Private The High of Illegal Fighting

[Rhys Swynol]

Location: Underground Fighting Pit
Outfit: Casual Fighting
Tag: Valery Noble

Rhys was finding himself fighting some random Zabrak. Bare knuckle boxing, there was no rule for killing the opponent but making it exciting and bloodier was what could get you a bonus as well as the normal payment.

It was a vicious and bloody sport but Rhys had been hooked from round one. Now he was a couple of rounds in, warmed up, his styled blue hair a little rough and his body having a small layer of sweat but his adrenaline levels were high. That was all he cared about. He was high on the adrenaline and the feeling that there was danger looming around the corner. Thrill seeking to a deadly level but he couldn't help it. This was the type of high he had been craving. Drugs and alcohol had lost their touch for a couple of weeks now, he needed something new and this, it seemed, was perfect for him.

The Zabrak came at him, charging forward with his head down in an attempt to impale him, Rhys laughed deeply. This was perfect, it was a desperate attempt to deliver a killing blow but Rhys was too skilled, at least he saw himself as too skilled. Instead he side stepped and tripped the Zabrak into the sands of the pit. Looking around to the crowd, Rhys encouraged them to cheer, and roar for him, he lived off their attention and wanted to hear them call out.

As the Zabrak rose to his feet once more, Rhys kicked him in the face. Forcing the man back on the ground, Rhys then straddled on top and rained down several punches, working hard till the opponent was knocked out, his body was eager to go further. He had been trained in death matches, he fought till the person died. But here he was, working with different rules, different conditions. While they were running an illegal fighting pit, it was not one that was set to the death, that would have drawn too much attention.

Rising from the unconscious figure, Rhys raised his figure into the air, proud of his victory. His fist was bloodied and he was panting as the adrenaline was still pumping hard around him. He was curious who his next fight would be with. Who he might take on next.

 

[Valery Noble]

Fighting Ring

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Rhys Swynol

Well, this was unexpected.

Valery didn't go down into the underworld as much anymore these days due to the increasing Sith presence, but when she did, it always subverted her expectations. This mission had supposed to be simple infiltration of an illegal fighting ring, not necessarily to stop that from happening, but to address some illegal weapon trading that happened around it. Likely using the money that was acquired here for investments.

Those weapons were reaching the wrong types in Alliance space, so it was her issue now.

But here she was, not in a Force Cloak or undercover within the crowd — she was standing in the middle of a ring, fists raised while she looked at a Trandoshan who wanted to tear her apart for some credits. She could have prevented this from happening, but not without revealing who she really was, and that would have compromised the whole mission. So instead, she decided to play along, and that meant fighting her way out of here.

Not that she'd go as far as these people would.

"Alright, show me what you got," Valery taunted, and with the bell ringing, the Trandoshan came charging at her. He was expecting an easy fight against a much smaller woman, but when he threw his first punch, he could barely see Valery slipping away underneath his arm, purely because of how fast she moved. With a rotation at the hip, she threw a hook into his gut, bending him over before an uppercut sent him to the floor. Each punch was augmented with the Force to accurately insert as much power as she needed.

It was enough to knock him out.

"Who is next?" she asked with a smirk, before raising a hand up through her hair.

 

[Rhys Swynol]

Location: Underground Fighting Pit
Outfit: Casual Fighting
Tag: Valery Noble

His next target had already won her next fight as Rhys was towelling off the sweat on his face and arms.

Rhys couldn't help but admire the strength she demonstrated. It was impressive that she had been able to take out the Trandoshan so quickly. They were tough lads that usually took more to handle. However, if this proved to be a tough fight, Rhys had a couple of tricks to keep his chances of success high. He was Zeltron after all and he could disarm the most aggressive of opponents if he needed to.

Jumping into the ring, Rhys watched as the Trandoshan was dragged out, not a huge amount of care was taken with him. But the organisers wanted things done quickly and not necessarily done carefully. Rhys stretched his arms and body, looking over to the competition and gave a warm smile. "Hey there, seems you got a strong arm on ya. Let's see what you got." He gave a wink, he wasn't looking to be overly flirting with Valery, not right away. All Rhys was looking to do was open the line of communication.

His stance adopted traditional Mandalorian fighting techniques but Rhys was springy and mobile, his high levels of energy and adrenaline allowed him to be strong while also being agile and swift. His natural pheromones wafted slightly, he wasn't purposefully releasing them but his mind wasn't able to ignore the attractive figure that competitor held. Most of the others were much too large and had an aggressive attitude that wasn't really something that appealed to Rhys.

He moved in closer and shot forward a couple of swift jabs towards Valery.

 

[Valery Noble]

Fighting Ring

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Rhys Swynol

One more fight.

She didn't have to go up against every person in the room, as no fighter could last that long. But if she won this next fight, she'd be able to cash in and walk away without raising suspicion. From there, she could look into the owner of this ring, and his team behind it all, and hopefully find connections to the weapon trading. It wasn't exactly the most complex mission for a Jedi to handle, but it was a risky one. Messing up meant not only having to escape this place, but they'd surely go into hiding.

Finding them, at that point, would be very difficult.

Soon enough, her next fighter appeared — a Zeltron who was quite a lot taller than her, but not like the Trandoshan before him at the very least. He seemed strong and built like a fighter, rather than a bodybuilder. What made her most cautious, though, was that he seemed more relaxed. She doubted that he'd give in to taunting the way the lizard had, so even though she had the Force on her side, she'd have to be careful enough.

Speaking of the Force... Valery paused for a moment as he spoke, and tilted her head. She could feel the Force flowing in him, but it felt as if it hadn't been unlocked quite yet. Perhaps he didn't know?

"I'd be careful if I were you," Valery told him, her eyes narrowing as he began his approach. The first few jabs, she blocked or dodged without augmenting herself, mostly to then be able to throw him off when she eventually would heighten her speed. She then sent a few jabs back, carefully testing his defenses while they moved around each other. "You saw what happened to the last one. You sure you want to do this?"

 

[Rhys Swynol]

Location: Underground Fighting Pit
Outfit: Casual Fighting
Tag: Valery Noble

The cautionary tone from his opponent didn't make him pause. This was brilliant, this was what he needed. Someone who would pose a true challenge.

"I dunno, perhaps the last guy was too busy ogling you to pose much of a real threat." Rhys joked, when she dodged his jabs, he couldn't help but respect the skill. It was the jabs back that demonstrated that this was someone who knew very well how to fight. Rhys was skilled in fighting but his luck in being undefeated in the competition was definitely meeting the edge of what could be achieved. "Anyway, if I didn't join in then I would miss out on the chance to spar with the second most attractive person fighting today." Indicating to himself that he was the most attractive.

His pheromones stirred a bit more, he needed use some underhanded tactics in order to finish this fight. Though he couldn't be too obvious in doing this. While it was an illegal fighting ring, he doubted the hosts would be pleased if he was caught using his racial skills to win and not winning through power and brutality like they had advertised.

When she tested his own defences, Rhys was sturdy in blocking but he was definitely slower than she had been. His skills were capable but he was a small flame in comparison to the roaring fire of talent that she held.

To counter, Rhys shifted to include some Echani combat moves, something more acrobatic and flinging a couple of roundhouse kicks to her side. He was curious what fighting styles she knew and how intense their fight would get.

 

[Valery Noble]

Fighting Ring

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Rhys Swynol

"Getting knocked out by her, you mean," Valery said but with a smirk that showed some amusement. She could appreciate his wit, and the way he fought made this a bit more interesting than knocking out the brute of a Trandoshan as well. Especially when he started incorporating Echani Martial arts — she was familiar with it and even had taken lessons from an Echani Master long ago. It just wasn't a style that she often used, mostly because the Jedi were once more careful with it.

Young students could easily lose themselves in a Echani-style fight.

"Not bad," Valery then said, still not augmenting her speed while she dodged some strikes, and allowed others to clash into her guard. She was being clever though, and augmented her limbs to absorb the energy of his attacks. It made the roundhouse kicks less painful and allowed her to stay sharp so she could focus on his movements.

But soon enough, it was time to retaliate.

With a sudden burst of superhuman speed (augmented), she lowered herself and aimed a leg sweep at him, hoping to knock him down and embarrass him just a bit for his comments. It wouldn't knock him out, and she wasn't planning to get on top of him to punch him to a bloody pulp either. This was purely her messing with her opponent.

 

[Rhys Swynol]

Location: Underground Fighting Pit
Outfit: Casual Fighting
Tag: Valery Noble

When his opponent affirmed that she would be knocking him out, his eyes glinted darkly. He gave a look of encouragement, he wanted her to do it. She gave a threat and Rhys was giving her a look of wanting her to give it her all.

He was a thrill seeker and Valery was definitely offering the thrill of defeat to be an enticing one.

The blows from his kicks being blocked and absorbed by her arms was odd for him. The lack of pain or reaction of him delivering strong blows, it set him back a little. He was surprised by her ability to handle it. Rhys was a strong guy, hell, he knew he hit hard since he had dealt with opponents with scales and hard skin. This woman should have had some reaction, none... That had him curious, was she perhaps a cyborg so her limbs felt no pain? Surely then he would have felt the metal?

While his mind spun with uncertainty, Valery swept his leg and sent him crashing onto the ground. His breathing went ragged as the landing had been hard and unexpected. He couldn't help but be impressive with her skills, but he knew how to respond. If she wanted to turn this into a fight on the ground then he would give her that.

His legs shifted to trap hers and force her onto the ground with him. His embarrassment was not there, Rhys rarely felt shame. Shame meant that he was regretful, his actions led to this fight, this exciting, thrilling fight. The crowd might mock him but he would have to care what they thought. This was all about finding that high, that high you got from fighting, from putting yourself out there. Who cared about regretting his comments? He didn't.

If he got the chance to bring Valery onto the ground or not, Rhys would look over to her, "if you knock me out, I'll buy you a round of drinks after this. However, if I win, you buy my drinks. I must say, I run up quite a high tab, so hopefully you are struggling for credits." He gave a wink, still thinking he held a chance to win this fight.

 

[Valery Noble]

Fighting Ring

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Rhys Swynol

He only seemed to enjoy the fact that she taunted him, but she figured that would only last until this fight was turning into her favor. Because despite the Force-sensitivity she faintly felt from him, she knew he couldn't tap into that to try and balance the fight. No weapons or special gadgets were allowed either, so technically, she had an unfair advantage. An advantage that nobody would be able to pick up on, no matter how hard they tried.

Perhaps things would have been different if she hadn't tapped into it.

But with the augmented leg sweep, she was able to give him a good impression about what she could do. He was knocked onto the ground, had the air knocked out of his lungs, and Valery could have probably gotten right on top of him to make it a beating. But she didn't, and he just seemed to enjoy himself even more, as the fight got a lot more interesting and intense. This surprised Valery enough, to where his own kick knocked her to the ground.

Not for long, though, as she rolled away and got back up to her feet to keep this from getting a wrestling match.

"I'll have plenty of credits when I beat you, but deal," she said with a smirk, before she pushed forward. If she could win this and get him to talk to her, maybe she could learn more about the owner of this place, and find a way deeper inside the organization. So to get to that point, she suddenly moved with greater speed again, and opened up with a jab, before looking to uppercut into his stomach.

If it worked, a high kick at the head would hopefully finish this without too much damage.

 

[Rhys Swynol]

Location: Underground Fighting Pit
Outfit: Casual Fighting
Tag: Valery Noble

The kick worked in that she fell to the ground but it seemed the woman was too nimble and as Rhys got positioned to wrestle with her and pin his opponent down, she was already bouncing back onto her feet. Her movements were quick, in some regards too quick for a normal human or standard humanoid. But he held no idea as to why that could be the case.

He rose to his feet as well, hearing the terms of his bet having been agreed to, there wasn't a loss in his mind. Either he won and gained a night of free drinks or he loss and got to spend time with the best fighter here and spoil her. Either way he was ending the night well in his mind.

The incredible speed that Valery had charged at Rhys and he barely blocked her two punches but the kick to his head came from nowhere in his mind. He was then straight to the ground, he knew he was outmatched here and he wasn't going to keep fighting. Even though he wasn't knocked out from the kick, he was weak and Valery's speed, it was too much for him to handle. Tapping the mat, he surrendered to her, "you move too quickly, especially for a human. Not even seen Echani fight as quick as you." Rhys commented, he thought something was up, some kind of enhancers but he couldn't tell what.

Shakily raising to his feet, he lifted Valery's arm up and let her enjoy the thrills of being the victor. "After you get your credits, meet me at the bar. Need to grab my stuff then head over there." Rhys whispered into her ear, his tone soft, slightly seductive but he was also Zeltron, it was hard not to have a seductive tone of voice.

Leaving Valery to enjoy the cheers and joys of the crowd, Rhys headed to grab his belongings as he didn't want to lose those. The pack was donned and he found a spot at the bar for himself and Valery once she was free, he ordered himself a couple of shots and made the bold move to order a decent glass of wine for Valery. She seemed the type to enjoy wine, and he was paying for the drinks as promised so he saw no harm in taking a guess of the drink she might enjoy.

 

[Valery Noble]

Fighting Ring

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Rhys Swynol

He tapped out.

Valery could tell that he'd likely be able to get up and fight some more, but either he realized that this wasn't exactly a fair fight, or something else was up. Either way, the crowd began to cheer because of the powerful kick, and Valery had won the match. Not that she cared about winning for the sake of winning, or even for the credits. She just wanted to get to work, and stop this business before more innocent lives were lost in the Alliance.

"Well, I'm not human and I have a lot of experience," Valery said, knowing that she likely looked younger than she really was to him and, well, anybody else really. Rhys then held up her arm to let her enjoy the win, and she just played along with a big grin on her face. She didn't actually care, but it'd look very strange if she didn't seem happy about the fact that she won so much money.

Most people cared about credits, after all.

"After you get your credits, meet me at the bar. Need to grab my stuff then head over there."

She looked up at him over her shoulder and perked a brow at his tone, "Don't get too excited," she told him with a small roll of her eyes, before she walked out of the ring, and got a towel to wipe her face. She then drank from a bottle of water to hydrate a little again, and finally, made her way over to the bar. He was already there, enjoying some shots while he had apparently ordered her some wine. She raised another eyebrow, and chuckled this time.

"That looks expensive. I hope you earned enough with your first win to pay for all of this."

 

[Rhys Swynol]

Location: Underground Fighting Pit
Outfit: Casual Fighting
Tag: Valery Noble

Once he heard her voice, he smiled widely, Rhys shifted and took Valery's hand and guided her into the chair that he had kept for her. It was another forward, bold approach but Rhys did with no expectations in his gaze, no look of simple seduction or lust. There was respect to his brilliant blue, sapphire eyes, he was merely allowing her to enjoy the joys of being victor. For Rhys, lauding victory and celebrating for a long night was all part of the joys. While he could not laud himself as victor and could not celebrate in such fashions, what he could do was help the woman who was. It was only fair others got the same joys of the night that he did.

Otherwise life was boring and simple.

"Drinks? Oh," He chuckled and drank his first shot and slid the wine to her. "I can afford plenty. I was here today not in need of credits, merely seeking a need of thrill and adrenaline. That elusive high you can only get from a truly thrilling fight. Like ours!" Rhys stated, his enjoyment evident and his focus on fighting having to be something that was thrill seeking was honest.

He waved his hand at credits and drinks, "money and such, that was merely a side benefit. I was four or fives in by the time I faced you. Only you were the one to beat me and give me what I was seeking. So, let me help you find the joys, the thrills of fighting!"

"So, tell me, what is your name mysterious beauty," his body leaned in to talk with her and his pheromones were pouring strongly from him as he could not help but give his full self.

 

[Valery Noble]

Fighting Ring

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Rhys Swynol

Valery seemed surprised when he guided her into her seat, not because of the gesture, but because of the intentions behind it. It seemed like he was actually just trying to be respectful, and in a place like this, that was very surprising. Once she was seated, Valery reached for her glass and briefly glanced down at the wine — it wasn't some cheap red wine it seemed. She was by no means an expert, but it even smelled expensive.

"Is that so?" Valery asked, again surprised by his answer. "Most people here are just fighting for credits." As pleasantly surprised as she was, this actually didn't help her at all. She needed to get information on the people who ran this place, and being able to convince someone with credits was an easy way to do that. But if he had enough...

"So, tell me, what is your name mysterious beauty,"

Valery narrowed her eyes, not just because of the comment, but because she felt her body relaxing. This wasn't her first time meeting a Zeltron, so she knew to be careful. "Just Valery is fine," she told him, giving him her actual first name, and telling him to drop the mysterious beauty. "I'm also not here to enjoy the fights, if I'm being honest. I just want to learn more about it, but few people seem willing to talk." A first hint at what she was really after.

"Maybe you know more, though?"

 

[Rhys Swynol]

Location: Underground Fighting Pit
Outfit: Casual Fighting
Tag: Valery Noble

Her name was Valery. There had not been a surname offered but some did not want to share such personal information and Rhys could respect that in others.

"I'm Rhys, just so you can tell your friends a name when you mention how you fought the most handsome man you've seen." Rhys chuckled, not bragging in order to seduce, he was simply maintaining a pleasant and joking manner. Business and work, it was all monotonous and never truly engaging.

When Valery started to pry about the operation, the vibes from Valery that he was getting was a little more investigatory than mere curiosity. It was odd but Rhys had an inkling that she was not here merely to learn more about the place. "You might be better saving those questions till I am at least another three or five drinks in. Or, unless you were really going to pretend to have more flirtatious interest in me." Rhys was revealing that he was not against sharing such information, but he was not simply handing her the answers right away.

"So tell me, Just Valery, how do you fight as well as you do? What talents do you have?" His questioning was more about getting to know her, not asking right away who she was or what she intended to do with the information he held, but a step in that direction. He knew how to play the game.

 

[Valery Noble]

Fighting Ring

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Rhys Swynol

"You're very full of yourself, hm?" Valery asked with another small roll of her eyes, but also another amused chuckle. It was almost unbelievable that he actually referred to himself like that, but then again, this part of the Galaxy was full of hot shots and cocky people. It shouldn't have been too surprising to her. "You're a good fighter, though. A lot more composure and technique than the brute I fought earlier."

Sure, he had been strong, but he wasn't exactly a very clever fighter.

Sadly, Rhys also didn't seem too willing to just tell her everything. Either she needed to wait until he was drunk, and hope he could even formulate a normal sentence, or she'd have to- She just sighed, tucked some of her hair behind her ear, and leaned back into her chair while she sipped from her glass. "I don't need the credits I won kicking your butt, so I could pay you a lot more than these drinks if you can help me in return."

"So tell me, Just Valery, how do you fight as well as you do? What talents do you have?"

"A woman doesn't reveal all of her secrets, but it's safe to say I've had a lot of training," she said to be intentionally cryptic. "What about yourself? You're not just a street rat who learned to fight the hard way. It seemed like you've had some training yourself."

 

[Rhys Swynol]

Location: Underground Fighting Pit
Outfit: Casual Fighting
Tag: Valery Noble

The amused chuckle with the eye roll, it was a classic technique but one that Valery seemed to be demonstrating her expertise in. She was definitely an interesting individual. "Well, not everyone can have the skills and grace that a Zeltron brings to the table." It helped that his genes were good and that they lent talents towards fighting. "Your speed though is formidable and something I will have to be keeping an eye out if we ever find ourselves having a rematch."

As Valery adjusted in her position, clearly taking some of his advice to heart about how to best approach him. Rhys smirked and offered her a wink as she took a sip of the wine, hopefully she enjoyed the particular selection he had made. His body language shifted into manspreading, it was basic but he couldn't help it either as he shifted in closer to her.

"Hmmmm... money cannot win over my answers yet. So please, indulge me with your company since I know the moment I give you exactly what you wish for, you will poof away and then I will be drinking here alone." Rhys called out the offer payment, "my answers are not sold through credits, I am not that cheap, Valery." His use of her name was done purposefully in a teasing, seductive tone. Clearly having fun in stringing her along in his game of cat and mouse.

He laughed, "that is fair. I won't answer you fully so you should be allowed to hold back too." He took his second shot then gestured the barkeep for his second round. The bartender seemed all too eager to meet his demands, clearly falling under spell of his pheromones that he was releasing into the air freely. "Mandalorian trained me, death matches showed me how to survive and learning how to kill taught me how to handle most enemies I face." Rhys was honest as he leaned in.

"Though fighting is not all this body is good at," his tone was soft, a whisper, before he looked into her eyes, "I am also good at endurance marathons too." A coy addition.

 

[Valery Noble]

Fighting Ring

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Rhys Swynol

Valery sighed softly when he leaned forward, and rejected the offer to be paid for the information she wanted. This meant she'd have to find another way, and hopefully one that didn't involve any more fighting. But as far as this whole conversation goes, she had heard and seen more than enough.

The flirty comments got another eye roll, and with her wine finished, she stood up and fixed up her hair. "A shame we couldn't work out a deal. I wish you a good evening, Rhys, but I have something to attend to." Being a Jedi was a busy life, so she had no time to waste sitting around here for too long.

The sooner she got the intel, the sooner she could go back home.

"Enjoy the drinks." She tossed him some credits for his next round, and disappeared into the Shadows. Maybe this was going to require a different approach entirely.