And all of that? Took hours that Fulgurite couldn’t get back.
It took longer than he liked on this thursday night to find a target and that already had the corrupt a little miffed. People were milling about the bars downtown at eight PM, which at least gave him a lot of choice, but it also made it really hard to single out anyone. It reminded him of nature shows… where herd animals clumped together and predators had to cut one out to be able to take it down. He’d moved from one building to another, peering down into alleys for someone, anyone.
Finally, at long last, he spied a blue haired woman by herself. She was walking somewhere, who knows where, but she had that distinctive wobble to her steps that said she’d had a good deal to drink tonight. Green eyes traced her path and then he was off, boots crunching on the rooftop as he headed for dark space between two buildings, banking on her crossing in front of it as he dropped down and pressed his back to the wall.
It took a bit for him to catch the sound of boots on the concrete and a bit longer before he saw her pass in front of the alley. Fulgurite pushed off and darted up to the woman from behind. Grabbing for her wrist, he pulled at her as he immediately began to drain, and his free hand was already darting for her mouth to stifle any cry of protest.
Shahar was terribly buzzed. She had been indulging the night away, as per her usual, and maaaaybe she had overindulged in one of her other hobbies and couldn't quite remember, but that wasn't her fault. Someone probably slipped her something… maybe? She teetered her way out of the bar with booze on her breath and sex on her tongue and an empty arm, and wobbled her way down the sidewalk.
She could have gotten a cab or an uber- they were a bit pricey perhaps, but better than trying to walk her way home through the cold. Maybe. She could just kick off her heels and walk barefoot, she would be fiiiine. It wasn't that cold, was it?
Stumbling across an alley, she was a bit startled to have someone grab her- Most people didn't grab at her, if they wanted her they could just be upfront; and she giggled as she was tugged into the alley, but found it less fun as a hand went for her mouth and she suddenly felt…
Was this little s**t serious? Her teal eyes focused on what looked to be a corrupt in front of her, the telltale signs clear. How dare he, anyway, she wondered, and opened her mouth, licking a long stripe from wrist up. And then she powered into Titanite, the kickboxer starting her counter-assault with a strong, aimed grab for his balls.
Biting he might have understood, but the last thing Fulgurite had expected was for the woman to… lick him. And not a little lick, or hitting his hand as she opened her mouth. No. A full on, wet, wiggly lick all the way from his wrist to his fingertips as her head twisted in his grasp. It was fine, mostly on the glove he wore, but when her tongue hit his fingers… he jerked his hand away with a disgusted noise, shuddering with heeby jeebies. The energy orb that had been forming disappeared with a fszt noise, returning to its owner as the corrupt’s concentration ******** b***h…!” He swore, or tired to, but the effect was altogether ruined as the depth of his voice grew shallow and high-pitched in surprise and pain. The noise that escaped him then, as he rose up on his toes and jiggled a little from foot to foot, was something garbled and desperate, words torn apart by the grip of a suddenly, terrifyingly Negaverse lieutenant.
For lack of a response to her sudden and ruthless assault, the teen jerked his hands up and shoved them into her shoulders, pushing in an effort to separate them.
“Jesus ******** CHRIST!” He yelped. “Let go you… crazy b***h!”
It was hardly the first time Titanite would be called a crazy b***h, nor did she think it would be the last. The lick had done what it was aimed for- people prepared themselves for base violence, but not for something so inherently ‘disgusting' as spittle. He freed her from his grip, releasing the energy back to her; and being attacked in an alley was almost sobering. Not quite.
She was still somewhat dizzy as she gripped the jewels in her hand, relieved she had gotten a decent grip. His high pitched yelp was intensely satisfying to her on a personal level, and she bared her teeth at him. “You grabbed me,” she snarled at him, her accent thick from booze and fury. “I will release you when I see fit, senshi. Did no one tell you not to attack drunken women?”
It was not mannerly, so she rewarded him with a fierce scowl. “You will apologize. Immediately.”
Amazingly, she let go when he managed to hit her with a wild swing and the arc brought his hand back around to cup, cover and protected his insulted anatomy.
“I don’t have the ******** time...” He hissed with a grimace, his voice still lighter than he liked it. No time to argue much more about it, because she came back with a vengeance. Fulgurite ducked the first of her swings, but considering he could only really hobble with a bow legged gait, there wasn’t much he could do, even if she was drunk. She pretty obviously had training he lacked, her motions polished to his raw newness, and in so many words: he was ******** sharp punch hit him in the cheek, colliding with bone and it whipped his head around, sending him stumbling. Combined with the pain that still wracked him, he went down easily, sprawling across the concrete as he tucked his hand between his thighs and drew his knees up.
“OKAY okay, jesus CHRIST would you STOP ALREADY?” He gasped as he rolled, trying to avoid further blows. His free arm was up to shield his face as he dug heels into the ground and scooted away from her, scraping painfully bare skin as he went.
He was going to get his a** beat by a drunk girl and it was the perfect ******** cap to this night.
Titanite was clearly enjoying herself more than her attacker, as she rained drunken vengeance down on his head and he bitched, loudly. “You do not have the ******** time?” she inquired with little pity and another aggressive swing, “I do. I left the bar, alone, at 1 AM. Alone.” Shahar hated leaving alone.
The corrupt hit the ground, protecting his family jewels, and Titanite paused, heaving out her fury in deep, ragged breaths as she swayed, still faintly dizzy from alcohol. She let her heel crack down into the pavement where his face had been, shattering into the concrete enough to break it. It was lucky for him he had been able to shrimp away in time, she mused, and did not pursue.
“Fine,” she told him with a snarl. “I will stop. And you are going to listen.” she leveled a fierce gaze on him, or as fierce as hazy could be. “I will be teaching you to punch. That was s**t, senshi, and if there was another who had been in this position, or sober, you would be in trouble. It is me, or you find another trainer. That was just sloppy, though.”
Probably, she should also teach him to fall or to escape. But a bad punch could hurt him more than someone else.
He stared up at her like she’d grown a second head, an arm still up over his face and a hand still between his legs.
“What?”
In retrospect, it sounded really dumb, but he didn't understand what she was offering. She’d been intent on beating him up, and that was understandable, if not very pleasant. A sudden offer to… what? Teach him to fight? Was entirely unexpected and he… honestly didn't know how to respond at first.
“You laid me out and you’re complaining I don't know how to punch?” He gasped out. “God, you are a ******** crazy b***h… fine!”
Because what else would he say really? He didn't want further beating… he would have agreed to a lot of things right then. He didn't like taking instruction on how to fight, but it was not the worst of punishments.
Not like Benitoite hadn't been pushing him to learn that anyway… it felt a little like the world was conspiring to make him a better fighter, and he was torn on how to feel about that.
“... Can I get up or are you going to sucker punch me if I try?”
Hmmph. There it was. The appropriate fear commensurate to the a**-kicking that she had been forced to lay upon him because- right. Why was she going to teach him to punch when he was an absolute douche-canoe who had tried to steal her energy while she was drunk? Honestly. Titanite should let him break his hand and suffer for it.
But… “I am a kind, forgiving soul, and I can already tell that you are a s**t fighter. You could have broken your fist, not my face, and then how would you gather energy? Casts are not enjoyable, either.” She shifted her weight, considering him. “You are also not the first to tell me I am a ‘crazy b***h.’”
Reaching out a hand, she offered the Corrupt a hand. “I will not sucker punch you unless you make the mistake of trying to take my energy again. I also will not squeeze your balls again, so you may remove your hand from them.” the look of dark humor and satisfaction that spilled over her face probably wasn’t pleasant, but she would hold true to her word.
Fulgurite studied the woman who’d beat him so soundly with a considering eye, flicking a glance to her offered hand before returning to her face. He was slightly offended that she called him a s**t fighter… but it was hard to keep up his former confidence in his abilities when he was proven over and over that they just weren't up to par. At least, for real fighting. Tussling with his friends, they had been fine. <********> He was really going to have to do this. Green eyes closed as he sighed, and then he rolled upwards to catch her hand and pull himself to his feet. He shook his long hair out as he straightened, but she still topped him in height. Whatever. It felt like everyone was going to be taller than him at this point, better get used to it.
“I might not be the first to tell you, but I think it bears repeating sometimes.” He said, the smallest of smirks twitching the corners of his mouth. Lean fingers tugged up his gloves and he shook his arms out, easing his stance just to be sure there was no pressure on sensitive parts for a while. “And don't worry. I'm not going to forget you, in either form, and I'm not trying that again.”
Fulgurite spread his arms in invitation, wearing a young man’s lanky awkwardness with ease.
“So what's first then?”
The corrupt sighed, and Titanite gave a soft laugh as she pulled him to his feet. Using him to balance herself a bit as much as she helped to steady him. She had drunk far too much tonight, and the adrenaline that had allowed her her fury would eventually fade.
“It is always good to have a reminder,” she told him cheerfully. “Still, I would try and perhaps find someplace to harvest your quota that is not drunk people at a club, at least until you are able to drain without touch. Some of us are angry drunks.” Titanite herself was certainly not an exception, as she hoped her wording made clear.
Releasing her grip on him completely, she stepped back and examined him, tapping a toe on the cement. “What is first is that I am going to go home and get briefly sober. You are going to make sure I get there without vomiting on a cat. Again. You can call me in the morning, and we will plan.” Circling him, Titanite considered. He had landed well enough, but he had focused too much on protecting himself than getting away.
It was… a little uncomfortable, watching her while she studied him and then stand still a she circled. He had to resist turning to follow her, though he let his head do so as he pulled himself up to his full height. He was glad he had that extra inch that had come in the last year, putting him at a lean 5’9”. He was supposedly not done growing, but he could only hope that were true.
At least he wasn't soft around the middle in this scrap of a uniform. Not well muscled, but athletic. He didn't look like the nerds he saw picked on at school… or had when he’d still gone to Meadowview.
“You threw up on a cat?” He said as he braced his hands on his hips. “No wonder you need a babysitter…”
It wasn't a pleasant prospect, escorting her home, but it was obvious this wasn't going to be a quick and dirty lesson. She was apparently quite serious about it.
“I have school on weekdays and work in the evening most nights. It'll have to be at night or one of my days off. Though I guess I'll have to remind you of that… I don't suppose you’ll remember it.”
He was little, but he was lithe. Hopefully he would be easy to train out of his bad habits. And the education of the corrupt would prove… an enjoyable diversion, to distract her from her malcontent with her employment.
And then he commented that she needed a babysitter, and Shahar’s laugh grew loud and bright. “كنت طفلا الحلو” she murmured in arabic, patting his arm. “Such a sweet child. This would be my second time needing a babysitter, I suppose. And to be fair, the cat started it.” Titanite had just… gotten her a** kicked, if she were actually intending to tell the truth. Which she had no intention of revealing. That would be stupid.
“If I am sober, I am free any night. And if I know you are coming to train, I will stay sober.” she leaned towards him, eyes bright and lucid as she said- “My mind is like a steel trap, senshi. I will remember.” Straightening to her full height, peering down at him, she considered. “What is your name?”
The corrupt snorted, but he was still smiling. All the more when she laughed. What had been a serious conflict seemed to have dissolved into something like camaraderie and he didn’t regret the turn it had taken.
“Fulgurite.” He said, having suffered through the patronizing arm pats and the attempt to cow him with a look. He didn’t comment, but he still looked amused. “You?”
He waved at her to start walking as he turned in the direction she had been headed, waiting for her to start her drunken staggering again. Filling quote might be a bust tonight, but he didn’t mind so terribly. Benitoite would help him catch up next time. Another exchange for more training he didn’t really want.
“Fulgurite.” his name felt strange on her tongue, but then most of them did. “I am Titanite.” Her English wasn’t bad, all things considered, but it still needed some work, for the fact her father was from England and she had spent the last 6 years in America.
He gestured for her to start walking, and she considered. She could jump to the roof and fall off it when they made it to her apartment- or she could power down, and just continue walking her merry way. It would be less awkward to take the roof- she didn’t know how old Fulgurite was, but he had a distinct baby face and frame that didn’t lend itself to ‘supporting an exhausted drunk’.
Still, the roof nearby was an easy jump for a powered Titanite, and she waved down at the corrupt from her dangerous perch. “The roof will get me home quicker, with less eyes to judge me as a lush.” Patiently, she waited for him to join her before wobbling her way carefully across the rooftop. “Let me suggest, after you leave, you go try the homeless shelter. It sounds heartless, but most of them do not wake up to try and punch me, and I like to imagine it gives them a good night of sleep, which is the least I can do.”
Infinities
