"If you insist. Two-thirds share, I take eight you take four?"

"Yeah, I insist. I may be the junior but I don't want to be an out right burden."

"I couldn't do this without you, you know. But I get your point. Let's get a move on."

"Right." She eats breakfast and gets a move on.

The rental car place is a bit frustrating to deal with. She's a little nervous about driving, doesn't do it that often, but does have a license and manages to fail to get into any wrecks. Though she does notice that... She seems to be just - faster? Mentally faster, and a bit better at paying attention. Goes for the specialty shop's kimono next and has them pack it neatly in a fancy box. Then a couple different electronics stores until she finds one that's happy to give her a latest-gen smartphone for over a grand in cash. She texts Cocoa on hers to find out where he is to drop it off. Another clothes shopping spree, just going to the same places she went to a few days ago. Picking up so many cigarettes raises some eyebrows but she says her friends put her up to it. She buys coolers and ice for the grocery run she does next so it can sit in the car and be fine - and kind of goes all out with nice groceries, low on the veggies and high on the meat. Remembers the steak. Gets frozen hamburgers and asks Cocoa if they should also order some from a nice restaurant just before it's time to go meet their 'client' again.

It's a very busy day. She wishes she were exercising instead. Late in the afternoon at least there's some time for it. Hopefully.

There's no response till late in the afternoon, then:

Here's the address of the new house, bring everything over. Did you remember to get a SIM card for the phone? I like your idea of showing up with takeout, she's probably starving and it'll distract her and help lower her guard a bit. We might even be able to eat with her and gain some trust that way. 

It came with a sim card but not activated. OMW.

She shows up with the rental - a nice, newish luxury SUV - soon after.

It's a nice house in a quiet part of town, neither very large or very small.

Cocoa is standing outside, and waves. "Hey!"

She parks carefully.

"Hey. Stuff's all in the back seat and trunk."

She's in kind of a bad mood, which might be visible now that Cocoa has hung out with her some.

"Missing your training?" Cocoa asks as he hauls in a pair of ice-filled coolers.

"Yeah. That and wondering if more cultivators are like miss black fox. -And kind of annoyed at her. But I'll be respectful."

"Her attitudes are regretfully common. The group's a little better, but..." He shrugs.

She grumbles and en-fridges stuff and neatly puts away clothes, keeping the kimono and a single casual outfit back.

Cocoa takes the phone, activates the sim card and gets a plan set up paying from his group credit card. He puts the kimono box on the kitchen table and leaves the phone atop it. 

"The cigarettes?" He asks.

"In the trunk. Should I just put them by those?"

"Yeah. And then there should be time for you to train some before we go pick up Ms. Black Fox."

"Right." She does this. "I hope you have the blood and qi pills, I don't really want to give up mine, even for a little while."

"I have them, don't worry. The house supplies include blood and qi pills as well." He pulls what looks like an eyeglasses case from his pocket and sets it on the table. "There."

"...This is probably better than getting in stupid fights. It feels like an important lesson of some kind." Sigh.

"This is what makes us different from other cultivation groups. Put bluntly, we give a shit."

"...I'm gonna drive back to the other place and go exercise. Want a lift there?"

"Nah, I'm gonna hang around and guard the new house just in case."

She trains. Furiously, since there's only a few hours to do it in. Faster than before. Faster. Work out that frustration, that anger. If people will push her around until she's strong enough, she'll just have to get strong faster. It'll feel like ages still, but sooner started sooner finished.

Kicking. Ring Dancer Punching. Fast and furious, without pause. And once the buzzing rising qi is at that critical point, let all the frustration go. Focus and pull in. Maybe she can get two in a couplefew hours. Maybe three, but probably not?

She's missed a text from a friend, asking if she wants to drink with the usual crew down by Dunner's Rock, a stupid name for a petty local landmark. It's just a rock on the beach. Not even a particularly big one. She replies 'nah, super busy'. Lissa asks if her new job is giving her shit over being a Fischer, and she also replies 'nah. it's hard work though so I'm always tired'. Lissa doesn't text back.

Her old life really is over, isn't it? Not much of a loss, maybe.

She gets two strands before it's time to go pick Cocoa up and fetch the fox girl.

She drives to Cocoa. "Takeout or nah?"