Phovos’s offices were always busy, not just with beings coming in and out on business, but for pretty much everything pertaining to the city of Palaestra. Of course, Phovos would normally ferry out jobs to her army of loyal Raptors and Kshan, but there were some things Phovos always insisted on dealing with herself.
Arranging events for the Dessaron Battle System was one of them, a duty that Phovos truly cherished.
Lately though, Phovos hadn’t been having much luck. Due to political things going on in Cassid and Rethan territories, she hadn’t been able to bring in any of the more… exotic fighters to come and battle for her. Yes, Thanatians and Banikans drew bigger live crowds, but the Rethan and Vrekan fighters in particular always drew a wider audience via television screenings and online streams.
As Phovos was about to sigh and give up for the day, going back to more important issues like a land dispute, she remembered that she had an appointment. Her assistant opened her office door, revealing a familiar face.
“Arkay!” Phovos squealed with glee. She wanted to rush over and hug the little Rethan, a feeling she didn’t quite understand. Instead, she extended her claw, which Arkay gently shook. “I’m so happy to see you!”
“It is good to see you as well…” Arkay muttered. Phovos ushered Arkay in and sat him down in front of her desk. She then span round, slammed down the lid of her portable computer and stared at Arkay.
“Hai.”
“Uh, hi…”
Phovos blinked a couple of times, then realised that she was acting like an idiot. “I’m sorry. I just, I kinda missed you. You four made me some damn good money. Plus, you in particular, I’ve always… liked you.”
Whether Arkay thought good or bad of Phovos’s random statement, Phovos was unsure. So she decided to stop being cute and start talking like a normal being.
“What do you need, Arkay? You planning on coming back to the DBS?”
Arkay shook his head. “Unfortunately, Phovos, that was half of what I was here to tell you about. I got multiple opinions from multiple medics. They all said I’m too unwell, too unfit to be able to fight in the arena again, and I probably won’t be able to participate for a very long time, if ever.”
Phovos knew that Arkay had had a rough time lately, but she didn’t really get how bad it was. She did notice though how much Arkay was hesitating, how nervous he seemed.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Arkay. Your health is more important than my stupid arena.”
“Thank you.”
“What was the other half of why you came here?”
Arkay took a deep breath. “While… While I can’t fight any more, I have… some friends… who can…”
Phovos smiled. “I do read interplanetary news, you know. I read that you and your fellow K-Class Ksa were exiled. And you came here. I can totally see why. You already had assets here.”
“If you already knew…” Arkay tutted. “Why did you wait so long?”
“I wanted you to contact me first. Plus, your friends might not all want to fight in my arenas. I wouldn’t blame them… You’ve given me an idea…”
“Well, as I thought you already had Kalsa Warriors fighting for you, plus some of the Sixteen occasionally, plus us Ksa as well…”
Phovos grunted, thinking to herself. “Hmmmm… I could contact the Vrekans… members of the Myst would be good… Have you all fight in a fourway… Yes!”
The Raptor leaped across the desk and wrapped her arms around Arkay.
“You, you, sir, are fucking genius!” Phovos grinned, as Arkay squirmed nervously in her arms. Sensing his unease, Phovos quickly let go. “Sorry. I got a bit overexcited. You know what I’m like!” She gave him a little wink, and Arkay’s unease turned into a smile.
“So you will let us fight?”
“I can’t promise a full time contract or a proper Dessaron team, but I can definitely put you all in for some exhibition fights. Get a big crowd, get you all a nice little payment each… I’m certain I can get some Dekaexi guys in, and if I’ve got three of the big four, I’m sure I can convince King Ver to lend some of his Myst warriors. They’ll probably want to, if only to protect their reputation…”
Phovos turned her attention back to Arkay. He no longer seemed nervous at all.
“It’s a shame you can’t fight any more, Arkay. But… perhaps we can, I dunno, do something else?”
“What are you thinking, Phovos?” Arkay asked cautiously.
The Raptor shook her head. “Nah, it’s a silly idea. Plus, I don’t think you want to spend any time at all with Thanatians, considering… what happened…”
Arkay though disagreed. “I don’t hate Thanatians for what they did to me because they didn’t do anything to me. I hate Temthans… And even then, I can’t help but hate all of them…” The Rethan paused and thought for a moment. “What were you going to ask of me?”
“I, uh, wanted to take you out on a date,” Phovos admitted. “I always wanted to be friends with you. I’d take you out for coffee… no, not coffee, whatever… something like that.”
Arkay didn’t say anything. Then, slowly, a smile sneaked across his face.
“I’d like that… What day would you like to go out? I’m… pretty much free all the time now…”
Phovos blinked. “… Really?”
“Yeah.”
The Raptor blinked again, then flipped through her diary. “Uh… Hrgh, this is awkward. Tell you what, I’ll give you a call when I’ve got an hour, and we can meet up somewhere. Sound good?”
“Sounds good to me!” Arkay grinned as he stood up. “Thank you for talking to me.”
“Thank you for coming to visit!” Phovos replied, as she led him out the office. “See you soon!”