Seamus Gibson had been a fighter in his own right when he was younger. He was a tall, broad man with greying hair and a bushy beard. His square face was marred on one side by a long scar that travelled along one side, cutting across his forehead, eye, and cheek. The eye in question was covered by a simple eye patch. He had told Cass, when she asked, that he had lost the eye in a fight, but hadn’t ever told her any specifics. His life in the ring had been harder than her’s, and it had left it’s marks. He was usually easy to find. He lived in a loft constructed above the training area in the warehouse, and could often be found there. She found him easily enough, and told him of her plan.
“No,” he replied.
“No?” Cass repeated, “Whaddya mean no?”
Seamus fixed her with his one working eye. “Means ‘no’. I ent in no shape t’ be teachin’ some wee boch, and I ent in no shape t’ have ya tossin’ me ‘round like a sack o’ potatoes neither.”
Cass rolled her eyes. “I’m teachin’ her. I ent expectin’ ya t’ let me throw ya around!” she protested, “I jus’ need ya t’ be the big thug.”
“Nope,” Seamus replied again, picking up his battered mug of kofi and beginning to walk away.
“How ‘bout fer a pie?” Cass asked, “it’s strawberry season.”
The next day, Cass leaned against the outer wall of the arena, blessedly sheltered from the rising midday sun by what little shade remained. She wasn’t expecting Su to take much longer. She’d been clear in her instructions to the girl; the day after the next, outside the entrance where she had caught up to her. It was a hot day, and she almost regretted telling Su’yina to meet her. She would have much rather spent the day at the beach or hiding inside with every door and window open trying to stay cool. She had done all she could, with her long hair tied up in a knot under a straw hat, and a tank top. She felt bad for all the fancy golly ladies in their overwhelming dresses on days like this. Not that there were many fancy golly ladies in this part of town, at least not at this hour, but still. That many layers could not be fun.
She nudged a squareish box at her feet closer to the wall to keep it out of the sun. Her shade was shrinking by the minute. Soon she’d have no choice but to weather it out, at least if she was going to stay here where Su could see her easily. She kept her eyes peeled for the tiny brunette, scanning the streets as the sun crept higher.