First Reply Cage Fighting for Fun and Profit

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA

There were nice places in Canto Bight, places that gleamed like the stars as gems inset in chandeliers illuminated the polished walls in the gilt casinos and hotels. That had fountains sometimes flowing with wine and champagne. This converted warehouse out in the shipping district wasn't one of them. In fact it was about as far away from the casinos and their fake ocean as one could get and still be in the city of false promise. Still the warehouse echoed with cheers as those who'd never be let into one of those bright casinos reflected the light from their excited sweat as they watched another cage match. There had never been a cooling system installed in the building and only the night air and missing windows set high in the wall kept the press of bodies from being unbearable.

There was a clear spot around one of the promotors that Kivah was pacing in full of pent-up energy while waiting her turn in the ring. The Duros had put her in a few times before and she was itching to go again. The regulars had loved her ever since a Wookiee had taken her down hard and she'd come back a few nights later for more; now they knew they were in for a show when she wanted in the fenced-off ring.

A mixed roar of cheers and anger rose through the crowd as the latest fight ended and loosing tickets were thrown away. The Duros Began that loud string of excited hype that ringmen were known for into his microphone as a Rodian did the same in Huttese across the arena. Kivah gave the battered human passing her on his way out a pat on the shoulder as she made her way ringside. Hearing her name over the speaker, she burst into the cage, wrapped fist raised and teeth bared as she did her part to hype up the betting. She turned at the rattling of the far gate to see who she'd be facing tonight.

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT MISSION - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Win the Match
1.1: No Get Hit (WARNING, THIS IS A DIFFICULT GOAL)

FRIEND(s) - N/A

FOE(s) - Kivah

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

Canto Bight, Manda Above how she loathed to be here. Sure, thanks to Momma Cynthia Solus , she was up to her ears in potential work, but she had her reservations about being on the casino planet. The "no pets" policy meant that her droid companions, in addition to her ever loyal juvenile Vanquo's Dragon, Beviin, were sat behind the mesh fencing that served as the barrier between audience and participant.

Kebii'kara Solus was a Mandalorian, true. She was also a member of the Sunstar Order - if only as a practitioner of the faith and philosophy: a semi-pacifist mercenary's best source of credits were cage fights, if one didn't mind the backstabbing that ensued between potential sponsors. Thankfully, Kebii didn't intend to make a career out of it, just enough credits to renovate the Sojourner and make the jump back to Imperial Space, and enough activity to keep her options open should her work with the Lilaste Order, and by extension, the Empire of the Lost, prove... intolerable.

Truth be told, if she was willing to bend her morals a bit, she would find gainful employment as the bodyguard to some Moff, or even as the liaison between the Kalinda based Force Users and the Empire, but she wouldn't be who and where she was if she didn't have a sense of wanderlust, of adventure, of daring to go deep for the sake of expanding herself.

So the prize money wasn't much of a concern for her, well, other than a more immediate means of returning her home.

But Kebii'kara enjoyed the thrill of the fight - not that she would ever admit it aloud - the challenge of keeping her Force sensitivity a secret while clawing her way through the tournament, as well as seeing the varying fighting styles each combatant employed in order to attain victory. But now was no longer the time for spectation, now was the time for a long awaited matchup.

"Laaadies and gentlebeings!" The Duros belted into the hastily assembled audio system, the pop of static accentuating the excitement in the arena, rising to a fever pitch. "In this corner, standing at a-hundred and ninety-six centimeters, weighing one-hundred ninety-six kilos, put your appendages together for everybody's faaaavorite wildcat: Kivah!"

The name of the Cathar was chanted, not to the Lasat's surprise. Kivah was the crowd favorite, and Kebii knew she was the "away team" - the Lasat knew Kivah had both the tenacity and audacity to win: she herself cheered for the Cathar during the comeback matchup with the Wookie! But now they meet as opponents, but hopefully not as enemies.

"And in the opposing corner, standing just over two meters, weighing two-ninety kilo..." Already a mix of boos and cheers, though with more boos from a rumor that she was just hired on, imported, and someone who wasn't truly "in the scene". A gut simmering sensation that Kebii'kara was all too familiar with. "The Big Blue Belle of the Ring - Kebiiiii'kara!"

And with that, the two would meet, striding their way towards the center of the ring and each other. Though both had their gloved hands balled into fists and raised in a fighting stance, the Lasat held a serene, almost friendly smile. But in her mind, she already was accounting for the fact that Kivah seemed to enjoy and thrive being placed against opponents larger than herself, and Kebii calculated a variety of ways to stretch out the fight without defaulting to the Force. "Hey." She greeted, offering her left hand to bump against, signalling that the two would be good sports about it. "May the best woman win."

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

The sight of her opponent began to sink her heart. She was used to matching her opponents in height, have the strength advantage. Her raw phisicality had carried her to victory many times. However this purple behemoth of a woman had more than a head on her and according to the promoter more than doubled her weight. This would be worse than fighting the Wookiee. Realizing her shoulders were slumping, that her tail had drooped, and ears laid back. Kivah pulled back her lips to bare her teeth again in a growling hiss she'd practiced while spreading her claws down low. Let the crowd think it was part of a show of aggression. Part of the hype.

As for herself, this was it! The flip of the coin, jumping into the unknown and fighting to the edge to win. Easy opponents were boring! She rolled her shoulders and swung her arms to loosen back up as she ambled forward, green eyes met green as Kivah searched her face. This Kebii'kara might be fun to talk to and get to know if they weren't about to pound the chit out of each other. Outside the cage the crowd shrunk beyond existence to her, all of her attention zeroing in on her opponent as the sentients baying for blood, calling for bets all muted down to a dull background buzz.

"I will," she confidently stated as she bumped fists, only pulling hers back a little as her stance shifted, her knuckles speeding towards the Lasat's throat in a lightning punch. She wanted a quick stunning strike to swing things her way, end it quick before that mass went to town on her. Normally breaking the nose would have done it, but the Lasat didn't seem to have much of one and she needed soft tissue. It was as dirty as openers got without testicles involved, but the Cathar was wholly focused on dismantling this towering opponent and victory.

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT QUEST - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Win the Fight
1.1: No Get Hit FAILED ON TECHNICALITY

FRIEND(s) - N/A

FOE(s) - Kivah

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

The attack came quick, but the Lasat was quick, raising her fists so that way the jugular was shielded by her forearm. She maintained this rather defensive stance, paradoxically enough, because she realized that while she kept control, Kebii could outlast her opponent. With glacial grace, she stepped back, circling the Cathar cage fighter, ears flattened and eyes narrowed. What will be her next move...?

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

Fist impacted arm with a meaty thud and Kivah pulled back, denied her early victory to the jeers and cheers of the onlookers as they either approved or showed their displeasure at what they saw as a lack of sportsmanship and excellent defense. The two women began circling, lithe forms mirroring the other's natural grace.

Kivah hadn't expected the larger Lasat to withdraw instead of pressing in on her and took a moment to watch her movement. After that first burst, both slowed down, conserving energy. With her fists raised, and body angled, it was hardly any motion for Kivah to rub the knuckles of her rear hand against her jawline to scratch an itch. She wasn't sure how to crack this one. Kebii'kara was obviously a trained fighter but there were so many styles across the galaxy she couldn't predict how.

Long seconds had passed and it seemed the lilac lady was waiting for Kivah, and while she wasn't sure how to attack this opponent, she knew how to play it up for the crowd; arguably the more important part of the match. Her circling briefly widened before she charged in again, closing the distance with arm readied for another swing at Kebii's head before she dropped into a sliding kick at the Lasat's leg. Arms that had poised to attack, pulled in to defend from a kick or stomp. If she could, she'd wrap them around to come up grappling the larger woman at the base of her gravity.

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT QUEST - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Win the Fight

FRIEND(s) - N/A

FOE(s) - Kivah

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

As Kivah charged forward, Kebii allowed her leg to be bent beneath the strike to her shin. Like the Cathar, Kebii was planning on an equally fantastic - though swift - conclusion to the fight. Reeling her fist back, there were only milliseconds before Kivah's feint allowed for Kebii to strike-but it was no use, already she felt the claws wrap around her waist, and the jeering crowds hope that the Lasat could be lifted up and thrown down, a humiliating beginning to the matchup.

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

Her opponent lifted her leg, pulling it back to go with the ground blow as the Cathar slid beneath. Kivah grabbed onto it to spin herself around and come up behind the larger Lesat, still holding onto it as her other hand pushed into Kebii'kara's side to push her over as she pulled up on the trapped leg pressed between them. Her hope was to push the larger woman over to the floor, riding her down to add her weight to the Lasat's falling mass to make the impact that much worse. Then hopefully she could pummel the fight out of her opponent from atop her. Around them the watchers banged on the cage in excitement, causing it to rattle along with their excited shouting.

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT QUEST - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Win the Fight

FRIEND(s) - N/A

FOE(s) - Kivah

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

Swaying, staggering, the sheer momentum of the Cathar could not be ignored, nor could it be easily rebuffed. But it could be redirected. The invisible melody that her muscles moved to picked up the pace - for she knew exactly what Kivah was attempting to do. With a tenseness in her limbs, she spun, reorienting herself so that way it would be the Lasat to pin down the Cathar, rather than vice versa. But she overspun, the two detangling at the last moment, and Kebii scrambled. If she could grab the waist of her opponent, she could fling her against the railing, take the millisecond to assess whether or not she requires a pile-driver. Distance would be the watchword of this fight, and she needs to gain it, and to rattle her opponent enough to end the fight without great injury.

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

With a roar of triumph, Kivah knew she had her opponent as she felt her tense and begin to turn thinking she was going to attempt to resist toppling over. Instead the alien used her strength and agility to spin them around causing Kivah to let go before their positions could be reversed. The two separated and Kebii's attack swatted at Kivah's side, sending her staggering to catch herself against the fence of the cage.

"Quick and strong." Kivah complimented her as she settled back into a fighting stance and regained her breathing. This Lasat was evidently every bit as good as she'd first appeared on entering the makeshift ring. Rubbing her knuckles against her face again, Kivah settled in to see what Kebii'kara would do when given the initiative.

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT QUEST - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Win the Fight
2: Make a friend?

FRIEND(s) - N/A

FOE(s) - Kivah

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

Flashing a confident smile to silently reciprocate the compliment, Kebii'kara knew that alas, the battlefield was no place for a conversation. This was a battle, and a show at that, so alas she wouldn't be able to show her genuine rapport for the feisty Cathar. The initiative was hers, and the Lasat chose not to waste such an opportunity - she surged ahead, lilac muscled limbs pounding and pouncing from the cage ring into a mighty leap. Mimicking some arboreal predator, the Lasat dove in such a way to grapple and pin down the Cathar. While there was no such thing as a perfect strike, the risk of enduring a flurry of blows compared to the surety of clambering either up the chain-link perimeter of the fighting ring, sticking the landing and reassessing the next nanosecond of movement, or capturing nothing but a presumably displeased Kivah was considered the most likely scenarios within Kebii's mind.

So it was, with a large toothy grin and an eerie silence that bespoke professionalism, the newcomer descended on the Cathar like a strong-armed shadow.

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

Watching her opponent's stance and the way she shifted her weight, it came as no surprise to Kivah when the Lasat charged and leapt at her to the cheers of the spectators. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to use their size and strength against her, often underestimating the Cathar's own wiry muscles in doing so. Instinctually she knew she couldn't get out of the way in time, and going low would have been predictable. Instead she stepped into it, colliding with the larger woman early, letting herself be borne to the ground as she hunched up. Kivah drew her legs in as her head and hands curled in, grabbing at Kebii's front as if to protect her face as she planted her feet into the Lasat's belly.

The ground slammed into her back and she rolled with the momentum of the attack, her supine form rolling until their combined weight was on her shoulder blades and her powerful legs kicked out in a powerful push to send her opponent flying over her, trapped in her own momentum. Kivah's entire body strained with the effort of pushing Kebii past before she again drew her legs in, completing the roll by coming upright in a couch, one clawed hand scratching a quintet of lines in the duracrete floor and tail flicking and twitching behind her before she turned to face her opponent again.

Giving up the momentum of the fight had nearly ended in disaster, so this time she ducked in as soon as she had her feet firmly under her again. Her fists blurred as she tried to press in past Kebii's guard with a mix of speed and brutality while doing her best to ignore the strain of her calves and lower back brought on by that collision and maneuver.

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT QUEST - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Win the Fight
2: Make a friend?

FRIEND(s) - N/A

FOE(s) - Kivah

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

Sometimes in life, there was little else you could do but go forward. This was just as much life advice as it was appropriate in the ring, as Kebii harmlessly sailed through the air and landed face-first into the perimeter barrier of the "ring". Dazed and with her head still ringing from being hoist by her own petard, the Force barely had enough time to rouse her body to face the oncoming Cathar, who repaid the Lasat's stubbornness with a flurry of punches. Once. Twice. Thrice - using the same trick over and over again had made her predictable, worse still - it made her on the backfoot. Yet part of the training of the Sunstar Order was not only how to throw a punch, and to endure a punch, but also how to think while being wailed on. Emerald sclera flashed to the minute tenseness of Kivah's lower limbs, and she realized that she would have to end this quickly before the round counter timed them out. Momentum was a part of interplay, and as the Cathar indulged in unleashing her fury, she kept her cool and allowed Kivah's fist to graze her forearm, allowing Kebii a devastating counterpunch straight to the jawline. If she could rattle her brain, the Cathar's legs would buckle under her - not the cleanest of victories, but an honorable one without a true knockout.

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

With Kebii'kara on the back foot, Kivah pressed in eager to start piling on the hurt. At least until the lilac woman subtly angled one of her arms as it blocked the Cathar's strike, sending the fist wide as she over-extended. In that instant Kebii's powerful strike blew forwards past her guard and into her jaw to send her reeling back before tripping over her own feet as they tried to stay under her. Kivah went down, her vision momentarily black as her face sent lightning signals of pain into her brain. Struggling, she tried to push herself up, knowing she was defenseless and open to a further beating, but with the room spinning she couldn't figure out how to get her feet back under her. She thought she could hear the crowd going ballistic, it sounded like the rush of a waterfall she'd visited as a young girl rushing in her ears.

Falling back to the duracrete floor, she rolled to her back as she appreciated its coolness and waved her hand in front of her face with her palm out. A sign of surrender.

Rolling her head to the side, she spit out some blood before working her legs to push herself to the nearby arena fence, careful not to place her foot on her tail after the first painful time. There she pulled herself into a sitting position to work her jaw and gather herself again. Through the chain link, the watchers yelled out their opinions, each trying to be heard over the others and she elbowed back against the barrier in frustration as the pounding in her head worsened at the noise and pushing against her back. Over it all she could hear the promotors yelling out the results and pay-outs, shouting about the 'Blue Belle of the Ring' and her triumphant debut. Ignoring it all, Kivah stubbornly pulled herself to her feet. Catching her victorious opponent, she gave her a nod of respect over the hard fight.

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT QUEST - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Win the Fight MISSION COMPLETE
2: Make a friend?
2.1: Assist in the recovery from physical injuries
3: Proceed to the next round...

FRIEND(s) - Kivah ?

FOE(s) - N/A

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

One strike, one well placed strike would be all that won the battle. That, and a slight secretive advantage of being versed in the Force, as the Lasat would cynically condemn herself for doing so - while she hadn't overtly utilized the power of the Manda's Breath, it wasn't something she could ever turn off. The Force was as much a part of her as the instincts, the training, the stern and uncompromising stance she kept even as Kivah staggered to the side and plummeted - and such a stance would not abate until the referee officially confirmed Kivah's surrender.

The Cathar knew how to fight dirty, and Kebii commended that, hence why she kept cautious until the very moment she was declared the victor. Not taking a moment to revel, the Lasat helped Kivah catch herself when she rose to her feet, a warm smile as Kebii gently guided Kivah off of the ring. "Good fight." Was all that could be mouthed, whether or not Kivah could hear it over the thrum of the crowds or the ringing in her head - but the barks for a medic were heard by everyone else, and the beforehand beatic newcomer barked commands for her own personal battlefield medic to assist whoever came for the longtime champion.

"Ready and waiting, ma'am." the squat V-4T utility droid had whirred out from Kebii's corner of the locker room, anticipating more battered Lasat than the one he got. "Please see to Kivah, she's-gah! Hey!" and it wasn't just a droid who was happy to see her, a pale-scaled winged reptile practically leapt and clung to the imposing woman, clambering around and chirping in childlike extollation, which Kebii was happy to reciprocate. This, more than battle-glory, more than credits, more than the cheer of the crowds, was Kebii's surest measure of her own victory. "We'll celebrate later, Bevii... it was a hard won fight!" the Lasat chuckled at her lizard companion, before turning to address the Cathar and the Utility Droid. "Yes, Tyme, may you please-?"

"Assuming she wishes for assistance, and doesn't punt me across the locker-room for daring to offer pity, then yes." The droid dryly concluded and went to work on the Cathar.

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

Kivah blinked and looked around as they made their way into the steady florescent lights of the back room and disentangled herself from the raucousness of the Lasat and her victory celebrations. The closing door cut off the noise and that helped her head a little and she made her way over to a metal bench to sit a little as Kebii fussed with a droid and some sort of lizard.

Her eyes were only closed for a moment when the squat little droid was suddenly there playing a scanner over her head. Following its instructions, she let it spray something up her nose that made her sneeze and then give her an injection to the thigh before it moved around behind her to work on her head. It said something about a subcutaneous fracture and she nodded thinking about the fall before the droid told her not to move.

She felt it moving around back there for a bit before it sprayed her again and trundled off. "Weird little guy." She muttered before raising her voice to more conversational levels. "Why're you in the ring if you can afford a thing like that?"

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT QUEST - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Make a friend!
1.1: Assist in the recovery from physical injuries
2: Proceed to the next round...

FRIEND(s) - Kivah ?

FOE(s) - N/A

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

Kebii looked down at the Cathar as the utility droid completed his rounds, cocking her head to the side. "Honestly, it's mostly to keep them on side." she scratched the chin of the strange, meter-long dragon. "She would eat me out of house and home if we didn't go from system to system."

The drakeling chuckled and preened under the physical touch, and Kivah could swear the pale scaled critter used one of its forewrists to mimic an "oh you" motion.
"What about you, Miss Kivah? Is fighting just a means of putting food on the table, or do you enjoy the thrill?"

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

Watching the purple lady interact with her little critter had something nagging at Kivah. She was too relaxed, carefree almost. Like she wasn't really a part of this place. A lot of people were here today and gone tomorrow, Canto was just one of those places. With Kebii it seemed different somehow, like she didn't understand the intricacies. And she was so kriffing polite! She'd even given away medical treatment like the medicines hadn't meant anything instead of taking most her earnings like any back-room doc would have.

"Keeps me out of trouble, blows off the energy you know?" She said scrounging through her things and pulling out a datapad she the proceeded to unlock with a password. Her guy had already paid her, it was barely a tenth of what she should have made on a win tonight, but it and the handful of credits she'd saved up would get her through until she was healed and next week's fights. Sourly she deleted the appended note with the laughing emoji and 'glass jaw much?'

She shoved her stuff back in her pack, checked everything else was still there, and slung it over a shoulder. "Come on heavy hitter, I'm getting a drink. We're both done for the night, at least let your new fans buy you a few. Also make sure you get paid, tonight."

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

CURRENT QUEST - CAGE FIGHTING FOR FUN (AND PROFIT)!
Immediate Goals -
1: Make a friend!
1.1: Assist in the recovery from physical injuries
2: Proceed to the next round...

FRIEND(s) - Kivah !

FOE(s) - N/A

TARGETING ACTION(S) - Kivah

---

"Bit of a contradictory statement you gave me there," the Lasat chuckled. "Rest, give Tyme or Geena a couple of scratches - or Beviin, if you don't mind a lap-lizard." The Drakeling mewled in protest, before vocalizing in a series of frankly karking weird dubstep noises "Oh I'm sure the two of you would get along just fine." the Lasat answered, before turning to Kivah. "Would you be so kind as to sit tight while I secure my winnings? Or is there a limited time special at... wherever it is you're going to take me?"

 

[Kivah]

Canto Bight, CANTONICA
Tag: Kebii'kara Solus

How many of those things did she have tucked away? Kivah gave the critter a wary look before attempting to stand. "You see Bug-Man against the left wall when you came in? The one standing next to a bunch of crates? That's as far as I'm going. He sells Lum to the crowd wherever they set up. It can be pretty good depending on what speeder it fell off of, from there I'm propping up a wall until I wanna go home."

She was still a little unsteady on her feet, but getting better by the moment, faster than what she'd expect on her own, apparently that droid had been packing some strong medicine. "Yeah I'll watch your pets while you get paid," she agreed stretching out a little to stay limber. "Don't let em cheat ya either. No deductions or early knock-outs." Kivah wasn't sure why she felt the need to help out what was basically a stranger, but the sense of Kebii not belonging was still there. She was too nice and sincere, like she was really invested in someone she'd just met and been fighting. And she'd helped out with the medical stuff, so she probably owed her some.