Post by York on Mar 28, 2017 21:22:00 GMT -5
Idol tried not to react to the slap, but the obvious look of discomfort on his face when the pain kicked in said a thousand words. Wiping a tear out of his eye before anyone caught it, he took a series of quick breaths. “That didn’t hurt. Not at all” he said with a grimace, his voice a few octaves higher than usual. While the slap did in fact hurt the wrestler, it was the wordless reaction his display received that hurt more than anything. Whatever goodwill points Leona had earned the other day through politeness had just gone down the drain in Idol’s mind.
And now Navi was laughing. Just what he needed. Idol was starting to appreciate the unproductive beach. Had some rowdy folk been around like he had initially wanted, the wrestler would've been a laughingstock. It would be world record time from landfall to laughingstock status. Standing tall and clearing his throat, Idol met Navi’s advice with a disapproving look. If even half of the stories Navi told were true, there was no way that they made someone stronger. Someone got stronger by eating right, working out, and getting eight to ten hours of sleep every night. This man was hiding something. A drug, an apparatus he wore while he slept, a special protein drink, something! Humans aren’t meant to do the things Navi could, and as soon as the sting of the slap faded away, Idol was going to give him a piece of his mind.
Rather, he would’ve if Lilly had not decided to add to the sting with some slanderous barbs of her own. The wrestler put a hand over his mouth and quickly turned away. Partly to check if there just happened to be another wrestler behind him,but mostly to hide his expression. Brows so furrowed he could barely see, teeth so clenched they threatened to all break. If they saw him now, they'd've laughed and never stopped. But Idol couldn’t blame her for thinking that way about him. The only time she’d seen him fight was the time he was knocked out in a single hit by Navi, and after he had built himself up so impressively. Seeing no other wrestler behind him to pass the buck onto, Idol took a deep breath and relaxed his face before turning back to the group, with a smile as fake as the day long.
“Strength isn’t everything you know,” he said, matter-of-factly “there are guys who make their careers out of being ridiculously fast, or by being able to tie people into pretzels and make them cry for mercy.” Placing a hand on his hip and pointing to himself with his thumb, Idol relaxed his expression and chuckled lightly, “Now, I could go on for hours about where my strengths lay. But I’m more of a show-her than a tell-her.”
Grinning at his wordplay, he pointed to the town ahead. “I’ll tell you what. When we get into town, pick someone out. Anyone. Man, woman, it doesn’t matter to me." Idol paused and looked away in thought. "Child?" He asked himself aloud, before nodding and turning back, "Yeah I'll fight a child. I’ll fight anyone and show you exactly what I can do with these hands of mine.” Raising his taped hands and clenching them into fists, Idol smirked and gave them quick little kisses. “Oh, and my feet too” he added, bending over and hoisting up his boot to give it some lovin’ too.
Idol immediately stopped and put his boot down when a mysterious woman appeared and started making conversation with Navi. Did she hear what Idol was saying? And she still wanted to talk to Navi over him? This island was going the extra mile to hurt Idol's self-esteem. He couldn't help but notice that the woman was calling the tall drunk 'Vick'. “I’m pretty sure he said his name was Vis. Is it pronounced both ways?” he thought, standing tall and narrowing his eyes. “Is he gonna correct her? Am I going to have to step in?” An opportunity to make Navi look like a fool had presented itself, and he needed to act quickly.
But when she rolled out the poster, all thoughts about putting Navi in his place went out the window. “A bounty poster!” Idol quietly said, swallowing hard and breathing even harder. Slowly, a nervous smile crept onto his face. This was what he had wanted, right? He wanted to travel with Navi and attract strong people so that he could become stronger. With a bounty that big, there was no way that the big fish could ignore this little band anymore. Idol, previous expression now etched onto his head, crossed his arms and turned away. It was sink or swim time. Just how long until the first bounty hunter reared their ugly head? In town? In a restaurant? Maybe buried in the sand waiting for a sneak attack? People would do crazy things for money, and for the money on Navi’s head, Idol shuddered to imagine at the thought of what a person would put themselves through.
As sudden as a gong being hit, another realization materialized in Idol’s head, one that filled him with concern. What if this woman were a bounty hunter trying to take Navi’s head? She had the poster at the ready, and he had seen a femme fatale persona and just how effective it was at beating people in wrestling matches. And she and Navi have a history too? She didn’t seem angry or anything, but it would make an excellent front for a deadly sneak attack! “A less apprehensive and clever person would fall for it” he thought, taking a step towards the bikini clad woman, twisting his face into a wide, relaxed smile, "shame she ran into the most apprehensive guy ever." If she were to try anything, Idol was confident that he would be the first to react, and the first to knock her down and out. That’ll show the others that he was not someone to joke about.
And now Navi was laughing. Just what he needed. Idol was starting to appreciate the unproductive beach. Had some rowdy folk been around like he had initially wanted, the wrestler would've been a laughingstock. It would be world record time from landfall to laughingstock status. Standing tall and clearing his throat, Idol met Navi’s advice with a disapproving look. If even half of the stories Navi told were true, there was no way that they made someone stronger. Someone got stronger by eating right, working out, and getting eight to ten hours of sleep every night. This man was hiding something. A drug, an apparatus he wore while he slept, a special protein drink, something! Humans aren’t meant to do the things Navi could, and as soon as the sting of the slap faded away, Idol was going to give him a piece of his mind.
Rather, he would’ve if Lilly had not decided to add to the sting with some slanderous barbs of her own. The wrestler put a hand over his mouth and quickly turned away. Partly to check if there just happened to be another wrestler behind him,but mostly to hide his expression. Brows so furrowed he could barely see, teeth so clenched they threatened to all break. If they saw him now, they'd've laughed and never stopped. But Idol couldn’t blame her for thinking that way about him. The only time she’d seen him fight was the time he was knocked out in a single hit by Navi, and after he had built himself up so impressively. Seeing no other wrestler behind him to pass the buck onto, Idol took a deep breath and relaxed his face before turning back to the group, with a smile as fake as the day long.
“Strength isn’t everything you know,” he said, matter-of-factly “there are guys who make their careers out of being ridiculously fast, or by being able to tie people into pretzels and make them cry for mercy.” Placing a hand on his hip and pointing to himself with his thumb, Idol relaxed his expression and chuckled lightly, “Now, I could go on for hours about where my strengths lay. But I’m more of a show-her than a tell-her.”
Grinning at his wordplay, he pointed to the town ahead. “I’ll tell you what. When we get into town, pick someone out. Anyone. Man, woman, it doesn’t matter to me." Idol paused and looked away in thought. "Child?" He asked himself aloud, before nodding and turning back, "Yeah I'll fight a child. I’ll fight anyone and show you exactly what I can do with these hands of mine.” Raising his taped hands and clenching them into fists, Idol smirked and gave them quick little kisses. “Oh, and my feet too” he added, bending over and hoisting up his boot to give it some lovin’ too.
Idol immediately stopped and put his boot down when a mysterious woman appeared and started making conversation with Navi. Did she hear what Idol was saying? And she still wanted to talk to Navi over him? This island was going the extra mile to hurt Idol's self-esteem. He couldn't help but notice that the woman was calling the tall drunk 'Vick'. “I’m pretty sure he said his name was Vis. Is it pronounced both ways?” he thought, standing tall and narrowing his eyes. “Is he gonna correct her? Am I going to have to step in?” An opportunity to make Navi look like a fool had presented itself, and he needed to act quickly.
But when she rolled out the poster, all thoughts about putting Navi in his place went out the window. “A bounty poster!” Idol quietly said, swallowing hard and breathing even harder. Slowly, a nervous smile crept onto his face. This was what he had wanted, right? He wanted to travel with Navi and attract strong people so that he could become stronger. With a bounty that big, there was no way that the big fish could ignore this little band anymore. Idol, previous expression now etched onto his head, crossed his arms and turned away. It was sink or swim time. Just how long until the first bounty hunter reared their ugly head? In town? In a restaurant? Maybe buried in the sand waiting for a sneak attack? People would do crazy things for money, and for the money on Navi’s head, Idol shuddered to imagine at the thought of what a person would put themselves through.
As sudden as a gong being hit, another realization materialized in Idol’s head, one that filled him with concern. What if this woman were a bounty hunter trying to take Navi’s head? She had the poster at the ready, and he had seen a femme fatale persona and just how effective it was at beating people in wrestling matches. And she and Navi have a history too? She didn’t seem angry or anything, but it would make an excellent front for a deadly sneak attack! “A less apprehensive and clever person would fall for it” he thought, taking a step towards the bikini clad woman, twisting his face into a wide, relaxed smile, "shame she ran into the most apprehensive guy ever." If she were to try anything, Idol was confident that he would be the first to react, and the first to knock her down and out. That’ll show the others that he was not someone to joke about.