Pentiti, scellerato! - Cassie and Serona (Completed)

Or maybe the bad part just learns to keep its head down until it gets to a place where it can get away with shit. Possibly with Dad's skills under its belt.

OK. Serona was starting to get this girl's number. Raised in a family all about submission wrestling, with an abundance of talent to boot, old Ducky had learned how to fight something beautiful--which didn't stop her from being stupid.

Alright. I can roll with that.

"I guess," she said, shrugging. "But I wouldn't trust anyone here not to turn the same shenanigans on me, Cass. Except you, obviously." I guess.

"If anyone ever did break me like that, though...Would you turn on them like you have on me, eh?"

"Well..." Cassie hesitated. She had a point. Cassie had trusted people to be good and paid dearly for it when Dark Angel showed up. "You have to protect yourself. I... you can't just... yeah. You have to be able to protect yourself."

But it was Serona's next point that bothered Cassie. She knew exactly what she was asking, and it was nonsense. "Of course I would!" Er... "Well, I wouldn't... Wait, I didn't turn on you at all, I just, uh... We're just training, and I'm teaching, because that's part of what I do. Especially here, because so many girls don't know anything about proper technique.

"But, Serona, you're asking me if I wouldn't stick up for you just because you did what you did. What would that make me? A big fat hypocrite, that's what. I don't like seeing people get hurt, even if they've done bad things before. You don't just get to pick and choose who bad things can happen to!"

The unexpected submission had thrown Serona off her game. For a moment there, she'd been not herself--honest, forthright, almost admitting wrong. She'd bowed to a fighter she respected.

She was starting to pull herself together.

Her mind rolled ahead over strategies she could employ--ways to entrap Cassie, to learn everything she could from the ducky and then hold her under her thumb. Ducky was naive and stupid and liked to see the best in people, it seemed. So--Ser could play hurt and scared--Hypocrite? Oh, no no no! I was asking you if I could depend on you, Cass. Oh Cassie, dear, I couldn't help but be terrible, I'm so scared here (so weak and vulnerable, that's why I did all those nasty things). I don't have anyone to stick up for me! Won't you please take me under your wing? You'll just need to do what I ask and protect me from any threats and teach me how to fight just like you, that's all--be my buddy, my friend, darling!"

And thinking it over, and thinking it might work, she felt... Tired. And a little sick. So all she said was: "I see. Well. Shall we finish up, ma'am?"

Cassie nodded. Maybe they understood each other at least a little bit better now. She certainly hoped so... She just wanted everyone to be nice like they were supposed to, and she didn't think that was too much to ask.

Even so, she knew that she had to keep an eye on her new friend. Grappling with her was the very best way to keep track of her, though. She could watch her with her eyes closed.

"Okay, why don't we start back where we were and I'll show you what you did wrong..." She said, and laid down on her back, ready to wrap Serona up in her guard again.

Serona settled in over Cassie, arms on her biceps, knees on the ground.

What did she do wrong last time? Cassie had taken the field, more or less, entirely with her arms--the S-grip around her head that prevented her from transitioning, and then the hand around her ankle. So maybe this time she'd focus more on positioning in a way that limited those arms' movement a bit more...

She kept an eye out for any sudden movements from the master and waited for directions.

"Okay," said Cassie as she settled into the position. She assumed an instructional, conversational tone, and began to teach. "In chess, there are only thirty-two pieces and sixty-four squares. The reason why jiu jitsu is so awesome is that there are dozens of parts, four hands and twenty fingers, four arms, shoulders, legs, and, the most complicated part, two heads.

"The most important thing to know in jiu jitsu is defense. Defense first means being aware of when you're vulnerable. Then it means position. You can't be safe in a bad position. If your guard is strong and you're safe on top, then you can learn to attack. Attacking makes you vulnerable, and it makes you tired, so when you know you're safe, be lazy. Only use your strength when you have good reason to, and only move to advance your position when you know you have it. So from this position, here's what I would've done..."


Cassie kept the lesson brief. She always hoped that jiu jitsu could provide the same kind of focus and respect for other people that it had for her, but still she didn't want to just arm a potentially dangerous girl with more technique. She gave her what she thought was enough to get her interested and thinking about the art, but without necessarily making her more threatening. It was just one lesson after all.

When they were finished, Cassie knelt in front of Serona and shook her hand. "The next time I see you on TV," she said. "I want to see you be more respectful, okay?" The moment where she would've hugged her passed in silence, and then Cassie stood up and smiled as warmly as she could. "Bye, Serona. Good luck."