The frown on Tai's face deepened. "Sophie," he breathed. "That sounds awful. I want you to go be with your friends, but..." He bit his lip, not sure if he wanted to be this selfish. Even as Sophie's boyfriend, he didn't have the right to tell her what to do or how she should prioritize things. Still, he couldn't help but voice his concern.

"Do you really think you should get yourself in the middle of something so soon after you got attacked yourself? I don't want you to get hurt. What if this isn't a coincidence?" He brushed a finger over the cheek that had gotten scratched, feeling horrible that he almost forgot about the incident after spinning his own plans for the next week. "I'm really worried, Sophie..."

~~~

"Is that like what we're doing now? Sparring?" Pedro asked. He had wanted to go at it with a sort of wild scrappy fight, but if those other guys sparred like this then maybe he should keep trying it. Pedro shook his head, giving the room a quick glance. "Do you really think you can help me fight against people like that? I want to spar more so hurry up and teach me more!"

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he tried to imitate what he saw other people at the gym doing, holding his fists up and getting closer to Derek like he might attack. At the last second though, he hesitated, not sure how to engage or even if he should. This sparring idea seemed very strange to him.