The Young Thousands

It was just another night here, the familiar drunken faces and dim lights made him feel at home. Pint after pint, the young man drowned himself in alcohol, surrounded by some of the few people he could call 'friends'. The bartender was the best to him, probably because Larry tipped him so well. When you lived like he did, money wasn't too hard to come by. "Another." He requested with a nonchalant wave to his glass, not even looking at the bartender. Out of the corner of his eye, he eyed up the young woman who sat on the other end of the bar. She was a new face, a beautiful one at that. What on Earth was she doing in a slum like this? It baffled him, normally only cheap and sleazy women wandered in here, but her, something was just different about her.

Skiba wasn't with him tonight and instead was off wandering the city; he never liked to be around his brother when he drank like this. He very much was capable of doing things on his own, but that didn't mean he was far off. The two brothers always watched out for one another, they had a bond unlike any other.

The bittersweet flavor was gulped down with ease, a taste he had become more than accustomed to. When he put down his glass, his dark green eyes once again set on the young woman across the way. She hadn't noticed him, or that's at least what he thought. After that last glass, he refused to just sit around anymore. Larry and the bartender looked at one another, both knowing what was going on. The young man didn't say a word, he only smirked at his friend before rising from his stool.

Larry walked with confidence, his head held high and his hands dug into pockets. The young man smoothly sat down beside her, placing his right elbow on the bar and looking over to her. She was even prettier up close, those bright blue eyes were just mesmerizing. "What brings a pretty lady like you down to shitty place like this?" The young man questioned with a curious flirtatious smirk, rubbing the stubble's of hair on his chin as he looked into her eyes.

''You're too kind.'' she said softly to the old bartender as he refreshed her stout glass of whiskey. Even though she was a year short of the legal drinking age, she could always trust that this joint would let her have her rare, and small, evening beverage. The man smiled and made his way back to the other end of the bar after ensuring that the amber liquid barely lapped at the brim of her cup. When their favorite customer is Pain himself, and you're his right-hand lady, it's kind of a given that they turn the other cheek when you ask for a beer with your burger, or, in this case, a whiskey after a long patrol.

As she brought a small sip of the drink to her lips, she happened to look up in time to see her bartender friend give her an amused, albeit warning glance. Her brow furrowed, but before she could swallow and ask what was the matter, a body drifted in to occupy the empty seat next to her, but truth be told, even in this place, his smell reached her before he did. Nina set down her drink slowly and quietly, turning her head centimeter by centimeter toward the stranger to show her apprehensive displeasure.

Most men in this bar knew better than to bug her when she was alone. After the incident where she let slip her temper, as well as a tourist through the front window, the regulars would think twice before sidling up into her space, and forget flirting! That was a free punch ticket on the pain train to Hurt-Ville. The collective tension that swam up and into her from those very people set her nerves on edge even more, but when she did actually lay eyes on him, his off-beat good looks tamed her fires a bit, from a roaring blaze to crackling, strained amusement.

"What brings a pretty lady like you down to shitty place like this?"

''I had to get away from my summer home.'' she said, sentence saturated with sarcasm. Her knuckles gave an audible pop as she curled and roiled her fist on the wood of the bar to punctuate her annoyance. The silent and violent grip of alcohol grabbed her brain before she could think twice; ''So either entertain me or fuck right off.'' Nina's lips curled in a flirtatious, yet bestial grin before she bit her lower lip.

This young woman was a feisty one, the sarcasm rang clearly in her voice. A beautiful lady like her had probably dealt with countless guys like him attempting to make a move on her, but Larry wouldn't let that discourage him.

''So either entertain me or fuck right off.''

That brief statement changed the entire tone of their conversation, now he certainly had to step up his game. The way her lips curled sent a chill up his spine, and when she bit her lower lip he didn't hesitate to spit out his next few words. "Not the type to beat around the bush eh?" Larry casually chuckled at her, he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

The same flirtatious smirk clung to his face, it was rare that a woman made him wonder what to say next. "Ain't much else to do here, unless you want another round... " Larry's eyes drifted towards the exit, countless mischievous ideas filling his head."Tell ya' what, let's get outta' here and make some trouble."

This man must not have recognized or known who she was, that much was certain. Her reputation as a renowned bruiser sent eligible bachelors running in fear from her, much to her dismay. For once, she would have liked to meet a guy for dinner who wasn't sweating bullets over the fact that she could pop his head off like a grape. So, whether it be the liquid courage in this man or just his au-naturale cahones, he was growing on her like a sexy, stubbly fungus.

The way he seemed to let her barrage roll off of him enticed Nina in a way that surprised her and made her stomach flutter, even through the drinks. She gave an honest smile and took a hearty swig of her whiskey so that she felt a bit less guilty when she pushed the remainder of it away, rising to her feet and wrapping her coat around her shoulders tightly. She didn't even have to look back at her companion before she started for the exit. He would be behind her, but just to make sure, she put a bit more switch in her step than she normally did to send her broad hips swinging.

''I don't want another drink...'' she called back over her shoulder as she stepped into the blustery night of New York, leaving her beloved new staff propped up against the back counter inside. She knew no one would try and take it, but she still felt a bit naked without it, which almost showed in the way her arms were clasped around her middle. ''But if it's trouble you want,'' Nina spun around on her heel just so, causing her upper thigh-length blonde ponytail to arc around her head before settling down in a silken sheet over the opposite shoulder, ''then trouble you'll get.'' Her blue steel eyes were trained on him now with predatory precision that she didn't even bother to hide. Oh contraire, she wanted him to see it, in hopes that he might return it.

The two were locked in a staring contest, and it only broke briefly when she went to take a final swig from her glass. She drank with experience and class. With her appearance it may have been surprising, but her personality made it very believable. Larry may have only known her for these brief few minutes, but already he could tell that she was one of a kind.

She didn't even grace him with a response, instead she pushed her drink away and walked towards the exit. The young man couldn't help but have his eyes glued to her as she walked away, hesitating to rise from his seat and follow her. Larry had an idea of what she was up to, but he wasn't about to push away the opportunity to admire her assets. Couldn't say he expected a body like that, it'd make most men weak at their knees.

"I don't want another drink..."

Fair enough, he finished the last of her whiskey and grabbed her staff before he went to pursue her. Larry walked after her, briefly twirling her staff around before allowing it to rest on his shoulder. He'd not been that experienced with using a staff, but he could surely fool someone with his skill. The young man followed her out into the streets of New York, having no idea what he was getting himself into, and not caring in the slightest.

"But if it's trouble you want, then trouble you'll get.'"

Larry felt his heartbeat rapidly increase when she spun around, her bright blue eyes viciously staring at him as if he were prey. "Is that so?" The bold young man did not return the same glare and instead handled the situation with the same nonchalant flirtatious attitude he gave her in the bar. "I love the kinda' woman that can kick my ass." He smirked at her, moving her staff so that it rested on both shoulders. It made a pretty good neck rest.

The sight of her sweet staff in his hands made her heart fall into her waist with a thud. Suddenly, her playful spin was dissolved into a need to get back what was hers. What he said next, though, was what set something beautiful into motion.

"I love the kinda' woman that can kick my ass."

She giggled and looked sheepishly at her feet for a moment before her line of sight beamed straight back into his face, as fearless and unwavering as a warrior bearing down on a final battle. ''If that's the case,'' she purred, ''don't come too fast, 'cuz you're about to have a ball with me.'' Her coat slipped inches down her shoulders, and her hair fell in silent strands down to her back once more. Each fold in her clothes almost seemed to sulk back into something they knew well; a fight. Her body lunged forward as quickly as a cobra would strike at a mouse, her cheek barely a breath away from his while her hands had appeared beside his neck. The heat of her palms whispered across his skin, fingers instantly curled around the girth of her weapon, and with one movement, her arms jerked upwards in a move that would have torn a lesser mans limbs from their sockets. When it came to speed alone, she was nothing special, but she more than made up for it in sheer power, and coupled with her expansive knowledge of combat, she could be a truly deadly foe.

Once she had her belonging in hand, she quickly jumped backward and into her previous position, this time expertly spinning and flourishing the staff about herself like a baton twirler working a parade. The speed and skill she employed made it nothing more than a shiny blur in the air, but not once did she break eye contact with this man, a small smirk teasing the edge of her lips that were flushing red from the cold. The small show ended when the butt of the tool came crashing to the ground with a metallic twang on the cement. ''Hard yet?'' she asked innocently, one foot sweeping back to give her a strong stance as her back curled into a proud, almost peacock-like puff of her chest, the staff now slowly rotating at her side, making muted noises as the air around it made room for its considerable self. Whup... whup... whup...

Larry grew suspicious when she let her guard down, looking down at the floor and giggling sheepishly just wasn't like her. His eyes closed in on her and his brows furrowed with caution, even if she was a beautiful stranger, he couldn't be a fool and let his guard down.

''If that's the case, don't come too fast, 'cuz you're about to have a ball with me.''

Her statement was both threatening and extremely flirtatious, he wasn't sure how to take it. It threw him off, and in that brief moment she lunged forward at him. Even inebriated he was able to react, but her movements were difficult to follow. This woman was a very skilled fighter, perhaps even more skilled than himself, but she lacked the speed to back it. Larry surpassed her in that aspect and was able to release the staff from his grip just before she violently yanked it away. He felt the sheer power the young woman had just by the way she attacked, it was clearly superior to his own. Strange for him to meet a beautiful lady that easily surpassed him in physical strength.

Feeling her hands so close to his neck made him nervous, if she had gone for his neck instead of the staff he might've been in trouble. Not that Larry isn't good at finding his way out of trouble, he'd still have to watch himself around her.

The brave young man stood his ground, showing no fear even after her display of power and skill. She surely knew how to use her weapon, displaying her expertise as she stared him down.

''Hard yet?''

Larry chuckled at her question, easily maintaining his composure in a refusal to show her any doubt or fear. "Afraid I'm not that easy to win over..." Right outside the bar, the young man known as Iron Hawk took his own fighting stance, refusing to backdown and seem weak to her. "So do I gotta' kick your ass before I can take ya' out?"

His final statement made her laugh out loud. It wasn't often that a man could make her laugh like that, or pursue her even after she already showed that she wasn't a complete pushover. The more time she spent with this luscious, the more she liked him. ''If you can beat me, then I'll go out with you tonight, deal?''

For a moment, she considered losing on purpose to see where exactly he would go with her, but at the same time she was way too proud to let herself lose to someone that she thought she could beat. A wicked smile split her face. This civilian would go down like a sack of booze-soaked potatoes.

Larry stood his ground, his signature cocky and charming smirk clinging to his face as he locked himself in a staring contest with the mysterious young woman. She clearly was no ordinary woman, she wanted to get into a brawl with him before even giving her name. Couldn't help but find that alluring, something about a tough crazy woman just dragged him in. Not like he hadn't been with crazy women before, but he couldn't say he met one like her before.

"I think kickin' eachother's asses would take all night. How 'bout this beautiful, first to bleed loses... So let's hope it's not your time of the month!" The bold young man chuckled at his own crude joke just before lunging in on the attack like a wild animal. Larry normally didn't like to fight women, but given the circumstances he could make an exception. Iron Hawk moved in with open palms at his sides, immediately throwing his right hand upwards in an attempt to slash her across the cheek. He only wanted to make her bleed, not mortally wound her.

The Iron Hawk was no ordinary civilian, he had the power of the wild on his side. With bestial strength, speed and endurance, his body was capable of feats far beyond that of a normal human. Larry was what many consider super human, but he didn't care for the term.