Then, she'd have to fight for space on the track.
Besides, she wasn't the type to turn tail and run. If they wanted to watch her jog in circles, they were welcome to do so.
Kira found a spot on the mat far from the rest and bent, stretching low as her hamstrings tightened then relaxed, the stretch pulling pleasantly on tired muscles.
It wasn't often she had access to a track and she'd taken advantage, running farther than was perhaps wise.
She kept an eye on the other two groups as she widened her stance and then bent over one leg. Maybe if she took long enough, they'd finish their training and leave.
No such luck.
Kira straightened, pulling one foot up as she balanced on the other. The meaty sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the space. She found it telling, both groups had decided to demonstrate their prowess through hand-to-hand combat.
The Tuann and humans pointedly ignored each other as they sparred on opposite sides of the gym. At least, that was what they wanted you to believe. Kira caught more than one sidelong look from each group as they checked out the other.
Not surprising, given the tense relations between the two.
Graydon stepped onto the mat as Kira finished with her stretching and headed to the track running along the circumference of the room.
A man, slightly shorter, but as well built stepped up to face him. For a long second, they were both motionless, studying each other as they waited for some unseen signal to begin.
They burst into movement, flowing around each other like water as they delivered well-placed hits. The sharp crack of their blocks followed Kira as she started her slow jog, Baran and Amila setting off at a pace a hair slower than hers—enough to stay about ten feet behind her.
She knew from prior experience if her pace slowed, theirs would too. If it sped up, so would theirs. She'd resigned herself to their company and ignored them as much as she could.
Jin peeled off, drifting closer to the ceiling as Kira's body woke up. He liked to tell her, exercise was for those with flesh. He had better things to do with his energy than run around in circles like a damn rodent.
Graydon had chosen a spot easily visible no matter where in the room you were. It made it easy to watch the match. Something Kira shamelessly did.
His opponent was good. Very good. Both men were efficient, no movement wasted. They had power and speed behind every blow. She could see why the Tuann were considered deadly warriors and such important allies.
They were clearly the equal of any Tsavitee Kira had come up against.
Jace and his team would have trouble with them if they fought them one-on-one. It'd be better to overwhelm the Tuann with numbers. In hand-to-hand combat, they wouldn't go down easily.
Something to remember for the future.
Graydon took down his opponent in a movement he made look ridiculously easy but would have probably caused a sprained ankle or broken bone, if someone inexperienced had tried it.
He looked up then, his gaze catching hers. There was a primal energy there, a fierce light in his eyes.
Kira didn't react outwardly, despite the sharp edge of awareness coursing through her. She looked away, feigning disinterest as she returned her attention to her run, letting her mind shut off as she picked up speed.
She sank into the rhythm of her pace as she forgot about her unwelcome fellow gym goers, concentrating on the things of importance, her breathing and running.
She was halfway through her run when the youth she'd rescued on the station caught her attention. His expression was focused and intent as he held a staff taller than him.
Kira's pace slowed slightly as curiosity took hold.
An armored figure, sword in hand, rose from the ground like a ghostly apparition. He was short and squat, his shoulders wider than Tank’s. He also had no face, just a blank space where it should be.
A simulation, Kira realized. A lifelike training device used in place of a sparring partner. Instead of a physical blow, you would receive an electric zap whenever you failed to block. Kira had never seen one mimic reality this well. It far surpassed even the most advanced human version available.
Baran and Amila had explained how they worked the first time she'd visited the gym. They'd followed that immediately by asking if she'd like to try it. She'd declined for many reasons, the least of which, she got the feeling the question was a test.
The boy attacked, his movements jerky and clumsy. The armored figure blocked easily and counterattacked. The boy flinched, pain chasing across his face.
Kira passed just as the boy lunged, only to be thrown to the edge of the mat. Bad move. He should have tried to disrupt the simulation's center of gravity, rather than going directly in for a strike.
The girl from the sailboat watched with a pensive expression on her face, a staff similar to the boy’s cradled in her arms.
Liont and Fari stood behind her, pained sympathy in their eyes as the boy hit the mat hard.
Kira continued past, keeping one eye on their group as she moved to the opposite side of the gym.
She circled the track two more times as the boy grew more frustrated with each failed attempt, never changing his attack, doing the exact same thing time and again.
Kira slowed as he hit the edge of the simulation. He was going about it the wrong way. He needed to vary his movements up. His form was atrocious and his fighting style utterly unsuited to his small size.
He also demonstrated a distinct lack of thought or even a semblance of strategy, a fact which would bite him in the ass eventually.
Most civilians thought fighting and combat were simple things driven by instinct and decided by strength. This held true at times, but like war, a fight was more than the power behind a punch or the speed of an attack. It took foresight, planning, strategy. Good warriors had brains as well as brawn.
Right now, the boy wasn't demonstrating either quality.
The little girl sitting on the sidelines was the first to notice as Kira stopped on the track and turned toward them, watching as the boy picked himself up to square off against the simulation yet again.
He had guts. She'd give him that.
"Joule," the girl said softly.
Liont and Fari faced her, both men’s faces polite as they nodded at her.
The boy looked up, his eyes alert and slightly startled as he noticed Kira for the first time.
He said a word and the simulation froze. He stepped out of the simulation square, his face grave.
Kira watched as he and the girl faced her. They bent in small, identical bows.
Her lips quirked. How adorable.
"Lady, we wanted to thank you for your kindness," the boy said, the words oddly formal. It was a marked difference from the suspicious, fierce thing who had challenged her when she'd pulled them from the burning sailboat.
She watched the two, not knowing how to respond. She hadn't saved them to receive their gratitude. Granted, her actions had consequences she had not foreseen then, but she didn't blame either of them for that.
"What are you doing?" Kira asked, ignoring the thank you.
The two exchanged a look before focusing on Kira. As before, the boy was the first to speak. "I am training."
Kira could see that, but she didn't know the reason why, or why he seemed so desperate. The emotion fueled every move he made.
"Why?" she asked.
The boy's mouth flattened into a stubborn line as he stared up at her. It was an expression she'd seen on other faces, ones who haunted her nightmares. Something about it said he'd had the innocence torn from him, and knew the only person he could count on to protect him from now on, was himself.