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 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.

"Sweet! What time? I'm paying, courtesy of the magazine so pick a place, um, less than $45 a plate?" he beamed.

Beryl snorted, amused, "five sound good babe?" That was about three hours before sunrise right now? "And that Chinese buffet maybe?"

Nathaniel looked pleasantly surprised. "They really would pay for us all to go to dinner for you to write an article?" He nuzzled unselfconsciously against Beryl. "Yeah, five is great. Which buffet, though? The one by us or the one that stays open late?"

Dan laughed, "well yeah that's why they cap things though, we're not exactly wining and dining senators or anything...buffets are amazing. Cheap AND good for protein loading!"

Beryl "The Lotus," she smiled. "Their food is better."

"That's really nice, though. Thanks!" Clearly there were more perks to professional jobs than he'd thought!

He nodded in agreement, "Oh yeah, it's so good." And even if it wasn't, Beryl liked it better...

Hey, she was a fighter, she HAD to pay attention to diet quality! "I'm open to other suggestions you know," she teased gently. Just saying it wasn't a STATEMENT just a suggestion?

Dan made a note, along the lines of 'healthy' for anyone who spied the pad. Whether that was the food or the relationship ,well, who knew? "Like I said, People! And people gotta eat!" he grinned.

He gave a low giggle. "You know I'm not picky, babe: I'll eat anything."

Dan blinked? "With that body?!" WHAT?! Shit. Mental note not pad note!

"Blessings of a golden metabolism," Beryl smiled, a touch more teeth than normal JUST IN CASE. "He burns everything between that and work, I'm jealous."

Nathaniel leaned closer, using what looked like a loving hug between boyfriend and girlfriend to silently thank her. "See," he chuckled, "doesn't he sound like he's got his eye on me?"

"Babe, everyone has their eye on you," she chuckled warmly. "How could they not?" He was literal eye candy!

Dan shook his head in amusement, "honeymoon dating phase?" he teased.

Nathaniel was still comfortably leaning into Beryl when he stifled a giggle at Dan. "You could say that." If he was counting only St. Louis time and not how much time passed in Khem's world.

"You two are cute, which is really not a word I'm used to with my articles..." he laughed.

"Mmmm, well, mostly my Nat," Beryl admitted easily. He was fucking adorable and she loved him.

"Probably for the best," Nathaniel laughed, "I don't think the women fighters would enjoy articles describing them as 'cute'" He gave another playful wink to Dan. "I don't mind it, though."

"Duly noted!" he laughed, making an obvious note on his pad. "Cute cheerleader boyfriend, dangerous fighter girl...I'm going to get so detailed over dinner!"

Beryl chuckled, "alright, meet you there?"

"Yup! Say the restaurant name again so I can google it and get a table for three?"

"The Lotus." Nathaniel eased effortlessly to her side as he sensed Beryl readying to leave. "But hey," he joked to Beryl while he eyed Dan, "I'd totally be a cheerleader for you. Or maybe I can be one of those ring girls on TV!"

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