Girls Always Take Longer in the Shower than Boys

Luca stepped out of the shower and got ready to rendezvous with Rambone and Cara at the food court. When she realized that she tossed her clothes into a laundry hamper, she quickly found out that the arena would supply them with a small wardrobe of feminine, unisex, and masculine clothes.

She tied up her short blonde hair in a big bun and wore her blue and white jacket, a black crop top, and a pair of white jeans.

She took a look at herself in the mirror and grabbed the folder she had earlier before she left. She smiled at her appearance.

"I look cute and not like a mess finally."

As she stepped out the door, she was surprised to not be met by Rambone but a German Shepherd instead.

"Huh?" She crouched down to pet the dog, as it wagged its tail happily. "Do you know where my friend Rambone is, buddy?"

It took a moment to sniff her before barking, making her flinch.

"Woah hey, do you know where he is, buddy? Do you?"

The dog left in the direction opposite the stairs, disappearing from her vision as it turned a corner.

"Huh. That was weird."

She headed down to the map near the entrance. There was a clock above the map itself, reading 7:43 PM. The food court was towards the back of the arena, near the clinic and participant support office.

As she entered the food court, she was enthusiastically waved over by Cara to the table where she and Rambone sat.

"Are you still sore?"

Luca's soreness in her body then very partially returned.

"... Yeppp."

She stretched her back and then proceed to sit down.

"What'd you bring us here for?"

"To eat together and teach you some more pointers."

"Where's the food then?"

Cara pointed off to the right where there was a buffet. "There. Go get yourself some food. We already got ourselves some."

Luca got out of her chair and looked down to see both of them having half-eaten plates. It looked tasty to her.

She then promptly went over to get herself a plate before sitting back down.

"Before you start your whole spiel, can I ask where you get clothes from? They look great."

Cara was wearing a pink cropped jacket, a black tank top, and jeans. She scratched her fluffy short bronze hair (which matched the color of her eyes) and thought about her answer for a second.

"Mix of nearby clothing stores and the clothes that the arena gives you wear."

"Oh really really?!" She asked excitedly.

"Yep! I'd love to shop around in them with you sometime!"

"Thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Cara laughed heartedly and loudly.

Rambone had quickly fallen asleep, his face resting on his hand. Luca punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?"

"Don't fall asleep just because god forbid we talk about fashion, dumbass." She pointed to Cara.

"Rambone, are you ready to be given a lesson on how to be the best man in the arena?!" Cara asked him enthusiastically.

He nodded his head repeatedly.

"Fantastic!" She crossed her arms and smiled, flashing her brilliant white teeth. "Let me show you the first thing.

She leaned over to open a box she had brought and pulled out a shirt and a pair of long pants. It was mostly black with the rest of it being white and green. A fancy white "A" was imprinted on the upper left front part of each.

"This is the arena uniform you'll be fighting in."

"It looks tacky." Rambone commented, tired.

"Well, you best get used to it then!" She retorted.

"Okay."

"But as I said, this is the arena uniform. It's tailored specifically to protect its wearer! It's made out of a mix of leather, cotton, synthetic fiber, scuba fabric, and polyester."

"You just said a whole lot of sciency stuff, what are you even on about?"

"Simply put, it's made out of lots of materials mixed together to create the ultimate protective material!"

"Woooah!" Luca and Rambone gasped.

"I know, right! Pretty cool, is it not?!"

"Do you mean like it's gonna make us pretty cool or that it's cool?"

"Like I said." She said bluntly, cutting him off.

She put it back in the box and took a bite of food before speaking again.

"And also, my second point." She pointed to Luca. "Luca we need to pick out a weapon for you. Do you want me to choose a weapon for you or are you picking it out for yourself?"

"Hmm?" Luca looked up from her food for a moment, her mouth full.

"You need a weapon since you're going to be fighting, you know that right?" She reiterated.

Luca swallowed her food. "I don't know what to pick. I don't fight. I'm not one of those kinds of girls."

"What kind of girls are you talking about?" Cara asked with a blank expression.

"Y'know those really tough girls that enjoy beating the shit out of people?"

"Mind your language!" She shouted. "Anyways, no you won't become one of those kinds of girls. If you did, no one would marry you."

Luca scratched her chin. "I doubt it. There are plenty of guys that go crazy over them. It's strange."

Rambone blushed and interjected. "You talking about me?"

"No, what are you on about?" She looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm talking about the weirdos that do."

He sighed. "Ok, cool."

"Back on topic, you two!" Cara steered back on topic. "What weapon do you want?"

Luca once again scratched her chin before answering. "Hmm... I think I want a sword."

"Nice to know that you're more decisive than Rambone. Good choice, but what kind of sword do you want?" She replied.

"Hey!" Rambone objected.

"Relax, Rambone. You made a good choice as well." She said to him, softly.

"Wait, there are different kinds of swords?" Luca asked, puzzled.

Cara nodded. "Indeed. Swords come in many different varieties. One-handed, two-handed, thin, and wide."

"I've heard a katana's pretty cool, but I think that the short ones are the coolest. It always seemed so cool to me."

"Hmm, so a short sword then?"

"Yep."

"I know the best kind for one. I have not learned how to use it myself, but I can try my best to teach you."

"Awesome."

"You two will be working hard these next two weeks, you hear me?" She said, her voice once again booming out.

"Yes, ma'am." Rambone said, more tired this time.

Luca simply nodded.

And with that, two long weeks would come to pass.