Simon wiped the blood from his cheek and rose.
"I'm surprised," he admitted.
Sonya's grin widened.
"Explain it to me."
"That old pervert taught us to break our own rhythm," she said, tapping her golden fist against her chest. "While This Honourable was waiting for you to come back, she started wondering. Why only ours?"
She pointed at his feet.
"You have a rhythm too, little kitty. Every time you dodge, your foot has to land somewhere. And you're standing on This Honourable's ground."
On the ledge, Virella's eyes widened. "So instead of changing when her punch arrives…"
"She changes when his dodge arrives," Akaza said.
Ammor stared at the shallow dip in the floor. "That's… a little unfair."
"That's why it works," Enigma replied.
Sonya's grin faded into something rarer. It was a quiet expression Simon had almost never seen on her face.
"In two days, you're going to have a new master. A much stronger one."
Simon said nothing.
