This series is set in an alternative version of 1960s New York City, one with rather more enlightened attitudes toward freedom for the “fairer” sex and more liberal about personal tastes and desires.
Mad Women, Ch. 1
Daniella, or Dani, as she preferred, was a 23-year-old Latina with dirty blonde hair who was, at that moment, sitting at her desk reviewing copy for a newspaper ad. The ad was for a new dog food, and it consisted of a little family of dogs, with the mom dog feeding the new food to the excited puppies while the dad dog sat in a recliner smoking a pipe and reading the newspaper. The cartoon sketch for the ad was fine, but the text seemed bland to her. The text was really just repeating what was already in the drawing, but Dani thought they were missing a chance to add a description of the dog food. But, she had only been at the advertising firm for a few months, and she knew that she was lucky to have gotten a job on Madison Avenue straight out of college. She had been an English major at Barnard, and near the end of her senior year she just sent out applications to a bunch of places around the city that seemed like they’d hire English majors. And she’d gotten lucky and gotten an interview with a small but respected advertising agency, Abraham and Weiner.
The interview had gone very well. Dani was smart and energetic, and she had always been witty and quick on her feet, and she figured those traits would serve her well in advertising. She was very attractive, too, she knew, and she had always had a very physical presence to her. Her parents had both come from established and wealthy families in South America, and she had inherited what looked like a very deep tan and curly hair that was a blend of blonde and brunette. She had an extremely pretty face, with full cheeks, a petite nose, and round brown eyes like two polished and perfect stones. She was about 5’4 and she had a stunning body, with large firm breasts, a trim waist, and feminine hips, all of which was displayed quite well that day in her blouse and skirt. Her hair hung in big frizzy curls down past her shoulders and framed her face quite well. The three men in the interview had taken to her, as she had suspected they would, and the one woman in the interview had not, as Dani had also known would happen. And the office staff itself was essentially 50/50 male/female, and most of the women had responded to her on a scale between neutral and openly hostile. Unfortunately, the most openly hostile of the women was also Dani’s immediate supervisor and, at least until Dani had started there, the most attractive woman in the room. She was a blonde woman in her mid-30s named Kathy, and she oversaw the copy editors.
This was not the first time that Dani had had conflict with other women, and she knew that it would not be the last. When she’d arrived at Barnard from a small town in the Midwest, she’d been very surprised at the hostility between the female students, very often based on jealousy and looks and just general positioning in the school’s social hierarchy. And then, she’d been even more surprised at how the students saw this hostility as a positive trait—rather than hide it or try to rectify it, it seemed like they embraced it. And, with her stunning looks and body and her obvious physical presence, Dani had proven to be a prime target. By the end of her freshmen year she’d fought several of the most prominent girls, and after a bit of a learning curve she had done quite well for herself, she thought. And even from the beginning, upon learning that another girl wanted to fight her, Dani had felt as much eager anticipation as she had fear or anxiety. (One should note that the young ladies of Barnard were quite sporting, and ambushing a hated rival was frowned upon. One either approached the other young lady assertively and directly or not at all.) As she progressed through her terms of school her fighting had progressed as well, and by the time she had walked across the stage she felt herself ready to take on the challenges of the upscale female world of Manhattan. Kathy had herself matriculated from Radcliffe, which Dani knew had much the same attitudes toward female society.
From Dani’s first day at Abraham and Weiner, Kathy had made it clear that she was not wanted there. Kathy had long, straight blonde hair that hung down almost to her elbows and she was rather tall, probably two or three inches taller than Dani. Her face was quite beautiful and Dani saw immediately that she had been the female boss of the office for years, probably since she started working there, but it always had a stern and severe look to it that only seemed to grow more serious when she was looking Dani’s way. And, those few weeks Dani had been there, she seemed to always be looking in her direction: rewrite this copy, what happened to the art for this piece, can you please go find more paper and pencils, what happened to the coffee, anything that happened around the office always seemed to find itself under Kathy’s gaze and then from there onto Dani’s desk. And Kathy had a body to rival any woman’s, with massive breasts, a flat stomach, and excellent hips, and she knew every which way to hold herself to accentuate her lines. Kathy was taller than Dani, and heavier, and Dani knew from the water cooler chat that Kathy was experienced in matters of conflict with other women. But such was life.
Dani waited until the end of the day and then, knowing that such a confrontation was inevitable and as eager as she was nervous, she took up the copy and went to Kathy’s office. The blonde woman was sitting behind her desk, the Manhattan skyline behind her, the steel and glass hard in the golden light of the sunset. Kathy was also wearing a blouse and skirt, all in black in contrast to Dani’s white top and a beige skirt, her enormous breasts stretching the material tight. Before she even knew she was doing it, Dani was drawing herself up straight and sweeping her hair back and so that her own ample chest pressed forward, and she noticed smugly that Kathy’s eyes lingered there as she glanced up from her work.
“Did you need something, Dani?”
“I was just looking over the copy for the dog food ad, and I was thinking that it could use another rewrite. I don’t think it’s giving us as much as it could,” she said, closing the door to the office.
“Let me see it,” Kathy said, holding out her hand impatiently. “It’s the writers’ job to write the copy. It’s your job to check it.”
“I though it was our job to produce the best ads we can?” Dani asked, letting the resentment seep into her voice.
“And we all have our role to play in that,” Kathy replied, now looking up from the copy. “And part of my job is to help you make sure you understand your role.” She said this last part with great emphasis.
“And you want to make me understand that my role is at the very bottom.”
“The farther down, the better, honey.”
“You know, being a bitch to me won’t make you any younger,” Dani answered.
“You’re right, but it feels good,” Kathy said, rising from her chair. She took off her earrings and rings and put them on her desk and Dani did the same. “Not as good as this is going to feel, though.”
The blonde stormed around the desk, quickly, more quickly than Dani had expected. Dani hit her across the face but she got the timing wrong and the bigger blonde crashed into her and sent her stumbling back onto the couch and then she landed on top of her. Then they grabbed onto each other’s hair and pulled with all their strength. Kathy was trying to pin Dani back against the couch under her and Dani was trying to twist away. Soon enough Kathy was sitting astride Dani, pulling her head back by the hair and pushing her enormous chest into her face. Dani let go of the blonde’s hair and began hitting her on the back, ineffectually, and she pulled at her clothes and her arms but still to no effect. Then Kathy began hitting her on the side and top of her head with an open hand and Dani sucked the flesh of her bosom into her mouth and bit down, feeling the softness of it through the bra and the shirt. She was rewarded by a shriek of pain and when the other woman leaned back Dani lurched up and forward. It was a clumsy and slow move but it worked and the two of them landed in a tumble on the floor. Immediately both women wrapped their arms around each other’s torso and grappled furiously, each squeezing the other so that their breasts swelled outward under their arms, so magnificent were both sets. Kathy grabbed Dani’s hair with one hand and with the other squeezed her breast through her shirt, and Dani slapped at her face and pulled on her hair. Dani tried to roll free but the larger woman was on her before she could get a good position and she drove her back down to the floor. Kathy gripped her by the hair with one hand, pulling it tight, and she pushed her face down into the carpet and then with both hands now she dragged her face back and forth. The friction was burning her cheek and forehead and nose and Dani could feel all of it. She tried to push up but the woman was too heavy for her.
“Stupid little girl,” Kathy said from on top of her. “How’s that carpet taste?”
Dani groaned and writhed under her and then Kathy leaned forward as if to whisper some new taunt into her ear and Dani snagged her by the hair with one hand and pulled forward and down with all of her strength. Kathy didn’t fall over forward, but she did lift up her hips to relieve the pressure on her scalp and when she did Dani thrust herself upward with everything that she had and she slid out from underneath her. As Dani came upright to her knees Kathy launched herself into her and the two women fell lengthwise to the floor. Chests, faces, stomachs, hips, thighs, all pressed together they rolled over each other on the ground. While they were lying on their side, Dani pulled on her hair with one hand and punched and scratched at her back with the other. Then the bigger blonde rolled her over and getting on top slammed her head against the ground, one, two, three times until at last Dani hit her in the side of the head and rolled her off. Their skirts were both ripped open at this point, the sleeves and fronts of their blouses pulling open. Kathy was lying on her back and Dani put one hand across her face and with the other gripped her breast, crushing and kneading it through the material of the shirt and bra. The blonde opened her mouth and shrieked in pain and then bit down on Dani’s hand. In response, Dani snatched her hand away from the mouth and instead pulled on her hair and then in retaliation she bit down on Kathy’s breast. This time Kathy screamed and she began hitting Dani on the head and arm and wherever else she could. Then at last she pulled back on Dani’s hair, lifting her head up, and Dani let go of the bite.
At this point the two women separated and came to their feet. The office was spacious for an office at a small agency in Manhattan, but there was only a few feet between them and no room for strategy or defense. They stood before each other, hair tangled, blouses ripped open to expose bras and heaving breasts and the swell of magnificent cleavage, faces red and raw from exertion and abuse.
“Come on, you dumb Barnard bitch,” Kathy said.
As soon as the words were out, Kathy slapped her across the face. Dani hit her right back and then she slugged her in the stomach, making the blonde clutch at herself and cough. Dani then hit her in the breast with an uppercut and went to pull her hair but the blonde caught and trapped her arm and hit her in the stomach with one, two, three punches, bending her torso with each blow. Then she let go of her arm and nailed her across the breasts with a right and left and then send a punch up into her face. Dani was sent stumbling toward the wall, her mixed blonde-and-brown hair spinning about her head, and the other woman clamped onto her from behind. Kathy seized her by the hair on the back of her head and yanked back viciously so that Dani was staring up at the ceiling and then drove her into the corner by the door. Alongside the door there was a piece of opaque glass and Dani found herself pressed against it, her face and her enormous bust smashed flat and herself held in place by the brutish woman who then proceeded to hit her in the back over and over again. Dani grunted in pain with each blow and then she pushed herself off the glass and spun away, trying to get free but the blonde held onto her. They were now standing in the middle of the office between the couch and the desk. Kathy was still behind her and now she had one arm around Dani’s throat and the other was around her torso, which she then slid up and used to grab Dani’s breast.
“Told you that I’d get to enjoy this,” she said into Dani’s ear.
But rather than retort or pull the hand away from her chest, Dani whipped her elbow back into Kathy’s midsection. She got solid contact, which created space for her, and she turned herself free of the larger woman’s grip. Dani then squared up solidly in front of the blonde and raised her hands, and with a smile the other woman did the same. Again Kathy went to throw a wild slap but this time Dani blocked it with her hand and with other hand she threw an uppercut into her big breast. Kathy grunted and moved her hands down to protect her chest and Dani popped her in the face with a right and a left and then when the blonde moved her hands up Dani slugged her in the stomach, doubling her over. At that point, Dani thought she had her, and she put both of her hands into the other woman’s hair and got ready to slam her knee upward. But the blonde wasn’t finished yet. She surged forward, slamming her shoulder into Dani’s stomach and driving her all the way into the far wall. It was an exterior wall and the force of the collision left Dani stunned. They stayed like that, Kathy bent over at the waist and Dani leaning over her, and then Dani started punching her in the side while at the same time Kathy started rocking back and forth, driving her shoulder into her stomach each time. Each blow drove the air out of Dani and after several of these Kathy stepped back and braced herself to throw a haymaker punch but Dani nailed her in the chin with an uppercut that sent her staggering back.
Dani leaned against the wall, watching the blonde as she tried to keep her balance, and before the other woman could recover to protect herself Dani came forward. She nailed her in the sides and breasts with short, quick punches and then moved up to her face. She hit her over and over, again with quick blows before Kathy could react, and when she was done Kathy was gasping for air, her face red, her eyes fading, and then Dani threw herself forward and bore her to the ground. They landed hard, Kathy on the bottom, taking all of the force, and Dani acted before the experienced brawler could regain herself. She slapped her back and forth across the face. Then she ripped open the blonde’s shirt and pulled down her bra to expose her breasts, enormous spheres that held their shape remarkably well for their size. Dani hit them over and over and then latched onto one nipple and pulled up, pinching and twisting it, and with the other she held the woman’s head in place with her hair. The blonde moaned in pain.
“Had enough?” Dani asked her.
Kathy tried to hold on but then after a few seconds she sputtered something like a submission.
“Say that you’re done,” Dani said. “Or we can keep going.”
Kathy glared up at her but at last she said, “You win, bitch, I’m done,” and then she closed her eyes and shoved Dani away.
Without another word, Dani put herself back together as best she could and left Kathy’s office. There weren’t too many people left in the agency at the end of the day on Friday, but those who were still there were, men and women, were simultaneously keenly interested in seeing who would exit victorious and completely disinterested in the whole thing. None of that surprised Dani. Competition between women was the driving force of office politics, but it was in poor taste to gawk. Dani borrowed a full-length coat from another woman to wear on the train, and she went home and showered and slept through most of the weekend. When she came back on Monday, everything was basically the same except that Kathy had a much better attitude toward her. And so it went the rest of the week until the following Friday, when she was asked to come and see Mr. Abraham, the older of the two partners. He was in his mid-60s, a small man with a thick head of gray hair and a full mustache that he had grown while in Europe during the war and had kept every since, a good luck piece, he called it. Dani knocked and sat on the couch at his beckoning. She had been nervous all morning, since Mr. Abraham’s secretary had told her about the meeting, and that feeling only grew the longer he stared at her. She had heard about other women at the agency who had settled business between themselves as she had with Kathy, including Kathy herself, who had gained quite a reputation for herself fighting women beyond the agency as well as within, Dani had learned; after word had gotten out that she had bested Kathy, the other women in the office had become more forthcoming with her and told her some of the more juicy history. It seemed that a few times, Kathy had represented Abraham and Weiner in spirited competition with women from other prominent firms.
“I’ve heard good things about you since you’ve started here,” Mr. Abraham said at last. He paused, as if he expected Dani to respond, but instead he continued on. “Seems you’re, um, a very energetic and enterprising young lady. Always looking to get ahead. That’s good, that’s what we’re looking for in our women. In fact, we have a meeting next week with a new client. They’re coming from Japan to share details for a new motorcycle they’re launching here. We’ve already snagged the account, we just need to see artwork and talk price and market. Anyway, I’d very much like for you to join us on this. It’s next Friday. And then there will be a little get-together at my place afterward.”
It was an assignment, not an invitation, and Dani thanked him profusely, as he expected her to do, and then left. She spent the next week shopping for new clothes and going over the market research, and the following Friday, she was part of the line ready to greet their visitors from Japan. Of the six people from their agency, Dani was the only woman, and she had the strong suspicion that she had taken Kathy’s spot, which certainly did not bother her. While she was waiting in front of the elevator with the senior men, she thought of Kathy sitting in her office, alone, checking budgets and signing off on copy, boring work anyone could do. And then the visiting team arrived. There were eight of them, including one woman. She was the same height as Dani and quite beautiful, with long straight black hair, and she seemed to be fresh out of college as well. Everyone shook hands in descending order of seniority, and the two young women were last, and Dani could feel all of the men from both sides appraising them. They locked eyes and shook hands and Dani made sure to give her a long hard squeeze and the other woman seemed to jerk her hand away sooner and with more force than protocol would dictate. They all moved to the conference room, where Dani and the Japanese girl, whose name was Kaguya, were seated at the end of the oval table across from each other. The meeting itself consisted mostly for polite formality, Dani soon learned, and her research and preparation, and Dani gave the other considerable if discreet scrutiny. She was quite beautiful, with perfectly smooth skin and eyes that seemed to see directly into you, and she had a slender built, with smaller breasts and leaner hips and legs, so well as Dani could tell under her rather conservative clothing. Dani had dressed more conservatively too, in consideration of their guests’ background, but she could feel the eyes of the other young woman lingering on her large chest and her own quite beautiful face. More than once, they caught each other staring and held contact for an instant before looking away in a manner that was more aggressive than playful.
The same dynamic continued at the dinner party at Mr. Abraham’s apartment after the meeting. It was a lavish apartment in an historical building on the Upper East Side that he had inherited from his family, along with the agency itself, and it was easy for all of them spread out in the living room and dining area. They all had drinks while waiting for the food, whiskey for the men and wine for the ladies, and they stood around made what small talk they could with the language barrier. The wives of the agency men and women who had traveled with the Japanese guests—Dani was unsure if they were wives, girlfriends, or consorts of some kind—had joined them, and everyone nervously chatted away for some time. One drink turned into three for many of the men, and the wives and girlfriends were not too far behind. Soon enough, Dani found herself standing in a circle with Mr. Abraham, the leader of the Japanese delegation, and Kaguya. The Japanese leader, Mr. Sano, made a comment about how beautiful Dani was and how disappointed he was not to have heard more from her during their meeting at the agency earlier. “Our young women have learned to take on important roles in the workplace,” he added through the interpreter who had been following him everywhere, “which we thought was the direction America has been leading us. We were looking forward seeing this lesson in person during our trip. How disappointing. I had even told our own Kaguya here that these young American women might be able to teach her something. She was doubtful, of course, but maybe she was correct after all.”
“Well, I must respectfully disagree,” Mr. Abraham replied. “Our young Dani here has proven herself a very spirited employee recently, and we are proud to have her on our team.”
On hearing this translated, Mr. Sano looked Dani up and down very slowly. “I cannot help but wish I had seen some of this spirit for myself,” he said finally.
“I think that she is indeed quite beautiful,” Kaguya said, speaking in English for the first time. “But I doubt that these American women really have much fire in their heart.”
“Oh, I think that you’ll find that our Daniella here has plenty of fire,” Mr. Abraham said. “What would you say to that, Dani? Want to show her what you’ve got?”
Dani and Kaguya hadn’t broken eye contact since the Japanese girl has spoken up. “I think that we could arrange a little demonstration for her,” Dani answered. “I’d like that very much.”
And with that, it was agreed that the two young women would put on what Mr. Abraham called a “friendly tussle for everyone’s enjoyment.” The young women would strip down to their bras and panties and have a no-rules contest in front of everyone. Both of them went into separate bedrooms to change, and a few minutes later Dani came out of one bedroom and back into the living room at the same time Kaguya did across the room. Both women wore only their lingerie, Dani in red with a plunging bra that put her majestic cleavage on full display, and Kaguya in black with a strapless bra that made her smaller breasts look gorgeous and free. Both women wore lace panties and stockings of the same color and had shed their shoes. The guests were cheering and clapping for their respective representative, and the two young women stepped forward until they were only a few feet away. At that point, they bent forward and came up on their toes, arms out and hands up, breathing hard, hair hanging free around their beautiful faces. Faces that were set and focused in their feminine aggression and all the more beautiful for it. They circled each other, stepping slowly and carefully, the muscle of their haunches and thighs twitching, eyes alert, like two great cats, all anticipation of what was to come.
Kaguya struck first, slapping Dani across the face, stunning her and sending her hair flying around her head. But Dani came right back and slapped Kaguya just as hard, sending the Japanese girl back and away from her. Kaguya was raising her hands to protect her face but Dani caught her by the hair of the back of her head and yanked hard, making her stumble and teeter. Kaguya kept her feet but she was flailing her hands and making no effort to strike back and Dani gripped her hair with both hands and spun in a tight circle and sent her flying. Kaguya was out of control and she collided with the wall with a loud crunch. Dani rushed after her but she recovered herself and was ready. Dani closed in, hands up and out and she got hold of Kaguya’s hair but Kaguya slammed her hands into Dani’s large breasts. Dani pulled on the hair, hard, and she got a screech of pain for her reward but Kaguya dug her fingers into her breasts and began crushing and probing. Reflexively Dani let go of the girl’s hair and tugged the hands on her chest but as she did Kaguya wrapped her arms around Dani’s torso and twisting herself brought her down to the ground. Dani tried to roll free but already the smaller Japanese girl had her legs locked around Dani’s thigh and she got Dani trapped facing down toward the ground. Dani tried to push herself up to her hands and knees and the Japanese girl put on a headlock from behind, one arm around her throat and the other hand pulling back on her hair. Dani rolled and got on her back so that she was facing up toward the ceiling with the Japanese girl under her but still she had her locked up, now with both legs around her waist, squeezing hard. Kaguya alternated between pulling her hair and smacking her face and breasts while she continued to squeeze her throat. Reaching back, Dani tried to snatch her hair but it was too far. So she pried at the legs, pushing down on them and pinching at the flesh, but she got no space. Now Kaguya used her free hand to pull at the arm around Dani’s throat and she began to worry she’d run out of air. So, with a great burst, she rolled over so that she was face down on the carpet and then pushed herself up to first her knees and then her feet and immediately fell over onto her back, crushing Kaguya under her. The arms and legs went loose and Dani got free, crawling away on her hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air.
Dani tried to rise up but Kaguya kicked her in the side, a vicious shot that flipped her over onto her back, and then she plopped herself down on Dani’s stomach. Dani waved her hands above her defensively, but she wasn’t ready yet and Kaguya easily ripped open her flimsy bra and then began slapping and hitting her large, vulnerable breasts. Dani gave a yelp of pain and tried to grab or block the hands but Kaguya kept slipping them through. Finally Dani pulled down Kaguya’s bra, exposing her smaller breasts, and clamped onto her nipples. She pinched as hard as she could and began twisting and pulling on them and she was rewarded with a howl of pain. Kaguya slapped her across her breasts and then her face and then she pulled the hands away from her breasts. In the scramble, Dani rolled her off and using the couch next to her climbed to her feet, tossing away her ruined bra and turning to face the other woman. Kaguya stood in front of her, also topless, staring daggers at her. Their small audience shifted to give them space and the two women walked forward and began throwing wild punches. Dani took one to the face but she hit her back to the face, knocking her back a step, and then she threw two more into her stomach and side. Kaguya stumbled but when Dani tried to grab her for a throw she slipped away and reset. Dani thought she was ready to end it and she lunged forward, throwing a wild right at her head, but Kaguya stepped aside and nailed her in the bosom with a quick left as she went by. Instinctively, Dani covered up and Kaguya hit her in the face with a right and a left, again, quick shots that didn’t really damage her but she was in and out before Dani could react. Dani went after her again and again Kaguya hit her in the breasts, this time with both fists, coming in under Dani’s wild punch. And then again they were left standing in front of each other, positions reversed again so that they were back where they started.
This time Dani held herself back and just slowly raised her hands up in front of her, fists closed. Kaguya smiled and did the same. The two topless beauties circled with a shuffling sidestep motion and began tentatively jabbing, hitting only air. After a few seconds of this Dani stepped back one and shook out her arms and came forward again, stronger. She threw a jab into the center of the Japanese girl’s face, rocking her back, and before she could reset herself Dani nailed her in her small breasts with a right and a left and then came back and hit her across the face with a right. That sent the smaller girl stumbling away, black hair whirling in the air, hands up reflexively. Dani tried again to grab onto her but Kaguya got away and as Dani went after her again Kaguya kicked her the front of her knee. The move shocked Dani and she bent down and put both of her hands over the hurting joint, as if to stabilize it, and Kaguya slammed her fist up into Dani’s face. The sudden force knocked her over backwards onto the carpet and the Japanese girl leapt bodily onto her. Immediately both young women seized each other’s hair, pulling hard, and began rolling over each other on the ground, one on top and then the other, their sweat-covered and aching bodies pressed hard together in the violence of their struggle. Dani got on top and hit her in the side repeatedly with her fist and then Kaguya bucked and rolled her over and leaning forward she bit Dani on the shoulder. Dani screamed and thrashed and in the wild melee that followed, of wild slapping to the bodies and faces and shrieking in rage and hairpulling, Dani ended up on top and had Kaguya in a headlock. The Japanese girl pulled at Dani’s hair and tugged on the arm across her neck but she couldn’t get free and Dani lowered her hips and cranked on the headlock with everything she had. Kaguya was moaning as her head and neck were bent forward and twisted and then she rotated with it and inhaling the swell of Dani’s large breast into her mouth she bit down, hard. Dani gasped in pain and pushed back on her forehead but it didn’t dissuade her. Finally, Dani slammed her fist into Kaguya’s face, one, two, three, four times. The body under her went loose and Dani let go of the headlock.
Exhausted and panicked, Dani crawled away. She got to a recliner and pulled herself to her feet and checked her breast for blood. Finding none, she took a deep inhale and examined the other woman, who was now slowly getting up. Dani quickly stepped forward and repaying the blow from earlier kicked her hard in the chest as Kaguya was on her hands and knees. Kaguya flopped onto her back, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, unable to even make a noise of pain at this point. Dani was exhausted and eager to end the fight but she was worried Kaguya was baiting her and she let the other girl rise, which she eventually did. Slowly Kaguya got to her feet and the two squared off again. Kaguya tried to hit her but Dani ignored it and slugged her across the face. The girl could take a hit, though, despite her slender fame, and she stayed upright. Before the Japanese girl could try to hit her again, Dani hit her in the stomach and then threw punches into her small breasts and clocked her soundly across the face. Again, though, she stayed on her feet. And now Dani threw one last punch, nailing her right on the cheek, and down she went in a heap. Exhausted, the breath hitching in her chest, Dani watched her for any movement and, seeing none, she planted her foot in the center of Kaguya’s chest and adopted her victory pose, arms flexed, smiling for the small crowd.
