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The following is a story set in the FBA shared storytelling universe, and is a continuation of an ongoing story centring on the character Lauren Fash. For context, on this story, I would recommend going back at least to The Rise and Fall of Rebekah Huotari.

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January 6, 2022

Huntsville AL

The game at Explorer Stadium had just ended. Rebekah cast a half-hearted glance over at the victorious Mayors, celebrating on the other end of the court. She could barely make out the black and orange skink among the mass of players. Lauren Fash was standing back from the celebrations, occasionally giving a nod to one of her teammates or a pat on the back when somebody came close.

For a mad moment, Rebekah considered walking over. What would they do? She shifted her gaze to the sidelines, where a bulky lioness and a wiry chimpanzee wearing the black uniforms of the stadium's security team stood eying her. How they would react if the badger just approached Lauren right now, while the stands were still full and the cameras were rolling. Would they be willing to cause that much of a scene?

Rebekah snorted, and cast her gaze back over at Lauren. She watched until the skink's eyes flicked over to her. Lauren stiffened visibly from across the court, and the two stared at each other as the fans' applause continued.

Rebekah gave the skink a grin and a wink. The badger turned on her foot before she could see the skink's reaction, and made her way towards the away team's locker rooms.

She watched the two security guards moving to intercept and follow her as she headed for the court's exit. She was so focused on them that it caught her by surprise when a voice spoke just next to her.

"Ms Huotari! Do you have time for a quick interview before you head out?"

Rebekah managed to hold in her surprise as she turned her attention to the reporter. It was a German shepherd holding out a microphone to her, accompanied by a cat carrying a camera. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the lioness and the chimpanzee tensing on the sidelines. It occurred to her that it would probably piss them off if she dawdled.

"Always happy to chat."

"Great. So a rough defeat at the hands of the Mayors tonight. How are you feeling about your team's standings so far this season? Any frustration about being second last in the east?"

"Ah, so we're feeling spicy tonight." The German shepherd looked surprised at the casual and direct response. Good. She continued on. "Obviously the Keystones aren't where we want to be right now. I'm confident in the team and the work we're putting in. We've got this, and we'll get there."

"You recently had a chance to step onto the starting line for a few games. How did you feel about your performance during those games?"

Rebekah started replying, then caught herself. "Sorry, I'm being rude. I didn't get your name."

The reporter again looked surprised, but offered, "Oli Shepherd, FSPN."

"Shepherd, really?"

He shrugged. "You know. Name off the boat."

"Right. Well Oli, I'll put it like this. I'm a rookie. My job for the next two seasons is to work my ass off and not screw up big enough for anybody to notice, you know?"

"I think a lot of rookies would disagree with you on that."

"A lot of rookies have rough reality checks when they enter the league. A thing my heritage and my time at school taught me is that you don't just show up and start blowing everybody away. That takes time, work, and confidence in your own worth."

"Speaking of your school." There was an excited look in the shepherd's eye. Clearly he'd been waiting for an opportunity to pivot to that topic. "How did it feel to compete against Lauren Fash tonight? Did you and Danny talk about it at all before the game?"

Rebekah let a smirk sneak onto her face at that. The idea of her and Danny reminiscing about their history at school made her want to laugh. "I'd love to say that it's just another game. But, well, it's always fun to go up against an old teammate."

"Particularly one where there's some history. You effectively became Thunder Bay Predator College's mouthpiece after Lauren made her public comments about the school and team. This is the first time the two of you have met on the court since then, right?"

"Would you be surprised to hear that she hasn't been too keen to come back and play a pickup game with her old team?"

"Right. So was there any added tension stemming from that on the court today?"

"Hard to say, Oli. I mean, I tend to get up close and mixed into the thick of things. Lauren's always been distant and kept out of the way. On the court, too." The dog snorted despite himself. Rebekah managed to keep her smirk from stretching further. "So even when we were sharing court time tonight, it's not like the two of us actually faced off directly at all. But as for how it made me approach the game..." She paused, as though thinking. It was all for effect. She knew exactly what she was going to say. "What Lauren said hurt a lot of people back home, and I remember where I come from. Now the people she disappointed would be perfectly fine letting her know how wrong she is, but she doesn't seem too keen to go home and face some community criticism. So the thought of being able to deliver some of that message personally..." She trailed off and shrugged. "It definitely has an appeal."

"One last question. Obviously you've been asked this in the past, but this time you're in Lauren's territory. Any response to any of the comments Lauren has made about your school?"

Rebekah kept her grin in place. From the corner of her eye, she could make out the lioness and the chimpanzee. The annoyance was obvious on their faces. She raised her voice some, hoping maybe they'd be able to overhear. "Well. I understand that she had trouble handling the culture at TBPC. You can't deny the results, though. She was one of the top ranked rookies in her draft class. I mean hell, she's been able to ride the publicity from that one interview for the past three years. You can't say she hasn't benefited from the experience."

The reporter nodded. There was a thoughtful look on his face. "Well. Thanks for your time Ms Huotari."

"Always happy to talk, Oli." The shepherd lowered his microphone, and his cameraperson turned and started walking towards the Mayors on the other end of the court. Before the reporter could leave, though, Rebekah called after him. "You seem surprised."

Oli glanced back at her. He considered for a moment, then shrugged. "Just impressed. Most rookies aren't that good in front of a camera."

Rebekah snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well. Most of them are so busy tripping over themselves to outdo Halley Summers' rookie season that they miss the rest of the job."

He kept eying her, that thoughtful look still on his face. "You know, after covering the Mayors for the past few years, I just assumed people from Thunder Bay were quiet or reserved or something."

"We're not all the type to keep a safe distance from the dirty masses," Rebekah said in an exaggerated drawl. The shepherd actually let out a choked, surprised laugh at that. The badger grinned at him. "I spent two years on a team with Fash. I get it."

"Right, right. Well, it was nice to meet you."

"You too, Oli."

Rebekah watched him walk off towards the Mayors. Most of them were still out on the court, but she noticed that Lauren had already vanished back into the Mayors' locker rooms. Rebekah stared at the group for a long few seconds, considering.

She started back towards the away team's locker room. Her two personal guards fell into step a few feet behind her, not even trying to look casual. Partway down the short hallway, Rebekah sighed and then glanced over her shoulder at them. "So is one of you going to join me in the shower too, or...?"

Both were stoney faced. She rolled her eyes, then pushed her way into the locker room. They didn't follow her in here, but she was sure they were waiting by the door. That was what she'd found earlier on in the day, after the Keystones had arrived at the stadium. She hadn't even noticed the pair at first. It wasn't until she went to take a walk around the stadium that the chimpanzee had cut her off and curtly instructed her to remain in the locker room or the training areas.

After that it was impossible to ignore the two of them watching her. It hadn't taken her too long to realize what it all meant: the Mayors had security specifically set on her. Which meant Lauren must have spoken to her team about her.

Interesting.

Rebekah normally would have had a nice long shower after a game. True, she was still getting bench minutes, but she was working herself hard during them. There was a sheen of sweat in her thick fur, and her muscles were aching. She forced herself to skip it, though, and instead change into her street clothes as quickly as possible. She shouldered her bag, and then stepped back out of the locker room - still the first member of her team to head out.

The lioness and the chimpanzee were waiting for her. She cast them a look, and raised an eyebrow at them. They stood gazing back at her, their expressions not changing. Rebekah had to have close to a foot on the tallest of the pair, and she knew how to stand to show off her impressive musculature. She held that position for a long few seconds, letting them size her up and think about what it would mean if she actually decided to cause a problem. Then she turned and started walking towards the exit, the two guards following a few steps behind.

She didn't make any detours on her way to the Keystones' bus. She took the steps up into the bus at a quick pace, and wasn't surprised when the two guards stopped right at the threshold. She was the first team member to make it to the bus, so she slid into a seat and settled back. The two guards were stood by the door, unmoving. She had no doubt they would be there until the team left.

Under any other circumstances, the badger probably wouldn't have done anything. She'd expected life in the FBA to require adjustment, and she hadn't been disappointed. Being a rookie on a team meant rising early every day to train or travel, and staying up late to review tape or playbooks. She was actually enjoying the focus, but the new lifestyle hadn't left her with much time to think about the upcoming game with Huntsville.

Rebekah still would have done the interview with Oli, but she probably wouldn't have laid things on so thick without the security guards watching her. Even now, sitting on the bus, it was their presence that was making her mind wander and consider what she could do. Rebekah liked to think she was easy to get along with - up until the moment somebody tried to push on her.

That was when she really pushed back.

She was still staring out the window, considering how to give the two guards the slip when the doors out of the back of the stadium opened. Rebekah's eyes flicked over, and they narrowed as a monkey with a flash of red, white, and blue-black fur made his way out through the doors.

Douc, not monkey, her mind mockingly corrected. It was a reflex. After Lauren's little publicity stunt, the TBPC Apex players had to stop calling Danny a monkey all the time, and instead call him a douc. Rebekah rolled her eyes at the memory. They'd done it in public, of course. It was his word against the rest of the team's when they did it in private, though. He was wearing a pair of Ray Bans, and what looked like a tailored shirt in a loud print and well pressed slacks. It was the type of outfit that she and the rest of the Apex would have mocked him for in school - for thinking he was too good for the Apex gear that the most of them wore campus. She eyed him as he approached the bus, and a grin stretched across her muzzle.

She watched slip by the two guards without giving them a look. He stiffened as he came up the steps and saw that she was the only one there. She kept giving him that grin, and an eyebrow arching above the lens of his sunglasses.

"What." His voice was flat.

"Nothing." Rebekah answered, deliberately too quickly. She paused just long enough for the silence to be uncomfortable, then gave a small shrug. "I was just wondering if you could do me a little favour."

"A favour?" He snorted. "Please."

"Nothing big!" She lifted her hands. "I just... well. If you could maybe go and talk to the lioness and the chimpanzee out there?" Talk about monkey things, I don't know. "Maybe just draw their attention for a bit."

His face remained flat, and she couldn't read his expression past the shades. At length, he asked, "Why?" She was just opening her mouth to say an excuse when he went on. "Are you going to fight Wendy Brown or something? Let me record it if you are."

She snorted, then responded as drily as she could. "Yes. I'm going to go fight Wendy Brown. I promise to set up a camera and give you half of the pay per view money."

He kept staring at her through the shades for a long few moments. Rebekah was about ready to push him for an answer when he replied. "Whatever. Grab me a soda on your way back."

He slung his bag off of his shoulder and dropped it in an open seat. Then he headed back down the bus's steps. Rebekah watched him through the window as he approached the two security guards. She waited until both of them had turned to look at him and were talking before she got up. She padded her way down the steps, slipped by behind them, and then walked gingerly along the pavement away from the bus along the back of the stadium. Her ears were perked up, waiting for either of the guards to notice and call after her. Soon enough, though, she'd rounded a corner and was out of their sight, and she let herself take a breath.

Her pace became more relaxed, and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The air was cool in January, even here in Huntsville. The only sounds were her own steps on the pavement, and the distance sounds of people leaving from the front of the stadium. She tried to remember back to when they'd driven in that afternoon on the bus. She was pretty sure that there was a parking area and garage up ahead that looked like they were reserved for the team. She started making her way in that direction.

It was a short walk. Soon enough, up ahead she could see the lit up entrance to the garage. As it came into view, she saw the garage door rising up. Walking up and out of it came a figure in a leather jacket, leading a motorcycle with a helmet hanging hooked onto the handlebars. A long, lithe tail roiled behind the figure as she walked.

Rebekah picked up her pace. Up ahead of her, Lauren was just starting to hop onto her bike when Rebekah called out.

"Good game."

The figure froze, one leg raised to straddle the bike. She glanced over her shoulder. Rebekah was close enough now that she could see the skink's eyes narrow.

"I mean, not your best." The badger took a few steps closer, and then stopped. She was still a good twenty or thirty feet away - far enough to not scare the skink away, but close enough to still be in her space. "It was almost like you were distracted or something."

Lauren kept eying her. Then, very slowly, she lowered her leg back down. She turned to face the badger more fully, her motorcycle against her back. All of her movements were deliberate and controlled - not quite stiff. The skink was quiet for a long few seconds, and then she spoke, her voice even.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted a chat, that's all."

"I've dealt with people like you before." Lauren nodded at her. "It's rarely ever just a chat."

"People like me?" Rebekah tilted her head to the side. "What could you mean by that."

"I don't have time for this."

"Time for what? A conversation with an old teammate from school?"

Lauren kept starting at her, still not moving. Then she spoke. "I remember how they treated you, you know." That caught Rebekah by surprise. She kept it in though as the skink continued. "You're not a wolf or a crocodile or whatever. You didn't get it as bad as me, but it's not like anybody on that team treated you well."

"Not sure what you're talking about." Rebekah gave a very deliberate shrug. "I was always happy on the Apex."

"That says a lot about you."

Rebekah shrugged again, and then took a step forward. Lauren flinched, and snapped out.

"Stop. Not a step closer."

The badger blinked. "Sorry?" She gave a long pause, then nodded. "Ah, I see. I'm making you uncomfortable. No worries, I was just stretching a bit. It was a tough game, after all."

Lauren's voice was sharp as she repeated herself. "Not a step closer."

Rebekah kept eying the skink. Then she snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. We're just outside the stadium. There are probably a dozen security people within earshot. What, do you think I'm some sort of dumb rage machine that flies off the handle at the drop of a hat? Come on. This isn't some cartoon. I'm not 'the bad guy.' Even you can't be that paranoid."

"I don't have time for your bullshit." Lauren didn't break eye contact as she gave a small nod in the badger's direction. "I've been through enough over the past few years. Walk away now, or I'll call security."

The night was quiet. Somewhere off in the distance, they could hear the sound of cars pulling away from the main parking lot. Rebekah held her hands out wide, then spoke.

"Right. The security guards. It's weird, you always talked such a confident game when you were back at school in Thunder Bay. Strange that you would feel the need to have two guards tailing me all night. Especially since we barely even spoke back in school."

"I've seen your interviews." This time it was Lauren's turn to roll her eyes. "You're not as subtle or as clever as you think."

"Please. I just like talking to the media. They like talking to me, too. I'll be honest, though - having those two guards on me all day was an experience. I could almost feel their eyes on me. Even when I was pretty sure they weren't looking. It's a weird thing, isn't it?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Feeling like everybody's watching you. Waiting for you to let something slip or drop your guard. It's stressful, isn't it?"

Lauren was still meeting her gaze. Rebekah kept staring, watching. She didn't miss the heavy rise and fall of Lauren's chest with her breaths. After an uncomfortably long pause, the badger went on.

"Well, stressful for one night. I can't imagine what being under that kind of pressure for longer might do to somebody. I bet after a couple years of it, you might start seeing things everywhere. Reading into perfectly innocuous interactions and sentences. You could convince yourself that anybody's out to get you, even when they barely even think about you."

"Fuck off." Lauren was trying hard to keep her voice even. She was doing a poor job.

Rebekah gave a gentle shrug. "Well. If you're going to be like that, I suppose I'll leave. I was just talking." She turned to go.

Lauren's voice, sounding rougher, stopped her. "That's all you're ever doing, isn't it?" Rebekah's ears perked up. She didn't turn back to look at Lauren as the skink continued. "Just talking. That's the thing. You know you don't have a leg to stand on out here. All you can do is talk. You don't have a school full of people that are smug and comfortable that they'll get let off the hook if they do something. So all you can do is talk. That's what you're reduced to. I bet that eats you up."

"How about you? When was the last time that you said anything in public?" Rebekah didn't have to look to know that the skink was tensing behind her. "The reporters love to come to me because I'll actually say something. How long until they get tired of asking you for comments? How long until you don't even have a voice left, Fash? You were so happy to talk about all the things you went through at school, but it seems to me that you don't believe it enough to say it."

"I know what I went thr-"

"Then why can't you stand in front of a camera, on that platform that's just waiting for you, and say it?" Rebekah let that hang in the air. She forced herself to give another slow shrug before she went on. "Because. You've convinced yourself that if you do, all those terrible things you've tried to walk away from will come back. Maybe you've even convinced yourself that if you did say something about me, I've got enough people on my side now that they would back me over you. Because I'm nice, Fash. People like me. So if I did want to, I bet I could get away with saying a lot. You can brush off a lot by just saying that it's a joke. Or by saying that you're just asking questions and thinking about the answers. Or even saying that I never expected anybody would actually do that thing I said when I was obviously exaggerating. If I wanted to, I could probably do a lot by just talking. But you can't even bring yourself to do that."

Rebekah started walking away, leaving the skink behind her. Her shoes gritted against the pavement, the only sound in the parking lot. She was almost away when Lauren called after her.

"We've got three more games against each other this season. Three more opportunities when you'll be on the court right next to me, within reaching distance." The badger's ears flicked as she heard the telltale sound of the skink stepping up astride her motorcycle. "How many of those do you think you can get through before your more long-time 'fans' get impatient about you only using words?"

The skink kicked her bike's throttle, and it thrummed to life. She took off with a mechanical roar, leaving the badger standing in place.

Rebekah took several long, controlled breaths. She forced her fist to stop clenching, and made it relax at her side. She began walking back in the direction she'd come.

She hadn't been walking long when she heard footsteps approaching her up ahead. She glanced up, and was surprised to see Danny walking towards her. The douc probably should have put a warmer jacket on, but his fur seemed to be keeping him warm as he approached.

"Aren't you supposed to be distracting those security guards?" A growl had crept into her voice.

"I told them I saw you heading off in the other direction." He reached up to lift his shades, and then looked her up and down. "Did I miss the fun? You win against Wendy?" He paused. "Did you go see Lauren?"

Rebekah kept walking forward. "Fuck off." She bumped her shoulder against his as she passed him, and he let her by. She'd gone a few more steps before she called back. "It's nothing for you to concern yourself with."

"Sure." He wasn't even trying to hide the mirth in his voice. He fell into step behind her. "Hey. You still owe me a soda."

"Fuck. Off." She stomped the rest of the way back to the bus.