Clara (Part 7)

They met up behind the dojo at 11pm.  It had been closed for 2 hours at that point, the owners and teachers long since gone home.  Chris looked nervous when he got out of his car.  "You know the owners here or something?" he asked as he approached Clara, who was leaning casually against the wall near the back door.  "They give you a key."

Clara shook her head.  "Nope," she said holding up a lock-picking kit and grinning more than she normally allowed herself to.  "Not strictly legal, remember?"

That didn't seem to make Chris feel any better.  "Isn't our whole purpose to prevent this kind of illegal activity?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow.  "I don't know about you," she said, "but my purpose is to stop people from getting hurt, and finding a safe place to practice, well that ultimately helps accomplish that."

"And you've done this before?"

She nodded as she went over and started fiddling with the lock.  "Dozens of times," she said.  "Now let me concentrate."

He remained silent as she worked the lock picking tools and after a couple of minutes, the door was creaking open.  When she looked back at Chris she saw him winch.  "That's not at all an ominous sound," he noted.

Clara, despite her best intentions, laughed.  "Someone isn't as confident as they pretended to be," she teased.

Chris opened his mouth as if to protest, but then apparently thought better of it and simply shook his head with a slight smile as he followed her into the dojo.


It was dark inside, and Clara didn't turn on the lights until they got to a relatively small internal room.  "This is one of the private rooms," she said as she flicked a switch that lit up the room in a soft glow of artificial light.  "Not visible from the outside.  That's why I use it."

"Smart," Chris said, still sounding a bit nervous.

She looked back at him as she walked into the middle of the room and he slowly followed, closing the door behind him.  "Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked.  "I mean, being a Ninja and all."

"I've already been doing it for a couple of weeks," he noted.  "If I wasn't up for it, I wouldn't have started."

"It's not too late to stop," she said.  "I mean, there are other ways you can help people."

"There are other ways you could help people, too," he replied, looking directly at her and sounding more confident than he had all night, more like the man who had been accusing her of being the "Lady Ninja" before he had any real proof and less like the nervous new Ninja he was trying to become.

She nodded.  "Fair point," she said, "but at least I know I'm good at it.  You, have yet to prove yourself."  And with that, she launched herself at him.


Clara was actually rather impressed with Chris, all things considered.  Though he hadn't countered her first lunge at him, he at least got out of the way, and although she was able to throw him to the padded floors many times that night, he overall held his own.  When she helped him up the last time that night she said simply, "Not bad."

"Not great either, though," Chris replied.  He sighed.  "I thought I was doing okay, but sparring with you..." He shook his head.  "Maybe you were right to suggest I shouldn't be doing this."

Clara shook her head right back at him.  "Naw," she said.  "I mean, do what you want, but I think you can do this."  She smiled just a little.  "At least, if you care about my not quite expert opinion."

Chris laughed at that, though Clara wasn't quite sure why.  "Of course I care," he said.  "You're the whole reason I'm even attempting this."

"And me not wanting you to get hurt is the reason we're here tonight," Clara said.  "I might not care about people in any deep way, but I at least care enough to not want to see you get hurt doing something I inspired you to do."

Chris chuckled, a much more reserved and quiet laugh than the one he had allowed himself just a moment ago.  And then he looked down like he was embarrassed.  "Thanks," he said, apparently to his feet.  Then he looked back up and asked, "Do you really feel like there is no one in your life you care deeply about?"

Clara shrugged.  "I mean, not really," she said.  "I told you that in the interview.  Even my own family, the people I grew up with, I never really felt that close to them."

"I just find that so hard to believe," Chris said.

Clara shrugged again.  "Some people are just like this," she said.  "They don't really connect with others."

"No, I know that," Chris argued.  "I mean..."  His voice got softer.  "I find it hard to think of you that way, as someone who doesn't form bonds with others."

"First of all, you hardly know me," Clara noted.  "And second of all, don't make it sound like its such a bad thing.  Those lack of bonds make it easier for me to help others, without really putting anyone at risk."  She paused for a moment and then allowed her own voice to get a little softer as she asked, "What about you?  Who are you close to?"

Chris's eyes darted away nervously again.  "Not a lot of people," he admitted, "but more than zero.  My mom and I are fairly close.  My dad less so.  My younger brother, I always loved him and he looked up to me, but he's almost 10 years younger than I am, so it's a different kind of closeness.  I have friends, buddies, but I mean, no one who knows about this whole Ninja thing."

"Good," Clara said.  "They shouldn't know."

"You know," he pointed out.

She grinned in a manner that some would describe as wicked.  "That's because I'm your sensei," she said.  "I have to know."

He laughed.  "Have to is a bit extreme but all things considered, I'm glad you know."

"Yeah, yeah."  She rolled her eyes.  "Now come on, we should go.  Gotta rest up so tomorrow we can to this for real."  Then she quickly added, "Though not in the same part of the city.  Too risky, ya know?"

Chris nodded.  "Yeah of course."

She gave one final nod back and then gestured for him to head out the door ahead of her.  She turned off the light and pulled the door shut behind them.  They walked back out in silence as Clara flipped the simple lock on the door handle and pulled the now re-locked back door shut behind them.

"Well, good night, Chris," she said, walking to her car, but not looking back at him.

Because she didn't look at him, and because it was pretty darn dark, she didn't see him smiling after her.  "Good night, Clara," he said in return.