The Fan and the Flame XII

After losing to Steliana, I became much more focused on improving. I pictured her movements, doing what I could to copy them. That trick she'd used, drawing me in--it likely wouldn't work against her, but it was a useful skill nonetheless. I practiced it a few times on my own, and then with the instructors. They all fell for it. But it wasn't enough. Once someone was looking for it, they'd see it more easily.
So I adapted it. The trick, I thought, was to create an opening so tempting that the opponent would forget themself and attack. An opening to something vital.
My preferred location was the neck, though I reminded myself not to be predictable. The ideal outcome would be to make the opponent think that every strike was a trap--that every move they made was something I'd lured them into. If I could do that, maybe I'd beat Steliana next time.