"This will be your new home." Ari said, pointing to a three-story building painted in cream white, with a facade simply decorated by pilasters and entablatures.
Earlier, at the SkyView Theater, not seeing me in the mood to watch the game, Ari decided to take me to my new home sooner than planned.
During the journey, I somehow managed to regain some calm, mostly thanks to the words Ari had told me.
For now, I decided to believe her, trying as much as possible to look ahead, although traces of those self-destructive thoughts remained deep in my heart.
My new residence was located very close to Primrose Square and overlooked Grand Way.
"Other gladiators live here, all managed by me and all part of my family, the Nightjars." She explained.
"From now on, you will also be part of this family."
"Uh... I understand, but what do you mean by family?"
"In the Colosseum, gladiators are grouped into families, which are nothing but groups of gladiators living under the same roof and managed by the same manager, also called the head of the family."
"From now on, if you want, you can also call me head of the family." She said with a proud smile.
"I think I understand... but what benefits do I get from being part of a family?" I asked.
"First of all, I must say that a gladiator is obliged to be part of a family, and then, by being part of one, you have other gladiators like you living under the same roof, with whom you can share stories, train together, or even form friendships... for now you will be part of the Nightjars, but in the future you can also decide to change if you want."
She said the last part of her explanation in a soft voice, as if she didn't want me to hear it.
'And why should I decide to change family if the benefits are only those she told me? Sure, I might dislike the other gladiators in the family, but...' I wondered doubtfully.
"I can change if I want... but why should I do it?" I asked.
"Well... for example, you might get along badly with the other gladiators of a family... but I can assure you that all the members of the Nightjars are fantastic people, and I'm sure you will like it here." She explained with a broad smile.
"Just for that?" I asked skeptically.
'It's as if there's something she doesn't want to tell me right now...' I thought, watching her smile that seemed so false.
I waited for her answer, which however didn't come.
"Aren't there other benefits to being part of one family rather than another that you don't want to tell me?" I asked then.
Seeing her smile falter, I understood I had hit the point.
I looked at her waiting for her to list the various benefits, but she didn't seem so willing to tell me.
After a prolonged questioning gaze from me, she finally gave in.
"The more popular a family is, the more that family earns, and the more a family earns, the more money that family can give you as an additional salary on top of the prizes won in the games..." she said finally with a defeated look.
"I see, I guess the Nightjars aren't very popular since you didn't want to tell me these things." I teased playfully.
"The Nightjars... are a splendid family." She said appearing a bit uneasy, something that for some reason made me feel good.
"It's just that it was born recently, and only has two other members besides you... but they are both high level, I'm sure this family will grow quickly becoming quite respectable." She added confidently.
Having said that, Ari opened the massive wooden entrance door without a lock, surprisingly manual and with creaking hinges, then stepped in quickly as if to escape the conversation.
'Well, I guess for now I'll postpone judgment until I meet the other two gladiators...'
Following Ari, I found myself in a fairly spacious living room with cream-colored walls and dark chocolate-colored frames. Looking around, I noticed how antiquated the room was decorated, as if it were a parlor of an old lady's house.
To the left was a round table made of dark solid wood with four chairs with intricately decorated backs that looked uncomfortable, also made of dark wood. In the center of the table, purple flowers sprouted from a light blue vase.
Bookshelves filled with books with faded covers and varied paintings with thick and decorated frames crowded the empty spaces on the walls in an almost suffocating way.
The entire room was bathed in a warm, soft light, made golden by the canary-colored lace curtains that filtered the sunlight through the windows.
The chandelier in the center of the ceiling also added to the atmosphere. Shaped like a delicate branch, it held at its tips small luminous orbs that resembled glowing fruit, each casting a soft, amber light that mingled harmoniously with the hues of the room.
I turned my puzzled gaze to the right, where, on two damask armchairs in burgundy color, facing a holographic TV showing what seemed like a duel, sat a man and a woman, extremely focused on watching the fight.
"You're back earlier than expected." The first to speak was the woman, who got up and walked towards me and Ari, showing all her physical presence.
She was almost half a span taller than me, and wore light, tight long-sleeved clothes, highlighting a sculpted musculature and a pronounced chest.
Her skin was dark like ebony and her face sweet, with slightly chubby cheeks. Her eyes, bright blue like two gems, contrasted with her curly black hair tied back in a ponytail.
From her gaze, she seemed older than me, or at least more mature.
"You must be the new one." She said with a broad smile directed at me. Her voice was bright and radiated strength and determination.
"I'm Iwe Olileanya, nice to meet you!" She introduced herself, extending her hand towards me.
I shook her hand, slightly intimidated, almost in reverence. Her presence was so incredible that it felt like I was looking at a divine warrior.
Even just shaking her calloused hand made me feel her physical supremacy.
"Elías Díaz, the pleasure is mine."
Only now did I notice that the man had also joined the conversation, standing next to Iwe. What truly unsettled me was that I hadn't heard a single footstep as he approached, as if he had simply materialized there.
'Wait a second...' I looked at him carefully, unable to understand his age.
His serious face and pale complexion, with sharp hazel eyes, yet very youthful features, coupled with a stature barely reaching about one meter seventy and a lean, agile build, didn't help me guess his age. He was dressed in semi-formal clothes: a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and straight black trousers.
Like Iwe, he had black hair, but short and straight, and like her, he seemed human.
'He could be between 16 and 30 years old... his bearing makes him look like an adult, but his face makes him seem young...'
Strangely at that moment, a reminiscence from the past came to mind.
'East Asians always seem younger than they are...'
I thought remembering. However, I wasn't too convinced about this, as I didn't recall the source of this information.
'Maybe it was just a stereotype...' I thought then, scratching my head
"Hi, my name is Zhang Rui, welcome, I hope we can get along." He said in a cold and monotone but charismatic tone, giving a gentle smile and extending his hand for a shake.
Even around him, like with Iwe, there seemed to be a different air. To my eyes, they both appeared superior to me, as if they were an updated and superior version of me, an ordinary human.
He, compared to the aura given by Iwe's stunning physique, imposed himself with something more subtle and vague, but which made me look at him with full respect.
As I shook his hand, I realized that although his was smaller and more skeletal than mine, his grip radiated a strong charisma, typical of someone in a position of command.
"Elías Díaz, nice to meet you." I replied in a reverent tone.