Archive of Our Own

Ivy sighed looking at her measly paycheck. It was a whole week early because while they liked her attitude, "they were going to go in a different direction."

New Yorkers passed her by with little care, leaving her to her dismay. It always seemed to go like this. She'd start a new job based on the recommendation of Carlos' friend, she'd try her best, but something always happened that caused her employers to want to "go in a different direction." Most recently, it was too many wrong orders brought to too many wrong tables. She gripped her hat tightly, feeling her eyes sting, before sighing and putting it tightly on her head, brim low to hide any potential tears.

It was just so frustrating! Things were so much easier when it was just her and Mendoza's crew! She doesn't regret what she did to get them out of Spanish Harlem, far from it, but nothing since then has felt right. She wouldn't go so far as to say vigilantism was her calling, but violence rarely paid the bills, at least not ethically.

She groaned loudly towards the sky, closing her eyes. That gnawing feeling at her gut was back again, and while deep down she knew the Arroyos would never demand a salary from her, even deeper down she couldn't help but feel ashamed at her inability to provide it. She stared back down at the paycheck from the diner and had half a mind to simply throw it in the garbage, but she eventually figured she could maybe get some smaller sets of groceries with it, maybe some dried beans and corn.

Sighing and adjusting her cap, she began her short walk since she didn't feel like flying at the current moment. It was a bit more crowded on the sidewalk, and New York rarely provided the room needed for her wings, but people at least had the decency to give her a wide enough berth for her to drag her feet to her bank, since she got "different direction-ed" before 5:00.

At least the walk was pleasant enough. She loved people watching, and while she wasn't in the mood to strike up any conversations, it was always interesting to see who she passed by. They all looked so busy, which she supposed made her the odd one out. She didn't necessarily want to be someone in a full suit, hat, and briefcase to go to her job, but at this point, she might take anything so long as it paid decently well and was at least ethical enough. She said a silent quick prayer in hopes that someone was listening and could cut her some slack.

Eventually, she made it to her bank, folding her wings closer to her back to be able to get in the door, but not before she opened it and bumped into someone. She must have gotten so into her head that she couldn't see who she was bumping into, especially after it squished the brim of her cap into her eyes, preventing her for seeing further.

"Agh, lo siento, señor, pero-" She started, pulling her cap up from her head to see who she so rudely bumped into, but stopped once she saw who exactly it was, impressive mustache and all.

"Perfectly fine, The Lash™ knows his brilliance can be blinding."

Ivy blinked at the man she bumped into, confused by what he was saying before realizing with a gasp, "Wait, Lash? Like, the pit fighter?"

"The one and only!" He smiled, the sunset illuminating is features, "Gotta say, its nice to meet someone who can meet The Lash™ at his level!"

Ivy tilted her head, confused by what he was saying, "At… his level? I'm confused, Mr. The Lash."

"Just Lash™ is fine, and I'm talking about you, Ivy. The Lash™ is familiar with your reputation." He put one hand on his hip, and the other stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "Or are you not the Gargoyle from Spanish Harlem?"

Ivy's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Someone famous knew who she was?

Eventually, she explained, "No, that's… uh… me."

"Thought so. The Lash™ is observant, and impressed." He flashed her a dazzling smile. "Color me surprised that Mendoza hates someone more than me."

"I- uhm- thank… you?" Ivy stuttered, blinking somewhat incredulously at Lash.

"You're quite welcome! That actually reminds me, rumor has it you're looking for a job," Lash said, his countenance getting shinier by the moment. He was practically beaming, and right as Ivy thought she was actually seeing sparkles of light around his face, he turned around to leave but said, "Walk with me."

Ivy wasn't sure WHAT the hell was going on, and she also didn't necessarily expect her prayers to get answered so quickly. She looked back and forth between the door to the bank and Lash, internally trying to figure out what she should be doing, but Lash wasn't waiting up for her, and frankly, nothing screamed "divine intervention" more than a famous person knowing who she was and also knowing that she needed a job. Deciding to bite the bullet, she stuffed the meager paycheck into her pocket and started jogging after Lash saying, "Wait hold up!"

Eventually she caught up, though it had taken a bit of time to get there. Guess he had places to be? Regardless, he continued the conversation as if it hadn't abruptly stopped moments ago, saying, "The Lash™ isn't sure why you're looking for work, but he can provide it! You see, a Champion's work is never done, especially one as great as The Lash™. But hardworking Champions attract powerful people who try to bet on his downfall. Fortunately for them, their bets instead pay for their tuition."

"Tuition?"

"The Lash™ 101: Never bet against The Lash™."

Ivy wasn't sure what point he was getting at, but she supposed he'd be pretty busy as a champion. She followed about a pace behind Lash as he continued, "That said, even if The Lash™ is the one and only, it is still just one of him, and he's smart enough to realize that when enough powerful people pay tuition, they want recompense."

Ivy blinked at the back of his head, surprised at how well spoken he seemed, and asked, "Recompense?"

Lash stopped, and turned to face her, the sunset beating down on his face, and clarified, "They want refunds or their pound of flesh. Either way, The Lash™ keeps well informed on rumors, which brings me to you!"

He turned back around, starting his fast paced walk again, causing Ivy to startle and scramble to keep up with him. He continued, "Now, normally I'd be willing to keep my corner to just The Lash™, but I've heard lots of whispers that someone wants The Lash™ out of the ring. Which is where you come in! The Lash™ puts his all into his fights, which means that'd be the best time for cowards to try and strike out at him. There's a set of rafters above the ring for lights that you can hang above and keep an eye on things. Be a set of eyes that can see more than just the ring."

It took a while, but Lash finally got to his point and Ivy actually seemed to understand what he was getting at.

"So, you want me to be security?"

"And a bodyguard before and after the fight."

That confused Ivy, and she asked, "A Champion needs a bodyguard?"

He peered over his shoulder at her and said, "Like I said, an extra set of eyes would be exactly what I need. Lots can happen in the ring, and while The Lash™ knows he can control everything inside it, just as much can happen outside it too. Two sets of eyes would be better than one, and with the rafters above, I think you'd be the perfect fit."

Ivy was silent for a bit, the only sounds she made being her footfall. Eventually, Lash spoke up and said, "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I'm going to be honest, Lash, I wasn't expecting you to be so… I don't know… people said you were pretty mean, and I guess I thought… you seem to have thought this through a lot."

He chuckled quietly, and said, "The Lash™ isn't one to listen to what stupid people have to say about him, and make no mistake, I'd only consider hiring someone who was as smart at The Lash™"

Ivy supposed she should take that as a compliment, roundabout as it may have been. Eventually, she replied, "Ok, lets say I accept. How much would I be paid?"

Ivy could tell Lash was grinning, even over his shoulder, and he replied, "I'd be willing to pay 3% of my winnings per fight."

Ivy raised an eyebrow and said, "3%? That's a pretty specific number."

There was a beat of silence from Lash, which almost prompted Ivy to ask about it, but eventually he said, "It may not seem like a lot, but The Lash™ isn't in the business of wasting people's time. It'll be worth your effort, that The Lash™ can guarantee."

Ivy quirked her eyebrows, the implication of his "guarantee" not being lost on her. Eventually, Lash stopped at an intersection, and turned to Ivy, his face betraying none of his current thoughts as he waited for her answer. Ivy also had to admit, golden hour lighting gave him a rather distinguished look, even with just a tank top and some dark pants ripped at the knees for clothes. No matter the angle, the lighting seemed to always flatter him.

Though eventually, Ivy realized she was probably staring too long, because she saw him quirk his own eyebrow at her and she quickly dropped the brim of her hat over her eyes and sputtered out, "That- uh- I would be willing to at least give it a shot?"

She wasn't looking at him, embarrassed by her earlier faux pax, but she could hear the grin in his voice when he said, "Looking forward to it, Ivy." She then heard him get out a piece of paper and deigned to look at him once she heard the scratching of a pen. She saw his face screwed in concentration as he was writing, and right around when Ivy swore she was seeing sparkles around his head again, Lash crossed his T's and motioned for Ivy to take the now folded paper, causing her to once again jump at being caught staring. She somewhat pathetically took the piece of paper to see an address on it with instructions on how to get into the back entrance. Lastly, it listed a time, but Lash clarified that saying, "I'll be drawing up a contract for you to sign at the Pit, so maybe be a bit earlier than that time. That time is when the fight actually starts."

Ivy read over the instructions a few times, making sure to sear the information into her brain. She also couldn't help but notice his handwriting was all capital letters and somewhat thick, but very neat. Not at all what she expected from him, but then again, this whole conversation was already so weird. Wasn't he supposed to be a huge asshole? He was confident in himself, sure, but nothing seemed too mean about what he was saying?

She looked up to thank him for the help, but he was already crossing the street, seemingly off to go do whatever he did before his fights. For the third time, she startled, but instead of following, she shouted, "Ah- Gracias, Lash! I'll see you tonight!"

Lash simply turned around and smirked at her, his mustache quirking with the movement and he gave a quick salute with two fingers. And it was at this point that Ivy could deny it no longer; he DEFINITELY had sparkles around his face. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing it correctly, but by the time she was finished, he had already turned back around and was walking away.

She blinked at him as he left, and then looked around to see where she was in relation to home. When it wasn't familiar, she decided that she was done moping around for the evening and once she had some room, she spread her wings to fly home. Though she had to admit, the whole trip home she was thinking about how strange this whole encounter was. Thinking about it a bit longer, she said a quick prayer of thanks for the fast turnaround on her last one and flew straight home, eager to prepare for her new job.

And prepare she did, but she had to admit, the Arroyos were especially curious about her newest job tonight. Carlos obviously thought it was strange she found a job without his friends help, but even her sister was asking questions about it, and she normally kept those sorts of things to herself.

She already had a tough enough time explaining why she lost her most recent job, but how was she supposed to explain that she had a chance encounter with a champion pit fighter at the bank? Who then offered her a job on the spot to do what amounted to being a bodyguard? Either way, Ivy learned something about herself that night: she was HORRIBLE at keeping her cool around her family when they were prying her for details. She also learned that they were equally horrible at being told nothing when it was about something gossipy. Her attempted explanation to them about her job was… bad, but she was able to get them off her back when she said that she was just giving it a shot and might not even stick with it.

Regardless, she was finally flying towards the address Lash had written earlier: a nondescript building by The Narrows that seemed to have its lights off. She elected not to bring her gun, since she figured it'd be a bad idea with a crowd, but her namesake Kudzu remained with her. She had been in plenty of scraps without her gun before, she figured she could handle herself without it.

Upon flying a bit closer to the nondescript building, she could see some bouncers guarding the entrances. Nodding, she followed Lash's instructions: head to the entrance closer to the Harbor.

She landed quietly, but was surprised to see that the bouncer barely reacted to her sudden appearance. Perhaps things were stranger here than she would have originally guessed.

Next, she followed Lash's next instruction.

"Uhm, I'm here as Lash's security."

"Passcode?"

"Uh… Tengu?"

The bouncer nodded and opened the door behind them leading to a set of stairs going downward. Slowly, she made her way down nodding her thanks to the bouncer as she did. Once she got down a few stairs, she heard the door close behind her with an echoing slam. She adjusted her cap and made her way down further, her steps causing echoes as she got further down, the light becoming dimmer and the smell becoming a mix of brackish waters and gym sweat.

Eventually, she reached the bottom, where a short, sparsely lit hall lead her to a single door guarded by another bouncer. Nodding at her, he stepped aside to reveal a door that had "Locker Room" painted onto it somewhat crudely. She nodded her thanks to this bouncer as well as they opened the door for her. She stepped in and the gym sweat smell was stronger than ever.

The door closed behind her with a loud thunk causing some of the rather old looking lights to flicker. After she got her bearings, she said somewhat loudly, "Lash, are you here?" When she got no answer, she decided to explore a bit, though carefully as it WAS a locker room, and she didn't want to walk in on her new employer in the middle of changing…

…Which she was at least half right to be worried about. When she did eventually find him, he was hunched over on a bench, hands clasped in front of his face not in prayer but focus. Notably, he had forgone his tank top to go shirtless, but to Ivy's relief, his dark pants remained intact.

"Hi Lash, I'm here so…" Ivy trailed off, noting that Lash seemingly wasn't listening. In fact, she would have assumed he was asleep but she didn't hear snoring. Instead, she could hear him inhaling and exhaling in long intervals, somewhat quietly at that. Her only hint of this happening was that his shoulders were slowly rising and falling in time with his breathing.

The light above him flickered, and while Ivy looked at it instinctively, Lash remained focused on… whatever he was doing. Ivy wasn't sure what was going on, but she also couldn't stop watching the rise and fall of his shoulders. Her eyes traced over them stretching with every breath, the harsh lighting causing the shadows of the dips in his muscles to be more pronounced. Its funny, Ivy joked at home that she was a work of art, but Lash was giving The Thinker a run for his money. Considering how still he was being, it wouldn't be too farfetched to think he was some sort of sculpted statue, and frankly, Ivy thought "sculpted" was an apt word to describe him. She couldn't help her eyes following the lines of his shoulders down to his back, seemingly drawn just as taut as the rest of him at the moment. His tank top from earlier didn't exactly hide much, but it was at this moment she realized what exactly it WAS covering.

A loud clap sounded through the room. It came from Lash.

Ivy startled like getting her hand caught in the cookie jar and Lash stood up very suddenly, jumping a bit as he did. Ivy had to adjust her cap as it had almost fallen off in her shock, and while she did, she heard Lash say, "Ah, Ivy! Glad to see you here!"

The implication was that he just noticed her now, but Ivy couldn't be sure. Its not like she tried hiding herself, but there's no way he didn't hear her.

"Hi Lash, I tried getting your attention, but-"

Lash held up a hand and said, "Not to worry Ivy, wasn't your fault. The Lash™ was simply ruminating before his fight"

Ivy blinked at him.

"Ruminating?"

He nodded, and then started bouncing on the balls of his feet, loosening his shoulders as he did. He then explained, "The Lash™ isn't one to go into a fight unprepared, and as much as a fight is physical, its also mental. The Lash™ has to warm up both ways."

Ivy considered his words, and as she did, Lash went over to a locker and pulled out a nice looking piece of paper, the writing a lot more formal looking than his earlier writing. It was the contract for her services, and if she had to guess, he had a lawyer or something draw it up.

"This is for you. Read it over, and let me know if you want to make any changes, but you should find it satisfactory."

Ivy did read it over, and carefully too, but Lash seemed to cover his bases. This didn't obligate her to be his bodyguard, but it did obligate her to be a bodyguard when she accepted employment for a fight, meaning she really was able to leave after this one if she didn't like it. It went over her basic duties, and nothing listed surprised her or wasn't already discussed. She found herself nodding at it impressed. It even had a clause that if potential harm were to come to Lash and she was able to stop it, her payment would be doubled that night. A lawyer clearly drew it up, but Lash was a man of his word, and she could tell this had his input.

Ivy looked around for a pen to sign it, and Lash was already holding one out for her. She graciously accepted, trying to ignore the sparkles she thought she saw around his face (she might have said it earlier, but even this dank lighting down here was flattering him, maybe he was just very photogenic?). She scratched out her signature and gave Lash back both the contract and the pen. He accepted them with a smirk and said, "Many thanks, Ivy, The Lash™ gives his word that you won't regret this."

Ivy nodded at him and couldn't help but think that Lash seemed to tick to his own clock; march to the beat of his own drum. She still hadn't seen anything that would constitute him as an asshole yet, just that he had things to do, and damn it, he was going to do them. In fact, she couldn't help but feel like she was being swept along for whatever Lash had in store.

At the moment, that seemed to be going to the fight proper, as Lash, still shirtless mind you, motioned for Ivy to follow him to the ring. As they made their way down a hallway, Ivy realized that the buzz she had heard since coming down to the locker room wasn't from any of the lights, but the crowd that had gathered. She wasn't exactly sure how big the Bear Pit fights were, but she suddenly got nervous due to the chatter. She figured it'd be big, but this was getting to be bigger than she thought.

They eventually made it to a large double door, which Ivy could only guess was leading to the Bear Pit itself. Her spiraling was interrupted by Lash taking a deep breath in and out, clearly psyching himself up. That got Ivy to pause. Here was the Champion of this place, and he was psyching himself up? Did the Champ get nervous too?

Lash cracked his neck in both directions, groaning with each one, before turning to Ivy with a smirk.

"You, ready Ivy?"

"I-I dunno, Lash… This is way bigger than I thought it would be."

"Well, don't worry! You don't have to talk to any of them! Once I'm in the ring, you can fly up to the rafters, and with the light's glare, no one will be able to see you up there!"

Ivy blinked again at Lash again. For all of Lash's bluster, he sure knew how to ease someone's worries.

"Besides, all eyes will be on The Lash™ once he gets in the ring."

Ah, there it was. She couldn't help rolling her eyes, but she also couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips. She did feel a little better though, oddly enough. She didn't have to talk to any of them, just keep an eye on them. People watching, just for a different reason.

Ivy nodded at Lash who gave a dazzling smile in response. There was no mistaking it; he had sparkles around his face. While she wondered what magic charm he had employed or if she was just seeing things, she heard a loud voice from beyond the double doors.

"L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-Ladies and gentlemen! We hope you enjoyed the Bear Pit's Under-card bouts, but don't move from your seats! We have the Main Event about to unfold! In the blue corner…"

Lash took that as his cue, smirked, and opened the doors.

The boos were almost immediate. Ivy was taken aback by just how quickly people were ready to boo Lash.

"Weighing 265 pounds, and standing at 6 feet and 2 inches!"

Lash didn't even spare anyone else a glance. He simply started his short walk to the ring, taking as long as the ring announcer would give him. There were no waves, no shouts of glory, just Lash with a purpose.

"The hometown hero of the harbor! The Surly Stevedore!"

Ivy followed behind, her eyes darting between all the various crowd members who were shouting boos and profanities at Lash.

Ivy saw someone in the crowd raise up their bottle of beer to throw at Lash, and quicker than she had the idea in her brain to do so, her wing unfolded to block its path towards Lash. That seemed to invite others to join in on the action, as suddenly, everything from snacks to bottles, and even betting tickets were being thrown at Lash. Ivy eventually decided it'd just be better to shield Lash with both of her wings, following closely behind him to give him maximum protection.

The boos and shouts were incessant. Some complained about losing bets. Others shouted that he was going to lose or that he was a loser. Others still said things about how they'd kill him, hurt him, shoot him, stab him, and many other colorful threats to his livelihood.

None of this was left out of the contract. It had mentioned threats both real and vocal were going to be something she'd have to deal with. But as she was moving her wings to shield from more projectiles, she seemed to understand why Lash even wanted to hire someone. This was horrid, and Ivy didn't care who you were. Enough nights like this and even the bravest souls would want someone to watch their back.

So she did. Nothing was able to touch Lash, and Ivy herself got a few threats thrown her way she could hear, but nothing she hadn't heard from any of Mendoza's goons before. Lash, to his credit, wasn't giving any of the crowd the time of day. Odd that he'd be the Champion while simultaneously being so despised. But despite everything, he remained steadfast, simply walking to the ring.

"The-e-e-e LA-A-A-A-ASH!"

They both eventually reached the ring, the ropes blocking Lash from entering it properly. Ivy did remember something else from the contract, as it mentioned she would need to push the top rope up and the middle and bottom rope down so that Lash could enter the ring. She made sure no other detritus would hit Lash before going to move the ropes, which surprised her with how much effort it took. She eventually realized just sitting on the middle rope and pushing the top rope above her shoulder was the easiest thing for her to do, and Lash gave her a barely perceptible nod before entering the ring.

Now safely within it, Ivy took that as her cue to spread her wings and take off quickly towards the rafters, which as Lash promised had plenty of room for her to perch. The motion was met with loud gasps and murmurs once she did, but it settled fairly quickly as she perched into her position. Lash was right, this was perfect for her! She had a view of the whole venue, plenty of room to stalk around the rafters, and she wasn't sure if Lash was thinking about this, but if something DID happen, her stone form would be extremely effective from up here. Honestly, Lash had surprised her thus far with his… well, she wouldn't call it thoughtfulness, but she supposed she could call it his level of preparation.

The crowd eventually quieted down a bit, waiting for the ring announcer to start his spiel again, but before they could, Lash actually stole the microphone from them, causing some feedback from the sound system and gasps from the crowd. Ivy herself was surprised at the motion too, not sure what exactly he was doing. Lash himself simply held the microphone in one hand and looked at the nails of his other hand, as if he had no intention of getting to his point any time soon. He then took that same hand and put the middle finger of it in his ear and made a show of trying to get something out of it, which he then flicked away by leaving that same finger up to the crowd and quietly murmured into the mic.

"I don't think I heard you, is that the best you shitheads got?"

The crowd EXPLODED with jeers, far louder than Ivy had heard on the way in, and with much more intensity.

Ivy understood it now. Jacob Lash might actually have been an asshole.

It was clear to her that this was some method of trying to get back at the crowd, but honestly, it was working a bit on her too as she felt her teeth grind and frustration mount. She JUST got done making sure he wasn't hit with anything before he got to the ring, and he wants to rile them up MORE? Sure enough, more bottles were thrown into the ring, but Lash must have known they'd never manage to hit him, because at worst they pitifully rolled towards his feet. To top it all off, he was actually LAUGHING at them. Visibly. Audibly!

She dragged her hand over her face to try and calm down a bit, because she didn't think her frustration would help the job, but she was considering that this job as a whole might not have been the best idea. Though, like Lash had said earlier, nothing hit him once he was in the ring, so she figured he'd be fine for now. It wasn't like this part of the job was her responsibility. It was only if an actual threat appeared.

That said, Ivy went back to looking down at the ring and saw that Lash's pointer finger was pointed up right at her. Even from way up here, she could tell that he had a smirk plastered on his face, and once she was actually looking at him, she actually saw him wink at her! Wasn't no one supposed to be able to see up here?

She supposed it didn't matter too much, because to everyone else, it just looked like Lash was proclaiming himself to be number one, or maybe throwing up a finger to god. From her vantage point, no one else was looking up. She sighed deeply and wondered how exactly she got into this mess.

The ring announcer was barely able to announce the other fighter over the din of the crowd, still shouting obscenities at Lash, who was now leaning in his corner, the ropes supporting his arms. Ivy also supposed it didn't really matter who the opponent was, because once the ring announcer was finished and the bell was rung, it barely took 15 seconds before it had to ring again, Lash literally standing victorious over his now unconscious opponent.

Which meant it was about 15 seconds of a normal volume level before it exploded back into anger.

Once again, the ring announcer had quite a bit of trouble even getting his announcement off over the sound of the crowd, and Ivy suspected that they were saying something about Lash winning by knockout, but it really didn't matter. Lash simply posed and preened like a peacock around the ring, letting more projectiles fall at his feet. Ivy couldn't help the chuckle that escaped out of her mouth and she shook her head, letting her chin rest on her palm. Whatever it was he was doing, he was obviously very good at it.

The moment didn't last for Ivy though, as her eyes caught strange movement by the floor next to the ring. Almost like it was bulging out. No one else in the venue seemed to see it, and Ivy's nerves kicked into overdrive. She could feel her concentration narrow, and knew that her pupils had dilated to a much further degree as she watched what exactly this strange bump was.

Eventually, it broke open, and a large mole-like man and a small humanoid figure came out of it, with what looked like…

A gun!

Ivy couldn't help the shout that came out of her as she cried, "LASH!" and she jumped down, feeling her skin transmogrify into stone before she felt herself rocketing down to the ground. She couldn't see or hear much like this, but she sure felt the crunch of the ground beneath her as she landed, eventually changing back to her animated form.

It was absolute bedlam. Screams erupted from the crowd, and she could hear the stampede of footfall as people tried to evacuate. She quickly whipped her head around trying to get a read on the situation, and saw that she had separated the mole-man and the smaller humanoid with the gun. The gun had also been forced out of his hand and was sitting a few feet away. The Mole-man was laying on his back, clearly having just thrown the smaller humanoid to prevent both of them from getting squished, which explained why the smaller humanoid was face down on the ground. Lash was in the ring, shielding his eyes from the debris that had been propelled around her from her slam.

Eventually, the four of them all looked at each other, the sounds of the crowd leaving being the only sound in the room.

None of them dared to moved an inch.

Lash was looking between the three of them coolly, not letting his expression betray what he was thinking.

Ivy thought she was doing the same, but was biting her lip, the nerves starting to get to her, as her eyes whipped from the mole-man, to the humanoid, and to Lash.

The mole-man was a statue, his eyes covered by his cap, also not betraying his thoughts.

The smaller humanoid was doing much of the same, but eventually, he couldn't help looking in the direction of his gun.

And that was all the jump Ivy needed.

She was off in a flash, wings spreading to give her an extra push towards the direction of the gun. The smaller humanoid scrambled to his feet, advantaged by being closer to the gun, but disadvantaged by Ivy getting the drop on him. Her wings beat behind her, helping her sprint towards the gun, and right as the smaller humanoid got a hand on it, Ivy crouched down into a slide, stuck her leg out and kicked it away, forcing it under the bleachers of the venue. Out of sight, but not out of mind.

"Damn you! Momo, your assistance!"

Ivy heard the lumbering sound of the mole-man, which she now knew as Momo, attempting to sprint at her. She turned around to face him, fear stricken to her expression, but she ended up turning around just in time to see Lash jumping over the rope and slamming the ground under Momo, knocking him up into the air a few feet before he fell like a lump onto the ground again.

Ivy felt relief wash over her, but it was short lived as she watched Momo start digging underneath him, the burrow he made clearly leading under the bleachers to grab the gun.

"Rgh, ¡No Manches!" She exclaimed before trying to figure out what to do. She didn't bring her gun, but her Kudzu could help. She immediately used the Kudzu to tether herself to Lash, who looked down at the tether with some modicum of surprise before she then summoned a patch of thorns under the bleachers, at the center of which sat the gun. The humanoid was shocked by this and yelled out, "No, Momo! She trapped it! Just come to me!"

The smaller humanoid got up and started sprinting towards the burrowing Momo, so Ivy took the moment to move closer to Lash, raising a wing protectively in front of him. She took stock of her surroundings and noted that everyone had escaped the building. It was just the four of them left, thankfully.

The other two eventually reunited and the smaller humanoid jumped on Momo's shoulders saying, "Well, isn't this a surprise! The Savior of Spanish Harlem fighting alongside the Stupid Stevedore!"

Ivy couldn't help the slouch she made with her shoulders and murmured under her breath, "Ugh, I hate that nickname…"

The smaller humanoid continued, "This night was originally just for Lash, but getting our revenge on Ivy for running one of our best paying clients out of town is a wonderful two-for-one deal!"

Ivy straightened back up, finally recognizing what she was seeing, "Wait, you're Mo & Krill! You're seriously mad about Mendoza?"

"Why, yes we are, Ms. Ivy," Krill said, examining his nails, "Like I said: Best. Paying. Clients."

Mo accentuated the words by scratching his claws together, letting them make a loud 'sching' noise against each other as he did.

"But! That is not the only reason we're here! You see, another one of our clients has decided that you shall no longer be a part of the Bear Pit, Jacob Lash."

Ivy did a pretty good job of keeping her cool, her wing raising up a bit further out of instinct to protect Lash, but she nearly jumped at the weight she felt rest on her shoulder. Confused, she turned to see Lash leaning on her like they had been buds for years as he said, "You're going to have to be more specific, Dorothy and Toto. You're not special! Lots of idiots want The Lash™ to drop his title!"

Ivy's jaw dropped at the sheer gall of Lash. She was trying to protect him! Wasn't that her job?! Why was he putting himself in more danger just to taunt them?!

Though to his credit, when Ivy dared to look back at Mo & Krill, she could see annoyance plain as day on Krill's face, as he hissed through gritted teeth, "Oh look, Momo, the brute thinks he's well read!"

"The Lash™ sure is, and he's got the read on you!" He smirked, pointing a finger at them with the hand that was leaning on Ivy's shoulder, "You can fly back to Four Arms like the flying monkeys you are and tell that Wicked Bitch of the West that The Lash™ isn't going anywhere."

Ivy tried stamping down her nerves, but Lash wasn't making it easy. She could see the patch of thorns under the bleachers starting to recede. She tried not to make that known on her face, but Lash actually seemed to be doing an excellent job of keeping their attention on him. So much so, that the first bit of emotion that Ivy saw from Mo was him curling his claws into fists at Lash's insults. When they started shaking with rage though, that got Ivy to gulp.

Krill simply narrowed his eyes, and Ivy tried to keep her cool, but she knew she was glancing under the bleachers too much when they went back to normal and he glanced down. She then felt the Kudzu tethering her and Lash start to wilt, and Krill's eyes went wide. Sensing their opportunity, Krill yelled, "Their eyes, Momo!"

Ivy jumped in front of Lash, knocking his arm off her shoulder to protect him only to be met with a face-full of sand.

"AGH, ¡PINCHE CABRÓN!" She hollered, rubbing her eyes furiously to try to get the sand out. She was useless like this, and it hurt like hell. She could barely open her eyes.

"Woah-ho-ho!" Lash cackled behind her as she felt a huge arm grab her by the waist. She then felt her stomach lurch as the owner of said arm dragged her somewhere nearby and said, "I don't know much Spanish, but I know for a FACT that wasn't very nice."

Great. Lash had got her swearing like a sailor. Or, she supposed she could say like a Stevedore.

Lash had grabbed her and plopped her down on the ground, but it was impossible for her to tell where. She heard Lash fumble his hands on the canvas of the ring before grabbing… something and she heard him go, "Hey, I need open your eyes as much as you can and close your mouth."

"What are yo-" She tried to say, but Lash splashed some water from the Second's gear onto her face and she immediately started coughing after accidentally inhaling a good bit of it.

"Told you to close your mouth!"

There was much she wanted to say to Lash at that moment, and he was very lucky she couldn't. Though, to his credit, the water did help her get the sand out of her eyes. Somewhat blearily, she was finally able to get a look at her surroundings. Lash had dragged her to hide behind one of the corners of the ring and they were both taking cover behind it. She also heard the burrowing of Mo somewhere beyond the ring.

"So The Lash™ has good news and bad news. Bad news, looks like they got the gun," He said, peering over the canvas to check on Mo & Krill. Almost immediately after he did, he ducked down much more quickly and Ivy jumped at the gunshot that whizzed by above his head. The look she gave him could only be described as incredulous.

"And the good news?"

"We have The Lash™, baby."

Ivy could only slump her shoulders.

"I think we need a plan!"

"You think so?"

She could only take her cap off and run her fingers through her hair, deeply sighing as she did. To think, she could be serving pancakes at the diner right now. Though even she had to admit, the thrill of combat, criminals close enough to kill, it felt much better than cleaning up dirty dishes, and listening to endless complaints about how someone got their eggs wrong. It reminded her a bit of her long nights in Spanish Harlem.

She realized with resignation that this was actually kind of fun.

"Ok, look, I need to make sure you don't get shot, but I also don't think we can do this with just me," She explained, putting her Cap back on.

Lash put his hand to his mustache and stroked thoughtfully. She couldn't help but mimic the motion, and scratched at her chin with her claws while she tried to think of something.

Eventually, Lash snapped his fingers and said, "Got it! Bait them to shoot you with that stone thing you did earlier."

"Ok, sure, but even if I do, I have to change back! They'll tear me to shreds!"

The Lash glanced at her with a dangerous smirk and said, "You leave that to The Lash™. You have The Lash™'s word that no harm will come of you."

She was going to argue with that, but the argument that she was going to make about how much his word actually meant died in her throat when she realized that he HAD been pretty forthright with her. This was all part of the job description, quite literally, and while they were in a tough spot, Lash had gotten them out of a tougher one moments ago.

And y'know what? He gave his guarantee that she wouldn't regret it.

"Ok, fine," She said with a nod. Lash nodded at her and she watched as he crawled underneath the ring, leaving her to her side of the plan, if it could even be called that. She psyched herself up with some deep breaths, and slowly opened her wings low to the ground. She'd need to be quick to get high enough to make the slam effective.

"Time to soar…" She whispered, pushing her wings up, jumping as hard as she could, and then pushing as hard as she could down with her wings. It was a good thing she did too, as she heard a gunshot and then heard the whizzing of pellets from underneath her. Thanks to their miss, she was able to very easily figure out their position, and they had stationed themselves just in front of the bleachers. She grinned, and with a quick pump of her wings, she was able to fly just a bit closer to them before she felt the stone take over her skin. She heard the dull thud of another gunshot, but at this point, it wasn't going to do much to her. She felt the lurch of gravity and eventually the ground meeting her all while Mo & Krill were emptying their gun at her. She could feel part of her chipping, and struggled to keep the stone form up for as long as she could. It was like holding her breath, but instead of her lungs burning, it was everything. She couldn't even grit her teeth to help with the pain, but she had to keep it going since the dull shot of their gun was getting louder and louder as the stone form slowly lost its effectiveness.

She wanted to yell out in protest, do anything to help with the pain, but in order to do that she'd need to change back.

She really hoped Lash was around.

Oh god, the shots were starting to chip a lot more stone off.

She was going to pass out if she kept this up.

Just a little more!

…

……

She had no choice, she needed to exhale.

She dropped the stone form, praying to god that the first thing she saw wouldn't be the barrel of a gun.

Instead, she got a front row seat to watching Lash's boot get buried in Krill's face, crunching it like paper. He was vaulting over her, his hand lithely maneuvering his body up and around her stone shoulder. She didn't even have time to adjust to the after-pain she was feeling from overdoing the stone form, since Lash pushed off her shoulder, sending himself and Krill flying onto the bleachers, Mo tumbling to the ground, and Ivy falling on her tail. Most importantly, the gun, in a moment of serendipity, plopped itself close enough for her to grab.

Gasping, she got up as quickly as she could and pointed the shotgun at Mo, who now stilled.

The only noise to be heard was Ivy's heavy breathing and Krill's groans of pain.

"I guess that does it!" Lash said, getting up while looking no worse for wear from his crash into the bleachers. He then put one hand on his hip and the other started making a 'shoo' motion and he said, "Start flying, monkeys."

Krill was in no position to fight, but Mo gave Lash a dangerous glare, but not after Ivy cocked the shotgun she was holding. Mo stilled once again and Lash started waving goodbye at him with a smarmy expression plastered onto his face.

It was harder to get a read on Mo, but eventually he put his claws in the air.

Ivy motioned to Krill, still bemoaning his pain, and ordered, "Get him. Slowly."

In an impressive display of athleticism, Mo got up without using his claws to support him on the way up and shuffled in the direction of Krill, never facing away from Ivy. Eventually, he slowly reached down to grab his friend and put him back on his shoulders.

"Now go."

Mo stared at her for a bit before burrowing into the ground. Ivy kept the gun trained on the path they were talking until she was convinced they were gone.

Once she was, her legs buckled under her and she fell to the ground, the shotgun clattering away. Lash was by her side almost immediately and he asked, "Are you able to stand by yourself?"

"I don't think so. I haven't held my stone form that long in a while."

Lash, once again to his credit, gingerly helped her up, letting her use one of his rather large arms to steady herself. She felt like she had the flu, her whole body sore from head to tail. She was ultimately glad that Lash was ok, but she could tell she pushed it a bit.

She didn't want to say it aloud, but it was times like this that she really needed a hug…

And as if Lash was a mind reader, he steadied her by putting the arm that was supporting her around her shoulders and held her up enough that her feet kind of dragged on the ground, her tail hanging limply behind them.

It felt a bit silly to be dragged around like this, but Ivy didn't want to say she appreciated it, even if this wasn't quite like the hugs she was used to from the Arroyos.

Lash eventually dragged her towards the shotgun she dropped, put one of his feet under it and smoothly lifted it up to his free hand. The owners truly seemed gone, so Lash simply carried it and Ivy back to the locker room, being sure not to jostle them too much.

Ivy sat on one of the benches in the locker room and rubbed her sore muscles with her hands, groaning the whole time. She was at least able to support herself standing up now, but it was probably going to be a while before the pain completely disappeared.

She heard the locker room door open and recognized the footfalls of Lash's boots. It sounded like he was done collecting his winnings.

"The Lash™ will say it again, but you have my thanks!" He said, now walking into view of Ivy. He seemed to have put his tank top back on too. "That scrap may have been more fun that the actual fight!" He raised his winnings to accentuate his point.

Ivy couldn't help the chuckle that came from her, and Lash stopped in front of her, a small envelope stuffed to near bursting placed in her hand.

"That's 3% of The Lash™'s earnings, double that since I was attacked, in full and in cash."

Ivy nodded along to everything he was saying, but sputtered when she heard the last part. She incredulously asked, "Wait, cash?"

"Uh, yeah? They don't exactly work with pay-stubs here."

Ivy blinked at him before opening the envelope, but then nearly choked on air. This was SO much money! She wouldn't have made this much in one paycheck! From three of her old jobs! Combined!

"Lash, I-I can't take this!"

Lash raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

She looked at him incredulously and exclaimed, "Th-This is too much!"

"Well, The Lash™ doesn't want to belabor his point, but you ARE obligated to take it."

Ivy barely sputtered out a "but" before Lash continued, "Of everything I thought would happen for this contract, I'll admit, I didn't see 'arguing against my own interests' as one of them." He then put a hand on her shoulder, Ivy noting that he did it pretty gently to prevent hurting her, and then with a tone more gentle than his touch, he continued.

"You earned this, and I appreciate your help, Ivy. Truly. Thank you."

Ivy's eyes widened. Where the hell did that come from?! Sure, she understood now why people called him an asshole, and despite everything, she still wouldn't necessarily describe him as that, but this was neither of those! It was gentle! And warm! Or maybe she was warm? It was hard to say, this was very confusing.

Then as quickly as it had happened, it was gone, as he smirked and said, "Stunned to silence, The Lash™ gets it. He tends to have that effect on people."

Ah, there it was. Ivy rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the grin that was threatening to make itself known, so she gave him a "psh" as she brushed his hand off her shoulder. He looked pretty proud of himself, and Ivy, despite her thoughts on the matter, decided that perhaps she did earn this.

She looked down to the envelope in her hands, its heft still surprising her a bit. It was then, when thinking about the evening, that she figured out what Lash actually was.

He was someone who operated on respect. If he wasn't given it, he sure as hell wouldn't give it to you. But if he gave it to you first, well, she supposed that's what the envelope in her hands was for.

She looked up at Lash, who still had a smug expression. She wasn't going to claim that she knew what made him tick or anything, but if she had to put a feeling to it, she supposed she was glad to have worked with Lash.

She got up from the bench she was sitting on with a groan, noticing Lash trying to hide his concern, but she then said, "Well, fun as that was, I need to get going. I'm so-o-o-o hungry..."

Lash stroked his mustache thoughtfully with a hum before finally saying, "Some food might not be too bad right now. I need to make sure I get some protein sometime soon."

Ivy started walking out of the locker room and turned to Lash to say, "Well, I happen to know of a pretty decent diner! Its open late too!"

Lash started walking after her and said, "The Lash™ could definitely go for about a dozen eggs."

Ivy's face twisted a bit at the absurdity of his statement, but seeing his muscles again, she kind of understood it. Probably took a lot of maintenance to keep fight ready.

"Well, lets go then! My treat!" She said, slapping the envelope with her other hand as emphasis. She actually heard Lash chuckle at that, and with a pep in her step, she opened the door to the exit…

… only to groan as she looked at the stairs going up.

"By the way, I meant to ask: how did you know I was going to be at the bank?"

"I didn't!"

"Really? Then what were you doing there?"

"Getting 3% of my winnings."

"3%… wait, but you said you didn't know I'd be there?"

"Yeah?"

"Then… what was the 3% for?"

"…"

"Lash?"

"… I'll tell you about it later. For now, we've got some food to eat."