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Regardless of what’s at stake, you aren’t confident in how to deal with this, so you’re gonna let it play out.
“Suan De. Say something.” Jun Spice pressures his student to talk.
The Dragon Lady remains mute.
“Matilda. Take a good look. These are the consequences one must bear when you do not handpick your students. The regret of failure. Not in oneself, but in another. Another who didn’t deserve it.” Jun Spice sighs. He regrets that things came to this conclusion. “I always knew that Suan De lacked the mental fortitude to withstand the pressure of a professional athlete’s lifestyle. A life of social isolation is for a select few. There’s no shame in choosing a different path to one of sacrifice. One could say, all paths lead to different ones. But I digress. I owed it to her father to give his little swan the best training our dojo could muster, even against my better judgment.” Jun Spice crosses his arms. “And I still have this duty. Explain yourself, Suan De.”
The Dragon Lady covers her face with both hands again. Suddenly, a violent aura manifests as a burst of air coming from below the hitwoman. Her ponytail zigzags in the air like a horse galloping. Her flame grows in size beyond what you’ve witnessed before. This hurricane doesn’t affect anything but her. A psychological torment made real.
It slowly dies down. Her hair, clothes, and flame go back to normal. With her arms giving up their position to lay on her lap. The maniacal unhinged look on her face changes to one of a regular woman who lost her will to live...
“You’ve lost your touch, Master Spice. I’ve been working under this mantle for a good amount of years…” The New Spy Dragon grabs her mask with a nostalgic look on her face.
“Since when exactly?” Jun wants the full story.
“Not long after the dojo’s closure.” Suan De caresses her mask. “I lost my job, didn’t I?”
“How puzzling, I thought you hated being a trainer.” Jun Spice doesn’t react much. “I thought you’d be doing so much more outside the confines of the dojo. Your words, not mine.”
“I can’t hold a normal stable job. I had no place to go. This is all I had. My only way to survive…” Suan De looks back defiantly for a brief moment. “The underworld had space for me.”
“And the name? And the mask?” Jun wants an entire explanation.
“Someone had to carry the legacy.” Suan De shakes her head. “I wanted to carry the legacy. I couldn’t let it be abandoned.”
“To taint it?” Jun raises one of his massive eyebrows.
“For it to survive.” The Spy Dragon hugs her mask. “To live through. To go beyond.”
“The teachings live through the students. No legacy blossoms on a name, a symbol, or an establishment. But through our ideals manifesting into the world.” The Spy Dragon really sounds like your stereotypical martial art master.
