First Month's Free (IC)

[Thunder King]

Mali merely chuckled. She, unlike he, was trying to keep her skills incognito. She didn't need people looking at her weird. Still, this was likely going to be fun.

She leaned against one of the ropes and watched him stretch. Of course, his stretch routine was good, solid, and did what it needed to do. That's what she would have expected from someone like him.

Still, She wondered, what was going to happen in the ring? Mali nonchalantly tapped the rope. She wasn't getting impatient or bored, she was merely waiting. It was important to stretch.

[Quinn]

It didn't take long to go through the stretches, though it felt longer (resisting the urge to speed up by an ever so tiny amount; the memory of Master Lee whacking his head with that cane helped). After a minute or so, he bent backwards until his back gave an audible crack, and then leaned forward with a brief look of relief on his face.

"Aaah, that's the ticket. Ladies like limber fighters." Amused grin, and a returning chuckle to her. Then he shifted through a couple of stances, one low, one high, and made a couple of test punches in the air. Finally, he rested on the balls of his feet, his hands in that same mantis stance he'd demonstrated to her earlier. A wink, and a gesture.

"After you, I insist."

[Thunder King]

"Alright." Mali said with a wicked grin. She charged in, eyes sparking with ferocity. She ducked low for just a fraction of a second before straightening up, seeming to bring her elbow down towards Zeke's face. However, before her elbow truly got extended, she suddenly dropped down and brought her right leg swinging across, knowing a sweep wouldn't hurt him.

[Quinn]

Zeke's eyes widened - even running at a low speed, this girl was fast. Strong feint, though; he practically fell backwards into a reverse somersault, popping up on his hands and launching a kick towards her midsection - except halfway through, he stopped cold in midair and twisted his hip and knee, aiming higher towards her head with his foot.

He returned her wicked grin with his own; both hers and his strikes were small-time, feeling out the opponent. But he could tell - this was going to be fun.

[Thunder King]

Mali grinned in spite of herself. This guy was better than he looked. Instantly, she bent backwards away from the strike. She twisted her body away and, spinning around, brought herself to her normal stance before jumping into the air, coming down with a fierce, overhead elbow.

[Quinn]

Rather than dodge, Zeke blocked that one; bringing one arm up and quite cleanly catching the blow on the extended limb. A quick jerk of his shoulder, and he sent her arm up, leaving her off-balance for a split second, forcing an awkward landing. Just enough time to take advantage.

With a quick-step, he moved in her guard and lightly tapped her once on the stomach, hopping backwards. Still, that move had been lucky; hindsight, if she'd been putting more power behind the elbow, the block wouldn't have been feasible - would have gone straight through to his head.

[Thunder King]

Frustrated, but still enjoying herself, Mali ducked and ran in low, keeping her fist balled up. At the last possible second, she ducked back and brought her knee straight up. A fraction of an inch before impact, she stopped her knee and only lightly tapped him. She gasped for breath. She knew that the only reason she even got this close on him was because he had only just recovered. Any slower, and she knew the feint never would have worked.

[Quinn]

Zeke's expression was tinged with chagrin, and hopped backwards some more. Hrm...new plan; try medium-to-long range strikes, watch that knee - she's too good in up-up-close range. Guard up...got it, eight trigram palm. That'll do it. Switching his feet a bit, he began circling the ring carefully in a low stance. He held one arm up, with an open palm; the other low and across his body, also open. His foot movements were smooth, but the rest of him was slightly twitchy; his energy was building up, and he heavily resisted the urge to start laughing.

Almost lazily, he continued circling; watching Mali's movements very carefully...

[Thunder King]

Mali, not recognizing the style, still knew what was going on. He was trying something longer ranged, trying to keep her out. She began to shuffle her feet, back and forth, moving her body. Keeping her eyes focused on him, she moved in rhythm, hoping to cover a possible approach. She watched his tensed muscles, waiting for any possible reaction. She wanted to see how quick his reflexes were, whether he'd act on a moment's attack or not.

[Quinn]

Playing the waiting game, hm? Clever girl...

Ezekiel's circular movements continued, although he occasionally threw in a variation, tightening the loop around her or stepping backwards on a wider circle. His arms stayed up, although they swapped occasionally as he switched weight from the left to right foot; he kept his eyes fixed on hers, memories of more whacks by sparring partners when eyes wandered kept them plastered there.

Alright, let's test that rhythm...

Coolly, waiting for her to be in mid-shuffle, he practically flowed forward halfway through one circuit; lunging with a palm strike that was far more of a test than an actual blow.

[Thunder King]

Mali jerked back slightly, flowing with the strike, keeping just out of reach of it. Flowing with that motion, she twisted around it, letting her natural motion and flexibility flow with her. She extended her right arm, and kept her left arm ready to block. She planned on moving her hand back at the slightest motion, not allowing herself to commit fully to the punch.

[Quinn]

...oh, that little wi-

Zeke's eyes widened as he realized precisely what had happened. And that initial expectations had been way off - did she know Eight Trigrams, or was that also Muay Thai? Keeping up the flow, he bent backwards in a motion that wouldn't have looked out of place in a famous science fiction movie, practically sending his spine horizontal for a split second before turning cleanly behind her. Unfortunately, momentum wouldn't let him capitalize, and he ended up in opposite his prior position.

Then it was back to the circling.

[Thunder King]

Mali cursed inwardly and backed up for a moment, keeping her hands high. She was glad those gymnastics classes she took as a kid still came in handy now and then. She needed to keep flexible with this guy. Bending down for only a moment, she backflipped into the air, letting her momentum carry her to the nearby ropes. With a quick motion, she grabbed the ropes and coiled her body, springing upwards and, hopefully, over his head.

As she flew overhead, she reached down, hoping to touch him on his shoulder.

[Quinn]

Zeke cursed inwardly, for a split-second losing the flow; which was just enough time. Enough time for a hand to reach down and whack his shoulder as she went overhead. He'd gotten distracted by the backflip; and if a kick had been behind that leap, it would have taken his head clean off. Well, that, and the flexi-wait...MOVE, YOU IDIOT! SHE'S COMING DOWN BEHIND YOU!

The Fastest Fighter Alive's eyes gleamed, and he spun on his heel, cocking back two hands, one with two fingers extended. Just remember what sensei did...rock on your feet, focus on the positioning... He let out a breath, then flowed forward just as she hit the ground; not noticing that, well...she seemed to be moving just a tiny bit slower than before...Once, twice! Mali felt a pair of finger-pokes; once on her left shoulder, once in the centre of her spine, before he leapt backwards, cursing slightly.

He'd moved too fast.

Oh, tell me she didn't see that.

[Thunder King]

Mali groaned as she felt the hands on her shoulders. Man, that guy was quick. She sighed. "You're good, really good. Maybe one of the best I've ever fought." She said, smiling. She turned around and bowed in respect.

"I think I'm good for now. I can tell, you're really good at this. I wanted to see other styles, and I did. I think I'm gonna relax and grab a bite and a drink. Care to come with?"

She did not notice how much faster he was than he should have been, she did not realize it. She was too busy making sure she stuck the landing right.

[Quinn]

Ezekiel blinked, looked a bit flat-footed for a moment, then shook his head and bowed in return. When he righted himself, he was smiling amiably (and slightly in relief). "Heh, you should meet my teacher. I've got nothin' on Master Lee, se...ri...ous...ly?"

His eyes went a bit buggy, and he looked around the ring. Pretty much the bulk of the folks in the building were standing around them and staring. And then a couple started clapping. And then a few more. And then a few more. And then the room was filled with applause and whistles.

"Damn, girl! Who taught you how to fight?!"

"Oh come on, don't stop! I had ten bucks on her!"

"And I had ten bucks on him, pay up!"

"Flying leap was a thing of beauty, thing of beauty!"

"Awesome fight, both of you!"

Zeke rubbed the back of his head and looked at her somewhat helplessly. "Uh...maybe we went a bit overboard?"

[Thunder King]

Mali blushed, oh, this wasn't good. Nobody was supposed to see any of that. Ugh, she really, really hoped she'd have stayed unknown. Oh well, might as well make the best of the situation. "I think we did."

She smiled and turned to the unexpected audience, and bowed respectfully. She had apparently entertained them, despite what she wanted to do.

Still, she set out do find out more about other people fighting, and she did that. She patted herself on the back mentally for a job well done, and smiled nervously.

[Quinn]

Ezekiel bowed to the crowd too, somewhat amused that Mali looked just as awkward as he did. Still, that was decidedly awkward - hopefully none of them saw him moving a tiny bit quicker than normal. He finally shrugged, and turned back to her - "So, you said something about lu-"BANG

Heads spun towards the front window, which had just been shattered by a cement block; a block currently occupying a good dent in the wooden floor. Outside, dressed in assorted leather biker-type outfits (the only thing they seemed to have in common was that each of them seemed to be wearing some strange type of scrap metal gauntlet on their right hands) and carrying a whole mess of weaponry, was a rather large assortment of generally thuggish-looking individuals. One of whom (who, it should be noted, was built like a brick wall), walked foward, dusting off his hands. He pointed at the crowd inside. And grinned, showing a rather horrible array of teeth.

"'ello, 'ello, 'ello. Roight; I'm Breaker, and this 'ere's my gang. The Iron 'Ands. And you lot picked the wrong neighbourhood to build in, see? See, we're going to turn this joint upside-down before any of them 'capes arrive, maybe paint some stuff on the walls. Sorry 'bout that, but we don't like you lot comin' in and wreckin' a perfectly nice neighbourhood to recruit in."

Cue collective leer from the gang behind him.

"So, you all get about ten seconds to start runnin'. Get me?"

[Thunder King]

No force on Earth could stop Mali from grinning wickedly. Finally, some people she could really go all out against. The moment the guy started talking, she slid out of the ring and into the crowd, grabbing her bag as she ran towards the nearest bathroom. Jumping into the stall, she changed as quickly as she could before shoving her clothes in her bag and throwing it out of the way, knowing it was secure where she placed it.

With that done, she ducked out of the bathroom and ran as fast as she could out of the room, bolting towards the thugs. She ran to the ring, slid in under the bottom rope, sneaked through the ring, and climbed up one of the corner turnbuckles.

She folded her arms and stood there, glaring at the men.

"Actually, no." She said. She did not shout, nor scream. She just spoke loudly enough for the men to hear her. "You're going to apologize to these fine people for interrupting their work out, and be on your way."

She raised her chin and glared down at them. "You'll do so either voluntarily, or involuntarily. I don't care which you choose."

[Quinn]

Heads turned Crimson Tiger's way, all of the thugs staring at the heroine posing on the turnbuckle. The crowd had already scattered, though there were a few innocents who seemed to have tried to give it a fight, lying battered and bruised on the ground. A couple of thugs occasionally kicked them, though the bulk seem occupied in the front of the warehouse's open space, gleefully bashing up the expensive machinery and equipment and working their way back. Breaker, for his part, was relaxing on a pile of mats in the centre of the hexagon ring, watching with an amused expression at his men working. Though after Tiger appeared, he also turned her way, looking the costumed heroine up and down and giving a truly wicked smile.

"Well, well, well! What 'ave we 'ere, lads? Was expecting some loudmouth cape, not a lovely young lady come to 'aul us off to jail! Got a boyfriend, love?"

Cue raucous laughter from the various thugs, who started calling out catcalls from their various positions.

"Hah, she can slap the cuffs on me anytime, boss!"

"Ooh, I think she's gettin' mad; gettin' all red! Oh, wait, that's her costume!"

"Yeah, costume - where'd you get that outfit, the bargain bin?"

"Sheesh, talk about an amazon; welcome to the gun show, lads!"

Five of the ten thugs came sauntering up, two carrying knives, one a lead pipe, another a baseball bat, and the last an actual fire axe. To a man they were chuckling, and Mr. Bat leaned on his weapon while speaking.

"Hey now, girlie; you could hurt yourself up there. What say you hop down, huh? We won't hurt you." Snigger. "Much."

"How about I don't hurt you? Much?"

Heads whirled to the turnbuckle beside Crimson Tiger, where a figure in a black bodysuit was standing as well. A black and gold suit, with a lightning bolt emblem down the chest, plated gauntlets and boots, and a facemask obscuring (his? Sounded like a he) features. Almost idly, the other hero leaned forward and looked over the group, then spoke out rather conversationally.

"Hello there! My name's Overclock, and this is..." The mask turned right, and Tiger could see a pair of smiling eyes behind the plastic goggles. "Well, I'm not entirely sure, but she kinda looks like your worst nightmare. Got a name?"

[Thunder King]

Mali bit her tongue. Best to teach these guys with violence, not words. She did not want to let them get her riled up. She needed to be calm, not angry. She didn't want to hurt them.

Not that it was easy, of course. She still felt the humiliating sting of their rude outbursts. She had no intention of accidentally going too far just because these, these idiots couldn't keep their mouths shut.

"I am Crimson Tiger." She said, voice flat. She kept her cool, could not let these guys know they riled her. It was time to show them what she could really do.

[Quinn]

Overclock bowed politely (and somewhat awkwardly, standing on a turnbuckle made the logistics of the action a bit off) to her, and gestured to the armed mooks that were standing in front of them. The thugs below her turnbuckle, all five of them, started laughing and cracking their knuckles. The guy with the lead pipe bounced it off his palm a couple of times, one of the guys with the knife actually licked the blade, leering, and the baseball batted one flipped his over, tapping the bar she was standing on.

"Ooh, we got ourselves a real hellcat, boys. Crimson Tiger, huh? Okay, kitten, I'll bite; why do they call you that?"

It wasn't often in the hero buisness you were handed a straight line like that.

[Thunder King]

With a shot, Crimson TIger was off. She jumped from the turnbuckle and rushed towards the goons. With a scream, she brought her right knee up and struck directly in the speaker's abdomen, causing searing pain to fill his body. Twisting around, she delivered a fierce elbow to the face of a second thug, sending him sprawling.

Ducking down briefly, she backed into a fierce kick to a third man's midsection, causing him to tumble over. With one fluid motion, she brought her foot forward into the jaw of a fourth, before twisting completely around and kicking another man square in the temple, causing him to tumble to the floor.

With the first five foes dealt with, Tiger looked around her, eyes gleaming with a fierce love of battle. She practically challenged them. She brought her knee and hands up, entering her Muay Thai stance and ready to go.

[Quinn]

Seeing five figures hit the ground in various states of physical pain got the thugs' collective attention faster than Siren at a bikini contest. Eyes widened, shocked expressions, lead pipes and knives being lifted in shaky hands...

Aside from Breaker, who just started laughing and applauding. "Daaaaamn, girl! What the 'eck was in y'cornflakes this mornin'? And where can I get summat?" Wide grin, and he kicked his feet up onto the mats he was lounging on in the centre of the hexagon ring. The laugher continued for a moment, then he simply shook his head from side to side; the bulky criminal's grin turning from amused...to vicious. His shoulders hunched, and with slow deliberation he cracked his knuckles; Breaker's supine pose somehow conveying a distinct aura of menace. His eyes fixed on the two heroes, and unlike the slight fear in the eyes of his lackeys, there was nothing there; just a predator surveying his prey.

"Oh, I'm goin' to enjoy breakin' you two...maybe string y'up by y'ankles from the front sign, beaten black, blue, bloody and raw. Then people'll know, oh aye, they'll know. Southside is my town."

A lazy gesture. And the five remaining thugs' hesistation disappeared as they surged forward to attack!

"Soften 'em up, boys."

[Quinn]

Overclock blinked and almost unconsciously took a step back from the menacing look; which left him wide open to the double-team attack from the two thugs charging him!

One lunged with a knife, and his reflexes easily let him dodge it; the lead pipe which bounced off his head, however, was slightly less expected. Sparks floated in front of his eyes, and the Fastest Fighter Alive shook his head to clear them. Despite the ringing headache, he noted with some amusement the thug's slack-jawed expression at the head-shaped dent in the pipe, right before Overclock's boot put a foot-shaped dent in his and his compatriot's jaws with a clean roundhouse sweep. He nodded with satisfaction as they hit the ground, smiling underneath his mask as he felt the world start to slow; scary Breaker might be, but oh...he'd be a magnificent fight!

The martial artist cartwheeled towards Crimson Tiger before the two hit the ground, bounding over with a laugh.

"Hey, CT; he says Southside's his place - think an eviction's in order?"