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“Are you ever going to stop being so angry with me, Tenko?” Angie asked, sauntering farther into the dojo. Her face was a picture of wide-eyed earnestness, though Tenko didn’t seem to be softened by it. She hadn’t so much as stopped her stretching since Angie announced her presence, evidently not considering it necessary to greet her. Angie was a little annoyed by that—she expected more from her loyal council members—but she was prepared to forgive and forget. As a holy prophet, it would be unbecoming of her to hold grudges.
“I’m not angry with you!” Tenko denied, even as she halted her stretching in favor of starting a vigorous attack on the nearest punching bag. The rhythmic thuds of her fists against the heavy material was almost soothing in its predictability. A low, percussive background noise, a reminder of the strength Angie could have on her side as long as she convinced Tenko to stop fretting so much about Himiko.
“Really? Really really? God says you might be lying! He doesn’t like liars very much, you know.” Angie pulled a face, pouting in a way people always seemed to find cute back home. Tenko hesitated for just a moment, breaking her rhythm. When she hit the punching bag again, it didn’t seem as forceful as before.
“Really, it’s not that I’m angry exactly...I’m just worried. I want the best for Himiko, and I don’t know that that involves being part of the student council. She should think for herself, and so should everyone else! But you don’t want that at all, do you, Angie? You want them under your control.”
It was refreshingly bold. Angie clapped her hands, delighted. “No, no, Angie and God both appreciate hearing people share their feelings! Having such brave people on the student council will only strengthen us, so hearing disagreements isn’t always bad. However, when it comes time for decisions to be made, God’s will must be considered above all else, no?” She tilted her head to the side, toying with a dry paintbrush from her jacket pocket. It was entertaining to watch Tenko train, to see how she was barely out of breath from exercise that would be quite exhausting for Angie herself.
Tenko scoffed, but didn’t reply right away, so Angie took it as a sign she was free to continue talking. “Anyway, it’s not really the morality of the council that you’re worried about, is it? You’re just jealous because Himiko prefers spending time with me, isn’t that right?”
Ooh, she was starting to get worked up. The closer Angie prowled, the more clearly she could see the tension in Tenko’s jaw, the steeliness in those bright eyes. How cute.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you shouldn’t go around speaking for Himiko. You don’t know if it's true that she prefers you.”
“Hmm, really? But you know it, don’t you? Otherwise you wouldn’t be so mad at me.” Still twirling the paintbrush between her fingers, Angie scampered closer still and rested a hand on Tenko’s shoulder, who had taken a break from her workout. It was meant to come across as reassuring, but Angie knew full well that given their contentious relationship, it would probably seem more provocative than anything else.
“I already told you, I’m not angry. I just don’t like you very much.”
Angie pouted. She wasn’t bothered when people said things like that. They just couldn’t understand the perspective of someone who heard God’s voice. In Tenko’s case though, she supposed she wanted her to be interested in her, whether or not it was entirely positive.
“If that’s the case, then would it make you feel better to let some of those feelings out? I’ll spar with you!” She slid the paintbrush back in her pocket, already positioning herself into what she guessed might be a decent imitation of the right posture.
“You...want to spar?” Tenko made a skeptical face, giving Angie the impression that she was about to refuse, but then a hesitant smile broke out. “Well, if you’re sure, then yeah! It’s just been awful not having anyone to spar with. Don’t get Tenko wrong, we still aren’t friends, but this is great!”
With no warning at all, Tenko’s strong hands grabbed Angie and threw her down onto the tatami flooring. Angie groaned, stars dancing in her field of vision. Everything ached. She had asked for it, she supposed.
Looking up at Tenko upside down from her position on the floor, she was pretty cute. It was almost enough to make Angie consider getting up and trying again.