Beer, Blood and Beatings }{ (Open)

[Onas Knox]

Onas laughed with her, slinging his shirt over his shoulder, opting to stay in his tank top for a while till he cooled off. It had indeed been a good match, little Bella proved herself quite a capable opponent, and Onas respected that. I took a lot of moxy to challange a man twice your size. As an added bonus, she left it in the ring, and that showed a lot of character.

"No miss Bella, normally I do a lot less gasping and choking on myself. And I save the bodyslams for second dates. You can call me Oj." He smiled. When they got to his table, he introduced everybody. "Guys, let me introduce Clairabella. Bella, this is my brother J, and my partner Nick." Onas sat into his chair, and sat back smoking his cigarette while Justin and Nick said hello. The jokes didn't take long to spring up. Justin started it;

"Bella here took you around the ring son!" Justin quiped at him, clapping Onas on the shoulder.

"You get your fat*** in there an fight her," Onas said with a smirk, opening a search on the tabletop to place an order.

"Why would I do that? I jus saw what she did to you." He retorted.

Nick addressed Bella directly, "Next time you fight Oj," he said leaning close to her holding his hands up for demonstration, "You go for his ankles and knees, it's the best way to win a grapple match wit 'em."

"Thanks Nick, can I get one moments victory here?" Onas said smiling as he ordered off the tabletop menu. Jeez, he thought, with friends like these, who needs enemies?

[Clairabella Corinth]

It was Refreshing to se he was not a brainless fighter like many of them were. At least if she couldn't have victory she could have good company to talk with while licking the wounds so to speak. "Oh so i get the privlage of it on the first date huh. Wonder what you got in store for the second date now." she said jokingly. "It's a pleasure to met you Oj."

She smiled as hey walked up to the table and he introduced her to them all. wih out hesitation she took a seat with them all. "J, Nick its nice to met you both. You know you guys really need to teach him a bit about fighting if little ol' me could give him such a run for it."

She laughed with them as they pocked fun at Onas. She nodded her head at Nicks commet aout taking him down nest time. She indeed commited tha information to memory as she still inteded on getting a rematch with him and making sure to comeout on top next time. This was her first time in the ring and over all it wasn't that bad for a first attempt.

"yeah come on guys let the winner have his moment. Afte al it is the winners obligation to buy the next round I'm pretty sure. just as long as it isnt any more of that sprout fourty. It almost made me sick out there." She said to Onas and then realized she hadn't apologized for spitting it in his faceearlier. that was a cheap move but look at the size difference she had to do something. A smirk crossed her face as she thought about it. "Yeah sorry about blowing that in your face by the way I usually save that for the second date as well."

[Onas Knox]

"That la shi was Sprout Fourty, Oh my God what are the odds on it?" Onas said rubbing his temples, "How ta ma de red are my eyes?"

Here this gal was talking about a rematch. Onas side felt like it was bruised over allready. He favored it a bit, but showing weakness of that type in this company was a good way to attract bad attention. Onas smoked on his cigarette a few times, looking through the list and listening to the banter for a moment. One thing about his people, there was no such thing as strangers.

"There pretty red Oj," Nick said laughing, "You spit that in his eyes, I told you that's what it was. Why you holdin your side Oj?"

"Cause B' bruised my teh do ribs." He said smiling.

"Yea saw that one from here. Naw Onkey, Sprout Thirty, your buyin," Justin said, looking over Onas' window.

"Bump dat," he said shrugging his brother off, "I allready had more Sprout than I want. It's cactus tequila if I'm buyin." He answered, then he turned to Bella, "You drink tequila chika?"

Most that came into his little group got nicknamed pretty quick, he kept a sharp ear out for a good nickname for Bella here. It was bragging rights to have coined most of the names of the group, and so far, Nick lead the pack. She did fall right in with them though, cuttin up, pickin drinks. Yeah, it'd be fair to say that Onas liked her immediately.

[Clairabella Corinth]

Clairabell looked down at the table for a moment tapping her fingers on the screen as she placed a bet on the next fight. She had watched both fighters before and had a good guess of who will be the likely winner. She placed down nearly a months earnings on it.

Then her attention turned back to those at the table with her. "I wont complain about tequila thats for sure. Plus it seems I need a bit to catch up with everyone." She leaned over closer to Onas and brused a hand against his cheek, it was red. It seems she had got him good there and would likely leave a bruise. "It seems we might need to get you some ice for that." She said and she laughed about it all "Of course I think I will be taking an ice bath tonight."

Before she had time to continue talking a group of people came up to the table. She didn't know any of them but she figured they were more of Onas' friends. It was quiet the crowd of people in the place and who knows how many of them he knew. She had to admit she was glad she had been pitted against him, he seemed like just the kind of person she needed to know around here.

[Onas Knox]

Onas nodded at her agreement to the drinks ann placed the order. She mentioned his face and brushed her fingers against something tender. His eye twitched involuntarily, though, not from pain. Most folk didn't touch his face, it just wasn't the custom where he was from. Onas decided not to let it bother him. She mentioned and ice bath which spawned some jokes from Justin and Nick. Onas didn't say anything about it.

He did notice her placing a bet. "Let me show you something," he said, sliding closer to her, and moving stuff on the tabletop away from right in front of them. "You can pull up stats on each fighter based on how many times they have fought, and how well they've done." He pulled her up by name, it was only the one fight, Onas felt a slight sting as her stats rolled into the window, but a fight was a fight. Bella would have another shot if she wanted it. His own record wasn't the thing of legends. He'd won as many as he'd lost.

"The real money is always on ring one," Nick commented. He and Justin discussed the current fight in the center, how one of them was known and one wasn't.

Onas addressed Bella again, "That's true, but, you still get four to one payout on the side rings. So if your a lil' less conservative wit' yur' bettin, you can come away wit a stack a night. Just.." He held up a cautioning hand, "Don't ever depend on it. This place is run like any other casino. You go against the house enough, an they'll clear you out."

A party a folks were walking by, Onas didn't know any of them, but they had all seen the fight he and bella had been in and were nice enough to make mention of it. You don't get many moments in life to bask in a win, Onas let it soak for a moment. Of course they also congradulated Bella for her effort, and a close bout.

The waitress came with the drinks, and they all toasted.

Nick looked to Clairabella, "So miss Bella, what is it you do for a living?"

"Yeah 'miss,' tell us about what you do when your not choking men to death," Justin put in.

[Clairabella Corinth]

Clair didn't notice at all Onas' reaction to her touching his face and she pretty much didn't pay any mind to the comments about the ice bath. When he pulled up her record she noticed it had updated for the fight that had just passed they were quick to get the updates in that was for sure. She wondered what Onas had though when he saw that she was a new fighter.

When nick chimed in about the center ring being the one the real money came from she payed him attention for it. She had learned how it worked but she would be polite and let him expain it to her.

Onas' warning about not depending on it was a good peice of advice but she had come to trust luck to get her through it had gotten her this far. "Yeah I guess it would be a risk to depend on luck to much." She replied. She had learned that lesson before but over all luck had done her well.

As the crowd of people arrived and congradulated them both on their efforts she thanked them and turned her attention back to the fellas around the table again. Next came a question that took a bit of expaining. One of the hardest questions to answer for her.

"Well when I am not tossing myself in the ring and betting on fights it's pretty simple really, I do just about anything that will make be enough money to get to the next stop in life. Since I have been here on Persephone well, I have managed to get a little working doing private securty but that gig ended and I am sort of looking now." That would have to be enough to give them an idea for now though it was likely they would want to know more, most people wabted to know more when she gave an explianation like that.

With the drinks in front of them she picked hers up but before getting it to her mouth she returned the question to them. "And what about you guys what kind of profession are you all in."

[Onas Knox]

Nick looked to Onas and kept his composure. Justin answered her pretty quickly, or, he started too, "We uh, I work for our father, but Onas here.."

Onas took over, "We just finished a refit for a transport ship. This might be thought of as our," he paused and thought for a second, "celebration. It's been an endevor, that's putting it lightly. But the crew is pretty well packing it in for the next job. Nick and I have a few loose ends to tie up. I actually live here full time now, so I may start my own little crew out here. Basic starship maintience. Something like that." Onas took the last hit of his cigarette and slowly smashed the embers under the filter.

Though he was speaking to her, that was more for his brother than for Bella. Justin and Onas had an agreement that he would go legit now, start keeping his feet on solid ground. Nick had talked about, well... mentioned it is more what he did, that he might stay on with Onas and help him build up a real buisness. They never thought about it before Athena, but now, perhaps there was something to all this, maybe it was the start of something new. And maybe it was all a big pipe dream that every scrapper has, and none let go of.

Onas smiled to himself. "Of course, it's all in the air right now," He commented, lighting another cigarette.

"I think it's a good plan, I like the life, the mobility. It's something we can make happen," Nick offered. When he got to Persephone originally, he'd told Onas it was 'with intent.'

Onas didn't know what that meant nine months ago, almost ten now. But now, he was pretty sure it meant that Nick's true intent to get Onas out of his proverbial; "Hot Water."

'It'd be nice.' Onas thought, taking a nice long drag off his cigarette.

[Clairabella Corinth]

Clair listened on as Onas explained their past work and future plans. It was a good plan, at least for some people, to settle down somewhere and make a living for themselves. She had thought about that too but she never really had the right skills or personality to settle for one place in the verse.

No drifting was her likely path in the future but for now she would be here on Persephone till she had the urge, and money to head off world. The months woth of money she had just bet was everything she had to her name at this point aside from the gear in the locker and back at her hotel room she had rented. Luckily for her she had decided to pay in advance and had four more days till that ran out. Enough time to come up with more the bet didn't go well.

"Mechanics huh? Wish I could say I knew a bit more about that then I do right now but it will come in time I am sure. What kind of ship was this you all were working on?" She asked them, you never know it might be just the kind of ship that could use her skill set now that it is ready to fly again.

The thought of getting on a ship again entertained her for a brief moment as she faded off in to her own thoughts. When Nick mentioned mobility it snapped her back to the table. Yeah she enjoyed the mobility of her life as well. "I gotta agree with that. It is a great feeling being able to drift about the stars and be free. Though there is a time or two I have missed New Canaan since i let, it was home to me for a long time. Where are you all from?" She inquired and then tipped her drink back. She usually avoided drinking and wasn't sure why she had decided tonight was a good night to let that slip.

She looked out at the ring where the fight she had bet on was going on. It seemed so far as though she had made a good choice in who to pick if it kept up this way tonight it would be a great night for her.

"What would it take to get this little business venture set up then?"

[Onas Knox]

"Just a commercial transport, a newer Aces of Eights. Mechanics? I like that, I recon we are, arn't we?" Onas smiled while he answered her, looking from her to his comrades. He lounged, nursing his beer while Clairabella continued. Down in the ring, Bella's fighter took his opponant by storm. Nearer to the ring, people were pressing in and screaming at the stage.

Bella inquired as to where they were from, that was a can of worms. Nick spoke to Onas in portugese for a moment. "Right?" Onas answered, then he looked away from the table for a moment, before answering Bella, "We're from lots of different places. None I plan to go back too.."

Again the ring caught his attention, the two men were pressed into the corner, he couldn't tell who had the upper hand, it look like Bella's guy was wearing his man's ribs out, under a lockup. Then he headbutted the guy, both looked shaken for a moment. Onas had been headbutted once, not in the ring either, not his best moment.

Bella continued like the fight didn't have her money on it, he turned back to her. "Well, the first thing it would take is steady clientell. It typically takes three years to get a small buisness up and running to the point your out of the banner phase." That was true, once you were a household name for your immediant area, you could afford to stop advertising as much, and focus on your internal practices. Onas had taken courses on it back in high school, even when he slacked off, he still read the course guides. "But that aside, there arn't many maintance places around here, and that's been a complaint around the docks. I just never thought about answering it untill recently... OOhhh, To de ma! Qichuang Qichuang! Ba ta de tou! Shi A!" He screamed jumping to his feet.

Several tables around them were allready joined with him, as the ring erupted with action. Bella's guy had a beer glass busted right over his face, and his opponent wailed on him, taking the upper hand! It was right, left, right, left and repeat for seven feet of the ring. The opponent backed up bella's fighter till he had almost crossed the middle of the ring, then Bella's guy snapped his opponent's fist out of the air, and yanked his arm close, headbutting him so hard, Onas could hear the crack. Then the guy wrapped up his bloodied opposition under his arm, and slammed his head to the mat! The fight was over by a large margin.

As the crowd quieted and this corner of the audience began to sit down, a man at the table adjacent hollowered for Onas by a name that sounded nothing like Onas, Oj or any variation thereof'. Onas paid it no mind, instead reaching over and shaking hands with the man, exchanging pleasantries, and congratulations. He waved the man a good evening and sat back. Looking to Bella, he complimented her, "Excellent choice, I hope you bet the farm!"

[Clairabella Corinth]

Bella listened as he told her all about what was needed to get their business up and running it seems like a lot of work to get it all up and running more then she had ever thought she would have to put in to anything. Then again she wanted to be known through out the verse as the best marksman and in a way that would take the same kind of effort she would have to sell herself as the best marksman and prove it time and time again. Of course that was a long way off.

She had become formatable with her revolver but that was a long way from being the best and even further from being known as that. In the end it really wasn't about being the best marksman or any profession really it was just about being known and remembered. It was about being somebody, that is all she really was seeking even if she didn't know that yet.

Bella didn't pay much attention to the fight even as it continued to heat up and draw everyones attention. That was until there was a complete roar from the crowd. Bella stood up but could barely see what was happening due to her short size. When it was done and over and others began to congradulat each other on the bets she reilzed she had won. It was a relief but it hadn't dawned on her what that really ment for her. She had little experience in betting and assumed it may be fifty precent more money or even doubling of her money. A welcomed event but nothing to big.

Bella pulled up the original betting amount on the table as Onas began to talk to her after speaking to the man at the other table that called him by another name. It didn't seem to odd that he did as she had been introduced to him as Oj and she had already figured that as a nickname. "If I had a farm i would have most likely bet it as well." She replied to the comment about the farm. New Canaan didn't really have many farms so the term was a little forign to her but the general idea was still cought. "So how much would this pay out."

The amount she had placed on it was enough to cover all her living expenses for a month, hotel stay, foos and some extra to work with. She leaned out of the way so Onas could help her figure it out. "I'm hopin for a fifty precent gain, not sure if it pays that much though." She was hoping he would deliever some good news.

[Onas Knox]

Onas laughed when she made her farm reference, and smiled at her fifty percent question. "Heh heh, fifty percent? That's good."

Onas took his shot glass, and toasted with Nick and Justin, who excused themselfs. They headed to the bar to talk to folk and generally get drunk. Onas was tempted to join them, but he was like Bella. To him, the fun of being here, was to fight, and bet on fights. He ordered a bottle of the tequila, and while they waited, he kick his brothers vacated chair out, and propped his feet up. The amber end of his cigarette flared harshly as he took a heavy drag off of it, before he let his breath out and adressing Claire's original question.

"The side rings pay out four to one on prize fights. So if you bet fifty platnuim, you win two hundred against the house. That's a hundred n' fifty gain. Now, a regular fight, pays out two ta one. But you don' see dat often, cause any fight is elevated to prize status once ta' bets exceed two thousand platnium over all." He pulled up a window, and showed her the stats. Her fight had been at thirty three thousand. "The house problebly made half that, just in that one fight. So if you'd just bet fifty, then you'd have made two hundred and the house takes thirty percent of your winnings. You'd be a hundred an ten to the good, understand?"

[Clairabella Corinth]

After Onas' friends left the table and Onas began to explain it to her how the earning worked it began to hit her how much she had made on the fight. She had no idea she was going to walk away with as much as she had made tonight. She had always been luck when it came to things she needed but this was a new level for her even.

Yeah that makes sense." She told him after the expatiation but it hadn't really dawned on her how much she had won, a few hundred sure or even a thousand she could grasp. She had a much bigger surprise waiting for her.

She pulled up her account and the betting results in front of her. She let out a yelp of excitement as she saw her account Three thousand platinum had turned in to eight thousand four hundred platinum. "I can't believe it, next rounds on me it seems." She said as she bounced in her seat a little from the excitement. "I've got to do this more often." She said with a big smile on her face.

"It appears your good luck for me, well out side of the ring at least." She said with a bit of a giggle then began to regain her composure. She was plenty excited, this mean she wouldn't have to worry about money for a while and a good thing too she needed to get some new supplies but she didn't want to waste the little she had left in case it was needed for something more urgent.

She cleared her throat and calmed back down before continuing. "So where are they off to?" She question of J and Nick now no longer at the table.

[Onas Knox]

Onas saw what she made, and kept it to himself. That was a bit of luck. In his life, he'd never bet such a healty portion of his earnings, but then, he'd never made that kind of profit either. "See there," he said taking a toke off his cigarette as she bounced giddily, "You got the midas touch. All right now, the inner ring, ring one. Let's place one together." He opened a window, and showed her the new stats on the fight in place. "This one is all together different, you can bet at any point in the match, but as the time goes along, the payout is reduced, and the ante price is increased. Ante is the minimum bet. So here, the next fight, that would be our greatest chance of profit, the ant is eighty platnuim. So I'ma place a wager on Jin Corsiares here. If he wins, that pays out fifteen to one, house take thirty five percent of winnings, and fifty percent of the ante. You still make like... ten times what you bet though." As onas said all this, he continued to take in breathfulls of smoke, and the occasional swig of beer.

He had alloted himself one hundred and fifty platnium to bet tonight, and this would be over half of that. If he lost, he might make one more bet. If he won, then he'd pretty much bet the rest of the night. One thing about The Final Bout, they didn't like you to leave with a ton of money, and they made it real, real easy to spend it. Onas never came here with intent to leave with money. What he brought, he intended to spend, it took the edge off the night, and generally allowed him to enjoy it more thouroghly.

[Clairabella Corinth]

As Onas described the way the center ring bets works. It had her excited to place another bet and the pay out was wonderful on it. he had picked Jin Corsiares. Clairabella took a moment to look things over and see who she thought was the best option and ended on the same fighter. This time it wouldn't be as much of a wager as the last one but it would defiantly be a good pay out if she pulled it off.

She decided on one thousand it would leave her with a good earning for the night and if she won it would mean a hell of a pay out for her. "Alright I'm in, I'll take the same fighter lets hope he has luck on his side as well."

She looked down at the table and placed an order for a beer as well before the fight got started. The two fighters touched up and began the fight. It was a quick start by the other fighter landing one square on the jaw of their fighter. It seemed as if it did nothing to him though as he returned with a knee to his opponents abdominal region.

Clairabella saw it as a good rebuff of the attempt to gain control of the match. Both fighters slung a few hits at each other with neither of them landing anything major hits that gave the fight a favored choice. Clair's attention turned back to the table with Onas for a moment. "So do you come bet down here often or is this just for the celebration?"

[Onas Knox]

The fight began and Onas whatched with moderate interest. Putting cash down sure made each swing more appreciated. As the fight got off the ground, the waitress came over with his bottle, and Clair's beer. He thanked the waitress with a tip, and whatched her walk away with his eyes only. His pack of cigarettes was starting to dwindle now, and when he got down to one, it would be his cue to head out, maybe another fourty minutes, an hour at the most. He lit up another one while he poured two shots out and slid one to Bella. "Siwang Zhiqian Ju Fu," he toasted, and then drank it slamming the shot glass to the counter.

"I don't get out here that often, but I do enjoy the scenery on occasion." Onas answered her true enough, his statement ended as he tracked their waitress on her way back by to one of her other tables. As she passed, she smiled at him for about five feet of her way. Onas broke eye contact with her, but kept his smile, as he gazed down to the stage. The fighters continued to amble around. It wasn't worth the bet yet. He'd hoped Jin would be more lively than this.

Onas cleared his throat as he sat up, taking his feet off his brothers vacated chair, and turning more towards Bella. "I'll tell you what, this guy was on it three weeks ago. I saw his fight on Torven, it was brutal. He ain't showin la shi now. What about you, you got a new fight book, you new to the area?"