[INDENT][COLOR=SLATEGRAY][CENTER][sup][sup][h1][center][img] https://media.architecturaldigest.com/photos/672d4a5b823a46b3d7f713e1/16:9/w_2560%2Cc_limit/GettyImages-1867432941.jpg[/img][/center][b][center][color=black] S T . D Y M P H N A ‘ S H O M E[/color] [color=lightgray]S T . D Y M P H N A ‘ S H O M E[/color][/center] [/b][/h1][/sup][/sup] [sup][sup][h1][b][center][color=black] F O R W A Y W A R D Y O U T H S[/color] [color=lightgray]F O R W A Y W A R D Y O U T H S[/color][/center] [/b][/h1][/sup][/sup] [color=silver][sup][i]Joanie[/i][/sup][/color][/CENTER][/color][/INDENT] Cinderjack moved first, launching a jet of flame that spiralled upward. Rill dodged with a fluid twist, her movements sharp and controlled. She swept her arm through the air and a thin ribbon of water rose from the vents beneath the platform, swirling around her like a living thing. Joanie’s breath caught. The whole thing shimmered with spectacle and over‑the‑top theatrics. She nudged Trey to her right excitedly. He was clearly loving it too. Cinderjack stomped once, sending a burst of flame across the floor. Rill leapt, twisting mid‑air as the water beneath her surged upward to catch her. It lifted her like a wave, carrying her across the arena in a smooth arc. The crowd roared again. Joanie leaned forward, excitement bubbling in her chest. Rill landed lightly, water coiling around her ankles. She flicked her wrist and the ribbon snapped forward, striking Cinderjack across the chest. Steam exploded outward as water met flame. The crowd cheered louder. Cinderjack staggered back, then grinned. He lunged again, faster this time, flames crawling up his arms. Rill dodged left, but he caught her forearm with a burning hand. The sound was sickening. Her skin blistered instantly. Rill cried out, stumbling back as steam curled from the wound. The water around her faltered. Joanie froze. She looked around, expecting panic. Yet the crowd was ecstatic. People were shouting, laughing, pounding the railing. Drinks sloshed. Someone behind her yelled for Cinderjack to hit her again. A few of the audience looked uncomfortable too, shifting their weight, eyes darting, but they were the minority. Everyone else was loving it. It seemed that this kind of thing was well known. Joanie’s stomach twisted. Mina’s face had gone tight, her arms folded close to her chest, shoulders rigid. Trey’s expression had shifted from excitement to something hollow and horrified. What was happening? Why wasn’t the ref calling anything? Back in the arena, Rill recovered. Water surged upward from the vents, wrapping around her legs and lifting her into the air. Her lower body dissolved into a twisting serpent of water, coiling and rising. She moved with sudden speed, darting around Cinderjack in a blur of motion. He swung wildly, flames bursting from his fists, but she was faster. And now she was angry. Rill snapped her arm forward, another ribbon of water erupting from her low body before hardening in an instant. It cracked across Cinderjack’s back with a sharp, slicing force that split his skin open. Blood sprayed. The crowd roared. She struck again. And again. Each lash tore another line across his skin, red blooming against the burns and tattoos. And each one came with another scream. Gone was the cocky man she saw previously. Then one lashing hit his legs and he buckled. His face smashed into the ground with a sickening thud. He groaned, pushing himself up to one knee. Before finally… He tapped the floor with his hand. A clear tap‑out. The ref stepped forward, throat glowing. “Fight is called,” he shouted. “Cinderjack is unable to-” Rill ignored him. She rose higher, water spiralling beneath her. She carved off another section of her spiral, gathering the torrent into a sphere, her expression cold and focused. The sphere formed around Cinderjack’s head. He clawed at it instantly. His flames sputtered. His body convulsed. Steam burst outward in violent jets. And all the while the crowd screamed for blood. Sure, a few more were looking a bit uncomfortable now, but given the reaction it was clear they’d seen something like this before. She glanced up. The man was smiling now. Joanie felt her pulse hammering and her breath shorten. Her fists clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms. Something hot and furious coiled in her chest, rising with every second Rill refused to stop. The floor beneath her shoes gave a faint tremor, like the club itself had taken a breath. She couldn’t just watch someone die. Mina’s eyes widened, her breath catching. Trey looked at Joanie sharply, fear flickering across his face. “Joanie,” he whispered. “Please.” She couldn’t stop. Nor did she want to. The pressure inside her built like a scream trapped behind her ribs. Her jaw clenched and her shoulders shook. The quake tore through the building in a single violent pulse. The floor lurched under everyone’s feet. Glasses shattered, spilling drinks and shard everywhere. People stumbled into each other with startled shouts. The arena platform groaned under the strain, metal shrieking as one corner buckled and collapsed inward, sending a spray of steam and debris into the air. Rill jerked from where she was hovering either her torrent mid‑air, startled. Her watery pedestal as her concentration broke, the water sphere loosening. Cinderjack tore free with a ragged gasp, collapsing to the platform and scrambling backward on hands and knees, coughing violently. The crowd erupted in fury. Shouts rose from every direction. People slammed their hands against the railing in confusion and anger. They demanded to know what had happened. They demanded the fight continue, demanding blood, demanding the kill they had been promised. Confusion rippled through the room as no one could tell where the quake had come from. No one except Mina and Trey. They both turned to Joanie at once. Mina’s eyes were wide, horrified, yet as always Trey tried to look calm, although she knew him well enough to know that definitely wasn’t the case right now. “We have to go,” he said, voice low and urgent. “Now.” She nodded. That had been a mistake and she was glad that no one else had seen. But at least she’d saved the man’s life. She wouldn’t have forgiven herself if she’d just stood by and watched him die. The crowd surged in frustration, bodies pressing forward, voices rising in a chaotic roar. The railing rattled under the weight of people shoving against it. Joanie stumbled back as the three of them pushed into the chaos, weaving through bodies before anyone could look too closely. She glanced back one last time as she neared the door. The man from before stood perfectly still on the far side of the arena, untouched by the panic around him. His pale eyes were locked on hers. They were unblinking, cold, and impossibly calm. He knew. With that she turned and slipped out into the night.