The fight hadn’t gone exactly as I expected. Lisa was skilled—I had predicted that much—but toward the end, if Aries hadn’t stepped in, I had no idea how things would have played out. There was a moment, just before he called it, where I could feel something shifting in Lisa, like she was about to lose control.

So much for being cool and composed.

As I made my way toward Rose, I caught Lisa and Phillip giving me a look. I was tempted to stick my tongue out or flip them off, ...