Oscar Meyers Part 2: Academia By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2003 Chapter 2 The four roommates stepped out of their room still in the throes of sexual tension. By the time they had recovered from their initial shock at being naked, insufficient time remained to take care of their tensions. At least the tears had stopped and everyone was walking a little more naturally. Looking at the other groups of students emerging from their rooms, it was clear that their group was the most relaxed of them all. Three pairs of eyes looked over at Oscar in shared thanks. Smiling at his roommates, Oscar, in a conversational tone of voice, said, "Let's go check out the food, stock up on some supplies for our room, and get together to learn more about each other." Oscar was the second one in line at the buffet and filled his plate with all kinds of dishes. He took a variety of items without any embarrassment concerning the quantity of food that was piled on the plate. The Grand Druid watched him pile on the food and asked, "Got enough?" "I can always go back for seconds," Oscar replied. His answer prompted Lisa to laugh at the absolute lack of embarrassment. She would have died if someone had said that to her and knew that there was no way she could have come up with his answer. "I see you have rallied your roommates," observed Oliver speaking in Arabic. It was an incredible achievement as he had thought they would loose all three of them. He smiled at Oscar wondering how the little man would respond. "Yes. We found that we have one thing in common," replied Oscar speaking Arabic so that the others wouldn't understand. "What?" Speaking in very proper Arabic, Oscar answered, "We all dislike you tremendously." The grin on his face ran counter to his words. Oliver laughed and, in English, said, "You three had better watch out for this guy. He'll get you in trouble." When the Grand Druid walked off, Sharon asked, "What did you two talk about?" "We talked about how much fun it was walking around naked all of the time. He commented on how relaxed we were and I told him it was because we had found one thing in common," answered Oscar as he reached for a glass of Coke. Lisa, blushing, exclaimed, "You didn't tell him what we decided, did you?" Giving his roommates a smile and a wink, Oscar answered, "No. I told him that we discovered that we didn't like him." "You didn't," queried Mark amazed that anyone would say something like that to the Grand Druid. "Of course I did. Today is not the first day that I've met him," replied Oscar. Pointing to a corner table with his nose, he said, "There's a good table over there." He carried his plate and glass over to the table. It was large enough for twelve people, but he suspected that soon be filled. Taking a seat, he waited for his roommates to show up. As he had expected, Lisa had taken the smallest portions of the four of them. He took a sip of tea and looked around at the other students noticing that Greg was looking in his direction. Looking around nervously, Greg didn't know what to do or where to sit. Finally, he wandered over and asked, "Mind if I join you?" "I'd love for you to join us. You will you bring your roommates with you, won't you?" answered Oscar. His question was more of a command than a suggestion. Realizing that he had abandoned his roommates, Greg decided that it would be a good thing to do. He set his plate and drink on the table before answering, "Let me find them." "Good," replied Oscar. When Greg had left to find his roommates, Oscar said, "Let's show them what confident people we are. I'm sure they're more uncomfortable about this than we are. I bet that some of our confidence rubs off on them." Sharon shook her head and answered, "I don't see how. We've got every extreme covered in this group. Big, little, skinny, and fat. We have it all." Mark quipped, "We're the extreme team. Of course we have confidence." Sharon and Lisa giggled at his comment, realizing that Oscar's confidence wasn't the only thing that would carry them through this ordeal. Oscar raised his glass and said, "To the extreme team." The group was laughing and joking by the time Greg returned with three people in tow. All four of them looked very uncomfortable. Oscar waved and said, "Come on over and join us. Please have a seat and relax." The four joined them at the table. They sat nervously and looked around the table at the extreme team. As he pointed out each person, Oscar said, "My roommates are Sharon, Mark, and Lisa. I'm Oscar." Greg said, "I'm Greg." One of the women looked around before blurting, "I'm Gabby and this is Abby." The last guy sat there for a moment staring at his plate. He started to answer, but his voice broke like a teenage boy's. After taking a sip of his drink, he said, "I'm Cole." Oscar, pointing at each person, repeated, "Greg, Gabby, Abby, and Cole. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mark looked at the two women. They were attractive, but in different ways. Gabby was shorter with dark features and long dark hair. Her breasts were fuller with dark aureole topped by hard eraser-sized nipples. Abby was a little fuller and taller with open features and light brown hair. Her breasts were not as large and were with pinkish aureole topped by small hard nipples. He recalled Oscar's advice about being able to look women in the eyes and that they would think higher of him for that. He leaned across the table and looked at Gabby in the eye as he asked, "Is Gabby short for Gabriella?" This was a question that everyone asked. Making a face that suggested that Mark suffered from a horrible lack of imagination, she answered, "Of course it does." Her negative reaction startled Mark back in his seat. He was trying to make conversation in an attempt to allow the others to feel more comfortable. About to argue back, he was interrupted by Oscar who said, "That's a pity. Mark and I have been waiting our whole lives to find a Gabby named after Gabzilla. You know, Godzilla's talkative wife." The reply made everyone except Cole and Gabby laugh. Gabby asked, "Are you making fun of me?" Sharon stabbed a piece of pasta with her fork, as she replied, "No We are trying to make conversation to take our minds off the fact that we are sitting here buck naked in a strange place with people that we've never met before now. Personally, I think it is working." Greg nodded and said, "I have to agree. For a whole microsecond I actually forgot that I was naked. I assume that one day, I will go a whole second without thinking about the fact that I'm naked." Abby spoke up for the first time. "I know what you mean. This is horrible. I couldn't believe it when they told us to take of our clothes. All I could think of was that the world was coming to an end." Pushing food around on his plate, Cole muttered, "I feel like an idiot. I'm walking around with an erection all of the time. I look like a dork." Oscar grinned and replied, "Just think of it this way. When you tell a woman that you're happy to meet her, you've got proof standing forth proudly proclaiming your honesty." Lisa giggled at the idea of telling a guy that and decided that she was going to have to remember that line. She looked down at Oscar's lap and said, "I see you're happy to meet me." Laughing, Oscar spread his arms and said, "There you go. Exactly what I meant." The only one that wasn't laughing was Cole. He looked up and, with more than a little anger in his voice, said, "My cock is so hard that it hurts. All of the guys are walking around stiff. At least the women don't suffer from that problem." Mark pointed at Oscar with his thumb, as he replied, "Oscar's eye- level is the same height as most of the breasts in this room. I think if you ask him, he'll tell you that there are an awful lot of stiff nipples running around and it's not cold in this room. Think about it." Gabby looked over at Cole after glancing down at her rock hard nipples. She said, "Believe us, stiff nipples hurt." Abby added, "Stiff nipples are nothing. I'm getting excited down there. Pretty soon I'm going to be leaving puddles behind." Feeling much better about how her body was reacting to walking around naked, Lisa said, "Sharon and I would let you borrow our roommates to take care of your problem, but we're not letting them loose tonight." "Amen to that," added Sharon realizing that saying it aloud made her feel better. Her problems were solved for the night. She knew it and now others knew it. Cole stared at Lisa completely shocked by what she had said. In a much more animated voice, he asked, "Are you really going to sleep with your roommates?" "There's no way I would get any sleep tonight knowing that there is a naked man who is ready, willing, and able to take care of me in a bed five feet away from me." Oscar smiled at the idea that it was Lisa who was proclaiming her sexuality first despite her physical appearance. He was proud of her newfound confidence. He started to pay more attention to his food than he gave to the people around him. The meal passed easily with the group of eight eating, talking, and laughing. Their table was the loudest and most relaxed in the dining room. Druids were moving from table to table, trying to get people talking to each other. It was tiring and frustrating work. Most of the students were in shock at the events of the day. More than one Druid glanced over to the corner table with relief that at least one table was settling into the routine of things. Once everyone had eaten to their satisfaction, Oscar said, "I guess it is time to raid the supply room. If we get there early enough, we might be able to get enough chocolate bars to keep up our energy for tonight's activities." Sharon replied, "You're right." Oscar leaned over to Sharon and whispered in her ear for a second. She burst out laughing and nodded her head. Oscar turned to Mark and Lisa. In a soft voice, he said, "We'll meet you in the supply room." Lisa and Mark looked at each other puzzled by his behavior. They watched as their roommates picked up paper napkins and spread them open. Moving together, they stepped away from the table. Sharon held up the napkin so that it covered her mouth. Oscar followed her example. Lisa asked, "Mark, what are they doing?" "I have no clue," answered the young man. Together, Oscar and Sharon shouted as they started to run across the room while holding the napkins over half their faces. Oscar shouted, "Look everyone. We're doing the anti-streak streak!" Everyone in the room looked up just in time to watch the short man run past with the very tall woman beside him. His cock was waving from side to side as he ran. They looked positively ridiculous holding napkins over their faces. Their action was greeted with stunned silence. Even the Druids in the room watched them run past in total shock. Then the laughter started. A few laughs here and there around the room built in intensity until everyone was laughing. Lisa and Mark followed their roommates out of the room laughing. Neither one of them could believe that the other two had actually run out of the room like that. Lisa was laughing so hard that she could barely walk. Tears of laughter formed on her face and she had to hold Mark's arm to make it out of the room. They found the pair outside the supply room. Oscar and Sharon were on the floor laughing so hard that their sides were hurting. Sharon was rolling on the floor saying, "I can't believe I did that!" Sinking to his knees in laughter, Mark was barely able to say, "You guys are crazy!" Oscar woke to a mouth around his cock sucking it with great enthusiasm. Expecting it to be Lisa, he was surprised to find that Sharon had his cock between her lips. She was kneeling between his legs with her hand working her pussy with great energy. Her fingers were almost a blur. It was clear that she was on the verge of an orgasm, her entire body was flushed from the excitement. Before he knew what was happening, his balls boiled over and he came into her mouth. Sharon came shortly afterwards as his come spilled out of her mouth to coat his cock. He grinned and said, "Now that is a good morning. It's my turn to say good morning." As he and Sharon exchanged positions on the narrow bed, he glanced across the room. Lisa and Mark were engaged in sixty- nine on his bed. He wondered how he had ended up with Sharon waking him in that manner. Last night, he had wild sex with Lisa before everyone went to sleep for the night in his or her own bed. He had expected to have a little more fun with Lisa in the morning. Thinking about it, it made sense that the women had traded partners for the morning. As he went to work on the spread open pussy in front of him, he marveled at how easily his roommates had accepted the living arrangements. As his tongue explored the crevices of her womanhood, her reached up and stroked the nipples of her small breasts. The reaction of his touch was tremendous. She had clamped her legs around his head as her hips trembled. Her hands covered his, forcing them to squeeze her nipples far harder than he thought could be pleasant. Even though her legs covered his head, he could hear her screaming her pleasure. His tongue burrowed into her tunnel, its passage made much easier by the huge amount of fluids that she was producing. She relaxed her legs for a moment. From the other bed, he could hear Lisa exclaiming, "I love your cock. It's just the right size for sucking!" He pulled out his tongue and flicked it over Sharon's clit. Her legs immediately tightened around his head as another orgasm washed over her. Oscar was amazed at how easy it was to trigger an orgasm in this woman. There were no doubts that his roommates would be out exploring their options before long. Sharon spread her legs releasing his head. She sighed, "No more. I can't take it. Jeez, four times in ten minutes." Oscar raised up and looked at her. Her normally pale skin was bright red in an orgasmic blush. She was breathing heavily looking up at Oscar with a twisted grin. He smiled at her as she recovered. A groan and scream from the bed across the room attracted their attention. Lisa and Mark were in the throes of an orgasm. Sharon smiled at him and said, "I think she enjoys it." After the couple sat up, Lisa said, "Fuck. I love his cock. It just fits in my mouth perfect." Mark had never had a woman that had worked over his cock with such enthusiasm. She had gotten him to come twice, sucking his cock back to an erection after he came the first time. This was totally new to him. Before coming to the college, he had allowed one woman to see his erection. She had laughed at its small size and mocked him about it for years. Breathing hard, he said, "It's yours. Anytime, anywhere." Lisa shook her head as though to clear it. She paused for a moment to push an errant strand of come into her mouth before adding, "I don't know if I like your tongue more than your cock. Where did you learn how to move it that fast? I've had vibrators that were slower." Sharon laughed as she said, "I know what you mean. It's incredible." Oscar looked across the room at Mike expecting the young man to be sitting up straighter in pride, but the poor guy was still trying to catch his breath. He said, "Oscar, save me." Oscar laughed and said, "When word gets out, you're going to be one busy guy." "So are you," said Sharon recalling how long Oscar had lasted on top of Lisa the previous night. Lisa was nodding her head in agreement. The clock on the wall indicated that it was time for them to go for breakfast. Although it was a Saturday and they hadn't even had a class yet, the day was filled with activities. Each of them had a scheduled appointment with a counselor that morning and one in the afternoon. There were five meetings with their study partners. There was also a mandatory exercise session. Lisa looked up at the clock, sighed at the need to leave, and said, "I guess we ought to get cleaned up and get to breakfast." Stepping into the bathroom was a new experience for Oscar. Last night, he had been alone and hadn't thought about it. Now, half of the showers were being used and a number of the toilets were occupied. There was no privacy in that room. The stalls had half walls. His bowels rumbled letting him know that he needed to go soon. There was no way that he was going to outwait everyone. Selecting an empty stall, he sat down on the toilet. As soon as his ass hit the seat, his dire need to go turned into a bad case of constipation. He looked around and noticed that most of the people sitting on the toilets had the same look on their faces that he was sure was on his. One minute passed without a change in his situation. His wait turned to five minutes and still nothing happened. He started to stand and the need hit him hard. Sitting down again, his constipation returned. The room was quiet as people came in, pissed, showered, brushed teeth, and left. Oscar leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and held his head between his hands. He couldn't believe it. How difficult was it to take dump when you really had to go? He muttered, "This is ridiculous." He looked over at the other students perched on the toilets. One of the students stood up as though to leave. A stomach rumble that echoed across the room returned him to the porcelain throne. Once atop the throne, a look of frustration crossed his face as the embarrassment of shitting in front of others took control of his bowels. Oscar knew exactly how he felt. One of the female students was muttering continuously. Oscar couldn't quite make out what she was saying, but it sounded like, "Pretty girls don't shit in front of an audience." The irony of his situation struck Oscar. He had been led to the service of the God because of a dire need to go to the bathroom, not once but repeatedly. Life was strange. There wasn't even graffiti written on the wall for him to read and pass the time. Sitting there watching the time pass by, the thought about graffiti kept returning to him. He sat up and held out a finger as if he were reading something off the wall. Aloud he said, "Pussy for sale. Call 555-1234. Five dollars or best offer for house-trained gray tabby. Answers to fluffy." One of the guys sitting on the toilet laughed. His laugh was followed by the sounds of a bowel movement. His laughter was joined by the laughter of others. The sudden dispersal of tension allowed his temporary constipation to come to an end. Oscar sagged down on the toilet in relief. Oscar sat in the chair and looked at the Druid behind the desk. She was wearing a green robe with her medallion showing. He didn't recognize this particular person, but that was to be expected. He had been told that the Druid's name was Gail Rosh. The Druid recognized Oscar and said, "I saw your antics in the dining room last night. You are either completely crazy or totally sane." Oscar smiled and said, "I take it that the jury is still out on that one." "Well, your antics turned out to be the topic of conversation for an hour after you left the room," replied the Druid. "I think every student in the room participated in trying to decide your mental state." Eyes narrowing, Oscar realized that Gail didn't know that he was a Druid. The Two-Sided One had removed his medallion and without him wearing it, it was likely that she wouldn't recognize him as a Druid. Sitting back, he decided to have a little fun with the interview. He said, "Well, they were such a sour dour group that someone had to do something. You'd think that some Druid, maybe a head shrink like yourself, would know how to get them to lighten up." Gail frowned at his total lack of intimidation at her being a Druid. Raising an eyebrow, she took in his height and his over confidence before deciding that he suffered from a Napoleonic complex. She picked up the folder with his name on it with the intention of seeing what had motivated them to pick him. Double-checking the name of the folder, she asked, "You are Oscar Meyers?" "Yes, I am." He was half tempted to make a joke of his name, but didn't. She opened the folder finding a single piece of paper within it. There was supposed to be the reports of all the entrance tests and interviews. She frowned and looked at the paper wondering what was going on. After a second, she closed the folder since the paper explained everything that she needed to know. Looking over at Oscar, she said, "You're totally crackers." "Why do you say that?" asked Oscar wondering if the game was up. "You're one of us. Get out of here," said Gail shaking her head at the idea of trying to check the mental health of a fellow Druid. His actions last night were brilliant. She smiled at him and then added, "By the way, that was a great job of breaking the tension last night." Although Oscar had performed a great service to the students the previous night, his fellow students appeared not to respect him very much. None of them realized that he had helped them. They had gone from sitting alone and scared to having a unifying topic of conversation in the matter of one minute. His sprint through the dining room had allowed people to make friends, however fragile those friendships might be, rather than remain isolated. Comments to the effect that he was the class clown followed Oscar. It wasn't said in meanness, only as a judgement about the character of the man. Others might have been hurt by such comments, but Oscar didn't pay attention to what his fellow students said. He didn't see his value in terms of how they saw him. His roommates were actively supporting him, recalling how he had pulled them together as a group. They viewed themselves as the extreme team, even though it was suggested in humor. There were no doubts in their minds that he had helped them and their fellow students. Sharon was having the hardest time, having been his partner in crime, but everyone knew that she hadn't looked nearly as ridiculous as Oscar had. His cock waving around like a compass gone wild had been very funny. His study groups were worried that having him at their table would hold them back. As he approached the first study group that he was to meet, he noticed they were staring at him. One of the women stood and blocked his way to the table. She wanted to have a word with him about what kind of behavior she expected from her study mates. The last thing she wanted was a clown that would disrupt their studies. She said, "I won't tolerate any joking during this study group." Her position put her breasts at eye level and less than a foot away from Oscar. He was left staring at her breasts and there wasn't much he could do about it. The woman seeing where his eyes were locked started to react with anger. Oscar, in what looked like a comic parody of watching a tennis game, turned his head from side to side staring at one breast for a half-second before turning to stare at the other. Irritated, she asked, "What are you doing?" "I'm imitating a metronome. Which reminds me that time is passing and we are not accomplishing anything standing here," answered Oscar as he stepped around her and took his seat. Before she had a chance to seat herself, Oscar said, "I'm Oscar Meyers. Who is everyone else?" Everyone introduced himself or herself by just stating their name. Once that task was over, Oscar said, "Our study group meets immediately after class. I assume that most of us think that is so that we can review the material just covered in class." "Sure, it makes sense," said one of the other members at the table. Shaking his head, Oscar replied, "I don’t believe that would be our best strategy for using this time." Susan, the woman that had blocked Oscar, was surprised by his total focus on the task at hand. As she straightened up in her seat, she asked, "Why? "That puts us behind. Anything that we as a group don't understand, we have to wait a day to resolve. Instead, we should be attending the class understanding the material. In class, we can ask questions to refine our understanding," answered Oscar. He knew that it was better to go into a situation ahead of everyone else around him. "So what would we discuss in our study group?" "Good question. We discuss the material for the next class. That way, when we arrive at class, we've already identified the areas that we don't understand and can ask our questions should the lecture not clarify the material for us," replied Oscar. He sat back and examined at his fellow study group members as they considered what he had suggested. "Okay, sounds good to me." The students were nodding in agreement. Oscar, seeing that they had consensus, said, "Our books are available in the supply room. I suggest that we get them today, read them tonight, and then meet to discuss the first chapter tomorrow at the next study group meeting." Susan asked, "Our books are available in the supply room?" "Yes, they are. I suggest that we break now and get the books. We'll meet tomorrow at the scheduled time. Be prepared to discuss the material," answered Oscar. Satisfied that everyone understood what they were to do, he stood and left the table. His eye to breast exchange with his study group member had given him a raging hard-on. He wanted to find one of his roommates to take care of the problem. After Oscar left the table, one of his study mates asked, "Who put him in charge?" Susan said, "I don't know, but he's right." "Yeah and to think I thought he was a clown." The guy looked around the table and then said, "He doesn't even act like his erection bothers him." The exercise room was large, but barely large enough for everyone that was in attendance. Oscar did his best to blend into the crowd. There were three people at the front of the room waiting for everyone to settle down. A tall man, an oriental woman, and a young girl, all of whom were wearing Kung Fu uniforms with black sashes. The man had the insignia of Master Shi Fu, the woman had the insignia of Grandmaster, and the young girl had the insignia of Golden Dragon. He frowned, thinking that it was impossible for them to have achieved those ranks. It was hard to believe that three people from such elite ranks within Kung Fu were gathered in one place. It was impossible for a young girl to have achieved the rank of Golden Dragon. The man shouted, "I am Master David Mark. For the next year, I shall be teaching you the martial arts. Today, we are fortunate to have two guests, Grandmaster Ling Carter and Miss Betsy Carter." The students politely clapped. Oscar shook his head thinking that only a handful of students recognized the talent standing at the front of the room. He watched the young girl and observed how gracefully she moved. Her eyes were moving around the room, flicking from person to person with a barely restrained energy that was unmistakable. She noticed that he was watching her every move and moved over to the other woman. Master David Mark said, "I want everyone that has any martial arts skill of any kind to move up to the front of the room and put on a Gi." Oscar debated about moving forward. It could very easily give away the fact that he was a servant of the God. The decision was made for him. There was no way he could hide his skill from three such talented people. The chance to put clothes on was just as hard to resist. Only six people came to the front of the room. The small number made Oscar more than a little nervous. As they dressed, Master David Mark asked, "What is your training?" Each of the students identified the dojo in which they had trained and the level they had achieved. None of the other students had anything better than a yellow belt. When the man asked Oliver, Oliver had replied that he would only tell Grandmaster Ling Carter believing that she would understand the need for discretion. He walked over to where she stood, but hadn't even reached her when Ling said, "My daughter noticed that you were staring at her. We don't like men staring at young girls. She asked me if she could put you in your place and I have given her permission to do so." Rather than respond immediately, Oscar bowed to Ling. Speaking Mandarin, he said, "Grandmaster Carter. I read the insignia on your daughter's belt. At first, I thought there was no way that a person her age could be a Golden Dragon Learning Elder Sister. I saw by her movement that is she probably higher. Am I wrong?" Raising her eyebrows, Ling looked at the man carefully. She saw the signs that he was highly skilled, but it was hard to say exactly how skilled he was. It was interesting that he chose to speak to her in Mandarin. She noticed that another student had listened to their conversation and appeared to understand what he had said. In Cantonese, she asked, "What is your level of training?" The switch to a different language surprised Oscar, but he answered in Cantonese, "I don't know. Some people earn skill through vigorous training. Others have that skill bestowed upon them. I am in the later category." Betsy, in Cantonese, asked, "Are you claiming service without the medallion around your neck?" Smiling at Betsy, Oscar replied, "Yes. You might ask your father about it later. He knows the truth." Ling turned to David Mark and said, "He has challenged me to a fight and I have accepted. Make the arrangements." Master David Mark stared at Ling and Oscar in surprise. He replied, "I will serve as referee. Betsy can serve as one judge. We are short a judge." This was not the result that Oscar had sought. The goal had been to allow him to keep a low profile. Oscar was amazed when Betsy tore out of the room so fast that it looked as if she disappeared. While she was gone, David announced, "We have a special treat today. Oscar Meyers has challenged Grandmaster Ling and she has accepted his challenge." Oscar tuned out Master Mark out as he went about preparing for the fight. He closed his eyes as the sound of a drumbeat filled his ears, although no one else would hear it. He started moving in time with the drums, his body loosening with each minute that passed. His motions started slow but increased in speed as time went by. Simple steps forward and backwards changed into more complicated spins, rolls, and acrobatics as his body warmed up. Betsy came over and, with a broad grin, said, "Mom is ready for you now. I give you a thirty seconds, no more." With a wink, Oscar said, "I think she can probably last longer than that." Betsy walked away laughing at his joke. She was the only person that ever lasted longer than thirty seconds in a match against her mother. Oscar followed her to the area that had been cleared for the fight. Ed Biggers and Betsy were in the positions of judges. After performing all of the pre-match rituals, the match began. Oscar turned into a whirlwind with punches, kicks, and blocks appearing from nowhere. Ling was a whirling dervish, bone- breaking blows appearing and disappearing at speeds faster than the eye could follow. Master David Mark and Ed Biggers watched the action open-mouthed. There was no way for them to judge what was happening. The action was too fast. Betsy was watching the action with wide eyes and a huge grin on her face. She was seeing all of the action. Each blow and block was obvious to her. This was the best match that she had ever had the opportunity to observe. When the timekeeper stopped the round, she almost cried at the cessation of action. She shouted, "Wow!" Ling and Oscar looked at each other with sweat dripping from their bodies and breathing hard. They had a minute break before the next three minute round. Oscar walked over to one corner of the mat and worked to catch his breath. Betsy was there and said, "That was cool." Master Mark announced, "Students, you have just been privileged to watch the most amazing demonstration of Dragon Style Kung Fu against Brazilian Capoeira. In all of my years of participating and watching fights, I have never seen such an example of skill by a pair of competitors." Oscar decided that the styles they were using required too much energy. He was going to have to try a lower energy style. When the minute rest period was over, he stepped onto the mat and raised his hands to step into the starting position of a style known as Savate, French Boxing. Ling had moved into a position that was clearly from Thai Kick Boxing. Both stared for a half-second at each other before the timekeeper yelled, "Go." The action started slow, but sped up as they tested each other. The fighting styles were interesting counterpoints. The style of one exposed and attacked the weak points of the other. It forced each of them to fight ten times harder than would have been expected. For the observers, the three minutes of the round was exciting, bur Ling and Oscar found it totally exhausting. They were happy to stagger apart when the timekeeper called an end to the round. Breathing far heavier than he thought possible, Oscar spent the minute break trying to catch his breath. The young girl came over practically vibrating with energy. The sight of Betsy was almost enough to depress Oscar. She asked, "Would you like this round to include weapons?" He looked over at Ling and, taking a breath between each word, answered, "Sure. Why not?" She vanished and then returned ten seconds later. In a way, he was glad to be fighting Ling. There was no way that he could have kept up with that kind of energy. She asked, "What weapon would you like to use?" "What does she want to use?" asked Oscar. "Not gonna work that way. She's telling Daddy Ed what she wants use. You tell me what you want to use. We'll bring your weapons at the beginning of the round." Oscar glanced over at Ling and decided that she was the type to request a sword. He'd use a pole since he could use it to force her to keep her distance. He said, "Pole." Betsy burst out in a smile and said, "Great choice. Oh, this is going to be so good."