Lady Moon, Sha'tan #1

Chapter 14: Dear Sensei

“I beg your pardon Sir?!”

Dana couldn’t believe her ears. She just ridiculized herself, behaving like an emotional crybaby, and here he was trying to take advantage of her. She was not that weak! A memory flashed in her mind: her young self, watching in a haze her uncle Ethan practising the katas over and over again, before telling her:

“Keep working now, it's not like you'll ever be good enough!”

But no matter how hard she tried, she never met his standards. And Liam O’ Brien was in a much higher league.

“You heard me, take your clothes off. You can keep your underwear. At least I hope you are wearing some?» he grinned ironically.

“And why should I do that Sir?”

He sighed impatiently.

“Because your physical condition is part of my assessment of your worth as a warrior, and will help me decide whether or not I’ll accept you as my student. So any time now would be nice.”

Dana’s face hardened. What was the point? She had been there and done that. She wouldn’t disappoint again.

“I’m sorry Sir, I thought I made myself clear. You’ve demonstrated to me how unrealistic my ambitions were just a minute ago, and I will be taking my leave this instant. Please accept my apologies for wasting your time and disturbing your routine.”

She turned around and stepped toward the door.

Liam grabbed her arm and made her face him.

"Stop acting childish! It took me the best part of ninety years to get where I am. I would be quite miffed if you could match me already! You don't need that to win the competition. Just trust me okay? "

Dana sighed and gave in. She had nothing to loose. Reluctantly she undressed, glad she chose to wear a sport bra and plain boxer shorts. Not that she was embarrassed being seen in that state, nudity was not taboo in Sha'tan culture. Both genders shared the public baths, but for that reason staring at someone else's body was considered rude. And the idea of having a man checking her closely up was making her feel very self-conscious.

Liam circled slowly around her, studying her. Her posture was good, her weight equally distributed on her feet. She was maintaining herself properly: shiny hair, short and polished nails, gleaming skin were a good indicator. He inhaled deeply, taking in a whiff of rose and jasmine, likely from scented massage oil. That was a surprise, he wouldn’t have expected such a girly choice from her.

She had an athletic, though light framed body, as he could tell from her delicate hands and feet. Her arms, shoulders and back were muscular and her stomach flat and sculpted, as could be expected. He was not happy with her legs, they clearly needed more work to give her some much-needed endurance.

He stepped away from her:

“Now go to the centre of the room, and show me your sword katas!”

“May I dress first?” she asked.

“Not yet, I need to see your moves precisely. What are you waiting for?”

She gulped, not really at ease with the situation.

“One or two swords Sir?”

“You’ll do both, but start with one.”

Dana did as instructed, repeating her katas in slow motion, human speed and warping speed. She was fairly tired at the end and expected a break, but all he said was:

“Now the spear katas. Come on, we don’t have all day!”

Dana clenched her jaws and obeyed. By the time she was done, the spear’s weight seemed to have tripled, and she was out of breath.

She looked at Liam expectantly, hoping this was all. Instead he asked her to perform as sequence of balance exercises, before handling her a glass of water.

“Drink this, then prepare to fight me.”

“But Sir, I’m really tired now. Can’t we do that next time?”

Liam frowned.

“The competition is in this order, plus the archery. If you are unable to fight after this, I suggest you rethink your decision.”

Dana stiffened.

“No Sir, I’ll do it!”

She picked up her swords and bowed, showing she was ready to fight. He bowed in response, and attacked immediately after, warping at full speed. She barely parried on time. She warped too, and noticed she was slightly faster than him. She used it to her advantage, attacking and retreating swiftly, forcing him to remain in a defensive stance. Unfortunately, her energy was fading fast, and within a few minutes Liam had her cornered, his blade under her chin.

She was so exhausted she could barely lift an arm. He grinned:

“Not too bad for a youngster, you nearly got through once or twice.”

“Thank you Sir”

“Not Sir, Sensei. You’re my student now. Be here at the same time everyday for your training. I also want you to run twice to the pier and back, and swim twenty laps every morning, understood?”

“Yes Sensei!” she beamed at him.

“Good! Now let’s get you something to eat, or you’ll be crawling home!”

He started walking out and she tried to follow, but her legs gave under her, leaving her kneeling on the soft floor. Liam turned back, rolled his eyes and picked her up in his arms.

“Don’t think too much of this, it’s just easier for me than dragging you on the floor!” he grumbled.

Dana held in a laugh.

“I’ll take note of it Sensei!”

He placed her carefully on a bench in the kitchen, and started cooking a high-energy meal. He took the opportunity to lecture her on the type and amount of food she should be eating for training, and soon she felt herself falling asleep. She woke up when a hand shook her shoulder, while a plate loaded with a large steak, pasta and stir-fry vegetables was placed in front of her.

“I am glad to see your interest in the conversation… I didn’t know I was boring enough to push people to sleep.”

Dana blushed and cursed herself. Today had to be her “I’m so stupid” day, she couldn’t do anything right.

“I was just very tired Sensei. I’m sorry.”

“Well, dig in then, you need some strength. I will just have to repeat it all while you eat. ”

She reddened once more but remained quiet and listened carefully. She couldn’t afford to run dry again.

Soon enough she was able to get up and move again. She got dressed and politely took her leave.

Liam closed the door behind her, deep in thoughts. He had no doubt she could win, she nearly beat him earlier. But they had a lot of work ahead of them, and so little time. The judges couldn’t be bought, but they would be pressured into sanctioning her slightest fault, and she had to get the perfect score. How close to perfect could she get in two months?