Chapter 34 – Private Practice (Part 2)
Chapter 34 – Private Practice (Part 2)
"Your... hotel room?" Zane blinked, struggling to process her words. Of all the places he'd expected for their training, a hotel wasn't one of them. He imagined some secluded park, or an empty training ground, not a private residence.
"Yes, of course. It's quite spacious, and I have a large balcony. We can practice there without anyone bothering us." Fiora said it so casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"..."
"Come on now, don't just stand there like a statue." With no hesitation, she grabbed his arm and began dragging him out of the alley. Zane stumbled for a step or two before regaining his footing and walking beside her.
'I have a feeling this training session might be... more unusual than I was ready for,' Zane thought, watching Fiora stroll along with a relaxed expression like it was just another casual day.
The city around them was beginning to stir. Early risers filled the sidewalks, and the low hum of engines and footsteps slowly returned life to the streets. As they walked, the scenery around them shifted dramatically.
They moved out of the outskirts where Zane lived—where the buildings were worn and the streets full of cracks—and into the heart of the city. Towering structures lined the roads here, sleek and polished. Everything gleamed like it had been carved from money and pride.
Zane found himself staring around like a tourist. He'd only passed through this district a handful of times, and even then, only briefly. It wasn't his world. The price tags here were enough to scare off someone like him before he could even step inside a shop.
'It's like a completely different city...' he thought as he took in the clean roads, the expensive cars, the refined faces of people walking past with a scent of fine perfume lingering behind them. The gap between this and the life he knew was vast—and growing more obvious with every step.
"We're here," Fiora said suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.