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[Aya]

After her latest victory, the woman left the rings and proceeded to take her usual place against the wall. She folded her arms across her chest and with a scowl across her features, proceeded to watch the fights that continued in the Annex. She remained unmoving; the exception being dark eyes that quietly observed the remaining patrons.

No one spoke to her. No one acknowledged her. It was as if she did not exist. Normally, this would suit her just fine as she preferred her solitude. Being unnoticed made it easier for her to blend into the shadows and strike if the need were there. Unfortunately, the only real battles that took place in Rhydin were the ones in the sporting venues. This meant that blending into the walls was relatively useless.

It had begun to weigh on her. After years of training, meditating, removing as much emotion from her life as possible, she was beginning to feel the nagging sensation of something missing, she was beginning to feel.. for lack of a better word, lonely.

All that fueled her was her anger. Her anger at herself for when she failed, at her opponents for daring to face her or strike her, anger at other women for being so flirtatious and men for being men.

Somewhere along the formidable path of her life, she had misplaced what it was to be a person with emotion. So much time had past that she no longer had an understanding of what it was like to laugh, to smile,to be light of heart. The resulting revelation served only to feed her internal rage. It also made her more aware of the sensation of loneliness. Anger and loneliness were obviously negative emotions that served no constructive purpose any longer.

In the past, she used to have Ekth as an anchor against such emotions. When he was around, she was not so alone. He was a pest, but a tolerable one. He had managed to make her smile on one or two occasions, mostly out of sheer, dumb luck than through any real effort at being amusing. But he was gone, long gone. No one knew where.

So without such an anger or balance, her ire smoldered. It intensified. And with it, so did the perception that she was isolated.

She stood there, her eyes no longer watching the matches. Instead, they were watching those not in the rings. The women flirting with the men. The friends doing the "Hanging out" thing that seemed so common. There were drinks, jokes, laughing, even the annoying drama over some wretched slaving incident. But they were friends, together, having an enjoyable time.

And the impression gained by witnessing the camaraderie settled on her mind like a dense fog.

[Aya]

Now that she had identified her problem, she has to fix it.

This is where she gets the idea to talk to someone about the problem.

This person then suggests someone more commonly popular and experienced in having a good time without being grossly ridiculous.

The person suggested is G.

Aya will shun that suggestion, stating her opinion of G.

The person will maintain that Aya wanted to change, and G is the person best suited to suggest it, despite most common appearances.

Aya relents, decides to speak with G at the GIT.

Hilarity ensues.