homeless_pard | Ghosts of the Past

Entry tags:

jason au,
starter

Ghosts of the Past

Who: Beryl, Nat, a reporter?
When: Once she's back on the low level MMA circuit, before the looking at buying a place.
What: Being...traced?

She adjusted the tape along her hands and smiled loosening up a touch in her corner. It was good to be back honestly, she'd taken four out of five matches so far and things were doing okay. She was getting her rhythm back, and she could see Nat sitting in the stands, that delicate mix of apprehensive and delighted to watch her. She could get the mixed feelings honestly, they made sense...

...but she was belatedly glad her boy was tall yes. Else she couldn't have picked him out so easily with many of the 'fans' choosing to fill the bleachers near him. She blew him a cheerful kiss before sliding her bite guard back in and ignored the honest to gods flashes going off as she turned her back to eye her opponent. A lot of sports enthusiasts and writers actually went with real cameras instead of cellphones so it could get a little bulb happy out there.

Given where the majority of the crowd was, well, the photography had to be getting great shots of her opponent's form...and her ass. Great, Nat was going to scrapbook the shit out of any magazines she ended up in and it would be nicknamed the 'hot in spandex' book or something by Eric and Lani. It made her snort a laugh, which pissed off her opponent, making him swing just a touch wide so she could bend and lash her heel into his hip, then her knee to his chin ad he buckled. TKO.

She grinned, adrenaline singing through her as she turned to beam at Nat, and caught another faceful of flashbulbs. Bah. "Excuse me, Beryl? Are you Ms. Beryl?"

"Hey, yeah, but I'm busy," she snorted ducking under the ropes to go to Nat for a kiss before hitting the showers! She barely registered the unassuming man muttering an apology and just flashing a few more pics before she was happily padding to the showers. Charles was going to demand she try that move on him again in a few days as they practiced so she didn't bother trying to poke him now. Let him go home and grump about getting old to his teens, who'd reassure him and make him a protein shake before he got a beer. He was a good guy, just competitive as shit.

After Beryl was safely away the man wove carefully through the crowd to smile hesitantly at Nathaniel, "hey, can you spell her name for me? I want to be sure to get things right but she...I guess she doesn't do ringside interviews huh?"

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Nathaniel had been grinning after Beryl as she disappeared into the back; he'd have happily followed her, but he wanted the reporters writing about her fighting prowess and not the cute twink she was fucking. Though that thought made him chuckle to himself: if he went back to those showers right now they'd have all the story they could handle.

He blinked up when he realized someone was speaking to him. "Oh, oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you were talking to me." He glanced around. "There's promotional flyers you can grab for her name. That's your best bet. But no, she doesn't really care about getting famous, she just likes the fight."

He was taking notes obviously as he waited for an answer from the dreamy kid. "Someone snagged the whole lot, not sure who but the tables were empty," worse luck huh? "I'll probably check under the bleachers next!" To get a pamphlet!

"Boyfriend? Anyone interview you yet?" he grinned.

No, he wasn't about to give up his pamphlet: it was for the scrapbook! But he did smile and show it to the reporter so he could copy the name, then tucked it carefully back into his pocket. "Didn't you see her fight? She leaves it all out there, why would anyone need my input?"

He carefully wrote out her name and nodded gratefully, "thanks!" So much! "I did! I'm doing a piece on female fighters in the area actually. Less hardcore sports recount, most our readers love to watch fights but can't name a left hook from a Gibson Special in print you know? So we show them being people!"

Nathaniel nodded with a nervous laugh since he couldn't name all the moves either, but maybe admitting as much to a reporter would somehow look bad for Beryl...

"That's cool, though: I don't see as much coverage on female fighters in the stuff I've read." Well...clipped. "Who do you write for?"

He actually reached in his pocket, smiling, as he passed a card, "I'm Dan Jiminez, I write for Bell Ringer, we're not that big, but we actually have outlets all over the country not just a subscriber mag!" Had his office number and his email at the magazine, even link to the writer bio page!

Covers were beautiful things really. Well worth maintaining! He even had actual published pieces in said magazine actually. "So Ms. Beryl, she's taken?" he teased cheerfully. "Going to break hearts that!"

Nathaniel took his card with a grateful smile and looked it over: it was a nice card! He still felt so much awe over people who handed out business cards.

"Well, she is an amazing woman," he grinned.

"Definitely in my top five for women in the regional MMA," he agreed easily. "She moves like lightning! I'd pay good money to have a front row seat if she gets matched up against that girl Nina on eastside!" Honest excitement in the tone. He was an enthusiast, so it meant excitement was never a lie in these cases! "None of the reporter shuffle room bullshit, I'd take that night off!"

ANYWAY! "Amazing and taken. Bah, so I can't mix business and pleasure if I ask her to dinner for an interview!"

"Oh, you have no idea," Nathaniel chuckled. None of these people had seen or ever would see just how Beryl could move when she meant it. "But they can match her against anyone and I know she'll come out on top."

He cocked an eyebrow with a shy smile. "You could try." He certainly wasn't worried about whether or not Beryl could handle herself alone with a reporter.

"Oh?" he asked, pen poised. "What's her strike times in practice?" Did he know? TELL HIM!

Right, right, "oh, oh no wouldn't be right! I don't poach, just didn't know she was taking so if it's an interview meal I'd ask you both or if just her I wouldn't be anything but polite." It was just his style!

Nathaniel blinked several times. Strike times? "I...I really don't know," he admitted. "It's her sport more than mine."

To say the least.

"Oh," Nathaniel replied quickly, "No, I didn't mean to sound like I was...accusing you or anything. She can handle herself fine; I just meant she doesn't care so much about interviews and stuff like that."

"Oh you don't go to trainings?" he smiled, not patronizing, just softer! "I get it, sorry I get a little carried away sometimes! You have no idea how nice a change that is from the 'I'm the date AND manager let me give you stats until your ears bleed' types! I just got so used to it...sorry!"

Yeeeaaaah. "So you're built more like a dancer, how'd you meet the rising star here?"

"Oh, I do. I just...don't really follow the technical stuff like that." He was grateful this guy wasn't like some of the others who immediately dismissed him because he didn't know the sport that well. He might not know the rules and stats and stuff, but he'd seen her holding her own against an army of wereriders, so...he felt like that was a hell of a lot more impressive than a bunch of numbers.

His smile curved without thought into something much more playful. "What, are you checking me out? I thought you were here to watch the fighters." He gave a soft laugh at that and answered candidly, "she's friends with my best friend's girlfr...no, wife. Wife now."

He nodded, "technical is good for some, but not all, that's why my magazine writes a bit different," he grinned. "Takes all kinds and sometimes you just love watching someone move without the math attached you know?" It could be art instead of sport!

"Mostly I meant you're not a gym rat," he laughed, amused at the teasing in return. "Most people who date female fighters are gym rats, ex gym rats, MMA themselves, and statistically higher towards lesbian!" Odd but true! "Ohhhh, connection points! That's the human angle!" Pen to paper again!

Nathaniel brightened a bit at that. "Exactly. And Beryl moves like magic."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I go to the gym, but no, not a gym rat. I'd rather go for a run than lift weights." He casually ignored the lesbian comment: he wasn't about to get into a talk about their sexual proclivity with a reporter! "But really? People really care that we have friends in common?" He flushed. "Sorry, not doubting you; you're the writer. It's just not something I would've thought people'd care about."

"Hey, who doesn't like a sweet love story?" he laughed easily. "A tough as nails girl with a guy who watches her like she's poetry in motion and met through a best friend? That's going to sell. Sweet, wholesome AND sells!"
Hundred percent!

To be fair, "what people care about are people in most cases. Being approachable AS people breathes life into the article!"

Nathaniel smiled, his eyes dropping almost demurely. "Yeah, I guess if you put it that way..."

"I'd be happy if people saw how wonderful she is, but most times I'm glad when they recognize how talented she is fighting."

"I do! So, what's the name to go with her pretty face?" he laughed. "C'mon, curious readers want to know!"

"Know what?" Beryl asked as she came from the locker room, arm slipping around Nat's waist warmly.

"Who the lucky man is!" Dan laughed, "hello, I'm a reporter, don't hurt me?"

Nathaniel reacted immediately to her touch, molding against her. "He gave me his card, he's doing a 'people piece' on female fighters here." He resumed his teasing tone with a sly grin, "If he can focus on the fighter and not the boyfriend."

"Hey I got a lot talking to you, ABOUT her thank you!" he showed notes across his pad! "You're one of the best sources on this mystery girl so far! Especially given missing pamphlets!"

"Mystery girl," Beryl snorted. "I'm just a fighter, move on."

"Rising star," Dan corrected. "A general fighter doesn't go five of six when one of last years steamrollers is in the ring!"

She nibbled Nat's ear, amused, "Charles?"

"Yup, he was ten of twelve last year!"

Ah, they were talking stats. Nat's eyes drifted dreamily as she nibbled his ear; he wouldn't offer information, but he wouldn't happily go along with anything Beryl wanted to share.

"I'd really love an actual interview," Dan offered, "you, your boyfriend whose name I still don't know, both? People piece? If you have some time in the next few days?"

Beryl glanced at Nat? "What do you think babe?"

He smiled back at her. "You're the star here, babe: I'm ok either way." He glanced at Dan and winked. "But he's been nice enough."

"Yeah but you know your schedule this week, I haven't been home to look at the calendar yet," she teased.

"Ooooo, seriously dating," Dan grinned, making a note. "Absolutely going to break all the hopeful hearts! So what's the verdict boyfriend? Any openings in the next three days? I have to be at another fight after that!"

"I could be free the night after tomorrow, if it's an early dinner?" he suggested. It was his only night off, but he was going to feed Asher that night...but the sun was setting pretty late now and they could have a nice dinner before he needed to get to the Circus.

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