estoria | The first rule of fight club

Entry tags:

The first rule of fight club

Who: Zoro

yourotherleft & OPEN!
When: IC 5/4-5/5
Where: various places in the Pleasure District
What: In the process of becoming a bounty hunter, Zoro is about to stumble on something even more curious in the "underground" where criminals in the colony play.
Rating/Warning: none but lmk if that changes

[One doesn't have to hang around in the alley outside Novus/Replea to hear about the criminal underground of the Cerealia colony, but it helps. A chance encounter elsewhere has already turned Zoro on to the existence of alien criminal factions and their need to put prices on the heads of their rivals, but this is his first night actively haunting the dark side looking for someone to nab. His luck is unusually good tonight, he's already spotted someone whose photo he scored from a rough customer inside the club, now to trail him and see where he goes just in case he leads the hunter to even more high-priced bounties.

He has no idea where he is at any given time anyway, so tracking his quarry all the way from the entertainment district to the pleasure district doesn't faze him, it only results in a change of scenery. But the deeper he goes, stealthily following his bounty, the more Zoro uncovers.]

Scene I. Pleasure district, bars

[He's not at all interested in company, clothed or unclothed, living or robot, but the sake is pretty damn good down here. The alien with reward money on his head apparently likes the host clubs, though, so Zoro can be found parked on a bar stool in one, waving off the hosts and hostesses while running up a hell of a tab. The more he drinks, the more personable he is if anyone wants to strike up a conversation.

What they don't know is, he has no intention of paying that tab. But can he get out without causing a riot and tipping off his target? You, hey, you there - come here, let him talk to you so he can watch the bounty over your shoulder.[]

Do you work here? Hang on, that's not what I meant! I just wanna know where the back door is.

[what do you mean that is the worst question you can ask in a place like this?!]

Scene II. Pleasure district, brothel

[Well, shit, his target went upstairs, so how is a bounty hunter supposed to pass the time when he himself is entirely uninterested in what this place has to offer? But wait, there's a hell of a lot of noise coming from the next level down...

There isn't a stairwell leading down inside the building, but around back, there's definitely a side door and a set of steps, with two rather hulking thugs standing guard on either side of the door. Zoro isn't at all put off by their presence, but walking straight up to them doesn't seem to make them move to let him through. He can hear what plainly sounds like fighting and cheering, and can sense a lot of strong people down there. But he'll need a hand to get down there to see it for himself. What do you think, can you A, talk their way in, or is it better to B, fight your way in?

Spoilers, there's a fight club downstairs, and if you can get in, you might find yourself joining that club. Zoro's joining it, no matter what.]

Scene III. Pleasure district, spa

[The bounty money is good and all, and most of it is going to go toward food and booze, but as long as he's in the area, Zoro is up for checking out the bathhouse in the spa. Not for shenanigans, for a bath! It's a good place to meet people, they say, so who knows? Maybe he'll make a new friend, or find a potential sparring partner. Or, on the other hand, he might come to realize why bathing with others is not as much fun as it sounds on paper.]

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[Kaneda opens his mouth to bitch, but the other male has already started without him. A grin curls across his mouth and he leaps into the fray with a foot aimed at Thug A's stomach.]

You started without me! Rude.

I ain't sending engraved invitations to this party. Keep up!

[as he faces down the thug who is slowly and painfully picking himself up. One punch definitely wasn't enough to take him down, so Zoro readies himself for a real fight. He's fought bigger. This guy's no amateur, though, and he moves a lot faster than someone that size ought to. In no time it's all wrestling and throwing and fists everywhere.]

[once he's on his feet, he barrels into thug A while he's still winded, laughing as his arms encircle the other and his head thuds against the wall behind them]

Not even something in cursive? Cheap ass!

[once in a while Zoro catches sight of Kaneda's moves, and has to admit to himself that yeah, the guy can fight after all. Nice.]

Do I look like the kind of guy who has money to spend?

[in his t-shirt and haramaki. Well, there's the three swords but that doesn't count, he never paid for any of them.

Of course, this means he also doesn't have money to spend at bars, brothels, or the cover charge for whatever's going on downstairs, so a good brawl will take the place of money, here. Zoro drops his shoulder as Thug B charges him and rams himself into the guy, hitting him right in the same spot he punched him earlier, and this time it has the thug on his knees, trying not to throw up. Zoro lifts a foot and puts a boot on the guy's neck to briefly warn him not to move, and then looks to see how his new pal is doing]

Warmed up yet?

[he may look like some sort of ancient weapon wielding dork, but....he's pretty damn good. Even Kaneda's got to admit that.

You know, when he isn't climbing on the back of thug A and choking him into submission. After awhile the thug slumps to his knees, eyes rolling back.]

Like I said-- a cheap ass. I'm just gettin' started, man.

[Zoro grins his approval, but before he can make any more smartass comments, the guy under his boot splutters, "well why didn't you guys say you came to fight?"

Zoro lets him go, and even though he's slow about it he manages to get up, and gives them both a curt wave to get them to follow him down into the depths of the underground room.]

...huh? Well. I guess that's more like it, then.

[As they descend into the darkness, the other guy just says "here, go and entertain them," and leaves them to their own devices. The cellar is mostly dark, but there's a brightly-lit ring in the center and a thick mass of living bodies crowded around it, possibly at tables or at the very least in chairs, talking excitedly and passing drinks around. Two humanoid-ish figures in the ring are warming up, and it looks like they're about to fight.]

[Kaneda aims (what he thinks is) an innocent grin at Zoro's guy before he ducks after the swordsman, hurtling into the abyss.

It's dank and gross, smelly and throbbing with testosterone....amazing. He surveys the area before turning to Zoro and saying:]

Think they sell popcorn at this thing?

Oooh. I could go for some. I drank a lot earlier...

[he looks around. It's hard to smell food over all the sweat and smoke, but there might be something. There's definitely more booze being served everywhere, easy to see people moving in and out of the crowd with bottles.

First, though, Zoro turns to size up this guy]

Nice work out there. What's your name?

[lucky; Kaneda hadn't been able to sneak more than a shot. He was...quite popular with the girls, see!

Sensing the sizing up, Kaneda's eyes rove up and down Zoro's form too, and he smirks.]

I do what I can. Not too bad yourself. I'm Kaneda, and you?

Zoro. [that's enough for now] Guess we both got a bit lucky tonight. But the fun's just starting, it looks like.

[he nods tot he ring in the light, where the two figures have definitely started fighting one another. The tables right up against the ring are full of roaring, cheering spectators, while the energy a few rows back is more subdued but intense. It's hard to see what's going on besides the fight, but that's okay, Zoro's only interested in the fight for now.]

Geez, look at 'em go...is this what the guy meant by entertainment?

[Kaneda's a little disappointed by the lack of furniture tossing, but realizes things could change at any moment in the heat of the moment. As much as he wants a better look, too, he won't risk getting closer.

Moshpits at concerts? A pain in the ass. At illegal fights? To die for.]

Maybe a monster'll show up. It'll be just like the movies, man!

I dunno, some of these guys from other planets are pretty close to monsters. [he looks around, folding his arms over his chest, and then grins in a bloodthirsty sort of way]

Then again, sometimes the most dangerous monsters come in human form.

[the fight is pretty impressive, and there's a lot of delightful punching to watch, but after a bit Zoro looks for one of the people threading through the crowd with booze bottles and grabs one before he can slip past]

Oi. What do you gotta do to get into the ring, there?

I thought I saw a tiger guy, but I didn't see any tights.

[something else he was impressed with. But at that grin, Kaneda finds himself smirking back, though part of it is a little sharper. No fucking kidding.

Kaneda cranes forward to grab his own beer, eyes out for popcorn.]

Maybe just jump in? Fight 'em both...if you think you can.

[the makeshift waiter Zoro has by the sleeve is quite startled - Kaneda, that was somebody's order! He's going to get in trouble! - but answers quickly. Most of the fighters are brought in by a sponsor or put up by one of the bettors, but if they really want to fight, they can go talk to Tiny. He points, and of course tiny is a giant of a person standing at the far corner of the ring.

Zoro lets him get back to serving and shrugs to Kaneda.]

Better safe than sorry. This is a pretty huge operation, just jumping in could have everyone on our backs.

I think I'm gonna go for it.

You mean you can't fight a whole bunch at once? I'm surprised at you, man.

[very much shaking his head even as he drinks from the stolen beverage. Of course he doesn't care who could get in trouble because of him.]

You do that and I'll be here, cheering you on. I'll make you a sign too.

Didn't say I can't. [Kaneda, please] If I wanted to, I could lay waste to this entire room in about three minutes. That's not the point.

[he looks past Kaneda to the bar in the corner from whence the wonderful drinks come, and then across at the smaller, mousy-looking clerks handling the money and the rosters for their bosses.]

Sometimes a fight's not worth it. I know there's probably not a single innocent person in this cellar, but some of 'em ain't fighters. They'd be in the way, collateral damage. Besides. [seriousness over, he smirks] If we bust up the joint, we'll never get to find out just how much fun it is.

[if you'll excuse him, he's going to go talk to Tiny and get on the roster. Good news, it looks like no one will have to wait long to see him fight. A bunch of volunteers chickened out at the last minute, something about the guy they were scheduled to fight. Sure, Zoro will take that challenge - and they'll let him use his swords, bonus. Get ready, Kaneda, it's going to be a show]

....Kick ass and don't take names.

[something like sparkles all but shine in Kaneda's eyes as he listens to Zoro's spiel. Somehow, he kind of believes the man. In the laying waste part.

In the innocents part, the collateral damage? Not so much. He even scoffs. But he settles in for a comfortable spot, right on top of one of the tables, much to the onlookers chagrin.

And stands ready for the show. He wonders when the bets will start]

[Hell yeah he will.

Betting opens as soon as the names of the combatants are announced, but since Zoro is a first-timer, they actually push him and his opponent into the ring so people can get a good look at them before betting is closed, just in case. The other guy? Is huge. Zoro's seen huge and he's still sort of taken aback by the neckless wonder, who seems to be all shoulders and arms and not much else. He's dragging a big spiked club like some kind of ogre, all the more reason to be thankful for his swords.

There's a gust of laughter and then shouts as all bets seem to be going to the house favorite. He lifts his massive arms and waves to pump up the excitement even more, while Zoro just stands with arms crossed, face blank, sizing everything up. He's already got his opponent's number, he can tell this is the sort of fighter who's won by size alone all this time. Probably could be something in a real fight, but has it been so long since he's had a real challenge that he's forgotten how to match it? Only one way to find out.

Someone bangs a gong to start the round, and Zoro slowly draws two swords as the giant ape rushes him. He seems rather unconcerned to the untrained eye, lowering the tips of the blades toward the floor and only flicking them up at the last second. His good eye zones in on the other guy, and there's a flashing of blades and suddenly Zoro is standing on the other side of the giant, his swords held forward like a bull's horns. His opponent bellows as blood runs down his arms and his club shatters into three pieces - he doesn't go down, but boy, he's not looking so good as he turns. Zoro whirls toward him without hesitation, and that's when it gets really exciting.]

[Kaneda had already started on the edge of his seat, the table, but as soon as Zoro goes off like that he's crowing with the rest of the crowd who took bets on the green haired swordsman, arms pumping in the air.

Kaneda whoops when the blood curdling scream of Zoro's big bad opponent splits the air, and even chants his name.]

Get him, Zoro!

[Zoro's actually quite pleased that his opponent didn't go down so easily. That's going to make things fun. The hulk is mad, though, and not about to let his undefeated streak be ended so soon. He chucks the handle of the club at Zoro and then goes in hard to try to knock him down by brute force, only to find his fist held off in a block by crossed swords.

It would be too easy to just cut him down right there. Zoro's not interested in easy. They circle around each other for a bit, the giant thug throwing punches that look like they could leave dents in the floor, the swordsman parrying some and dodging others. All Zoro wants to know is whether this guy is strong enough to face some other time, or if he should just put him out of his misery. A few punches connect, sending him skidding backwards across the ring, but he never falls. When he's seen and sensed enough, Zoro goes back on the attack, technically using the back of his blades but still hitting his opponent hard enough to crack ribs.

When the dust clears, Zoro is actually standing on top of the mountain of thug like he's going to plant one of those swords in his back like a flag. He doesn't, but damn it's a sight. He'll leave it to the folks in charge to clean up the mess, he just wants his own winnings. If only he'd had more to risk.

He makes to go back and see what Kaneda thought, but he's immediately surrounded by a mix of fans wanting to thank him for the best payout of the night and enemies really pissed at how much he cost them. Maybe that "whole place on our heads" fight is about to break out after all...]

[Kaneda definitely isn't going to swam him like a fanboy either, okay? He's got to get his own winnings and, ultimately, sit back and just analyze the battle for what it was.

Pretty goddamn cool. Really goddamn cool! He can hardly believe it, never seen anything like it aside from in movies! When the crowd does clear, eventually, Kaneda's standing there with his pockets fuller and....he found popcorn.]

Well, well. Was that overkill or what? Pretty sure he's gonna be cryin' when he makes it back.

[Pushing his way through, Zoro finds him and grins, not at all modest]

I was hoping to have a little fun, and I sure did. It's not a bad time if you like to fight. [though he has to pause to shove a shrill spectator off him, this one is completely adamant that Zoro give over his personal share of the winnings to compensate him for betting on the house favorite.]

[slurping his drink for a moment, Kaneda goes ahead and dumps the contents on this particular shrew. Just as casual as that.]

You call that fun? He barely stood a chance! Probably piddled everywhere.

[Zoro snorts at the way his annoying non-fan goes flailing away through the club. Thanks, man.]

You couldn't tell, could you? He was pretty damn strong. A little rusty, though, that's why I beat him. I don't think he's fought anyone with a weapon in a while. Oh well. [big shrug] They didn't take my swords away, so I used 'em. Fair's fair. Next time you can fight him if you want proof. [well...] Assuming he ever fights again.

He was big as fuck, that's for sure. Bet that's what really made it. But they fall easily enough~

[but that's interesting....he'll note that for later that a. there are people who are that damn rusty and b. there are people like this Zoro who apparently aren't.

He scoffs.]

I don't fight anybody's leftovers unless they're messin' with my gang.

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