Black card
“I still can’t believe you talked me into this” Yoko moaned as someone finally made space allowing her to merge into the flow of traffic on the highway
“That’s like literally the fifth time you’ve said that so far” Enid said rolling her eyes at the other girl thankful that they’d finally gotten out of the city. Traffic had worse than planned, meaning it had taken almost twice as long as planned to make it the fairly short distance from their apartment to the highway. Which was probably a factor in why Yoko was already more than done with the entire venture. Enid on the other hand was just worried that they wouldn’t make it on time. Even if she’d planned it so they’d be there with more than an hour to spare
“I’ve already said you don’t have to actually watch the competition” Enid continued when Yoko didn’t stop frowning “you can zone out on your phone or drive around town and find something to do”
“Oh yeah cause I’m sure there’s so much fun to be had in the middle of bumfuck nowhere “ Yoko continued to complain. Although she was smiling now and it was clear her mood had improved now that they were actually moving rather than inching through traffic
“We seriously need to adjust your perception of what is and isn’t rural” Enid side eyed the girl next to her
“uhuh says the bumpkin” Yoko shot back
“literally grew up thirty minutes out of San Fran” Enid said throwing her hands up
“I seem to remember you saying forty-five back when we were at school” Yoko mused a smile playing on her lips
“I was… exaggerating to prove my point tha-“ Enid started before Yoko cut her off
“To probe your point that living with your parents in the middle of nowhere was horrible. Ergo, bumpkin” Yoko was definitely full on smirking now. Knowing that Enid had no real defense considering how many hours she’d spent complaining about her old housing situation
“ugh, you’re impossible” Enid grumbled reaching for the AUX cable hanging abandoned from the dashboard. Yoko having vehemently vetoed music as they got more and more stuck in traffic earlier.
“and you better not be putting on nay k-pop” Yoko warned sparing a quick warning glance towards Enid
“Oh come on!” Enid sighed letting her phone drop back in her lap “just because you like metal screamy stuff!”
“and you like queerbaiting industry plants” Yoko shrugged “and you know the rules “
“Yeah yeah” Enid groaned as she put on the playlist that consisted of music that her and Yoko could agree upon. The aforementioned rules being that each of them could veto any genre/song they wanted. With the catch that the other could veto the same amount. Yoko had started out rather strong by vetoing all of Enid’s K-pop, J-pop or anything with a letter pop as Yolo had put it and as bummed out as Enid had been it was probably for the best since it also meant that she didn’t have to endure any of Yoko’s heavy metal and screamo
The playlist they’d manage to agree upon was primarily pop songs from the early 10’s and for some reason an array of country songs that they both enjoyed. Yoko making sure to point out that it was Enid’s inner hick showing whenever one came on
As they turned into the parking lot of the rec center Enid had to admit that it had been a pretty good trip even with the traffic issues in the beginning. It had been pretty obvious they’d make it on time early on, which had easedd Enid’s anxiety, and her as usual any trip with Yoko had turned into a hoot. The two of them screaming along whenever a particularly good song came on, and Yolo even keeping the jokes about Enid having a crush on Wednesday to a minimum. Which was impressive considering they were literally driving two hours to see the girl fence
Enid had however had to admit defeat as they’d driven through the town and it had quickly become painfully obvious that there wasn’t exactly a whole lot to do for Yoko. Unless she fancied Hanging out at a pretty depressing strip mall that consisted of a hardware store, a nail salon and a non major brand taco place. The latter actually beginning to sound appealing to Enid which was just a testament to why she shouldn’t skip breakfast
“not a lot of people here” Yoko mused as they got out of the car. Enid following he rgaze across the parking lot which admittedly was fairly empty. There being fewer than a dozen cars. Although Enid did spy some mini busses at the end of the lot
“I mean it’s not exactly a huge match” Enid shrugged as they made their way across the parking lot Enid rubbing her arms as the morning cold hadn’t quite dissipated yet and was quickly worming it’s way through her hoodie
“And yet you still made me drive two hours to get here “ Yoko groaned behind her her pumps clicking against the cement as she hurried after Enid
“I technically asked to borrow the car” Enid said “you could have just stayed home”
“still not letting you drive my baby” Yoko said rushing through the door that Enid was holding open “not with the way you drive”
“I've literally never had an accident. Not one. And I’ve had my license since I was sixteen”
“and that’s more of a miracle than anything” Yoko peered over her sunglasses as she spoke giving Enid a pointed look “you treat red lights as a suggestion”
“You’re allowed to go on yellow!” Enid yelled back, earning her quite a few sideways glances from the few people who were standing around the entrance area of the rec center. The place looking wierdly similar to the place Wednesday’s club practiced. And actually every rec center Enid had ever been in now that she thought about it. The walls plastered white except for a few stripes of bold colour that ran the entire length of every wall, only being interrupted by various seriously old framed photos strewn about it place. The entire thing being pulled together by the almost iconic vending machines that all looked like they were older than Enid
“and that’s why you’re not allowed to drive my car” Yoko smirked to which Enid just rolled her eyes “now where are we going?”
“It’s just through the doors” Enid said indicating the set of double doors at the other end of the room. The place not exactly big enough to have more than one area to house a fencing tournament in “we’re pretty early though”
“cause someone was scared of being late and disappointing their girlfriend” Yoko teased making Enid groan. The abensence of the redneck joke apparently meaning that the lesbian jokes were returning full force
“She’s not my freaking girlfriend she’s just – WEDNESDAY!” Enid squealed as the girl in question suddenly turned the corner from one of the side hallways
“speak of the devil” Yoko muttered as the shorter girl walked over to join them. Her attention having been snapped towards them when Enid had squealed. Which had also earned her another set of glares from the rest of the people present
“while I enjoy the comparison I rarely enjoy others talking about me behind my back “ Wednesday said in response definitely glaring at Yoko as she did so
“Oh I was just telling Yoko about the competetion” Enid quickly jumped in trying to defuse the situation. Not noticing the way Wednesday’s glare softened the second she looked towards Enid “She doesn’t know s lot about fencing”
“and you’ve become an expert in the past week” Wednesday smirked causing Yoko to scoff. The tone of the room changing faster than Enid liked as it suddenly seemed the two girls in front of her decided to him forces against her rather than fight each other
“oh you wouldn’t believe how much time she’s spent reading up on the rules” Yoko chimed in with a smirk that almost rivalled Wednesday’s plastered across her face “and then talked my ear off about it on the way here”
“okay first of all I so didn’t” Enid protested despite knowing it was falling on deaf ears “and secondly I’ve spent an hour tops on reading up on the rules”
“well it certainly sounds like you’ve devoted yourself to the subject” Wednesday jumped in as soon as the words had left Enid’s mouth “lets just hope you’ll be able to keep up today”
“planning on a quick match?” Enid shot back already smiling like an idiot
“Definitely” Wednesday nodded “While I appreciate the need for these matches our opponents hardly pose much of a challenge. As conceited as I know that sounds”
“I mean you guys are more or less Olympic athletes right?” Yoko said shrugging ever so slightly “doesn’t seem that cocky to say you’ll win”
“Potential Olympic athletes” Wednesday corrected “although we do have two fencer that are ranked in the top five nationally”
“Meaning you’ll kick ass” Yoko nodded flashing a shit eating grin that Enid was pretty sure would normally have annoyed Wednesday. If it wasn’t for the fact that she seemed to be… enjoying the praise
“most likely yes” Wednesday said after s few seconds
“As long as you’re having fun right?” Enid chimed in smiling
“yes. Plus the opponent has added a new fencer to their team who I’ve been interested in competing against” Wednesday said “I didn’t know she’d been added to the team until we arrived”
“is she gonna be a problem?” Enid asked
“I doubt it. I’ve merely heard she a competent opponent. And she fences left handed which is always an interesting experience” Wednesday said Enid listening carefully. Wanting to retain as much information as possible for when the match actually started. Having learned that fencing seemed to get more interesting the more she knew about it
“Oh like baseball” Yoko suddenly said earning her a raised eyebrow from Wednesday and a full on expression of disbelief from Enid. Who’d never known Yoko to care for any sports. Much less baseball
“like when it matters whether a pitcher is right or left handed” Yoko explained after being stared at for a short while
“I’ll have to take your word for it” Wednesday mused “although I imagine there are similarities in the challenges faced”
Enid was about to respond when they were all suddenly interrupted as a girl stuck her head out of the doors leading to the gym and yelled for Wednesday. Who had to quickly excuse herself, sending Enid a qucik smile before marching over to the girl and further on into the gym itself. Leaving Enid and Yoko standing by themselves
“since when do you care about baseball?” Enid asked after a few seconds raising her eyebrow towards Yoko who Enid was fairly certain hadn’t participated in a sport since high school
“there was this girl at the bar the other night who wouldn’t shut up about it” Yoko shrugged the explanation only making Enid raise her eyebrow even more “and she was kind of cute so I let her keep going okay?” Yoko admitted tersely
“for a second I was worried I’d ended up in a paralel universe or something” Enid teased as the two of them started to slowly make their way towards the gym themselves. Enid reasoning that if nothing else they could find a place to sit
“I like some sports” Yoko shot back “just not like… boring ones”
“gawking at Rhea Rhipley doesn’t count as being interested in sports” Enid said as she pulled the door to the gym open. Laughing when she heard Yoko scoff in response somewhere behind her
After about twenty minutes of waiting Enid was slowly starting to regret planning to be here so early. For some reason her phone had a seriously shitty connection here, and since Yoko had left like ten minutes ago to get a drink, Enid was already going a little stir crazy
It wasn’t exactly boring to watch people preparing for the competetion. Enid had caught sight of Wednesday moving around earlier. The shorter girl catching sight of Enid and shooting her a kind look or two before something else demanded her attention. But even that had been short lived as she’d quickly been forced to retreat out back presumably to get changed
All of this culminated in Enid having a very hard time sitting still. Rocking gently from side to side in her seat. And also her nearly exploding with sudden pent up energy when she finally caught sight of Yoko making her way back towards the seat. Now carrying two cans in her hands
“I’m so glad you’re back” Enid sighed in relief as Yoko sat back down
“I was literally gone for five minutes” Yoko said shooting Enid a look before handing her one of the cans. Which Enid was happy to see was sparkling water rather than soda
“thirteen actually” Enid corrected “and I have no signal out here so it literally felt like an eternity”
“addicted to your phone much? Or is this just the horrendously undiagnosed ADHD again?” Yoko smirked cracking open her own can
“I don’t have ADHD” Enid sighed
“pretty sure I said undiagnosed” Yoko butted in
“I still don’t have it. And I’m allowed to be bored” Enid shot back elbowing Yoko in the side
“ow, you ass” Yoko said rubbing at her ribs while feigning indignation “and if you’re so bored tell me about this fencing stuff so I have some sort of idea of what’s going on”
“I’m not gonna be able to teach you everything about fencing in 30 minutes” Enid said which Yoko just returned with a look that was clearly meant to convey well then tell me the basics dummy
“okay so I’m guessing you already know the basic idea” Enid sighed
“hit each other with swords” Yoko deadpanned
“close enough” Enid shrugged “the tricky part is actually more making sense of how team fencing is set up since it weirdly complicated”
“more complicated than hit the other team with swords?” Yoko asked clearly trying to push Enid’s buttons
“yeah actually. Each person from each team has to fight each other at some point so there’s nine matches”
“I already hate it”
“shush” Enid admonished “so the first match goes to five points and then each match after that has it’s max score increased by another five. Except scores cary over between matches”
“meaning if you fuck up your teammates have to pick up your slack?” Yoko asked seemingly following along better than Enid had thought
“yeah exactly” Enid nodded “there’s also a time limit for each match but that’s apparently rarely reached in sabre due to how fast paced it is”
“well at least it sounds like there’ll be something half interesting to watch” Yoko sighed earning her a warning glance from Enid “but couldn’t you have dragged me to something with better uniforms? Like volleyball?” she continued nodding towards the piste drawing Enid’s gaze from her and back out over the gym where the fencers were making their way back. Now fully kitted out
As Enid watched Wednesday’s team make their way back towards Weems on their side of the piste, helmets and swords in hand, Enid couldn’t have disagreed more with Yoko’s statement that there was nothing interesting about said uniforms. Even if it was weird watching Wednesday in white rather than her usual black there was no mistaken the tightening of excitement in Enid’s chest. A feeling she knew was only going to get worse once Wednesday took to the piste. Enid blaming the entire debacle on her newfound interest in fencing and knowing that Wednesday was an extremely talented fencer.
“just wait till they get started” Enid half mumbled making Yoko groan and grumble something under her breath that Enid didn’t quite catch. Her focus glued to what was happening by the piste. A woman walking over and declaring that the match was about to begin. Both teams assembling and greeting each other before their respective captains got ready for the coin toss
Wednesday, much to Enid’s bafflement, wasn’t the Captain of her clubs team. Wednesday had told her as much over coffee. Which was why Enid wasn’t surprised when another member of the team, a older fencer named Veronica, stepped forward and handled the toss. The ref declaring that the visiting team had won just seconds later
Veronica glanced back towards her team. Enid definitely noticing an almost imperceivable nod from Weems before the girl turned back and said something to the ref that Enid couldn’t quite make out.
“Visitors will compete as team A! Fencers please take your positions” The ref shouted moments later saving Enid from wondering what had been said
With that the two captains retreated from the piste and the respective fencers from each team made their way to ready themselves for the first leg. Enid hardly surprised as she saw Wednesday be the one walk forward from their side. Wednesday had already walked Enid through the various “roles” on a fencing team. Explaining that she herself was what most referred to as the closer. Which essentially meant the one who fenced the last leg and was most likely to make use of a lead or try and make up points if the team was behind. It also meant that she’d be the first to fence if her team was set as team A. Enid whispered all fo this excitedly to Yoko as the two fencers took positions, being met with a frustrated sigh and an eyeroll. Although Enid did take notice of the fact that the other girl now seemed much more interested in what was going on on the piste
Enid followed Yoko’s lead and stopped talking in favour of directing her attention towards the fight that was clearly just about to kick off. Wednesday and her opponent, a much taller girl who seemed rigid and stiff in her stance whereas Wednesday seemed downright relaxed
And no sooner had the ref started the fight before the scoring system suddenly lit up. Green light emanating from Wednesday’s side of the piste. The shorter girl now standing with her arm extended and sabre pressed against her opponents arm for the few seconds it took for the ref to rule in her favour
“what the fuck?” Yoko asked sounding genuinely shocked
“Told you it was fast” Enid whispered back suppressing a giggle at her friends reaction
“I didn’t even see her move!” Yoko continued to exclaim gesticulating towards Wednesday who had taken up the starting position again
“shhhh” Enid chastised her friend which she was sure earned her a scowl. Even if she didn’t turn her head away from the piste to see it. Enid did however understand where Yoko was coming from having been just as shocked herself the first time she’d seen Wednesday fence. The speed at which she could move still seeming unreal at times. Am ability that Wednesday was clearly using against her opponent. The other girl seeming too nervous to prepare for the onslaught as Wednesday continued to score point after point in quick succession. Until the leg ended as Wednesday hit the other girl for the fifth time. Her opponent not even having had the chance to retaliate, earning Wednesday’s team an early lead as the two girls cleared the piste
“okay just to be clear goth and grumpy just wiped the floor with that girl right?” Yoko leaned over and whispered not even trying to hide her interest in the match anymore as Bianca and yet another unknown girl took to the piste
“that was the first fight of nine” Enid rolled her eyes at her friend before a small smile appeared on her lips “but yeah. She did”
Yoko was about to ask another question when Enid frantically started shushing her. Now that both fencers had taken their positions Enid had suddenly noticed that Bianca’s opponent was definitely fencing with her left hand. Meaning she was the one Wednesday had talked about wanting to go up against earlier. And that Enid was in no way missing even a second of this match. No matter how offended Yoko got at having Enid’s hand waved in her face
The second match was however only slightly less one sided as Bianca was also quickly raking in points for her team. Although she did so much slower than Wednesday. The two girls exchanging several blows each round before a hit was made. The opponent even managing to get a touch on Bianca in the last round before Bianca brought her teams score up to ten ending the leg.
Enid didn’t know enough about the sport to say whether Bianca had fenced worse than Wednesday or just differently from her. But there was no mistaking the fact that Bianca seemed more than a little frustrated when as she pulled off her helmet and quickly strode back towards her team. Weems meeting her there and engaging the girl in whispered conversation. Bianca stopping to listen but in no way looking any less annoyed at the situation
The rest of the matches progressed much the same. Wednesday remaining untouched in her second match as well and Bianca seemingly doing better when she once again took to the piste. Fighting faster and not letting a hit through this time. Enid admittedly wasn’t paying as close attention when their team captain was on the piste. Instead using this time to quietly answer Yoko’s barrage of questions.
She was however paying enough attention to see that Wednesday had been correct when she’d said that beating this team wouldn’t be too much of a challenge. There was a clear difference in skill between the two teams which became only more apparent as they prepared for the ninth leg and the score had reached 6 for the opposing team while Wednesday’s had the full 40.
A Wednesday took to the piste for the final time Enid was staring so intensely that even Yoko took the hint and kept quiet without having to be reminded.
It wasn’t that Enid really thought that Wednesday was going to have any trouble getting the final five hits her team needed to win. Instead, Enid was interested because Wednesday had made it quite clear that this was the only fight of the day that she was actually looking forward to. Enid finding it much more captivating watching a fight where she knew Wednesday was enjoying herself as well. Something she very pointedly did not mention to Yoko knowing that the other girl would just make a joke out of it. But Enid was allowed to feel happy for a friend.
In the end the match transpired much as expected. Although the southpaw managed to avoid Wednesday’s sabre for noticeably longer than any of her teammates. Though it was unclear whether that was due to her being left-handed, making it harder for Wednesday to get a hit in, or just because she’d adapted to the way Wednesday fought from watching the two previous rounds
Nonetheless it wasn’t long before Wednesday’s team was declared the winners and applause broke out across the gym. Enid joining in as she clapped and screamed in support. Yoko definitely shooting her a look as Enid screamed Wednesday’s name
____________________________________________________________________________________
After the match it took longer than anticipated for Enid to find Wednesday again. She’d seen her get caught up in conversation with Weems and the other team’s coach and had lost sight of her in a crowd of people shortly after. Assuming that she’d ninjaed her way to the locker rooms as per usual. Meaning that Enid and Yoko were now waiting around by one of the vending machines out in the lobby. Yoko having gone back to acting like she wasn’t really interested in the sport despite her still commenting on various aspects of the match
“still can’t believe goth girl like actually kicks ass” Yoko mumbled shaking her head ever so slightly
“if you want to see her kick ass you should see her doing taekwondo” Enid giggled “there she literally kicks someone’s ass”
“oh yeah I definitely noticed how much you like watching her. Very friendly of you” Yoko suddenly piped up making Enid almost jump as she quickly looked around making sure Wednesday hadn’t been around to hear that
“would you be quiet?!” Enid hissed at the other girl who was just laughing
“hey I get it” Yoko said holding her hand up in surrender “shorty is impressive with her sword”
“I again welcome the flattery although you continue to gossip about me behind my back despite my earlier warning” Wednesday suddenly piped up making Yoko nearly jump in the air as the shorter girl had appeared next to her seemingly out of thin air
“jesus” Yoko exclaimed holding her hand against her chest looking down at Wednesday her eyebrows knitting together “first of all stop doing that and secondly we’re allowed to gossip after you wipe the floor with people like that” She continued with Enid nodding along excitedly shooting a bright smile Wednesday’s way
“I do not know why you’re surprised. I was quite clear that we were going to win” Wednesday deadpanned at the two girls excitement
“there’s winning and then there’s not getting hit once” Enid shot back still smiling “so please tell me you’re allowed to drink now because we’re so celebrating this”
“unfortunately I have another competition planned for next week” Wednesday said, her voice tinged with something that almost sounded like actual regret which Enid was probably the only one picking up on “and seeing as this one will actually count I’d prefer to be at my best for it”
“It’ll count?” Yoko asked raising her eyebrow over the rim of her shades
“it’ll grant points towards her position on the national team” Enid explained looking to Wednesday for confirmation, who nodded curtly
“wait national team? As in you’re on the freaking the national team?” Yoko said both of her eyebrows making an appearance this time as she looked at Wednesday in shock
“yes” Wednesday replied “the US national team is composed of the four fencers with the highest point score in the country. Of which Bianca and I are third and second respectively”
“wait hold on. Wouldn’t that make you the second best fencer in the country?” Yoko said holding up her hands as she tried making what she was hearing makes sense in her head
“I told you literally all of this when I was writing my article” Enid butted in rolling her eyes at Yoko who was still staring at Wednesday like she’d grown a second head
“honestly I can of tune you out when you start rambling about sports” Yoko shrugged making Enid’s mouth pop open in indignance
“Excuse me? You tune me out? When I take the time to listen to all of your weird stories from the bar?” Enid asked still glaring at Yoko
“yeah because my stories are actually interesting”
“oh yeah because I love hearing about all the rowdy customers you have to throw out every night” Enid exclaimed throwing her hands in the air in mock frustration
“I can see I have further reason to worry about you dragging Enid down there all the time” Wednesday cut both of them off shooting a cold look at Yoko “but to answer your question Tanaka. I am ranked second in the country although that is only among women since the sport remains separated by gender. Even if I’ve had the pleasure of beating several ranked male fencers” Wednesday continued. Enid almost certain she saw the hint of a smile on the shorter girl’s lips as she got to show off
“glossing over the fact that you somehow know my last name” Yoko said shooting Enid a questioning glance to which Enid could only shrug “you’re saying you can wipe the floor with the guy who has your position on the male list?”
“I unfortunately haven’t had the chance to spar with Seji Ito” Wednesday responded taking Yoko’s question a bit more seriously than was the other girl’s intention “he lives in California and we have only briefly met at various co-ed events”
“you could probably beat him” Enid shrugged, earning her another appraising look from Wednesday before they were all suddenly pulled from the conversation as someone pushed their way into their space
“Addams!” the girl who’d just arrived screamed as she made her entrance. Positioning herself almost in between Enid and Wednesday. Cutting the shorter girl off from her and Yoko
“you really didn’t give me a chance out there huh?” the new girl continued. Enid now realizing that it was one of the fencers from the opposing team. The left-handed one if Enid had to guess based on height
“It was an interesting fight yes” Wednesday responded her now noticeably colder than before
“oh yeah because I don’t hear that all the time just because I’m left handed” The girl shot back, her voice harsh enough that Enid took notice and tried to catch Wednesday’s eye. But the shorter girl was seemingly wholly focused on the newcomer in front of her “I was hoping you’d have something more original to say”
“alright then” Wednesday said after a few moments of definitely awkward silence “you’re hopelessly open in your lowlines and you telegraph your thrusts painfully clearly”
“not everyone can counter those thrusts” The other girl laughed, although there was little humour in her tone “we can’t all be as fast as you Addams”
“counting on your opponent's flaws to make up for your own mistakes hardly seems like a worthwhile strategy” Wednesday responded shooting the other girl a glare that sent shivers down even Enid’s back
“wow. Just as ruthless as everyone keeps saying Addams” The new girl scoffed before starting to walk away from them again “always going for the kill huh?”
“okay so was it just me or was she an mega bitch?” Yoko asked after a few seconds of silence
“her brother fences with an old acquaintance of mine” Wednesday sighed squeezing the Bridge of her nose “I had hoped it wouldn’t be an issue but clearly I was mistaken”
“well fuck her and her lowlines” Yoko said which definitely earned her a faint smile from Wednesday. Even if the other girl didn’t comment on it
“So... When is that other competition of yours?” Enid asked in an attempt to change the subject to something more pleasant. Which obviously worked as Wednesday shifted her attention towards Enid and almost instantly looked less tired
“this is this gay as hell and you’re an idiot for not seeing that” Yoko said from the couch as Enid sat at the dinner table putting the final touches on her makeup. Various products strewn across the table around her mirror
“okay first of all we’re still just friends. As I’ve said a hundred thousand times by now” Enid said taking a small break from trying to get her lipstick just right “and second of all it’s not my fault you couldn’t take me this time”
“You don’t even have to go. A month ago you didn’t even like the sport. Plus gothy made it very clear that it would be boring” Yoko shot back
“Because she was being polite” Enid sighed. Giving up on getting the lipstick just how she wanted it considering it was her fifth try and she was definitely running low on time “and besides I actually kinda like it now”
“you like looking at a certain fencer I’m sure” Yoko wiggled her eyebrows as she said it enjoying herself way too much
“You’re impossible you know that right?” Enid deadpanned
“You still love me”
“Love your portion of the rent more like” Enid said earning her a pissed off middle finger from the couch. However right as she was about to retaliate the sound of someone honking twice in quick succession. Causing Enid to quickly look towards the window before checking the time on her phone
“pretty sure that’s me” she said quickly getting up from the table before stopping and looking out over the mess of makeup she’d managed to produce “uhm”
“Yeah yeah I’ll sort it out “ Yoko said waving Enid off
“Really? Seriously thank you bestie. Uhm just remember t-“
“Sort the stuff by colour family or whatever you call it. Yeah I know” Yoko sighed “now get going. It’s bad to leave your date waiting”
“letting you have that one cause you’re being sweet” Enid said before quickly grabbing her phone and small pink leather bag and running out the door. Hastily screaming bye behind her before slamming the door shut
Down on the street Enid half ran over to Wednesday’s car, which was waiting in front of the door, and quickly pulled the door open and jumped into the passenger seat
“sorry for the wait” Enid said as she buckled herself in so Wednesday could start driving
“I literally just got here Enid” Wednesday replied sending her a sideways glance. Not wanting to take her eyes off the road “if you’d been here any sooner you’d have seen me pull in”
“just didn’t want to keep you waiting “ Enid shrugged as she looked around the interior of the car. Realizing she’d never actually been inside it before despite all the time she’d spent drooling over it
Much like the outside of the damn thing the interior was almost entirely black, with the exception of some silver detailing. The seats leather and the dash equipped with a small touch screen that was currently displaying that a CD was paused
“where is the competition being held again?” Enid asked having genuinely forgotten in her excitement to even be there
“they need more space for events like this so it’s being held at space across town. You could probably have gotten there yourself but there’s surprisingly sparse options for public transport in the area so this seemed like the better option “
“as long as it isn’t another two hours having to listen to music me and Yoko can agree on” Enid laughed “I think there’s like ten songs we both actually like and after some time those get really old”
“what music do you like then?” Wednesday asked
“oh uhm... Kind of a lot of stuff? I’ve been really into k-pop and J-pop recently. Though I also like old pop songs. Oh and ACDC” Enid said running through what she’d been listening to the most recently
“interesting” Wednesday nodded slightly “k-pop is the one with the men dancing in strange outfits right?”
“Yeah more or less. Although that could also describe some J-pop” Enid shrugged
“Pugsley showed me a video last time I was home” Wednesday explained “not sure I see the appeal but the choreography is interesting”
“If you want I can play you some that I like? Not that Pugsley doesn’t have good taste” Enid quickly corrected herself
“oh Pugsley doesn’t listen to it. He wanted to show me because there was a man dressed as a giant chicken in the music video” Wednesday deadpanned. Clearly not hearing how ridiculous the statement sounded
“okah I actually know that song and it kind of sucks” Enid said
“then by all means” Wednesday said temporarily removing a hand from the steering wheel to gesture towards the sound system in the dash. Which Enid poked around at for a bit before managing to get her phone to connect to the Bluetooth. Something Wednesday had obviously never done before
After she’d figured it out Enid quickly cued up a selection of some of her personal favourites before pressing play. Quickly adjusting the volume when it became apparent that Wednesday usually listened to music at a window rattling level
The two of them spent the rest of the drive working their way through various songs that Enid thought the other girl might like. Enid offering fun facts and other information on most of them while Wednesday in turn commented on whether she liked them or not. Surprisingly finding that she found most of the songs at least halfway enjoyable, Even if they were a bit too fast paced for her taste
“and now he’s kind of starting a solo career although they still have him appear at all of their live shows which makes it a bit weird. And then all of them have their mandatory military service coming up so it’s all up in the air” Enid continued to explain as the two of them stepped through the door into the building where the competition was being held. Wednesday had asked about a member of the band earlier and Enid’s answer had quickly evolved into her giving a full run through of the band and the recent gossip about it. Which Wednesday had currently endured much longer than Yoko had ever managed, even seeming genuinely interested as Enid excitedly explained
“the social intricacies of Korean pop music are admittedly more interesting than I’d anticipated” Wednesday responded
“okay full disclosure I’m actually mostly interested in the music” Enid said laughing a bit as Wednesday shot a challenging eyebrow her way “I’m not exactly a fangirl most of the time. It’s actually mostly because it annoys Yoko when I go on about this stuff. But that kind of means I also have to keep on top if it”
“meaning your fake interest has morphed into an actual one” Wednesday finished Enid’s train of thought for her
“yeah. Though please stop me if you ever find me squealing about Jungkook’s new hairstyle” Enid sighed
“I will capture you and have you committed to the state’s most decrepit mental asylum” Wednesday said sounding so serious Enid was honestly unsure whether or she was joking
“that’s… efficient” Enid giggled. Definitely catching Wednesday looking terribly smug with herself before her usual stone faced mask returned
“it would be a trivial matter. My uncle is friends with the director” Wednesday continued. Enid having now caught on that the girl was at least halfway joking
“is that the same uncle who got you into taekwondo?” Enid asked having definitely noticed Wednesday had mentioned various family members at various points. But having rarely offered up more details
“my uncle Fester, yes” Wednesday said her voice tinged with a warmth that squeezed at Enid’s heart “he has connections with various mental institutions throughout the country. Mostly due to personal interest”
“he sounds… interesting” Enid offered not being entirely sure what else to say
“he’s certainly a character. Although that is a trait that runs in the family” Wednesday mused “he spends most of his time travelling the world and authenticating archaeological dig sites”
“does he work with your dad? You mentioned he sold antique stuff?” Enid asked just as the two of them reached the doors leading into the hall where the competition was being held. The noise level increasing tenfold as they entered. Now surrounded by a myriad of people standing around the room clearly here for the competition as well
“no, him and father do not usually stick their noses in each other’s business” Wednesday shrugged. Having to raise her voice as they entered while Enid leaned down slightly as they started to make their way towards what looked like a registration table at the far end of the gym
“although there were allegations of smuggling a few years back. They couldn’t prove anything though” Wednesday continued to explain. A worrying grin playing at the corner of her lips as she hinted at the fact that her uncle apparently ran a modern smuggling ring
“Do I want to know whether your uncle actually broke any laws?”
“it would be better not to implicate you in case the investigation is ever picked up again” Wednesday shrugged “My family prefers to keep it’s skeletons to itself”
“Yeah mine too” Enid sighed feeling the usual tightening in her chest at the thought of her family before shaking it off. Not wanting them to ruin her day with Wednesday “also are you being metaphorical or are there actual skeletons?”
“I was being metaphorical, but we do have a number of mausoleums so I suppose we do in fact have an affinity for keeping hold of our bones” Wednesday deadpanned making Enid roll her eyes as the two of them walked up to the table where a number of middle aged women looked up at them expectantly
“Addams, Wednesday” Wednesday said to the woman closest to her, who looked more than a bit confused at the cryptic message before her neighbour leaned over and pointed at the piece of paper in front of them. At which point the first woman seemed to catch on and quickly gathered up a set of papers which she handed to Wednesday before wishing her good luck. Wednesday quickly thanking her before walking off. Enid trailing after
“it seems my first match is happening soon” Wednesday said running her eyes over one of the papers she’d gotten
“do these things usually last a while?” Enid asked as she ran her eyes over the massive amount of people in the gym. As well with the rather long list of names that she could see on the paper Wednesday was holding
“long enough that there’s a scheduled lunch break” Wednesday scoffed as she handed the paper over to Enid who glanced down at the list of names, times and seemingly random numbers next to them. That Enid surmised were piste numbers so the contestants knew where to go
“and that’s just the first round” Wednesday mused with Enid nodding along. It making sense that they couldn’t announce anything about further rounds until they knew who were moving on and who had been eliminated “we’ll probably get through the first two rounds before lunch. After that it does start getting significantly faster as there’s enough space for all the matches to run at once” Wednesday continued to explain as they made their way across the gym again. This time headed for the locker rooms
“at least we’ll be able to pass the time with the matches” Enid shrugged weirdly enough actually looking forward to seeing people fencing. Even if she admittedly was more excited about watching Wednesday fence. Enid fairly certain they’d be here all day since Wednesday had no plan to do any less than win today. Meaning they’d have to be here for the entire event
“there are some people here who should prove interesting to watch” Wednesday agreed her eyes scanning across the room probably looking for faces she recognized
“by the way is there a reason there aren’t other people from your club here? Bianca needs these points too right?” Enid asked
“I believe Makenzie is actually here somewhere. And Bianca apparently had other plans today and felt them more worthwhile than securing her spot on the national team” Wednesday shrugged. A bit of venom bleeding into her voice towards the end
“are you actually in danger of losing your spot on the team if you don’t do well today?” Enid asked suddenly feeling like Wednesday was acting very calm if that was the case
“realistically? No" Wednesday answered Enid breathing a sigh of relief “but it still seems foolish to not secure points when possible. Especially this late in the season”
“when will you guys know if you made the team again?” Enid continued her questioning
“sometime after the start of the May” Wednesday responded eyeing the two doors to the locker rooms. Both the female and male ones having been opened for the event considering it was all reserved for women’s fencing “the Final qualifying tournament is the North American championship”
“I’ll make sure to clear my calendar then” Enid beamed earning her a half smile from Wednesday before the shorter girl nodded to her and retreated to the locker rooms. Enid finding a vacant spot near the doors and hunkering down for the time being
As per usual Enid didn’t have to wait long before Wednesday emerged. Now wearing her fencing uniform which Enid did note was pretty much the opposite of their usual routine. After quickly agreeing that Enid would keep watch over Wednesday’s bag rather than her having to put it back in her car. Afterwards they quickly made their way towards the piste where Wednesday’s first match was supposed to take place. Enid having sniffed it out while waiting for Wednesday to get changed
As Wednesday had said her match was the first one booked for the piste meaning they didn’t have to wait long before a ref showed up and asked the two girls to take their places. Both of them being hooked up to what looked like a smaller, portable version of a traditional scoring system as they did so
Enid took her own place a little way from the piste. Wednesday’s bag slung over her shoulder as she waited with bated breath for the fight to start. Without Yoko there to tease her for it Enid allowed her gaze to linger on Wednesday for longer than she might have at last week’s match. Not that she hadn’t stared back then too. But without the danger of Yoko noticing her it somehow felt safer to let her eyes glide over the shorter girl as she routinely burst forward, parrying and lunging herself towards her opponent. Enid still clearly remembering the way Wednesday’s muscles had looked as she’d done similar movements at the gym. Enid momentarily allowing her thoughts to linger on that particular mental image before shaking herself out of it and instead focusing on the match in front of her
To no-one's surprise Wednesday won by a landslide. The other girl barely having gotten close to scoring a point against her while Wednesday meticulously forced her way through every defence set up against her. Luckily the other girl didn’t seem disappointed by the outcome and instead ran over and thanked Wednesday for the fight before returning to the people waiting for her off to the side. Enid now noticing that the fight seemed to have gathered a larger crowd than most of the others happening around them. Wednesday whispering that she often drew a crowd before the two girls found a place to sit. Waiting for Wednesday’s next match
Much as Wednesday had predicted they managed to get through two rounds of matches before they had to call for lunch. Wednesday’s second match having taken place at the end of the last round. Again Wednesday managed to secure another win without giving her opponent a point. This one being a tall redhead that took the loss slightly less well. Getting seemingly more and more frustrated the more points Wednesday scored until she stalked off once the ref had declared Wednesday the winner
“well... so far so good?” Enid asked eyeing after the the angry girl as Wednesday walked up to her helmet and sabre still in hand
“yes it’s going quite well” Wednesday said not sparing a second glass towards her opponent “now there’s forty minutes for lunch and then there’ll be makeup matches for the ones who’ve lost so far before we move onto the remaining rounds”
“so that’s technically a little over an hour before you have to be back here?” Enid asked
“if we don’t want to watch the makeup matches then yes” Wednesday shrugged
“so what are you doing for lunch” Enid asked before hefting Wednesday’s back up “you got something packed?”
“I was actually planning on trying a local thai place that my brother recommended” Wednesday said. In no awy surprising Enid with the fact that she wasn’t the type of person to have a packed lunch. And even if she was Enid could only imagine said lunch would still be miles from the pb&j’s in paper bags she was used to “you’re more than welcome to join me if you want”
“oh yes please” Enid beamed “it’s been a hot minute since I’ve had Thai”
“let’s hope Pugsley still has a nose for a good kaw Phat then” Wednesday smiled as the two of them made their way back towards the locker rooms so Wednesday could get out of her uniform. Enid allowing Wednesday to ninja her way ahead so they had a chance of making it before the flood of people who had much the same idea
____________________________________________________________________________________
Enid glanced around the room as Wednesday silently read through one of the menu’s that had been placed in front of them shortly after they sat down. Enid still not having gotten over the general shock of the place to consider what she wanted to eat
“is something wrong?” Wednesday suddenly asked. Having looked up from her menu and noticed how Enid was looking everywhere but at the menu in front of her
“oh nono everything’s fine” Enid quickly reassured the other girl although Wednesday shot her a look that made it more than clear that she didn’t believe a word of it trapping them in a staring contest for a few seconds to see who’d break first
“okay okay” Enid relented to no-one's surprise “when you said we were getting thai I was kinda expecting a takeaway place. This...” Enid said gesturing around the room where they were currently seated. The entire place made of polished wood and decorated in what Enid assumed was a somewhat traditional that style. All while her and Wednesday were sitting across from one another at a seriously low table. The both of them seated on pillows rather than chairs “it’s just a lot?”
“If you don’t want to eat here we can find somewhere else” Wednesday offered starting to get up almost as soon as she’d finished the sentence
“nono it’s not that” Enid quickly said holding up her hands to stop Wednesday “I’m just not sure I can... afford it?” Enid said feeling a slight blush creep up her cheeks at the admission. Because even just the slight glance she’d made at the menu had made it painstakingly clear that this place was generously out of Enid’s price range. Some of the food costing what she’d normally spend in a week
“Enid. I’m paying” Wednesday said looking at Enid as if that had been obvious from the start “you can order whatever you want”
“oh no I couldn’t. You already pay for... everything, actually” Enid said the realization dawning on her “wait... Am I a mooch?” she continued a few seconds later
“I invited you here so it’s only natural that I pay” Wednesday said picking the menu back up and looking at Enid over the edge of it “Besides,I like spending time with you”
“oh, thank you. I like hanging out with you too by the way” Enid said feeling exceptionally flustered as she picked the menu up and tried to decide what she wanted to eat. The place having a fairly impressive selection.
In the end Enid ended up getting fairly impressive spread of spring rolls, satay skewers as well as a hefty portion of some sort of house special massaman curry. Wednesday having to reassure Enid several times that it was okay before Enid actually managed to order all of it. Especially since Wednesday was only getting some sort of papaya salad and a bowl of rice. Saying she didn’t want to overeat with several matches in front of her
And even if Enid did feel a little bad about the amount of money she was sure she was using, there was no denying that everything was stupidly good. A fact that Wednesday certainly seemed to enjoy as she watched Enid nearly shovel the food into her mouth while making avid commentary about the experience
“no but seriously I think this might be the best thai food I’ve had” Enid said after swallowing
“I’ll relay that to Pugsley. He’ll be glad to know you enjoyed his recommendation” Wednesday rolled her eyes as Enid took another hefty bite
“is yours not good?” Enid said sounding almost heartbroken as she looked up from her plate and towards Wednesday
“oh no it’s delicious” Wednesday said popping another bite of the salad in her mouth to emphasize her point “I just think you’re enjoying it a bit more”
“okay yeah maybe a bit” Enid admitted making the corner of Wednesday’s mouth pull upwards “but you probably eat stuff like this all the time. I don’t even remember the last time I ate out”
“I usually cook for myself actually” Wednesday shrugged as Enid shot her a surprised look “makes it easier to stick to my meal plans”
“oh yeah. I keep forgetting the whole Olympian athlete thing” Enid admitted a bit sheepishly
“oh good to know what I’ve worked towards for most of my life is so easily forgotten” Wednesday teased making Enid blush even worse than she already was
“Hey I’m still getting use to casually hanging out with the second best fencer in the country” Enid defended herself pointing an accusatory fork at Wednesday “and it’s not like I forget when you’re fencing. Now with how you keep wiping the floor with everybody”
“flattery will not save you Sinclair” Wednesday smirked reaching for her rice
“I’m pretty sure Yoko will come after you if you kill me” Enid shrugged smiling triumphantly at Wednesday
“I can take Tanaka” Wednesday shrugged somehow making even eating rice seem smug
“okay you never did explain how you know Yoko’s last name” Enid pointed out “and I’m like ninety percent sure I didn’t tell you”
“Father knows someone with access to car registration records” Wednesday said as if it was perfectly normal
“... you ran her plates?!” Enid exclaimed maybe a bit too loudly considering how some of the other diners looked at her
“I wanted to check that she could be trusted” Wednesday continued to explain still not seeming like anything she was saying was in any way absurd
“okay you do know that I live with her right?” Enid said shooting Wednesday a pointed look “pretty sure I’d know it if Yoko couldn’t be trusted”
“well you can rest easy knowing that you were correct in your assumption then” Wednesday deadpanned
“which you know from checking her car registration?”
“...amongst other things” Wednesday said quietly
“Wednesday... what did you do?”
“would you like dessert?” Wednesday asked suddenly very focused on skewering a piece of Papaya
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A while later the two of them stepped back into the rec center. Wednesday hurrying towards the locker rooms since they’d spent longer at the restaurant than anticipated and were now close to being late for Wednesday’s match. Which Wednesday had very sternly pointed out would mean an automatic forfeit which she had no intention of having on her record
Luckily Wednesday managed to change in record time and walked up to the piste right on time. The ref merely nodding at her as Wednesday took her place in front of her new opponent. Enid excitedly taking her usual spot next to the piste to watch.
As Wednesday had predicted the pace picked up noticeably after the break. Wednesday’s fights being closer together as the slowly reducing number of contestants made moving through rounds easier.
Wednesday for her part continued her win streak with the same efficiency as she had before lunch. Althoug it was becoming clear that there was an increase in skill as well the further Wednesday got. A few of her opponents managing to land hits on her, even if none of them actually managed to beat her
Enid also started to notice that more and more people were stopping by to watch Wednesday’s matches. People who’d been eliminated earlier on staying to watch who’d end up winning, and Wednesday naturally being a solid bet for the title. And honestly Enid couldn’t help but feel weird glee as Wednesday wouldn’t spare any of them as much as a glance when she walked off the piste. Instead making a beeline for Enid every time becoming more and more smug with every win as she definitely noticed Enid’s excitement about it
As the day progressed Enid wasn’t exactly surprised to see that Wednesday was making it to the finals. Was she jumping up and down in excitement as Wednesday won and made her way to the semi final? Yes. But she was in no way surprised by it
It was however slightly surprising when Wednesday managed to have one of her best matches of the day against the her opponent in the semi-final. An slightly older woman who by all logic should have been Wednesday’s hardest fight yet. And somehow the shorter girl managed to win the fight in record time without even getting close to being hit. Her opponent seemingly unable to adjust to the speed which Wednesday moved with on the piste
What all of this meant was that Enid was practically vibrating with energy as they finally announced that the final match was about to begin. Most of the gym gathering round to see as Wednesday and yet another girl stood ready in front of one another. The ref waiting to start the match
Almost as soon as the match started Enid got the feeling that people knew who was going to win. There was no question that the girl was one of the more talented opponents Wednesday had had that day. But even so there seemed to be a clear divide between the two. Wednesday attacks seemingly finding their way to the target easier or Wednesday avoiding incoming attacks with just a tinge more speed than her opponent could muster
Enid still watched with bated breath as the match progressed. Wednesday’s opponent obviously giving it her all even as it became more and more obvious that she was fencing a nigh impenetrable wall
In the end it was Wednesday’s closest match of the day. The other girl managing to land s total of five hits on her before Wednesday finished the fight. That however didn’t change much as applause erupted from the people gathered and what seemed like a makeshift award ceremony started taking place around Wednesday. A group of even t officials surrounded the shorter girl. Handing her a small ribbon along with a certificate before shaking her hand and congratulating. All while Enid was standing off to the side bouncing from foot to foot.
When Wednesday finally managed to free herself and walk over to Enid, the blonde momentarily lost control of herself and threw her arms around Wednesday. Who instantly stiffened in response the exact same moment Enid realized what she was doing
“Oh shoot sorry” Enid said quickly pulling away “shoulda asked”
“its fine. I did win so a hug is in order” Wednesday replied after collecting herself after the sudden intrusion into her personal space
“really?” Enid asked taking a step back towards the other girl who quickly held up a finger
“one hug Enid” Wednesday said her tone warning that it probably wasn’t a good idea to defy her. A warning Enid abided by as she took a step back
“Okay okay, but you still freaking won!”
“like I said I would. I don’t see why you keep acting so surprised when it happens” Wednesday said sounding so genuine that Enid almost gagged at it
“You’re really too cocky for your own good you know that right?” Enid asked raising an eyebrow
“hardly cocky if I’m right” Wednesday shot back making Enid sigh
“okay okay you’re great, and not at all cocky. But please tell me you’re okay to drink now?” Enid smiled “because you’ve won twice now and we are way overdue for a celebration”
“we could still have celebrated without there being alcohol involved” Wednesday mused “but yes I’m good to drink now”
“Yes!” Enid pumped her fist in the air “is there something you need to do here before we leave or?”
“not really They’ll register the results on their own and I doubt this event is large enough to draw any sort of reporters-“
“not that you’d talk to them” Enid interrupted earning her a glare from Wednesday
“...so no I have no further obligations here” Wednesday finished
“great. And also I’m a reporter and I’m here. So how are you feeling about your win today ms Addams?” Enid said enjoying herself more than she probably should be
“increasingly murderous” Wednesday grumbled back
“I’m truly scared” Enid said holding her hand to her chest and doing her best to sound sincere. Even if she dissolved into giggles after a few seconds “now go and get cleaned up. We can’t go partying if you’re all sweaty”
“I seriously doubt your dump of a bar has any sort of standards regarding customer odour” Wednesday pointed out. Although she did start making her way towards the locker rooms. Grabbing her bag from Enid before she went
Enid tumbled into the bar laughing so hard at something Wednesday had said that the noise made Yoko turn towards the door. Throwing a disapproving look towards the two girls as Enid waved excitedly and Wednesday looked like she wanted to die as the show made everyone in the bar glance their way
“I’m taking it you won since little miss sunshine here is all giddy?” Yoko remarked as Enid and Wednesday reached the bar. The comment clearly being directed towards the latter as she was still pointedly ignoring Enid who was in all fairness bouncing with energy at this point
“yes, as expected really” Wednesday responded “and now Enid is insisting we celebrate”
“by mooching off of me as per usual I suppose?”
“hey it’s you who keeps saying I can swing by if I want a drink!” Enid protested pointing an accusatory finger at Yoko
“And I meant a beer once in a while. Not getting shitfaced with the local rabble” Yoko shot back smiling smugly as Enid’s face scrounged up in annoyance
“I am more than capable of paying for my own drinks” Wednesday butted in raising an eyebrow towards Enid
“you already paid for my stupidly expensive lunch. Let me treat you for once” Enid dismissed the suggestion. Yoko’s eyebrows shooting upwards as Enid said it but thankfully she kept her jokes to herself. Even though Enid was sure she was gonna have to endure endless teasing about the lunch thing later “so two specials please”
“okay but I just want to make it clear that technically it’s me treating shorty and not you” Yoko said as she procured two mugs and filled them each with a liquid that could only just be classified as beer. But at least it was free. A fact that clearly didn’t weigh as heavily for Wednesday when she took her first sip. Pulling a face as she swallowed
“you drink this poison willingly?” Wednesday said looking suspiciously between her own mug and Enid who just shrugged as she drank from her own
“you get used to it” Enid said after wiping the beer foam from her mouth. Smiling at the way Wednesday pulled a face at the sight
“if I didn’t know any better I’d say you enjoyed being tortured” she said sliding her mug over the counter towards Enid with a disparaging look on her face
“well I am friends with you sooo” Enid giggled, which only got worse when Wednesday rolled her eyes in response
“very creative” Wednesday mumbled as she stuck her hand in her pocket. Pulling out her wallet a few seconds later
“Tanaka I will pay you to keep this swill away from me” Wednesday said holding up a fifty which Yoko quickly snatched up with a smile
“definitely a deal” Yoko beamed ignoring Enid’s protests that tonight was supposed to be her treat “what are you drinking?”
“I don’t suppose this place does a espresso martini?” Wednesday asked, her question being asked by Yoko’s expression alone “No. Then I’ll take whatever you have that passes as good scotch. On the rocks if you would”
“coming up boss” Yoko said doing a very sarcastic salute before turning around a pulling a bottle from one of the upper shelves
“you even drink like a rich person” Enid teased as she took another sip of her beer
“I will not apologize for having taste” Wednesday responded leaving little room for argument “besides I have had more than my fair share of shitty beer” she continued, which just earned her an inquisitive look from Enid
“out of state trips. With the team” Wednesday offered up to answer Enid’s unspoken question “it was tradition for someone to sneak out after a win and get whatever alcohol they could. Which usually meant cheap beer from places that wouldn’t card us”
“and I bet you guys won a lot with you on the team” Enid remarked with a smile. Which Wednesday didn’t answer but her face said more than enough
“didn’t really have that when I grew up” Enid continued “I guess church camp is different”
“church?” Wednesday raised an eyebrow as Yoko placed her revised drink in front of her. Wednesday taking a careful sip before seemingly judging in acceptable “I didn’t know you were religious”
“oh I’m not. Not really” Enid quickly responded “my… my parents were so I went when I was younger. Community stuff you know”
“I suppose that explains your insistence on catching up” Wednesday joked gesturing towards the mug in Enid’s hand. Enid thankful that she didn’t push the subject of her parents. Whether it was because Wednesday just didn’t care or because she’d noticed Enid’s hesitation despite best efforts to hide it
“I guess yeah” Enid laughed taking a few seconds to collect herself “so what do you even do on fencing trips? I mean other than fence”
“a lot of the time they’d have us sharing a hotel room so it was much like a sleepover fuelled on competition adrenaline” Wednesday explained taking another, less hesitant, sip “the alcohol didn’t come into play until we were older and at that point it was mostly gossip or various party games”
“I kind of have a hard time imagining you gossiping while letting some girl braid your hair” Enid said smiling at the mental image
“admittedly I mostly sat on the side-lines and observed. Though I still hold the title as Jenga champion four years running” Wednesday responded
“wow fencing and Jenga?” Enid laughed “is there anything you can’t do?”
“very few” Wednesday responded not acknowledging the obvious sarcasm in Enid’s voice “although father maintains that I’m not allowed in his workshop after the accident”
“oh I’ve got to hear about that” Enid said leaning closer to the other girl her eyes widening
“you wish Sinclair” Wednesday said smiling smugly as Enid frowned at the rejection.
“okay but what is a flunge?” Enid asked her voice thick as she held her hand out to emphasize “because I definitely heard Kent say it and it so doesn’t sound like a real word”
“it’s a type of attack” Wednesday said her eyes narrowing into slits as what Enid had just said sank in “and I wasn’t aware you talked with Kent”
“oh I don’t really talk with him” Enid gulped as she realized she’d just outed her informant “he just helped me out with some fencing stuff… and gave me your training schedule” Enid admitted as Wednesday continued glaring at her
“I had been wondering how you kept showing up like that” Wednesday muttered. Enid swearing she heard her say something about a traitor under her breath
“Maybe I was just really really intuitive” Enid shrugged trying to look nonchalant even as she felt herself sway slightly
“that would be the day” Wednesday remarked
“hey! Rude!”
“wow she’s really out huh?” Yoko said looking at Enid splayed out across the small table snoring quietly only interrupted by a small whine as Yoko poked her side
“you do have a habit of overserving her Tanaka” Wednesday remarked coldly swirling the last remains of her own drink in her glass
“I gave her like five beers! It’s not my fault she’s a lightweight!” Yoko protested which was only met by a challenging look from Wednesday “also damn you’re like a mean drunk huh?”
“I’m no meaner than when I’m sober I assure you” Wednesday said slowly getting up from the table, having to steady herself as her legs felt wobblier than she’d first anticipated
“oh I’m sure” Yoko shot back “and look this is gonna start looking like a real bad pattern but I-“
“your shift doesn’t end for another few hours so you again can’t escort Enid home” Wednesday cut in taking pleasure in Yoko’s affronted grimace “Enid already told me before she fell asleep. She also apologized on your behalf several times” Wednesday continued to explain
“alright” Yoko said nodding slowly, not really sure why she’d have to apologize when Enid was the one passed out “and thank you for getting her home”
“of course” Was all Wednesday offered before leaning down and gently shaking Enid while mumbling to her. Which Enid almost immediately responded to by raising her head from the table and looking blearily at Wednesday
“and of course she wake up for you” Yoko complained throwing her hands up in the air earning her a confused look from Wednesday “and you better not drive. I know you’re drunk too”
“we’re getting a cab” Wednesday reassured Yoko as she pried Enid out of the booth “I parked my car back home before we came here”
“good” Yoko nodded “then just text me when you’re home. Or have Enid text me since you don’t have a phone or whatever”
“I’ll make sure she does” Wednesday nodded as she started escorting the blonde towards the door. Enid needing less support than Wednesday had feared as she followed after making sure the other girl didn’t stumble too far ahead
“that… was too many stairs” Enid mumbled leaning against the wall as Wednesday worked on getting her apartment door unlocked
“we took the elevator” Wednesday replied finally getting the key in the door and getting the damn thing open
“still too many” Enid grumbled before following Wednesday into the apartment really starting to look forward to collapsing on anything vaguely resembling a bed
“Enid you still ha-“ Wednesday started as they walked from the foyer and into the living and Enid fell face first onto the couch “still have to take off your jacket” She finished with a sigh
“I’m fine like this” Enid said adjusting herself slightly before reaching out and hugging one of Wednesday’s sofa cushions
“you’re not sleeping on my couch with your shoes on” Wednesday said her tone making it clear that it wasn’t a suggestion
“okay okay no need to yell at me Willa” Enid grumbled as she sat up on the couch rubbing her eyes before looking up at a Wednesday who was staring at her with confused look
“Willa?” Wednesday asked inclining her head ever so slightly
“your name is long” Enid explained blearily as she bent down starting to untie her shoes “who even names their kid Wednesday?”
“I’m named after my mother’s favourite poem” Wednesday explained in a tone that said this was something she’d said countless times “and I do not remember approving any nicknames”
“you’re named after a poem?!” Enid exclaimed completely ignoring Wednesday’s complaint and abandoning her shoelaces still tied “can I hear it?”
“Enid…” Wednesday sighed
“please?”
“… are you going to finish taking off your shoes and go to sleep if I recite the poem?” Wednesday asked tiredly to which Enid nodded several times. Causing Wednesday to sigh again before she sat down next to the other girl
“it’s an old fortune tellers rhyme which was popularized in the seventeenth century” Wednesday explained Enid staring intently at her as Wednesday collected herself and took a big breath before continuing
“Monday’s child is fair of face” Wednesday started her voice monotone but still ensnaring Enid as much as it always had. Enid’s focus slowly being drawing away from the room around them and instead zeroing in on the way Wednesday’s lips moved as she recited the poem
“Tuesday’s child is full of grace” Wednesday continued rolling her eyes at how giddy Enid looked at her
“Wednesday’s child is full of woe” Wednesday cringed as she recited the line making Enid giggle slightly before she forced herself to be quiet to Wednesday could continue. Although that was easier said than done as she started to notice just how close Wednesday was sitting to her and how her tongue would dart out to wet her lips whenever there was a pause in the rhythm of the poem
“Thursday’s child has far to go” Wednesday said. Although Enid’s attention had slowly moved away from the words being said to her as an idea started to form in the back of her mind. An idea that she’d any other day blame on Yoko’s constant idiotic teasing but right this second seemed like a perfectly fine suggestion to her
“Friday’s child is loving a-“ Wednesday started but didn’t get any further into the next rhyme scheme as Enid had suddenly let herself surge forward and pressed her lips against Wednesday’s. A bit harder than she had first intended, but she’d avoided smashing their teeth together which was a win in her book considering past experience
And just for one glorious second Enid’s entire chest felt like it was filled with a million butterflies before she slowly pulled away again looking over at Wednesday who was sharing back at her looking shocked but not angry as Enid had feared
“sorry” Enid mumbled knowing she should have probably have asked first “you’re really pretty” she added after a few seconds as if that was somehow an explanation
“you’re very drunk” Wednesday responded blinking a few times before slowly getting up from the couch “I’ll get you a blanket”
“I’m sorry” Enid said again having to fight the urge to reach out after Wednesday “I know I shouldn’t have”
“I’m not mad Enid” Wednesday said gently turning around to face her “I’d just prefer to have this conversation when you’re clear headed”
“okay” Enid nodded offering up a weak smile as Wednesday walked way to get the blanket she’d promised
They didn’t speak much after that. Enid feeling like there was a giant lump in her chest blocking any words from coming out and Wednesday being her usual stoic self as she prepared the couch and said goodnight to Enid before retreating towards her own room
Enid spent some time laying buried under the covers worried she’d messed everything up. Forcing herself not to cry because she was afraid Wednesday would hear and she didn’t want to put that on her as well. But after some time the tiredness beat the nervousness and Enid drifted into a restless sleep
Enid slowly opened her eyes only to instantly press them shut again as a bolt of pain shot through her temple the minute the light hit her. Enid swore she either had to start pacing herself of make Yoko promise to cut her off for good.
Her retreat into the silent darkness was however soon interrupted by the sound of someone walking close by. Enid slowly sneaking one eye open to see Wednesday make her way down the stairs glancing towards the bed as she did
“morning” Enid greeted weakly raising a hand towards Wednesday who just nodded in response before continuing towards the kitchen. Enid hearing the sound of running water before Wednesday returned and sat a glass of water on the coffee table. Holding a matching one in her hand as well
“thank you” Enid mumbled before pushing herself up and taking several grateful gulps from the glass Wednesday still not saying much as she sipped from her own glass. Enid chalking it up the other girl feeling hungover as well. Enid certainly feeling like there was a rail spike buried in her skull
Enid’s theory was however smashed to pieces after several long minutes of them sitting and nursing each their glass. Wednesday letting Enid have a chance of waking up before she placed her glass on the table and took a deep breath
“We need to talk Enid” Wednesday said in a tone that made it clear that something was wrong
“sure” Enid said a bit too quick. Trying to stay calm despite suddenly feeling like she’d swallowed a boulder
“if this is because you had to take me home again I’m so sorry” Enid suddenly blurted out feeling like she suddenly couldn’t sit still as she tried to remember what she might have done wrong. The events from the night before more than foggy “I know I probably shouldn’t drink that much and I promise it won’t happen again. Honestly the apartment isn’t even that far from the bar so I can get myself home really so you do-“
“It’s not that Enid” Wednesday cut her off as gently as she could as Enid started rambling
“oh okay” Enid swallowed as Wednesday continued to stare unreadably at her “then uhm what’s wro-“ Enid started only to stop as she started to remember more from the night
“oh my god Wednesday I’m so sorry” Enid blurted out remembering what she’d done the night before “I didn’t mean to or I did but I shouldn’t have because I didn’t ask and I’m not even..” Enid tried before finding herself lost for words. Not knowing what to say to make what she’d done better. Wednesday clearly uncomfortable with what she’d done
“you’re not what?” Wednesday asked her voice harsher than Enid was used to
“I… I don’t know” Enid admitted not really knowing where she had planned on going with the sentence. Trying to deny that she was interested in Wednesday as she had been up until now seemed almost childish now. And Enid couldn’t imagine lying to the other girl to save her own skin “I’m just so so sorry Wednesday” she said instead not knowing what else to say
Wednesday looked at her for several long seconds. Enid hoping and silently begging that the other girl would say something. Anything that would tell her how to make it alright again
“I think it would be best if we stopped seeing each other” Wednesday finally said making Enid’s heart sink into her stomach as she tried to process what she’d just heard
“wha…what?” Enid choked on the words trying her best not to start crying but already feeling hot tears stream down her cheeks “no Wednesday I’m sorry it was just me being stupid” Enid tried the entire situation feeling all to familiar as she fought back a sob
“I know but it’s not you” Wednesday sighed all harshness having disappeared from her voice “it’s my fault”
“what? You haven’t done anything wrong” Enid said furiously trying to wipe her eyes so she could see clearly “it’s me who messed up”
“what happened was out of your control” Wednesday said looking so sad Enid could feel her heart breaking at the sight “but you’re asking for more than I can give and I don’t want to hurt you anymore than I have already”
“Wednesday you haven’t hurt me” Enid tried explaining “I mean I kissed you and you were re-“
“Enid” Wednesday cut her off again “I know how this goes and it’s better if it ends here. I tried and now I know. I’m not made to have things like this”
“Wednesday we don’t have to just stop seeing each other” Enid almost pleaded “we can still…”
“I was opening the matter for discussion” Wednesday said with such finality that Enid clamped her mouth shut feeling a new stream of tears flowing down her cheeks
“it would be best if you left soon” Wednesday mumbled not meeting Enid’s gaze. Not even as Enid stood up from the couch and started collecting her things from around the living room. Enid not sure how much longer it would be before she broke down completely and she did very much not want to still be in the apartment when it happened
“I’m sorry Enid” Wednesday almost whispered as Enid picked her shoes up from the floor. Causing Enid to pause for a second and regard the other woman who was still intensely staring at the floor. Although Enid didn’t allow herself more than that before she quickly walked into the foyer and threw the door open. Deciding to put on her shoes and jacket outside rather than stay another second in a place she wasn’t welcome. A feeling she knew all too well.