Fateful Opportunities

Not a muscle moved. She had lost, but did Lynette pick up on it? Perhaps she could say there was no victor since they were stopping. "Mphf," she groaned as the bag was pressed forward again into her leg, Lady de Villier's demeanor expressly stating what she had seen the truth of the fight. Magma eyes shut themselves to isolate the mind from the world. "Congratulations," she said as a smile was allowed through the emotionless mask she wore. It removed some of the mechanical inhumanity within the woman of precision. "I've never met anyone who's beaten me at my own game," she said as her arms spread to release the bag back to its central resting position.

She shifted her feet to stand normally rather than in the dropped fighting stance she had been in earlier. "You are too kind, Lynette." That smile did not fade to hide behind the mask again, but instead remained... almost in a manner one might describe as prominent. "You were very good yourself, don't think I didn't notice you abide by the unspoken rule of only hitting the bag's pressure points. Not many have a keen enough eye to realize the bonus objectives on their own."

Lynette let a hand run delicately through her dark hair, slicking it back into place with a practiced ease. Those dark blue mirrors shimmered as she let Yi's compliments wash over her, and the french woman merely nodded pleasantly in understanding, before flashing another charming smile to the smaller girl. She was not modest, Lynette de Villiers, that much was certain, but despite her pomp and clear-cut arrogance, it was easy for her to be courteous to Lu Yi.

"I am honored to be the first to beat you, then." she purred as they shook hands. Once the chinese girl mentiond the silently-stipulated pressure points, she offered a playful wink. "Not many find it as fulfilling as I do to see things to completion...especially contests. Not easy, but nothing is more rewarding, no?" Lynette spoke to Yi as if she were a comrade, sisters in the same school of thought, before she turned away towards the clean towel rack, subtly gesturing and bidding Yi should walk with her.

Beneath the smiling exterior, were at least a few thought processes that chastised her for losing at her own game. Many more demanded attention be kept on this new woman. She was strong, pleasant but not overly kind, keen on details, and much to Yi's surprise when she was bid to follow she wanted to follow her. Her body had already taken her first step before she had figured out how she wanted to follow. There was much to be said in how one followed another. Directly behind meant the follower was little more useful than a lemming. Behind and to the side suggested more of a vanguard... but Lady Yi's steps took her directly to Lady de Villiers's right side. "The best measure of success is victory is attained along with all secondary objectives. Yours was complete, I must admit," her voice soft as she walked. Mind raced in thought, luckily the body knew how to function for simple tasks like walk across the gym without stumbling over anything. She stepped around a piece of equipment that stuck out into the aisle.

Was she... was she the woman that the historian had been looking for among the women of Friction? The smile evaporated away as a clean towel was taken and used to wipe down her face and hands. Long twin tails were dried a bit, and eventually the towel was wrapped around the back of her neck and eyes were on Lynette once again. "What brings you to Friction?" A simple question, but the answers would be more useful to Yi than perhaps even Lynette would know.

Lynette nodded, charmed again by the way Yi spoke, textbook-efficient in the way she worded her sentences. Lynette guessed english was likely her second language, but it was apparent that Yi understood it to its core. As they reached the towel rack, Lynette selected one as if she were window-shopping at a high-end boutique, and then dabbed the corners of it at her temples and the back of her neck.

"Friction?" The debutante posed thoughtfully, tasting the word with her own accent and voice, and draped the towel over her shoulders in a similar fashion. "This place is supposedly full of strong women with stronger egos. I just came to make sure mine is justified in being the strongest." She flashed a winning grin, and stretched a bit. "Besides, nothing is more exhilarating than proving your worth, is it not?"

Proving one's worth.

The phrase elicited thoughts of a river, sprays of water, and tough pulls on thick ropes. Lot's of shouting, neither in pain nor vain, but command. It wasn't her voice, but she shook her head, clearing the boat deck from her mind. "I do not wish to be the strongest," she said plainly as the gym fell back into place around her. "I wish to prove that a sound and prepared mind can eliminate any physical strength."

It's how she fought and how she's won, surgical precision and swift planning. There were few in AFW that were weaker than her until one started looking into the 'kawaii' league. "But you've certainly come to the right place to test your ability to attempt to be the best... if you don't mind the observation of tens of thousands of people around the world. Millions, if you listen to some people."

Lynette scoffed, not at Yi in particular, but at anyone whom had ever assumed that strength was only associated with might. "One can become the strongest by using a sound and prepared mind...or any other well-imployed talent. Though I'm sure that is nothing you don't already know, hm?"

As Yi spoke, Lynette looked out over the other women still immersed in training and self-improvement. She crossed her arms snugly beneath her breasts, and nodded. "They can watch. I don't mind. Society innately clamors to know the truth of such things, anyway. And I'd be lying if there wasn't a certain satisfaction in knowing that they know." Lynette's hand rested pertly on one hip, and pressed a tuft of midnight hair behind her ear.

She nodded to Lynette as the noble corrected the meaning between them. The historian would have to mind to never underestimate the intelligence of the woman, as she was capable of seeing to the truth behind words as well as understanding their common miss-meanings. "Of course," she spoke softly so as to not distract the noble from the other women, taking a moment to allow her own magma red eyes to look out over them. Many of them she could name, and a few she could name their corresponding style of fighting. Some were more interesting than others, some were more of a threat than others... but none were more interesting than this Lady Lynette.

"Indeed they will," though she could not say that there was any satisfaction gained by showing off herself or others in front of them. They were noise in the background, and honestly Yi would see to it they were all done away with and fights were kept private... except she knew that it was their eyes and their desire that fueled the AFW... which in turn paid the historian. "Lady de Villiers, I have taken much of your training time with my words. I apologize. I should be getting out of your hair."

"Fufufu..." Lynette playfully scolded Yi for such wording, raising a finger and flicking it slowly from side to side in mock-chastisement. "Don't be absurd. You're allowed in my hair anytime." The offer had soft, difficult-to-distinguish undertones, but the truth of the matter was that Lynette had already found someone in the AFW whom was worth her time, and could prove to be a worthy ally in the career ahead of her.

She wasn't being rushed off? Despite the act of noble superiority, she wasn't being treated as though she was a peasant. The strategist smiled. "Thank you, but I've been training away for hours, I need to work on getting another match lined up." Her first win was quite some time back, and the strategist felt confident if she continued setting the right matches she would continue to gain popularity... despite her lack of showing off skin. "I assure you, if you say I am allowed in your hair any time, we will cross paths again."

She let her eyes gaze over the woman one more time as she quarter turned to leave, not wishing to be rude and simply bolt before Lynette could realign the subject, say good byes, or suggest a joint plan. Yi simply wasn't in that much of a hurry.

Lynette lifted up her posture a bit straighter, her chin high and her poise exceptional, crafted for the sake of Yi' departure. She offered a eloquent little half-bow, one arm sweeping open and outward while the other drifted neatly 'cross her torso and gingerly touched her other hip. Her intense aquamarine gaze never left Yi, while that confident smile never left her face.

"It has been an undoubtable pleasure. I shall be around when you require me, madamoiselle Yi. Salut." Her eyes flashed with promise, before she cordially ended their exchange. Moments after her charismatic new acquaintance turned away to continue her own work-out, Yi might realize that Lynette de Villiers had not said "if you require me," but "when."

And with that, Lynette absorbed herself with her favorite focus: herself and her goals, and dug deeper into solo exercise.