I dropped into my seat.
The arena noise was still going, residual energy from the match bleeding through the crowd in waves that hadn't fully settled yet.
I leaned back, rolled my shoulder once, and reached for the cup of water that had appeared on the armrest at some point while I was down on the platform.
Kael was still vibrating beside me.
Literally vibrating, his knee bouncing, both hands gripping the seat in front of him, the physical state of someone who had been containing himself for approximately as long as he was capable of containing himself.
And it seems that he had arrived at the natural end of that capacity.
I drank the water.
"You're back, bro!"
"I'm back."
"That was..." he started.
"Mm."
"That kick—"
"Mm."
"When you said thank you and then—"
"Kael."
"I'm just saying—"
"I know what you're saying."
