[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/usTGUT9.png[/img] [h1][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjExNi4zMDQ2MDEuU205dVlYTWdUR0Z1WjJWeS4wAA,,/ferrum.extra-condensed.png[/img] [img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjcyLjQzYTM0ZC5UM1J6WVc1aElFc3VJRU52Y25KaGJBLCwuMgAA/vanilla-whale.regular.png[/img] [b]Klara Grimolfdottir[/b][/h1] [hr][hr] Brenda gave Jonas a look... she wondered what in the hell he wanted to talk about, but hey, he doesn't seem to be rubbing his victory in her face. Besides, she knew that, knowing about all of his tricks, she could beat him the next time they faced each other. She merely shrugged at him, and answered with a short and sweet, "Sure," Brenda answered as she hopped up to her feet. She raised one arm over her head, and she placfed her other hand on it. Twisting her upper body to the side. A simple excercise. "I need to stretch anyway." Excellent, Jonas had another possible nomad that could help him out! Then again, this could be a bust if he failed to convince her... or if she met the requirements. Jonas smiled from ear to ear, eyes gleamed like diamonds amongst the rough. [color=8dc73f]"Great, now I don't have to li-,"[/color] as Jonas moved a muscle to crack his neck, he mildly recoiled at the sound of [i]another[/i] fighter biting the dust and the announcer obnoxiously riling up the crowd. [color=598527]"... ugh, don't talk, walk Jonas,"[/color] he grumbled to himself as the asset followed right behind him, stretching. As they escaped the arena, the doctor clasped both of his hands onto the back of his head, traversing at a leisurely pace as his eyes drifted around the myriads of stages. With the amount of contestants, there was more than enough that this would drag on for like another hour or two... so he had enough time. Eventually, they exited that stupid blaring stadium (which he could still hear some of the screaming and cheering, hot damn). As the duo made their way through, Jonas let his hands slip to his sides. [color=598527]"So, I'm a bit curious about your situation,"[/color] Jonas tilted his head to the side, rotating it a little so that he could glance at the feisty black woman. [color=598527]"What d'you need the money for? Gotta pay off some debts to somebody,"[/color] his thoughts turned to those mook's he faced the prior night. He wanted to know her goals... obviously, he wanted something from Brenda, of course. Or some proprosition. Long as it wasn't her kidneys, she was going to hear him out. She leaned up against the wall, crossing her arms with her eyes closed. [color=598527]"World travels? Garnering fame?"[/color] Alright, now if she was solid as a rock, Jonas would have to tailor his words carefully... as much as he wanted to point out the ups and downs of her fighting style or discuss other semantics, this was not the time. She rolled her eyes at that comment. "... I don't give a damn about neither of that," Brenda bluntly said, "I have a little brother... who decided to head out and live the life of a Nomad... I was asked to bring him back before he bites off more than what he could chew." Wow, Brenda was a bit too... open... then again, she could have a head for profit which made her a dangerous (and potentially levelheaded) asset. A benefit to finding her brother, or a lie for traveling the world just to ditch his word later on... Ugh, he took a gamble with Otsana, and unlike his account, he was hurting for certain resources, so why not? Pivoting to meet her gaze as he stopped by the wall, he glanced over at her crossed arms before responding with his own repertoire. Letting his arm loosely limp to the side, Jonas stuck his hand onto his hip as he kept that similar leisurely visage, save for a slight frown as he stared to the side. [color=598527]"Well, the life of a nomad is a tough one... and considering how young you look,"[/color] he leaned in a little, squinting his eyes as he glossed over Brenda before retracting, [color=598527]"he probably lacks experience..."[/color] Now that he thought on it, did Miss Rocky Road have any prior experience [i]herself[/i]? Probably; he did sense a lot of ki from within Brenda, as well as her attacks... [color=598527]"Ok, lets cut to the chase - I'll help you with this large scale game of Where's Waldo, but in return, I'll ask you to do three things for me,"[/color] as he spoke, he held up three fingers with the back of his hand as he stared at her face with piercing eyes. [color=598527]"Your thoughts?"[/color] "... You sound suspicious." Brenda immediately voiced her concerns with Jonas. Something about this just screamed "trap." She looked at Jonas, her eyes wide, and nearly pierced through him with the intensity she displayed towards the man. "What are these three things?" Brenda stepped off the wall, and placed a hand on her hip as she stared at him. Never letting him out of her eyes for a second. "Y'know, when people are vague like this, I start to get [i]reeeeally[/i] suspicious...." She trailed off. Well, she was savvy, that was for sure... which meant he had to dance around this whole spectrum without revealing too much... Or Jonas could say to heck with it and end up on this ladies blacklist. If she was going to be a nomad, there was a possibility of him running into this brawny woman again... which definitely would spell disaster. Time to put on a poker face. [color=598527]"These three things are nothing much - for one, I want you to help me with my operations,"[/color] Jonas gave a soft pat on his bag as he shrugged, faintly chuckling. [color=598527]"Considering it counts as a job, I won't mind paying you for it either."[/color] [i]And what are these[/i] operations? Brenda thought to herself, her mouth moving, almost speaking out loud, before keeping it to herself. She didn't want to make it [i]obvious[/i] that she didn't trust Jonas, but she knew that he could be helpful for her own goals. And besides, she would just ditch him if he turned out to be some loon. "... You have my interest." Dropping his thumb, he left his hand in a V shaped formation as he finished tapping his satchel. Tilting his head forward, Jonas couldn't help but shift his head forward, his lips curving upward as an eyebrow bent downwards. [color=598527]"Second, the only thing [i]I[/i] have to cover for you is transportation; food, shelter, that's all on you."[/color] "That's fine," Brenda said, shrugging as she stared down Jonas. "I would be working that out on my own if I had won this tournament." Clicking his tongue against the top of his hard palate, his middle finger shot downwards as his index was pointed at Brenda like a gun. [color=598527]"Unless you want to split the bill."[/color] Retracting his finger, he paused for a moment as he clicked his tongue trying to think of something else. He tapped the side of his cranium with is finger, uttering third for a few seconds before holding it up in front of both of them. "... No." Brenda answered short and sweet. "No offense, but I sleep better alone." [color=598527]"Finally, you'll buy me one new knife - specifically one of these brands."[/color] As he spat this fire at her, Jonas removed his hand from both their faces and produced a knife from his cuffs to display. Rolling it over to grab the blade, he flipped it over to display a jay with the words [i]Bluejay's Bastille[/i]. Removing the blade from her face, he held his hand up as it dropped back into his coat as he returned her own glare. [color=598527]"So, does this deal sound [i]rock solid[/i] fer you now?"[/color] He honestly had to hold back gagging and giggling from those words. Brenda crossed her arms, and shrugged. "... Buy your own knives, you knew what you were getting into the moment you signed up for the tournament." She declined, her voice was rather annoyed as she looked to the side. Before facing all. "I'm willing to join you, but one thing's been bugging me...." Brenda trailed off, she made her uncertainy quite obvious through body language and tone. [i]Quite[/i]. "... What kind of 'operations' are we talking about here?" And Brenda made sure to look Jonas directly in the eyes as she said this. He was crafty, but not as cunning as he made himself out to be. "Look, I'm open to mercenary work, whatever gets my brother back home, but I'm not joining any crusades..." The last few words burned with anger and passion that Jonas could almost feel it radiate off her (without her even having to tap into the magma parts of her ki). "... Got it?" [color=598527]"Glad to hear your concerns, but... crusades?"[/color] He was practically laughing at this worry, though he was legitimately glad this lady has street smarts off the battlefield. Jonas smile was widened as he ended his muted chuckling before raising a hand to his shoulder. In an instant, he swept his hand down all the way to his pants, staring at the floor fleetingly before locking with those magma laced eyes with a lazy glance. [color=598527]"I'm a doctor, not some religious nut with a bible up their ass,"[/color] he retraced his hands as he pointed a finger directly at her nose. [color=598527]"Surgery, scheduling, sparring, revenge, y'know, usual stuff doctors do."[/color] "Glad to hear it..." Brenda said, she let her uncertainy slip through, but caught herself. She wondered what he meant by "revenge," but was certain it was a joke or something. She just shrugged, and kept moving. His gaze darkened during the time at the mention of revenge, but he kept his otherwise nonchalant visage up against this rock hard persona. Going back to his usual height, Jonas' eyes drifted to the side at the time, then to a television displaying the brackets, as well as a small snippet of each fight from time to time. [color=598527]"If y'don't have anything else on your mind, wanna grab some grub? We've got more than enough time before the next fights."[/color] "Sure." Brenda said. "I know a few places... wish we could head somewhere to get some real Brazilian food... but I guess the tourist shit will do...." [color=598527]"Maybe if I win this thing, y'wouldn't mind showing my friend and I some places where we can get a good taste of Brazilian cuisine, hm,"[/color] Jonas gave the gal a rather toothy grin before turning his head forward and noticing a familiar set of ears... speaking of "friends," there she was - Otsana, his wolf... buddy... actually, did he ever ask her if her ears were real or what she was? Eh, questions that could be saved for another time as there was an even larger, physical question in the room - who was this impressive gal she was accompanied by? She had the appearance of a human, but her snow white muscular display said otherwise. Whoever she was, maybe she was allied with Otsana? A friend or lover perhaps? Regardless, she could be of some use to Jonas. [color=598527]"Yo, Otsana,"[/color] the doctor shouted out as he sped up a little to catch the merc, raising his hand up into the air. The wolf girl turned to the doctor, ears perking up. She was nursing a shiner and some scrapes, but she seemed quite cheerful as she held a can of soda to her cheek. [color=lime]"Oh hey Doc, good to see ya. How did your fight go? Didja kick some ass?"[/color] [color=00aeef]"If he is your friend I have little doubt of that!"[/color] the large woman accompanying her said triumphantly, a mug of some fizzy beverage held aloft in her free hand. Judging by the state of the garment draped along her shoulder and the scorch and scratch marks on her arms she must have been in quite a fight as well. [i]Oh, you've got to be joking.[/i] Brenda thought to herself as she looked at the ridiculous looking wolf-girl. From her ears, to her outfit... she just looked weird as all hell. Not to mention the guns. Brenda decided to keep her mouth shut. [color=598527]"Heh, y'know it,"[/color] Jonas exclaimed as he snapped his fingers, pointing it as a gun as he gave a blister smile to the woman before jamming his thumb back at Brenda who was behind him. But still, he couldn't help but glance at her a little longer and woah... those were... a lot of bruises. It was obvious to him she just got out of a brutal scuffle in the ring... yeesh. [color=598527]"I also made a new acquaintance as well. Hope y'don't mind her accompany'n us."[/color] Jonas tilted his head back, beaming a tinge at Brenda. Otsana shook her heard. [color=lime] "Forming your own little squad of hotties eh?"[/color] She pulled Klara in with her free arm. [color=lime] "Good to hear that you won. This ice-hearted girl threw me out of the ring. Klara, meet Jonas. Jonas, meet Klara. You might have to fight each other later but for now..."[/color] She toasted with her can. [color=lime] "We chill out."[/color] She nods to the new girl. [color=lime]"Pour ourselves a frosty mug, and break the ice."[/color] [color=598527]"Must be a pretty good fighter if she bested ya,"[/color] he turned an eye to the lady who iced Otsana - the tall giantess of a woman. [color=00aeef]"It was a pitched battle, one for the ages if I ever saw it."[/color] Klara said with a laugh, her breath misting despite the warm temperatures before she knocked back her drink. [color=00aeef]"And I was fortunate to have such an opponent!"[/color] Welp, that answered his question fairly easily as the doc gave the icy enchantress the same warm smile he did to the rest of his female compatriots. [color=598527]"It's a pleasure t'meetcha Klara, the name is Jonas, but in the arena, just call me The Doctor."[/color] He gave the whole lotta lady a casual, but respectful salute off the top of his head before going onto more pressing matters. [color=00aeef]"Ah, a man of medicine and of martial prowess? Most interesting..."[/color] Klara remarked with renewed interest. [color=00aeef]"Come, won't you join us for a celebratory toast?"[/color] [color=598527]"And, that sounds like an alright proposal, buuuut,"[/color] he let his head limply hang to the side as he put one of his hands up, palm out. [color=598527]"I'm gonna put downin' some mugs on the back-burner until I steal the win. Better safe than sorry, amirite?"[/color] He shrugged as he displayed a smile. He was already jeopardizing enough keeping his cards close to his chest and indulging in the revelry more would just make it a tad worse. Besides, he wanted to try his hand at making a few cocktails later on. The puns almost made Brenda want to magma fist herself in the face. But, for now, she was going to tolerate it. "Brenda Andrade, I'm the one that had this knucklehead on the ropes." She playfully said as she threw a thumb back at Jonas. She focused on the weird wolf girl. "So, you're my co-worker? Didn't expect [i]you[/i] to be the type to follow him." Otsana scratched the back of her head. [color=lime] "I wouldn't say 'follow' him. He hasn't even offered me a job yet. The name's Otsana, by the way."[/color] [color=00aeef]"I believe we've met before, Cleaver of Stone,"[/color] Klara piped in, raising her mug in recognition. [color=00aeef]"While you were besting the tiny man with the colorful tongue."[/color] "Oh." Brenda mouthed for a moment, before shrugging. "Great to meet cha', regardless." [color=lime]"Same here."[/color] She was tempted to make a joke about Jonas being Brenda's pimp, but she recalled the commotion that was caused when that other man made a rude comment towards her. [color=lime] "So Doc, you need my help fighting? I'm a little embarassed to ask since I just got my ass handed to me by Elsa here."[/color] [color=00aeef]"Why do many people refer to me by that name? It is starting to annoy me."[/color] Klara remarked offhandedly. [color=00aeef]"Suppose I should just let it go..."[/color] [color=598527]"Nah, you shouldn't be, y'got your guns after all,"[/color] Jonas gave the wolfish gal a small wink as he nodded his head forward with a relaxed grin. As he winked, the doctor also crossed his arms and shrugged as well. [color=598527]"But instead of a job, I think I can offer a possibly ideal partnership between all of us."[/color] Letting his limbs sink to his legs, save for one on his hip, he bent his head a little bit forward before continuing. The mans eyes fluttered as he shifted between each lady. [color=00aeef]"A partnership? In what exactly?"[/color] Klara said with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. The ice giantess wasn't exactly adverse to the gregariousness that came with making some new friends, but an offer like that made the doctor immediately suspect. Most of the humans she met that tried to pitch recruitment to her were almost always criminals that needed Klara's muscles more then anything else. She had more dignity for her skill then being a stooge to a petty human criminal. Jonas gazed over at the giantess with a casual smile as he twirled his index finger around. [color=598527]"Performin' a few operations that can range from mercenary missions to surgery on some people."[/color] Turning his head away, he glanced over at one of the exits before eyeing the large, snow skinned Klara again. [i]How come I get the [/i]job[i] and she gets the fancy sounding partnership?[/i] Brenda thought to herself. Before it just became something she ignored. [color=598527]"Say Brenda, how about instead of waitin' until after the tourney, we all grab some Brazilian food before the next match,"[/color] Jonas flicked his right hand, popping an index finger at a plausible exit. [color=598527]"We can walk'n talk about what I've got cookin' on the way; how does that sound?"[/color] [color=lime] "Food? Sounds good to me. The best partnerships are started over lunch. I think we have some time before the next brackets are announced."[/color] Brenda stretched her arm as she coolly said, "Yeah, sure." She gestured for the group to come along, as Brenda lead them through the doors.[/center]