Homecoming

The mat had been laid out with precision. She wanted nothing to be able to trip her up while she practiced. She only ever paid attention to sounds, if those, when her thoughts turned inward as her body moved. She didn’t even need the mirrors on the wall any more. What she practices was more of a dance, anyways. It was all muscle memory.

She moved to the center of the mat and pressed play on the remote, tossing it away as she did. The music began and she started to move, getting her bearings in the beat of the song. She didn’t plan on starting out at full speed, just getting the kinks of the road out.

At this speed, it looked even more like a dance than usual. She watched the mirrors for a moment, then closed her eyes and let the music and the movement carry her away. Her mind blanked out and she let it go. The movements soothed her as only they and riding could. She was glad that she had reached the point where she need no longer think about what she was doing.

The song changed and her movements sped up. Her mind closed further, wrapping around the music and letting it dictate her motions. The melody filled her heart and lifted her above the mundane world. Everything outside of the confines of the mat disappeared as meaningless.

This was a place she only allowed herself to go when she was in a city of safe harbor. It was very dangerous, as she would not notice an intruder until it was too late. She could only hope that they came at her physically and that her reflexes would kick in in time to save her. But here she was safe. Anyone who came to her in this pace would be a friend. There were three people who knew she was in town, at least, until tomorrow.

The music changed once more, and again her speed rose, now to a pitch that was barely within human parameters. This was as fast as she would go outside of a spar or real fight. Why waste the blood on this when moving this fast was enough in most cases. The blood would only allow her to focus on what she was doing better, and this was not a time for focus. Only movement for its own sake.

She felt a presence near her and the world slowed. Without opening her eyes, she lashed out with her right foot towards the intruder, her killer instincts coming into full force before she had time to think. Her foot was caught in a gentle hand inches from impact, and her eyes flew open. She saw who it was that had snuck up on her, and a soft smile touched her lips as she relaxed down from fighting nerves.

“I knew you would come.”