It didn’t take them long to find the home base for the Water Nexus. For a start, once they left the hotel lobby in the morning, there was a large sign on the edge of the street, with big white letters, pointing in its direction. Water Tribe Council Hall. Will and James had shared an incredulous look at that, both wondering why they were so publicly involved. But at least this meant that they could approach much closer without arousing suspicion. So off they went, hailing a cab to take them closer.
It was a marked difference, Will thought, how enthusiastically this driver accepted when they stated their destination. He positively grinned at them. “Business with the Nexus, eh? Well, can’t blame ya there.”
Will frowned thoughtfully at that. He leaned forward and asked, “You’re not nervous around them? You’re not afraid of them?”
The driver let out a laugh. “Why should I be afraid of them?”
“Because they could kill you,” James put in. He was equally perplexed, judging by his expression. “If they wanted to, I mean.”
“Well, they don’t want to,” The driver said, laughing again. “Outsiders always think the Nexus folk are evil.”
“Well,” Will put in, “I don’t think they’re evil. I’m just cautious, I guess.”
“Pfft,” the driver reached an arm across to pat Will on the shoulder. Floridians seemed a little too touchy-feely, he thought. “Just you wait. They’re delightful.”
Will took the man at his word, or at least he didn’t raise another complaint about it during the short cab ride to the Nexus base. The others seemed averse to talking more as well, perhaps not wanting to risk revealing that they knew a bit more about the possible violence a Nexus could incur. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention to themselves. When they arrived, Will pulled out his wallet and retrieved a twenty. He’d noticed no meter in the car. “How much for the fare?”
“Oh, now I know you’re outsiders,” the driver said with a chuckle. “Public transportation’s free, friend. You don’t owe me anything.”
Will blinked, uncomprehending. “How do you live?”
“I get a stipend from the Nexus,” The driver said, as if that should be obvious. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”
“Unlikely,” Will muttered to himself, watching the man drive away, a broad grin plastered on his face. He turned to James. “If they’re all that crazy, we might be in trouble.”
“It’s Florida,” James said, by way of explanation.
Council Hall, in Will’s opinion, didn’t do the Water Nexus property enough justice. For one, there were dozens of buildings on the campus, each the size of an office building. The smallest of them was the size of a mall, with a steady stream of people moving in and out of the doors, their arms laden with purses and shopping bags, chatting animatedly amongst each other. They were clearly in a good mood. Will stared unashamedly, wondering how they could be so at ease. Sure, the chances of a public attack were rare, but being this close to a Nexus home would have made him nervous even before he became a member of an enemy Nexus.
“Move,” James hissed at him. “We look strange just standing still.”
“Good point,” Will said. He took a deep breath, then took a step forward, the others moving quietly behind him. They stayed clumped together in a tight knot, never putting more than ten feet between them. It really felt, at least to Will, as though they were invading an enemy encampment, an impression at total odds with the beautiful day and peaceful scenery around them.
Much of the open space between the half circle of buildings was given to several open stretches of green grass, clean cement paths, and dozens of picnic areas. There were several food trucks and stalls scattered throughout the area, serving the people who were relaxing in the warm sunlight. The four Fire Nexians were barely on the edge of the campus, but they could already smell the delicious aroma that wafted towards them on the breeze.
“Couldn’t hurt to get something to eat,” James said, his voice almost too quiet for Will to hear. “Could it?”
Will, whose stomach was rumbling at the smell of food, was glad for the suggestion. Still, he tried his best to make his agreement seem reluctant. “Fine. But let’s not split up.”
So they turned towards the first of the food stalls they could see. They barely made it ten feet, however, before Will noticed someone watching them. At first it seemed to be a random passerby watching obvious outsiders. But then, as Will glanced at the woman, he saw the pendant at her neck, suspended by a leather cord. A wave. They didn’t make eye contact, but Will was sure that the woman perked up as he looked her way. She began to rise from her seat, turning only slightly to say something to her friends.
“Fuck,” he muttered, keeping his voice low. “Scatter. Go away now!”
James, Emmet, and Joseph weren’t nearly as casual as he could have hoped. Hell, Emmet actually jogged away. James tried to play it casual, pulling out his cell phone and pretending to answer a call, walking in the opposite direction. Joseph, who had been at the back, just kept going down the pathway a short distance, and sat down at a bench. Will had no choice but to stay where he was, hoping that he seemed like a casual tourist. He willed himself not to think about the woman. Maybe she would assume he didn’t spot her, and give up.
“Hello!” The woman’s voice rang out clear as day. Will didn’t react, hoping that she was talkign to someone else. But then he felt a hand lightly tap his shoulder, and he reluctantly turned to face her.
At a closer distance, Will could feel the cool air that flowed around the woman. It was the exact opposite effect of his heat field, he thought. But of course, that would suit her better in this tropical climate. Despite the lower temperature, he felt himself beginning to sweat. He noted her hair, a stark white in color, tied in a very short ponytail. It contrasted so strongly with her tanned skin that the overall effect was slightly disorienting.
“Yes?” He asked, his voice wavering slightly out of nerves. “Do I know you or something?”
“No,” she said, her face splitting with a warm smile. It was almost beautiful, Will thought. Then he mentally slapped himself. She’s an enemy! “But I know who you are.”
He felt as if his heart had solidified, never to take another beat. His stomach clenched itself into oblivion, and he felt a little woozy. “You- You do?”
“Of course!” She said brightly. “You didn’t think you could go your entire time here without being recognized, did you?”
Will gulped. “I’m… not sure what you…”
“Oh, come on,” She let out a tinkling laugh, her face alight with mirth. “You’re William, right? William Andrews?”
His stomach had returned, and seemed to have filled itself with about twenty pounds of rocks in its absence. Yet, stupidly, he couldn’t help giving his instinctual reply. “Will.”
“Right, of course,” she said quickly. “Sorry. It’s such an honor to meet you!”
“Is it?”
“Well, yeah!” She said. “I’ve been practicing Kendo for a while now, and you’re a really good fighter. I saw your tournament in Yotsukaido!”
The words took a second or two to register in his shell-shocked mind. Yotsukaido? That was a prefect in Japan, about an hour’s ride outside of Tokyo. That was the last tournament he’d taken part in. He tried to speak, but could only give a measly “oh.”.
“Yeah, your final match was against..” She said, clicking her fingers and looking thoughtful. “What was his name?”
“Yado,” Will supplied, glad that his heart seemed to have restarted. “Yado Moritsuki.”
“Yeah!” She said cheerily. “Man, he was so fast, but he couldn’t slip past you. You whacked him good!”
Will grinned in spite of himself. He lowered his head, acting humble, while actually taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. “Thanks. He was a tough opponent.”
“I heard he was undefeated until you beat him,” The woman said. She seemed a little breathless, talking much faster than was necessary. “Oh, my name is Olivia, by the way. Olivia Smith.”
Even the best actor in the world couldn’t hear that name and not show some kind of reaction. Will’s heart, which had just recovered and resumed its steady, if a bit fast, beat, stopped once again. Smith! He let out a sound that was half gasp of surprise, half squeak, like a mouse being stepped on. He tried to cover the reaction with a coughing fit, but Olivia’s eyes had widened at once. There was no way she hadn’t noticed, he thought.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” She said frantically, patting him on the back. “I’m really bad at introducing myself. Everyone reacts the same way!”
“You’re-” Will tried to speak, but he couldn’t seem to breathe for a moment. “Are you related to Rachel Smith, then?”
“Of course!” Olivia said, that smile springing into existence once more. “She’s my mother!”
Oh, the luck he had, Will thought. The whole point of the mission was to observe the Water Nexus without being spotted or interacting with one of the Nexians here. But not only could he not do that one simple thing, he had to meet one of the most prevalent Nexians in the fucking world. The daughter of an Alpha! He was well and truly fucked now. He tried to give Olivia a smile to match her own, but internally his mind was racing, thinking of possible escape paths.
“Sorry for giving you such a fright,” She said, her smile fading. “Mother always tells me I have no tact. I always get so flustered when I meet a cute guy, and you’re kind of my favorite person.”
“What?” He spluttered. “I am?”
“Of course!” She said. “I really like fighting. Kendo’s my second-favorite sport, and you’re my favorite fighter so far. I’ve watched all of your matches!”
So they were just going to skate over the point where she called him cute, he thought in bewilderment. “I didn’t know anyone watched those tournaments. They all had really small crowds.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said. “Martial arts are kind of popular around here. You’d be surprised how many people track fighters they like here. Actually, it was my brother who heard about you first. He’s the one that introduced me to Kendo, and…”
Her voice trailed off as she realized that she was rambling. A flush crept across her face as she took half a step back. She was actually blushing, he thought incredulously. “Sorry. I really have to be careful what I say to strangers.”
Quite apart from the realization that Rachel Smith had at least two children that Will had never heard of, he was alarmed at how quickly he’d been spotted and identified. But there didn’t seem to be much harm in Olivia, he thought. She was perfectly pleasant, even a bit adorable when he considered that she could be a future enemy. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to recognize him as a member of the Fire Nexus, so at least he was safe there. Still, best to keep the conversation short and break away quickly.
“It’s alright,” he said, heaving a relaxed smile onto his face. “I’m really flattered. How long have you been fighting?”
“Only three or four years,” she said. “I wanted to be like my brother so badly that I picked it up. Then I realized I was pretty good at it.”
“That’s cool,” he said encouragingly. “I haven’t fought much since the tournament. I’m just relaxing on a vacation and thinking about college. I probably have to get a job to make some money or something.”
“You could make money here!” She said. “We have an arena, and you can earn a lot of money by competing.”
He tilted his head at that. He wasn’t averse to the idea, but it was a strange one. Just a hundred years ago, the thought of using martial arts to earn money was sacrilege in the Kendo community. Now, however, a lot of fighters sharpened their skills specifically for public competition and for prize pools that tournament organizers offered. He shook his head slightly. “I’m not sure.”
“Oh, you should at least consider it,” she said. Then her voice dropped to a low whisper, and she leaned towards him. “You’d do pretty good, I bet. But you couldn’t use your powers, of course.”
