Sunset is coming earlier than it did when we first arrived here. This makes it easier to get started on flying in the evening, but I would like to know why it is happening. Sunset was always the same time of day in Eorzea.

Google gave a lot of results for "sunset". Some were names of people, names of songs, places, magazines, books and videos, though there were some that talked about "refraction". Wikipedia has a long page about "sunset" that also talks about refraction and "axial tilt". I think Google and Wikipedia are meant for people who know things and who know what they want to find. I know nothing, so I do not know what I want to know and what I do not want to know.

I asked Mrs. Hobbes this morning about a site for people who know nothing. She asked me what I was looking for.

"Why does the time for sunset change? What is evolution? What is a periodic table?"

"Um...a periodic table organizes elements based on atomic structure..."

"What is atomic structure?"

"...I think you need a children's science site. Let me see what I can find."

Am I a child? If Husband is correct we are less than a month old. Yet he knows things. Does that make him a child of learning?

He wants to make his gasoline, and wants an empty place to do it in. I suppose that makes sense, since my foam rubber experiments exploded, and that was not even burnable materials. Last night's fight was again in Sperry, so I had all of the land between Wyatt and there to map and look for a good work place.

I found a large building that looked like Sam's shed before we worked on it, with metal sides and a metal roof and ground that looked like what Husband calls "concrete". It was much larger, though, at least twice as tall and many times larger in length and width. Much of the middle of it was missing, as if a large vehicle or imperial armor unit had driven through it. Buildings in Wyatt, both markets and houses, usually have lights on at night, yet there were no lights anywhere around this building. It looked like ruins. We could probably work there without a problem. I made a note on my map and went on.

There was forest not far from the fight building. I landed in the trees and walked in. Another fight was happening, two women who seemed to be trying to grab one another, though one did sometimes try to hit the other. Grabbing was very different from what The Grinder tried to do. Myra had said I would win the fight if my opponent "went down and stayed down"; perhaps throwing them down or holding them down counted as that.

The woman being hit looked dizzy. The other woman grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her to the floor, then laid on top of her and held her arms. She struggled but could not get up. Tom ruled the fight in favor of "Smash Sister". I went to the changing room.

I had made a gearset for my fighting clothes, so changing into them takes no time, but I spent some time sitting in the room, looking at my current book while listening to other people. They would talk among themselves, sometimes encouraging, sometimes insulting, sometimes friendly talk that was not at all about fighting. They all seemed to know each other. Fighting was simply a thing they did.

Tom came and called for me. I went out to the cage, which was already occupied by who Tom announced as "Serious Stan". He did look more serious than The Grinder, with a leaner, trimmer body, short black hair and a thin moustache. He looked up and down at me as I joined him. He seemed confused at first, then returned to looking serious.

The bell rang and we moved. I did not want to hurt Stan as much as I had The Grinder, but that would depend in part on Stan. Stan was not as taunting as The Grinder, not saying anything, and thankfully not reaching for my ears. I might have needed to hurt him if he had.

Instead, he moved sideways, circling me as fighters in the arena sometimes do. I obliged him by moving sideways to match him. His hands were raised and open. We circled for a moment and the crowd got noisy and impatient.

Then he dashed forward, reaching for my shoulders. I put my palms up and shoved his shoulders hard. His feet did not stop in time and he fell onto his back.

Perhaps I should have tried to keep him on his back, but I wanted to see what he would do. He got up quickly, studied me for a moment as he worked his shoulders, then dashed again, bent low, to wrap his arms around my waist. I put a leg back and braced myself. When he made contact I grabbed his arms, twisted, lifted and flung him past me. He tumbled once and came up on all fours.

I think he was angry by then. He jumped forward from where he was and wrapped his arms around my legs. I did not expect that. I lost my balance and fell on my back. But I did expect him to then try to get on top of me, so I got my palms against his chest and heaved. He flew off of me and bounced against the cage wall.

I got up as quickly as I could and put a hand on his chest to hold him down. He was not strong enough to remove my arm, but he was strong enough to try to raise himself up. I think perhaps he is strong enough to pick me up, and with nothing to push against I could not stop him. But I could grab and pull one of his arms with my free hand which kept him from rising. He tried kicking at me, but I looped a leg around one of his and held that too.

That left him with an arm and a leg free and my hand on his chest keeping him down. He struggled with his free limbs but could not get me off of him or get up from the floor. He snarled at me, but finally stopped struggling and hit the floor twice with his hand. That apparently meant he was giving up. Tom declared me the winner and the crowd got noisy again. I think many of them lost money betting against me.

Stan was moving slowly as he got up, but he was not bleeding. I decided that was a success for me. He stared at me for a moment, then nodded and walked out of the cage on his own. Many of the men in the audience were staring at me as I followed him. I went back to the changing area and shifted to my Earth normal.

There was a man outside the changing area, watching me as I went in, and still watching me as I came out. He was talking on his phone. I thought he was a guard, or perhaps I was his "cat teevee", but after I met with Tom and got my money I saw he was still watching me.

I went back to the changing area, shifted to Ninja, and Stealthed. I came out and got close to the man to hear what he was saying.

"She's still in there. Want me to go in?"

I moved a little closer and heard a voice on the phone say, "Nah, stay there. Lenny, get around the back, make sure she don't get out that way."

At least three people were apparently trying to watch me. I remained Stealthed and went out the front, where another man was on a phone watching the entrance. I guessed this was not Lenny. He said something I could not hear, but his voice was not the voice on the phone. So there were at least four people.

I went out toward the parking lot, looking for a place where someone could watch most of the building. Near a good vantage point I heard the man on the phone. I found him leaning against a large car.

"Nothing? Where the hell is she?"

I drew a dagger, raised it to his throat and left Stealth. "I am here. What do you want?"

He went very still and his eyes became very wide. "...Fuck..."

I heard someone on the phone say, "Something wrong?" I pulled the phone out of his hand and threw it away. I realized someone else might be coming soon.

"You wanted me. I am here. What do you want?"

"I...I...dunno...what..."

I grabbed his shirt and slammed him into the nearby car. "Talk while you still can."

I heard someone running toward us. I released the leader and Stealthed. He looked around in a panic as the man from the entrance ran up holding a gun. I got behind the entrance man and put my dagger to his throat. "Do as I say if you want to live. Point your gun at him."

The man stiffened, then after a moment pointed his gun at the leader.

I nodded to the leader. "Take your gun out and drop it, or this man will shoot you."

"He ain't gonna shoot me."

"Then he will die." I raised the dagger slightly.

The entrance man started shaking. "Sorry, Clive. Do it. Please."

Clive slowly reached behind him and brought out a gun. I think he considered shooting at the entrance man and me, but he tossed his gun aside.

I nudged the entrance man. "Drop yours now." When he did, I pushed him into Clive, drew my other dagger, and held a blade to each throat. "Tell me. What did you want with me?"

Clive did not answer. The entrance man said, "We wanted our money back!"

"Perhaps you should not have bet against me."

"Crazy bitch!"

"Very well. I am a crazy bitch with combat training and weapons. I can fight. I can sneak up on you. I am good at these things. You need to remember that."

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Did you not hear? I am Cat's Meow. You will leave me alone. Do you understand?"

When neither men answered I raised my blades. Clive tried to nod.

"You will not follow me. Do you understand?"

Another nod.

I leaned in slightly and met each man's eyes in turn. "You will not fuck with me. Do you understand?"

Neither of them moved or responded. That was a good enough response. I quickly backed away and Stealthed.

I watched them as they looked around slowly, then at each other. The entrance man asked, "What the fuck just happened?"

Clive was slow to answer. "Call Lenny and Bruce. Tell 'em we're done."

They bent to pick up their guns. I Returned to Wyatt.

I met Husband at the diner as he was closing up. I told him I had found a place we might use to make gasoline.

I should tell him about the fighting. I should tell him about the men outside the fighting. I should tell him about the money. I know this.

Mrs. Hobbes just handed me a small paper. It says "CK12.ORG" on it.

I have reading to do.