Mariko

iv

"You don't seem irked by the fact that you're going against a woman right now," Mariko observed. They began circling each other.

Langston shook his head, eyes never leaving her face. His first mistake. "There is a woman who has earned all of our respect here. She is as strong as any man."

They looked at each other for a moment before Mariko threw out a punch to his face, which he dodged easily with a duck of his head. She took the opportunity to throw out a kick to his knees, which sent him toppling. Not hard enough to break his kneecaps - only to disarm him.

Before Mariko could lung at him, Langston had already swiftly rolled onto his side and got to his feet, breathing hard. "That hurt like a bitch," he panted, and Mariko laughed. She tilted her head up, making sure to look arrogant.

"That's all you got?" she taunted, putting a hand on her hip. Oh, she would pay for it later.

Determination flashed in Langston's eyes and he leaped at her. She went down, but it didn't wind her as it should. His stance was all wrong; his knees were bent properly and his legs weren't far apart enough, so when he tackled her it didn't have as much force as it should.

His face landed in her chest and she couldn't resist shouting, "That's the closest you'll ever get to second base!"

He scoffed and pinned her by the arms. "Concede?" he asked.

"God, no." Mariko gasped before headbutting him.

They both reeled back from the impact. Mariko rolled them over and pinned him by the throat, squeezing hard enough so that he could barely gasp for breath.

"Concede?" she repeated, and he nodded, choking.

Mariko got off him, fixing her ponytail through ragged breaths. She really needed to practice - she hadn't been so winded when practicing with Alaric...

Or maybe it's because you've been away from Faerie for too long and your Fae immortality is wearing off. Now you're weak like a human, a voice whispered in her ear. Mariko brushed it off, still panting heavily.

"Well done," Mariko said to the blonde still massaging his throat. She offered him a hand with a small smile, half-expecting him not to take it. But after a moment, he did.

There were murmurs through the crowd and the sound of money being exchanged. Clearly, no one had bet that she'd win. Mariko felt rather than saw a pair of mismatched eyes burning into her back, but disregarded it. He could goggle all he wanted.

"Anyone else?" she said sweetly, and a distinctly feminine shape stepped from the shadows.

It was Diana Abernathy.

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MARIKO TRIED TO look supremely unconcerned while she waited for Diana to step into the circle. She felt tensed, coiled up like a wire. She was anticipating this fight, but also dreading it.

She had three minutes to observe Langston's fighting style, and he was clearly not very skilled. But Diana, from the sure way she strode towards the arena and the way her gaze never wavered from Mariko's, knew what she was doing. Not to mention that Diana knew how she fought, and would not underestimate her.

Mariko cracked her knuckles in what she hoped was a menacing way, and prepared her fists in front of her face. Diana looked at her chest instead of her face, which meant that she was prepared for upcoming attacks and could still see her face from her peripheral vision.

"Eyes up here, darling," Mariko called, and had the satisfaction of seeing her scowl. That was her weakness; being easily influenced emotionally. If she could make her angry enough, then she would lose her concentration.