I shed my bookbag, winter coat, and civvies,
stripping down to my Ms. Megaton Man leotard and panties. Koz took my bookbag
before I could retrieve my yellow gloves and boots, let alone my red cape,
brass buttons, or translucent-orange visor. “You won’t be needing that stuff,”
he said, throwing me a pair of white silk boxing trunks instead. “Here, put
these on,” he said as he grabbed a pair of red boxing gloves that hung on a peg
on the wall.
I noticed Alice2, the Mod Puma, had shed her boots
with their razor-like talons, so we were both barefoot. Presumably, she wasn’t
wearing her taloned gloves, either, under her boxing mitts. She had slipped on
a pair of black boxers nearly indistinguishable in color from her navy blue
tights.
All that was left after my gloves were tied was the padded head
guard that boxers wear around their faces for protection during sparring
matches, and a mouthpiece to protect the dentistry. “Is that really necessary?”
I asked, as Koz proffered these.
“Better safe than sorry,” said Koz.
