Sasha and Susan’s Mansion, Beverly Hills, California:
Rose couldn’t believe she was giving up a day's worth of work to train with Sasha Wolfhart. She had arrived at six in the morning as Sasha instructed her to. She had called her assistant store manager to handle the store today. She would stop by later after she was done to check the deposit for tomorrow.

Sasha had given her a set of titanium/steel sai to train with. They were perfectly balanced and crafted, and they also had a hidden surprise built into them. She could shock any metal or person with them.

Rose parries Sasha’s incoming attack with her set of sais. She was a quick learner, and Sasha had shown her how to properly use the sais to parry, deflect, and trap an opponent's attacks with them. She could also quickly strike an opponent with them and stab them with the middle pong.

She parries Sasha’s sword attack with the sais and traps the sword's blade with them. Sasha taught her to trap a bladed weapon and use the sais to break the blade. She releases the blade and watches as Sasha makes away.

“Very good. That sais should protect you from that attacker who used the flaming sword against you.” Sasha puts the sword back in the rack and faces Rose.

“Now, I want you to use that sais to stop my attacks.”

“Are you sure you want to do that, Sasha?” An evil grin appears on Rose’s face.

“Oh, I’m sure.” Sasha attacks Rose quickly with her hands. She pulled her punches and strikes to avoid injuring Rose too much.

Rose couldn’t believe how fast Sasha was or the different ways she used her body to attack. Sure, she studied martial arts when she was younger, but the way Sasha attacked. It was like Sasha was a professional MMX fighter.

She feels Sasha slip by her defensives and strike her upper left arm. The next thing she feels is her left arm going numb. She couldn’t move it at all.

“What the hell did you do to my arm?”

Sasha stops attacking and smiles at Rose. “I used an atemi move. There are pressure points on everyone’s body, and if you know where they are. You can disable your opponent by striking them in a certain way.”

“How long does the effect last?” Rose still couldn’t feel her arm or make it move.

“Oh, about twenty minutes until I undo what I did to you.” Sasha strikes the area again and undoes what she did to Rose.

“Can you teach me how to do that?” Rose figures it would come in handy in a hand-to-hand fight.

“Sure, but it takes time and practice to learn it.” Sasha taught her two apprentices how to use it, just like her mother taught her.

“Can you kill a person with that atemi ability?” Rose wonders if what she saw in the movies was true.

“Yes, you can. But I won’t teach you how to do that. Maybe I might teach it once you are older and have proven yourself. For now, let’s continue with what we started.” Sasha smiles at Rose as she plans out her next moves.

When they stopped for lunch, Rose was worn out from the training. She managed to strike Sasha a few times, but overall, Sasha got the better of her. They put away their weapons and dried off from sweating so much. They headed upstairs to the kitchen for Sasha to fix their lunch.

“Sasha, where did you learn how to fight like you do? Because your fighting style looks like a collection of different martial arts.” Rose sits down on a stool at the island counter.

“I learned from my mother and father. My mother learned everything she knew from a tiny village in Japan, then went to Tibet to further her training. My father was in the Special Forces and is a former Delta Force trainer. My father studied for a bit of a while in Tibet. That’s where he met my mother and her twin sister.” Sasha pulls out some chicken and puts it on the grill to cook while adding spices.

“So, where did your mother learn her stage magician abilities?” Rose knew Mrs. Wolfhart was a famous stage magician.

“When she was raised in Japan, my mother was the class clown while studying for her doctor’s degree. Her instructors felt she didn’t take her studies seriously. Boy! Were they wrong? She was top of the class and graduated before the rest of her peers. She paid her way through medical school performing on stage and when she did her residency.” Sasha figures sharing a little about her mother’s background was okay.

“You said your mother and father met in Tibet while studying martial arts. Is that where they decided to hook up?” Rose was curious.

“Nope, it wasn’t for years afterward before they became serious. As it was, my mother was the teacher my father trained under while in Tibet. My mother taught at the temple, and he and several of his men went to study. The monks there were impressed with how good she was. She was only the third female to ever teach at the temple or be allowed to live there. Not that they could stop my mother. There are very few places she can’t get into or escape from.”

“Wow, so your parents passed what they knew onto you?” Rose was impressed.

“You could say that. My mother custom-designed my training because I followed in her footsteps. Unlike my other brothers and sisters.”

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

“Fourteen. Me and my youngest brother are the only adopted children my parents have.” Sasha flips the chicken so they can grill on the other side.

“Fourteen children? Where did your mother find the time to have that many?” Rose was amazed at how big Sasha’s family was.

“My mother and aunt only gave birth to twelve children. Twins and triplets run in our family. My mother and aunt don’t know why it happens to only them, but it does. How many sisters and brothers do you have?” Sasha looks at Rose for an answer.

“I have two older brothers. My parents only wanted three children, and when my mother gave birth to all males, she was disappointed. I knew I was always different from my other siblings.”

“So, I take it that you grew up as a transgender child?” Sasha looks towards Rose for an answer.

“Some strange dust turned me into what you see now. I used to be a DEA agent and was chasing after a perp when the bag I was carrying exploded, turning me, my coworker, and the perp into women. I was lucky my family stood by me afterward.” Rose remembered the day it happened.

“What do your parents and siblings do?” Sasha already knew because she had her cousin Violet do a full background check on Rose at the mountain complex.

“They are self-made billionaires. My father is one of the wealthiest oil barons, and my mother came from old-world money. My oldest brother is the current CEO of Clayton Oil Company, and my next oldest brother owns his own company. He makes investments and makes a lot of money for his clients. I’m the oddball because I own an automotive garage my uncle used to own. I try to distance myself from the upper elite. I prefer a simpler life.”

“And I bet you also enjoy fighting criminals?” Sasha figures Rose was just like her daughters.

“Hey, a girl has to have a hobby.” A smile appears on Rose’s face.

“I know what you mean.” Sasha finishes cooking the chicken, cuts it up, and adds it to some lettuce, tomatoes, and feta cheese.

“Here, you go.” As Sasha sets the plate in front of Rose.

“Thanks.” Rose could smell the spices Sasha added to the chicken.

The two of them sit and enjoy lunch.