Red Star

[Nhysa]

By the time the spar grew serious, Nhysa paid more attention. Li didn’t need her to protect him, but certainly she was watching his opponent for weaknesses. He was all fired up ruthlessness, a child at the spoils of war. But there was something else she was watching for, too, and it was the main reason she chose to simply give them space to play it out. The first time she sparred with Li at the dojo, he’d held back. She knew why. All those scars deftly interwoven with body art, apart from the ones rent across his soul, which were the worst ones.

Unseen wind stirred her hair, and she knew the meaning; surprised he took the step to incorporate it after the way he reacted to the boy at the dojo. Though his opponent clearly saw nothing but naked skin by his response, despite the swing; a reaction to which she made a narrow-eyed note. Nhysa forgot little. It was her job to be observant. And by now she wasn’t the only one paused to watch on the outskirts of the fight. Into the murmur of appreciation around them she made some enquiries.