15200/Just Sign Here

Just Sign Here
Date of Scene:	11 June 2023
Location:	Bushwick (Mutant Town), Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Juggernaut decides to put his recruiting skills to the test bu 'interviewing' Crush for the greatest fight club that will ever be known!
Cast of Characters:	Juggernaut, Crush

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Juggernaut has posed:
These sort of places aren't exactly legal or uncommon but the legality of it doesn't stop it from happening. Generally - 'fighting for fun' is, kinda sorta, an a crime in most places although there are exceptions to the rule where things like mutual consent is concerned. Throw in the meta, mutant, super, alien, or whatever looking to blow off steam and make some money in circuits that will cater to their talents since normal combat sports are off limits to them..and you've got a little circle of business going on that can sustain the willing and even attract the attention of certain organizations with less then clean reputations.

Such is the case here in an abandoned subway somewhere in New York. A massive abandoned subway station is the perfect place for the type of shenanigans and it is open and welcome to all comers be they human, mutant, meta, alien or otherwise. There are some ground rules of course. Don't kill and don't die being among them. Don't bring the place down on everyones head being another major one. Either way, the place stays hopping and one never knows who they might run into given the ability for any all types to it in around here. A combo gambling hall, ring and bar, the place is large enough to hide just about anybody if they want. At least at first. There's no accounting for persistent tracking of infamous figures.

Bets are being placed and two metahuman bruisers are going at it in the ring. Very low tier as such powers are considered but even so the force of their punches can be felt all the way through the fifth row seats.

In the back looms a monstrous presence. Even at his most restrained, Cain Marko is something akin to a wrecking ball with a tee-shirt stretched over it. Jeans and workboots barely restraining his immensity. A cartoonish Godzilla peers out over a Tokyo Skyline on his shirt, stretching and straining against his bored breathing as he watches the proceedings with a wholly unfulfilled gaze. His soul rumbles with irritation and utter irredeemable boredom and massive fingers drum idly on the table as he waits for a fighter worth paying attention to, to arise...

Crush has posed:
Crush has been hitting these kind of places all over, travelling around on her bike, making cash where she can - some of the prizes in these things were pretty good and she was chonkier than most in the beef department. Not any comparison to Cain Marko, obviously, but who is?

She's wearing her leather vest and bustier, along with leather pants and boots. Her heavy, alien chain is wrapped around her partially, the hook dangling from her left wrist for easy usage in a conflict. He'll sit on of an official bout probably. Unless she gets in trouble.

She lights up a cigar and is meandering around a little. One guy reaches out to grab a handful of her rump and she turns adn casually headbutts him to the ground, blood spurting from his nose broken nose.

"No touchy without permission, dickless."

Juggernaut has posed:
"Augh!"

The poor sod reaches out to try and grab a table to curtail his fall and fails utterly, sending beer flying as the table wobbles wildly and he himself ends up on the floor much to the delight of his comrades who all burst out in a mix of hoots and loud drunken laughter. The man himself lets out a string of warbled curses and piggish noises as both hands come up to cover his bloodied face and he writhes on the ground in pain until one of his fellows finally reaches down to help him.

Another, a blue skinned bruiser who had been looking to head to the ring, stops his laughter and looks to Crush with amusement, "Not bad but I think you over did it a little bit.. Maybe you need to play a little nicer?"

Nevermind that the man brought it all on himself.

Not far away, Cain turns his head, moving it like a tank turret atop his far too thick neck as if sensing the impending calamity of violence. His lightly bearded jaw sets into a boulder like jut as he purses his lips and looks on from a distance..getting a dismissive look at the riled thugs but taking a moment to actually study Crush from afar.

Crush has posed:
Crush takes a long drag of her cigar as she walks up to the blue skinned fella. "I don't do nice," she says.

Then she puts her cigar out in his eye.

Before he can do much more than help, she's kicked him in the gut and grabbed him by the hair. He's got a half foot on her in height but it hardly matters as she drags him thrashing and yowling in protest into the cage.

"Out," she says tot he man who had been about to fight her blue-skinned opponent and she's quickly along with him and before the bell even rings, she starts taking the boots to the guy's ribcage.

"How're my manners now, bitch?"

Juggernaut has posed:
The man screams. And then screams again. And then again. It could be considered embaressing but it also happens so fast and so decisively that to it quickly becomes clear he's far out of his league and this is about to become a quick and decisive example of a junkyard dog playing roughly with a chew toy.

The other bruiser, fresh off a victory, turns towards Crush and the new arrival just in time to take the boot and go tumbling backwards as the announcer who had just declared him winner, dives from the ring and takes the mic to try and shout over the rising ruckus of the hooting, hollaring, jeering and screaming crowds. "W--we've got a new-" he stammers, not even being able to get the words out.

Cain's eyes widen at this and his mouth opens slightly into an incredulous stunned half smile, half 'wtf' sort of look. Now this is more like it.

When the entire club shakes from the force of the blue-skined brute getting hurtled to the floor, Cain finally stands. His monstrous body seems to enlarge from these casual movements. Looming head and shoulders and chest over the next biggest present. He begins plodding forward, slowly heading towards the ring and parting the rowdy crowd around him with his casual lumbering passage.

Crush has posed:
Crush, for the moment, doesn't seem super-interested in the jeering or the yelling from the ref or anyone else. She usually likes to show off, getting that attention, but this guy just straight pissed her off and, frankly, she needs to teach a lesson here.

She rips off her jacket, leaving her just in her bustier, her skin pale as snow as she gets blue-skin in a mount across his chest, her spread knees barely able to expand his big body.

And then it's just punching. So much punching. He defends himself at first but then she breaks his arms and they move to the side and he still gets his face pounded in. Finally, she stands up and spits down on his unconscious body.

"Money," she says, holding her hand out.

Juggernaut has posed:
It's the sort of wlld violence that this place doesn't see often enough. It riles the crowd up into a wlld frenzy - but as the punching continues - some become unsettled and unnerved. Especially the mans friends who finally try and make their way to the ring shouting, "Hey! Get 'er off of him! She's crazy! She aint on the ticket!" and other various attempts to be heard that simply don't break through the loud ruckus and mixture of screams and shouts.

"Money! Quick!" yells the ref towards the bookies.. And then Cain's shadow falls across them all and they stare up wide eyed as the mountain moves past them like a freighter lazily drifting by a group of two man fishing boats.

"Put this all on me." he rumbles, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wad of green. Some ridiculous amount of cash he doesn't even bother to count as he the force of his gentle handing of it sends the nearest bookie stumbling back into the table and watching as the behemoth begins to enter ther ring with languid movements.

As soon as Crush s distracted, the blue mutant and the other bruiser are carried and dragged from the ring but Cain pays them no mnd as he steps in, rocking it and letting hs shadow fall across Crush.

"..Hey.."

Crush has posed:
Crush finds herself staring up at the massive form of the Juggernatu, the huge fellow immediately casting her in darkness. Her red eyes glow in it as she stares up.

"Holy fraggin' shiz, you're built like an aircraft carrier, mofo," she says. "Okay, okay, lemme have a drink or something first, okay? But if you wanna fight, we an fight," she grins.

"Yo, gimme a bottle of Jack on my tab. Get Jumbo here somethin if he wants it, too."

Juggernaut has posed:
Her response to him couldn't have been more perfect. The red haired giant begins to grin now, albiet it's almost akin to a great white shark grinning down at a smaller fellow sea creature. One perhaps even hear the stretching of sinew as he looms there, the sound like the creak of industrial strength leather. He's impressed.

"No thanks." rumbles Cain though he waits for her drink to be hurried to her. The bookies, ref and announcer not sure what to make of this odd matchup and so simply complying. Some do recognize Cain after all. He's a semi regular..and they look on with some anticipation.

"I was gonna try and teach you a lesson..but..now I'm wondering if maybe this is gonna be more o of a job interview.." he rumbles. "A test.. I'll tell you what. You manage to handle one of my punches... We split the take. Maybe you get a job out of it. How's that sound?"

His eyes rove down to see that hook on her belt as he adds, "Don't try and stick me with that pig sticker though."

Crush has posed:
Crush yanks off the cap to the whiskey and spits the bent aluminum onto the unconscious guy before he dragged away. She drinks straight from the bottle, gripping the neck and tilting it back to gulp a few times, getting a third of a bottle down before she wipes the back of her mouth with her hand.

"I dunno. Jobs usually suck, in my experience. But I do like money and if beating the shit out of assholes is something I can get paid for, I'm plenty down."

She sets aside the bottle and rolls her head back and forth, popping her neck just a little.

"You don't deserve stabbing, kyou don't get stabbed, that's the only deal I got for ya, pal."

"You wanna take a shot. Fuck it. Take a shot," she says, offering herself up. She'll probably regret it, but sometimes regrets are fun.

Juggernaut has posed:
"Mmm.."

The giant listens. Carefully. He may look like a mere brute - okay he is - but he's also cunning, smarter then people give him credit for and perceptive. He nods his head in approval at Crush' words and seems to reflect on it before lifting both eyebrows at her just accepting his offer without hesitation.

"I think I'm gonna like you.." he considers before speaking up once again.

"I'm workin' on assembling a stable of fighters and setting up ap lace like this..except bigger, badder.. I'm gonna need a certain breed of fighter that's willing to cash in on it from time to time. Can't just let ay mook in.."

He sniffs, rubbing his nose with the back of a gnarled hand and then turns to the crowd who had become more uneasy and restless as their conversation and at Crush' drinking spree.

Lifting a colossal arm up he twists, letting them get the full view of his immensity and then he brings the arm down into a gigantic flex causing his bicep to expand like a boulder appearing under his hairy rugged flesh. Veins like waterhoses standing out starkly visible as his muscles expand..giving the impression of a bicep the size of a volkswagon. The gesture does the trick, riling the crowd as the giant works them - urging on their betting frenzy with the display.

This arm remains flexed as his other arm curls up and twists to rest behind his back.

"You first, girl. I need to know what I'm working with. Gimme your best shot. Your best... I'll even put one arm behind my back..."

Crush has posed:
Crush sniffs for a moment, taking in his scent as well as generally just being a little bit rude. She is who she is, "Man, it makes me nervous when I hear big mothers like you start sayin' words like 'breed'. People who treat me like livestock usually end up getting ground up. But yeah, that's kinda how I been makin' my livin'. I do a little superheroin', sometimes, but only like...real evil bad guy types, I ain't no narc or nothin'."

Since he offered and he's already seen some of what she xan dish out - not all, she didn't go full out on that guy, she didn't need to - look, is she Superman? Nah. But she's more than most and she casually throws a loping left hook that'll at least knock the spit out of Cain's mouth even if it won't do much else.

Juggernaut has posed:
She's no joke. That much is certain. But there's no sense in him swinging at her if he's misjudged just -how- serious she actually can be.

Turns out pretty serious.

Her punch comes in like a shell from a batlteship,. He told her not to hold back after all. She likely had to leap to go right for his face given the height difference but really that's a minor detail compared to the sound of the impact. Her fist slams home against his cheek. A thunderous *KABOOOOM* that shakes the under ground bar and tips over the front row of chairs. The lights flicker and car alarms go off above ground.

These sort of happenings are rare here but have happened before. Go figure, Cain was also present when they did. That doesn't make them any less impressive. The mutant thugs who had harassed her earlier just sort of stare. They already knew when she took out their friend. Now they know-know.

As to Cain? His head jerks to the side, his eyes squint and white flashes briefly before his gaze. His eyes squint. He noticed that. That's a pretty big deal considering the man takes punches that shatter buildings and windows blocks away and doesn't move.

.."Mmm.." he rumbles. Unmoved, yes, though his muscles bunch up under the shockwave while causing their own in readiness..and the flexed fist comes down towards her. It's a driving straight on punch intending to catch her before she regains her footing. The force measured now based on her strike. Greater then hers, a meteoric swing, but not intended to do more then daze her for a follow up should it land..

Crush has posed:
Crush knows how hard she can hit. She used to go make 'boom-boom' when she was still living with her foster parents, going out and working out some of her violent rage in an abandoned scrapyard over in New Mexico. Nothing but rusting junkers, nothing to salvage. She'd do a whole year's demolishing in one go, saved them all the labor.

She shakes her hand and goes, "OW. Holy shit. OW. What the fuck, man, what are you made of, jesus, this is what it must be like for regular people to hit me. Oh, I actually think i broke a finger, shit, it'll heal, but what, fuck, I can't remember the last time I actually broke a bone on something."

"Who ARE you?"

Part of being antisocial is yuou don't know who anyone is because nobody introduces you to anybody. Because you're an awful violent loudmouth.

Crush has posed:
At which point, she turns into the punch. Right into it. Would've olbliterated her as it is, no doubt, spun her clean around. BOOM WASTED GTA MUSIC. Just a slow, fading turnaround into a slump to the ground. Crush has never actually BEEN knocked out before. Been woozy, yeah, been straining. Hurt like a motherfragger. But clean plowed? Nah, son.

Well, shit.

Facedown. Snoozin'.

Juggernaut has posed:
Whooops. That may have been too much. Cain winces and frowns inwardly. He didn't even have a chance to say his catchphrase.

But his disappointment is more with himself then it is with her..and it's a moot point as the crowd launches into another set of roars, jeers, cheers, hoots, swearing and hollaring. Certainly the mutants from earlier look on with some satisfaction at first but then they immediately recoil as Cain sweeps his gaze over the audience nad makes eye contact with them.

A hasty retreat begins as the behemoth looks on and then he glances back down to Crush. "Wake 'er." he commands to the workers who enter the ring to check her and then try and get her out. He follows after them, ignoring the sound of the announcer riling the audience up and moving after Crush.

"Bring me my winnings." he rumbles as he passes the nervous bookers,moving like Godzilla emblazoned on his torn shirt. He then sits on a concrete block and waits for Crush to recover.

Crush has posed:
Still,s he isn't down long. By the time he's getting his winnings, she's sitting up, spitting some blood from her split lip onto the ground. And while shes was knockedo ut, she wasn't disfigured, wasn't obliterated. Nobody's ever hit her THAT hard before.

So why is she...smiling? Geez, are her teeth always that sharp?

"Oh FRAG. I don't think anything ever hurt me that bad. Fuck. I think I spit out some of my fuckin' brains," she says. She pushes up to her feet, stretching a muscular arm as the other rubs her jaw.

"Who gives odds against you anyway? What do you win, pennies?"

Juggernaut has posed:
"Here." rumbles Cain, handing her most of the cash. He didn't actually need any to begin with. "Take it."

He resettles his gigantic bulk and looks her over carefully, noting the rapid recovery and then leans back.

"Juggernaut.." he finally rumbles in answer to her earlier astonished question. His tone of voice and presence implying what she's already felt - that she's seemingly struck up a conversation and contact with an asteroid impact with arms and legs.

"..and I didn't mean the word breed to imply some sorta cattle or me planning on using you. I was just sayin' that if you werent tough enough then what I'm working on might not suit you. Looks like you're tough enough in my book."

He grins slowly, shark like again, "Though I gotta add..that if you're doing hero stuff and running with those folk - most of them don't like me. I tned to break alot of things. And them. And take what I want.."

Crush has posed:
Crush grins sharklike, "Yeah, I figured. I was just jerkin' yer chain," she says. Her chain, in fact, loosens for a moment and swirls around her, moving like an anacondo before resuming its former position on her arm.

"I don't let other people tell me who to work with or hang out with. I heard o' you. YOu bad, no doubt, but I don't ever hear nothin' about you committing any atrocities or nothin'g. Just fightin' a punch of folks. Hell, i do that all the time anyways."

Juggernaut has posed:
"I aint got no reason to commit atrocities. Not my thing."

Now has he -worked- for people who have committed atrocities? Do the people whose apartment building he just used as a baseball bat consider that an atrocity? EEeeeeh? He leaves that unsaid.

"Things happen. I can't help it I'm stronger then all o'them. What's the phrase, uh, world of cardboard? More like wet kleenex.."

He sniffs again and then gestures, "Sounds like you got a mind of your own but good that you've heard of me.." Cain shrugs helplessly, "I guess I could have told you up front but where's the fun in that?"

Crush has posed:
Crush laughs, "Nah, I get it. I love makin' assholes break their hands on my face. Just lean in real good and let them smack me as hard as they can. Watching them wet their little panties when it doesn't do a god damn thing but hurt them. Their egos all crumbled up. Tasty."

She takes another long swig from her whiskey, stuffing the money that's offered to her down the front of her top for the moment, shoving it into a pocket with a wad of cash she already had. Looks like she's doin' alright, at least.

"Kinda cool, meetin' one o' the big monsters. You, Hulk, Superman, Wonder Woman...that weird red guy, with the...with the cloth cape? I dunno his name, he's always smiling. Creepy. Oh shit, is he on the Titans, am I goin' to hang out with that guy? Shit."

Juggernaut has posed:
"Smilin' red guy with the cape?"

Cain frowns a little and rubs his jaw. "That don't ring a bell. The rest I know. Fought the Hulk. He's 'alright'. Still, be careful with 'im. Superman and Wonder Woman? Haven't tussled with either. Wouldn't mind it. I don't make it out towards Metropolis often. In fact, last time I was there on business I got caught up in some stupid happening at Lexcorp. Ended up having to take down some..AI drone thing gone wrong." eh grimaces and adds, "With Thor." There's a pause and he asks, "The Titans? That your team? Huh."

WIth that he slowly stands, lurching up towards his full height and turning to the ring, notcing the clean up as the matches are done.

"Pretty much everybody you named is gonna tell you to stay away from me...but hey I'm gonna keep my word. When I'm ready I'll let you know about my fight match stuff. It's gonna be in Madripoor.."

He grins, "Maybe don't go tellin' them that--er--what's your name again?"

Crush has posed:
Crush grins, "Maybe you're the one who should stay away from me. I'm a bad influence. Up to all terrible kindsa no good. That's the fun part," she grins, finishing the bottle of whiskey and tossing it aside.

"I got a government name, but I'm going by Crush these days. Seems to work out just fine. Short, to the point. I am what I do. Uh, Madripoor, huh? I ain't never been, but I could probably find my way there, someways. Ain't gotta be that hard to hitch a ride on a plane when you're a...maybe I can hop on a boat!"

"Nah, don't worry, ain't nobody listenin' to me anyway. They all know what they doin', believe me, they'll tell ya all about it."

Juggernaut has posed:
"Good good. Course if you wanna use me for braggin' rights, I'm down with that. Aint to many folk gotten in the ring with Juggernaut."

Cain grins arcing an eyebrow and with that turns and begins to make his way brutishly towards the bar exit.

Those who remain look on nervously - but are still on edge. Crush is ..right there..after all.

"See ya around, Crush." he rumbles before reaching the table he was at before to retrieve a bag and then starting towards a wide distant subway exit.

Crush has posed:
Crush throws down the cash for the rest of her bottle and goes to fetch her jacket. She heads for the exit, too, finding her way towards her motorcycle. She had the smell of him. She could find him easy enough, if she wanted to.

Or he could have just gotten her number from her before he left or somethin'? Who knows? She might not remember this really well once her brain regrows. We'll see!