Welcome to Gaia! ::

"If I'm going to do this," he said, quietly. His tone was weak and defeated. "I am going to do it without shame and without secrets. I'm going to make my enemies now, rather than later. I will not make the same mistake again." He looked over to Q again, eyes dull and listless. "I don't see why you care, anyway."

Isiah grunted, turning back toward the mess he'd made, lifting the hubcap to stand carefully as to not spill any of the soapy water. He walked a few steps out of the entrance to their hovel to dump it out before walking back in to scoop up the hair, doing the same thing similarly before re-entering.

"If someone can get to your hair they can snap your neck. Or get your jugular. Or put you in a sleeper." He shrugged. "So what if they know I'm a f*****t? They'd have to find out sooner or later anyway."

Isiah stopped in the doorway, listening to his compatriot's quickly spat reasoning. His eyelids twitched, slightly, holding his breath, setting his jaw and grinding his teeth. This was hard enough. Q had to go and make it harder.

He paused a long while, his fists clenched, a blush of anger rising from his neck up into his face. "I think you'll find," he whispered, dangerously quietly. "That toe to toe I will garner all the respect I need."

Isiah softened when Q spoke, his posture loosening, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "... It's all right.. I don't know why you have to put up such a fight all the time." He crossed their hovel to sit on the opposite end, resting his back against the back wall. He ran his hands over his newly bald head, shutting his eyes to enjoy the familiar feeling. "I know what I'm doing," he offered at long last.

Isiah sighed, letting him go. He couldn't worry about anybody else right now. He had to focus on himself. He shut his eyes, curling his head down, breathing shallowly as he tried to visualize the next few steps he was about to take. Part of him couldn't believe it was happening- he shut it away, focusing on the now, on the immediate, on assured victory before he stood, brushing himself off. He pulled the knife off of the back of his pants, tossing it onto the cot before exiting their home to head toward the center of town.

As Q had predicted the tattoo got it's share of looks- it was part of the strategy. He wanted to wait for someone to jump out of the woodwork, so he wouldn't have to choose. The plan failed- though there were gasps and whispers in hushed, low tones, and even the occasional low chuckle, no one presented himself to him. He groaned inwardly, annoyed, heading further until he entered the 'courtyard' by the well. Kaegan was leaning up against the wall of his domicile, Tsurai somewhere in the vicinity, half watching him and half talking to another denzien, presumably of high rank. Isiah could tell by who was standing next to whom- he sized up the man beside Kaegan and decided against it. He was ambitious but that man in particular was maybe twenty pounds heavier with muscle and around his age, which wouldn't be a fair fight based just on that assumption.

"Hey f*****t."

Bingo.

"You like wearing that tramp stamp around? That why you shaved your head? Advertising?"

Isiah turned to the voice, eyes tightening as he looked him over. Young, maybe nineteen. Lanky. Hadn't grown into himself yet. Six one, maybe one hundred eighty pounds- and cocky. Fish.

"Because I don't think you're gonna find any fairy to ******** your a** here."

Isiah rolled his head on his shoulders, cracking his knuckles. "I don't know," he began quietly. "I'm looking at one, but he seems more the type to bottom."

The younger man turned a deep red, clenching his fists tightly. The trained eye would see him glance over to Kaegan- who gave him a nod- before he turned back toward Isiah, taking long steps to close the distance between them. Isiah's posture tightened, fingers open wide, lowering his head. His eyes were focused, pupils dilated, ready when the first strike came.

His adversary pulled his fist back long for a haymaker- Isiah tilted his head and let it rush past his face, grabbing hold of his wrist to wrench his arm around his back, his other arm grabbing the Zeta's other to yank it in the opposite direction. It was a dislocation hold- one Kaegan had taught him to use on little hot heads like this one- and with a good strong tug he had the boy in tears, the only sound coming from his throat an animal cry of pain.

"Say give," Isiah warned, almost gently. His opponent shook his head back and forth, his knees buckling, his teeth bared in an open mouthed grimace. Isiah grunted with impatience, giving another strong tug, the tendons of his shoulders stretching to near their breaking point, which resulted in another loud yelp of pain. "Say give."

Kaegan had walked around the fight to get a better look from it's side, arms folded, quirking a brow upward as he watched it begin- and end, or what seemed to be an end- so quickly. "Isiah," he warned, quietly. The boy was young and he needed his arms.

The seconds stretched for what seemed like days before the Zeta broke down in a sob. "GIVE, GIVE, GIVE-"

Isiah released him instantly, letting him fall to the ground in a pile, brushing his hands off. He turned his head back over his shoulder to glance at Kaegan. "What rank was he."

"Zeta," Kaegan said quietly, wearing a slight, but knowing smile.

Isiah rolled his eyes. "You're hurting for talent," he hissed, stepping over the boy he'd ruined to start his walk back. He had nothing else to do for the evening and he didn't want to push his luck.

Isiah saw Bornes walking away and jogged to catch up with him, his breath quick and short with adrenaline. He sort of wanted to ask if he'd seen him, watched him, thought he'd done well- but he wondered why the hell he wanted his approval anyway. He caught step with him and walked along with him, in awkward silence.

Isiah was a bit put off- he was really expecting Q to be more happy for him. He'd done it for him, after all, in a way- because it's what would keep them safe, inside, fed and alive. "That was my enlistment ceremony," he grunted. "What else do you want from me?"

"This is what's best for us! This is what we need to do to survive, to eat and drink and have a place to sleep!" He turned his head and spit. "I thought at the very least you'd appreciate that!" He was, of course, completely oblivious to Tsurai's presence.