Thoughts of the inhaler came and went, but Lydia didn't care that she'd left it home in her haste to come down here. She didn't care that she had no idea if she could get home tonight. She didn't even care if Mitchellii would let Osbourne walk away from a fight.

One thing was certain—Joshua's manipulation of the situation was decades ahead of Lydia's ability to think past her anger.

There was no way of knowing when they'd started staring at each other. Lydia couldn't speak, she couldn't utter a word. She could only gawk at this pretty-faced monster.

Joshua seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"What happened to you?" Joshua asked. "Do you even know what I go through for you? To give us this chance?"

What us? Lydia found herself echoing that sentiment. "And what happened to you, Josh? Since when did you find it acceptable to treat people like things?"

"Because they are things. They make themselves into things. You're the one who gives people far more value than they'd ever indicated wanting."

Gaze cast low, Lydia shook her head. "The nicer you look, the less emotion you have."

"Me?" Joshua stepped forward, his voice a whisper. "Who am I other than the one you left behind? You gave me no value, but I kept holding out hope that you'd see more to me than everyone else. But you look down on me, too, don't you?

"Even now, you probably see more in this big lummox than you see in me. I don't look the part of that dashing prince, the one you'll follow after that'll never do anything but beat you when he gets bored." He paused, waiting for a reply. An instant later, he growled, "I'm trying to help you, and you're all but setting yourself on fire to avoid that! What more do you need? What more would be enough for you! You have no money. Nobody needs to tell me that, because I can see it!"

Body trembling, Lydia tried to keep from taking a swing at him.

"Right? Your estate is on the brink." Joshua gestured at the simple E sitting at Lydia's back. "And now you're in luck. An Elemental is right here. A strong one who can solve all your troubles, and you turn your nose up at me."

Body pulsing, Lydia clenched her fists, willing herself to calm.

Joshua gestured to the neatly folded fabric on the bed. He spread them out for display.

"Anything you want, you can have," Joshua said. "If you'd only follow my lead, Lydia, you could have anything you'd wanted. You can have anything at all. For once in your life, follow after a man who's smart."

Teeth and fists clenched tight, Lydia whispered, "If you'd allow me even a moment...."

Joshua's red face lost some color.

Behind Lydia, Osbourne held his knees, rocking back and forth as he hummed.

Lydia closed her eyes when Joshua finally respected her plea for privacy. She had been doing fine. She hadn't reached for Joshua's throat or otherwise spat at him. She had been doing fine. But when Joshua brought her a new set of clothes—a brand new dress suit like she probably should have for a wedding that would never come—that was as much as Lydia could take.

She sat down beside Osbourne, her eyes fixed on the floor.

Knees at his chest, the E hummed to himself. It wasn't an awful silence, but it felt lonely all the same.

"Is it all right to be selfish?" Lydia wondered, ashamed at even considering it. "Everyone else is getting what they want. Seventy-five is a lot. It might not free us, but it'll stop the hemorrhaging. It'll be close. It'd bring some hope." They might have to live as paupers for a short time, but with better management of their credits, they might even make it out of this. And a husband...a husband might turn this around. "Can I be selfish, too?" She hadn't wanted a spouse who didn't have a hefty pocketbook saddled with her family's debt. But she'd held out hope of one day having a family with a kind man. Though she preferred the common—a marriage of the heart rather than for obligation's sake—that would be impossible without money. But now, if she'd get seventy-five....

For a long moment she didn't move, she didn't even breathe.

Eventually, she whispered, "Osbourne...We need this money. We need this chance. I need it. Because I'm dying here." Black hair hanging before her eyes, Lydia pleaded to the E beside her. "It's not like I'm asking you to...to whore...or something dreadful like that. I...I would never ask that. But you look like you can fight, maybe you can. Maybe—maybe you'll get lucky and it'll end fast. Let's pretend...let's pretend it's a hundred years ago and you're an E I've commissioned to represent my house. That's all right, isn't it?"

Her gaze drifted to the bed and the tasteful clothing, the best she'd ever laid eyes on. Joshua had said it was a gift, and till now, Lydia had never accepted gifts. To her, a gift was just an attempt at buying her affection, her emotions, her. She wasn't for sale, so she didn't accept gifts. Today, she longed to. She ached for it.

Dizzy wasn't here to slap her hand away and remind her that only cheap people, loose people, got gifts of any kind.

"It's just once. It's just one fight. Why can't I take a chance?" Lydia stared at the bed, as if the answer rested there within the clothes. "Osbourne," she said, turning to the E. "I shouldn't call you just Osbourne. That's rude of me, especially with what I'm asking. But I'm asking. So, Sir...Mr. Osbourne, would you do me the honor of accepting this fight, just for a short while? Please, fight. Fight and save us."

They stared each other down, and although Osbourne looked curious, Lydia was stern, the sternest she'd ever been.

"I'll get you something—something nice. I don't know what E's like, but I'll get you something. And it won't be for long, and you'll forgive me this one thing, all right?"

Despite the blank expression, Osbourne listened with intent.

Why can't I be selfish? Lydia lamented. Everyone else is getting what they want.

The E was strong, the size of his body suggested he had enough power. Ruckus had said as much before taking the fight.

Above the door, a bulb flashed red. Lydia glanced at the clothes and stood. As she fingered the pocket-watch of her new waistcoat, she found her resolve.

She'd take a chance.

She glanced at Osbourne's curious face again. "It's fate, you and me. Maybe it's fate and you were meant to help me. I can't think of anything else—any other reason we've stumbled upon each other."

Without another word, Lydia turned with her back to the man and stripped down. Shame drove her to admit that she hoped she could keep the posh clothing. With the dress shirt, long skirt, jacket and gloves, she could easily rearrange it and combine it with something else to make her old stuff look current.

"Look what I'm thinking about at a time like this." The same way she wasted time thinking about her gut at Joshua's party and lost all the credits she had. No. She'd stay focused, never mind the clothes, never mind that Joshua was a lying sack of imp-shit. Mitchellii was real, and the Lower-Levels were real. So was this fight.

The clothes fit her snug. That surprised her. She liked her clothes to accentuate her lean physique. Had Joshua realized that? As good as the fabric felt, Lydia found herself fighting back the urge to vomit. She was taking a gift, and not even for dirty work she herself had to do, but rather....

She looked back at Osbourne and tears welled up in her eyes. It was stupid to get worked up. Lydia hadn't cried in years. The last time was after one of Abraham's 'sessions.' There was no need to cry now. The clothes were just Joshua's attempt at following through on his wooing, that's all. It wasn't a gift—certainly not at this 'simple' E's expense.

When the door opened and Joshua entered, Osbourne lumbered to his feet. His towering height left Lydia feeling as insignificant as she truly was.

"Oh. I'm glad I didn't interrupt you changing," Joshua mused.

He, too, looked the part of a rich nobleman trying to 'blend' in with the poor, he even had a skirt above his trousers, like others from the Lower-Levels. It suited him. If not for the vile situation, Lydia might have paid him a compliment.

Joshua extended his arm, waiting for Lydia to take his elbow, as was custom.

Each attempt Lydia made at moving, she felt queasy. Her hands trembled, so she kept them at her sides.

Smile dissolving, Joshua cleared his throat. "Is Osbourne ready? He hasn't given you any trouble, has he?"

He hadn't, not even slightly. Lydia looked back at the E, hoping with everything in her that Osbourne would look aggressive—either ready for a fight or ready to kill them both for treating him so awfully. To Lydia's chagrin, the big lummox just grinned at her.

"Pretty Yule," he sang.

Lydia swallowed down a gag. Dragging her feet, Lydia met Joshua at the doorway. She couldn't even focus on their path as she walked. She glanced back at Osbourne once. Maybe the E would sit back down again, as if he misunderstood what was happening.

As obedient as ever, however, he lumbered behind them. Lydia watched the simpleton's heavy steps, the way his shoulders hunched as if he were trying to shrink down to a smaller size.

Joshua's hand on her waist, Lydia stared back at the E even as he was led from hallway to hallway. When they finally parted, Lydia stepped into a neat booth, while Osbourne was ushered along by two goons with metal rods. Lydia nearly lost power in her legs.

Seemingly thankful to have their bodies pressed together, Joshua all but smiled as he held Lydia up.

"Darling, are you all right?"

Darling? Lydia lamented. Another day with you and we'll be married for sure.

For what she'd done—what she was doing, maybe she deserved it. She deserved to be stuck with Joshua, and better yet, Mrs. Laurence.

"This is sure to be an amazing fight," Joshua yelled over the sudden cheer as a thick glass screen before them came to life. "The first time I saw Midge, it was down here! It was on his last fight, sadly. But then he retired and never came back. So when he went looking for a job, I snapped him up."

Lydia couldn't see the crowd, but she could hear them and they seemed thrilled when Osbourne meandered into the rink.

"How...." Though her stomach turned, Lydia managed to yell out. "How are you sure it was really Midge?"

"Because the other one was locked up. That much I was able to verify. Ten years in stone is a long time. He got out a few years back. I guess that's why Midge started acting so strangely around then. Judging from that dummy in there, I guess staying in stone too long has its consequences."

"In stone?" Lydia reached out to touch the stone wall of the screen. The image focused on Osbourne's face, and Lydia pleaded, "Be okay. Please, just be okay. Last for a minute or so and just be okay."

"Isn't this screen amazing?" Joshua gushed. "Look, we can zoom in. But check out our seats. Nobody can ever say I don't treat my women right. We've got the closest ones. Here, look."

In the far left corner was a small window, barely big enough for an adult to fit through. Lydia peeked out. The sheer mass of people made her body lose all feeling. Directly below the window was the arena, and stone steps leading down to the ring. They were in a private box, not surprising that Joshua didn't want to 'mingle' with common people, or anyone for that matter. He was still socially bankrupt. Fear of a stray comment made sure of that.

Ruckus entered the protective field and Lydia, having a difficult time making them out, turned to the large screen. It was life-size, so big that she was sure someone could pretend to be in that arena with them. The way Joshua play boxed Ruckus's face told her that this was probably one of his favorite pastimes.

"Challenger, choose your terms!" a voice announced.

Joshua hurried to the wall and pressed what Lydia assumed was a button, though it was hard for her to make it out through her blurred vision and anxiety.

"Weapons requested. Axes, daggers, anything with an edge!" Joshua giggled.

On the screen, several icons appeared.

Lydia wasn't sure what was happening, but when Ruckus raised her hand and those icons flashed, she assumed just one thing, Ruckus'd accepted the terms.

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Lydia growled. "Why are you asking them to get weapons? They could get hurt."

Due to Joshua's status, Lydia was out of line talking to him like that. If the bitter scowl on Joshua's face was any indication, the man thought so, too.

"If I wanted to get nagged, I'd call my mother down here," Joshua said. "This is a fight, and he's already in there. We might as well make the best of it—oh good, it's starting. Come. I've got some wine—"

The screen panned out, shifting from Osbourne's blank face to Ruckus's grin. The entire arena came into view, alive with cheer.

Lydia glanced back at the small window again. Despite it being shut, noisy applause spilled over into their room.

Joshua's gasp drew Lydia's focus.

"That's a good one!" Joshua laughed.

On the screen, a large battle-ax in hand, Ruckus charged at Osbourne. Lydia clenched her fist to her chest.

"Please be okay, please be okay. Please..." she began but could say nothing more after that.

Ruckus struck.

The swing didn't stop, not even as it tore through Osbourne's chest and all the way down to his stomach. The big E gave Ruckus a curious look then reached down to hold the hilt of the ax still left in him.

As soon as Osbourne tugged it away, a long stream of blood and something else, maybe his actual stomach, came with it. Lydia let out a gut-wrenching scream.

Osbourne dropped the ax, resolving to hold the injury with both hands. It looked as if he was trying to put his bits back in, but couldn't through all the blood.

Lydia's vision faded. Shock made everything go black. It was just for a moment and when she came to again, she was upright and racing to that gaw-ro window. She dragged herself up and squeezed through it. The way she fell out of it tore parts of her skirt. The dumb piece of shit watch got caught on something and broke off.

Lydia charged. Taking the steps two by two, she raced down to the arena. The one-way protective field didn't matter as she dove.

She landed on her stomach, but scrambled to her feet.

Osbourne took several steps backward, and Ruckus, looking equally horrified, just stood there.

"You idiot, you gaw-ro idiot," Lydia howled. "You gaw-ro idiot." She wasn't really directing the words to anyone, mostly to herself. It was moronic to be there, to dart for Osbourne as if she had any idea what to do with the man—what to do for him.

Like a felled beam, Osbourne crashed to the ground.

"No, no, no," Lydia moaned.

"Don't touch him," Ruckus stuttered. "Here."

She tossed Lydia a pair of black gloves. Without thinking, Lydia yanked them on and sat down, Osbourne's head in her lap.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Please. Please. Please. Don't die. Please, don't die. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Please don't die."

Ruckus raced to them and fell to her knees. She extended her hands over Osbourne's bloodied frame, eyes darting along the injury.

"I—I don't know what to do. I've never seen anything like this before. I don't understand. I don't get it. Why's he bleeding?"

He kept bleeding though, and through her tears, Lydia looked away from the warm blood soaking through her posh-gaw-ro-outfit.

Osbourne looked placid, though.

"Pretty Yule," he whispered.

"We have to get him up. We have to get him to the base transport. Let him go, I'll pick him up," Ruckus said.

As soon as she reached for Osbourne, Lydia slapped her. She kept slapping the bitch.

"Don't you gaw-ro touch him!" Lydia let out another sob. As foolish as it was, she couldn't bring herself to let the man go.

"One," Osbourne said. "And two...."

Using his thumbs, Osbourne pressed on his own abdomen, pushing something back inside. He kept going until he reached his throat.

The crowd booed, but Lydia only focused on the injured E. Disbelieving, she brushed the blood from Osbourne's chest to find the wound gone. In its place, a deep raw bruise remained. The man was whole.

"He's...he's still in need of help," Ruckus said. "He shouldn't bleed like that, none of us should. Let me—"

"You lay one finger on him, you bitch and I won't stop until I take your gaw-ro eye," Lydia warned.

She scrambled from under Osbourne's heavy frame and tried to push the man up to sit.

Osbourne knelt on his own and lumbered to his feet.

"No. No. Don't jostle around so much," Lydia pleaded. "Please. Just lie down here and let me call you someone."

But Osbourne didn't listen. He put one heavy footstep before the other and tried to walk. Lydia was by his side in seconds, unable to help, but determined to do what she could.

A blank expression on his face, Osbourne got as far as the force-field and stared at it. That field was designed for one mode of travel, getting out without someone dropping it would be next to impossible.

Osbourne pulled away from Lydia, stepped into the field and stood there.

Ruckus's jaw dropped. "Holy imp-shit!"

The room shook. Osbourne seemed unaffected. Acting on a hunch, Lydia grabbed hold of the ax and slid it along the ground. When the weapon touched the field it dissolved until nothing remained but the hilt. With that in mind, she expected half of Osbourne's body to have dissolved as well, but instead, the field flickered.

And then it faded.