Boscha spent the rest of the day after Masha's visit cooped up inside of the trailer. She had no desire to go to town especially after shouting at her and just let the food she had for breakfast and tap water tide her over. Not that it worked well as the young woman's stomach growled all night and she woke up the next morning feeling miserable. Her eyes creaked open as she threw herself off the bed and walked over to the drawer to get a clean shirt and underwear. She put together her outfit for the day, a black t-shirt with a skull on it with her blue jeans and a leather jacket over top. Boscha looked herself over in the mirror, since she didn't plan on staying in town that long, just enough to grab some supplies and ride this out.

A knock came at the door, causing her to sigh as she figured she knew who it was. Heading over, Boscha tried to prepare herself for saying...something to Masha after that little episode. "Listen, I know I lost my cool yesterday but..." She said to herself to prepare before opening the door. It was not who she expected.

Outside the door stood the two teenage boys that had been with Maggie two days ago. They didn't look any worse for ware, just standing there awkwardly at the bottom of the steps. "Um, hi." The shorter one greeted her, waving his hand briefly. Boscha said nothing as she glared at them.

"Listen, I don't need this right now. You two want to get your brains beat out again, go do it somewhere else." Boscha said in a deadpan tone. "So if you two could get off my rental property that would be great." She noticed an envelop sticking out of the mailbox and retrieved it.

"We aren't here for a fight or anything." Gavin responded as he stepped forward. "We came to apologize for what happened and we wanted to see...if you'd teach us."

The two stood in anticipation for her answer as Boscha opened the envelop. "Yeah, I don't do that. I'm not a sensei." She answered apathetically as she looked over the contents, which were the rental forms from the town council, signed by Masha. She turned the envelop over where a hand written note from the teen: "Sign these at your convenience and deliver to town hall, department for property purchase and rentals."

"I mean, we'd pay you, of course." Gavin added in hopes of winning her over.

Angmar nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're really sorry for all that the other day. We'll do whatever you say, no questions asked."

Boscha rolled her eyes as she looked back down to the form deciding to go back inside and fill out the forms, the two boys traded looks before following her. "We're serious. We could pay you every week, no problem." Gavin told her, the redhead not paying any attention as she signed her name on the highlighted portions along with some personal information. Boscha then came to the realization that she had to take this back to town. The current property was still a good ways away from the community proper and she noticed that the two who had welcomed themselves inside had a an old truck they had arrived in.

"You want something and I want something." She said to them as she turned around. "I need a ride to town."

The two agreed happily as they gave her a lift back to the town. The ride was mostly quiet as the trio drove into town. "So, you staying long? I mean, you renting that place and all, I just figured you'd be hanging around for a while." Gavin said as he drove them back into town. Boscha gave no response as she just looked out the window. "Right. Well, there's lots to see around town. We've got a bowling alley, a roller rink, a theater down the road there." He continued as they entered the town proper and drove through the streets.

"Town hall is down the road there, the church is that way, and of course 'Restaurant Row' for all your dining needs." Angmar noted. "Though you might not want to visit Morton's place after what happened. Then again we aren't welcome there either." Boscha noticed several teens in groups seemingly patrolling the neighborhood.

"That the gang?" Boscha asked as they pulled up to the town hall, noticing they all wore a golden sash or scarf, either on their waist, wrapped around an arm like a band or around their neck like a scarf.

The two in the front seat were quiet for a while before Angmar answered. "Uh yeah, they all get that sash once they join the gang officially."

"You two didn't have one." Boscha noted, not seeing one on either of them.

"Um yeah," Gavin rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"And so, what? You want me to train you guys so you can impress them and get in? No thanks." She got out of the car.

Angmar immediately jumped out of the car. "Wait." He reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. The girl reacted turning her head to him with a look that could kill. The boy released her and took a step back. "We aren't with them anymore. We never really were. We just...wanted to be cool."

"Our friend, Bria was pretty good at karate and stuff and when she got good, she left town. She was always kind of our leader and when she left...well we kind of drifted towards Mayor Whittebane's crew." Gavin explained.

Boscha raised an eyebrow. "Wait wait wait. Bria? Bria Stoneman?" Gavin nodded in confusion. "You do realize she's one of the most famous young fighters on the karate circuit, right? You're telling me she came from this dump?"

The two boys looked to each other and nodded. "Yeah, but once she got famous she ditched this place and us." Gavin explained. "But, we were serious about paying you for teaching us."

Boscha looked at the two for a moment before looking back at city hall. "Is uh... Is that Masha girl working today?"

Gavin thought for a moment. "Let's see. It's Wednesday, right? Not today. This is her personal day so I she'd probably be at her place."

The redhead looked back to them and then to the papers clutched in her hands. "I would consider your offer, if you take me there." Boscha told the two, who readily agreed. It wasn't long before they pulled up to a two story home that was rather large in comparison to the surrounding ones. The redhead exited the vehicle and then turned back to them. "Thanks."

"So, when can we expect our first lesson, teach?" Gavin inquired.

Boscha paused a moment to think. It had been a bold faced lie to get her what she wanted. Considering she wouldn't be here all that long, there was no harm in stringing them along. "I'll be in touch." She said to Gavin and Angmar before walking up the steps to the home as the two drove off. After a long wait and a heavy breath, Boscha knocked on the door and waited.

The door eventually opened as Masha stood on the opposite side, a blue scarf over her hair as she looked surprised at first then a bit confused. "Um, hi."

"Hey. I just thought I'd bring this by and get it to you as soon as possible." Boscha handed over the signed paperwork as Masha looked at them and then to her with a bit of annoyance.

"You know you could have just dropped this at town hall. You didn't have to..."

"Look, I'm sorry...for snapping at you yesterday. Seeing that commercial brought up some...stuff, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Boscha interrupted. "That's all I wanted. I won't bother you on your day off." The redhead turned to leave.

"Wait." Masha called to her. "You came all this way just to say that? I appreciate the thought, but you walked all that way?"

"No, I got a lift from those two idiots, Gavin and Angmar." She explained.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day while you're in town."

"I...don't have any. Pretty much just this. Not sure I thought this through all that well." Boscha admitted.

Masha stood quietly in thought for a moment before she spoke. "Well I'm not doing anything today. You could hang with me for the day. I could maybe show you around town proper."

"I don't think that'll be a good idea after what I did to Maggie the other day. Kind of be making myself a target for them."

"Trust me, I live here everyday and I'm not the most popular person in town either, believe it or not. But I get by just fine." The raven haired young woman said. "If you want, you could hang around here for a bit. I've got a few things to take care of around here but afterwards I can show you a proper tour of the town."

Boscha looked up to her with a look that said she was processing things. "Well it's not like I have anything better to do." She screamed inside her head not long after. Why did she even agree to that? Staying away from this girl was supposed to be priority. It just reminded her of everything that went wrong with her life up to this point. So why did she just say "yes"? Boscha walked inside at any rate, with Masha welcoming her in.

"Just have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I'll be out in a bit." Masha said as she headed up the stairs. The redhead took the suggestion and removed her shoes at the door. She may not want to be here but that was no excuse for bad manners. She then walked over to the living room and plopped down on the blue couch opposite a love seat, the two separated by a coffee table in the middle with a lazy boy sofa off to the side. Boscha started to put her feet up but that was again, bad manners. If there was anything that she still kept from her mother, it was how to properly behave when invited to someone else' abode. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps coming back down the stares. Masha came back down with the same scarf on her head but now wearing a maroon bathrobe and slippers. She was holding an electric foot bath in her arms and brought it down sitting it in the living room by the sofa.

Boscha found herself giving the girl an odd look. "Oh sorry. Can I get you a drink? I had put on some tea." Masha asked.

"Tea is fine." She answered hesitantly. A few minutes later, Masha came back with two cups of tea on a small tray with honey and milk and sat it all on the table. The girl then plugged up the foot bath and set it out in front on her as she sat down in the chair, removed her slippers and placed her bare feet in the water as the machine turned on. "Ah, that's better."

The redhead sat quietly and just sipped her tea for a bit. "What's this all about?" She couldn't help but ask.

Masha placed the cup down as she leaned back into the chair. "Oh right. Well today's my spa day. My day off in the week where I can just relax and take care of myself. Between work and the town council meetings, it gets to be a bit much, so I get my favorite drink, order in my favorite food and just give myself the royal treatment. It was something me and my mom did all the time together but with my parents being out of town more with work, it's usually just me."

The teen opposite her just sipped her drink in silence for a while, letting the void be filled by the calming music Masha had playing in the background. It was an awkward quiet, yet it was eventually filled by a suggestion the Boscha join in the relaxation. At first she declined outright, then hesitantly but before the redhead knew it, she was joining Masha in the spa day. The Hargreaves girl found her feet soaking in her own bath and her head resting against the back of the couch as she suddenly felt a lot less stressed about the whole situation and a lot calmer than she had been this last few months.

It was at this time that Masha decided to clear her throat. "So...if you don't mind my asking, you know karate?"

Boscha opened her eyes as she just stared at the ceiling, all the relaxation she was feeling had just vanished. "I did." She said plainly.

"But you don't anymore?"

"No, not since that day. The day I lost to Noceda." Boscha told her.

Masha looked over to her. "The karate girl?"

Boscha grew a bit agitated. "Yeah, Noceda. I had the tournament in the bag and then she showed up and ruined everything."

"But why stop training?" Masha inquired further. "You must have been good if you were in a tournament and you looked great the other day."

"Because I was no good, that's why!" Boscha's voice elevated as she looked over to Masha. "That was supposed to be my night to shine, to prove to everyone that I was the best. Instead I lost to a novice and it ruined everything!"

The sudden jolt in tone kept Masha on guard just in case a repeat of the day before occurred. With that in mind she did her best to navigate this minefield. "Everything?"

"Yes, everything! I lost the tournament, the respect anyone had for me and all of my friends abandoned me! I can't even look at someone throw a punch anymore. That Maggie girl? A year ago I would have destroyed her without blinking and now look at me. Back then I had so much planned and now I don't even know where I am." Boscha threw her head into her hands.

Masha looked over to her and put her feet on the towel next to her to dry them. "It...seems like you've got a lot on your mind. Maybe you could talk to someone who could help you sort it all out."

Boscha scoffed at this. "Yeah right. Like who? You got a headshrinker in this hick town?"

Ignoring the insult to the town she lived in, Masha responded. "Yes we do, as a matter of fact. Me." Boscha looked up on surprise. "Well technically I'm not official, but I am taking online courses for it. You'd be surprise how little political office pays the bills. Why do you think I part-time as a waitress?"

"No. Thank you. That's not a good idea." Boscha said dismissively.

"It'll be free of charge." Masha told her. "Honestly, it'll be good practice for me and it'll be good for you to talk about it with someone. I promise this will be completely confidential."

"Why are you doing this?" Boscha asked. "Trying to help me? You don't even know me and if you did, you wouldn't want to be around me."

Masha surprised her by getting up and placing a comforting hand on hers. "Let me decide that. So, will you let me help?"

Hearing that, the redhead winced for a moment. She remembered the last person who asked her that as she looked over and saw Skara sitting next to her, eyes closed and huge smile on her face. Boscha tensed up slightly and slowly pulled her hand away. "I'll... think about it. So, what else do you do on your day off?" She decided to change the subject of the discussion as Masha acquiesced.

After getting dressed, she took Boscha out on the town, the two getting a good lunch at a drive-thru to avoid running into any of the gang who might recognize the redhead. After getting their food, Masha took her too take in all the local venues, many of which Gavin had pointed out earlier but the passenger didn't interrupt and let the tour continue. As they drove along Boscha noticed something in the distance. "What's that?" She pointed out to what looked like a crude boxing ring made out of wooden pallets stacked up about five high, four pallets in length and five pallets wide. It was surrounded by a wood beam in each corner and surrounded by ropes to set the border.

Masha frowned as she took note of the structure in the distance. "That's Wittebane's arena. All of Maggie's gang goes there most time to train or initiate new members. Trust me, it's not a place you want to go to."

The redhead nodded in agreement. "I don't plan on it either." They drove on as the aforementioned Maggie watched the car go by as she sat at table outside the coffee shop.

"Well look there. Seems like red is still about town." Maggie noted as she sipped her drink.

"Yeah, word is she's staying out at the old trailer home outside of town while her bike is getting fixed up at Hanks." A young man with blonde hair and blue highlights told her as he stood by.

Maggie thought for a bit. "Hmm, maybe I'll give Steve a call. There just might be some horrible accidents in and out of this quiet little town."

Across town in one of the many homes Sheriff Steve Tholomule entered after wrapping up work for the day and hung up his jacket and went into the kitchen. At the table already eating was his younger brother Matt, who already had a plate waiting for him. "Hey, little bro. What's happening?" The man asked as he grabbed a can from the fridge and opened it to go with his meal.

Matt barely looked up to him. "The usual. Everyone else out having fun without me."

"Come on, you can't tell me it's that boring?" Steve reassured.

"Easy for you to say. There's no one to hang out with anymore." The younger brother said. "Maybe if you let me..."

"No!" The elder said quickly. "I told you I don't want you hanging around Maggie and her gang."

"Why not? They all work for Mayor Wittebane anyway, just like you!"

Steve's eyes opened wide as he looked intensely at Matt. "I work for the town, not the mayor!"

Matt scoffed at that as he got up. "You don't even believe that. Everybody knows you do what he says, when he says it...just like dad. You're just his stooge. You can pretend that everyone doesn't talk about you behind your back. Fine. But they say it to my face." He left the room and walked up the stairs leaving Steve alone as he heard his cellphone ring and pulled it out. The sheriff sighed as he saw who was calling.

Later that evening, Masha drove Boscha back to her trailer after what the latter had to admit was a relaxing day. They'd just driven around, sampled some of the local eateries and took in the sights of the town. "Here we are. I hope the old place is treating you well." Masha said.

"It's fine. A little more cramped then I'm used to but I'll manage." Boscha replied as she opened the door. "Thanks. This was... fun."

"I had a good time, too. It was fun having someone to spend some time with." Masha responded. "Honestly, I kind of wish you were staying longer. We've got the town founding celebration in a few weeks and it's a blast."

"Yeah, but I think the roads calling my name. Well, I..." Boscha paused for a moment, seeming hesitant to say what she had on her mind. "Actually, that therapy thing? I... think I want to try, that is if you're still offering."

A wide smile stretched across Masha's face. "For sure. We can start tomorrow. Say four o'clock. I can drop by here or we can take it to my place."

"Oh my, Miss Councilwoman. So bold. What would the papers say?" Boscha found herself joking as the two shared a laugh. Boscha slowly stopped as she realized this. "I should let you get going." She waved as Masha drove off back to town. The smile on Boscha's face slowly faded as she went to the bathroom, walked to the sink to turn it on before splashing water on her face. "What am I doing? Why did I agree to that? I know she's messing with me so why am I playing along?" After grabbing a towel to dry her off, she looked into the mirror and saw Amity standing behind her. "Shut up." She threw the towel at the mirror and left the room.