[for Natalya]

[hasnobullets]

Since that first time I stumbled across the boxing ring, I've become careful about when I stop by for a visit. There's always the danger of being found. Of needing to make explanations for why a blind lawyer would be such a skilled pugilist. And while that is one of the few dangers left to me in this place, I am selective about when I indulge in it

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[blondrussianspy]

Natalya walked alone to the boxing ring, Ahimsa flitting off into the trees like a pale grey shadow to do whatever it was direwolves did on their own at night. The day had been uneventful, which was not to say it was restful, and by its ends Natalya found herself desperately needing to unwind.

She would have tracked Sam down, still had the thought to turning over in her mind, but first she wanted a workout. A certain kind of workout, anyway.

The truth of the matter was, she'd sat down to a blank sheet of paper with a pen in hand for forty five minutes and written not a word, and now hitting something seemed like the best alternative

[hasnobullets]

Natalya. Of course. There's a moment, short-lived, where I consider telling her that she is. She hasn't recognized me yet -- her voice traveled forwards, from behind me. I could be anyone from her angle. (The problem with relying on sight alone.) It would be a simple matter of disguising my voice. So easy to lie.

But I'm in the mood for pushing my luck. It seems like everyone from our little community has been involved in some act of derring-do or another, and while I would hesitate to say that I feel left out, I certainly do feel something else. Bored. Restless.

I turn to face her in profile. My lips pull back in a smile. Without raising my voice any louder than hers, I say, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were following me."

[blondrussianspy]

"Matt," she said, blinking. Well that was an interesting development. She'd seen him less than dressed, seen the scars and the signs of a hard life, things not earned by falling or bumping into things one couldn't see. It raised questions. More, paired with finding him like this.

"Mmn, nyet, not today," she said, lifting an eyebrow and moving to lean against the ring, arms crossed over its edge, watching him through the ropes.

"This time is coincidence."

[hasnobullets]

"Maybe tomorrow, then," I suggest, walking towards her. I can feel the movement beneath my feet, hear the ropes give a little under her weight. She's leaning against them, but she hasn't yet stepped inside the ring. I stop to rest in front of her, reaching out to brace myself on the topmost rope.

"I take it you wanted to...?"