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The spacious training hall of Justice headquarters echoed with the steady, rhythmic sound of Cecilia’s lance slicing through the air. Her movements were deliberate and precise, a perfect harmony of mechanical efficiency and grace. Sunlight filtered through the arched windows, catching on the green streaks in her hair as she pivoted and thrust.
The faint creak of a beam above her caught Cecilia’s attention. She froze mid-strike, her ears narrowing in on the sound. Before she could turn fully, a blur dropped down behind her.
“Boo!” Gigi's voice chirped with mischievous delight as she swung upside down, her tail wrapped around the beam above like a spring-loaded coil. Her pigtails bobbed in the air as she grinned. “Miss me, Cece?”
Cecilia barely turned before Gigi launched herself forward, her tail snapping her into motion with alarming speed. In one fluid motion, Gigi flipped upright and lunged. Cecilia twisted just in time, raising her lance to parry a low kick aimed at sweeping her legs.
“Didn’t your schedule say you had a day off?” Cecilia said coldly, her voice as steady as her stance.
“I’m spicing up your routine,” Gigi darted forward again, feinting left before veering right. Her tail lashed out mid-spin, forcing Cecilia to dodge. “Besides, it’s boring just watching you poke at air all day.”
Cecilia’s eyes glinted as she adjusted her grip. “And you think you’re a better opponent?”
“I know I am,” Gigi’s smirk widened as she vaulted back, her tail catching the edge of a nearby pillar. She used the momentum to whip herself toward Cecilia like a missile. “This is why I fight the dogs, 2v1!”
Cecilia sidestepped, her lance sweeping up in a calculated arc. Gigi twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding the strike, and landed in a crouch behind her.
“Funny,” Cecilia said as she spun, aiming at Gigi’s side. “I don’t think you’ve ever won?”
The lance tip grazed Gigi’s shoulder, tearing through the loose fabric of her jacket. Gigi’s grin didn’t falter.
“You need to sew that back together for me.”
She retaliated with a kick, her tail following like a second weapon, forcing Cecilia to block with the shaft of her lance.
Cecilia pushed back, her strength making Gigi skid across the polished floor. “You’re reckless,” Cecilia stated, stepping forward with a barrage of precise jabs, each one designed to box Gigi in.
“And you’re so predictable!” Gigi countered, weaving between strikes. She ducked low, planting her hands on the ground to spring backward. Her tail snapped up like a whip, aiming for Cecilia’s wrist.
Cecilia caught it with her free hand, the metallic components of her grip locking around Gigi’s tail. For a split second, Gigi’s eyes widened.
“Got you,” Cecilia said, her tone calm.
“Do you?” Gigi shot back, her grin turning wild. She used the leverage to pull herself forward, flipping over Cecilia’s head. The sudden motion wrenched Cecilia off balance just enough for Gigi to land behind her and sweep her legs out from under her with her tail.
Cecilia fell but turned the momentum into a roll, springing back to her feet. Her lance spun in a blur before slamming into the ground with a resounding crack. Gigi leaped back just in time, her boots skidding on the smooth floor.
“Okay, maybe you’re not just a dumb robot,” Gigi admitted, panting slightly but still grinning. “But you’re no fun if you don’t let me win once in a while.”
“You’ll have to earn that,” Cecilia replied, raising her lance again.
“Challenge accepted,” Gigi said with a wink. She darted in and out of range like a hummingbird with an attitude. "Can’t keep up?” she quipped, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Speed isn’t everything,” Cecilia replied evenly, her lance whirling in a defensive flourish. “Some of us don’t need to flail about like hyperactive children to get the job done.”
“Ouchie,” Gigi’s grin widened as she feinted left, then vaulted to the right. “Big words for someone who’s literally built to be boring.”
Cecilia’s eyes narrowed, and her reflexes kicked in as Gigi lunged. She sidestepped the attack and swiped her lance in a sweeping arc, forcing Gigi to move out of range.
“You can’t keep dodging forever,” Cecilia said, her tone as sharp as her weapon. “I’ll wear you down eventually.”
Cecilia rushed forward, her lance coming down in a calculated thrust aimed at Gigi’s center. Gigi twisted at the last second, the tip grazing her side, and closed the gap between them in a blur of motion.
“Up close and personal,” Gigi said with a cheeky grin as she ducked under Cecilia’s next strike, “just how I like it.”
“Personal space, Gigi,” Cecilia replied tersely, planting a firm kick into Gigi’s midsection to create distance. “Learn it.”
Gigi skidded back but recovered, her tail lashing out to catch Cecilia’s ankle. Cecilia staggered slightly, her balance faltering just enough for Gigi to press the advantage. She closed the distance in a flash, circling around Cecilia like a predator teasing its prey.
“You’re slowing down,” Gigi taunted. “Am I too fast, Cece?”
Cecilia didn’t respond. She was watching, waiting, her mind running through every possible angle. Gigi was fast—too fast—but fast didn’t mean untouchable. As Gigi closed the gap again, zigzagging erratically, Cecilia lunged with perfect timing, aiming not for Gigi’s body but her tail.
The tip of the lance swept low, slicing through the air toward Gigi’s tail. The movement was sharp, decisive, and well-calculated. Cecilia allowed herself the smallest flicker of triumph. Got you.
But just as the lance was about to make contact, Gigi’s tail lashed out like a whip, launching her into the air with impossible agility. In the same fluid motion, her tail snapped down and wrapped around Cecilia’s lance, yanking it upward.
“What—” Cecilia’s eyes widened as her weapon was suddenly jerked out of alignment, the motion throwing her off balance.
Before she could recover, Gigi landed lightly in front of her, and she hoisted herself into the air, her tail flexing to keep her suspended just out of reach. Gigi leaned in close, her smug grin practically glowing. With one hand, she gently tipped Cecilia’s chin upward, her finger just brushing against Cecilia’s jawline.
“GG, noob,” Gigi said, her voice low and teasing.
Cecilia froze, her reflexes fighting to decide whether to pull back, counterattack, or simply glare. Her gaze flicked between Gigi’s confident smirk and the lance still trapped in Gigi’s tail’s iron grip.
With a chuckle, Gigi finally let herself drop lightly to the ground. She gave the lance a playful flick as she landed, and it landed back on the ground with a thud that echoed through the hall.
“You know,” Gigi said, stretching her arms behind her head as she sauntered backward, her grin never fading. “If I had my fisting gloves, easy sub one-minute.”
Slowly, Cecilia turned her head, her expression deadpan but her eyes betraying a flicker of alarm. “Please,” she said flatly, “call them something else.”
Gigi tilted her head, feigning innocence. “What? They’re gloves, for fisting,” she mimicked punching the air with exaggerated flair, her grin widening. “You know, for when I go full-power and—”
“I get that,” Cecilia interrupted, cutting her off with a sharp edge to her tone. “It’s the phrasing that’s the problem.”
Gigi blinked, then her grin broke into a wide, toothy laugh. “Oh, that’s what you’re stuck on? You’re the one making it weird.”
Cecilia’s face remained stoic, but the faintest hint of a flush crept onto her cheeks. “You named them,” she said, turning to retrieve her lance from the ground.
“And you’re welcome,” Gigi’s tail curled behind her as she bounded after Cecilia, still chuckling. “Come on, admit it, it has a ring to it.”
“It does not,” Cecilia retorted without looking back. “Call them combat gauntlets, or power gloves, or literally anything else.”
“Pfft, combat gauntlets?” Gigi wrinkled her nose, walking backward in front of Cecilia with a mockingly serious stance. “That’s so boring. Fisting gloves tells people exactly what they’re in for.”
Cecilia stopped abruptly, leveling Gigi with a sharp glare. “You’re so stupid.”
“And you love it,” Gigi shot back with a wink.
In one smooth, unexpected motion, Cecilia grabbed her lance, spun it in her hands, and hurled it with pinpoint precision. The weapon streaked through the air, pinning Gigi’s hoodie to the wall with a sharp clang that reverberated through the training hall.
Gigi blinked, momentarily stunned as she glanced down at the lance that had narrowly missed her neck and now secured her to the wall.
“Dirty move,” she grumbled, tugging lightly at her pinned hood.
Cecilia didn’t say a word. Instead, she straightened, brushing a hand over her dress, and turned on her heel. She walked toward the exit with calm, measured steps, her hair swaying slightly with each stride.
As she reached the doorway, she finally spoke, her voice echoing lightly in the empty hall.
“You love it.”
Gigi huffed, craning her neck to watch Cecilia leave.
“Help! Oh, come on! You’re seriously just gonna leave me like this? Cece! Help!”
The only answer was the fading sound of Cecilia’s footsteps. Gigi groaned, leaning her head back against the wall.
“Okay, fine,” she muttered, her tail already wriggling up to work herself free. “But next time, I’m pinning you.”