It is so easy to rid yourself of the pain of joint and finger, the fatigue of muscle and will, in a test of strength. All one must do is concede. Give in – admitting that your opponent is stronger than you. Better than you.
But instead you hold the line. Pressing your palms into hers. Trying to break her, even though your teeth grit, and your biceps burn.
But as you doubt, so does she. As you quake in her hands, she shakes in yours. For your suffering and hers is no different, apart from the fact that when it ends: one will have won, and the other withdrawn their challenge in defeat.