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[center][right][b][color=teal]Location:[/color][/b] Huskers > 
Forum >
Her apartment >
Colosseum [/right][/center]
[hr][hr]

[i]Laughter filled the air. In the midst of the surrounding chaos, a lone blonde woman danced to music only she could hear. Arms thrown in the air, hips swaying back and forth. Her face set in a blanket of serenity. 

Until it wasn't.

With a deafening roar, silence enveloped the space as the woman's face contorted in agony. Flames sparked in every corner of the room as they closed in on the crowd. The blonde woman looked for an escape but found none. The fire drew near, kissing at her skin. The sizzling of flesh filled the silence as a scream permeated the air, the ends of her hair catching-[/i]

A sudden onslaught of cold liquid drew her from the nightmare, a loud gasp pulling from her throat. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared up at a familiar face. Kyros. A snarl pulled at her top lip as the man merely chuckled at her before walking away, leaving a piece of paper at her feet. It was then the blonde realized exactly where she was- the back room of Huskers, sprawled out on the floor. Huffing out a breath, Delaney brought a hand up and wiped at the remaining beads of water on her face. 

She didn't remember much of the night before. Wasn't much of a shock to her; this wasn't the first time she had blacked out from a bender. Though her drunken nights [i]had[/i] increased as this day drew closer. The last thing she wanted was to be anywhere near the Colosseum, having anything to do with the Legion. She had sworn to never return to this place the moment she had retired. And yet, the damn Solstice was here. Again.

Glancing down at herself, she grumbled at her attire. Thanks to that damn man, she was soaked to the bone, and everything was sticking to her skin. She shook her head and placed her palms on the ground before pushing herself to her feet. The tip of her shoe pushed at an object on the floor. Raising a brow, she looked down and noticed her flask before her eyes settled once more on the sheet of paper. She bent over, not without a slight wobble, and grabbed both objects. Delaney slid her flask into the back pocket of her leather pants as her eyes scanned the parchment.

[i][color=FFAC1C]Put your name on the roster. Unless you're too scared of your chances against me.[/color][/i]

Her eyes narrowed. [color=teal]"Fucking prick."[/color] Did he really think she was going to sign up to fight again? She rolled her eyes before reaching behind and yanking the flask free of her pocket. Bringing it to her lips, she quickly downed a gulp as she staggered her way to the back door. There was no way in hell she was going to participate in anything like that ever again. Her time was done. She owed nothing else to those people.

And yet, as she made her way to her apartment, her eyes kept glancing down at the paper in her hand. She had complete tunnel vision as she walked the streets, not giving one glance to anything or anyone around her. [color=teal]"Scared. Pfft. Of him?"[/color] Delaney shook her head as her free hand fumbled in her front left pocket for her house key. She growled at the noise radiating from her clothing. Water and leather didn't mix. [color=teal]"If I get a chafe burn cause of him, I'm maiming that pretty face of his."[/color]

She huffed out a breath before finally tearing her sight away from the paper. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed she was in the middle of the Forum. [color=teal]"I'll show his ass."[/color] Quickly changing direction, she stumbled her way through the crowd of people before finding her destination- the roster. She grabbed a pen and scribbled her name on the sheet as she took another large sip from her flask. She'd show him. Now all she needed was a fresh pair of clothing. And some armor.

[color=teal]"Alright, blubber. Let's see what those flippers can do."[/color] 

But first- a change of clothing.

[hr]

A pounding at the door jarred her from her sleep. Eyes blinking open, she glanced up and quickly recognized the ceiling of her bedroom. When had she gotten home? And who the hell was at her door? Groaning, Delaney rolled out of bed and stumbled to her feet, a loud squeak echoing in the empty room. She was still in her leather clothing from last night. With a shake of her head, she grabbed a black hair-tie from her corner desk and pulled her hair into a messy bun as she made her way to her front door. Pulling it open, she blinked at the small girl on the other side.

[color=teal]"Uh...Hi?"[/color]

The girl shifted on her feet, clearly not wanting to be there. [color=pink]"Miss Barlowe? Your match is starting soon and they're wondering where you are."[/color]

Blinking, her brows furrowed as she tilted her head. [color=teal]"Match? What match? I never-"[/color] The memory of that morning came to the forefront of her mind. Kyros. The roster. His [i]dare[/i]. [color=teal]"Shit."[/color] She blinked once more as she looked at the girl. [color=teal]"I mean- uh. Shoot. Uh. Okay. Thanks."[/color]

She watched as the girl quickly ran off, leaving her in her dust. Delaney groaned and closed the door before leaning her forehead against it. So much for not fighting for them again. Sighing, she pushed away from the door. [color=teal]"Alcohol. Alcohol is needed."[/color] She made her way to her bedroom in search of alcohol and weed, the two things that were so desperately needed in that moment. The only two things that were going to give her the ability to walk back into that Colosseum.

[hr]

Delaney couldn't help but laugh. Not only had she not been paired with the asshole who made her do this, but to actually have [i]lost[/i] the fight? To [i]Noah Hayes[/i] of all people. She sat on a cot in medical, having the few scrapes and bruises that she received mended, and just laughed. Did the girl get absolutely lucky that Delaney had to be absolutely shitfaced in order to wield her weapons again? Absolutely. Without a doubt. There hadn't been many fights that she had lost so badly in, especially to someone like her. Well. It sure as hell was one way to welcome this year's Solstice.

Once she got the all clear, she staggered her way towards the stands to watch the remaining matches. She hadn't paid much attention to any of the previous ones, so she wasn't too convinced that she would see Kyros waiting for her. Why would he, anyway? There weren't many people who wanted to be around her these days. She couldn't really blame them. She spent too many of her days either drunk or high beyond belief, wanting to forget about everything in her past. It typically worked.

And yet, she could never escape this day. The one day she was expected to play nice with the others. Didn't mean she had to be sober for it. 

It didn't take her long to find an empty seat relatively far away from anyone she could possibly know. The sooner the fights were over, the party began. And that was her real time to shine.