and when they come, i'll be ready

Highroller felt a slight chill in their bones as their paws sunk into the soft green grass of the Dioscenus soil. A few years had past since their liberation from Sal Sagev, but the feeling of the outdoors was something they were still not completely used to. The gentle caress of the wind against their fur, the ambiance of a planet's wildlife, this feeling of peace.. it was all so foreign to Highroller. But even now in the still calmness of their new life, when they closed their eyes and listened hard enough, they could still hear the crackle of the fire as Sal Sagev burned down in front of them those few years ago.
If things were simpler, that would've been the end of it. However, the universe didn't seem so keen on giving the red-furred Luminite a total break.
They still suffered tremendously from the countless years of abuse— finding it near impossible to open up to others— emotionally or otherwise. They still lacked the capacity to fully physically show their own emotion and express themselves.
They still occasionally feared for their own safety without Aubergine or Tangerine close by, their mind always telling them that the members of Sal Sagev would be out to get them. After all, nobody in the organization ever left alive, and they made sure of it.
..But Highroller would not go without a fight.
In an effort to cope with the foreboding feeling of danger, they had decided to take matters into their own paws, learn to defend themselves. Tooth and claw would not settle, no. They knew the agents of Sal Sagev would easily overpower them in martial combat. They had to learn to use a weapon.
When first embarking on this venture, they were unsure where to even start, but eventually word came around of a great warrior by the name of Jiahao, offering his skills and insight on the art of combat itself.
And that's why Highroller was here.
They felt the stares of others as they brushed past them, their smaller frame and solid-color pelt standing out considerably among the rest of the soon-to-be warriors, but Highroller ultimately payed them no mind. Quite frankly, they couldn't give less of a fuck.
Right now their eyes were set on one Luminite and one Luminite only; The great toffee-swirl pelted warrior that faced the crowd.