Lio said Sen had abandoned the net. Sen said Lio had taken every middle ball. They had come to the Court of Clear Water to settle who had ruined the match. Beside the blindfolded keeper, two vessels of light tipped wildly.
She raised her racket and asked them to replay one point. They could say only what a silent observer would have seen.
Lio moved across before Sen called. Sen stepped backwards after the return. The space down the line opened. The ball passed.
The water stilled.
Then they could speak of what the point had done to them. Lio had felt alone. Sen had felt erased. The path of the ball had not changed, but both accounts were now in the room.
The keeper asked what each had contributed. Lio had crossed without agreement. Sen had withdrawn without communicating. The vessels balanced. Neither was declared innocent.
Outside, Lio complained that they still did not know who was the bad partner. Sen surprised himself by laughing.
They went back to court. In later disagreements they tried to begin with the point itself, before moving to its impact, their responsibility and what to change. Neither could make the first account alone.