Snazzy post-tourney times [Kat/Rogue/North]

Following is the start of a rp on Neopets, which is now translating to DC because this is better. And North joined ;D Some of the posts in the following block o' text may be below the forum's 150 word count, but as this was conducted off site, that's okazay. All following posts on DC will be 150+ words.

Also, forgive the capital letter/speech mark/spacebar fails. Neo butchers these things.


After what had seemed quite a long time under the ice, Kassandra and Rhys had finally been found by the Kaionarian officials running the tourney, and rescued from the biting cold into the warmth of the special healing tent that had been put up just for the use of injured tourney opponents. Kassandra had won, Rhys knocked right out of it by her electricity, but thankfully not killed- although it looked like it had been a close one, from the way healers had been swarming all over him. Kassandra had got more than enough attention herself though (their fight had been pretty quick), which she was glad for- not only had she gotten bone-cold, she had managed to break her leg when they had fallen through the ice of the arena.
Their hostilities in the arena hadn't meant they had been put far away from each other- quite the opposite, she was stuck in a chair nearby his bed, leg stuck out in front of her on a cushion, and holding a big mug of something hot and steaming. It was nice, but... strange, considering how they had been fighting hardly twenty minutes before.


Rhys wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but he was slowly becoming aware of something soft underneath him. It was warm too. And his neck had a breeze on it. Was he dead? Ouch, apparently not – everything hurt. He opened his eye tentatively, groaning, and looked around, reaching up to make sure his eye patch was still intact. It was – apparently the healers had decided against removing the grinning, yellow face from over his eye. He grinned, ignoring the discomfort from the electrical burns all over him, before catching sight of who was sat beside him. "Hello there, poppet. Miss me?" he chuckled, his throat dry. Well, that had been an adventure and a half. He hoped someone had picked up his coat from where he'd left it on the ice…


Taking a sip from the mug in her hands, Kassandra nearly choked when Rhys spoke- she hadn't been paying attention to him, thinking she would be long gone before he woke up. She spluttered and forced down her mouthful, her nose and cheeks hot from the spicy drink. It probably didn't help he insisted on calling her 'poppet' too. But, well... she had just electrocuted him. He probably deserved a Couple of minutes peace before she snapped at him for calling her that.
“Not really. You were much better as a silent heater back in the arena." She frowned lightly at him, then dipped her head to her drink again.
You're awake fast.


Rhys pulled a face, looking wounded, except for the lop-sided grin on his face. "Is that so? I don't believe you – it must have been awfully lonely down in those tunnels without my chatter. And yes, I don't make a habit of being unconscious." He moved to sit up, and winced as pain arced through his side. The healers had done a good job with him, but his old scar wasn't going away any time soon. You owe me a new handkerchief." He added, feeling another breeze on his neck. It made him uncomfortable – he liked to cover as much of himself as possible to hide the network of scar tissue. He was glad that Kassandra was sat on the side of his good eye – it was distracting if he couldn't see who he was talking to.


“I don't like company," Kassandra said bluntly, narrowing her eyes at Rhys. It was true, she wasn't really one for talking to people, but once in a while it wasn't so bad. Although, for now she was somewhat stuck, waiting for her leg to finish healing- oh joy. Hopefully the healer's magic would deal with it soon, then she would be free to go.

If you'd wanted to keep your handkerchief, you shouldn't have worn it in the arena," she said. It wasn't her fault it had gotten wrecked. "Be grateful it was only your neckerchief I got with my sword, and not your neck."


Well then, I apologise. Company's good for you, though – keeps you from getting boring." He smiled. Her comment about the neck-tie amused him though. Throwing his hands up in mock-surrender, Rhys grinned again. Apparently not being killed had put him in a good mood, and winding Kassie up was doing wonders for his sense of humour. "Well, well, maybe you're right. Didn't stop you from winning though, did it poppet? And I had to wear it – couldn't be going out with mismatched accessories, could I?" One of the healers passed him a mug of water, seeing he was awake, making Rhys quiet for a moment s he took a gulp. Darn, his throat hurt – the electricity hadn't really done him any good.


Kassandra grunted noncommittally at Rhys' comment, rolling her eyes. He really was just doing this to wind her up again, wasn't he? She pushed herself further up her chair with her good foot, leaning on its arm.
“Stop calling me poppet." She considered adding an insult, but decided it a little childish. She wasn't going to sink to his level. "If you really have to call me anything, my name's Kassandra."

She watched him take a drink of water, frowning slightly. She'd done him in properly, all right, but from the looks of it, it hadn't just been her he'd taken a beating from in the past.
Where'd you get all those scars from, anyway?" she asked, flicking her fingers idly in the direction of his eyepatch. For all his annoying quirks, he was... interesting. Different.


He laughed, but nodded. "Alright, Kassandra, I'll stop it. For now." He bit back the urge to add 'poppet' on the end as well, realising that he didn't want to get her /really/ angry until he trusted his legs again. It had been fun, but he didn't have the energy to keep up the irritating comments. His lopsided grin fell as she asked about his scars though, and he shuffled uncomfortably. There are some less than friendly individuals in the woods. A group of said individuals knocked me off my horse about a year back. It turns out it only takes one well-swung sword to take out an eye and open up one side." He shook his head, clearly trying to pull his thoughts away from the memory. Luckily, one of the healers provided an excellent distraction by emerging, carrying his old coat. He took it gladly, reaching into one of many inside pockets to pull out a pack of cards. He shuffled them idly, with a look that said he had too much experience with them.


Kassandra nodded slightly as Rhys explained his past. So, he had been in quite the wars- he must have come across quite the fearsome pack of bandits, because she wouldn't have wanted to tousle voluntarily with his mace. She couldn't /quite/ relate, but she too had managed to pick up quite a few nasty experiences in the past, one way or another.
“You need better practise with that mace then, Cos although I wouldn't want to go up against it, you still leave yourself open." What was she /doing/, giving him pointers on his attack? She firmly shut herself up before she did something stupid, like offered to train together.
Now that really would have been strange.

He was odd though, this fighter who had already got beaten twice, liked to make fun and now... messed with cards? A bit of an eclectic mixture, to be sure. She hadn't come across many people like this before, but maybe he was an entertainer? Those sorts of people attracted crowds, and crowds were something she carefully avoided.

But his card shuffling was enticing. Maybe his talents with these were better than he was with fighting.
“I can't work you out," she said. "What sort of person /are/ you?"


Rhys laughed aloud at that. "It was nothing to do with the flail – I used to fight with a sword back then, and rarely even then. I was a messenger, not a fighter. Thanks though _ I'll work on it." Giving the cards a final flourish, he spread them into a fan. "Can't you tell? I'm a magician." He grinned, extending the cards towards Kassandra, "Pick a card, any card." It occurred to him that she probably hadn't been expecting to meet someone barely a step up from a clown during the tourney, but then again, this was Kaionar. It was best not to expect anything around there. "What about you? Any interesting bits of history, or is that all secret-y?" He couldn't help smirking at himself then - he was getting on his own nerves, never mind Kassandra's.


Rhys was mad, to go from a sword to a flail, but if that was what he wanted to use for fighting... well, it was his funeral. But hadn't he already proved that, from taunting her in the arena, to his mad grins and now... well, this? She raised one eyebrow at his strange request as he spread the cards in front of him, then lent forwards and pulled one of the cards free, taking a look.
“You're A magician, who used to be a messenger, who does fighting on the side. I've... never come across someone as strange." She put the card back down on the bedcovers, remembering what it was.
“And it's 'secret-y', as you put it," she said in answer to his question, loathe to give out any more information about herself. "But I'm surprised you're talking to me still, after... knowing about this." She let a little spark of electricity play jump across her fingers, then wrapped her hand around her middle. Maybe that was why she hadn't tried to walk off yet, as annoying as he was- he hadn't yet said anything about her being /different/ to normal people.


Well, technically I'm not a fighter – that's more for self-defence, but yeah, that's right. I'll admit it is a bit of a curious combination." He shrugged. He'd never noticed how odd it was that he'd leapt between two completely different jobs, but then again, he'd just been taking things one day at a time since then. He didn't like planning ahead when he was never sure where his next meal was coming from. "Hmm? Oh, I don't mind about that. Here, cut the deck anywhere you like and slide the card back in, will you?" he said, passing over the deck and looking away. Of course, this bit was just for show – the trickery was already finished by this point, and it was just up to him to decide how to deliver the punch line now. "I've seen plenty of strange things, and so long as they're not liable to kill me, I'm not really fussed." he added, his attention on the card trick.


Wow, he really was just brushing off the fact that she could manipulate electricity. Well, that was quite... refreshing. She slightly wondered whether it was just because he didn't want to say anything that would anger her /too/ much, but he had already proved his tongue rather loose... She found herself having a newfound ounce of respect for him.

She shoved the card back into Rhys’ deck, clumsily shuffling it back and doing as he said. She was unfamiliar with games like this.
What now?" she asked, feeling slightly silly, with her hands full of cards. She held them out to him, waiting for him to take them.

His words struck her as odd though; he wasn't fussed, yet she /had/ just nearly killed him. What?
Who says I'm not liable to kill you? I almost did back in the arena, who says I won't now?

She wouldn't, but still, it stood that there was the /possibility/.


Rhys took the cards back happily, and started to shuffle the deck again, the rhythm strangely comforting. He smirked, giving one of his odd one-eyed-winks, before breaking into a full grin. "Who says indeed? And yes, I remember that bit quite well – for a while there I thought you'd succeeded. The thing is, I'm not particularly worried ether way. Now: time to find your card." He placed the cards on the bed and spread them out with one hand, creating a wide fan. There was a single red card in the middle, which he grinned at. "Look, you've made it blush." He swept the cards up, and cut the deck just under the red card. "Is this your card?" he asked, with a grin that said he knew it must be. This was his favourite card trick, and the one he'd practised most, so he was irritatingly confident.


Kassandra couldn't quite work out what to say in retort to Rhys' laid back words, and ended up just sniffing unimpressedly at him. Although, she was somewhat glad he hadn't died back in the arena... if only to save herself from a later guilt-trip.
“Well... well you should still watch out," she bluffed, tapping her fingers along the edge of the chair's arm.

She had a hard time keeping her surprise hidden as he spread all the cards in a circle- there had definitely not been a red one there before! Suspiciously, she reached out and took the card off the top after a second's hesitation, her eyes widening when the jack of hearts smiled back at her from the paper.

She flicked the card back at him, frowning and sitting sulkily back in her chair. "How'd you do that?"


Careful is boring though!" He grinned, clearly not taking the bait. He didn't think Kassandra was the sort of person to attack a man lying in a bed in a healers' tent, even if they had just been fighting. However, his grin only widened as she took the card. He took great pride in his tricks – they were about all he was good for now, and it felt good to see them work. "I told you – you made it blush!" he laughed, picking up the card and going back to his shuffling. If she had been watching, Kassie would probably have noticed that the red card had now vanished again, as if the card had gotten over its embarrassment. In actuality, if was now in one of the hidden pockets inside Rhys' sleeves, but he wasn't going to tell her that. He tucked the whole pack into the pocket it had come from, and shrugged the coat over his shoulders, pulling out another handkerchief to tie around his neck. This one was a sapphire blue, and clashed horribly with the yellow patch, but he didn't really care. He'd change the eye patch to match when Kassandra wasn't looking, to avoid anyone seeing the scar underneath.


Kassandra sulked as Rhys scooped up his cards again, confused at how he had managed to get her card right, and coloured differently. But he wasn't going to tell her, so she'd just have to puzzle over it later on in the day.
While he fiddled with his neckerchief and put his coat on, she tested out wriggling her toes, gingerly putting her foot on the ground and testing a little weight on it. It felt a little sore, but not too bad, and she swept her cloak back from her legs. Well, time to get out of there for a little bit until her next fight came up. These healers were /good/. She sat back down again, taking her boots from beside the chair and tugging them on, slowly lacing up the backs with the long laces there.
“You too careful to risk leaving?" she baited, glancing up.
“Or did I do you in that well, you're staying here for longer?"


Not sure – let's find out." He grinned, swinging his feet over the side of the bed. His head pounded, and his muscles screamed in protest, but nothing felt like it was likely to fall off. "Nope, you didn't get me that well – I'm fine." He laughed, standing up a little unsteadily. He could feel bandages all up his side where the healers had attempted to sort out his old scar as well as the injuries he'd accumulated during the fight, but it wouldn't help. The extra stitched in his side might – he'd definitely pulled one out in the fight. "Hmm, what should I do with myself now?" he asked, semi-rhetorically. He knew Kassandra would have another fight, but he was already out of the tourney. Turning his head, he did change the patch over, pulling out a blue triangular one from one chest pocket. It only took him a moment, and he was making his way towards the tent's exit after just a moment longer.


Finishing up with her laces, Kassandra jumped to her feet as Rhys slid out of bed, brushing out the creases in her cloak. She had managed to convince the healers to leave her with it, instead of a blanket.
“Funny sort of definition for 'fine'," she muttered, taking one last draught from her mug before heading after the man, refusing to run to catch up. It felt weird, to be talking to him normally now. Certainly her other fights wouldn't be like this, afterwards!
It probably helped neither of them had their weapons. They, apparently, were banned from the healing tents.

She was a step or two behind him as they left, squinting at the bright sunshine through the gap in the doorway. But she was more taken aback by the sudden blast of noise and faces outside the tent, people Crowding close around with palpable excitement at the sight of two competitors emerging after their first fight. Apparently these were the really keen 'fans', and people eager for a good story too.

Kaionarians had to know all sides of the story, which apparently included catching up with the tourney competitors after their fights.
Kassandra shrunk back from the noise and press of people, scowling. She didn't like this one bit- fame was a very unwelcome thing. She turned slightly away, folding her arms and looking for an escape exit. Rhys could distract them or something, with his cards.


Rhys cursed as he realised how many people were outside waiting for them. A few of them looked stunned to see both of them in one piece, but everyone seemed to have at least a hundred questions. He wasn't having it – they could get all the information they needed from the mages that had been watching, or whatever replay system they had set up with those pesky underground light-readers. There was no mystery about the fight, so he refused to speak to the crowds of people. "That's enough!" He roared, silencing a few of the people near him instantly. "Get out of the way, of I'll move you out of the way." He hissed through his teeth, before leaning towards Kassandra. "Well, this complicates things – how do we even get out of this?" he muttered, looking decidedly unimpressed.


Kassandra didn't like these crowds one bit, and she unconsciously stepped closer to Rhys, as he was the one person she knew. All the questions coming at them stunned her into silence, and she flinched when Rhys suddenly shouted for silence, jumping slightly. Well, he probably already knew she was flighty.
Don't ask me, I don't do cities," she whispered back, trying not to let her discomfort show. "I guess just try and go, make them get out of the way otherwise.”

She took a deep breath and straightened up, stepping forwards with purpose. A few people shuffled backwards, probably wary of the talents she had shown in the arena. Still, the crush was rather close, and she felt herself getting tense at the thought of getting caught in so many people. She flicked a Glance back at Rhys, half questioning as to the best way around the crowds, half asking for help.

It was a little ironic really, but she really hated crowds.


Rhys swore again, taking a glug from a metal flask tucked into one of his pockets, before looking through the crowd. His eyes found a spot where the crowd was a little less thick, and he smiled a little. Well, he'd warned them all, hadn't he? "Fine then." He spat, turning one elbow forward and just walking. He wasn't especially tall, but he was broad-shouldered, and reasonably muscular, so pushing a few people out of the way wasn't much of a challenge. He looked back, and motioned for Kassandra to follow, before ploughing on through. Someone punched him in the arm as he pushed past, but he was in no mood to respond.


Rhys had the right idea, just plowing through the people all around them, so Kassandra quickly made a U-turn of the little way she had managed to get through the crowd, grabbing the corners of her cloak and pulling them close, then tugging her hood up too for good measure as she caught up to Rhys, sticking close to him. It was hot under all her layers, but it was better than having to see all the people around them. She yelped as someone grabbed at her hood, twisting and jumping backwards into Rhys, eyes wide. She couldn't work out who had pulled her hood down, too many people crowding close, but she backed up just to be sure they wouldn't get another grab in, her back against Rhys' until they had fought their way out of the worst of the crush.


Kicking someone in the leg when they refused to move, Rhys managed to stumble out of the crowd, tripping over his own feet as hi did so. He landed hard on his elbow, but scrambled upright quickly. "I don't know about you, but I'd recommend running before they try to follow us." He commented, dusting himself down. "Unless of course you fancy an interview with half of Kaionar?" In his silky blue eye patch and scarf, it was easier for him to take himself seriously, which matched his mood nicely. He usually didn't mind crowds, but this one had been annoying. He rubbed his arm where someone had punched it, and turned to Kassandra. "Where now?"


Kassandra almost tripped over Rhys as he fell over, but managed to jump out of the way in time, eyeing the crowds behind them warily. She gave Rhys a quick glance to make sure he wasn't about to keel over properly on her, then nodded at his suggestion.
Not really, I'm not a people-person," she said wryly, then pointed down the street.
“Back to the arena? They only let fighters in the west entrance now, 'cause everything's started. And I think that's where they're keeping my sword, and your flail."
The crowd was starting to turn on them again, those most eager pushing forwards to get to them, and before they got cornered against a wall or something, she stepped into a brisk walk, heading back the direction she had pointed. They'd probably let Rhys in again, even if he Already been knocked out of the tourney.


Rhys nodded, and followed Kassandra towards the arena, almost breaking into a jog to catch up and avoid the crowd. They didn't look happy that they had escaped without a good grilling, so it was probably best to keep moving. He was eager to get his flail back – those things were nigh on impossible to replace – and it would keep them out of the reach of the crowd. Maybe Rhys would tackle them again when Kassandra went off to her next fight, but until then he wanted nothing to do with them. "Tourney people are crazy." He laughed as he caught up.


This is exactly why cities are a nightmare," Kassandra grumbled mutinously under her breath, firmly tugging up her hood again. If it wasn't the crowds themselves that were being a pain, it was the individual people within a crowd. But at least, for once, there was someone else around, so she didn't get completely swamped by it all.
Kaionar was not the sort of place one wanted to get lost in. Not only was the city a maze of warrens, it was dangerous. People you wouldn't find anywhere else seemed to gather, attracted by the general notorious stench of the city.

A large doorman stood on the west entrance to the tourney, barring the door from anyone who shouldn't have been there. Rhys and Kassandra, however, would be allowed through- they both had chips they had picked up at the start of the tourney. Then it'd just be the supposed-simple task of hunting down the armoury.


Sliding through the gate, Rhys paused, catching his breath. He shouldn't have gotten up so quickly – he was still a bit woozy after being unconscious for so long after the fight. However, it wasn't so bad that he had to stop. "There's a building that way – it might be worth checking?" he pointed out, indicating to the left. He could see the edge of the endmost battleground, where the ground abruptly became ice, and didn't envy the poor souls still fighting one bit. It seemed like their fight had been the very first finished, which made him grin. Sure, he hurt like nobody's business now, but it had been a good run. "We should have a rematch one day." He smirked casually, picking up his pace again and turning in the direction of the shape he thought might contain the armoury.


Once inside the gates, Kassandra relaxed fractionally- not much, she hated opening up to people. But outside, in the crowds, it had been much too much. At least it was quieter inside, now. She knew the armoury wasn't anywhere near the arenas- next round, they would change the scenery using magic, and they didn't want people near when that happened- so it must have been someplace else. She hadn't thought to ask when she had handed over her sword at the end of their fight, too busy trying not to pass out from the pain in her then-broken leg. Magic was a wonderful thing.

She nodded to his words and matched her pace to his, strangely similar. Well, he wasn't one of these very tall men, so they were relatively even, although she more willowy than his sturdiness. “A rematch? You want to get beaten a second time?" She raised one eyebrow at him then snorted disdainfully. "Last person I shocked didn't want to get anywhere near, afterwards. You're treating it like some sort of... massage." It was the wrong description, but he was strange. Strange to even suggest such a thing. But... any practice was good practice.
“Perhaps one day. If you can find me."


Security in this place really was a joke, the young man thought to himself with a pleased look on his face like a fat cat that had a mouse in its claws.
He was like a kid in a candy shop in this place. Nice, shiny weapons in glinting rows all around just waiting to be plucked up while their owners were away. He found himself cycling between humming, whistling, and wordlessly singing some tuneless melody as he surveyed this promising lot of plunder.
He slipped a few small blades into his coat, some other little beauties in his boots.
Things were going quite well today.


Rhys laughed. "Massage is definitely not the word I'd use – I don't blame the poor guy for staying away. It hurt like hell. But who says you'd win? If I hadn't lost my flail you'd have been in trouble." He grinned, glad that the healers had done such a good job of fixing him up. He wondered what sate he'd been in when they found him – he couldn't remember that much of the end of the battle, and figured it couldn't have been good.
Reaching the building, Rhys peered inside. Yep, it looked like the armoury – or at least an armoury. But hold on, there was someone already inside. Rhys cleared his throat, and stepped inside, shooting a sideways look as the other person and wondering if another fight had finished already. He couldn't think of why else someone would be there...


“Pfft, keep thinking that. I'd still have won, either way, sword or electricity. That flail of yours is just a hazard. To both of us." Kassandra was actually starting to warm up to Rhys- it was nice to have a friendly face around, even if rather... bizarre. But who was she to judge?

“You'd think twice if you looked in a mirror, too. You look a bit... charred round the edges." She caught the edge of the door as he slipped into the armoury, holding it open to let in more light. Her eyes narrowed as she saw someone else, flicking around the room to find her own weapon. He might just have been another fighter in the tourney, but there hadn't been anyone else in the healer's tent- so who was this?

And they were lurking rather close to where her weapon hung, up on the wall.


Darrin cursed inwardly when the two entered. There had been no time to flee, but, he was fairly good at playing actor, and so responded to the newcomers without missing a beat. Surely he might be trusted if he showed no signs of nervousness at their arrival.
He put on a friendly grin and bobbed his head in greeting, and hoped that he hadn't chosen any of their belongings to swipe.
."Hallo there, back on your feet so soon? Always good to see when the matches don't end with a body count," he said cheerfully, hoping his guess about who they must have been had been accurate. Who else would be here but a thief like him? These two looked too honestly confused by his presence to have come for anything but retrieving their gear.
He followed the female's gaze to the wall behind him with a quick glance and gestured to the weapon he hoped to have been hers.
."Is this the one, then?" he asked as he fetched the object down and offered it forward. He would just play this off as if he was meant to be here, making sure the items were seen into the proper hands.
Hopefully the pair would fall for his bluff without any real questions. After all, he seemed genuine enough.


Going back into her proper "I don't like people" mood, Kassandra folded her arms at the sight of the man inside the armoury, even though he wasn't doing anything wrong. She was just naturally suspicious. She flinched as he pulled her weapon off the wall, not liking to be unarmed in the presence of someone who was.
“Yes, it's mine," she said, hanging back for a moment before darting forwards and taking it, backing off quickly again. Ah, it was good to have her sword back- this weapon she had managed to keep hold of for a good while, instead of having it stolen or broken, like what had happened to her weaponry before. She slid it into her sword belt, crossing her arms.
“The flail's Rhys'." She pointed to the hefty weapon on the wall. Well, if he was offering...


Darrin was quite pleased with himself for guessing correctly, and now Kassandra was playing into his little rouse quite nicely. He wouldn't have to guess again. That was a load off. He turned to fetch the thing down and hand it to its rightful owner. He had no desire to try and steal these larger weapons, anyway. They would have been impossible to conceal right now, and their owners would have surely been able to recognize those objects from a fair distance off. It was not worth risk, and he was happy to hand it back over. It only made him appear more official.

"There you are, then," he said to the other male before returning his blue gaze to Kassandra. She looked to be the better off of the two of them now; she must have been the winner of their battle.
"Getting closer to the prize, aren't we? Do you suppose you've got a good shot at it?
It was more than idle conversation on his part. Sure, Darrin could handle himself in a scuffle, but he was no arena fighter. The prize was better had through...alternative means, for him. The weapons he had just lifted were merely a distraction to kill time for him. But 10,000 gold pieces, now that...was something else entirely.


Feeling better now she had her sword back, Kassandra tapped her fingers idly along her folded arms as Rhys got his weapon back too, eyes flicking around the rest of the weapons' shed. There were a few other weapons, but surely not all of them. People must still be fighting then- they really had finished quickly. But it was good to assess what other people might be using- bows, more swords and the like. Her eyes snapped back to the man in front of them as he spoke.
“Yes... as much as anyone else." She was reluctant to talk too much about herself. He might report back to other competitors- Kaionarians were notorious for being easy to sway with a pocketful of coins.
“What now?" she asked, not quite sure where they were supposed to go next. She had another fight lined up, And Rhys had... well, he had other things to do now. Maybe watching? This armourer would surely know where she was supposed to go. He was part of the tourney staff team, after all.


Rhys accepted his flail back with a nod of thanks, sliding it into the makeshift holder across his back. It wasn't easy to sheath a flail, so he just did the best he could with a few strips of leather. His best wasn't fantastic. In fairness, his wielding of the weapon was even worse, but that was no longer going to be an issue. "I'd say you've got a decent chance, yeah – you finished me off pretty quickly." He laughed to Kassandra, before pointing across the armoury. "That's mine too." He announced, pointing at a ball of string lying on a bench. It had rolled out of his pocket at the start of the fight. He grabbed it and put it back into the right pocket, glad to have it back. One should always know where his string is...


Kassandra's quietness about her skill at fighting was less from modesty and more just the wish to stay under the radar, but she accepted Rhys' compliment with a small nod of thanks. Her eyebrows dipped into a bit of a frown as he picked up (of all strange things) a ball of string, but didn't make a comment. He was one of these people with odd things on them, all the time.
There was still Time to explore before her next fight, and although the rest of Kaionar was pretty much off limits, now they were in the arena compound (and she wouldn't have wanted to go out there anyway), there was still a fair bit they could explore. There was certainly no use in staying in the armoury, and sitting wherever she was supposed to be would only make her twitchy. They stepped outside again looking each way for some sort of entertainment for a while. Or just some sort of hint that might give her an advantage in her next fight- either was good.

As the two left, Darrin couldn’t help but give a Cheshire-like grin. He was getting good at this acting stuff, it seemed. He waited a while for the two to wander further away (tucking several more items into the folds of his clothes) before surreptitiously slipping out the door and slinking out the way he’d come in. Today was indeed a good day – though perhaps the poor saps who would return to find their weapons missing would not share this sentiment.
Not far off from where the two tired fighters had wandered, another restless soul had abandoned his position in the stands to do a bit of exploring around the rest of the stadium. With any luck there would be someone selling a good stiff drink somewhere. Surely with the huge number of less-than-reputable people that came to gawk at this less-than-savory event there was bound to be someone selling something good and strong, right?
Well, if they were Evan, certainly hadn’t found them yet. He grimaced in disappointment and uttered a dissatisfied grunt as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against a wall, crossing his legs over each other. He did not at all feel like trudging his way back out to wade through the crowds for a seat – besides, he could hardly see the fights from his position, and that was even without mentioning his obvious impairment.
The twenty-five-year-old had cut quite the handsome figure, once. He was tall, well-built and sturdy with short golden-brown hair and a fine set of thick matching stubble – just enough to give him that ‘rugged’ look. Of course, that was pretty much a waste now. An unsightly jagged line ran from the man’s brow, down through his (now permanently sealed) left eye, trailing over his cheek, splitting his lips near the corner of his mouth, and finally ending at his chin. That would have been bad enough on its own, but the whole thing seemed to have been very crudely soldered shut with what must have been something like a hot blade.
He didn’t have long to mope about before he caught sight of two figures approaching. He had to squint for a moment, frowning curiously, but eventually they registered in his mind and a lopsided grin spread across his marred features. He straightened up so he was no longer standing cross-legged or leaning on the wall, and gave them a wave.
“Hey, you’re the two just finished up a while ago, ain’t ya?” He gestured vaguely at Rhys and chuckled. “I’m surprised’a see you walkin’ around like that. I figured th’ Princess there’d done ya in for good, friend.”

A warm rumble of laughter escaped him and Evan’s grin only widened as the other man spoke. He noted Rhys’ patch and squirming. A patch probably would have been a nice courtesy for Evan to wear, but he could hardly be bothered. If he could live without the eye, he didn’t much care if those who dealt with him had to suffer through seeing his face. Anyway, he had always been an easygoing sort and was always able to laugh off any comments (or staring) he received.
Aside from Rhys’ apparent nervousness, he seemed like an amiable fellow, or at least appreciative of a good joke. That was always a plus in Evan’s book if not in Kassandra’s. He forced a serious face in order to offer the other man a warning. “You best be careful there, Partner. I’d be awful sorry if she fried you up over me havin’ a laugh.”
He turned his attention to the female when she erupted as if to prove his point.
“See, I tol’ja,” he said to Rhys with a grin before oh-so-diplomatically speaking to the girl; holding his hands up disarmingly and attempting to look innocent. “Alright, alright, Darlin’, I don’t mean nothin’ by it.”