Introductions

“It’s time to close the shop,” Ayako called from the back room.

Lethe stopped her sewing and slowly massaged her knuckles.

“What are you still doing here?” she asked from the doorway with a smile. “Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?”

“Oh, right!” Lethe pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and jumped up from her chair.

“You had better do me proud, girl. My husband and I will be listening through the radio,” Ayako called after her as Lethe dashed out of the dress shop.

Lethe ran down the street, and turned a corner to barge into the bakery where her sister worked. “Is... Ashunera... Still here?” she asked in between gasps for breath.

“You just missed her,” the baker replied.

Lethe nodded and left the store to head towards the Pro-bending Arena.

When she walked in a flash of white caught her gaze. “Riala!”

Riala turned and beamed at her. “Hey!”

Lethe froze in front of him as she took in his appearance. “Did you... Did you catch fire again? And look at your hair! Did you even try to comb it?”

Riala looked at her sheepishly, and raised a hand to comb his fingers through his hair. “You know that I can never keep it straight. It enjoys having a mind of it’s own.”

“If you two quite finished, I would like to get in some practice before we compete,” Ashunera said from the stairs with her arms crossed over her chest.

“More practice?” Riala whined as he sagged towards the floor.

“Yes. Lethe should agree with me as she’s team captain.”

Lethe looked from Riala to Ashunera and grimaced. “Perhaps a little practice won’t hurt,” she ignored Riala’s groan of agony, and nodded. “But let’s not overdo it.”

“Very well,” Ashunera said, and turned abruptly to march up the stairs.

Practice went well. All three felt very loose and Ashunera had even lightened up, a little.

“Fox Antelopes, you have five minutes till showtime,” a referee said from the doorway.

“Thank you,” Lethe replied, and turned towards her team. “This is everything that we’ve been waiting for, and we have friends and family watching or listening in to our match. Let’s not disappoint them.”

“Right,” Riala and Ashunera said.

They went their separate ways and changed from their training gear to the Pro-bending uniforms.

“Are they ready?” Riala asked.

Lethe nodded. She had been sewing something special for the three of them to wear during their first introduction during a Pro-bending match for the last three weeks. “Here is yours,” she said, and handed it to him. “Be very careful with it.”

“You got it,” he replied, and slowly put on the silken robes.

“Yours next,” Lethe said, and helped Ashunera into hers.

Lethe had made traditional kimonos for the three of them to wear before they began the match. They were soft green in color, and along the bottom she had outlined a fox antelope in copper colored thread.

Riala had welded himself a sword to carry as a prop, and Lethe had made a fan for Ashunera and a parasol for herself to hold.

“These look amazing,” Ashunera said.

Lethe smiled in thanks, and turned towards the door as it opened.

“Are you ready?” the referee asked.

The three nodded and slowly made their way towards the lift the take them to the arena.

“Nervous?” Ashunera asked as they waited for their names to be called.

“Adding up the possible expenses of medical bills,” Lethe admitted.

“Don’t talk like that,” Riala said. “You’re a skilled healer.”

“Not as good as I could be,” Lethe said with a sigh.

“It’s fine,” Ashunera said. “We’ll handle it.”

“Yes, with our meager salaries,” Lethe replied.

The other two were silent.

“Do you have the banner?” she asked as the room went dark.

Riala lifted the folded sheet to where she could see it. “So... What happens if we win?”

“Narook’s on me,” Ashunera replied.

Lethe grinned. Narook’s Seaweed Noodlery was one of her favorite places to go to eat.

Riala shrugged. “Works for me.”

“Get the banner ready,” Ashunera said.

Riala opened it up and held it out with his sword. “Oh, and take these off,” he said and pulled Lethe’s blue framed half-moon glasses from her eyes.

“I can’t see,” she hissed.

“That’s the point,” he muttered. “I’ll give them back.”

“Introducing one of the new rookie groups the Fox Antelooooooopes,” the announcer said as his voice rang out.

Riala lurched forward the moment a drum began to beat lightly, and the spotlight hit the front of the banner revealing their mascot of a Fox Antelope. With a graceful turn, the banner flew back, and Ashunera stepped forward to lower her fan. Pink rose petals fell from above her and flew around her in dancing circles.

Riala did some flashy moved with his toy sword, and then Lethe, whose back had been to the audience with her parasol blocking her, slowly turned. Everything was silent, and she slowly stepped forward.

There was one final drumbeat, and then the team tugged at the ties on their kimonos, after quickly removing them they handed them to someone who set them in their locker. Lethe grabbed her glasses and then put on her protective helmet. She looked towards the opposing team curiously.

She would do everything she could to win this match. She really wanted those noodles.