turn on she felt herself drift to sleep.
Unbeknownst to her the moment her phone turned on it became alight with messages and missed calls from Dave and her aunt. The top message visible on her screen before it shut off read:
[Dave: OH MY GOD THEY KILLED HIM]