Loveme, The Steel Quill

[The Steel Quill]

Bryce rose his hand in a firm beckoning motion as he took his seat, one row back from the ring. "Who is it tonight?" he inquired of the young man with the programs, even as he received the piece of paper detailing the matches of the night.

"Coupl'a amateurs first up, an' later on Champ's got another challenger. T'be honest, the newbies'll be a better match'n Champ's, I reckon he'll finish in the first round." The kid, young as he might be, spoke with a strange authority, and Bryce knew that the workers here, while appearing simple on the surface, were actually quite knowledgeable about the boxers they made their paybill off of.

"Amateurs, huh?" Bryce looked over the paper he'd received. Aside from the Champ's centerpiece fight later, he didn't associate any of the other names with anything memorable. One of the amateurs he'd never even heard of. "What do you know about this... Jade, then?"

"Jade? Eh, not much. Coupla wins in the lower brackets, enough to merit a fight t'night, at least. This'll be her first one at our location, at least. It's really anybody's match, but y'know how a lot o' these girl fighter's are, they do well enough until they lose once, then it's over. Guess we'll see, though, eh? They're gettin' the ring prepped, ye shouldn't be waitin' for more'n five minutes. Anything I can get y' before we start, Mr. Foxwell?"

Bryce shook his head as he turned his gaze from the paper in his hands to the waiting ring ahead. "No. And don't call me Foxwell, particularly not here. Names stick, rumors spread, and that's the last thing I need. I'm good, once we get going." The kid nodded and slipped away, and Bryce leaned back into his chair, tucking the program into his jacket. He didn't have time to change into anything casual after he left the office earlier that night, so he was still wearing a blazer. It drew a bit more attention than he preferred, given the fact that he was a board member at a powerful technology firm who had a few abnormal hobbies, the least of which was sitting in on illegal boxing matches. He checked his watch again, when the low murmur of the room changed tune, into a slightly more excited chatter. When his eyes flicked back up to the ring, he saw the referee gathering himself, and the crowd opposite him was slowly shifting to the tunnel where one of the fighters was making her entrance. Bryce smiled to himself, and his blood began to pulse in time with the growing roar.

It was time.

 

[Loveme]

Jade was just a newbie boxer, but she was good. Winning two previous fights that week, now led her to a more serious boxing match. If she won this one, she could fight here. Which made her all the more nervous. Serious people came to watch matches here, and if she could grab their attention..... Well that would be great.

Currently, she was pullin on the gloves. Watching as a man laced and tied them for her. Now it was time to make her way down the hall, to hear the chants of the people. To win this fight. Jade wore her long hair into a pony. Green boxing pants, green shirt to match. Taking a deep breath, she saw her competition. Not to bad, but she could win.

Making her way up the steps, bending over to get onto the floor. The announcer done his job, and the match started. Jade took swings, and hit the girl. Of course, there was sometimes she hit Jade. Jade shook her head, this was going to be easy. With a right hook to the stomach, the woman was knocked down. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." It was over. Only in a matter of the first round. Jade smiled, and made her way back towards her room.

 

[The Steel Quill]

Bryce's eyes locked onto the fighter as soon as she came into view. It was easy to focus on her. The girl was clad in a makeshift uniform colored after her namesake, and the bright green figure was... quite impressive. Even more impressive was the speed with which the match was handled. Typically, women's matches, particularly between amateurs, dragged out into long, excruciating bouts that were about two steps above a catfight, neither fighter having the raw power required to actually end the match.

Such was not the case with Jade. It became apparent, moments in, that she had the upper hand, better strike speed and strength, better form, and better recovery from the few hits she did take, but the strength and brutality behind her strikes was... impressive. Especially for an amateur. When the match ended, Bryce was a bit upset for the brevity of it, but more excited, because it meant he had somebody new to watch, follow, and cheer for.

But then he noticed something. Jade didn't have a team, or a crew, or, really, much of anything. She left the ring without much more than herself and one or two attendants, one of whom was surely a club officer. Which sparked Bryce's interest more. How she made it this far without being on a big shot's payroll was beyond him, but chances are a nobody-fighter, no matter how good, can't get very far without a good group behind them.

Bryce waved over the young man he had spoke with earlier during the time between matches. "Who's sponsering this Jade?" He asked, expecting it to be either a third-tier ex-fighter who couldn't afford a proper team, or a washed-up coach trying to find a way back into the game. The answer surprised him.

"Nobody, 's far as I know. She got in on 'er own winnings and without a sponsor name listed. Probably means she ain't got one, or don' want him to be known. Oh, an' here," He handed Bryce a few hundred-dollar bills, "You're winnings. Guess you put down the bet on yer way in."

"I was in a hurry, wouldn't have had time to put them through you. Thanks." Bryce said, pocketing the bills and rising from his seat. "I'll probably be back for the Champ's fight later. Thanks, kid." After tipping the man a single bill, he made his way to the exits. If this girl really didn't have a sponsor and a team, she needed one. With the right training and resources, she had the potential to be damn good, and that meant that Bryce had the potential to make a few good investments. Not like he had other plans for his excess paycheck...

 

[Loveme]

Jade had won, now she needed to find a sponser. Someone that could help her get into the bigger leagues. "Nick, take the gloves off.." Nick, who was her one attendant who was there because he wanted to. Not because she could pay him, because she couldn't. There wasn't anyway that she could. Of course, she got some winnings from the little matches. But that was spent on tickets to get to the others.

When the gloves were off, she tied them together and swung them over her shoulder. "Lets go home... Apparently no one here wants to sponser me." She shurgged, moving into her room. She was strong, on the outside. But on the inside, she was sensitive.

Sitting down in the chair, she closed her eyes and rubbed them. Just as she was about to change and gather her bags, she saw a shaded figure in the door way. "Can I help you?" She asked sofly as she set her bags down.