Zadie Chen finally snaps awake, gasping for air and grabbing her forehead, bruised and bumpy from Jessie Moore's loaded glove. It is by feeling her face that she realises her domino mask is missing, and, subsequently, that she is inside a moving vehicle.
Athiambo: Too long.
Chen's eyes snap to the front seat. She is greeted in the rear view mirror by the eyes of the Dark Talon.
Chen (grits teeth): Athiambo... What do you want?
Athiambo: I said hello to you. You never said hello back.
Chen: I have nothing to say to you! Especially after what you did to Leota and her students, Lei D and Lethbridge.
Athiambo: And who are they to you?
Chen (clenches fists): People! They are people that you went out of your way to hurt.
Athiambo: Ah... So, hurting people a problem for you?
Chen: You know what I mean.
Athiambo: I don't. Explain it to me.
Chen (looks away): I don't have the time or the interest. Stop the car.
Athiambo keeps driving. In fact, she drives faster, edging the speed limit.
Chen frowns and tries opening the door, opting to jump out of the moving vehicle. The door does not move.
Athiambo: Child locks.
Chen (eyes blazing, teeth bare): I am warning you. Let me out.
Athiambo (rear-view mirror): Or what? You'll report me to daddy? I'm afraid that would require you to actually speak to him once in a while.
Chen stops snarling and turns in her seat, raising her leg and kicking the window. Not as hard as she can. Merely enough to make a worrying thud.
Athiambo: Don't do that.
She kicks the window again, just a tiny bit harder.
Athiambo (eyes narrowing): Stop it.
Another kick, a little harder.
Athiambo (slows the car down): This is a rental-
Athiambo (slows the car down): This is a rental-
One more kick, just enough for a tiny, faint crack to be heard.
Athiambo: ... Fine.
The car stops. Athiambo's seatbelt unclicks. Chen freezes, watching and waiting for the right moment to cou- Too late. Athiambo has already climbed into the back and pinned her down.
Chen wriggles and kicks, but there is no real power behind such intent. Her hands are held down above her head as the owl woman looms over her.
Chen: Get off of me. Let me go, dammit!
Athiambo: You were the one trying to annoy me. Don't complain about the result.
Chen lets out a sigh and stops fighting.
Athiambo: ... The old you would never allow me top mount.
Chen (looks away again): This is a tight space.
Athiambo: Excuses-
Chen (snaps back): What do you want?! What is this about?
Athiambo: I have several questions that I want answers to. The first of which is what the hell was that?
Chen: What was what?
Athiambo: You had Moore at your mercy, and you let her go.
Chen: ... It was a momentary lapse in-
Athiambo: Why? Because she punched herself like a fool? That was enough to make you lose your resolve?
Chen: Can you blame me? The lengths that woman was going to? I'd... never seen anyone do that.
Athiambo (narrows): There was a time you never saw anyone, period. (softer) You were unstoppable then... We both were.
Chen: ... You did... just fine without me. LDCC Women's Champion for a year. No one even beat for it. You just left.
Athiambo frowns, her glare more penetrating than ever. She holds down both of Chen's hands with one of her own and lifts up her free hand, curling all her fingers save for the index and middle
Chen (wide eyes): What... are you doing?
Athiambo (rearing her hand back, preparing to gouge): Hold still.
Chen (Shakes head): No...
Athiambo: It's for your own good.
Chen (starts struggling again, turning her face every which way): No... Stop... Please, don't!
Athiambo: Give me one good reason why I shouldn't.
Chen: Because you... wouldn't...
Athiambo: That's the best you have? You're pathetic.
Chen: Athi...
Athiambo (eyelids droop): And now the nickname.
Chen: If you ever cared about me-
Athiambo (wide-eyed, gritted teeth, grabs Chen's face with free hand): That is the entire reason-
Chen: THEN YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW EMPTY I WAS!
Athiambo: ... Explain.
Chen: I was less than human! Not an animal, a monster or even a demon. A weapon. Arthur Chen's perfect weapon. Soulless and blind, not just in sight but to the suffering I was causing. I refuse to live like that again.
Athiambo (lowering head until they are nose-to-nose): Are you saying you didn't feel their joints snapping between your legs? Are you saying you didn't hear their screams of agony? Are you saying every time he gave you a target, you didn't carry out your orders without a hint of remorse?
Chen lets out a puff of air through her nose and closes her eyes.
Chen (opens eyes): ... It's like you said. (weakly smiles) I'm pathetic.
Athiambo (blinks several times): I just don't get it.
Chen: You don't have to. Just leave me to my path and go your own.
Athiambo: And what if my path leads me to your precious Empress?
Chen: She can fight her own battles.
Athiambo: Can she? She didn't do all that great the last time she was on her own.
Chen: Last time... was different.
Athiambo: Right... and what about your new friend, the rookie- sorry, I meant Rose-... of Ferocity?
Chen (eyes going blank): Touch her without a ref present and I'll kill you.
Athiambo doesn't smile, but her eyes do. She lets go of Chen's hands and grabs the Singaporean's face with both of hers.
Athiambo (forehead-to-forehead): Jessie Moore is pond scum. Beneath you. Don't EVER lose to the likes of her again.
Chen takes a deep breath through her nose and nods. Athiambo gets off and climbs back into the driver's seat to start the car once more.
Chen (slowly sits up): So... what now?
Athiambo: There's a local restaurant I've been enjoying since we arrived. I want to get one more bite before we leave. You can use their phone to call for a pick-up.
Chen (blinks): ... You've been eating... Samoan food?
Athiambo: Yes?
Chen: Don't they use a lot of oil?
Athiambo: That's a misconception.
Chen: No, it's not. It's half the reason they tend to get as big as they do.
Athiambo: I happen to really enjoy it.
Chen: It's bad for you.
Athiambo: It's not like I plan to eat it forever. (glares from the rear-view mirror) And what happened to leaving each other to our paths?
Chen: That is not-... (leans back in her seat and folds her arms) Whatever.
Athiambo: Thought so.
They sit in silence for a bit. As they drive along, Chen keeps glancing at the rearview mirror until Athiambo makes eye contact once more.
Athiambo: What is it now?
Chen: ... I never apologised.
Athiambo: For what? What are you talking about?
Chen: When I woke up, after the tag team title match, it took me a moment to realise that I could see again. My eyes, which had been useless for 20 years, were suddenly working perfectly...
Athiambo: ...
Chen: And the very first thing, the very first face I saw... I didn't know it was yours.
Athiambo narrows her eyes.
Chen: We'd been together for years, and I had no idea what you looked like. When I finally did... I screamed, like a frightened child.
Athiambo: Why... are you bringing this up?
Chen: I betrayed you in that moment. (looks down) I hurt you in a way no one else could, and then I left you behind. I'm sorry... (looks back up) I am so sorry.
Athiambo blinks, then takes a deep, loud breath through her nose. She reaches for the storage compartment, opens it and pulls out Chen's domino mask.
Athiambo (tosses the mask at Chen): As soon as I have my food, I'm taking off. I'm returning this car in the morning. Don't want you forgetting anything.
Chen (picks up the mask and looks at it): ... Right.
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