The two of them took off in the direction of each other and embraced in a tight grip that almost caused both of them to fall down. Taura's loud laughter filled the arena as she tightened her grip on Esme.
"When did you arrive?" Taura asked excitedly.
Esme also laughed and hugged Taura back.
"Today!" Esme replied. "I came with Sévon, Tasia, and Kiichi!"
Taura's smile somehow got even larger and she again hugged Esme, this time even harder than before.
"I missed you!"
Esme started laughing hysterically at Taura's hugging.
"I can see that!"
Finally, Esme took a step back.
"I told Tasia just the other day that we were overdue for a girls' night out."
Without even thinking, Taura replied.
"Don't say another word!"
"I'm there!"
"Are you kidding?! You're going?"
Like they had created the best strategy in the world, both girls were bouncing in unison. Assad stood about 10 feet away just observing everything. Taura finally looked over at him.
"Oh that's right!" Taura waved at him as she stated "Hey Assad". She tilted her head slightly while saying, "Were you by Shuren's office again?"
With a small nod, he replied with a quiet "yep".
Esme turned her body to face Taura and leant closer to her to whisper into her ear "Do you know him?"
Without thinking, Taura responded with "yes".
After she finished speaking to Esme, Taura looked back at Assad and said "I've been on a mission with him".
Esme turned to look over at Assad with an expression that lacked much interest and said "oh, is that true?"
Taura nodded at her so that she would know. Taura then made a mischievous looking face and said, "And trust me when I say this..he is interesting!"
"Interesting?Ha…come on, even if you have some issues with your eyesight Taura. That is not interesting at all."
Taura's eyes widened a whole heap more before she broke out into her trademark light laugh! Instead of getting into an argument with Esme, Taura put her hand on Esme's head and gave her a little loving pat.
"In time you will understand," Taura said with a playful smile.
Esme only looked at Taura with a confused expression.
"Are you going to do your stupid poetry again?"
Taura shrugged.
"Didn't Ms. Shuren already tell you that you aren't that good at doing poetry?"
Taura gave Esme a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah that's really nice."
Taura waved Esme off and turned away.
"Let's go!
The girls continued walking to the elevator like there had never been a break in the conversation. Their voices quickly turned into excited chatter about girls' night plans, gossip, and other topics.
They walked right past Assad without saying a word.
Assad just watched them go.
A moment later, Lokei stepped out of the Octagon arena. He had his long blue staff resting against his shoulder as he made his way over. He looked at the elevator doors as they closed behind Taura and Esme, then he looked back at Assad.
"Girls are like that on their days off: lots of talking and laughing." Lokei said nonchalantly while he adjusted the staff slightly in his hands.
"So... what brings you here?"
Assad put his hands into his pockets.
"Sévon asked me to meet him here," he replied in a cool tone.
"In about five minutes."
Lokei slightly raised an eyebrow.
"Is that what Sévon said?" He asked.
Assad gave him a shrug of indifference, "I don't," he said as he lifted his shoulders.
After a moment's thought, Lokei gave a single nod of understanding.
"Okay."
For a moment, there was dead silence between them.
"It is a miracle, to tell the truth," Assad said quietly.
At this point, Lokei cast a glance toward him.
"Excuse me?"
"Since meeting, I thought you would have some kind of issue with me," Assad said. He leaned casually against the wall by the entranceway to the arena. "For example, just like how Kiichi did everything possible to have me kicked out of here."
At this moment, Lokei did not give him an answer; instead he picked up his staff, and around the end of the staff began to glow faintly with a blue light. The energy glowed around the entire length of the staff, like flames, and swirled around the slick, polished staff.
After he turned the staff into a flash of light and the blue energy disappeared as well, he began speaking with a very calm voice.
"When we first met, it was the wrong time," he said very calmly.
He rubbed his neck slightly.
"Yea, you did stain my clothes at that time."
He sounded very relaxed.
"But you were able to fight."
He flinched a bit.
"Yeah, I guess I didn't do it right. And Kiichi..."
Assad was just staring at him as he exhaled out a short breath.
"Kiichi's just like that."
Lokei looked at the elevator.
"That guy hates new people."
He turned his head to see if Assad had responded.
"Yeah."
They were both silent again for a few minutes, but it felt much better this time.
After placing his staff on his shoulder for a second, Lokei turned his back to the elevator. With a quick glance over his shoulder again.
"Good luck with whatever you and Sévon are doing," he said and hit the button to call the elevator.
The doors would not have automatically opened for him, but when they did he entered. The second after he got on the elevator the doors closed and he was alone in the training arena.
It had quieted to nothing.
The octagon, located in the centre of the room below the pale ceiling lights, was surrounded by the sombre and fading echoes of the sparring matches that had taken place there already.
After all of the noise of the training had just subsided, the silence in the room was a weighty change of pace.
Assad walked towards the octagon at a very slow pace.
He took one step into the octagon and, without ceremony, lay down on the floor of the ring, putting his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. The lights in the ceiling are slightly blurred as his mind drifts and becomes unmoored in time.
He saw the past few days flash in front of his mind.
His transmigration,his meeting with Shuren,his first mission with Taura,the raid on Zheng Yan's mansion or whatever they were supposed to be called. Lost may be more appropriate.
This is not his world.
In this world of sects with bizarre abilities, and people who've dedicated their lives to overcoming the challenges they've faced while learning to survive according to its laws; he's been thrust directly into the centre of all of this without warning.
The reason for such an event remains unknown to him at the present time. What remains evident within Assad is that no matter how treacherous this world may become - however many fights he must struggle through - it is imperative that he gains a way back to where he belongs his home adjacent to Earth.
That goal has neither changed nor ever will....even should he perish in his attempts to realise it.
Currently, while Assad was ruminating over all this, the sound of an elevator returning to the ground floor provided a stark contrast to the silence of the arena. The door to this elevator opened and walked out; Sévon.
Upon stepping out of the elevator, Sévon observed Assad lying upon his back with his arms behind his head, seemingly very at peace and attached to nothing at all.
Sévon stood there and considered what he was observing before an extremely slight smile broke across his lips.
"Well, I see someone is comfortable today," Sévon said casually as he walked over towards Assad.
Assad first did not react but continued to look at the ceiling above him.