Kikaru caught herself before the second step.
Faye's note had struck cleanly, but not deep enough to end the exchange. Kikaru rolled one shoulder, reset her stance, and let the next construct build from her wrist instead of her palm.
"I had to improve, because dodging forever gets people killed."
The answer came with another note. This one formed a disc, flat and bright, and Faye sent it toward Kikaru's knee.
Kikaru slowed the moment around her just enough to step outside the disc's center. The edge still grazed her arm and opened a thin line of red. She looked at the cut, then at Faye.
No anger. Approval.
Kikaru fired a narrow beam that broke Faye's next barrier before it settled. Faye stumbled, caught herself with a lower note, and shaped the sound into a second plate across her chest. Kikaru's follow-up hit that plate and cracked it without breaking through.
"Enough before this becomes medical paperwork," Elias called. "Both of you got what you needed."
