Santiago was wearing a pair of loose work-out shorts and no shoes or shirt. His matador tattoo made me laugh as he bounced from foot to foot, his hands in fists. “I’m not going to let you push my face into the mat an eighth time.”

“I don’t think it’s a matter of letting me do it.” I closed my eyes, letting air fill my lungs. This moment, right before sparring, is when I felt the most whole. To me, sparring was fun. Invigorating. The essence of life.

I opened my eyes. “Okay.” I gave him a little bow, and he mimicked the move.

I came up and waited.

Santiago started circling, so I started circling, too.

“Come on. Make a move,” someone shouted from outside the ring.

I shook my head. “No. I never make the first move. Not unless I have to.”

“Why not?” another voice called out.

“Because it will be the last move, and I don’t want it to end that quickly.”

That got people laughing and trash talking—asking Santiago if he was going to let a girl take him down, telling me I was all talk, booing and hollering for us to start the fight already. It was a huge improvement from the silence.

I could tell the moment Santiago decided to make his move. His arm tensed and he rose up on the ball of his left foot. A look of determination crossed his face. His ever-present smile gone.

Game on.

He punched, and I moved to the left. He moved again, and I moved. Every time he lashed out, I dodged. Until it looked a bit like we were dancing.

I hadn’t raised my arms yet. No need to block. Santiago was telegraphing his moves clearly before he made them, so I didn’t need to do anything but mirror him to avoid getting hit.

It took a few minutes, but he started laughing. The smile was back, and he paused, putting his fists on his hips. “What the hell is this?”

I shrugged. “You tell me. You’re the one giving away all your moves. Whatever you’ve been doing the last few years, you’ve gotten worse. It’s really pathetic.”

“Then you show me how it’s done.”

Someone whistled, and I glanced around. The crowd had grown. Someone must’ve gone to find the rest of the workers and miners. I didn’t see any other SpaceTech people, aside from Ahiga, but Audrey and Tyler were in a back corner.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Hell, yes. That’s why I asked you in here.”

This time I brought my hands up. “It’ll be done in three moves, but you’re killing all my fun.”