It wasn't me! (Jack/ask to join)

[tsuki]

“Ichi...”

A slender arm thrust forward the hand not closed in a fist like one would expect, but open, palm facing outwards, finger's straight up.

“Ni...”

The arm was quickly pulled back and replaced with its twin limb, same as before it was open, palm facing outwards, but the lithe fingers were curled, taking the appearance of a clawed paw.

“San...”

With a graceful turn a leg came up with brutal force in a hook like shape, before it was quickly drawn back. A sigh escape pink tinted lips, before narrowed brown eyes focused on the practice dummy in front of her. Falling into a offensive stance, her left leg in front of her, with her right behind her, the knees slightly bent, her arms out before her, the left curled into a claw, while the other was perfectly straight.

Shooting forward, her right connected with the dummies 'head' before it was quickly followed by her left, her 'claws' sinking into the cotton of its 'stomach' in a vicious uppercut with enough force that the stand it was on snapped, sending it up into the air. Before she let it go to far, she turned, her leg moving up and catching the 'neck' in the 'hook' like position it was in and moved it down toward the ground. It connected to the ground with a large noise, her leg straightening out over it. Cracks appeared from the collision and wood groaned from the abuse.

“San Tsume no Sleipnir!” (Three Hooves of Sleipnir!)

The room was silent, only her breathing could be heard before, her body shuttered, before she fell to her rump clutching her leg with a large cry of, “ITAI!!” Tears came to her eyes as she clutched the limb that was obviously causing her pain. She blinked rapidly, before looking around, “What is Sophia doing in the training room?” She muttered to no one, before flinching once more and clutching at her leg.

She blinked however as she looked to the practice dummy. It was obviously not where it was suppose to be. “Oh no!” If she was caught with it, they would blame her, then make her fix it! Scrambling to her feet, she limped her way to the windows, luckily on the first floor and jumped out, “Got to go, got to go...” She mumbled heading into town, they couldn't blame her, if she wasn't there!

Besides it was Sabby-chan's fault for having her there while he was away, he could fix it when he came to pick her out. Simple logic! However, no matter how simple it was there was still the fact...that she was in a place, wearing only shorts and a bra. Sophia Alexandria, Lieutenant of the Marines, a child in the end of it all...

[BEX]

Not too far away from the bizarre scene was somber scene where Jack rested his head against the table with a grim look on his face. Never grime the coated the surface of the table from the many sticky alcohol beverages had spilled onto the table long before this lucid young man had made this particular spot his perch. The day had droned on unforgivably to the point where that the usually confrontational Dancer had resigned himself to roaming the island’s bars hoping that a woman would spare him a passing glance despite his miserable appearance; he could use a pick me up. His caramel cheek sticking the frothy table he listened around him to the useless conversations that continued around him until eventually the dullness of it all began to drown him. Rising up out of his wooden stool after a brief moment of attachment between his cheek and the fragile table Jack made for the exit from the humid, dimly lit refugee for the destitute individuals of society hoping something entertaining would happen to him,

“You didn’t pay for your drinks, kiddo” the barkeeper called out from the side of his lips as he quickened the pace on the circular wiping motion on the rim of one of his pitchers; his square facial features knotted into one singular, anger frown.

In his defense Jack had hiccupped and now waved his hand without turning around as he continued with his other hand rested calmly in his pocket; he wasn’t about to start a fight for no reason since he didn’t have the enthusiasm that normally made his blood run hot at all times. Even his steps were uneven and lethargic so he continued to half-float towards the door as everyone turned to see the spectacle that the boy was making of himself. The barkeeper pulled out his shotgun from beneath the table and angled it into the center of the uncooperative individual with a business like sense of authority; he wasn’t the type of the man to take crap from anybody. Hearing the click of the barrel behind him finally brought him to a pause in front of the doors and he turned back towards the table he had been sitting at previously with a listless gaze in his eyes. Plopping himself down he waved the waiter over to bring him some more drinks, although he wanted to leave the place he knew that staying here meant that there wouldn’t be too much trouble for him in the bar.

“Another “Still” Jack…” he grunted as he slumped in his chair with his knees nearly touching the ground as the clumsiness that followed with being drunk settled in and for the first time all day he felt as if he wanted to go to bed.

[tsuki]

Pouting, Sophia shook her leg in frustration, before huffing and deciding to ignore the pain that was flaring up in the limb, which was easier said then done, every step she took, pain flared and in response to her childish mind, that was frankly too hard to ignore! After all she was hurt, comfort was what she needed.

She paused in the middle of the streets, some people staring at her as they past, some, use to her behaviour as she usually came skipping into down barely dressed yet full of smiles. She was a strange one, but her childish innocence was quite refreshing even if her body was that of a mature woman with...uh...large assets. Frowning she tried to remember what her ship mates usually did for pain. Sabby-chan just bared it without so much of a grunt much less medical treatment, if she got hurt, he was usually patching her up, then hitting her on the forehead (pressure differed if it was stupid or not) and called her an idiot.

Some of the other men...liked to drink! That's it! She needed an alcoholic beverage!

Of course Sabby-chan wouldn't approve, but well...Sabby-chan wasn't here, besides, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him~...or her for that matter.

Walking into the nearest bar, which caused everyone to pause, even the music it seemed. She smiled brightly at the bartender as she slid onto a stool, “Hello~” She chirped at the man, who stared at her in return, “Uh...hi.” He finally said back.

Kicking her feet childishly on her stool, she leaned forward and rested her arms on her counter, “I need a drink Pops! Can you get me one?”

“Sure...” He hesitated before narrowing his eyes, “You got money?”

Laughing Sophia nodded her head.

[BEX]

Everything danced around from his standpoint and he wasn’t sure whether or not he was ever going to be able to stand straight up again as his glazed over eyes listlessly scanned the crowd for any interesting prospects. The 80 proof alcohol burning a hole in his gut as the bar keeper continued to cast sultry glances in the defeated boy’s direction should he try anything dishonorable in terms of paying for his drinks. Then the doors opened and light flooded from the outside when a silhouette appeared in the door way and a chipper young girl bounced into the bar full of ornery, depraved men all looking for something good to draw them from their disappointing lives.

“I need a drink Pops! Can you get me one?” she asked, Jack didn’t even have to look at her to know that she was young unlike most of the geezers in this sh*t hole.

His hair matted to his forehead and from his peripherals he heard three men get up from the seats quickly, hurriedly even after the girl had taken her seat. On cue Dancer rose from his own chair and wobbled to the girl’s direction grabbing onto the tops of chairs to support himself when suddenly one of them men reached his hand out to grab at the girl’s slender neck. As by magic a thudding sound was heard and suddenly someone’s veined wrist was wrapped around the man’s sweating forearm: Jack.

“The…*hic* the hell do ya think yer doin’?” he slurred as his eyes rolled into his head coming back shortly after, but still dancing wildly as they were unable to focus on the individual that was being addressed.

Seeing this, the man pulled his free hand back in a fist while the other two reached to grab Jack’s arms so that they could hold him while the other man punched. Instinct pulsated through his blood more clearly than when he was sober so when it guided him to strike the man’s head with his own that was exactly what he did, struck the man with his head. Blood spluttered from the man’s nose as he fell back and his comrades stared in disbelief at the young boy. Without taking time to take purchase of where the men were behind him he spun with his legs extended outward in a complicated leg sweep launching the men off their feet toppling clumsily to the ground. Lurching to his feet he leaned against the table the girl was sitting at while eyeing the men with half open eyes,

“I-I-I’d get out of here…*hic* if I were you” he warned them unsure of his own tongue while trying to force his disobedient face into a frown, but instead he simply looked as someone had kicked him in the groin area and he was in pain.

The men scrambled to their feet and for a brief moment the light shined on their face as they left the bar. One of them glanced back and caught his breath as he seemed to recognize Jack on the way out, but the man didn’t stop instead he continued waddling on his fat, stubby legs. Jack’s head swung right and left as he struggled to hoist himself off the table, but he couldn’t quite coordinate his muscles towards the singular goal. Eventually he gave up and slid down to the floor by the girl’s table looking up at her with an embarrassed smile on his face before turning away to cough out the phlegm onto the already disgusting floor. He felt sick and his head hurt. To make matters worse he was in front of a beautiful girl and he couldn’t even gather his thoughts together. Sometimes it sincerely sucked to be Jack Dancer.

[tsuki]

Humming a song she had heard some time ago, she cheerfully waited for her order...even through she didn't know what it was. She wanted the barkeeper to surprise her! It was always more fun to be surprised then knowing what to expect, life was more fun that way~!

A small excited gasp escaped her as the dink was placed down in front of her. She lowered her head and peered curiously into the side of the drink. Taking in the bright blue color, the single black straw inside, to the orange slice at the top, “Hey Pops? What's this?” She asked him, straightening up to peer into it over top. The bartender sent her a look, while drying another glass, “Blue Lagoon.” He said dryly, looking pointedly over her to the men creeping up behind her. Blinking curiously, her brown eyes focused on the liquid in front of her, she didn't even notice what was happening until she heard a loud 'THUD'.

Blinking she turned and looked at the cause, blinking at the rather, intoxicated male that leaned against the side of her table, making her blink at him curiously. She giggled as he slurred at her, then did a rather silly dance, before deciding to just lay down and smile at her, which she easily returned. Oh yeah, that's why Sabby-chan didn't want her to drink, saying something about it being idiot juice...

“Hey Pops! You got something to cure this?” She asked pointing to the drunk. The bartender looked at her, then to the drunk man before that tried to walk off without paying, and sighed, “Yeah I have something that will help.” He grumbled. There was a clinking behind the counter before he walked over with a glass that contained a dark green liquid. “Make sure he drinks that, it will sober him right up.”

Peering at the new drink, she hummed before standing up and leaning over Jack, “Can you drink this?” She asked him, picking up the glass and holding it out for him to see, while smiling happily down at him.

[BEX]

“Can you drink this?” the girl questioned the despicably drunk individual invading her peaceful drinking time; that particular individual was Jack of course.

His head lolled as his neck suddenly took on a rubber neck aspect wagging uncontrollably in one direction then the next before it finally came to a stop when his cheek rested upon his right shoulder which was pointed in the direction of the girl. Extending his lip to the small cup of the unknown substance the painfully intoxicated man sipped vigorously allowing the smooth liquid to soften the soreness in his palette until he finally polished off what remained at the bottom of the cup. The effects weren’t instant, but at least things stopped flickering aimlessly in front of him which was when he glanced over at the bartender who was still scowling at him since he hadn’t paid for any of his earlier drinks. Still not trusting himself to move too much he maneuvered himself gingerly into the seat across from the girl who had given him help when he had needed it,

“Guess I kinda owe ya one…” he grumbled sheepishly not looking the girl in the face though rosiness still remained apparent at his cheeks which meant a substantial amount of alcohol resided within his system.

After a few moments of awkward averted gazes Jack finally glanced at the girl and immediately noticed that she was in a bra. More importantly she was in a bra when she had excellent assets that warranted the attempted assault by the men he had managed to fend off earlier on, but he quickly shifted his eyes to her face for some reason. Shame burned at his cheeks because when he looked into the girl’s eyes she seemed to have the vacant stare that one would expect a young child to have when such things happened. Women were either extremely turned on by his inquisitive gaze at their bosom or they were extremely displeased with the straightforward man’s straightforwardness. The latter being the case most of the time. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat he laid his head against the table; this surface seemed a lot cleaner than the table that he had been sitting at earlier,

“So mystery lady…instead of tellin’ me yer name…how ‘bout ya pick up my tab and ya never have to see my ugly mug again?” he attempted to bargain without looking in the girl’s eyes.

He could only imagine what an individual with eyes like she had would say to him.

[tsuki]

Sophia giggled, “No problem! Sabby-chan always said that the one who serves idiot juice, has the cure, either that or slap them, and Sophia doesn't want to hurt you.” She chirped, beaming a smile at him full force that her eyes were shut in response of it being so big.

She didn't seem to notice him staring at her breasts as she flopped back into her seat rather heavily, causing them to move beneath the fabric of her bra in a rather....mesmerizing way to most men and even some women. She kicked her legs back and forth, underneath the table, making sure not to kick the male's legs, as she reached for her drink and took a small sip from the straw.

And it instantly found home onto the dirty wooden floor. Sticking out her tongue as from between her lips a low whine escaped her as her eyelids squeezed shut. “Icky...” She said after a while, timidly opening one brown eye. That tasted horrible, how could anyone from her crew even drink something like that? Heck how could anyone consume such a thing on a daily basis? It offended her sense of taste, and now if she thought about it, her sense of smell too! Geez, she should've remembered, if it doesn't smell good, than it doesn't belong in her mouth.

Blinking, she looked back towards Jack, and tilted her head at him in response, “Eh?! Never see you again!?” She pouted at him and moving her knees onto her seat she leaned over the table towards him and poked his forehead, “Sophia doesn't know what you have going through your head, but Sophia isn't like that! Of course she wants to see Mister again! We're friends now!” She declared, before pausing slightly and poking his forehead once more, “And you are not ugly, who tell that to you?” She tilted her head here, causing some of her green colored locks to slide off her shoulder, before breaking out into a large grin. “I am Sophia Alexandria!” She introduced herself, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement, “And you are...?”

[BEX]

Her childish behavior was a little confusing to Jack and do when she asked him for his name he contemplated telling her the truth briefly. Those childish eyes and the soft smile that reflected on her pretty face seemed to have an overwhelming presence to it, not to mention that her more “mature” features attracted the good graces of any man,

“Just call me Mr. Swell” he responded with copious amounts of sugar to his voice as he forced a smile as he looked at the girl.

Not only was she seemingly innocent, but she seemed to not have any taste for alcohol evidenced by the reaction she had to the mild drink that the bartender had given to her; it wasn’t uncommon that girls had an aversion to drinking to the point that they would never enter the bar at all. However, this girlishly feminine beauty had waltzed into the nest of broken hearted men and asked for an alcoholic beverage without a single hint of hesitation or fear in her voice; she was either extremely strange or too innocent to understand the kind of danger that she had pushed upon herself by leaving her large breasts in the open for all men to see. Not only that, but she now found herself in the presence of a 40 million dollar bounty head which a problem that should would soon be dealing with soon enough,

“Yo, pops!” he called out with a glare that flickered even beneath the dim lighting of the arid bar,

“..ya think ya could hook me up with a way to get outta yer debt…or am I gonna have to cut it out of ya?” he asked as he tilted his head dangerously feeling slightly emboldened by the beautiful compatriot that sat next him; he always had an affinity for disobeying authority figures when women were around.

Of course he had no way of knowing that the small half naked girl that sat next him was actually an officer of the Marine; not to mention a trained officer. It seemed that they were both about to be pulled into a dangerous plot twist pushing them both to their moral limitations.

[tsuki]

Sophia blinked at Jack, “Oh pay?” She said, before reaching down to the back pocket of her white shorts, slamming down a ward of bills onto the table in front of Jack. She blinked up at him with her wide chocolate colored eyes and tilted her head, “Sabby-chan gave my 40,000 berri to pay for...um das...? Dama....damages! That I cause.” She smiled brightly to herself at pronouncing the word correctly. She had almost forgotten that Sabby-chan had given it to her as he left the island, much to her pouting and whining.

His exact words were, “Shut up and stop your whining! I'll only be gone for a few weeks! In the mean time use that to pay for anything you break! And knowing you there will be a lot.”

She bounced slightly in her seat, Sophia was sure that Sabre wouldn't mind if she used the money to help out her new friend! After all he probably gave her too much! She had never broken or destroyed anything that was over too much money! Though Sabby-chan got really mean at that one museum and took her paycheck for the next six months...

Either way he wasn't here to tell her how to spend the money! So, HA!

The bartender looked down to the ward of money before snorting, “Yeah, that'll cover it.” He grumbled, taking about half on the money that was on the table before strolling back over to his place, “You're lucky your girlfriend is so loaded boy.” He grunted to Jack on his way back, while Sophia raised her arms into the air with an excited 'WOOP!' and laughed happily at the thought that she had helped someone.

Leaning over the table again, with a bright grin on her features towards Jack, “Do you want to go out and play with me Mr. Swell?” She asked, for all she wanted was to have fun...and not get in trouble, though with Sophia the two usually went hand in hand. Besides it was such a small town...there couldn't possibly be something for her to break after all.

[BEX]

Again Jack quickly found himself taken aback by the girl's playful nature and wasn't immediately sure how to respond to her since he wasn't sure if the banter was genuine or if she was aware of the "reputation" that had come to follow him every place he had shown up at since he had left his home in Saint Reia. For the moment his jaw dropped open and he stared wide eyed at the wad of cash that came out from the girls pocket,

"Is this girl stupid?!" he wondered as his eyes flitted both from the money that now rested in the sweaty fist of the bartender back to the original owner of the money, the girl with the blank look in her eyes as if she was remembering something.

"Do you wanna play with me, Mr. Swell?" the girl asked drawing a few wolf whistles from the drunken audience from the alcohol emboldened men that surrounded them, but he knew better than to believe that she had on her mind what they were thinking.

Hesitating before answering Jack decided that it would be better if he simply went along with the girl and left the place for the time being; the chances of someone recognizing him here were greater and it would be a huge pain to have the Marines corner him in a bar. Scratching his head to relieve himself of the obnoxious itch that had bothered him since drinking the strange liquid he replied with a gruff, "Sure", without making eye contact with the girl. Rising from his seat as if he was about to get up and leave with the girl a few of the men quickly rose from their chairs with suspicious grins plastered upon their moist faces; clearly the alcohol wasn't doing them any good,

"Actually...there's a little..."game"...going on in the basement of a building down the street...we'd like to escort you guys there if ya don't mind..." one of the men stammered as he stared quite obviously at Jack's female companion; his eyes were riveted rudely to her chest rather than her face.

Stepping forward Jack's eyes angled dangerously as he stared down at the two men who were staring hungrily at the girl behind him as if they were starving animals and for some reason it pissed him off that they were doing that. His hand was immediately wrapped around the chubbier of the two's throat clutching forcefully at the wind pipe; years of fighting and murder had taught him very quickly the vulnerabilities of the human body.

"Get lost!" he growled in a firm undertone drawing the attention of the other members of the bar, but they simply turned around as if they all had a secret that gave them the upper hand much like the two idiots in front of him.

Eavesdropping on a few of the whispers going around the bar, Jack's face paled as he realized what it was that they were conversing about; they all knew the identity of the bounty head that was in their mist. Furthermore, the girl whom he was defending was actually a Marine officer that they had seen around the base a few times. The stunning revelation left Jack's throat dry as he released the man's throat and cast a side glance at the girl behind him; how could he not have suspected a thing? Then again it was entirely possible that she didn't know who he was or else she would have already made a move on him and if that was the case he would simply have to play the game that apparently all of these men were in on,

"Let's see this freakin' game" he spat with lowered eyes as he gritted his teeth in both outrage and frustration; one or another those two men were most certainly going to die by his hand today.

[tsuki]

As soon as the words 'sure' escaped Jack's lips, Sophia giggled happily and lept up from her chair and hugged Jack's back, her....assets pressing tightly against his back, “Thank you!” She said, more then relieved to finally have a playmate, maybe they could play eternal tag together! But...it was more fun with more people...

Her ears perked, “A game down the street?” She echoed, tilting her head to look towards the man that spoke, before smiling brightly at him, “Is it fun?” She's never really played a game that others have introduced, most of them don't even WANT to play with her, which was disheartening at best. After all, Sophia was always, looking for someone to play with, but despite that, everyone was afraid of her, or too busy, and thus, she was usually alone unless with Sabre, but she was more then content to just lye down and sleep.

Sophia blinked in surprise when Jack jerked forward, making her let go of him as he grabbed one of the men's neck, growling something to him. “Mr. Swell?” She voiced, resting a hand on her collar bone in worry. He seemed so angry, and for what reason why she just couldn't understand. Her worried increased as he submitted into playing with them, but didn't seem rather pleased with that. Ignoring the whispers around her, she never listened to other people anyway she wasn't going to start now, she walked over to Jack, her brows furrowed together and gently placed her hands on his arm.

“Mr. Swell? You don't have to you know...” She said softly before hugging his arm, which lead it to being in her cleavage line, “We can go and play elsewhere...”

“Sorry little lady.” Interrupted one of the men, who just refused to look at her eyes for some strange reason. Puffing out her cheek she scowled at him, “We go see game then! We won't play it!” She said with a huff, making the two grin as one of them opened the bar door as the other gestured towards it, “After you two.”

[BEX]

Irritation burned white hot flames through Jack’s mind as he walked with the girl hugging his arm as if she needed support from a man whom under normal circumstances she would have arrested by this point, but then he wasn’t sure if she was one of those Marines. Currently the gravity of the situation distracted him enough where he hadn’t noticed that his hand was resting upon the girl’s chest rather comfortably. Regardless of the situation as the two traveled down the road to a shabby cabin the pirate’s mind descended to dark places and the image of the girl lying face down with blood pouring from an open wound in her chest flashed in his mind briefly. In reaction to this thought his muscles twitched involuntarily as if the idea was disturbing to him. As they stepped into the cabin as the goading of the men he cast another covert glance to see if the girl had suspected anything of him yet; somehow he still felt the desire to see where things went with this whole charade. A cruel smile rested upon his lips as he saw a scarred face that he hadn’t seen since his days in Saint Reia, where he had a rather colorful record with the local Marine officers,

“So you’re still alive, huh?” he commented off handedly while grasping the girl’s arm defensively again without thinking about it.

“Hahahaha! Yo…I hear yer pretty “famous” these days” commented the hideous man that stepped out of the shadows immediately bending down to look the pretty girl that Jack seemed to be holding on tightly to which only served to widen the cocky grin that the shady individual had on his face,

“You’re even getting the ladies these days! Nicely done!” said the chubby man as he slapped Jack on the back only further irritating the solemn young man more, but somehow the hot blooded outlaw continued to remain composed although his nostrils flared as the blood rushed to his head,

“Yea…somethin’ like that…” was his only response.

Then as he reflected upon how he felt about defending the girl, it occurred to him that his hand had been touching her skin and it had been close to her chest…

It took all the effort that he could to keep from smiling perversely as his imagination began to draw upon the elaborate fantasies that came to mind if they should get out of this trap alive, but his thoughts were interrupted as the two men from behind pushed the unwilling guests towards a back door at the beckoning of the man. Of course Jack remembered Mukuro, his once long time partner in crime back in their youth days in Saint Reia, but they had a fall out when the b*stard double crossed Jack leaving him to fend for himself against a band of merchants who also happened to be Marine officers. Remembering the scene inspired a fresh well of hatred for the sweaty back that danced before him and nothing would have satisfied Jack more than to drive his Tanto deep into the man’s fatty tissue, twisting until the pain finally forced the other to eternal sleep.

“So…here’s the stage” Mukuro waved grandiosely as they came into an opening that seemed to be part of a massive arena where many men practiced punching the air while others sharpened weapons with blood crazed looks in their eyes; not the place for an infant minded girl, who was half dressed to be in.

”D*mn…so this is what he had in mind…” Jack groaned inwardly as understanding began to sink into his soul filling him with dread for both himself and the small girl.

They were about to take place in the most dangerous underground tournament in the pirate world; the Ketsueki zessan.

“WELCOME! TO THE KETSUEKI ZESSAN!” Mukuro chanted as a few of the men answered the call with wild war cries of their own while others simply stared in the direction of Jack and Sophie with lust for blood making them seem like half-starved animals.

[tsuki]

As they followed them, Sohpia tightened her grip around Jack's arm, suddenly feeling very nervous. A voice was screaming in the back of her mind that this was a bad idea. She pressed herself closer to Jack out of seeking a familiar but comforting presence, and even if she didn't know him for long, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her and was quite nice thus someone under the 'safe' catergory in her mind. She stumbled slightly as she was pushed into the cabin, but thanks to her clinging to Jack, had no problem regaining her balance easily.

"So,here’s the stage"

"Stage?" Sophia repeated before looking out before her. Her brown eyes widened at the arena filled with men, the bloodlust was obvious to her, along with the mass killing intent brought with it. She tightened her grip on Jack's arm, that look...she's seen those looks before. Lamb...she was a lamb in pit lions...

But...

But that changed...

Blood was everywhere. On the ceiling, the walls, even amongst herself. She especially liked the sharp contrast as the bright vibrant red sunk into the once pristine white fabric of her white dress.

Excited pants escaped her lips, her eyes dialated to the max, as a warped grin spread across her features. The heart of the man that she use to worship...was in her hands now...and what a small pitiful heart it was. Bringing it up to her lips, she took a long lick across the warm organ, before her tongue slipped back into her mouth and she looked mockingly down at the corspe, "You always claimed I had your heart..." She let out a bark of laughter before dropping it to the wooden floor and crushing it underneath her nearest hoof, "TOO BAD! I don't want such a pitiful thing!"

A knock on the door stole her attention away from her victory, her lips falling into an annoyed 'o' shape, before twisting up again in a smile that would make the Devil proud. As the door opened she was there grabbing the head of the stupid bastard and holding it above her, "Ah...scream for me~..." She purred.

Blood splattered upon her once more.

A bloodcurdling scream escaped Sophia's throat, as she tore herself away from Jack and grasped her head tightly tossing it back towards the ceiling.

Mukuro and several of the other men blinked, startled by the violent reaction and some later grinned, a scared little girl would be loads of fun.

Sophia lowered her head grasping it tightly, before sharping falling to her knees and began to violently slam her forehead against the ground. Her skin spilt as blood began to seep through. Before after awhile she stopped, blood dripping to the ground, she stumbled up back onto her feet, standing up straight, even though her eyes were hidden by her hair, "Get me a jacket." She said after a small bout of silence, her voice sounding much more mature then it was previously.

[BEX]

Of course this was beyond Jack as he stared in disbelief at the sudden wild behavior of the docile girl that had been clinging to his arm quietly throughout the entire trip down here, but now she was bleeding as her hair covered her eyes in what he assumed was shame at first. Then a cold voice that seemed alien to the innocent girl's lips escaped from the person that stood now with droplets of blood plunking onto the ground monotonously without missing a beat. Something told Jack that this wasn't the same person that he had been carrying around and he looked at the smug look upon Mukuro's face,

"That b*stard...just what the hell have I gotten myself into?!" he wondered as he snorted in feigned disgust; he didn't know how to react to the girl at the moment instead choosing to remove himself from the situation with a cold attitude that had on more than one occasion saved his life,

"Get her d*mn jacket...I ain't nobodies errand boy..." he muttered through clumsy lips as he walked past Sophia whose eyes were still down at the moment.

During the incident the ceremonies had continued to progress onwards without skipping a beat; madness was not somethign foreign to the tournament and many of the participates were half crazed for the simple fact that they volunteered themselves with no promise of getting any reward. Scratching the side of his chin with his long caramel finger he squinted at the diagram that broke down the different match ups eventually leading to the center where the two that survived the grueling fights would meet in one last duel. Anything went in this tournament which as much as Jack had roughly been coaxed into this mess, he couldn't hide his excitement at the prospect of battle; life or death had always been his vice. Just then a heavy hand rested upon his right shoulder and a deep voice with an inbred sneer spoke to him,

"Yea...I remember you loved killing and blood shed back in the day and I can see that you haven't changed one bit, there Jackie boy" Mukuro laughed patting the lanky pirate upon the shoulders as if the two were long lost buddies finally reunited.

With a quick shrug of his shoulder he forced Mukuro's hand off his shoulder and turned to the man with a devilish glint in his eyes as his mouth twisted into a feral smile; something akin only to the look of an animal bearing its teeth before sinking them into the flesh of its prey,

"After all this, it ain't gonna be just a scar you escape with...I'm gunna freakin' cut yer whole d*mn head off!" he snarled as his fist clenched and all around him several of the fighters stepped closer in anticipation quickly making it apparent that Jack wasn't in a position of power here, Mukuro was. However, the tables always flipped in Jack Dancer's favor and once they did, alot of people would be dying in this very stadium.

Moodily pushing past the enveloping crowd Jack stood before the girl, who now had a coat draped over her shoulders staring silently down at her. For a moment he was absolutely still as he stared down at the girl with hate filled eyes, eyes that knew no love since the day that he was born, eyes that watched as his filthy b*stards of parents sent him packing onto the street while ushering in a replacement child for him. Seeing the girl's torment made him wish that he was a good guy at that moment, he wanted to say something comforting and meaningful so that she would stare up at him with that pretty innocent face with a bubbly, idiotic smile. That was what part of him wanted. Jack Dancer was not and never has been that man,

"We're in the same bracket..." he explained emotionlessly still staring down at the girl not sure if she was hearing him or whether she was ignoring him,

"...that means there's a chance that we may end up goin' up against each other, I hope yer ready..." was all that he said before starting to turn away, but then he paused. His jaw tightened as he stared at the girl as a whole, looking her up and down not as a mature bodied women, but a girl whom had spent her time with him cheerfully despite not knowing who he was or what he had done in his life.

Raising a fist to his mouth he muffled the words, "Don't die..." just as the referee called the girl up to face her first opponent; a mohawked freak of a pirate, if he could be called that, who had removed both his hands instead replacing them with detachable sytches.

As the surrounding men cheered the maniac as he proved himself to be wagged his tongue at what he believed would be his next prey spraying filmly saliva all over the arena as he danced around energetically, but Jack knew through some sort of instinct that this person wouldn't ever pose a problem to him. The only trouble was how would the girl fair against a wild man like this one?

[tsuki]

Sophia pulled on the jacket, her nose wrinkling slightly from the smell, but otherwise didn't say anything. The sleeves were long, easily concealing her hands from view, an advantage that she knew how to use, unlike these idiots. She watched as Jack walked by her, if she was in her younger mind, she would've pouted and whined to get Jack's attention.

However she was not like that anymore.

"It seems, no matter how hard I try, they still slip through..." She mumbled, to no one but herself. Reaching up she button up the first four buttons but let the rest loose, she was going to need all the free movement that she was going to get. There...is a reason why the younger Sophia was not like her, or Shai...or...her. She was a child, a personality formed from the fact that she grew up hungry, cold, alone....shunned, she was white...while everyone else was a mixture of grey to black.

Well she, the older Sophia, made it so that the girl would remain that beautiful color of white, but since they were all essentially the same person, it was impossible for some instincts, some emotions or feelings to be forgotten in some situations. Bloodlust...causes her to come forth, which bring the younger version so much pain as her young mind cannot comprehend it.

Even now in her minds eye, she can see Shai with younger Sophia in her lap, trying to soothe the child from the tears that now stream from her eyes.

How unsightly...this world of man... Her mind hissed, her narrowed chocolate brown eyes moving to the side taking in every detail. Marine training kicking in, taking in stances, expressions, her mind calculating weakness', and even the quickest way to break bones.

She blinked as Jack's body was suddenly in front of her, and looked up into his eyes unflichingly, just tilting her head at the hate coming from those eyes. "Jack Dancer..." She said as he turned away, she moved forward standin by his side, "A beast might be released during this..." Her eyes glanced towards him, before her eyes slid back towards her opponent and the impatient referee, "Do you now hate me? Because of my ranking and involvement with the Marines?" She released a small sigh, "Its a little upsetting, I still consider you my friend." A small smile spread across her lips, "In that case, if we were to fight, death by your hands then, might not be so horrible."

With that said she walked into the arena finally, her hands still by her sides. The smile slid from her lips as she looked at her opponent before tilting her head up slightly, and looking down at the other. A tactic to belittle them with just body language, a tactic to piss them off, thus cause mistakes.