Morning sunlight streamed into the dojo like liquid falling playfully as it wished, falling with warm and gentle cascades upon the figure in the center of the room. Since the immortal essence of Shau Lau had begun coursing through her being like a howling river, Colleen's relationship with light had changed - the seeming disparity between burning light hardening to be as swordsteel at first seemed inexplicable. A strange duality that she would be spending her life learning to balance, but all too soon it had become more clear.

The energy coursed through her body in regular channels like blood, the feelings of it ebbing and flowing within her like the tides made of burning and harsh sunlight was very plain at all times, and its flow within her had helped her begin to understand - its flow was disrupted by her own feelings and her own mind. It would course like an eager river through her mind just as it did her body, and early on it had made her flinch when it moved through her once-broken arm. The flow had continued, eroding and adjusting the flesh and bone around it until it was as if the break in her upper arm had never been. Soon, it was plain enough that the events in her life she had flinched away from thinking about were affecting the flow in the same way. That revelation had left her stunned and needing to take a walk, but it hadn't taken long for her to begin sitting down and dealing with every event in her life that made her flinch to think about - and learn to make peace with them, one at a time.

Every time she made peace with one more painful memory, the flow within her was noticeably smoother, and felt more natural. The secrets about what it could do slowly became more plain, and the seeming opposite of weightless light and unbreakable energy slowly made a little more sense. Her intent could give substance to light, using her own body as a medium - and that knowledge made possible many more things than just imbuing her fists or even the sword held in them to force everything they met to break, shatter, and split.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Colleen felt the light within her flow like smoke up and down her arms and legs, and circulating within her chest as it maintained the flow like a second heart. Exhaling, she felt the spinning light within her chest spin faster, pulsing a fresh wave of light flowing through her limbs.

Suddenly feeling the need to test it, she got up to her feet, and walked to one of the heavy bags in her dojo. Standing exactly an arm-length away from the heavy bag with her left leg behind her for balance, she extended her right arm and hand to just gently brush the surface of the bag with her fingertips. Slowly, she inhaled, feeling air filling her lungs from bottom to top, and feeling the burning star within her chest spin faster and more strongly, as if in anticipation of what she was about to do. Her fingers closed into a fist, and she exhaled with a hard breath - her fist and forearm briefly shone with white light, just as it slammed into the bag with a thunderclap.

Her eyes widened, even as she blinked. There was no other word for it - the bag had simply exploded, torn strips of material and the padding within it strewn for at least ten meters outward from the point of impact, as if shaped charge had just gone off.

"Fuck," she said out loud, shaking her head in disbelief for a moment before walking over to grab the dustpan and broom. Even as she did however, she could swear that the energy coursing within her almost felt... smug. She smirked to herself, even after she swept up the remains of her bag and tossed it into the garbage pan. Walking back to the remains of the heavy bag still dangling by the hook from the ceiling, she frowned as she glanced at the ladder standing at the open broom closet in the corner, all the way across the room.

Colleen glanced up at the bag danging from the hook several meters above her, and then glanced out the windows of her dojo, verifying that there were no passers-by at the moment. Giving into impulse, she ducked down into a crouch as she inhaled, and looked straight up to the hook at the ceiling. Carefully aiming and adjusting, she exhaled as she leapt upward, her feet and ankles glowing brightly for a moment. Too late, she realized she added a bit too much power as her head and shoulder hit the ceiling, but even as she flinched from the impact, she managed to grab the hook from the ceiling with her right hand. With her left, she quickly took out the hook for the heavy bag, and flung it toward the garbage can before letting go of the hook and dropping to the floor. She landed lightly on her feet in a crouch, dusting off her hands with a small smile.

As she was walking back to the center of her dojo, her eyes flicked to the clock, and nodded to herself - she had just over twenty minutes until her first class would begin to show. More than enough time for a bit more mediation first. Just as this thought crossed her mind, she felt an old and powerful presence approaching her shop. A moment later, the bell above the door of her dojo jingled cheerfully, heralding the entrance of an old man of oriental descent with a head shaven bald. He had a long white beard, and rheumy eyes, though he moved with surprising grace for a man of his years. His sightless eyes seemed to examine her for a moment. "I am looking for the avatar of Shau Lau."

Giving him a friendly smile, Colleen dusted her hands off, suddenly self-conscious of the small remains of the ill-fated heavy bag still on them. "I am she," she said, bowing formally. When she rose, she looked him in the eyes with a friendly smile, and continued the semi-proper introduction. "My name is Colleen Wing."

"I am the sage of the four winds, Feng Shou," he said in return, examining her curiously. "I come bearing an urgent directive for the Iron Fist, one of extreme danger to your life and soul. Are you ready for such a thing, avatar?" he asked, a note of challenge and skepticism in his voice.

"I am willing to hear you," Colleen said, raising her chin. "What is this mission?"

"The whole world has heard the impact of the foul snake's empire of the Hand fall to the ground, but there is one thing left to do, lest the Hand's story continue," he said evenly. "The foul snake itself is a fallen dragon of Kun Lun, corrupted through the Hand's foul design. It's human avatar was given to the snake as an adult instead of a child, and yet this adult was a more natural fit for the dark serpent than any in hundreds of generations. Legends have been written of the Last Avatar of the Hand, the Last Black Sky - and the great terrors she will be capable of bringing about. Your task is to stop her rise, to prevent the dark serpent from spreading her foul wings, and taking flight."

She had to translate and turn those words over in her head, but Colleen had to know more before she made a decision. Especially since she was pretty sure who this old sage was talking about already. "Would it be possible for this avatar to instead free the dragon?" she asked evenly.

The man peered at her curiously for a moment. "Possible I suppose, but I would not dare count it as probable. The circumstances, intent, and will required to bring it about is so vanishingly unlikely as to be nearly impossible."

Colleen took a deep breath in order to keep her face expressionless. "What would happen if it did?"

"You wish to entertain impossibility?" the old man asked, skepticism laden in his voice. "Very well - if that somehow occurred, the dragon within her would become as an avatar again, passing down through generations, just as Shau Lau does. Moreover, it would mean the Hand, in whatever form it attempted to rise in, would never again be able to use the terrible weapon they once built an empire upon - for that weapon would have regained itself."

"Alright," Colleen replied slowly, again doing her best to keep her face and body language calm. "What if that already happened?"

The man, Feng Shou, seemed to examine her for a few moments more. "I will need to see her abilities manifest to be sure, if you are implying what I believe you are implying." The skepticism was now rich in his voice, but he at least appeared willing to listen to impossibility.

Fair enough, Colleen thought. "One moment then, Sage," she said with a polite smile to him as she took her phone from out of her back pocket, and called back the number that had called her last.

It rang twice before picking up. "Whatever it is Colleen, the answer is no," the woman's voice groaned in greeting.

Colleen smirked, even as she put the call on speakerphone. "The answer is 'yes,' dear Ellie. This is your morning wake up call of destiny," she said, adding a few notes of drama to her delivery. If she was going to enjoy this random gift life had given her, she was going to enjoy this right. The old sage was looking at her suspiciously now as well - this was perfect.

"I hope you wake up to a terrible case of hemorrhoids tomorrow, since you are entirely too cheerful right now," the woman grumbled spitefully. "I barely got to bed not two hours ago, Colleen. I'm not going to visit you yet, and that means you get to suffer coffee withdrawals all by your poor deprived self unless you get your lazy arse up and actually visit the shop on your own."

"No no, just a quick question," Colleen asked musingly, enjoying this far too much. "Do you prefer Black Sky, or Bright Sky?"

There was a moment of silence. "Are you high right now? When it's bright and early in the morning, no less?" the woman asked suspiciously. "Is that what this is?"

"Nope," Colleen said, unable to hide her wide smirk. "Just answer the question."

There was another moment of silence. "Well," Elektra replied with exaggerated thoughtfulness, "I suppose it would be a tough fucking choice, but I think I would be forced to choose Bright Sky. For one thing, I can light something on fire without needing a lighter first, and for another, I'm not a brainwashed zombie. Whyever do you ask?"

The look on the old sage's face was memorable. "Just checking," Colleen replied lightly. "You may have accidentally broken a prophecy, and possibly a monk, is all," she continued, trying not to laugh.

There was yet another pause before Elektra replied. "I'm not judging you for taking the pot before you give your classes Colleen, but you're seriously making me want to punch you in the face."

"Wait," Colleen replied, trying her hardest not to laugh. "Did you just call it 'the pot?'"

"I'm so very sorry that I'm not properly hip to your darned kids' lingo, Thelma," Elektra sounded exaggeratedly remorseful. "Perhaps we can hang up now so that when you and Scooby finish eating up all his snacks, I'll actually have gotten some sleep!"

At this, Colleen couldn't hold it in any longer, and broke out into laughter, but managed to reign it in after a moment. "Sorry for waking you, Ellie. I'll see you later."

From the phone, there were a few indecipherable grumbling noises, and then the call went dead. Colleen looked up from her phone to see the old monk looking quite contemplative before speaking.

"I assume you know of a place where avatars such as yourself can test your strength without harming others?"

After a moment's thought, Colleen nodded. "There's a warehouse Elektra owns near the dock district that's just sitting empty. I can ask her when she wakes up. Why do you ask?"

The man took a few moments grooming his beard in thought. "I take it from your conversation that you and the Black Sky are friendly?"

Colleen smiled. "She and I only became friends after she cleansed it to become Bright Sky, but yes. Why do you ask?"

"I can only be sure of your assertion once I observe her drawing on the energy within her during a conflict," he said evenly. "For that to happen, she must be pushed into doing so during a fight."

In other words, he wanted to watch as she and Elektra tried to beat the shit out of each other. She mentally shrugged however, as this wasn't exactly new - they just didn't usually have an audience when they sparred. Better yet, they had indeed sparred using their full capabilities more than once - if only to help Jessica learn sometimes. "Fair enough. I can probably talk her into doing so this evening."

"This is acceptable," he said, nodding once. "I will return to see you once the sun begins to set tonight then, Iron Fist."

With that, he nodded once in respect, and left. Sighing, Colleen sent off two quick texts to Elektra and to Danny respectively, and got ready for her first morning class to arrive.

.-./.|.\.-.

For his part, Danny walked into her dojo just after she had dismissed her last class before lunchtime, giving her what looked like an attempt at a concerned look while trying to hide a grin. "So, you've been drafted into a fight," he said sternly.

"Yeah, that's not the part I'm worried about," Colleen sighed as she put on her jacket, and slipped her shoes on as she neared the door. "The part I'm worried about is why this would be happening now, of all times."

Danny looked thoughtful for a moment as he opened the door for her. "I mean, it was only like what, eight months ago that Midland Circle happened? He may not of known before he left to come here," he said, frowning. "Hell, he could have left when I was still the Iron Fist."

Grabbing his hand and squeezing it firmly, Colleen gave him a sympathetic look. "I know, Danny."

Sighing, he put his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the street, this time to an Indian restaurant only three blocks away. "Maybe he already knew, and he was just bored," he smirked.

Her shoulders shaking from laughter for a moment, Colleen looked up at him, her eyes twinkling with mirth, though she did her best to keep a straight face. "Well, we should do our best to help out our elders, I think."

"You two are going to wreck that warehouse later, aren't you?" he asked flatly, but his eyes were deeply amused.

"Well," Colleen replied with an innocently thoughtful look, "he did say that that he wanted to watch the Bright Sky's energy manifest, so he could be sure. I'm just humbled and honored that I can be of help him feel as sure as possible."

"Ah," he said, nodding thoughtfully. "So you two are going to completely flatten that warehouse, then. People are going to think a hurricane hit it tomorrow, aren't they?"

"We're not planning on it," she protested weakly.

"You didn't plan on it when you two hit that mob safehouse in that condemned building on 5th last week, either," he retorted with a smirk.

"We definitely didn't plan to show off then," she said, looking a little embarrassed. "It's not our fault those jackasses brought out grenades."

"Uh-huh," Danny replied, trying to keep a straight face. "What did they call you two again afterward? Mayhem and Disaster?"

"People say weird things when they're stressed," Colleen said stubbornly. "Obviously they had just been through a traumatic experience..."

"...That you caused," Danny interrupted with a grin.

She glared at him. "So, I'm not going to judge what they were saying when they were clearly under stress and not in their right minds."

"The CSI folks said that you two caused more damage to the building than all ten of those grenades, Colleen," he said, trying to sound reproving, and even partially succeeding. Mostly, he was trying not to laugh.

"That building was condemned," she waved off his objection. "We just got luckier than the grenades, is all."

"Colleen, the small part of the building still standing was on fire thanks to your evil best friend," Danny said, trying to keep a straight face. "Seismic sensors nearby thought multiple earthquakes had hit that night, that bright flash you made burned out half the CCTV cameras nearby. Oh and speaking of that evil best friend of yours, I fully blame her for you hitting that car hard enough to damage what was still standing of that building."

"Wait, why are you blaming her for the car thing?" Colleen asked curiously. "I'm the one who hit it."

"You kicked it hard enough for it to roll eight times, until it crashed through the last standing support pillar of the building, Colleen," he said, trying his very best to sound like he disapproved. "I blame her because collapsing a building on someone is out of her playbook. She's clearly a terrible influence on you. Also, she threatened a cop."

"Or a great influence, especially since my totally evil friend was just defending someone recording the whole thing on her cell phone - she didn't need to get threatened with a nightstick on top of what just happened," Colleen said with a shrug as they neared the Indian restaurant. "Besides, none of the people there - even the mob members - died or were even permanently injured. We even helped the CSI folks afterward!"

Danny rolled his eyes, but gave her a grin as he opened the door for her. "C'mon, Miss Excessive Property Damage, lunch awaits."

.-./.|.\.-.

When Elektra awoke, she very purposefully did not look at any clocks for the first half an hour after she got out of bed. Instead, she decided to be lazy for once, and take her time getting out of bed, and awake. Getting a small cup of coffee as was now her habit, she walked out to sit on her balcony to see what sort of day she'd woken up to.

Cradling the cup between her palms, she took small sips, letting wakefulness into her sleepy mind with each one, letting more of the sights and sounds of the city waft into her senses with each sip. Once she had finished half of her mug though, she sighed, and finally glanced to her phone. Seeing a text from Colleen, she rolled her eyes and opened it.

Then she blinked, and re-read the text after taking a larger sip of coffee. Deciding that the coffee wasn't quite helping her understand it yet, she got another cup, and made this one stronger. She drummed her fingers on her countertop as she waited for it to finish, and automatically stirred in honey, cinnamon, and a bit of milk as she went over the text in her mind.

Once she was done, she took her phone and her fresh mug of coffee to her laptop, and checked to ensure that the warehouse was actually available. Given that Colleen had mentioned that "cutting loose" was actually a requirement here, she also made sure that not only said warehouse was actually empty, but that its surroundings were clear as well. At this point, she was fairly sure of both - however, said warehouse had been left unattended for more than three months, so it was quite likely someone attempting to be clever had decided to move in.

After sending a sarcastic text to Colleen about falling prey to stupidity because an old guy looked dramatic, she sent a followup informing her that the old man was about to watch the new Iron Fist get her ass beat, and then got dressed to go check the warehouse directly.

Well, she thought as she pulled to a quick stop in front of her coffee shop first, breakfast wouldn't hurt.

"Good afternoon Ellie," Jwanza said with a smirk as she walked in. "Is this a surprise inspection?"

"Sure, we're calling it that," Elektra said as she strode purposefully to the baked goods section of the store.

However, she was interrupted by a shrill female voice that felt analogous to a hag running her nattered fingernails on a chalkboard, thinking it was a harp. "Excuse me, excuuuuse me, are you the owner?"

Resisting the impulse to drop into a combat stance, she turned to look at the woman who had a very inflated sense of her own status, standing up and waving (of all things) to get her attention. "I am," she said evenly.

To her disgust, she also heard the shop quiet down - even other patrons were shushing others at this point. Elektra rolled her eyes - she had told an annoying customer to go shop elsewhere in a firm tone of voice once, one time, and now apparently it was an event.

"Yes, my name is Karen, and I have to say your serving staff has a terrible attitude problem," the woman said, tossing her dyed blonde hair over her shoulder.

"How terrible," Elektra said with exactly as much sympathy for the woman's dramatic plight as she could muster at the moment, as she crossed her arms. She also resisted the urge to gaze longingly at the baked goods section.

The shorter woman seemed to puff herself up in seeming importance, a performance that reminded Elektra of a frightened toad. "I just wanted my mocha here to taste like a proper vanilla frappacino," the woman explained, and Elektra immediately resisted the urge to punch this woman in the mouth. "I told the help you hired this, and the girl had the gall to laugh at me. Laugh, like it was somehow funny that I just wanted my proper drink! I demanded the manager, and the girl gave me... a rude gesture, and told me that she was the manager, and that I should do something horrible, and... and probably impossible! I've never been so insulted! What are you going to do about this horrible tragedy that I've had to endure here? What are you going to do about my pain?"

"Well first, I'm glad to hear Clara is settling into her role properly," Elektra said with a straight face.

"What? What do you mean?" the woman asked, a look on her face that suggested Elektra was not following her script, as she opened and closed her mouth in shock.

The frog comparison was becoming more and more apt, Elektra thought idly. "Second, if you have to be told the difference between chocolate and vanilla, I fear for everyone who attended the same schools as you, as your ignorance is impressive enough that I'm concerned it might be contagious."

"What?" the woman asked, now apparently certain she was being insulted.

"And thirdly," Elektra said evenly, "if you want to have a 'proper frappacino', I suggest you leave and go find one."

The woman opened and closed her mouth again, reminding Elektra once again of a frightened frog. "How... how dare you!"

Having had enough, Elektra walked away from the woman, and toward the baked goods section. "Clara!" she called, as she got out four proper pastries for herself. By all that was good and holy in this world, the people she'd hired had learned to make all the items in the baked good section so well that they were almost sinful. "You get a raise! So do you, Jwanza!"

"What? Why?" the man asked, shaking the dreadlocks out of his face as he looked at Elektra in confusion. "What did I do?"

"You manned the oven this morning, didn't you?" Elektra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah... and?" Jwanza asked, looking confused. "I make them like I always do."

Elektra carefully wrapped all four of her still warm baked goods in a napkin. "Liar. You changed the recipes."

"I mean... I added more butter I guess, and took a bit more time with the glazes on some of them, but it wasn't anything new, Ellie," the man shrugged helplessly.

"Right. So, raise," she said with a nod as she walked out. "Oh, before I forget. Clara!" she turned around and called again to the back, as the purple-haired woman with tattoos visible on both arms walked out of the back of the shop. "Next time you flip someone off, it's important to remember that you use both hands. It gives proper emphasis, and proper emphasis is always important."

"I gave her only one because she didn't deserve two," Clara smirked, and they both ignored the woman's gasp. "Also, you gave me my review last week, and gave me a raise then. You can't give me a raise again soon after."

"And here's where I inform you that yes, yes I can," Elektra said haughtily. "You won't get one every time, but the fact that you did it this time shows me that you're taking more initiative now in your new position, and settling into it well."

"So... it was a surprise inspection," Jwanza laughed.

"You earned it by changing the recipes," Elektra said, as she lost her fight against temptation and began eating her apple-cinnamon pretzel. She finished her bite, and then sighed happily before chasing it with her coffee. "Oh yes, definitely your own fault."

He laughed again, shaking his head. "Thanks, Ellie."

She waved her hand dismissively as she walked out. "Again, your own fault. Ta, children," she said as she walked out the door, and moved to her car. Munching on the rest of her preztel, she shifted her car into drive, and took off to visit the warehouse.

Getting there in only thirty minutes, she parked her car in front of the warehouse, ate the last of the blueberry cinnamon bread, and walked purposefully toward the door. To her surprise, not only was the warehouse still empty, but nobody had dumped anything nearby either. Walking around it again in a wider circuit, she felt somewhat impressed. Getting out her phone, she walked back to her car, leaned on the hood, and sent a text to Colleen informing her that the place was clear.

The return text from Colleen came only a few moments later, giving her the time later tonight. Elektra smiled, and got back into the car to drive home.

.-./.|.\.-.

Several hours later, Colleen locked up her dojo, amused as she felt the old man arrive from the bus he'd taken to get here at exactly this time.

He greeted her with a bow, which she returned. "Greetings to you, Iron Fist. Are you prepared for your contest, to prove that the Hand's dragon has been freed?"

"I am," she said with a smile, wearing the usual outfit she wore after-hours, her sword sheathed at her back. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am," he returned with a nod, and walked with her in silence to her car, getting in the passenger's seat without complaint.

The trip was also made in silence, though as she turned the car down the drive with the warehouses evenly spaced apart, the old man spoke up at last. "This must be done with proper ceremony. You must show your full might as Iron Fist, and challenge her to show the same."

"And then?" Colleen prompted.

The old man turned to face her slightly, his sightless eyes not moving. "And then, we shall see."

The two walked to the warehouse, noting that hers was the only car there so far. Colleen rolled her eyes - it was just like Elektra to let Colleen go in first.

Making their way inside, Colleen turned on the lights, nodding in satisfaction as they all still apparently worked. She took off her jacket, revealing her sleeveless shirt. Just as she dropped her jacket to the floor, she heard another car drive up, screeching to a halt. A few moments later, Elektra walked in, wearing her usual night-time outfit as well, without the mask.

"So," Elektra spoke first, taking her own jacket off. "Do I just insult Colleen here about her pizza choices to start?"

Colleen was very tempted to snap off a retort, but she let the old man say his piece. "You have been drawn here, Black Sky, because the power you hold can tear the world apart. I have given the Iron Fist the task of destroying you..."

"I'm flattered," Elektra interrupted, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

The old sage continued as if she had said nothing. "She saw fit to speak in your defense, and raised the impossibility of you having purged the Hand's greatest weapon, and freed the corrupted dragon. This weapon having spent thousands of years in service to the Hand makes this very unlikely, but I am willing to give you the chance."

"I'm flattered and honored, then," Elektra said, only sounding somewhat sarcastic. "Fair enough, let's get on with this."

Colleen slowed and deepened her breathing as she walked to the center of the warehouse, the sunlight circulating within her feeling nearly as thick as blood. Gathering it, she forced it to manifest as she took a stance, both arms and both feet shining with white light. She punched the ground, and a flood of light exploded around her, nearly obscuring her form in the burst of light before fading as if it had never been, apart from the crack in the floor. "I am the avatar of Shau Lau, bearer of the title Iron Fist, wielder of light turned to steel. I challenge the bearer of the Bright Sky to prove herself, to show that the Black Sky is gone, and his old self returned."

"Well, he's not quite what he once was," Elektra said, walking to the center of the warehouse to face Colleen. "He's a bit darker for his experiences, but he's eager," she said with a devilish smile. "I am the avatar of Bright Sky, bearer of a title that we haven't decided yet, wielder of flame and the shadows that fires cast," she said, as she felt her heart and blood within her veins heating to the now-familiar burn that almost felt like she would be burnt to ash.

Getting down into a crouch, she placed one hand gently on the ground, and looked at Colleen. A moment later, the light within the warehouse began to rapidly dim, fading to near darkness. A single flame appeared in front of Elektra, feeding on nothing at all, and reaching about a meter high. A second flame appeared next to it, and another, until there were seven fires burning around Elektra in a circle, illuminating her form in the near-darkness of the warehouse. She stood to her feet, and the flames seemed to follow her lead, now burning at least four meters high. She punched the ground as if to mock Colleen's earlier move, and the flames burst around her into a single massive pillar of fire spinning like a tornado, nearly reaching the roof.

The flames began to rapidly recede, revealing Elektra with her right arm outstretched and her palm up, the flames drawing from the pillar around her into a small, brilliantly bright sphere of fire, shining like a sun in the darkness. She crushed the fire in her hand, and the light in the room began to lighten, reaching the same illumination as before. Elektra grinned. "He's something of a pyromaniac, I think, but we get along."

Colleen and Elektra turned to look at the old sage to see his reaction.

"I admit I was expecting to see a fight, but I am glad that none was needed," he said, bowing to them both respectfully. "We of Kun Lun welcome you back, Bright Sky."

"Well, if you wanted to see a fight," Elektra asked nonchalantly," you could always ask Colleen why she thinks ranch dressing goes on pizza."

Colleen's eyebrows narrowed at the horrible accusation. "I do not put ranch dressing on my pizza! Are you delusional?"

"You can lie to yourself and think happily that alfredo sauce somehow goes on pizza and is somehow dignified," Elektra rolled her eyes, "but it's pizza made with ranch dressing instead of proper tomatoes."

Scowling, Colleen crossed her arms. "I don't think I need to be hearing questionable opinions from heathens who like pineapple on their pizza."

Elektra crossed her arms in return, and raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I missed how much you enjoyed a proper pizza with pineapples on it. Your little happy noises were embarrassing to listen to - I thought for a moment I'd have to lock you in the bathroom with half the pizza and a Barry White album."

"You are ridiculous," Colleen sighed, shaking her head. "First of all, I did not make happy noises."

"Are you hearing your fabled and honored Iron Fist lying, Feng Shou?" Elektra called to the sage. "I'm hearing it and my heart is wilting a little bit - like I'd just seen one of my great heroes throwing up on themselves in a drunken stupor. Much like Jessica and Colleen last Saturday."

"And second of all," Colleen growled through clenched teeth. "You are a horrible person, and you have a horrible sense of humor."

Elektra's eyes widened, and she held a hand to her chest as she gasped dramatically. "I am the paragon of all that is goodness and right, such as setting bad people on fire and stabbing them in the face. How dare you cast such horrible aspersions on my character?"

"You are a heathen who thinks pineapple goes on pizza," Colleen retorted. "Also, you're weird for drinking expensive beer with pizza."

"How original - I'm tempted to believe you actually do like it," Elektra grinned. "And I will be happy to inform you that there is no reason not to properly enjoy yourself if you're having pizza. I didn't see you turning it down. Ever."

"You shut up!" Colleen snapped.

"I'm sorry that you had to witness the defeat of your great and vaunted Iron Fist," Elektra grinned to the old man, "but she totally lost this contest."

"I did not lose, you're just a horrible person," Colleen huffed. "I'm sorry you had to witness Elektra's awful sense of humor," she said with a glare at her friend, before looking back at Feng Shou. "Does that satisfy you?"

"It does," the old man bowed to them both. "I wish you both well - I will return to my monestary, to properly made drinks," he said, purposefully walking out into the night.

"Nice. So," Elektra said, grabbing her coat, "that was it?"

Colleen grabbed her own coat, and turned off the lights. "Yup, seems so. It felt kind of anticlimactic, though. Like there should have been a big fight or something."

Elektra coughed, mumbled "Ranch Dressing" and coughed again.

"Maybe Danny was right in calling you my evil best friend," Colleen glared at her as they walked out.

Locking the warehouse door, Elektra smirked at Colleen. "I doubt I'm the evil one of the two of us. For one thing, I don't lie to myself or great sages from Kun Lun about my pizza choices," she said as she walked to her car.

"Pineapple goes in desserts, not pizza, you heathen!" Colleen called back.

"I'm hearing denial," Elektra said as she got into her car. "See you later, evil best friend!"

"That was you, not me!" Colleen shouted, somewhat uselessly, as Elektra had already peeled out and driven off.

At this point, Colleen had noted that she had not seen the old sage since he walked out of the warehouse, and was nowhere to be seen now. Shrugging, she got into her car, and saw a blueberry piece of cake wrapped in a napkin sitting on the passenger seat.

Smiling, she began to drive home. "Definitely evil - she knows I haven't had dinner yet."