"You're good, man... you really are something," Orly said, his breath ragged as he wiped his face with a towel. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, and his skin glistened under the gym’s fluorescent lights. The air smelled of exertion and the faint scent of leather gloves and padded mats, remnants of their recent sparring session.
Knight, his sparring partner for the night, stood across the room, mirroring Orly’s exhaustion, but his composed demeanor didn’t betray how hard he’d been pushed. With quick movements, he grabbed his own towel, wiping away the sweat that had collected on his brow. The man looked every bit like he belonged here—his athletic frame rippling with muscle, his body conditioned to perfection. But he wasn’t an athlete by trade. Far from it.
Orly shook his head, s
