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<Tiny tot, really? How unoriginal.>

"Naw," she drawled, before hissing as the hilt smacked into her knuckles. "I just didn't want to distract you from your own voice. Seemed like you were really enjoying it there for a while." And, she added aside to herself, she was getting seriously pissed at him.

Now? Well now she could feel her shield cracking, and if she was going to go down, it wasn't like her to go down quietly. In any way.

She'd jerked back from him, but it'd taken her further along his side, and she delighted in subjecting him to a double strike to the spine. First with the left, weak and misleading, then the right, shoulder rolling with the hit as she dug her foot into the ground and threw all her minimal body weight into the hit.

HP: 8
DMG: 6

Totally Spectating

"Really, Jack? I'm starting to think you're too soft." Fini called out breezily, having walked over to catch the last bit of Jack's match before her own. She spotted Finn easily enough and moved to go flop down beside him. With Nevada on the other side. She grinned at Nevada, giving her a small wave.

"Sorry about your fight." She'd checked the boards. "But I got to meet your twin! She's a tough cookie. And a good fighter."

She leaned against Finn, glancing towards the fight and then back at the other two. "Did I miss much here? Or is Jack sucking again?"

[Spectator]

Nevada flinched as Jack tugged Peyton down to the ground. It was funny how things got sugar coated when you thought something different about someone.

Her gaze looked over at Fini.

"it's no problem gorgeous. I'm not much of a fighter." She shrugged, "He seems to be doing fairly well." The a*****e.

And he took it. He was getting tired enough that at best he fended off several of the multiple blows, each one a step closer to losing. But he didn't care, even with Owain's worried noises nagging him, because a zen-like, dangerous calm had come over him after tossing her.

He'd forgotten how good it felt to see a girl at his feet. The pain and exhaustion didn't even matter anymore.

At one point Jack managed to catch the knuckledusters against a bracer and shoved it as well as her away, a shadow falling over his expression. "Down, girl," he growled, turning the blade so that when he swung she was struck with the flat of it--much like a large, steely backhanded slap.

HP: 3
Damage: 2

There was no movement to indicate he noted his victory even as his partner whooped loud enough to make him think he'd somehow gone deaf. Jack was busy catching his breath, desummoning the weapon, and rubbing his aching torso where the knuckledusters had really bit through the shield. God damn annoying little things . . . just like their owner.

He stepped past Peyton without so much as a look down, the shadow lifting from his face as he bent and grabbed his coat off the rope to sling over his shoulder. He heard his friends, but there was just one thing he wanted to get done first.

---

Their reactions made her wince with guilt on the inside. There had never been any illusions that announcing it would be good news, but she wondered if either of them felt betrayed they hadn't known the moment she'd known--if Nevada's tight smile and parting words and Gale's startled look (that alone made her more nervous as usually he did smaller movements, brow quirks and the like) meant she had done wrong by them somehow.

Stormy wished she could have looked away, but the battle was done; she could practically feel her own head throb from the final hit, from being bodily tossed. Part of her wanted to rush to Peyton's side, but she did not know her so well, or maybe that would be insulting her somehow.

"Lina! Nevada!"

She grew cold as well, her hand icy in Gale's. She watched him touch his forehead with two fingers (her salute) and pant out a, "Yo. Glad to see you made it." His eyes flitted to their conjoined hands before she thought to let go; she couldn't see anything change in his expression, but the damage was done.

Damn it. Why couldn't he have just gone to the group around Finn?

"So, Nevada, winner get another kiss?" he asked casually, wiping sweat off his brow. "Told you you were a lucky charm."

She remembered stating they were leaving, but her feet were planted in the ground, her face tight. She couldn't and wouldn't leave without Nevada, not unless Gale pulled her away himself.

Spectating

Solomon stepped over the rope to go and sit next to Peyton where she'd gone down, not saying anything. It wasn't his job to reassure her yet. He did shoot a look at Jack's back as he passed the other trainee before seating himself however.

Finn's attention was partially split. He was trying to pay attention to the battle, had given his words of "encouragement" to Jack, and afterwards then sat with a feeling of grim satisfaction at every strike that the giant man laid into his much smaller opponent. To watch Ripley get his a** handed to him by the tiny woman was one thing, to watch his bro have the same thing happen was quite another, and he was glad to see that Jack finally appeared to be taking the match seriously.

Maybe a little too seriously, if the sudden darkness in his look was any indication, but there was nothing about it that caused Finn any surprise. Everyone had a darkness in them, this was just Jack's finally coming to the surface. There was, however, something about it that tugged on Finn's insides, just a whisper of unease.....

And then it was gone as Nevada sat down next to him, eyes flicking towards her briefly, the muscles in his jaw flexing to show his annoyance. What the ******** did she want?

Oh. That. He let a smirk curl his lips upwards, and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back to drink it all in. Nevada had, apparently, figured it all out. Had somebody finally told her, or had she puzzled it out for herself? He was betting it would be the former. He would not give her the credit of being smart enough to work it out, especially considering how readily she had been letting Jack play her, like a fiddle desperate for the touch of fingers and bow on it's strings.

All Finn could do at first, was let out a bark of laughter. "Yes. Yes I was.And you should be embarrassed, darling. Never met anyone quite so naive before in my life." It was probably the nicest way of him saying 'you're stupid' that he could manage.

And then she surprised him. An apology? His eyes narrowed automatically, his smile remaining, smug, knowing, while his cold gaze was completely leveled on her, calculating, trying to decipher what she was playing at. In his head, Finn was almost perpetually playing a game, and to him it was like Nevada had just made another move, and a very distrusted one at that.

But she just kept talking while he kept thinking it over, sifting through the truth of her words. She wanted to move past this, and try to get along. She through out names that were of some importance to Finn, people that they were both acquainted with.

"And what about Jack?" He finally asked, still smiling, but inside he was burning with agitation. "Will you turn your blind eye to him, then, or does the threat you once extended to me now get redirected to him? Because if that's the case, darling, then keep your ******** apologies. Those aren't acceptable terms. We both deserve a fresh start. He didn't ask to be dropped on an island with the woman he thought was dead until now."

He turned away from her, done, or at least, he thought he had been. He didn't realize how much of the fight he had missed until that moment, of how close it had gotten to it's end in just the span of a few short moments. Fini arrived, and he offered her a much warmer smile then what Nevada had gotten, arm curling around her waist the moment she sat down, more then happy to let her lean against him.

"He's going to win." That's all that he needed to say, because look, he was throwing the girl practically across the ring now. This was so done.

He let Nevada and Fini talk, ignoring the fact that the former still sat next to him despite wishing she would leave. He wouldn't say anything with Fini tucked in against his side, however, instead focusing on the match finally ending.

And the realization that if Fini won her next match, she would be up against that. It was a thought that, rightfully, had a part of Finn feeling distant and cold. Would he have to watch his best friend toss around his girl like he had just witnessed him do with that rag doll in the ring? How would he feel about that? Not happy, and there was no question about that. But Fini could handle herself. She would need to.

With Fini's words, he gave her a light squeeze, all to aware that he should be careful since she was feeling quite sore from her previous matches. He then turned enough to press a kiss against her temple, before letting his arm drop.

"Of course, darling. You don't want to make your opponent wait for his a** kicking for too long. He might get scared and run away, and where's the fun in that?" A small smirk.

"I'll be along in a bit. Going wait for Jack to...." He eyed the other man as he approached, asking Nevada for another kiss. "Finish up here."

He had no idea how this was going to play out, but he doubted it was going to be good. Chances were, his bro might need him in a minute. Unless he decided to be an a*****e about it.

Nevada didn't as much flinch at Finns words. She had said her piece, and that was that in her mind. Her gaze landed back on Fini before smiling. "Good luck in your fight Hun." And got up to leave.

Did she care that Jack wanted a new beginning? Maybe a little, how she treaded around it was another deal. She didn't appreciate being the last t know and would've mirrored Gales face but instead it was the same lazy smile with a razor edge.

"Go ahead Stormy. I'll come join you at Gales match soon." Her gaze never left Jacks, and a calm sense of self just washed over her. "Plus he needs his number one supporter." Nevada inclined her head as Gale dragged her bestie away.

Once the girl was out of hearing range, the lazy smile turned sharp and everything about her exuded raw anger.

"Well. Now that she's gone handsome." Her voice all but purred, "as per usual, if you want it, by all means come and get it?" She hoped he had a inclination of survival instincts, because the laid back pose would snap with the full might of a stronger trainee on his already busted shield a**.