“Fátima! Fátima!” Belanger burst through the door of  the dojo’s breakroom and stood in the middle of the entrance way. He looked behind him and caught a brief glance of the action going on in the main room, watching Spencer get flipped to his back as his class stared on with worry. “Fátima! Put down that magazine now and get out here!”

The woman remained in her chair, resting her head on  the cushion, showing only her long brown ponytail to the dojo owner as she buried her face in between the pages of the magazine. Her gaze didn’t leave her reading despite Belanger’s fussing.

“Fátima! I need to do your job.” Belanger pointed down at the ground beneath him. “Now!”

The woman lowered her magazine, giving the man an irked look. “What is it now?” She said in a callous manner.

Belanger stepped to the side, opening the door wide enough so Fátima could get a look of what was happening beyond the door. Jake was laying on the ground with his arm clutching his back while Quang gave Spencer a kick to waist that sent him onto the mat back first. “These… hooligans are making a mockery of my dojo!”

“Why don’t you use your Wyvern-whatever on ‘em?” Fátima blew a pink bubble with her gum and let it pop as she lifted the magazine in front of her face again. Belanger stepped inside and snatched the pages out of her hand. He looked at the cover, unable to read the Portuguese wording on the front.

“Hey!” Fátima snapped as she propped herself upwards. “You know how long it takes for those things to ship here?”

Belanger tossed the magazine on the table. “Get out there and do what I pay you to do!” He barked as he pointed to the one-sided melee transpiring just beyond the doorway. The woman raised herself up, making sure Belanger could see her eyes roll to the back of her head. She brushed off the white gi tied around her waist and stretched one arm across the tight black top she wore.

“And of course you’re not in proper uniform.” Belanger chided as he looked at her ensemble.

“What are you gonna do? Fire me?” Fátima said.

“I have half a mind to do it!” Belanger shook his head. “If you’re going to work here, you need to dress the part! No more pink tights. No necklaces. And you have to wear the black gi! Properly!”

“But then people might think I work here.”

“That’s the poi-“ Frustrated, Belanger gave up on finishing the thought and went to hold the door open. “We’ll discuss this later. But I’m paying you help with this place’s reputation. And right now we’ve got a pair of guests causing a scene. Now go out there and get to work!”

“Babaca,” Fátima whispered under her breath. She stepped onto the main mat, hand on her hip as she tapped her foot on the soft blue rubber. Spencer and Jake were getting to their feet until they turned and saw Fátima standing front and center. She watched in apathy as her coworkers struggled to rise off the ground while the trespassers remained in their attacking positions.

From the corner of her eye, Fátima could see Kiki rush in from the side, brandishing a bokken high above her head. She bent her legs and launched herself forward, wooden sword poised to strike her distracted opponents. Selene caught wind of her approach at the last moment and took a step to the side. The weapon swung between her and Quang, missing both but was close enough that they could feel the air split. With the bokken lowered to the ground, Selene thrust her elbow into the attacker’s chest. The woman flung back, losing her grip on the sword while landing with her legs pointed upwards. The momentum from the impact was enough to send the weapon skidding towards Fátima’s feet.

Selene’s eyes followed Kiki’s trajectory, soon shifting her attention from the defeated fighter to Fátima who lifted the weapon and rested the concave side of the wooden blade over her shoulder.

“You two here for a lesson?” She said loud enough to overcome the murmurs of the class. Everyone went quiet as Quang and Selene both looked at her, with the latter being surprised upon seeing a familiar necklace dangling from the woman’s chest. She stepped forward, her heart still racing from the previous battle.

“Excuse me miss,” Selene said as politely as she could. “But might I ask where you got that necklace?” She pointed at the turquoise stones.

Fátima raised an eyebrow and then looked down at the jewelry. “Huh? You mean this thing?” she asked with her thumb pointing at the largest stone. “Someone gave it to me.”

“Big guy?” Selene asked. She then tapped the side of her head with the knuckle of her finger. “Wears a hard hat?”

Fátima let a small chortle out but soon returned to her serious demeanor. “What’s this about, anyway?”

“You see, that’s my necklace. It was stolen from me yesterday. I know someone gave it to you as a gift, but I’d appreciate it if you gave it back.” Selene extended an open hand. She gave a wide yet awkward smile as she moved the open palm closer to the instructor. Fátima remained unamused, keeping her solemn expression. “Please? It’s very important to-“

In a flash, Fátima’s bokken left her shoulder and glanced the surface of Selene’s hand. She jerked her entire arm back out of reaction, shaking her palm to alleviate the sting left by the strike.

“Ahh…” The pain only lasted a second, but Selene’s demeanor took a steep dive. “So you’re not going to give it back then?” She reverted from her placid posture to the traditional Hapkido stance she was familiar with.

“You and your friend have got a lot of guts coming in here the way you did.” Fátima said. Her free hand rested on her hip while her other hand clutched the weapon tight.

“That lanky one attacked Quang first!” Selene pointed towards a panting Spencer as she spoke. “Then the others tried to gang up on us! We entered through the unlocked front door. We talked to the receptionist. We were the ones acting like normal people!”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Fátima accompanied the reply with a prompt rolling of her eyes. “You know how much these… talented people… that are just… full of potential…” Fátima said phonily as she looked at the invested faces of the students that watched on from the perimeter of the mat, “Pay to learn… what do you call it again, Noah?” She tilted her head back towards the dojo owner. With crossed arms, he pouted before responding.

“Tondojitsu!”

“Yeah. That. They spend good money to learn from the best Isla Lucrecia has to offer.”

Selene turned herself slowly to address the audience. “You know if you wanted to see a magic show, the rec center hosts the middle school talent contest once a month. The best part is that it’s free, too!” Selene smiled and gestured towards Belanger with her thumb. “And at the least the clowns dress the part there.”

“Hey Selene,” Quang tapped on her shoulder and began to whisper, “I understand you’re upset but is all this necessary?”

“Yes it is!” Selene said with a stamp of her foot. “She’s got my necklace. Somebody here has answers as to where your friend has been. We’re not leaving until we get both!”

“That’s all you two want? Just this necklace and some answers?” Fátima rolled her neck touched the piece of jewelry with her free hand. “Then you’ll leave?”

Selene nodded with wide eyes. “That sounds fair.”

Fátima wedged the wooden sword underneath her arm. With her hands now free she unfastened the turquoise necklace and held it by one end. She raised it above her head, eyeing it with curiosity. “I guess you know must Hudson. Said he cam across it when he was doing his job.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Selene butted in with scorn.

Fan Art:

Special thanks to Kprov for drawing Fátima hanging out with Lina! Check out Kprov's webcomic Puppy Love (especially if you like cute animals doing cute things).