Into the Ether - Complete

The Winter of Our Discontent: Part 21

By some miracle, I was up on time the next morning and not spewy. I got up, threw my workout clothes on, and headed to the gym. Celeste and Stella were already there, Celeste showing her 'sister' around, going through naming the equipment and explaining how it worked. I stood and watched the two of them unobserved for a moment, noticing the way Celeste's eyes never left Stella, even when her back was turned. The apparently instinctive way Celeste's hand reached out to touch her whenever she was next to her.

Turning and spotting me in the doorway, Stella called out in excitement "Hi Rose! Celeste said you're a really good fighter – one of the best there is. But I know she's going to beat you!" She was right. Even if I had to lie down on the mat and faux stake myself, I had no intention of trying to win this match, and Celeste knew it. By unspoken agreement, I knew we'd make this as showy as possible but avoid any moves that actually did any real damage.

"You ok if we play some music?" Celeste asked. Usually, I chose the morning music and she the afternoon, but since she had her phone in her hand, I happily acquiesced. I had a giggle when the first track came on. It was an 80s hit, but I knew it – and not from Dimitri's tunes! 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' by Cyndi Lauper.

We squared up inside the sparring square, Celeste explaining the basic rules to Stella. There were actually several types of sparring we could do. Point sparring, the most official type Guardians used, was overkill in this situation, so we'd be doing simple takedown sparring – where one opponent managed a faux thrust to the heart with an imaginary stake. Not that taking down a Strigoi with a stake was that easy, as I'd discovered.

We started the fight, Celeste immediately going on the offensive. She used quite a few intricate and elaborate moves which I would have countered in seconds, had it been a real spar, and then I took a turn doing likewise. To the uninitiated it would have looked like a real fight – but had an experienced Novice or Guardian been looking they'd have picked it as a show fight. To begin with, no one was wincing in pain!

We sparred through 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' and straight into 'Sisters are Doing It For Themselves.' We were approaching the end of the song when Celeste gave me a look, and I prepared myself to be taken down. She gave me an obvious tell, looking twice at my right knee. Knowing where she planned to 'attack' I made sure I was in the right position to fall painlessly. Seconds later I fell to the mat following her blow. She staked me, and I was 'dead' – Stella shouting and cheering from the sidelines.

"You're awesome!" Stella squealed in celebration to a bashful looking Celeste. "I don't care what Dad says! I want to be a Guardian just like you!" Celeste gave Stella a quick cuddle before suggesting she do three laps of the gym while we timed her.

"Dad's old school about Dhampir women," Celeste explained. "Mom was pregnant with me straight out of school. He never thought I should have trained as a Guardian, and when I fell pregnant with Stella – well it just confirmed things in his mind. He thinks all Dhampir women should devote their time to being mothers."

"That's so backward and sexist! Dhampir women should be free to do whatever they want! It's opinions like that which make me glad to be training to be a Guardian!" I said quietly but with vehemence. Celeste raised an eyebrow and then I remembered. I was not even out of school and already pregnant. I was the archetypal Dhampir woman as far as people like Celeste's father were concerned.

We were packing up, Stella helping excitedly when Celeste pulled me aside apprehensively. "I know you were hoping to have your molnija done without any fuss... but with my family here Stella really wants to see me being inked. Alberta said she was ok with making a bit of a show of it and having my family watch, but I should check with you as they'd do yours at the same time."