Holly was trying incredibly hard not to look at him. She couldn't risk it. But she peeked once when he started talking, and that was her doom. Walking swiftly over to the target board, she pulled the small dagger out of it and placed it back into the holster at her thigh.

"It's harder with a moving target," she frowned before turning towards where the moving dummies were. Unfortunately, Freja had beat all of them up pretty badly. "But it has to be when you fight for your life."

He wanted to try? Holly shrugged nonchalantly, pulling the knife back out and holding it flat in the palm of her hand with its tip facing her. "You weren't?" she asked skeptically, the qipao swishing gracefully as she moved. "I see. But I'll just say that it took Romero almost a year to earn my trust." And you need to work for it.

Holly nodded, a little bored. He was repeating himself. They were friends, not soulmates and the other things he'd said only two minutes ago. But the second half surprised her. Why did he want to apologize? Did she actually mean something to him? Could she mean something in the future? "I haven't cried since I was five," she whispered, almost inaudible. "When they took me away from Beijing. From my mother." But she shook her head as if to clear it and focused on what he was saying. Nodding, she nodded toward the dagger in her hand. Maybe she could teach him how to defend himself when Freyja and Romero came after him. Probably just Freyja.