It was raining outside the dojo for almost a half hour. The weather had shifted quite oddly. When Okako and Pema went back home, the huge clouds were about to avoid the island, but when they were half-way to the dojo, the wind suddenly changed course and they had to run for the last few dozen meters or risk to getting drenched.
The single room in the building was dark, as they didn't want to light candles, lest they will attract unwanted attention. This made Pema's work a little harder though, but the girl made quite a bit of progress with opening the box. Okako just sat on the training mat and watched her struggle. She tried to help her at the beginning, but she had done more harm than good, so she left the job to Pema.
The silence began to turn rather uncomfortable. Pema was busy with opening the box, and while her curses were rather funny, they weren't a basis for a conversation. So Okako got stuck by herself in the darkness, and her thoughts inevitably began to wander away. Personally, she didn't really approve this whole "sword theft", but as the lieutenant of the group, she had to at least oversee it. Pema of course tried to persuade the others too to help her, but Nirmal was uninterested in swords, Kitara could have them anyway and Asha quickly turned her down as she didn't want to face Tamara's wrath in case they get caught. Suki opposed the plan, but at least she didn't reveal it and Kei was just… Kei. On the other hand, Okako was both interested and eager to help.
Just like Pema she also thought that it was unfair that only Kitara was allowed to train with a real sword. They were all big girls now, and it wasn't like their razor-sharp war fans were less dangerous or anything. It just really troubled Okako, and that's why she ultimately agreed to support Pema. But unlike the other girl, she thought about her warrior-sisters too, and she planned to look after them and distribute the swords amongst them. Pema had a really good covering story, and Okako knew that once the swords were in front of them, none of the girls would be able to resist the temptation.
"Done!" Pema's shout cut through Okako's train of thoughts. She hurryingly crawled to the other girl, just to see the box slowly open up. But Pema's smile quickly changed into a frown.
"What's wrong?"
Pema didn't answer, but reached into the box and brought out two Kyoshi Warrior longswords. And then, still without saying anything simply let Okako to have a look inside the box.
It was empty.
Other than the two swords, it had nothing inside. Even the black veil was missing.
The two girls exchanged a quick, meaningful glance, then grabbed the swords and unsheathed the blades. They slowly moved towards the centre of the dojo, pressing their backs to each other and slowly circling around, sweeping the room for any suspicious sign.
"I had the feeling that someone tinkered with the box before me, but I wasn't entirely sure." panted Pema heavily. Okako could hear the mounting panic from her voice, and she wasn't in a better mood either.
"Couldn't it be Tamara?" Stupid idea. She would just simply open the box.
"Nope. Whoever took our stuff, he or she breached the box just like me."
"And why did he leave the swords?"
Pema muffled a laugh.
"Someone was eavesdropping us. Our thief left the swords for us as an invitation."
"A challenge?" It began to look worse and worse with each passing moment.
But who did this?
"Yup. And a serious one."
They reached the centre of the dojo, but so far, Okako couldn't spot anything unusual. And from Pema's moves she could feel that the other girl similarly couldn't find anything.
Time slowed down, and each passing second became an eternity. Okako could feel her heart thumping crazily in her chest, and her muscles tightening from anticipation. It seemed like even the darkness drew back, revealing dim, weirdly shaped shadows. Okako nearly stormed one of these figures only to realize that it was just her senses fooling her.
"I think we should inform Instructor Tamara." she whispered finally. Even though she said this really carefully, her worlds still successfully startled Pema. The girl screamed up and made a chaotic swing with her sword.
The blade has barely missed Okako, but it was enough to make her panic. She pulled up her own sword, trying to parry, but she missed. Unfortunately, her hand has also slipped on the hilt, and she dropped the sword. It landed right between Pema's feet, with its pointy end downwards, piercing the training mat and probably the floor under it too for good two or three fingers deeply.
But at least it broke Pema's panicked move, so that she could understand the situation. For a long moment, the two girls just stared at each other.
"Uhm… Okako?"
"Yes Pema?"
"I'm kinda' scared." Okako nodded. She was quite frightened too.
"We should go and find Instructor Tamara."
Pema gulped, and took a deep breath.
"I think our guest will also be around her."
"Then he is a fool." said Okako reassuringly. "If we can warn Tamara, then he will have no chance against us." This made Pema smile. She leaned forward, and hugged Okako. The other girl returned the gesture, and they remained like that for a long moment.
"And what will happen if he will attack us while we are looking for mom?"
"We will watch each other's back." Okako reached down, and pulled out her sword from the floor. She lifted the blade up, so it hovered between their faces. The dim light from the outside ran through the sharp edge, a little star dancing to the whispers of metal and death. "And if he really attacks us, then he will face Avatar Kyoshi's judgement!"