Two down (open)

[Darren Caerdeth]

The grand opening for the Sparta Club didnt look to be any kind of opening at all. Rather than making a fancy to-do of everything, things were operating as if the club had been there for years. As people began coming in, and the alcohol began flowing, it didn't take long before ego's clashed, and two men were chipping their fifty creds at the house for the opportunity to settle things in front of a fairly large crowd. For this match, they were the weapons of choice. Fitting, as they were both fairly large men.

It was amazing how two drunk burly bastards made for a good show, as the crowd immediately began taking sides - loudly. Bets had already been made, and things were underway. Four a few minutes, the two combatants laid into each other with bare knuckles, until finally, the smaller of the two hit the dirt in a bloody unconscious mess.

Before the victorious combatant could get out of the arena fully, two more men were making their way in. Unsurprisingly, every fight that night ended up being bare fisted. The club was new, and people weren't going there to duel, they were simply arriving, then paying to fight. Honestly, it wasn't a bad gig at all.

Finally, there was a mess building, as arguements began over who would be fighting who, and who would be fighting next. This was where Darren came in.

With a bit of a strut in his step, Darren made his way to the table, slapping down fifty creds of his own. Of course, being the proprietor of this establishment, he didnt have to pay. It was mainly to get the attention of the five men at the table.

"I'll make a deal with all of you. An extra 20 creds a piece on the side, and we'll have ourselves a match. You five against me, and you guys can take the first swing. I win, I get the pot. You win, and drinks are on me the rest of the night."

Of course, this caused a few moments of confusion and contemplation. No one could be that cocky without having at least one or two tricks up their sleeve. However, the odds were two good, and soon, each man was laying his twenty creds on the table.

Not soon after, the announcer was doing his thing, which created a buzz from the five on one part. Immediately, the crowd was rushing to make bets. Darren was also. Two hundred creds on the long shot, well, himself.

[Remkah]

Pushing his way through the crowd that had thickened as the evening had progressed, with Brielle in tow, clasped tightly by the hand, Remkah ploughed a trail to their seats.

Rimming the front of the Arena, they were primo seats reserved for those on the "in."

Setting the Watch officer beside him, he smiled as he took his place next to her. Caerdeth was strutting about the ring, five opponents with various looks ranging from overconfident arrogance to dubious wariness stood about him in a circle, not exactly sure what to do next.

He grinned at Brielle in his lopsided manner.

"Your'e not squeamish are you?"

[Brielle Acaana]

"For something like this, let the blood flow! - and I brought my own towel."

Twice a year, Coruscant Watch held their own 'tournaments' of varying sports and one of which was boxing. Acaana always found her way to ringside, elbowing and jostling those bigger than her out of the way. This was true sport - man against man. Brielle tended to look down at her nose at pod racing and the like; when mechanics were involved, she lost all interest. A man's technical know-how wasnt nearly as interesting or exciting as the sound of flesh being battered by rockhard fists.

Green eyes ran over the contestants, measuring all six of them up. While drastically out-numbered, the lone male didnt seem in the least flustered and Brielle found herself grinning as she turned back to Remkah.

"Think I could get you to place a bet for me?"

[DarthHERA]

Hera sat in what was equivalent to an "owner's booth."

It was set in the level above the arena - a fully enclosed room with a smoked one-way window through which the contests could be viewed. One had the advantage of enjoying the fights in luxurious surroundings, complete with serving twi'leks doting on every whim ( though the servants were careful not to be too intrusive). Also the booth provided privacy. Faceless eyes looking down on an unwitting crowd. Perfect for the low-profile VIP. Which was the way Hera wanted it.

Her stake in this little enterprise was as a "silent" owner. The Sparta Club was the Faene Mistress's first foray into such a venture as organized fights like this and tonight - Opening Night - had been something she had been anticipating with barely concealed excitement.

Darren had moved to the center of the arena. Hera smiled down at him, despite the fact that he was a loathsome Vampyre. Funny how her destiny kept getting linked up to those creatures, she mused over a glass of excellent dark rum. First their Dark Master - Saurron, then his cocky son Gavin. Then Ezra, who kept coming back to her for some reason Hera could not fathom. And now Caerdeth.

Below her, Darren lifted his arms in the air as if he was already the winner against his five opponents. He certainly had the attitude. All the Vamps had attituded. Even Alana, though she was more cultured in her approach about it. But it seemed to be something the damned had in spades.

Hera's eyes drifted over to scan the crowd. A mass of decadent humanity and aliens bumping and jostling one anoher. It was beautiful.

There was Remkah, his trademark grin. She had been expecting to see her Base Captain here tonight and was glad he had made the trip from Enton in plenty of time. And beside him was a pretty blonde. Figures- he always did like blondes best.

The tall woman drew Hera's closer attention. There was a familiarity to her somehow. Hera peered forward to get a better look.
Just then, Remkah bent forward to buy some beers from one of the roaming vendors that moved about the crowded Club, giving the Sith a perfect view of the blonde standing beside him. Brielle was smiling at Remkah, laughing at something he'd said.

Hera sipped her rum, a strange, sour half-smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Well, well, well.."

[Remkah]

Remkah hailed a long haired, tri-horned alien with green skin who had a cooler strapped to his person, stocked full of beer.

He leaned forward, helping himself to two Corellian ales, while stuffing a handfull of credits in the vendors top pocket.

He handed one to Brielle as he replied to her.

"Sure - who's your money on, gorgeous?"

[Darren Caerdeth]

After treating the crowd to a few moments of his prematch warm up, which consisted of a cocky showing of arm raising and some mock stretching, complete with a yawn.

Finally, as if it had been too much to bear, the largest of his five opponents rushed forward, making his last step large, so that his body would stop, and the rest of his momentum feel behind a wide haymaker. The rush had come from nearly behind Darren, and he turned just in time to catch the brunt of the blow to the side of his head.

Off balance and slightly unaware, the blow sent Darren in a half stumble/half stagger until his feet finally got crossed up and he fell to the arena floor. He landed face down, and immediately began to get up, until a boot found its way, rather roughly, to his ribs, knocking him back over onto his back.

By this time, his other four opponents were rushing to end the match before Darren had a chance to get to his feet.

[Brielle Acaana]

"Him"!

The crowd's voice had risen as Caerdeth went down, most of whom were loudly urging the five man tag-team to all jump on the lone fighter at once, which seemed to be their plan all along. Brielle had other ideas about who would win.

"He's either going to get killed or end up kicking some serious butt."

Accepting the beer with one hand, Brielle slipped two 100 credits chits into Rem's palm as he moved off to place her bet. In the next instance, the blonde Watch officer was on her feet, screaming encouragement as one-by-one the five brawlers were tossed off and away from Darren.

[Remkah]

"Why am I not surprised" he remarked with a grin.

Remkah made his way to place the bets, doubling up with his own money. Brielle was gonna make a killing tonight he thought to himself.

As he shovelled his way back through the throng to his seat, Remkah wondered where Hera was. He hoped she would be too busy with the business end of things to notice him and...his companion. Because, that would be awkward to say the least..

Yanking a green skinned alien wearing an eyepatch from the seat beside Brielle, Remkah returned to the beautiful Watch Officer's side.

"How's our boy doing?"

[Vampyre Dalamar]

Dalamar had heard of the arena and was glad to watch others kill themselves for sport... Watching the crowd and there thirst for blood did his heart good.

Suddenly the announcement came one man against 5. Hmnn, the Warlord leaned forward to see the contestants clearly. The crowd was bustling so the vampyre moved down closer. The death dealer keeping a low profile, as he was not here to hunt but relax. Darren!! Dalamar could not believe his eye's one of the Shrine vampyre's was here. He had heard that there was a great falling away from the Shrine... like rats leaving a sinking ship.. Which he had guessed made him the head rat since he left first. Darren was strutting and dancing then yawning. Dalamar laughed inwardly, he could not help it. He always liked Darren his swanky southern comfort style usually accompanied by the whiskey of the same name. He had missed the friendship they had had. Leaning back his black leather gloves laced in front of him his eyes blazed. "Foolish mortals they don't know what they are dealing with."

Darren was knocked to the ground. Dalamar just smiled knowing full well that Darren was playing to the crowd, allowing himself to take a little bit of a beating. Always a crowd pleaser that one. Dalamar reached out in the force

"Come now, Darren surely We taught you better than that." The message was sent to Darren with obvious amusement which would be readily sensed by Caerdeth

[DarthHERA]

Hera's eyes were drawn from her Base Captain and his surprising companion to the arena once more.

Fixing her ice blue eyes on the rogue vampyre Caerdeth, she smiled thinly.

This was going to be quite a show.

[Darren Caerdeth]

As five men pummeled at him mercilessly, Darren struggled back, kicking wildly and flailing his arms around, trying to squirm out of the dog pile. Finally, an openning presented itself.

The five men had formed as near a perfect circle as one could expect from this kind of chaos, and the man to Darren's immediate left leaned down to lay a hard right hand to Darren's jaw. A swing that just wasnt meant to be...

As the man swung, Darren grabbed his arm and pulled, causing the man to stumble forward a bit. Darren brought his knees to his chest and planted his feet firmly into the man's chest, and pushing upward. This sent the man flying into the two men closest to Darren's head, and allowed Darren to roll onto his shoulders, setting him up for a flawless kick up.

As Darren landed he allowed his feet to touch the ground only long enough to send his body into a turn, and used the momentum from the kick up to power a harsh side kick to one of the combatants jaws.

It was at that very moment, he heard a voice in his head.

Through all the excitement, he'd completely missed the message, but the voice seemed strangely familiar. His attention turned toward the crowd, his eyes rapidly scanning the sea of people for a familiar face. That's when a powerful straight right connected with his temple, sending him right back down to the arena floor again.

[DarthHERA]

"Concentrate!"

Hera shouted to nobody and pounded her fist on the table as Darren took a sucker shot to the jaw.

"Pay attention Caerdeth!"

She was on her feet, yelling against the window to the arena below.

[Goldeneyes]

Leaning back he waited his turn in the arena. A good fight was long overdue for the Lupine and he needed the outlet this arena would provide..

[Darren Caerdeth]

Stomp Stomp. Kick. Stomp. Stomp Stomp. Kick. Stomp. Lather, rinse, repeat. Yeah, he was starting to get attached to the rhythm now, although, the first time he'd been in this situation, there had been two kicks rather than one. It seemed the one that had took the foot to the jaw was out cold. At this point, pain was really starting to ring home, and Darren had done what any man in his position would do -

Curl up into a ball and hope they do something silly, like stop.

Of course, after Darren's little melody of pain and suffering, which he lovingly refered to as 'ouch that hurt', had repeated itself a few times over, it started to play like a broken record, and Darren realized the only thing he could do was suck it up and get back in the fight.

Being curled up into a little ball just wasn't cutting it for the simple fact that curling involved occupying ones arms and legs, as well as limiting ones vision. With his teeth grit, Darren waited for the momentary break in between stomps and rolled over onto his back, just in time to find the wrong end of a boot crashing down on the bridge of his nose.

[DarthHERA]

Falling back into her chair, Hera rubbed her face with her palms and expelled a loud breath in exasperation. She tried to do the math of how much money she had riding on Caerdeth's maiden fight tonight.

As the numbers fell decidedly out of favor, the Faene Mistress groaned audibly.

This was not exactly going as expected.