Reverie 》Bob Floyd

Chapter 14

The first thing Malina did when she got back to her hotel room was send a message to her husband. Sure, Bob wouldn't see it until the mission was over, but that way he could let Hangman know as well. 

But after she got that out of the way, Malina got to work laying out her setup for tomorrow. After seeing the venue, she could start to plan out some initial areas for photos. Obviously, it was going to depend on where the other photographers were stationed and what was going on to warrant photos. 

She wasn't an idiot. Mal remembered this was the tournament Mari was telling them about. But instead of texting her or Reyna, she decided to surprise them in the morning. 

She couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces. This was the last place they would expect to see her again. 

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

The morning of the All Valley was hectic to say the least. Chaotic was the best way to describe it. 

Malina had arrived, along with the dogs, before any competitors showed up. After thinking it through during the night, she decided to keep the dogs in a back room. The coordinators told her she would have plenty of time to check on them between matches. 

Meeting the other photographers, they had all agreed to a game plan so they didn't step on each other's toes. Malina and another photographer were tasked to get some pre-tournament shots of the competitors, while the others grabbed shots of the arena and audience. 

Luckily for Mal, Reyna had come to the back with Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang. So when Mari turned and locked eyes with Mal, Reyna spun around as well. 

"Mal?!" Mari half yelled, before running to the woman. She had just enough time to put the camera down before the teenager nearly tackled her in a hug. 

Mal lets out a laugh, hugging her back. "Surprise!" Since Mari won't let go, she takes an arm away and gestures for Reyna to join in the hug. 

The yell and run from Mari was a shock to most people in the room. Many of the teens, even some of the adults, watched the mini reunion with interest. 

Hawk, Sam, and Miguel were looking on in interest as their girlfriend / best friend (respectively), and her sister (who was practically their older sister as well) greeted a woman they only just started hearing about. 

Daniel and Johnny were both smiling at the small group, both knowing well and good the troubled the Gonzalez sisters have gone through. To see them so happy was a blessing. 

Robby, Tori, hell even Kyler watched on from the Cobra Kai group. At one point, both Robby and Tori had considered Mari a friend. Or at least friend adjacent. But for Kyler, Mari had always been a sore spot. Primarily because, even before karate, she would kick his ass for his treatment of Eli and Demetri. 

Unfortunately, not all the looks were happy. John Kreese and Terry Silver watched on in veiled interest. The Cobra Kai sensis were trying to determine if they could use this development to their advantage. 

So sorry to tell them, because Malina knows literally nothing about karate, she can't possibly help Mari in any way other than moral support. So sucks to suck, Cobra Kai. Can't cheat your way to this win. 

Mari detaches herself from Mal before taking the woman's hand and dragging her over to her friends. "I want you to meet some people, then I'll let you get back to work." 

Reyna and Mal share an amused look. "Yes ma'am." 

Standing in front of the Miyagi-Fangs, Mari began the introductions. "Guys, this is Malina, the woman I told you about. From my days with Jake. Mal, this is Eli, Sam, and Miguel."