"...yes, you did say that," Xaih spoke with a sheepish smile. [i]Brilliant communication![/i] Her thoughts were with great sarcasm, but she refused to dwell on the embarrassment for long. Anna's tone changed to a more serious one, and her smile faded to resemble a similar tone. She questioned to move to the corner to perhaps discuss future events in private, away from the brutes who occupied the room. She nodded and followed Anna to their destination, to then sit beside her. The secrets would be shared later, perhaps.

Then came a question, perhaps a bit loaded for Xaih. Was she afraid? And what was she afraid of? There was always the fear of failure looming over her every so often, reminding her of its presence, but she assumed it was natural, universal to people, rather. Her opponents didn't worry her in this sense. She would do her best with what she had and what they would eventually throw her way. It was her way of life, after all. [i]Prepare for what you can control, and expect what you cannot.[/i]

After a moment, she would finally answer. "I'm anticipating the moment," she said, fixing her eyes back to the other fighters. "I'm not afraid to lose, or to lose my life to them. Death seems..." she trailed off, her thoughts entering a personal territory she felt Anna might not want to know. She turned her gaze back to her and repeated with a quiet chuckle, "Well, I'm anticipating the moment." Quickly, she questioned, "Why do you ask?" She never believed fear to be an absence of courage, or wrong to have, and she hoped there was a mutual respect in that regard.

[@MelonHead]