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Post by Nyte on Jul 30, 2020 22:06:44 GMT -5
Kara's eyes switched from Aiden to Crimson then back to Aiden. He wouldn't, or couldn't, tell her who his sponsor was? Anonymity wasn't unheard of in his industry but that was usually just for theatrics, not for behind the scenes stuff. Besides fighters had to register under their sponsor, or rather they were supposed to. If someone really didn't want to be known fighters could register as independents but then if they had a large flow of money questions would be asked. It was all very political on that end of the ring.
Looking at Crimson she knew that the conversation needed to be held at another time. When Aiden was away from the beast and Crimson was preferably asleep. "Fine, don't tell me, but I'll find out eventually. Mark my words." She told him and then dropped the subject before turning to face the ledge where Grimstok was still hiding out. Kara put two fingers to her lips and gave a loud whistle which caused Grimstok to immediately burst forth from her lair and sprint over to Kara, skidding to a stop in the dirt next to her handler.
"After I mend Grimstok's wounds we'll put them to bed and get something to eat ourselves." Kara told Aiden before leading Grimstok around the pair and to her tools that she had used to heal Crimson's side. Grimstok's wounds weren't nearly as large or threatening as his had been so they took a fraction of the time to repair.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 30, 2020 22:32:21 GMT -5
Aiden took in a breath when she finally let it go for the time being. He didn't reply to her he simply glanced to Crimson whom still had his eyes trained on Kara to watch her every move. Aiden moved and gave the beast a nudge to follow him as he moved out of the way so that Kara could repair Grimstok. He crossed his arms and sighed slightly as he felt his wrist buzz.
How's it going? Any luck with getting Riot to trust you?
Aiden's expression fell. Not exactly. He'd done the exact opposite. In fact, bringing Crimson here was the worst idea Marx had ever had. Especially since Marx had apparently run some kind of experiment on Crimson to make him larger and faster. It was a dangerous game that Marx played. But one that the rich tyrant could afford. At the end of the day Aiden was disposable. He clicked on the screen as his lips pressed into a flat line. His response was simple. Working on that. He lowered his wrist and glanced to Kara as she repaired Grimstok. He wasn't sure where to head with this. How to make her understand that he simply couldn't tell her who his sponsor was. It was both a couldn't and wouldn't situation. He knew he'd be disposed of if word got out. Possibly Crimson as well.
"Come on." Aiden looked to Crimson and led him over to his tube. "Time of a good night's rest, eh?" He gave a smile to the beast as he pat the tube. Crimson nudged Aiden and groaned slightly before he glanced to Kara with wary eyes. Crimson hesitated as he stared to the woman. "It's alright, Crimson. No need to worry." Aiden assured him. Crimson grumbled slightly before he climbed into the tube. Aiden punched in the key code and Crimson was suspended in liquid once again. The beast yawned as his eyes began to blink slowly and soon enough he was fast asleep. Aiden stared at the numbers on the screen for a long moment before he turned to walk to the table of tools that Kara had used. He looked over the high tech supplies and gave a nod. "Dinner then?" He spoke and finally lifted his eyes to her.
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Post by Nyte on Jul 30, 2020 22:40:55 GMT -5
Once Kara had began her work on Grimstok she didn't look up to Aiden. She kept her focus on her beast to make sure there was no mistakes or knots left in the muscle or skin. Just as she had done for Crimson. Though her mind couldn't help but wander just a little bit. The necessary procedures for Crimson to undergo for him to undertake such a dramatic change was.. well it was hard to grasp how he was still alive. Someone had a lot of know how about beasts, more specifically her beasts and that bothered her. How many others out there were being changed and manipulated only to end in failure? The beasts enjoyed the ring, it was programmed into them. A dead fighting was almost expected and very much the desirable way to go. Death at the end of a needle or some other experiment.. Kara had not prepared them for that.
When she heard Aiden's question she simply gave a "Mmm..." in response as she finished up Grimstok's leg and the beast turned to inspect Kara's work, as always. "Alright, you're good to go girl, back in the tank." Kara told her and lead Grimstok in who gave no fuss and simply climbed in to go to sleep. It was their normal ritual after a fight.
"I'm not much of a cook I'm afraid so I usually order in or hit up a local place nearby. Your choice." Kara offered. "They'll be locked up down here so no one can get to them besides me and a couple of my hired hands. Very selective on who gets those codes." She punched a few buttons on Grimstok's control panel and the lights turned off in the tank and only the soft glow of the vitals screen was on display.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 30, 2020 22:50:23 GMT -5
Aiden looked to Crimson’s dark tank a long moment before he brought his eyes to Kara. “I uh...” He seemed to think it over. She wouldn’t have anything done to Crimson, he knew that. Or at least he wanted to believe it. “Perhaps we could go get something. I know a place. It’s not too far.” He seemed to analyze her now. He was careful with what he said. How he moved. He turned and walked out of the lab and to the upper story of the warehouse. “It’s a little grill, mom and pop shop...I’ve been going to it since I was a kid.” He spoke as he waited for her. He looked around the lab once again.
Aiden wasn’t certain exactly how Kara was going to act now. He could feel her distrust. But he couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t trust himself either. Especially with what happened to Crimson. Though he didn’t want to bring it up. He didn’t want to talk about it at all. For fear that Marx would somehow be listening. His wrist buzzed once again and he lifted his arm.
Make sure not to allow her to find out who I am. I am offering you a lot of trust in this, Aiden.
Aiden closed his eyes a moment as he swiped away the message. It was almost as if Marx knew that situation that he was in. What if Marx had done this purposely? To see him squirm. He’d been forced into watching how Marx tortured the poor souls that did not pay him or that fell through on agreements. The man was a monster. He’d do anything to get his way. It was horrible to watch, gruesome. “Have you ever been to Haddie’s?” He asked Kara as he looked to her. “A lot of people overlook it...”
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Post by Nyte on Jul 30, 2020 22:57:48 GMT -5
Before walking out of the lower part of the labs Kara looked back to the two tanks where their beasts were tucked in for the night. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she shook her head and gave a sigh before turning out the overhead lights and walking upstairs after Aiden. "I've seen it. Was supposed to go once on a date but that ended up falling through before I got the chance." She admitted and gave a small shrug. "I've been meaning to go there anyway so it sounds good to me."
She gave Aiden a small smile, not the bright one she had before when they had spoken earlier. She was going to get the information out of him one way or another. The only reason she hadn't thrown him out of her lab immediately was a gut feeling she had. She needed to keep him close, closer than she might really like. However this was a potential problem much larger than simple distrust.
"I believe Haddie's is close enough to walk to if you feel like stretching your legs. We'll be a bit less recognizable that way as well." She didn't feel like taking her car out tonight. There were always at least a handful of people wanting autographs.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 30, 2020 23:10:50 GMT -5
Aiden gave her a soft smile when she mentioned the date. “Well, now is as good as ever, hm?” He nodded slightly as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “A walk sounds nice, I’d rather keep a low profile anyway. The VIP lounge was quite enough attention for one night for me.” He gave a slight smirk to her as he walked outside. He glanced to her car before he continued along the sidewalk. “I uh...grew up around the corner from here.” He spoke after a silence had settled in over them. “My parents and I went to Hattie’s a lot when I was a kid. The owner basically watched my brother and I grow up.” He gave a weak smile before he grew quiet once again.
The walk wasn’t long, but the silence made it feel longer than it should have. Aiden held the door open as the bell jingled. It was a small diner with old furnishings. It looked as if the place had remained in the past. It didn’t hold the lavish screens that surrounded them in their world now. The booths were old, but well kept. The tables were made of thick polished wood. The place even kept real waitress’ and waiters. Unlike many of the establishments.
“Aiden!” An older woman from behind the bar exclaimed. She was drying a coffee cup. “It’s been awhile dear.” She set the mug down and walked out to greet them. She pulled him into a tight embrace. “And look at this sweet girl you’ve brought. Let me get you a table hun.” She smiled sweetly. Her hair that had once been brunette when he was a child had now frosted over into a light grey. Wrinkles lined her skin, showing her age.
“It has. I’ve been busy, Ayla. The place looks great.” Aiden commented as the woman walked to the hostess stand.
“Come on you two.” She grasped two menus and walked them over to a booth. “Too busy to visit me? What would your mother say?” She gave a gentle chuckle. This woman was more like a mother to him than his own mother had been. Though, not due to his mother’s fault. She’d died when he was young. The place a quiet. Only a few other tables had patrons sitting within them. “I’ll get you a coffee Aiden.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “What would you like hun?” She looked to Kara a moment and pulled her pen pad from her pocket as she jotted down coffee for Aiden. When she had gotten the order she walked away to gather the drinks.
Aiden gave a smile to Kara. “Everything on the menu is good.” He smiled. Ayla set their drinks down. “Could we get an order of...”
“Coming right up dear.” Ayla spoke as she walked off. She knew him well.
Aiden let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. “You’ll like it. The fried green tomatoes.” He smiled. “Not many places have that as an offering. But it is pretty good.” He spoke as he looked over the menu. It looked just as it had when he was a child. He took a long drink from his coffee then before his eyes settled in on Kara.
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Post by Nyte on Jul 30, 2020 23:21:25 GMT -5
A childhood place. Well, at least he knew it well and hoped that it hadn't gone down hill over time. Most places suffered after only a year or two, but it couldn't be helped. The silence on the walk allowed Kara to think more on the situation they were in. Being paired up, she wondered if that was a coincidence or not. There wasn't a way to determine that of course, not without some major inside knowledge of the tournament's workings, so she was left with the little information she did know.
Once they arrived Kara lifted and eyebrow with interest as an older woman from behind the bar recognized Aiden. Not in a way that fans did but seemed to genuinely know him as a person and not a fighter. She simply smiled as the woman referred to her as a "sweet girl". That wasn't really a description she got very often. Kara didn't do "sweet".
Sitting down in the booth she also ordered a coffee, with a water, and then lifted the menu up to begin reading over her options. "Fried, green tomatoes you say.." she commented on his choice as she continued to read. "Seems this place is old fashioned in more ways than one. Glad to see the mechanization of things hasn't killed everything yet." She set the menu down and glanced around to the old decor and dim lighting. It was almost hard to believe such a place still existed in the city. It was almost like traveling back in time.
"You know.. not many fighters keep their sponsors secret." She started. "And those that do don't usually last very long." She sipped her coffee but never took her eyes off of Aiden. "They often disappear, for varying reasons, and I've never heard of one that vanished to retire in some high rise penthouse or quiet country home."
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 30, 2020 23:43:30 GMT -5
Aiden looked over the menu, he didn’t need to read it, he was simply doing so as a customary gesture. He sipped from his coffee and set the menu down as Kara began to speak. A soft smile curved up his lips. “No this place hasn’t changed one bit since I was a kid. It’s nice. It makes me wonder what it was like to live in a different time.” He shrugged slightly before he took another drink. As she spoke her next lines he drew in a long breath.
“Ready to order dear?” Ayla came to the table with her pen and pad.
Aiden let out a relieved sigh as he looked to the woman, “Yes, yes of course.” He smiled, “I’ll have.”
“Oh not you dear, I already know what you want. You’re too predictable.” She winked at him. “How about you sweet pea?” She asked as she looked to Kara. She jotted down the order. “Aiden, I don’t see this girl smiling. You had better be taking good care of your date hm?” She nudged him. “I wouldn’t want any unhappy customers.”
“No need to worry.” Aiden spoke with a chuckle though his expression fell as the woman left their side. He looked to Kara and drew in a long breath. “Kara...” He began, his hands both upon the table, his fingertips wrapped around the warmth of his coffee mug. “I know. I’ve seen the fighters disappear after a bad fight. Or after a crazy good win. I’ve seen the strange oddities of the arena. It’s a dangerous place even in the situation that you are in. No one in the business that operates beneath a sponsor lives a life worth living. It all revolves around what the sponsor wants. Fail to give the sponsor the quota? Well that is a whole other story isn’t it.” He frowned slightly. “I’m just as angry as you are about what happened to Crimson. If I had known I would have done my best to stop it. But I don’t have any control over it, so I didn’t know...”
“Here we are.” Ayla came forward and set down two appetizer plates, a bottle of dip, and the plate of sizzling hot fried green tomatoes. “Refill?” She asked and stepped away.
Aiden looked to the plate and was silent as Ayla came back with the coffee pot to refill their drinks. “You two.” She sighed. “Aiden. Chin up. Sit up straight silly.” She gave a warm smile. “You look miserable.” She walked away as she was called by the jingling bell of the front door.
Aiden squeezed some of the dip upon his plate and ate one of the tomatoes. He looked to Kara a long moment and sighed slightly. “I can’t tell you. If my sponsor found out that you were even prying at the subject both of our lives would be on the line….” Her brows quivered slightly. That was a true worry that he had. What if Marx found out?
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Post by Nyte on Jul 30, 2020 23:55:42 GMT -5
Every time the woman returned to the table she made a comment about Aiden. It was endearing in a way, but also interrupted their discussion. So Kara made and effort to smile when she approached and thanked the woman whenever she brought their food out. "Interesting.." Kara commented as she too poured out some of the dip from the bottle and served herself one of the slices. "That's a heavy toll to pay for someone finding out a name." Kara said as she cut the tomato with her fork. "The mark of a true psychopath if you ask me. Nothing stays hidden forever and anyone who thinks they can keep things in the dark constantly are only fools."
She picked up a slice of the tomato, dipped it, then took a bite and gave an impressed expression at the taste. "I hope.." she continued as she dipped her next piece. "you have as good of a connection with Crimson as you think you do. That he wouldn't kill you even if there was no neural link." She glanced up to meet his gaze. "Those augmentations he's undergone. They could very well completely disrupt the device's influence over his consciousness. He would be free and wild to do as he pleases. The chemistry in my monsters specifically is very carefully balanced. Their brains are wired to accept the emotions and commands from the links but they're also fully functions creatures without them. Not every beast is like that. Some are empty shells. Mounds of muscle and flesh that only move when a pilot takes the reigns. Not mine.."
She finished her second bite and then sat back as she sipped her coffee once more.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 31, 2020 0:14:16 GMT -5
Aiden watched Kara as she spoke. He idly dipped his food and ate a few pieces as well. “Yes, but unfortunately choosing which psychopath that was my sponsor wasn’t exactly what happened.” he spoke quietly and shook his head slightly. “My brother had the connection, not me.” He then fell quiet as she began to talk about the neural link. The dangers of what could happen because of the experiments and the changes that Crimson had undergone.
“I trust him. Believe it or not.” Aiden spoke in a confident manner. “I’d be willing to bet he’d kill my sponsor and the scientists far before Crimson would even lift a claw in my direction.” He took a drink of his coffee and then drew in a breath. “I don’t always link with him when he’s out of his container. At least when he is in my warehouse. I let him do as he pleases. He hasn’t ever attacked me. We have a trust. At least, I would like to think that we do.” He ate another tomato then and lifted his eyes as Ayla headed toward the table with their orders.
“Alright dear.” She set down Kara’s order. “And your favorite, Aiden.” She gave a warm smile, “Ah you liked the tomatoes too huh?” She picked up the empty plate and smiled happily. “Let me know if you need anything else hun.” She stepped away to help other customers.
Aiden had a burger before him that had a fried egg upon the bun. Fries on the side that were hand cut. He smiled as he looked to the meal. It had been too long since he’d come here. He cut the burger in half and took a bite. The yolk of the egg ran from the sandwich and he lifted his eyes to Kara. He wasn’t sure what to say to her. He didn’t know what to say at least. He wanted to tell her that Marx was the man that was his sponsor. But he knew that even if someone went digging that wasn’t what they would find. Marx was far too high on the food chain to fall for something like this. “I want to know if they paired us together on purpose.” He spoke finally after a long moment.
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Post by Nyte on Jul 31, 2020 0:36:22 GMT -5
It wasn't hard for Kara to believe that Aiden could trust Crimson. She trusted Grimstok fully, which probaby wasn't wise, but it still held true. "I would believe it. I rarely have to control Grimstok with the link at home. She's usually free to roam as she pleases unless I have clients then she has to stay in the arena." Kara gave another nonchalant shrug. "One time I fell asleep with her out while I was working. I woke up to a bit of a mess to clean up as she had helped herself to play with some of my tools but other than that she didn't harm a fly." She chuckled at the memory.
"I too would like to know how they selected partners for the tournament. Things seemed set up to quickly weed out the lesser competitors and guarantee that the crowds will only be seeing the best in the later rounds. Every fight we have from here on out is no doubt going to be harder than the last." She paused as she contemplated her own words for a moment. "I doubt if we'll ever know for sure though. Hell, no one is even really sure who the upper management for the arena even is. Sponsors, a black panel, or some other unknown group. I've been prying to get information about it for years but.. nothing yet. All we know is government officials are paid well to let the fights continue uninterrupted."
Kara had ordered a stew that was on the menu. Something she could eat the broth and leave the heavy bits behind as her nerves were a little frayed after discovering the changes to Crimson. "I wish I could trust you Aiden.. I really do. I think it would help us both, but I just don't know how."
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Post by Blindside Tex on Aug 1, 2020 10:46:15 GMT -5
Aiden munched on his food as he listened to Kara speak, he lifted her eyes to look at her and gave a soft smile as she spoke of her memory with Grimstok. He even allowed a slight chuckle to come over his lips before he took a drink of coffee. “I can’t say that I haven’t left Crimson out either. Only a few times though, I learned my lesson the hard way.” He smiled and then settled back against the booth as she spoke of the pairing. He nodded to her words. “It is all secrecy, as if we were never meant to know who exactly runs the tournament. I could name a few that I suspect, but that would only be suspicion.” He sighed slightly. Marx. He knew Marx was one of the sponsors that ran the tournament. One of the few that poured money into that arena to keep it going. But then again he got all of his money back, plus a huge profit. So one couldn’t quite complain.
The soft smile flattened slightly to Kara’s next words. Aiden lifted his eyes to look to her, he had noticed that she wasn’t eating much of her stew that she ordered. He gave a soft sigh and nodded. “I understand. I really do. I wish I could give you what you want, but my hands are tied. You have to trust me on that. There is much more to the arena than most realize. I’m sure that you know this, you’ve been around it long enough. Hell you’ve even sold your creatures to some of the sponsors that never deserved such creations.” He paused and searched her eyes a long moment. “But we are going to have to figure out how to trust one another. Otherwise the arena is going to rip us to shreds. I don’t want to see Grimstok hurt anymore than I would like to see Crimson hurt. That means that we must protect one another. I’m certain our next fight will not be as easy as our first. Like you said it will only become more difficult.” He drew in a long breath and pulled his wallet from his pocket and began pulling out credits to pay.
“No no.” Ayla stepped to the side of the table. “No need to pay dear, you know that.” She leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “The boy is like my son and yet every time he comes in here he tries to pay.” She chuckled lightly. Her eyes fell upon the stew and she frowned slightly. “Could I get you something else sweet heart?” She asked in a caring tone.
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Post by Nyte on Aug 3, 2020 12:08:36 GMT -5
Kara listened to Aiden and gave a nod in agreement. It would make things easier and more efficient to trust each other. Perhaps she could afford a small degree of trust. Have a little faith he wouldn't cut her legs out from under her or drive a knife into her back at the first opportunity. She didn't have to trust him with any of her trade secrets or business tactics. It wasn't necessary for what they were trying to accomplish.
When Ayla returned and Kara heard the concern in her voice she turned her gaze up to the woman and gave a reassuring smile. "No, no. I'm fine. I would like something to take the rest of this home though. I'm afraid I don't eat large meals typically." She shrugged, seemingly a bit sheepish about that fact. When Ayla went to collect the to-go box Kara returned to attention to Aiden. "Sweet lady."
After Kara had packed up her dinner Kara tried to offer at least a tip for the services provided but the offer was refused. Then once they were walking home Kara looked up to the sky as thunder rumbled throughout the metal buildings and the sky flickered with lightening. "Looks like we're gonna get a good rain tonight." She commented. "Did you want me to drive you home? I have a guest space you're welcome to use for the night if you don't want to leave Crimson though."
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Post by Blindside Tex on Aug 12, 2020 19:43:33 GMT -5
Aiden watched Kara as she seemed to think his words over. He gave a bit of a smile to Ayla's fuss that she'd made over Kara's food. "She is." He spoke as he watched her pack up her dinner. He then followed her out of the establishment and looked up to the skies as the lightening scattered across it. Kara's next question caused Aiden to stutter in his steps slightly. He seemed to think about it a moment his eyes on her. He furrowed his brow slightly and drew in a long breath. "I really don't feel comfortable leaving Crimson. You understand, I imagine." He gave a bit of a weak smile as he shoved his hands deep into his jean pockets. "So if you are not against me staying...." He paused as his watch buzzed.
Our team needs to have a look at Crimson before the fight tomorrow. To make sure that any injuries he sustained have been taken care of and get him in good health. When are you going to return to the warehouse? Should I arrange for our team to pick you up?
His expression flattened slightly. He glanced to Kara a moment and typed upon the band. Taken care of. Riot has her own lab, she healed him. He will be ready to fight tomorrow.
Aiden could feel his pulse increase. He wasn't one to disobey, but in this case...and especially after what Kara discovered had been done to Crimson. He wasn't so keen on allowing the scientists to have a look at Crimson. "Sorry about that." He spoke as he looked to Kara. "Just uh...if I am not intruding, it would be best if I stay with Crimson." He gave a slight nod.
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