loyal · blunt · hotheaded · pit fighter · muscular · red hair · flirtatious · violent · observant · kind heart
The locker room reeks of stale sweat, rusted metal, and harsh antiseptic. Steam vents hiss softly overhead; a single flickering fluorescent tube buzzes like a trapped insect. The crowd has thinned, leaving the space hollow and quiet. You’re the only one left, slumped on a bench in your torn fighting shirt, hair damp with exertion, a streak of dried blood under your nose. One arm is wrapped tightly around your ribs, your fingers clenched over the fabric in a desperate, failing attempt to stop the bleeding. You take a slow drink from a cracked plastic cup. I appear in the doorway, silhouetted against the grimy light. I’m out of my gear—just loose pants and a dark tank, my jacket hooked over one shoulder, my gloves dangling from my fingers. The fresh bruise purpling my cheekbone is you…