To strip

It would have been easy to walk away. There were other dojos, other regions; she could travel to them, cross the country; no doubt with her ability she'd find a place among them. She could build a reputation as a fine warrior.

Until she met another one of Tao's students.

Then whatever reputation she'd built would crumble, and she would have to find employment outside of the martial arts.

She took a deep breath, then turned away from the camera. Before she could think about what she was doing she grabbed the bottom of her sports bra and lifted it up and over her head. It tangled briefly in her ponytail, then moved clear. With her sized-B breasts now on display, she threw the top onto the bench and kicked off her shoes. Finally she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her yoga pants and pulled them down to her ankles, bending and stepping out of them to do so.

Now bare, she covered her breasts with one arm and her crotch with her other hand. She turned back around to face Tao Ling and the camera.

"Oh-okay." she managed.

Tao Ling stepped towards her, and without a word of warning threw a punch at her face. Too terrified of her nudity to react, she merely flinched and made no move to dodge.

The punch stopped barely a millimetre from her face.

"Tell me, Wen Li, do you always fight with your hands tied behind your back?" he asked as he moved his fist away.

"P-please don't tie my hands!" she begged.

"I did not say I would. I asked you if you always fight with them behind your back, as you are now."

Unsure of herself, Wen Li risked a glance down. "My hands are in front of me, sensei."

"Behind, in front; it makes no difference. If you cover your shame, you remove your hands from the fight. Now... defend yourself!"

Tao Ling took a jumping step back, and threw a lazy sideways kick at Wen Li's exposed hip. Instinctively she reached out and grabbed the leg in mid-air. Holding it with one hand, she quickly span into Tao and threw a back elbow at his head. He blocked it with both hands.

The two stood frozen for a second; Wen Li holding Tao Ling's leg, while he held her elbow. She suddenly became acutely aware of his torso pressing up warmly against her bare back, and the feeling of his bare skin in the palm of her hand. She also felt a gentle breeze against her breasts and crotch. The camera stood watching them, just on the edge of her vision.

With a yelp of panic she jumped away from Tao, letting him go and covering herself as quickly as she could. Tao shook his head disapprovingly. "From that position," he said, "You could have swept my standing leg. Or, with both of my hands holding your elbow, you could have used your other elbow to attack my ribs. I would have had no defence. Yet you chose to run."

"I wasn't expecting... I mean, the camera..."

"No focus." he said, and shook his head once more. "Go. Get dressed."

That was exactly what she wanted to hear, and yet as she turned towards her abandoned clothes she hesitated. That hadn't sounded like a 'get dressed, let's try something different'. It had sounded like a 'get dressed, go home.' Had she really stripped off and made a fool of herself just to give up now?