"And who the hell am I?" Kate asked exasperated.
"Sugar coated?"
"That would be lying to me. And after spending so much time blowing my ass out lube free, now you're thinking of spitting on it?"
Gen smiled from a deep place then saw Kate's face had not changed, then she sighed packing away that sense of relief she'd picked from nowhere.
"Okay, you look like a charity case, and you know it. It's why you haven't dismissed me and walked out. Because you could do that. Your self-esteem is low enough to keep you in this room sure, but then you'd just beat the shit out of me."
Kate's eyes watered despite the whole idea being that she was acting calmly. For someone trying no to hurt her Kate was pretty damn hurt!
"You get what I'm saying, you see it but I think you know as well as I do that the well of good-will will dry up. I'm trying to prove it to you."
"Why though? And don't you fucking say 'nothing' or I swear to God I'll cave your face in!"
Gen didn't flinch despite how certain Kate was that she'd definitely do it. Hell she'd bunched up in preparation.
"Because I think I can see it, and if I'm right then I want you to follow me. To serve me."
Kate's fury dissipated like the air in a popped balloon.
"What?" She asked, her fist half cocked.
"We've all this money and power over each other, over the others. But the point of the Zenith of War is victory. Actually okay. Look at it like this. Do you know the difference between the Zenith of War and the Zenith of Competition? No, of course you don't. How could you know? Zenith comes in the action and joy melded with the catharsis that comes with victory. Well, with Competition, it comes in the battle itself. I challenge you, I push myself, call for the Zenith and win. In War you have the logistics, the planning, the diplomacy, the domination. It comes in seeing far and growing. In Competition you fight, you grow. In War, you grow, you fight, you dominate. I want to dominate you. Because tonight, you'll be dominated or destroyed. And I think, since I've been doing my best to watch you. And I'm scared you'll quit."
"So the fuck what? Who cares!? I'm literally a stranger!"
"Because I want you! Aren't you listening? I think you got something, and Jackie is an idiot! That turn you did in a car you'd never touched before wasn't on the 1s and 0s for me. It was live! I saw you do it. I've seen girls with talent quit."
"Like who?"
"What?" Gen asked, completely wrong footed mid dance.
"Like who Gen?" Kate demanded, straightening.
Gen hesitated, caught in some inner battle. Kate was about to go for the kill, to stab deep when Gen put up her hand.