Reeves gave you this? Naomi nodded. When? The day I finished instructor certification. Nia looked up.
Instructor? Naomi leaned back. Senior combatives instructor. Nia stared at her. You never said senior.
I didn't say a lot of things. Apparently. Naomi almost smiled. Then her face settled again. Daniel Reeves trained me.
Just you? A lot of people. But he gave you the coin. Naomi nodded once. He gave it to me after a training block where two people lost their tempers.
Nia waited. Naomi looked down at the coin. I didn't. That was the whole test? That was the important part.
Her voice changed slightly. Not softer. Older. Reeves believed anybody could learn to hurt someone. He cared whether you could stop before you did.
Nia thought about the bruise on her wrist. About Ryan's shove. About the edited video. Control the room before you control the person. Naomi looked at her.
You remember that? You've said it before. Naomi's eyes returned to the coin. He said it first. For a few seconds the apartment became quiet except for rain.
Then Naomi continued. I stayed in longer than I planned. Taught more. Worked with teams that needed de-escalation under pressure. Later I helped adapt some of those methods for civilian emergency response programs.
Nia blinked. What kind of programs? EMS security. Athletic response. Situational control.
How to separate people without turning everything into a fight. Nia stared. You helped write that? Parts of it. You're saying that like you helped paint a hallway.
Naomi shrugged. It was work. No. It was important work. To somebody. To a lot of people.
Naomi looked away. Nia knew that look too. The one that appeared whenever praise came too close. You really don't know what people see when they look at you, do you? Nia asked.
Naomi gave a tired laugh. Oh, I know exactly what people see. Her eyes moved toward the rain dark window. They see the jacket. Nia said nothing.
The shoes. Still nothing. The bus pass. Naomi's mouth tightened. They see the woman who lost an apartment.
The woman taking overtime. The woman stretching rent. They see what came after and decide that's the whole story. Nia felt something ache in her chest. That's why you carry the coin.
Naomi nodded. Some days. To remember. To refuse forgetting. Nia picked up the coin again.
What happened to Reeves? Naomi went very still. Nia knew the answer in broad pieces. Training accident. 46 years old.