A Bottle of your Best

[Guest]

"The house red. Leave the bottle, I'll probably be pouring more."

Lili watched as the waiter gently poured the blood-red drink into a wine glass and walk on by, leaving the bottle on the counter. Her blue gaze didn't lock onto anything, simply moving on by, observing the scene as a whole. Neither the most glamourous or the most seedy of clubs she had ever been in. Creta had some far worse, and this place had a certain elegant class, though it was extremely dark. It had only been recently renovated, clearly, as some occasional wall wasn't coated in the new wallpaper and had stains of what Lili hoped was just some of the red wine she drank. Mostly candlelit besides the large stage, of which the entire room was built around in a great semi-circle overlooking it. The smoke from various cigars and cigarillos hung in the ceiling, causing the lights to cast a murky yellow across the darkened club. The hustle-bustle was a daunting but private one; sound was as constant and loud as the hum of a beehive, and didn't sound much more distinct, with a myriad unseen faces standing and sitting and rushing and walking and talking. The whole atmosphere was simultaneously romantic and welcoming and dangerous and uninviting.

Lili took another swig of the red wine, letting the warm drink rush down her throat. Her set was not for a while, and this usually meant she got restless. All of her preparations had been done well in advance, but she didn't like to sit down and wait without something to do. She looked back to the bottle. It wasn't a great idea to drink this much before a show, at least without food, but Lili hadn't eaten today either, and she had enough for a good enough meal to survive. She buried her hand into her cleavage, pulled out the wallet that she held within it and checked the contents. Enough, hopefully. She sat back, topping up her glass and waited for the waiter to come back to ask about food, only moving to gently brush her pitch-black hat clean of dust, causing it to fly into the air and join the smoke.

[Jay Furor]

Ah, Kanama. The crooked, backwater slums that Jay loved so much. And now she owned the city! Nobody minded, she'd always been liked by the majority of the inhabitants, and the ones who didn't like her weren't stupid enough to start anything. Stepping into her favorite bar, the Bad House, Jay could only grin. Tonight was special indeed. Maria had set up a show here, and some magician was supposed to perform. Not many details about her, but those were the ways of Maria, the greatest bartender in all of the world. Speak of the devil, the slightly taller woman walked over, her infamous shotty in one hand, and hugged Jay. "Hey Maria!~ I came just like you asked. I hope you booked someone good~" Maria grinned. "The best, Jay-Jay. Now, you'll be having the usual, eh?" Jay grinned. "Wouldn't have iot any other way~" A cheerful glint in her eyes, she walked over to a rather desolate area of the bar, noting that the steel boxing cage had been replaced by a stage. Ah well, the ring would go up again later. Sitting next to a girl, the only two around the area, she smiled.

It was a two-way smile. Firstly, Jay always smiled when she met somebody new. Secondly, although Jay wouldn't dare cheat on Lexi for anything in the world (hookers didn't count, of course), GOOD GOLLY, THAT WAS A FINE LOOKING BEAUTY SITTING NEXT TO HER!! Not quite Lexi, but from those KILLER hips, to the lovely pair on her chest, and further on to a pretty face, Jay likey what Jay saw. HOPEFULLY, she was a hooker! As Maria brought over a mug of vodka and tequila, Jay decided to spark up a conversation. "Hey there~ Jay Furor, nice to meet you. So, here for the show? I hear the magician's something pretty special."

[Guest]

Lili's eyes drifted onto the woman that eyed her greedily, then slowly turned away. Suddenly, the piercing dark blue shot back. "... wow," she immediately thought. The blonde hair was dirty in colour but not in form, a ponytail stroking down the side of her head and hanging on her shoulder. Striking storm clouds for eyes, her neck slender, her shoulders well-built, her body mature and developed. Not an inch out of sync with the ideal woman, with her minimal clothing emphasising it. Lili's heart may still have locked away from the pain of the breakup with Emma, but her body and mind were impressed. And she was checking her out?! Lili fought back the temptation to blush. Her self-esteem, or lack of, began to claw at her, scratching away her confidence and her feelings of adequecy. After all, if Emma left, what makes her think that this chick will spent the time of day for her. All of these thoughts conflicted and clashed in her head, but nothing in her outward appearance showed even a glimmer of weakness. She was Lili Sly, the Almighty Spark Heart. She wasn't 'scared' by anything. Nothing phased or rattled her. She was magic, she was strong, she was brilliant...

... and that's why she knew the woman would sit down next to her.

"Hey there~ Jay Furor, nice to meet you. So, here for the show? I hear the magician's something pretty special." She said with a pleasant smile on her face. It was wide, expressive and contagious. Lili's lips began to curl simply by reaction rather than a conscious effort, but she forced them to stop with a smirk that she always wore; the smug smirk from the posters. "Play it cool. Just play it cool."

"She is. Seen her shows before. I hear she's also not bad at fighting." She answered, her voice chilled and content in the same way a cat is. A relaxed coldness that was less spiteful and more authoritive. She had trained it to sound very definite, very trustworthy, make everything you do just sound like a good idea. She took a sip from her wine, and looked back to Jay. For some reason, she decided for once not to tell of her 'magic' powers. Wait until the show started, and make it a nice surprise for her new companion. Her hand slowly moved forward to be shaken. "Lili Sly. A pleasure, Miss Furor."

Amongst the sounds in the massive, dark club, the millions of mumbles and shouts between man and woman alike from all walks of life be it rich, poor, honest or cruel, Lili didn't hear the waiter come back; a typical waiter in the uniform of this particular club. She had seen their kind a myriad times before across all the places she had toured, be it Creta, Amestris, Carraig or even that singular tour in Aerugo.

"Miss, would you like to order?" He asked. Lili didn't look to him directly, giving him a quick glance before looking down to her chest, briefly wondering why she had put her wallet away.

"Please. I'll have the pork cut, never had Amestris pork before though I hear it's good. I'll have that on a salad bed lightly coated in vinegar, malt if you have it, and some bread on the side." She said, not really paying attention as she pulled the wallet out of her cleavage and prepared her money. Her eyes drifted up to Jay. "You anything anything? I'll pay." She said, but the waiter took the opportunity to speak first.

"Miss Furor, a pleasure to see you again." He said, arousing a keen eye from Lili. "Jay's known here, I suppose."

[Jay Furor]

Jay smiled. "Well that's good! I always liked magic when I was little. My uncle, he used to do all those little tricks and I could never figure out how he did it." And what's this? She was not only magic, she could fight? WELL THEN. That was splendid! "A fighter, eh? Hehe, maybe after the show, we can put up the ol' steel, and have a good old brawl. Who knows, I might have to test out my skills in the ring again. Been a while, but I used to box here pretty often." Pfffft, what an understatement; Jay once held every record at the bar, and boxed down full grown men at the age of eleven. Not to say that the men didn't put up a fight either; in Kanama, if prize money was involved, people had no concerns about fighting a child. And that child had no concerns about ensuring that someone lost teeth in the cage.

No matter, no matter~ "Lovely meeting you Lilli." As she shook her new friend's hand, she noticed a waiter walking up to them. Allowing Lilli to order first, she grinned at him, and gestured for a hug, which he accepted, grinning back. "Hiya Ray! Good seeing you too." Glancing to Lilli, she smiled. "Oh, you don't have to pay for my food~ Maria lets me eat on the house. We go way back, y'know." Glancing up to Ray, the waiter, she smiled again, that pretty little smile of her's. "Think you could add a rib-eye to that? eighteen ounce, rare, if you will. Thanks, Ray~" With that, Jay took a gulp of her drink.

[Guest]

Lili remained silent as Jay and Ray exchanged pleasantries, taking the moment to look back to the stage. The current act was not drew her attention, but more the stage itself; it was a large one but only in width. The curtain hung precariously behind it. Overall, not a bad place to stage magic. Lili prefered her stages to give a large square to perform in, but it was adequate. She noticed that the waiter, Ray, had begun to leave, once again joining the anonymous faces of the crowd, and she turned her attention back to Jay as she finished her glass of red wine and poured herself some more.

"I'm guessing you come here often." She said in idle conversation. "From here originally, or did you move here some years ago? Oh, and you can help yourself to the red." Lili took another swig of the drink, her eyes peering over the top of the glass, slightly obscured by the presence of the red liquid swilling around, hopefully making sure that Jay didn't notice Lili's peering. It was that smile of the blonde across from her. She admired it; it was wide and expressive. Lili felt herself matching it, and set her glass down again. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what brought you over here to sit with me and pay for my meal?" She asked, a smirk setting on her face, but she was distracted as Ray came back, food in hand. He placed the orders down and departed swiftly, only giving a thumbs-up to Jay before he left. "Woah... that was fast. Hey, Jay, you get stuff done here, it's like you own the place or something." Lili commented, before beginning to ravenously wolf down her meal, finally having some food since that morning.

[Jay Furor]

Did she come here often, she asked? Hahahaaaaa~ Understatement of the century, it seemed. "Practically lived here since I was a kid. I remember my dad used to bring me here, and after he died, I just kept coming. Dunno if it was the prize money from the boxing ring, or just the place itself, but I loved it here." Ah, and a few more questions, these making Jay grin a tad more. "Kanama girl, born and raised. Travel a bit, now and then, but I always end up back here. Especially now, since I scored work here~" Indeed, Jay had QUITE appreciated the fact that Spade let her develop Kanama into a base for a section of Central's military. To most, it seemed as if Jay was just cleaning up the ghetto, but in Jay's view, Kanama was the same as ever, and she liked it that way.

Taking another chug of her liquid sunshine, she caught Lilli's question. MY MY, WHAT A TALKATIVE ONE. Well, Jay was ormally pretty talkative as well... No matter! "Oh, mostly it just looked a bit lonely over here. Plus, there's a great stageside view from this table~ As for the meal, consider it on the house, Lili." Jay smiled again, with a little thumbs up, signifying that the meal was taken care of. Of course, Jay didn't really have to request that Lili's food be free; Ray, nor Maria, wouldn't charge a companion of Jay's for their meal! Speak of the devil, there ccame Ray! Flashing a thumbs up at him as he left, Jay cut a bit of her steak off and sampled the cut, deciding she liked what she tasted. Grinning at Lili, Jay gave a small wink. "Hehe, well, you might could say that. Knew most of these people since I was little, and I guess you could say I got a nice little rep around here. Not to mention I'm in charge of the military and some other stuff around Kanama~" Taking another bite of steak, Jay could only let fly an amused smile as Lili KIIIIIIILLED her food. WHERE WAS IT ALL GOING!?

[Guest]

Lili's meal was a sophisticated one, maybe, but her eating was not. She was too hungry to care much about style or class, tearing into the food like she was an animal; it tasted too good to resist the temptation to gorge somewhat. She pulled up, wiping her mouth clean so she could respond to Jay.

"Military, huh?" She asked. She had never played for an army before, Bob Hope style, but she knew that it was a different crowd, used to a different style of entertainment, but also a lot more profitable. Lili thought hard; she would need to be on her A-game tonight; if she could impress Jay, maybe she'd find herself getting a few more offers for shows from recommendations. Her smirk became quite determined. Now she really had to step up her performance when it came to it. "So this'll be the first show you've seen in a while, huh? Don't worry, I don't think you'll be disappointed." However, before she could speak more, her eye was drawn to a stage hand poking his head around the corner. His eyes locked onto hers and he lifted his hand. Five minutes. Time to get ready. Lili didn't react, but inwardly grinned. Time to do what she did best; lie her way into approval. Jay had obviously thought that Lili was attractive, otherwise she wouldn't have gazed at her for so long earlier. Time to use that to her advantage. She slowly stood up, seemingly sad to go even though she was actually glad to finally perform and calm her nerves.

"Pardon me, but I've just got something to attend to." She explained. She walked over to Jay, stopping just to bend down, holding her shoulders gently. A subtle sign that she could be trusted. She was practically cheek to cheek with Jay. "Don't worry, I'll be back." This wasn't untrue, but she said it with an almost ethereal authority. For a final, sinching touch, she planted a quick, cheeky peck on Jay's cheek and began to move away. "Don't go away." She said, walking to the stage. If she had guessed right, Jay was simply going to wait and only be amazed more by the show simply because someone she fancied was on stage, and if she guessed wrong, Jay would still hang around and pay attention more to Lili herself than the act, and be even more impressed. "Those shows are in the bag." She thought to herself, for once letting her smug persona become her. She walked away feeling pretty good as she disappeared into the crowd.

[Jay Furor]

Jay nodded, casually taking a third, and final sip of her drink, as Ray came over, spot on time, to get her a refill. "Yep. Special forces from 14-16, cus I snuck in, hehe, and I've been in again since some time last year." Ah, yes... Jay was one to brag about her many parts of life that MOST people would not brag about. She was proud to be a soldier, both a soldier of the battlefield, and a soldier of the streets. Proud to be from Kanama, Amestris's butthole. And proud to be a drunk AND a recreational drug user! Yep yep yep, Jay was proud to be a Jay that does Jayish things like a Jay!

"That would also be correct to say~ First show in QUITE a while, even. I actually tried to go to one a while back, but my friend, Alex doesn't believe in magic. Silly alchemist, he is, whatwith his fire and stuff." Ah, Alex... Amusing friend, he is. Ever since that first spar they had, they had improved their friendship to the extent of becoming co-pimps at a Pimp Inn in New Optain... WHAT FUN.

As Jay carried on eating and drinking, Lili stood up, excusing herself from the table. Oh? Ah well, at least she said she'll be bac- Oh. Well then. Kiss on the cheek. Eerrrrrrrrrrr, Jay hoped Lexi wasn't here by some chance? She ALSO hoped that the lighting concealed a tiny blush? Her thoughts had condensed into confused questions? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Well, she obviously couldn't do anything with this Lili girl, no no no, not at all. Buuuuuuuut her mind said otherwise? BUUUUUUUT her heart was taking some bloody hedge clippers to her mind? BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT her mind shanked her heart with a tuning fork? BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT where were the symbollic representations of her heart and mind getting these weapons from? CONFUSING? Ehhh, no matter?

[Guest]

Lili sighed as she paced behind the curtain, simply waiting for the show to start. "Just go for the usual opening..." She hummed to herself. "- new crowd. New day. Not going to know me." She clicked her fingers of both hands; sparks. Perfect. She smiled, then looked ahead to the main stage as the lights dimmed, engulfing the entire stage in black. She clicked her fingers and set off the gas pump, igniting the air around it and walked onto the stage. The audience saw a fireball dance its way across the stage and the lights shot back on to reveal Lili, who had already turned off the pumps, leaving the distinct impression that the magician had just teleported on in that fire. The crowd went crazy with applause. Lili's smirking face didn't move other than to shift her gaze. She looked somewhat alien; an attractive woman in a tight leotard to appeared out of thin air? Madness! Impossible! Magic! The woman in red bowed, tipping her hat. She gave herself the chance to have a quick glance at Jay and winked cheekily, before looking back to the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please understand that everything you see is 100% magic. No smoke and mirrors with the Almighty Spark Heart!" She shouted, letting the acoustics echo her voice around the room like a cloud. She smiled at the reaction. This was going to be a great show.

[Jay Furor]

Errrr.... Well, maybe Jay could just watch the show until she came back? It seemed like the show was starting? And Jay could tell her afterwards? And she could STOP THINKING IN QUESTIONS BY THAT POINT? GOOD GOLLY MS. MOLLY, THAT WAS A LOT OF QUESTIONABLE THINKING. Literally. Anywho, it appeared that the show was soon to begin. HOW LOVELY. And then HOLYWHATINTHENAMEOFLIFEITSELF!? That was a FIRE HAZARD! At least, firemen thought those thoughts. JAY, on the other hand, concerned herself with HOLYWHATINTHENAMEOFLIFEITSELF, THEMS BE SOME PRETTY FIRES. And in the midst of the flames was... LILLI!? Whuuuuu....? Then it struck Jay in the dumbest way ever. Lili Sky... Eh.... That was the magicians name. On the posters. And the sign outside. And the banner above the stage. Gee wilickers, SOMEONE should learn to actually REEEEEEEAD these things. Probably Jay, as she seemed the most likely to need to read them. Oh well, it was showtime, and Jay wanted a show. So, with a wink back at Lili, she watched, hoping for better amazement than a human fireball...

[Guest]

Lili, for the most part, didn't have to worry too much about her tricks. She performed them with a sophisticated and brilliant eye of detail; formations of fire, playing around with her magnetism and passing it off as magic, and even the fake "alchemy without circles" to jumpstart one of the audience's broken cars. She knew that it'd be completely dead tomorrow, but Lili wouldn't be around then. The audience were cheering along, amazed by the impossibility of the things she did, and the Almighty Spark Heart was happy to indulge the fantasy, seeming more than reality, more than fiction, above them all. And throughout it all, an occasional eye glanced over to Jay, gauging her reaction. Lili invested fully into the show, until finally it came to the last act. And she knew just how to end it.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid the show must come to an end, and if I may end it on a slightly more low key note..." She announced, her mind already planning out the details. "- I need a volunteer. Someone like... hmmm..." She pretended to ponder, before pointing right to Jay. "- YOU! Yes, come on up, don't be shy." She asked. This trick would be perfect; if everyone here knew Jay, then they couldn't really accuse her of being a stooge without someone pointing out that Lili and her have never met. This would be a nice surprise for her, she thought, as she readied herself a blindfold; something that'd make those shows happen for certain if she was as high-ranking as she said she was.

[Jay Furor]

Jay quite enjoyed the show, indeed. Some more fire, some pretty litle tricks and displays of awesomeness, and she even fixed a car with magic alchemy! Indeed, this was possibly the best show that she'd ever seen! And then, right before the grand finale, Lili pointed out that she needed a volunt- Jay. AH CRAP. Jay hadn't quite expected to be called out as the volunteer, but when people started cheering for Jay to go ahead and climb onto the stage, she stood up, smiling, though still a tad surprised. RIGHT-HO. Let's do dis thaaang.

Hopping up to the top of the stage, Jay smiled at Lili. "Alrighty, ready when you are. What do I gotta do?" Oh, this should be eh... Fun? YES. This would be fun! AND JAY, unlike your stereotypical high-ranking soldier, LOVED FUN!! Of course, so did Spade, but he ALSO wasn't sterotypically duuuuuull. Nor was Niko, actually... NO MATTER. Jay loved fun, and yes.

[Guest]

Lili kept her eyes on Jay as she made her way up, an inviting smile from the magician beckoning her up. The two stood in the hot lights of the stage, and Lili didn't say anything for a moment just to give herself a second to observe the pretty woman. She peaked Lili in more ways than one; the ties to the army, the smile and the looks combined to make an interesting woman, but the ease that she was being toyed was the cheery on top. It almost made Lili feel bad, but she wasn't about to stop anytime soon. No no no, the Amestris army was worth too much for guilt now. She turned her back to Jay, her blindfold in hand.

"What I want you to do is to take your mobile phone, turn it on, and hide it in this club." She said. "It could be anywhere; on your person, on stage, in the crowd, under a floorboard. Don't worry about losing it; I'll get it back, no matter how well you hide it." And it was true; her magnetoception gave her the ability to track electronics, and Jay's phone would most likely be the only phone turned on in the room, considering that everyone else would've turned their's off to watch the show. Of course, she wasn't going to say that. No, it's definitely magic, so far as they need to know. Lili raised the blindfold up, but winked a final time to Jay. "Take all the time you need, beautiful." She said, before wrapping the cloth around her head.

[Jay Furor]

A blindfold? Was that for Jay, perhaps? If it was, that would be far too easy! Whatever she'd have to do blindfolded, she could do it just as easily as with sight. So perhaps she should go ahead and tell Lili, so it wouldn- Oh. Well, never mind, then! It seemed Lili was to be blindfolded to do something. That something happened to be finding her cell phone, it seemed. Well then, that was lovely! Jay nodded and gave her signature half-salute when the explanation was over. She was ABOUT to think of what to do with the device when she caught that dur little statement at the end. With dat dur smile of her's, she stood there, looking kinda dumb for a minute, but thankfully, to most, it appeared she was in deep thought, instead of stupid Jay-ishness. Then, flashing a little M to Maria, with her hand, she tossed the phone to the bartender, who casually placed it under the booze tap. Smiling, Jay gently tapped Lili's shoulder. "Consider that phone to be M.I.A.~"

[Guest]

"Consider that phone to be M.I.A.~" Jay was certainly confident, Lili thought. She took the blindfold off, her eyes quickly getting used to the darkness of the room. She smiled to Jay, walking to the very front of the stage.

"Not for long, it's not." She said, before she closed her eyes. She cut off the entire world even as she stood in a spotlight, looked upon by hundreds of people. No, she needed to concentrate upon finding that magnetic pulse. When Emma occasionally asked her how it felt, the magnetoception, the knowledge of every electronic device around her, the constant buzz of electricity in the air, and Lili still didn't have a solid answer. It was just that; a buzz. The hairs of her arms standing on end, the coolness of static flowing through her, though this time she now had to find a specific field. It wasn't hard; she could tell the power of a device now she had some seven years of practise, but she had the even easier task of finding a single buzz in a room of nothing. She put every ounce of her concentration into finding it, but she was immediately inclined to go to the bar. She didn't go for about twenty seconds, just to pretend it took a lot more effort than it did, but move she did with an ethereal slowness. She walked right towards the bar, hearing a small voice from the audience murmur "No fucking way." However, Lili suddenly stopped at the wood.

"Smart..." She said to Jay, not turning her head as her hand moved under the closest tap. "I'm usually a lot faster. Next time I need something hidden, you're the first person I'll ask... ah ha!" She then pulled the phone out, smiling and running over to Jay. However, the running wasn't the excitement thought it was; it was worry of breaking the phone. She couldn't hold it for long, but as she approached Jay she input eleven numbers; her own mobile phone number. As she walked back onto the stage, she looked to the audience. "A hand for my beautiful volunteer!" She shouted, and the audience cheered. Lili pulled Jay into a hug, slipping the phone into the elastic of the Amestrian soldier's miniskirt, gently whispering into her ear, pulling herself cheek to cheek with her; "If you want to book me for a show for the army, or maybe just a chat, call me on that number I just put in. Don't leave me waiting." She didn't move for a second, not really wanting to, before finally pulling herself away. She bowed to the audience, tipping her hat, and then finally took Jay's hand in a soft grip, kissing it as a gentlemanly knight of old would to a queen, before the stage's lights completely blacked out, allowing Lili to back away, her hand consumed in flames, bookending the show.

She put the fire out immediately, the moment she was behind curtains, and was tempted to simply leave, leaving Jay in a state of amazement. A hand reached out to the doorknob that would open the exit. And hovered there. Lili, for whatever reason, couldn't bring herself to leave. She stood there, dumbfounded, but she looked for a reason as to why she wanted to stay. Then she worked it out. Jay was too much fun. Lili growled angrily to herself. "No. I'm not trying to be friends with her. I used her, and it worked..." She said to herself, not really believing it. She brought her head to the wood. She desperately wanted to go back, but a combination of feelings stopped her from going back or leaving. After all, it wasn't that long since the breakup with Emma. Was she ready to move on? And what if she messed up now and Jay realised what was happening? But... Lili was really enjoying her company. She didn't want it to end, at least not for now. She sighed, overhearing the stagemaster announce that there would be a short interlude as the stage was swapped. Lili dropped her hand, and looked back at Jay, unseen to her. "... I never did finish that wine." She said with a growing smirk on her face as she practically ran back in excitement. She finally approached her, slowing down.

"Hey Jay! Sorry I took so long, I had to look for a phone for a very pretty girl." She said, a joking smile on her face. "... well, I missed the magic show, but I guess I could stay and watch the next one, if you'd like the company?"

[Jay Furor]

Oh? That confident, eh? Well, much as Jay liked her, AS A FRIEND OF COURSE, that phone should be impossible to find. I mean, there was just no wa-... NEVER MIND. It appears that a certain magician girl found the ohone under the beer tap and raced over to give it back to Jay. As she did so, she hugged and discreetly put the phone IN JAY'S SKIRT. Thanks again, friendly lighting!~ The pigmentation in Jay's face that caused it to turn red on occasion, however, was NOT thanked, for blushing like this was NOT a very Jay-ish activity. Plus, WHATABOUTLEXI!? Aaaaanyways, she'd apparently recieved Lili's number as well, though she heard nothing of what the girl said. And as a finishing touch, she kissed Jay's hand? Before exiting, stage left? And then Jay walked back to her seat, with a case of the herp-derp fever? AND JAY MADE SOME POOR, FAILED, ATTEMPTS TO THINK IN DECLARITIVE STATEMENTS ONCE AGAIN? But the attempts failed?

As questions, most of which were not really quizzical in nature, arose in Jay's mind, Lili entered Jay's line of sight again, and she turned to face her, smiling, though still feeling rather AWKWARD, like a schoolgirl, alone at prom. SENIOR prom, to be exact. And then Lili said some stuff? And that stuff was completely contradictory to the truth? And Jay was horribly, terribly confused? And, "Hi?," Jay said, cheerfully as ever. IF LIFE WERE AN ANIME, GUESS WHO WAS SWEAT DROPPING? Reseating herself, Jay got another mug of her liquor, and gestured for Lili to sit and drink her wine. Hmm... Now what?

[Guest]

Lili sat down as Jay did, a smile on both of their faces. She couldn't help but notice that, though Jay still smiled, the atmosphere between the two was quite awkward. Lili said nothing but wondered what was wrong. Was she too forward? Not forward enough? Had Jay figured out what Lili was trying to do? The woman in the red leotard poured a glass of red wine for herself and downed it in one go, before pouring another. The atmosphere was becoming way too awkward. Win her back somehow, Lili thought to herself.

"Joking aside, did you enjoy the show?" She asked in an effort to make idle conversation. "Sorry about putting you on the spot there; probably should've asked you if it was ok, but I wanted to make it a bit of a surprise."

[Jay Furor]

GRagLemN dsnFlagleMa gabragajN ahdn? Erm... YES? Gibberish was Jay's new thought system, as she smiled and drank a bit more boozeness. Oh? It seemed that Lili was attempting to make converse wuith Jay now, then? Well then, that was lovely? ENOUGH WITH THE QUESTIONS? Jay flicked her fork over the table, quite casually, and leaned down to pick it up, where nobody could see, under the table cloth, and she FACEPAWNCHED HERSELF INTO FRIDAY. Yes, Jay facepawnched herself. And it hurt. And it stopped her from thinking stupid, FINALLY. She then stood back up, fork in hand, and set it aside as Ray brought a new one over. "Yeah, I loved the show!~ I had no idea you were her and such, though." Grinning, Jay laughed, nodding for a minute before eating a bit of steak and sipping her drink. "No, no, it's quite alright, Lili, I didn't mind. Kinda fun, actually."

[Guest]

Lili only remembered that she had food to eat when she saw Jay begin at her steak again, and she looked down to the half-eaten pork cutlet. A slight toy with the fork; still warm at least. Good enough, Lili thought, wolfing down the remaining meat and salad on her plate in a fast manner. The show had taken a lot out of her. Her eyes occasionally drifted back to Jay as she answered.

"Yeah, I loved the show!~ I had no idea you were her and such, though." Jay said, a grin on her face. It was a grin that Lili could get used to seeing. "No, no, it's quite alright, Lili, I didn't mind. Kinda fun, actually." Lili felt somewhat relieved, not wanting to make things anymore awkward. She could feel, however, some of that awkwardness subside, from Jay at least. But Lili started to feel herself become quite nervous. She made no reaction, her face as casual as always, but she couldn't stop thinking as to why Jay had taken such an interest, or indeed why Lili herself was. She smiled to Jay, but didn't speak for a second. Surely she wasn't worth anything; why would Jay show any interest in a fraud of a magician?

"Umm... Jay? I've had a really good night tonight, but I still want to know... why me?" She asked, sounding a lot more confident than she actually was, curling her lips in a small smirk. "I mean, why not one of the more crowded tables? Come on, don't be shy this time, you can tell me. You can trust me to not tell anyone, right?" She sat back, a playful grin growing as she put the red wine to her lips and peered from under her hat into Jay's eyes, hiding the inward panic that she felt. "Oh god, what am I doing?! What if I'm too forward? Not forward enough?! What if I'm not ready to move on from Emma if she asks me out?! Will she ask me out?! Is my hat straight?! HELP! ABORT MISSION! RUN AWAY BEFORE YOU COMPLETELY MESS THIS UP LILI!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the cage has been reset and the fighting will commence in a few minutes." Came a loud voice that came just as Lili's question came, interrupting Jay. "Oh thank god!" Lili thought, looking over to the stage quickly. "And now, please welcome the new champion of Kanama! The Iron Fist! Shouted the announcer, and in walked a towering man with a wild expression in his eye. Lili hummed, looking to Jay.

"He's pretty big." She said idly. Then she saw the challenger, an undoubtedly smaller fighter who looked very nervous. Lili hissed slightly as the fight began. It was not too much of a surprise who would win; the larger man, the "Iron Fist" laughed loudly as he pummeled on the challenger and beat him quickly. He grinned as the referee gave him a very smart looking belt.

"When the cat's away, the mice will play!" The winner suddenly shouted, laughing heartily. "And now that little weak girl Jay's not around, I guess that makes me the toughest in all of Kanama! Come challenge me if you think you're hard enough! I'll be happy to prove it!"

Lili's eyes sparked at this. The man had just chanted that he was the strongest around, but he admitted that he was only the strongest because that little weak girl wasn't around? The temptation to fight him was too much for Lili to resist, as she put her hand up. Her eyes looked to Jay quickly.

"I really don't like the cut of his vibe." She explained, then looked back to the 'Iron Fist' as his attention fixed on the magician. "WHY NOT PROVE IT TO ME, THEN?"

[Jay Furor]

Oh? Why all the questions all of a sudden, Jay wondered. But before she could answer, the bar's announcer started eh, announcing, that the cage was up. And he announced a NEW champion, eh? Well then... Jay would have to put him in his place. She watched as he quickly beat his challenger, and boredly yelled up to him, "Tame! That wuss could've been down in less than half a minute, poser!" And then he said...

What? WHAT!? WEAK!? WEEEEEEEAAAAAK!?!?

"And just WHO do YOU think you're calling weak!? Listen here, metal-breath, when I was just a little girl, I whipped your daddy in the ring, and I'd be MORE THAN GLAD to do the same to you. So watch your mouth, and respect your superiors. Otherwise, I can't promise you that you'll live."

Jay leaned back in her chair, a smirk on her face, cocky as an all-male henhouse, as the audience gave off some ooohs and cheers. Maria, scrubbing beer mugs behind the bar, even turned to Iron Fist and held up the pump action toy she was so infamous for. "And if you keep talkin' smack on Jay, I'll teach you why they call me Shotgun Mary." Still more noises from the audience. Jay was about to stand up aqnd enter the ring, but by the time she'd started to accept his challenge, Lili decided to take him on. Ah crap, she was probably screwed.

While JAY could put him in his place with the greatest of ease, one handed, blindfolded, and him having a weapon, Jay doubted anyone ELSE in the crowd could handle him. Especially Lili!! The ring was a man's world, and to this point, Jay had been the only girl to boldly enter that fray! Ah well, maybe she'd survive... "Good luck Lili." Smiling at her newfound friend, she flashed her a thumbs-up, and looked at the so-called Iron Fist. "I've decided to show you some mercy; my friend's gonna be the one who shows you were you belong. By the way?" Jay held up her automail arm. "I win~ My fist can go through iron. And my automail one can go through even harder things than that!" And that cocky grin of arrogance danced along her face once more. Ohh, this would be good.

[Guest]

"Good luck Lili." Jay said, flashing a smile at Lili, who smiled back, before looking to 'Iron Fist' who just nodded tauntingly through all the banter Jay threw at him. "I've decided to show you some mercy; my friend's gonna be the one who shows you were you belong. By the way?" Jay held up her automail arm. "I win~ My fist can go through iron. And my automail one can go through even harder things than that!"

"Sure, strong enough that you need your girlfriend to come up and fight for you, coward. He hollered back, then his eye fixed right back on Lili, who walked without haste, silently passing through the darkened club and once more into the light of the stage. "Come on, girl, speak up! We haven't heard your story! A slut who fights in a get-up like that must have some interesting story behind her." Lili landed in the cage, and remained calm, though her blood boiled now. No one insulted the leotard; it was from Emma.

"Dude, you really don't have a clue what you're in for..." Lili chuckled, not moving. She looked back to Jay, winking at her. Iron Fist cracked his knuckles, setting his belt on the floor of the cage.

"HA! What a cocky little slut you are! This fight will be over in five punches!" He bellowed. Lili looked back to him and shrugged her shoulders. Her eyes scanned him quickly; he was huge and strong, and his speed was no joke, but there was just too much for him to defend. If she was aggressive right from the offset, he wouldn't stand a chance. She turned around, taking her hat off.

"Five punches it is." Lili said casually, not even looking at him as the bell rang, flinging her black hat to Jay, landing it comfortably on her head. Iron Fist stormed forward while Lili was distracted and pulled his mighty arm back for a heavy strike...

BAM!

Lili's elbow had driven back into her opponent's exposed stomach, and he staggered back, falling to the ground, gasping for air. It was a hit louder than a cannon. Lili did nothing to attack him. She knew that it wasn't a good idea to give him the chance to fight back, but this was about knocking him down a notch. He finally stood up, attempting a haymaker, but Lili blocked it and slammed him in the chest with an open palm. Once again, he fell to the floor.

"C...c-cute..." He tried to laugh, and Lili rose an eyebrow as he got up again. "Just... giving you a chance... now for a real fight!" He shouted, charging forward. This time, Lili replied with her own haymaker, clapping right into his temple. Iron Fist literally flew into the air, slamming into the side of the cage and bending half of the bars. His ears were ringing and he couldn't see, the world forming a blur of colours in his dazed mind. Lili looked to her nails; she looked bored.

"That's three hits. Are you sure you can survive the other two?" She asked. "To be honest, I've got a better kick than I do a punch."

"DON'T LAUGH AT ME!" Iron Fist roared, charging forward. Lili sighed.

"Right." She sighed, muttering to herself. "Time to prove why I'm called Killerhips." Her eyes looked right back to the charging colossus, then she drew her right leg back, before shifting her weight into a single strike, which smashed right into Iron Fist's ribs.

CRACK!

Lili's opponent was thrown to the side and stood still, but the whiplash sound wasn't as painful as it sounded; it was much much worse. The man who had so confidently been laughing right in Jay's face suddenly let out an agonising yelp, and a tear fell from his eye and landed in front of him as his head fell. Lili walked past him and looked to the belt he had just won, before slinging it on her shoulder. She turned on a heel, giving a thumbs up to Jay as she walked to the centre of the cage.

"And here's the fifth strike." She said to Iron Fist, before placing a gentle hand on his shoulder and pushing him lightly. The towering man collapsed instantly. Like he had said, the fight was over in five strikes. The crowd did nothing for a moment, silent throughout the fight before suddenly beginning to cheer Lili, who bowed and, to Jay, gave a flirtacious wink. "I'll give you this belt if I can have my hat back."

[Jay Furor]

Jay laughed rather openly, despite him calling Lili her girlfriend. Glancing around, still chuckling, she grinned at the crowd. "Fancies himself a comedian, guys! Haha! Listen punk, if you were a bit bigger, and there were a hundred of you, I'd still brush every one of you off like fleas on the mangiest dog in the crapsackiest town in the worst half of the world. Now go on; fight a girl. That's pretty manly of you, eh?" Sitting back for the final time, this last taunt keeping him shut about Jay, she deigned to watch the fight. As Iron Fist called Lili a slut, though, Jay casually covered an ear, moments before a blast rocked the building and everyone turned to see Maria, holding her shotgun in the air, a piece of ceiling having been blown sky high. "Watch it, Fist. Thin ice, buddy, thin ice." Expected. Well, Jay expected it. Maria never did make blank threats, y'know.

After the warning shot was fired, and Shotgun Mary returned to scrubbing mugs, Lili made a lovely comeback and tossed her hat onto Jay's head, to which Jay laughed a bit. Quite amusing really. So this was to be a five hit fight, then? LOVELY. The first hit was especially awesome, as Jay got to see that annoying moron knocked down to size by an elbow to the ribs. Hehe... The next two weren't too bad either, especially since the brick-face of DOOOOM was still struggling to fight.

Two hits later, and Jay was cheering with the crowd, walking up to the cage, she hoisted the Iron Fist up onto one of her shoulders and removed him from the ring, placing him across one of the bar tables. "Rock-a-bye baby, sleepy head Iron Fiiiiiist~" Spoken in her most adorable baby voice, the crowd was in an uproar of laughter, coupled with cheering for Lili. Stepping up to cage-side, Jay smiled at Lili, tossing her the hat. "Sure thing, but first; I think I want to earn my belt back~" With a cheerful smile, Jay tossed her purple jacket and feathered hat to the booth closest to her, now only wearing her miniskirt and tube top dealie. Assuming a boxer's stance in the ring, she winked to the crowd. This should be a lovely bit of fun...

[Guest]

(Something went wrong with this post, sorry dude. Actual post below.)

[Guest]

Lili's fingers curled around the rim of her fast approaching hat, catching it in one fluid motion. She smiled back to Jay and looked to the hat. She heard Jay sing a taunting lullaby to the unconscious Iron Fist and giggled slightly. Then she heard the fateful words. "Sure thing, but first; I think I want to earn my belt back~" At these words, Lili froze for a second, before looking back to her comtempary, a smile on her face.

"You sure? I'm not holding back, and I'm not kissing you better when you're done, ok?" She asked in a light banter, before throwing her hat into a corner of the cage where it wouldn't be disturbed. Her eyes drifted back over to Jay. A good boxing stance; she was experienced, but Lili made no attempt to move forward even as the bell rang. Instead her fingers merely gestured for Jay to attack. "Good luck, and try not to get that pretty face cut, ok?"

[Jay Furor]

Jay grinned and stuck out her tongue. "Aww, I had my hopes up and everything. Hehe~" Ah, pre-match banter. Such fun...Not as fun as match banter, but a tad more fun than post-match banter, normally. Watching as Lili tossed her hat aside, and she took no attempt at making a stance, Jay couldn't help but smile. She seemed rather good at defensive fighting, so Jay would have to force her onto the offensive. So from her boxing stance, she quickly and unexpectedly broke into a full speed charge, and even then, snapped like a crieg army knife, and moved into a running sweep and a push to the back of the head, as Jay shifted back into her stance. "Think fast, Lili~ I really am a pro, y'know. Hehehe..." Indeed. And as a pro, this match was not only FUN for her, but it should be good practice; her last sparring partner had been Alex, a while back, and the matches didn't really have an official end. AND THEY WERE SWORD FIGHTS. Totally not a good spar. With swords, yes, good spar, but because it wasn't an unarmed fight, it lost points. Now, her last fight like THIS, had been her spar with that dur Josef guy. AND HE'S DEAD. Poor guy... Unrelated incidents of course. But still, this was indeed Jay's first spar in a good long time... And she would savor every minute of it.

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