Space and Time

Figuration

"Here it is, here it is, she's about to go in for the uppercut-"

"Lev."

"Wait for it... wait for it... Haa, there it is!" He's still rambling.

"Lev, we can see, we don't need a play-by-play," I say, getting a bit exasperated.

"Then, Aika, I really don't know why you invited me," Lev counters. I groan and Nevaeh's picked up the remote to pause the DVD playback. I'm surprised she's not chewing him out. Actually, hold on, is she smirking? I can't believe this.

"Lev," I turn in my chair to give him a serious look, "Technically speaking, you invited yourself to this training session."

"Well, yeah, I can't pass up an opportunity to see Evren in action."

"I want to see her fight as much as you do, but we're trying to focus on Gabriel right now. He's who I'm going to have to fight first." I glance at the television in the viewing room we've taken over at the gym. Nevaeh's rewinding frame by frame to replay the scene. I hear Lev grumble beside me but he seems to relent as Nevaeh presses play.

"Watch how he evades," she says.

We watch video after video of Gabriel's past NCC fights. Lev was right, he's wicked fast and jumpy as hell. He seems to summon water out of nowhere, right when his opponent goes in for the attack. Being slapped in the face with water – his sweat... I shudder – can't be pleasant. My accuracy's already in need of some work. If I can't see...

I'm screwed. Nevaeh probably notices my rising panic at this realization, because the next moment she speaks up and suggests we take a break before finishing up with "a surprise." I try not to think too hard on what this "surprise" could possibly be and drag Lev out to the front lobby.

"Man," Lev pipes up the moment we're out the door, stretching his arms above his head, "I thought that would never end. Couldn't you at least do some sparring? I wanna watch you kick a bunch of shit around," he starts trying to box with the air and I'm tempted to fall back and pretend I don't know him, "It's always so cool."

I smile and shake my head at him. "Thanks, Lev, but this is important too. I should know what I'm up against, so I can figure out how to counter his figure. You were right, he's not the average competitor with a heights figure I've seen a million times."

Lev sighs and mutters to himself, although I don't hear what he says.

"Hey, Aika! How's it going?" the woman manning the front desk today, Tammy, greets me as we pass by. I smile and wave at her before Lev and I head to the water cooler a few metres away. I'm still thinking about how I'm going to tackle Gabriel when Lev pipes up again.

"You should compensate me with some ice cream later," he says. I stop mid-drink and stare at him, bewildered.

"Compensate you for what?" I ask.

"I didn't get to see any sweet sparring, so you should treat me to some sweet... sweets," he finishes. I keep myself from grabbing him by the collar and throwing him straight outside the gym. I can't let Tammy see me do that; she'll ban me for aggression against another patron. So I just gawk at my best friend – I feel like I do this every time I see him. Why am I friends with him again? – and Lev laughs at me. "All right, all right, how about my treat? For working hard at... your... mental training?" his tone rises at the end of his sentence in his typical upspeak. He knows I find it hopelessly endearing when he does that. Bastard.

"Let's do that, then," I cave. "But you are paying."

"Of course, of cou-"

"I'll make you sign a contract here and now if I have to-"