[Baconwizard]

Down the poorly-lit alleyway, there was a brawl. Money exchanged hands, the smell of drink and smoke choked people's lungs, and there was a thrum of electric excitement coursing through the air, caused by the adrenaline that only a good fistfight could produce. A crowd had gathered to form a loose circle around the brawlers, screaming encouragement to the two fighters whaling away at each other in the middle of the ring. The spectators in the back of the crowd were quieter than the drunkards clogging the front row, but their eyes were no less keen on the outcome of the match. The fighters were some of the Slums biggest sources of entertainment, the fighters themselves likened to local celebrities, and there was money to be had in the pounding of fist upon flesh.

"C'mon, you weak little runt!" Came a hoarse cry from the center of the ring. A wild-eyed man––he couldn't be more than nineteen––was taunting his opponent, a raunchy grin on his face as curses and antagonizing expletives spilled from his mouth. That was Bryne. He moved from side to side with a restless energy, letting his hands dangle at his sides as he egged on his opponent, who was sporting a gushing nosebleed. Bryne let out an exultant, almost deranged laugh; he seemed to be buzzed on drink, or maybe it was the adrenaline high caused by the fight. He lashed forward, his movements lightening sharp, and delivered a sharp kick to his opponents gut, then sent the poor kid to the ground with a swift chop.

A whistle was blown, and the man let out a loud yell, throwing his hands up into the air and jogging around the circle, the crowd yelling back as Bryne screamed of his victory into their faces. The opponent was dragged out of the center to the edge of the crowd, out of the circle of light made by the streetlight.

Taiga watched Bryne egg on the crowd, drawing them up into a higher frenzy with his energy, her eyes watching the movements of the crowd with a cold gaze. "Don't be absurd," she muttered to herself, her hands going to crack at her knuckles––a nervous habit of hers. That arrogant turd Bryne always had to show off. If it was Taiga in there, the fight would have been over in half the time it took him. Of course, the crowd always like him better, but that wasn't Taiga's concern. There were more bidders in the audience tonight. Perhaps, perhaps... there could be one looking to hire. Taiga wasn't picky; she quite liked brawling for a living, and she was good at it. But even she knew that there were better, higher-paying, and most importantly, more honorable jobs than beating strangers up in alleyways for sport. Keeping her eyes on the arena, where Bryne was getting ready for his next fight, Taiga also kept her eyes out for potential clients.

[Azura Rayume]

While the alley below erupted with activity, a soft click and a jiggle signifies an unlawful entry into one of the small apartments above. Not like anyone cared out here; this town was practically the definition of unlawful,  what with street brawls being a more lucrative for of entertainment than anything more civilized.

The room the pair procured for the event was small and sparingly lit, moats of dust hanging visible in what little light there was. It had a big window, though, and that was all that mattered. The larger of the two figures, a broad shouldered man, strode across the floor to the window and shoved it open.

"Hey, Stel," he called, motioning for his companion to join him as he leaned out the window, ignoring the grime on the sleeve of his white suit jacket. "This guy looks great. Looks like this fight is almost over, though. Damn. I mean, he's cocky, strong, knows just how to work this crowd. My kind of man."

Heels clicking on the floorboards, Stella sauntered toward her bodyguard,  a look of displeasure on her face. While she preferred this pseudo-box seat to the rowdy mob below, dirt and dust were not her first choice of surroundings. Then again, no brawlers worth their weight in salt could be found in Lamenolai, so they had been forced to look elsewhere.

She seated herself on the windowsill. "This had better be worth ruining this dress," she muttered with a scowl, tilting her head to watch just in time to see the man in the ring ground his opponent and end the fight. "Well, that's a shame. Maybe he'll fight again." She wanted a chance to judge this boy herself instead of taking Fyodor's word for it. As much as she trusted his judgement, there was no replacement for first hand experience.

[Baconwizard]

The fights were beginning to rise in intensity as the fighters and the crowd grew increasingly hyped up and drunk. Shouts of encouragements and threats rang out over the heads of everyone there, and money was tossed around as bets increased with the level of fights. A small, weaselly man who was acting as announcer shouted into a megaphone made up of a rolled-up magazine, shouting the names of new opponents and the feats of the older, more experienced brawlers. The brawlers themselves ranged from the regular muscle-head thugs to wicked fast street urchins who were banned from fights for more than one instances of using hidden blades.

"Annnnnnnd coming into the ring for the first time tonight, pitted against our reigning Blazin' Bryne, long-time fighter and local legend, the Ice Queen, Taiga! Just one glare will freeze you in your boots, folks, she doesn't mess around!"

Amid the frenzied shouts of the announcer and yells of the crowd, Taiga strode into the ring, her shoulders back and head held high as she stared defiantly into the bright eyes of the crowd around her. She made a show of cracking her neck, then adjusted the black fingerless gloves on her hands. This was her first fight that night, and Bryne's second; he was already fired up from the way he was bouncing around with his almost boundless energy. It was always like this, whenever he stepped into the ring it was as if a switch was thrown in his brain, and he was all fire. He was sporting a bleeding scratch on his shoulder, but he paid it no mind, grinning at her with his loose smile.

"Fancy seeing you here tonight, Queenie. That's what they call you, right? The Ice Queen. They call me the Firecracker. Or the inferno. They've got a lotta names for me." Bryne laughed, not ceasing to talk even as Taiga sent a deadpan glare his way. "You gotta do something about your face, girl! No one likes a fighter with a stick up their butt!" Bryne's voice lowered, and his eyes seemed to darken, a fire burning in there, though the manic smile stayed. "You beat me last time. How about I settle the score?"

Taiga tilted her head at him, her face impassive. Slowly, she shifted into a fighting stance, one foot back and hands up around her jaw. "If you can scrape yourself off the ground," she replied, and a bell rang, signaling the start of the fight. The noise of the crowd swelled for an instant, and the two were headed towards the center, bent on collision.

[Azura Rayume]

"Now, there's a fighter I can get behind." Though her attentions had drifted elsewhere in the course of the events, the mention of an "ice queen" was enough to draw Stella back in. Those of the fairer sex were often disregarded in her experience, but that was exactly what made so many women in these profession so dangerous. Their male counterparts had such a habit of underestimating them that they were, in turn, given quite the upper hand. For all his boasting, this "Blazin Bryne" or whatever his show name was might fall prey to doing just the same.

Fyodor gave a small barking laugh at the announcement. "Yeah, right," he said, smirking. "He's gonna wipe the floor with her, just watch. You didn't see all of what he did to that other kid, yanno." He was so focused on the fight below that he barely noticed when Stella punched him in the arm, which prompted her to do it again until she got a reaction. He broke his gaze from the alley to meet her glare with one of his own. "And what exactly was that for?"

She huffed at him. "For doing exactly what gets so many of my 'clients' in trouble," she replied flatly, "and probably what most of that woman's previous opponents have done as well. You don't earn a nickname and get called a 'local legend' for nothing, you know." The woman narrowed her eyes into a squint as she turned back to the fight that had just begun. There was something about the fighters' banter, their movements, that betrayed something about them both. Sure, the boy was confident but perhaps a little too hotheaded for his own good while the woman was cooler, more calculated, unlikely to make a move without it being wholly purposeful; that much she could tell at a glance, even from this far away. There was something more, though, that would require a bit of study.

[Baconwizard]

The first two strikes were tests, Bryne throwing a wild jab and Taiga deftly parrying, each one sizing the other out. Then the backed away, beginning to circle, eyeing each other as they waited for an opening. As it dragged on, the crowd began to grow louder, and Bryne seemed to be getting impatient, his feet shuffling at the dirt. "C'mon, girl. Give me your best shot. I'll give it to ya for free." He huffed out through his nose, the manic grin on his face widening. "C'mon. C'mon! The people want a show, you dumbass!" His voice was rising, and his body tensed, coiling up for a split second before impatience overcame him, and he launched himself at the woman.

Taiga had listened to Bryne's jeers, but his words had gone in one ear and out the other. She had been more focused on the shuffling quality of his feet; he had bad balance and his form was horrendous. She just needed to get him off balance... It was at that moment that Bryne had sprung, and Taiga's body immediately whipped into action on instinct.

She dodged to the side, avoiding his bruising knuckles, but not before she was clipped on the shoulder, knocking her to the right. Taiga quickly adjusted herself, raising a leg and kicking out at Bryne's exposed abdomen. It was like her teacher had always said; the legs were strong weapons, and she better learn how to use them. Bryne grunted, the thud of her knee connecting with his solar plexus letting her know that her strike had hit, but before she could even think of her next move, Bryne had latched on to her leg and yanked, sending her off balance and to the ground with a thud.

Bryne had begun to laugh, his core aching from the wicked kick; this girl was solid as a brick. As Taiga fell to the ground, he was quick to fling her leg away and cock his own leg back as he brought his foot careening wildly towards Taigas unguarded face.

[Azura Rayume]

Though the crowd grew louder, only one of the two in the skybox was going along with the rest. Fyodor jumped with bundled energy at each punch, face twisted with a sadistic grin. "Oh, that's not gonna be good," he commented as the female fighter crashed downward, though his expression said everything but condolences. Excitement sparkled in his eyes, fingers twitching in a desire to fight as well. "Do you think they'll have an open fight after this one? I wanna give that guy a go."

Stella rolled her eyes. "Not in that suit, you're not," she droned, gaze still locked on the pair below. "It's bad enough that we had to come all the way out here to watch this and ruin this dress. I'm not replacing your clothes and paying medical bills. Not today anyway." They weren't here for Fyo to get his nose broken trying to prove something stupid. Since he was too wrapped up in the hype of spectating, she was left to judge whether anyone in these fights would be worth the money to hire them. Of those she had seen and heard of, only these two had any potential.

That in mind, the idea of Fyo going toe-to-toe with at least one of them would be a good idea. She might be able to judge their personalities, but the only true way to know their strength was to test it. Somewhere a little less public would be better, though.

[Baconwizard]

Pain ran up her spine as she hit the hard packed ground, and Taiga lay there stunned for a moment before she blinked back to awareness to see Bryne's foot headed straight towards her face. She sucked in a breath, then ducked to the side, beginning to roll away and scrambling into an upright position, only wanting to get distance between Bryne and her. The crowd screamed at her, making it difficult to hear what Bryne was doing and she whirled around, her hands up and covering her face.

Bryne, however, had lost control of his kick, and during the few seconds that Taiga had been scrambling away, he had been hopping up and down on his bruising heel after it had connected with the solid ground. He bared his teeth at Taiga, his eyes alight with rage, but Taiga just sniffed through the dust of the makeshift arena. Then her fist shot out and connected right with the bridge of Bryne's nose, and he crumpled like a sheet of paper, and sprawled out on the ground.

The crowd was silent for a moment, then the announcer with the reedy voice began a countdown from ten. Taiga stared at Bryne's crumpled form, as if daring him to get up, her body tense and thrumming with adrenaline. That had been close, too close. She had made a mistake, letting her guard down like that, and even falling to the ground. It was good that he was such an idiot, otherwise she might not have made it.

"THREE... TWO... ONE!" The crowd exploded with cheers and groans, and there was a flurry of activity as money as relinquished and drinks exchanged hands. The announcer was rattling off, his voice lost in the crowd.

Bryne groaned on the ground, shifting as he brought a hand to his bloodied nose. He sighed, staring up at the cloudy sky above them. Shit, he'd lost. No more fights for him that night. Pity. With the next breath, all the energy that had been giving Bryne his explosive edge leaked out of him, and he lay there lip on the ground, passive. Taiga walked over to him, then squatted down to peer at his face, her arms resting on her knees. "Can you move?"

Bryne groaned in response, then slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his head throbbing in protest. "I think you broke my nose."

"Don't be a baby," Taiga replied, grabbing Bryne by the arm and hoisting him up without pity, dragging him out of the arena towards a nearby building, where a doctor had set up a makeshift clinic and was treating the finished fighters. Bryne whined, but went along with Taiga's firm grasp, hissing as her fingers pressed against a purpling bruise.

[Azura Rayume]

"No!" Fyodor let out a wail of frustration, turning on his heel to thump his back against the wall beside the window. "No, no, no, no! This can't be happening!" He covered his eyes with one arm and thumped a fist against the wall with the other in frustration.

Though inwardly pleased with the outcome of the fight, Stella managed a glare in his direction. "I told you that's what would happen, but you didn't listen," she said, crossing her legs and leaning one elbow on her leg, chin propped to watch the aftermath of the fight. "I don't see what you're so worked up about anyway."

"I'm not going to get to fight him, that's why! If he loses, he's out for the night! Plus he's in no shape to fight anyway with that broken nose."

"Oh my lord, you're such a drama queen. You aren't here to fight anyway, so sit down somewhere and shut up." She narrowed her eyes at the scene below, the none-too-gentle way the pair of fighters interacted. The fact that the woman had even made a move to check on her opponent was telling because, as far as her own experience with street fighters went, such a gesture was simply not done. Compassion was a stranger here, a sign of weakness. She watched a moment longer, then stated, "They know each other."

"Of course they know each other." Fyo slid down the wall to sit on the floor, staring blankly at the opposite wall. "They're fighters. They lead lives of violence and adventure, surviving on the streets with their wager winnings and their wits. They know everyone in their profession, from the imprints of their fists to their shadows on the wall."

His partner gestured back at him without taking her eyes off the crowd below. "Very poetic of you, but not what I meant. They're friends, idiot, at least as friendly as two people who regularly beat the snot out of each other for the entertainment of a drunken mob can be." She doubted it went so far as to throw a fight one way or another- those punches were more than real- but there was always the possibility that they bet against themselves and split the winnings every time they fought.

[Baconwizard]

Bryne sniffled, the blood clotting up his nose, and he carefully dabbed at the swelling at his nose. Taiga was rummaging through the doctor's first aid kit, looking for a bandage for a nasty cut on her arm. Bryne lounged back on the cot, groaning slightly as his aching muscles protested, then relaxed. All the fight that had blazed in him seemed to have leaked out of him, and he sighed, one leg flopping languidly over the edge of the cot. Taiga raised an eyebrow at this display, then she resumed bandaging her arm. She didn't have any other cuts, but her arms and legs felt heavy, like they always did after a fight.

"They'll want you back in the ring, Ice Queen," Bryne said, a sarcastic lilt edging his voice. He glanced at her, then smirked, moving the tissue away from his nose.

Taiga turned, giving him a deadpan look. She considered him for a long moment, then began to put the medical supplies back in the kit. "I've done enough fighting for today; I'm getting sloppy. If I do any more, I won't win."

It was Bryne's turn to raise his eyebrows, and he gave the dark-skinned girl a derisive look. "It's not about whether you win or not. The point of fighting is just to fight!"

"Maybe to brutes like you, it is." Taiga replied in a cold voice, shutting the kit with a snap. "But I don't take part in this just to play. Even you know how lucrative this is."

Bryne shrugged, lying back on the cot. "The money is just the cherry on top. Anyway, there weren't any of the big betters out there tonight. That's the real reason you're throwing in the towel, am I right?"

Taiga rolled her eyes, a prickle of anger lending a sharpness to her movements as she turned away, purposefully not looking at the lounging man on the bed. "You're the one always going on and on about how the audience needs a show. The show is better if the performers are in top shape. It's senseless to get hurt if you don't get rewarded for your efforts."

"Getting hurt is half the fun," Bryne remarked, casually dabbing at his nose. He glanced at Taiga, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "You just don't like to lose."

Taiga was silent at that, her lips pursed into a line. After a pause, Taiga pushed her way out of the tent, leaving Bryne alone in the tent to nurse his wounds.

[How do you think Bryne and Taiga will meet up with Fyo and Stella?]