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Post by Nako on Jul 23, 2008 18:38:20 GMT -5
As questionable as a place like this may be, Zuberi could not deny that it had a certain... charm. Everything grew all the more lively when they finally made their way to the arena. The booming voice of the announcer made her flinch, and she looked around as if hopeful no one had seen it. She probably looked so out of sorts with the present company. Smoothing her fur, she turned her attention to the loud announcer; if anything, the sheer volume of his voice demanded her focus. The pairings were rattled off, but her ears perked when she heard the name 'Pinkbeard". From a man of mine own guise... Could that possibly be him? She couldn't help but be skeptical, and her mental image was a less than flattering one of some impostor using a name of great fame as some cheap arena face.
Captain Ferris would probably rather not have anything to do with her, but she spoke up over the crowd to get his attention anyways. "Pinkbeard? Do you know of that fighter, Captain?"
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Post by The Jenn on Jul 23, 2008 19:18:02 GMT -5
Ferris looked down at her and blinked, mind coming back from thoughts of other contestants. "Eh, Pinkbeard? Yeah, that title's always been pretty well-managed. I dunno what fighter they have going for it this year, whether they're more or less competent than before, but traditionally it's a safer bet than most. You'll find a lot of Pinkbeard fans in the area. I prefer Toughback." He grinned, suddenly looking more boyish than she'd ever seen him. "He's always been a favorite of mine, and my family's."
When she asked a little bit more about the title of 'Pinkbeard', he crossed his arms and looked thoughtful. "No, there's only one Pinkbeard in the arena. You go around calling yourself that in the ring when you're not 'official' and you'll get your ass kicked 'cause it's one of the big league names. Only one man an' his manager get that title - technically, the manager's the one called Pinkbeard and the fighter's Pinkbeard's champ, which is how it works for all the big names, but everybody just shortens it and calls 'em both by the name."
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Post by Nako on Jul 23, 2008 19:27:57 GMT -5
"Oh." Zuberi seemed much more content with that answer. So there was a manager.. the brains behind the operation... that sounded more the wise sort than some meathead fighter in a ring.
"Sounds like you have a lot of roots coming back to here. I can see the appeal. Sure.... whores and rough sorts everywhere you turn but.. it's got that feeling about it that it has history, you know?" Then she stopped talking, feeling a bit self conscious. The man probably had little or nothing to say to her, and probably cared more about his bets. Shrugging, she wrapped up what was on her mind. "What I'm saying is that most people wouldn't appreciate a place like this."
Though she glanced his way when she spoke to him, she didn't try to hold eye contact. He was so.. unapproachable that she felt uncomfortable even trying to find some sort of common ground with him. Not that she was interested; there was only one man for her.
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Post by The Jenn on Jul 24, 2008 12:44:21 GMT -5
Ferris reached into his money pouch, fingering the coin he had left to spend. He'd only brought with him what he could afford to lose, which was what his father had always beat into his head. Her words made him frown and scratch the back of his neck with his other hand. "Been coming here for a long time," he said finally, shrugging. "I don't hold any illusions. It's a rat hole and there's filth everywhere you look, most of it alive, but the arena's something you can't find anywhere else and you learn to look past all the shit. 's been here forever and it's not likely to change."
He shrugged his shoulders once again, uncomfortably, before looking at her more directly. "You gonna need watching during the fight or do you think you can handle yourself while it's going on? Most of the people will be pretty distracted."
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Post by Nako on Jul 24, 2008 16:00:50 GMT -5
And there he went, downplaying everything she said. She was sure this place meant more to him than he let off. Rolling her eyes, she looked around absently at the sorts that were congregating around the area. "I should be fine; I highly doubt anyone's in the mindset to mess with some inconsequential female when there's betting and fighting going on."
"I'll probably look around the arena a bit.. take in the sights; I survived the other sister island by myself; I think I can handle myself here." Zuberi muttered, trying to keep her bitterness out of her tone.
Absently, she wondered if Pinkbeard himself used to stop on this island, partaking of the food and the fighting and the... well, that thought was enough to make her a bit jealous, so she discreetly kept her mind out of that avenue. Oh yes, she saw the adventure in this place more than even Captain Ferris did, probably. A man like himself probably took these things for granted. Sure, it was a rat hole, but it was a rat hole filled with history!
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Post by Kiki on Jul 25, 2008 8:34:13 GMT -5
Jenn and Nako receive 3 tokens each, to be redeemed in Ashwin's Shoppe.
This will automatically be added to your recorded totals in the shoppe.
Congratulations, and keep up the good RP!
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Post by The Jenn on Jul 25, 2008 11:17:06 GMT -5
Ferris didn't know her nearly well enough to start sharing anything 'deep', however comfortable she may or may not have been with it all. He nodded at her assessment, agreeing on the first but privately wondering at the second. "So long as you don't go around flashing money or throwing yourself at people, which I seriously doubt, you'll be fine. The matches usually go on for half a day, sometimes longer, with breaks in between for betting. It's about time for them to start though so if you'll excuse me..." He gave her a polite enough nod and waved a few of the men inside to go find ringside spots, if they could get something close.
Many others hanging around the outside of the arena were likewise making their way inside the open-domed stadium, eager for the fights to come. Vendors stayed outside, hawking their food or wares, and bookies offered last-minute wheelings and dealings on the betting scene.
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Post by Nako on Jul 26, 2008 16:41:35 GMT -5
With the captain doing his own thing, Zuberi was free to walk around a bit. She was sure not to stray too far, always staying close to the ring. She was looking around for any clues and any sight of this... 'Pinkbeard' crew. She also had to keep in mind they might not show up until their fight. Still, she felt ill at ease standing still, and she'd used all of her coin as payment to the Captain so there could be no betting unless she found some meager coin on the ground. Then again she wasn't there for betting.
Slipping between the crowd, she was sure to keep her belongings close to her and her head down; she couldn't risk attracting too much attention. For a moment though, she very much wished she hadn't used up all of her money; she was certainly tempted to sample the wares and get into the festivities. Though her own home was a popular tourist spot, there really wasn't much in the way of festivals. Normally all festivals had been orchestrated by the Priestess. When she died... all of that stopped.
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Post by The Jenn on Jul 29, 2008 14:33:03 GMT -5
People were intent enough on the event to come that no one paid the squirrel much mind, besides a catcall from a drunk feline who made a swipe at her ass and missed as he was jostled by his buddies. The arena fights - the championships, anyway - seemed to be quite the cause for celebration by both the locals and all of the sailors who had docked specifically for this day. Knowing a bit more about Captain Ferris, she could correctly guess that this was why they hadn't dallied any on the last island. Another wasted hour and they would have missed the beginning altogether.
It was about three hours later that the match with 'Pinkbeard' occurred. The man was dressed like a ridiculously overblown pirate, with a hat the size of... well, a gigantic hat and a coat so loaded with buckles that it jingled when he walked. The part was played by an excessively burly rat whose tail also had a few gold and silver rings slid into place. He shed the coat and hat when it came time to fight, but the costume gave everyone a chance to hoot and holler or jeer, depending on which way their bets ran.
Ten minutes later, 'Pinkbeard' stood victorious, one arm pumping the air as he panted over his fallen opponent. He departed the arena's fighting floor from an exit to the east.
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Post by Nako on Jul 30, 2008 19:34:36 GMT -5
A rat? Well, while Zuberi didn't have a thing against rats, it was certainly somewhat disconcerting to see a rat masquerading in Pinkbeard's name when all legend and lore suggested he was chipmunk. She watched the proceedings with a relative amount of interest, but she was particularly waiting for it to end.
This 'Pinkbeard' won after it was all said and done, and Zuberi was quick to slip back onto the path, moving quickly to the exit she saw him go out of. There was quite the gaggle of crooning females at the exit, and Zuberi discreetly slipped past them. It wasn't so hard to do, being a quadruped and all.
Following him down the exit, she keenly took in her surroundings. Should she not be in here? Maybe when push came to shove she'd merely throw herself around like a crazed fan and be considered relatively harmless.
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