(Borderland) Dog Fight

[Yumyumcrow]

In the shadow of McLellan Airport, the city diffused into large lots, allotments, and the occasional light industrial warehouse. The area was equal parts rural tranquility, neglect, and infill awaiting development. From one such vacant lot, thick with the detritus of habitation (car on stumps, aimless fencing, plastic sheeting flapping in the wind, bricks and mortar, discarded wood) there came the sound of barking.

Piled rubbish crafted the landscape while greasy tarps and dirty plastic moulded sight-lines to hide the illegal fights. Dog fights, where lean and savage beasts mauled one another, driven bestial at the urging of their masters. Dog fights, where rude men and women clustered to share their greed for blood and money. Braziers burned, fending off the cold tinge of the night, and lent the scene a ruddy cast.

The scent of blood and woodsmoke taints the air. It has already lured out the degenerate and the cruel, the blood hungry and the desperate. Who else will come out and play?

@Krieg ErlangShen gets first dibs.
The plot is open to anyone else as well. Please, enjoy

[Yumyumcrow]

Working through the terrain takes time. Time enough to admire whoever set up the dog fighting event for the rubbish and junk certainly screens the event from the street and diffuses the noise.

The scene lurches into view by fits and starts. A rough circle shaped by heavy fencing and wire; enough tarps to provide a measure of protection from the elements. Enough light to see by but not enough to discern the identities of those present. Around the circle is a rowdy, jostling crowd. Close at hand, bookies stand surrounded by a seething mob. Dangerous people- not all men - patrol; an understated yet evident presence.

A new fight is being prepared. A torn corpse is being dragged away. The crowd is getting exited: two unknowns are to fight!

At length the giant's height betrays him; not that his appearance elicits much of a response from the crowd. A few steer from his path; two of those running security pauses to check him out from a respectable distance. He acquires a shadow: a stocky fellow with a long face and lank hair, flushed red in the poor light.

"Eh hehe hehe... You missed the big fight between Caligula and Jonsey's Boy! You should a seen it! He he! You here for these new guys? Martelli has a new dog. And there is this guy who turned up tonight with a beast!"

The giant can smell the alcohol and tobacco smoke on this one.

Across the way, a group of shady bodies divides as a troglodyte of a man leads an impressive monstrosity into the ring. When Krieg lays eyes on the hairy dwarf with his flapping coat and oversized boots, his own Beast lurches to its metaphorical feet sensing a challenge.

[Yumyumcrow]

"Eh hehehe. Well. Hunter... Hunter! He, like, will let anyone bring their animal to the fight if they pay straight up. And this guy over there! See him! That little runt! Yeah. No one's seen him before! He turned up tonight with that! He did! Said he was new and wanted to try out his pet. Huh huh! Pet."

The long jawed fellow at Krieg's side stuttered and huffed, his voice droning on contemplating how one built up such a dog, what with all the regulations and stuff. And something about the newcomer being a hill billy, because... short and hairy and all.

"I mean, heh! Look at it. It looks good but it an't gonna last against Brutal! I mean, hehe, look!"

The Beast is indeed impressive. A mongrel for certain, somehow bred from a Whippet and a Rottweiler, yet finding a balance between the two halves of its parentage. This base had been carefully honed into rangy muscle with a peculiarly aristocratic aspect. The dog was actually sitting quietly by its master. By contrast, the dog's opponent was straining at the chain and slavering maniacally.

The Beast's owner turns at last and spots Krieg. The dwarf's eyes flash and his mouth twists into a rictus of a grin.

CLARIFICATION: The hairy dwarf is the other Kindred. The man Krieg is putting up with speaking to is just an ugly mortal, smelling of hygiene and lacking in smarts. Apologies for the confusion.

[Yumyumcrow]

The squirming crowd parts the giant. His rangy hanger-on lurks behind in his wake. Still jabbering on about nonsense.

The stunted fellow is still conversing with some other admirers when Krieg makes his introduction. The short fellow has to stop - a blast of basilisk glare - and crane his neck. The admirers gently move back from the giant and even (blessedly) the hovering lurker shuts up. Maybe its the dog: its swivelled its angular head and is watching the poor sod with an impassive stare that hints at violence.

"That he does. Taught him that myself. It took some work, but I'm proud of the results." The dwarf responded calmly. His voice was slightly high but any friendliness or, indeed, suggestion of weakness, had been shorn from it. "Has he? Thats... nice. Real nice. You come for a look yourself? My animal is no mutt. I know his parentage. I know what they could do in their time. And I know what he can do, too."

Pride puffed out the singular dwarf's chest. His face made a crude display of a smile. His eyes were something else, locked onto Krieg's face.

[Twist]

Dark jeans, heavy combat boots, a too big jacket that reminded him of when he wore a beard, her hair roughly tied away and she was able to make her way to the gathering without raising too many eyes. The darkness helped.

Her size, and deceptive strength, made it easy for her to shovework her way toward the front where she would be able to see the next show. For show it was, she had run in the entertainment industry long enough to know that.

But it looked like the curtain wasn't yet raised, one of the main players talking to ... her thoughts stopped as two things hit her. One was that she recognized from Court the giant who was conversing. And two, that it wasn't him who had her Beast rumbling a low growl in her mind.

Across the stage/arena as they were she couldn't hear what they were discussing. Slowly, but not with an attempt to hide from Krieg , she began to maneuver through the crowds in that direction.

[Yumyumcrow]

"Training and diet," the stunted man said with a toothy smile.

A few of the crowd who were watching the conversation grunted and nodded along knowingly. They didn't know of course. One Kindred speaking in veiled code to another about their pet could really only mean one thing when they say "Diet".

As he spoke one of his gnarled hands petted and stroked the sleek muscle of his canine.

His eyes were still locked onto Krieg. Given Twist ability to blend in with the background, it would come as no surprise that the unknown Kindred did not even note her presence.