I try to understand you girl

[alphatar]

Characters: Korra, OPEN
Date: Randomly throughout March.
Location: Fire Sector, one of the abandoned warehouses used in the underground fighting ring.
Situation: Blowing off steam and earning money in her equalist uniform.
Warnings/Rating: Violence, Blood, Broken Bones, etc.

The cage rattled before the raucous crowd surrounding the arena, the clanging metal was lost in their yelling. Inside was a bald, large, shirtless kedan with tattoos covering half his body and he had just thrown a much shorter female wearing a brown uniform mixed with maroon and a mask that had green goggles over her eyes. Both gloved hands gripped into the openings of the cage and she began to climb up, scaling with incredible ease.

The kedan didn’t even try to reach up for her even though he was almost tall enough to simply reach out and grab her. "There’s no getting out unless they unlock the door. And that ain’t happening until I knock you out." A curled sneer came across his face. "Or worse."

It would be near impossible to tell if she was listening, the mask with the large red circle on her forehead hid her expression, but she did stop when he was talking and looked over her shoulder at him. Pushing off the cage with her legs, she turned in the air to build momentum and thrust the heel of her boot into the back of his head. The kedan whirled around and went to push some distance in between her. But he was off from the blow, stunned and she had a window to work with now.

Dashing in under his arms, the female in the equalist uniform dug her knuckles into his side for a kidney shot and followed through with a strike from her elbow in the same spot. Thick muscles she could work through, it was something she knew rather well. The retaliation was coming and she was ready for it. When his punch came down towards her, she reached under his arm to grab the outside of his wrist and she twisted it so his elbow was exposed to her. Hoisting up her folded arm next to her head, she struck it with her own elbow forcing his arm to bend inwards.

Ignoring his howl of pain, she lashed out a kick straight to his knee to do the same and it brought him down to her level. Putting her hand on the side of his head, she slammed her knee directly onto his ear and only retracted her leg to do it again. And again. Blood was getting on her suit, but she didn’t stop until he went limp and she dropped the unconscious brawler to the floor; trickles of red coming out of his ear.

There was an explosion of sound from the crowd and the spot lights danced around the walls at the victory. Cheers from those that bet on her and jeers from the ones that bet against her.

"Nobody blink! The Green Eyed Monster is on a winning streak!" As the announcer spoke, she gave an expertly executed saifa kata. "Hey, can somebody stop this fighting machine? Anyone who thinks they’re up to the challenge, step in the arena and go for broke!"

This was the first time Korra had a chance to flex her martial arts prowess since learning from some of the greatest Keeliai had to offer, and a great way to blow off steam with the adrenaline that was pumping through her. All anonymously and without any bending.

Comments

[meanandgreen]

They called her the Green Eyed Monster, and she was a monster, all right. The kedan that usually came to fill their lust for blood and money were small fries, gang bangers and drug dealers with skill that didn't always back up their egos. But this girl, this monster, she had something. It isn't hard to see there's training there. Strength. Fire. And as fight after fight is won, Raphael finally sees a challenge.

The gates of the cage swing open, and he pushes forward through the sweat-soaked crush of bodies, grinning like an animal bearing its teeth as he climbs onto the platform.

A weird hush falls over the crowd, just a heartbeat full of nervous murmurs. It's that guy. The one who interrupted that match about a month ago, attacked a man from behind, then pounded another guy's skull into the floor like a psychopath.

Now, a real monster has taken the stage.

Raph hadn't dared to get back on the platform since the thing with Mike, but today, it just felt like his day. Today, he was gonna have some fun. This was just too good to pass up.

The crowd breaks into another a peal of bloodthirsty roaring that shakes its way up through the old warehouse rafters. This was gonna be good.

"Nice moves," he rumbles over the sound, cracking his knuckles, then rolling his neck with a pop. "But playtime's over. Let's see what you really got."

[alphatar]

If no one else was going to step in, Korra would have to collect her winnings and call it a night. Juulan wasn’t even the reason she donned a suit she loathed, the fights were all she cared about. When it seemed like no one else was going to step in after they finished hauling out her opponent the lull of the crowd fell and it was practically louder than anything she heard that night.

"Non-stop surprises tonight! The Mean Green Machine is back and taking the challenge. What will happen now? Who will emerge a champion? It’s Green on Green, place your bets and let the madness begin!"

Forbidding herself from speaking or bending, Korra watched Raphael step up through her lightly glowing goggles and had to bite back her tongue. If there was one thing she loved to do it was trash talk, instead she stretched out both her arms and slowly turned them until her elbows popped and assumed her stance.

A quick step forward and she gave three quick jabs that made the fabric of her suit whip in the air, aimed at his throat, face, and chest. They were simple and given without any expectation of doing anything beyond making him react. She needed to gauge him and his style, see how it differed from her own as well as Mike’s and Leo’s.

Once she had a better foothold, then she could start putting that brute strength she displayed earlier to good use.

[meanandgreen]

The jabs fly by him in quick succession, just a breath of interrupted air slicing so close to his skin it gives him goosebumps. Easily, he pulls away, weaves just shy of a grazing blow with barely a tilt of the head. Already, he knows what this is. Like two predators circling in nature, they're sizing each other up, and so far, he likes what he sees.

"Not too bad," he drawls with a feral flash of teeth, staring straight into the mask's glowing, soulless eyes. "You got spunk. I'll give you that." Shifting his stance, he anchors himself to the floor, focuses. "But let me show you how it's done."

Then he lunges, throwing a mean right hook followed quickly with a quick uppercut with the left. Compared to Mike or Leo, his movements are slow, heavy, even sloppy compared to Leo's fine-tuned technique. But his blows carry an explosive amount of brutal force that could break bone and snap sinew without even making him break a sweat.

[alphatar]

Being unable to talk, lest she possibly give herself away, Korra ended up paying more attention to Raphael's body language behind the goggles. Those weren't feints or tests, Korra weaved around the first hook and leaned back to avoid the uppercut without losing her footing.

Raph rooted himself and was focusing on his upper body strength. He was setting his parameters and Korra's nature was defiant, her fighting preferences reflected that. Lifting her leg as if to do a front kick, instead angled down to a stomp towards his ankle and she was ready to bring that leg back in with precision to aim for the knee thereafter.

Knock the tree down.

The crowd roaring and the announcer doing play-by-plays were just background noise to her and she was sure it was the same for him. If there's one thing she had learn by hanging around with the turtles so much is that fighting was as much their life as it was hers.

[meanandgreen]

For Raphael, fighting isn't just a way of life, it's in his blood. Natural, like breathing. And for that moment of time, his heart pounding and sweet adrenaline coursing through his veins, the rest of the world stops. The rest is just a blur of noise and sound, reeling around this deadly dance of euphoria and pain. Right now, they're the only two people in the world, and it's not just the fight that matters; it's that she'll lose.

He waits for the front kick that doesn't happen. And when she comes in close, he lets her. Good. She stomps on his ankle, sending pain crackling through his leg. But he ignores it, grits his teeth and he's swinging, his fist headed straight for her eerie masked face with the power of a freight train.

[alphatar]

Her boot connecting was easy, too easy. Taking a hit to get one in is a tactic she’s used before, but only when she knew that it could be afforded. When she brought her leg up to work on his knee, she turned just in time to see his fist heading her way. It angered her that Raphael was willing to go that far so early, but she challenged it. Instead of bringing up a block to the punch, an arm throw, or even trying to dodge; Korra braced herself and took the punch straight to the cheek.

The blow was loud inside her head, the pain shot out from the point of contact and spread over her face. Keeping to her self-promise of not saying anything, she clamped her teeth onto each other, the pressure adding to the pulses of pain.

After the split second of stark white that became her vision, the green goggles looked back at Raphael. Despite the blood she felt from where her cheek was forced to cut itself on her teeth and the headache that would rapidly follow, Korra kept her balance.

And she stomped down on his knee without holding back any of the force she had earlier. Not doing a kiai as she did so was a challenge.

If he could only see the hard, menacing look she had on her face, or how she was embracing that revived rush of adrenaline.

[meanandgreen]

When Raphael fights, there's no testing the water. There's no softening the blows, because when Raphael fights, he fights hard, and he fights mean.

Euphoria lights like a fire in his veins when the hit connects, grinning like a maniac even as she kicks out his knee. He loves this stuff. He likes it close, he likes it fierce, he likes it bloody.

It takes him only a half second to regain his balance, planting himself heavily on his buckled knee until he centers his weight, then pivots into a roundhouse kick toward her chest.

[alphatar]

Warmth came from where she had taken the heavy handed punch, and she could feel it in her nose; more like coming out of her nose in blood under the mask. Ignoring it, she waits for the retaliation just like what she had suffered. Once he regained his balance, Korra Leaned back so she could catch and hook his ankle in the crook of her arm.

Shifting the weight in her hips for additional force, she let forth a punch towards his shoulder with her free arm. If she could bring her knee up to strike at the exposed back of his knee afterwards, Korra was ready to move into close quarters with elbows and knees.

If this was what Raphael was like when sparring, she'd have to see about getting a few sessions with him at the dojo. She was tired of having to hold back and clearly he had no qualms at all about doing so.

[meanandgreen]

His leg gets caught, but it's far from over. Her punch hits him hard in the shoulder, but as she goes to strike at the back of his knee, he pivots in her hold to face her, pressing his heel deep into the edge of her pelvis and making her grip on his foot too awkward to hold. He uses that leverage to try kicking her away with a powerful shove.

If he can get free, he won't let the gap between them stay widened for long. He'll charge again, even more ferociously than before, with a powerful spin kick to the head meant for a solid KO.

[alphatar]

Forced to let go or lose her balance, Korra used the momentum of the shove to flip backwards twice and skid to a stop on her feet with those green goggles trained on Raphael. Korra capitalized on her speed advantage and quickly wheeled about with perfect balance under his kick with a crouching, low roundhouse to his leg for a sweep.

But she knew now how much he could take, that pain threshold was far above her previous opponents. Following through in traditional fashion, Korra kept her spin to bring about a reverse middle roundhouse, and a final spin kick to mirror the one he gave- aimed straight for the head.

[meanandgreen]

She's fast. Fast and brutal as hell as she swoops under his kick and strikes at his leg, making him falter. The second and third are like straight out of a Bruce Lee movie, quick and vicious, one at his gut he manages to partially block, and the second smashing him square in the jaw.

Pain explodes through his brain, making his vision skip, his teeth rattle in his skull. It forces him backward, but he doesn't fall. Crouching like a coiled snake, he spits blood onto the platform floor with his eyes full of venom. All around them, the crowd is going wild. The announcer's frenzied crowing is just a drone inside his head.

"All right," he growls, wiping his mouth on the back of his arm. "No more Mr. Nice Turtle."

It is on.

He charges at her with a series of punches; a hook with the right, a hook with the left. When he comes around for a third, it isn't what he hopes she's expecting, trying to wrap his arm around her neck and pull her into a hold.

She's got the speed, but he's got the strength, and he's more than used to using it to his advantage.

[alphatar]

Seeing that blood is a solid reminder of what she agreed to when she decided to participate. Her other opponents could go to the clinic if they got too hurt, but she knew the turtles didn’t really take that option. That was her job, she volunteered for it and later on she’d be mopping the mess they’d become.

But that could be thought about later.

The only thing that she could do after his snarl was make it worse, and since she’s not saying anything, she quickly waved her fingers toward herself. Right then, all that mattered to the audience was who would win the fight; all that mattered to Korra was that she took full advantage of the outlet for her aggression that the fighting ring provided. Even more so now that Raphael was locked in for an actual fight.

Korra batted the first right hand while she leaned away from it, too far though and the left hook catches the right side of her face. Square in the jaw causing to pain burst across her face, the taste of blood flooded her mouth and she was ready to counter his third one-

She was sure he’d return the three that she dealt him.

But it wasn’t another hook, instead a grapple. His arms are thick and rougher than a human’s, and his bicep pressed right into where she was struck making her wince. Asphyxiation wasn’t an option for her, not after being suffocated by Kyle, and she slowed down her breathing. A shoulder choke would be how she would normally counter that hold, but for a turtle; she would need her other arm.

Instead, she moved her leg behind him just under the lowest point of his shell. Planting her feet onto the ground, Korra focused on her hip so that she could flip him over. What the equalist uniform didn’t show was Korra’s physique and she was stronger than she looked

[meanandgreen]

Fighting things without shells always has its advantages. It's part of the reason he freakin' loves having someone to fight that isn't his brother. As she's shifting her footing, Raphael delivers a vicious barrage of punches to her exposed back, tightening his hold on her neck.

Seconds later he can feel her going for a throw, feel the shift in her weight as she finds her leverage. But he's already sworn that he's done playing nice. He has her in his sights, and he's not letting go.

So he pushes back with a terrifying growl, pressing his shell into her. Then in one swift and powerful movement he takes a sliding step backward with his outside foot, bending at the knees and twisting his body down and forward in an attempt to slam her into the ground.

[browbeater]

When he first saw the fights, he ignored them. They were the type of hooligan attractions that he tried to avoid in Republic City, and nothing good ever came of them. But then, he’d never had anything catch his eye. He’d never had a reason to pay attention to them. But the crimson was hard to miss. Red in the Fire Sector wasn’t a new feature.

But it was the flash of green goggles in addition to the crimson bodysuit that really made him stop, and eventually walk towards the cage fight. He knew nothing good could come of this, maybe even less so from seeing an Equalist uniform. And yet, he couldn’t just walk away. He’d seen the girl at the clinic wear one.

And yet, while she was the first person he suspected, this didn’t seem like something she’d do. She seemed mostly harmless, despite the uniform. But who else could it be?

He frowned as the fight concluded. Whoever it was? They weren’t pulling any punches.

[alphatar]

After they dragged out her downed opponent, Korra waited in the cage and even paced around to get a look at any possible challengers. Right when one of the spot lights passed over Mako is the same time she saw him, and her green goggles lingered on him for a solid second before she continued.

Incognito. He didn't know it was her, and she had to remind herself of that when they beckoned her out due to no challenges.

Stealing a quick glance at Mako, she followed one of the personnel over to collect her winnings. Ignoring the new participants entering the cage, Korra stuffed the string of coins into her buttoned uniform and deliberately ignored looking in Mako's direction as she made for the exit.

[browbeater]

The first glance was strange, but the second solidified than it wasn't just a coincidence. While he suspected he might know whoever it was, he knew they knew him now. He considered not following them, still suspecting that it was the Kedan from the clinic. But he knew he couldn't just ignore them.

He turned to exit, slightly ahead of her, since he knew that she was trying to ignore him now. He'd head her off before she got out of the alleyway. He could see her approaching, whoever she was, at least.

So she had to walk past him, or go back to the cage match. "Blowing off some steam?"

[alphatar]

The roar of the warehouse died away with each step she took and Korra looked behind her just to check if Mako was following her. Once she cleared the alleyway, getting home would be easy and no one would be the wi-

Her attention immediately snapped over when she heard him and she hesitated before she fell into a defensive stance. Again, reminding herself that he didn't know who she was.

But that really sounded like he did, and she waited to see if the jig was up or if he was bluffing.

[browbeater]

Not the kedan. So, now he had to consider the fact that it was someone from home who wouldn't want him to know who they were. That left two possible answers. And he was already mentally crossing one of them off his list.

"I didn't think that was your type of thing." He says. His face was as neutral as possible, though if he was right that would quickly change.

He didn't want to put much stock in this-- there was a part of him that didn't want to discount the possibility that the person in front of him wasn't from home. And yet, he knew that it wasn't likely. The looks, and the defensive posture said otherwise.

[alphatar]

That was it. He knew her too well and she was convinced he wasn't fooled in the slightest. Straightening up from her stance, she looked at the entrance to the abandoned warehouse.

"I just started it recently." Her voice was muffled by the mask and she hated the sound of it, so Korra pulled off the mask to look at Mako clearly. "Sometimes I do have to blow off steam." Her nose had dried blood underneath it and her left eye was swollen red, ready to start bruising over.

[browbeater]

He exhales. So, he was right. "So it was you."

At least he wasn't bailing her out of jail, but the confirmation was enough to change the expression on his face from one of neutrality to one of... well, a mix of things, but disappointment featured heaviest. He stepped closer to her, for the pretext of examining her face. He should have figured this would happen without something like pro-bending to blow off steam.

"Recently as in not too long after the bottle, huh."

His eyes trail over the blood and the bruising on her eye. He wasn't a healer, he couldn't fix it. So, looking at it was more... taking stock of what to expect, after what he'd seen her do to her opponent, and to see what he'd done back to her.

[alphatar]

Her eyes looked downward briefly in disappointment now that she knew he was going off a hunch. But she looked back up at him and held the mask up. "Yeah. I found this inside there along with my pro-bending uniform and Pabu." she paused because it was going to sound weird, but "In a chest."

[browbeater]

He knew about Pabu, the fire ferret was back with Bolin. But the equalist uniform was new. He raises an eyebrow, and though he wanted to say her story sounded suspect, it wasn't like he could say something else would make more sense. He then looks up.

"So, why now? Why this?"

He couldn't have been clearer that he didn't approve of unofficial streetfighting, not unless he just outright said it. Which he was still considering that he might have to.

[alphatar]

"After the bottle, I just really needed some way to get everything out." She gave a dry snort that cleared out a couple of blood clots. "Actually I needed it for a while." Something to let out her frustration at not being home, not seeing the friends and family there, and to bury everything bad that's happened since the day she arrived.

"I need to heal myself." she said as she looked over at the entrance to make sure no one came out to see her without the mask on.

[browbeater]

"Korra, you didn't need this, anymore than any of us did." His voice raised slightly in annoyance at how she didn't seem to get it. It's like the consequences had completely bypassed her.

Hell, knowing her, they had. She couldn't have predicted that he'd discover her, and he wouldn't have thought twice about this place if he hadn't seen the equalist uniform on his way home. So, that they were here talking about this was a case of chance. And he knew it.

His voice lowers to a more even keel when he next speaks, carefully neutral. The last thing he wants to do is start a fight, even if he thinks what she's doing is wrong. "Alright. Let's get out of here. I'd rather not stick around this place."

[alphatar]

"I need something, okay?" Her mouth dug into her cheek and her lower lip gave a hint of a pout, but she waved him over to follow her. Since she couldn't go home and wash up due to Aang living with her, she had been using an old shed to heal in private.

Once they got there she took off the top of the equalist uniform, since she had on her blue shirt underneath and set it next to her folded pants kept there. Taking one of the water bottles she had in its pockets, she untwisted it and began to heal herself.

"Why were you even there?"