Boxing Ring

[mush]

Mush nodded, and it seemed he was out of questions. He figured he understood it well enough for the most part to follow along without much of a thought. But at the same time, he just didn't get it. Why go around punching people for kicks? All it was doin' was gettin' 'em hurt, congrats, if they won, but what did they really get? There were surely better ways to make a buck these days, there had to be. Right? Oh well. probably best not to think about their reasonings. After all, it seemed people enjoyed it, maybe it was like an art form.

Mush had never been knocked out that he could recall. He bet it hurt, he bet it hurt a lot. He didn't want to be a professional fighter. He looked at the girl beside him and then back to the fight. She was getting so into it and so excited, it was kind of cute. But, it just wasn't his thing. But for her sake, he hoped her fighter won!

He didn't really know what else to say really. And Fighter seemed so interested in what was going on that he didn't want to distract her. Instead, he thought he would join in with the crowed around him, he fed off their energy and started shouting things at the fighters. "C'mon! Ya almost got him! One more good hit!" he said loudly mimicking people around him, so that it would sound correct.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter jumped up when Hallahan went down and began chanting with the rest of the crowd for him to stay down. God, it was a good day when she won money so early on. As the thirty seconds began to wind down and he still hadn't gotten up she turned to Mush. "I'll be back," She said before striding over to the man she'd placed the bet with. He begrudgingly handed over the money she won and she stuck it in her pocket before turning and heading back towards the bleachers. She bought another beer on the way, but was unsure if Mush would want one.

A large smile crossed her features as she approached the bleachers with two beers. "Wasn't sure you'd want one or that you were stickin' around for next fight, but I got you one anyway." Fighter will end up drinking it eventually if he doesn't want it. She gazed around as people began to stand and stretch waiting for the next fight to start. Some of them tried to congratulate Thompson, but he wasn't the type who liked to chit-chat after a fight so he quickly made his way away from the crowd.

[mush]

Mush accepted the drink as she offered it to him. "Uhhh... thanks!" he wasn't a big fan of alcohol, but at the same time, he wasn't going to turn down a present. And, it wasn't all bad, he just didn't partake often. He thought he got a little too loopy.

"That was a real good fight though," he said nodding to her with a smile. H e had noticed her collecting money, so he was a little flattered that she had spent some of her winnings on him. "So who is up next? And... who's gonna win?" he asked with a broad smile. He sat back and took another sip of his beer, as odd as it was, the young innocent newsie was having a good time! He'd never done anything like this before, so he was really enjoying himself. Bsodes. Fighter was a really neat person, and he was enjoying her company. "You think the next fight will be as good as the last one was?" he asked leaning forwards and looking at her. His ever inquiring mind wanted to know.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter nodded when he thanked her and sipped her beer quietly for a moment. She sent him a smile when he said it was a good fight and nodded in agreement. "It certainly was," Though she'd definitely seen better but she wasn't going to complain considering she'd won a decent amount of cash and probably wouldn't have to worry about having money for a couple of weeks. "I'm not sure, actually, I just came for the Thompson-Hallahan fight."

She'd seen them both fight before and when she heard they were matched against each other she'd made her way to the ring as quickly as possible. She wasn't the type of person to bet on more then one fight, she knew she was good at picking winners but she wouldn't be right every time. She didn't want to press her luck. "Probably," She said with a small shrug. Since she didn't know who would be fighting she wasn't sure how good the fight would be, but she was always entertained at the boxing ring.

[mush]

He listened to her talk and realized he sounded a bit like a small over excited kid. He chuckled a little to himself, while he listened to her continue to talk. He nodded a little and held the beer in his hand and took another drink. "So how long are you gonna stick around here then?" he asked her. "You gonna stay and watch more fights, or you think you'll go home pretty quick?" He wouldn't mind hanging out with her a little longer. She was fun to talk to, and well informed it seemed. Mush was always up for learning.

"Is the fights the only reason you came to Manhattan?" he asked her. He knew that newsies typically stayed in their borough unless they have reasons to go elsewhere, and it wasn't common for him to see a Brooky in Manhattan. Not that he was complaining, it was just rare, and they didn't make the trek often. So he thought maybe she might have other reasons for being there beyond just catching the fight and trying to win a few bucks.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter shrugged nonchalantly, she wasn't sure how long she was going to stay at the boxing ring but she was planning on waiting around so she could see Davey. Plus, she was still avoiding going back to Brooklyn. Her run-in with Joe had been uncomfortable and that was putting it lightly. It wasn't that she wasn't excited to see her friend but she didn't like him having so much information on her life. It wasn't normal. She hid her past from people for a reason and she didn't like it being thrown around so cavalierly. "I'll probably stick around for awhile," She said with a smirk before raising the beer to her lips once more.

"One of the reasons," Fighter stated as she leaned back on the bleachers. She usually only had two reasons to be in this part of the city. She'd either come for a fight or to see Davey or Riley, but she'd been staying in Manhattan lately when she wasn't working. It was just easier for her to avoid her own problems that way. She didn't think Scar would take the time to follow her here and it was easier to avoid some of her fellow lodgers.

[mush]

Mush nodded and smiled. "Well, if there's ever a point where you can stand me anymore," he said with a smirk and a nudge to her, "you just let me know, and I'll leave you alone. But for now I think I'll stick around if that's okay." He smiled and nodded as he sort of relaxed in his seat again. After all, good company, nice person, why would he turn it down or walk away from it? He'd be dumb to do something like that.

So he turned to her and said, "So.. what are the other reasons to come to Manhattan, if I can ask," he said with a very small smile. He didn't want to pry, so he wasn't going to if she didn't wanna share, but all the same it made him curious. If there were other reasons to come to Manhattan than just for the fights, then well... he was gonna ask, but he wouldn't push his luck. He wasn't stupid.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter shrugged and angled her head so she could smirk at him while still keeping an eye on the ring to see who would be boxing next. "You don't need to tell me that. If I don't want you around, you'll know it." She couldn't help but wink playfully she was in such a good mood. She had money in her pocket and she was in her element. She didn't feel so stifled in Brooklyn, mostly because she knew Aidan wouldn't bother her here. Plus, she was planning on swinging by Dave's later.

She lifted her beer to her lips and took a long drink from it. Her face tightened for a split second when he asked her what her other reasons for coming to Manhattan were, but she it relaxed just as quickly and if someone didn't know her they probably wouldn't even notice. Her main reason for being in Manhattan so much was Davey. She had other smaller reasons but it just made things easier for them. She could see him when she didn't have to work without having to walk for hours or try to hitch a ride on the back of the trolley. She could have easily stayed in Greenpoint to avoid seeing her friends since that's where she worked, but she'd chosen Manhattan so she could be closer to Davey. Instead of answering right away she shrugged again and took another sip of her beer. "I have friends here," She answered in the simplest possible way. It wasn't her place to mention that Dave was that friend or that he was more then a friend.

[mush]

Mush couldn't help but chuckle at the comment she made about not wanting him there. But she seemed congenial and in a rather good mood, which was great for him, for he was too! So he was all for spending a little more time with her. He took a sip from the beer she had bought him and smiled slightly and looked back to the Boxing ring to see who would be up next since nothing had been announced even yet.

At her answer to his question regarding there to just visit friends he nodded. He thought for a second. He didn't really have many friends in other boroughs in all honesty, but he did like Fighter. Besides, he had a lot of very close friends in Manhattan, and while he liked meeting new people he wasn't the loudest or most rambunctious of the bunch, so he wasn't going to go running off to other places just to find said new people. He was content in his Manhattan. He sighed slightly and started to look up at the sky. It was a pretty shade of blue that sort of made him smile contentedly. He was excited for the weather to warm up again so that it wasn't so beastly being outside anymore.

He glanced at Fighter again and smiled at her. She seemed to be in such a good mood. He glanced down at his beer and then took a look at his own. She was winning, considerably. "Can I get the next round?" he asked her before he took a substantial drink of his own cup.

[Fighter Mallory]

"I won't object to that," She said with a small smile. Her gaze was fixed on the ring but her mind had begun to wander back towards Brooklyn. Everything had seemed so peaceful lately with the exception of Aidan being up to his old tricks, but somehow it still felt off. She didn't want to put much thought into it though so she lifted her beer to her lips and finished it.

Fighter leaned her elbows back so that she could relax and her gaze turned from the ring to the people surrounding them. It was a busy day and some people would find the crowd stifling but she loved being here. She loved the rowdy crowd. It was just what she needed to clear her head. She pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit it before taking a long drag.

[mush]

Mush watched her finish her beer, and then he thought that he'd do the same. "Alright," he said picking up her class. "I shall return," and with a flourish he jumped down off of the bleachers and dashed off to replace their drinks.

He came back a few minutes later. He hadn't minded buying the round. As a matter of fact, he was glad that she was going to allow him to do something nice for her, since he hadn't gotten to buy her the pretzel after all. He got a leg up and then walked down the bleachers returning to fighter. "Here ya are ma'am," he said with an over exaggerated tone of a waiter or butler offering her the drink. "Enjoy." He chuckled a little and sat down beside her. "Nice day huh?" he said. "Maybe spring will actually be on time this year! High time if you were to ask me," he shrugged slightly. He didn't like cold all that much so the warm weather made his cheery disposition all the cheerier.

He took a swig of the beer and sighed contentedly. He glanced around the crowed a little at all the cheering sounds and happy people. It was a bit entertaining to him. He loved it when people were in a good mood, it made him feel good as well, and he was defintely enjoying the show. Not just the show in the ring, but the people around him. There were people like Fighter and himself, and then there were old people, young people, girls in skirts, men in hats, no one above middle class, but lots of noise. He found it all quite interesting.

[Fighter Mallory]

NEW DAY ~ RESERVED FOR ZEKE

Fighter stood near the edge of the ring watching the fight that was going on without much interest. It was a first for her but she'd come to the boxing ring in hope of finding a specific person. Not to just sit and watch the fight like she normally would. Although part of her still wasn't sure why she'd finally decided to seek him out, she knew she needed to talk to him. He was one of her closest friends from Brooklyn. Possibly the closest friend she had there even if he didn't realize it. He knew more about her then anyone did and she felt he had the right to hear from her that she was seeing David Jacobs. She didn't want him to just stumble across it one day.

She'd done a good job of avoiding him when he'd made his way back to the city. That was mainly due to the fact that he'd up and left without so much as word to the wise. It had gone a long way in pissing her off but she was over it. He didn't owe her anything and although she considered him to be something like a best friend she knew he may not feel the same. She couldn't continue to hold his disappearance against him. They'd both been dealt raw deals when it came to what had happened at the factory and they'd both dealt with it in their own way. His way had been to escape the city and her way had been to drown herself in drugs until Davey had come along and managed to help her. Although she was still partaking in the drugs it was easier to go without them when she was around him.

Fighter glanced around at the people mulling about, trying to find Zeke in the crowd. He was hard to pin down most days but she happened to know he had a fight here today, she just wasn't sure what time it was at. If it had already happened then she was probably shit out of luck with finding him. If he'd won then he was probably off celebrating with the latest dame dangling from his arm. She'd hoped he had a later fight so that she could sit and watch and perhaps entice him into a drink with her while she caught up on how he was and filled him in on what was going on in New York.

[Zeke Cooper]

Zeke didn't tell people when he had a match, as a matter of fact the only reason he'd come back from Jersey was because Spot had ordered it. He'd kept himself scarce, doing his own thing and picking up fights here and there and hoping that they were paid. But he was dealing with things his own way, he'd mourned the kid he'd watched die-- had dealt with that and the girl that had come to talk to him about it. Really, Zeke was more or less back to his old self to a point. Just darker, older and more willing to throw down then he ever had been before.

After leaving Martha's place he'd headed to the ring, he was there, leaning against the far wall watching the match and his opponent getting his face pounded in. There was enough of that around and he smirked just a bit before tugging out a smoke and placing it between his lips. He'd reached that part of his life, where he wasn't a kid anymore. He was loyal to Spot, he showed up but he had a job more or less and he had to look after himself.

Flicking the match against the brick he brought the glowing flame to his face to light his cigarette, inhaling deeply. He was hard to pin down, if you didn't know where to find him.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter sighed and bit her bottom lip when she couldn't find him. It would only figure that she'd come all the way to Manhattan with no plans to see Dave and not even be interested in watching the fight. She turned away from the ring and walked over to the vendor selling beer. After buying a glass she perched on an empty seat and lit a cigarette before drinking nearly half the beer without a breath.

Her eyes wondered the crowd again, but it was a busy day and people were jammed together so it was near impossible to pick just one person out of the crowd. She continued to smoke her cigarette and mull over her options for the rest of the day. She'd probably end up staying at the boxing ring since she was already here and had some spare change to drink. Hell, maybe she'd get lucky and Davey would wonder this way today, but she certainly wasn't banking on that.

When the fight ended and the crowd began to thin a bit, Fight finished her beer and stood stretching. She wondered around the edges of the crowd before her eyes landed on the very person she'd been looking for. It had to be a stroke of pure luck that she'd seen him at all. As she approached, she lit another cigarette a familiar smirk crossing her features. "Hey there, stranger..." Fighter trailed off, completely unsure of why she'd even been so set on telling him about Dave. She might consider him a close friend but she wasn't sure where she stood with Zeke. He probably wouldn't even care. She mentally scoffed at herself for working herself up over it. Hawk was one thing because he was like a brother but Zeke was someone who she drank and flirted with occasionally.

[Zeke Cooper]

Zeke's head snapped up at the familiar voice, a brow raising before a smirk crossed his features as he took a long drag from his smoke. "If it ain't Mallory.." His relationship with Fighter had always been a different one, they were close and it had always struck him as odd how close they had been really. If it hadn't been for Spot's constant warnings about him going anywhere near one of the girls in the borough he'd probably have tried for her. But he hadn't-- he'd treated her like one of the guys with tits and that was how it was going to stay.

Even though he moved away from the wall and ruffled up her hair, a smirk on his face. He'd done his friends a diservice really, ignoring them, avoiding them. He wasn't the same Zeke Cooper that had marched off to battle. This one, was different and he wasn't sure how they would really take it. "C'mere, kid.." He put his arm around her shoulder and gave the girl a hug, it really had been to damn long. What a shitty man he was, couldn't even bring himself to be around for those that mattered. "Fight was shit.. I'll have him out by the second bell.."