[Ghouligan]

Fight club.

You know the rule. Don’t talk about it.

Despite that, the illegal underground circuit found itself an audience. The club moved from location to location like a carnival. Setting up shop in some abandoned facility, they were only found through word of mouth. See the problem? Everyone knows the rule. But no one follows it.

On nights like these, they have a particular location. The Ring. It’s a cage match. Two go in, and one comes out. It’s not to the death. But if someone dies, no one’s complaining. There are rumors that if you manage to take someone’s head off, then you get a bonus. Hasn’t come to fruition yet, but everyone’s waiting for the day it happens.

There’s a door. Antoine knocks.

A stranger opens the eye slot and demands a password. It’s rotating, so you only get one shot. What they don’t tell you: if you get it wrong, they let you in any way. Before you know it, you’re bound, gagged, and in the middle of the ring.

“Himalayan salt.”

They open the door.

“Keep to your left.” He’s big. Bald. Ugly smile he can’t help but share. “And don’t even look right.”

Antoine nods.

Today, he’s Antoine. Not Ghouligan. No pool stick. No fighting. He’s here to protect someone, not kill. It was one of Bernard’s jobs. And if word got back that Ghouligan worked for Bernard, then it’d be easy to put two and two together.

He pulled a photo out of his pocket. His target.

“Where are you?”

---

- First come first serve.
- Open to one more person
- Looking to have 5-6 posts per person.
- Tryna finish it within 2 weeks.

---

Ghouligan

[Ghouligan]

It was a dead end.

It didn’t matter how many people he pestered with his broken Japanese. By the time they could understand what he was saying, they had no idea who he was looking for. The picture wasn’t helping him either. Despite Bernard confirming her location, he wouldn’t have sent Antoine here if she weren’t here, no one recognized her.

That’s when he saw someone moving to the back. The hair was different; shorter. And she was scantily clad, but it was without a doubt her. By this point, he had two options: one push forward and get to her or see what the hell was happening by the entrance.

Antoine glanced over.

Yeah, whatever the hell was happening over there was above his pay grade. Some woman was making a fool of security. He almost felt for the guys. After all, he was a security guard, too. And despite being pretty strong in his own right he could recognize power. With the way she threw herself around… it’d be best to avoid getting into a fight with her.

“Hey!” Antoine called out. The girl gave him a confused look. She didn’t recognize him. She didn’t have a reason to, either. They were strangers.

“Do I know you?” The question popped out of her mouth with no regard for the girl next to her. They were tugging on her, trying to get her backstage.

“We’ve got to go, Yuki.” They were nervous. “The fight’s about to start.”

“You’re a fighter?” Antoine asked.

“LOL! I’m a ring girl.” She winked. “But if you’re a fighter I can put in a good word.”

“I’m security.”

“Uhm, you’re so not?” Yuki looked at her coworker. “Katerina, is this a newbie?”

“I don’t know him at all…” Katerina was nervous as all hell.

“I’m security for Bernard. He sent me.”

“Oh, I love Bernie!” Yuki blushed. “What does he need?”

“He needs you out of here. Now.”

“Nope! Gotta job. Talk to you after maybe?”

“Yuki, maybe you should listen to him…” Katerina stopped tugging. “It seems serious.”

“We gotta go, Kat!” This time Yuki did the pulling. And they went backstage. “Just enjoy the show… what was your name?”

“Antoine.” When he moved to get backstage more security showed up. “Right, I…” He sighed. “Where can I watch the fight?”

Security pointed to the spectator area.

---

@niteshade

[Ghouligan]

For an area dedicated to spectating, Antoine garnered a lot of attention. It might have to do with the tattoos littering his body. It was impossible to see him as anything other than a fighter. With the way he carried himself and dismissed those around him — a side-effect of his one-track, focused mind — many sought to prove themselves amongst the crowd. The energy from the upcoming fight was amping them up, too.

Antoine’s Japanese was almost nonexistent. He had only recently picked up the language and couldn’t make out the nuances of what people were saying. But through body language, he knew that one wrong move would instigate a fight.

The hostility vanished. Heads turned. Antoine found himself following their eyes. If there were something, or someone, drawing their aggro, then it might be the very threat Bernard had warned him of. No, it’s too early…

Antoine’s concerns melted away. He let out a deep sigh of relief when he saw a beautiful woman. It shouldn’t have surprised him, considering the dogs he was surrounded by, but it gave him the space he needed to focus on his mission. Ten minutes until shit hits the fan.

But she walked up to him.

“Name?” Antoine tried his best. But he couldn’t keep up a conversation. Not in Japanese. “Antoine.”

She latches onto him. He could only make bits and pieces of what was said, but with the way the man grabbed her ass and promptly hit the floor, he knew his purpose. Cover. Antoine usually avoided this game. He’s not receptive to the flirtatious types. Affection makes him uncomfortable. But seeing how she dropped the man reminded him of who she was — the girl up front. She was strong. Too strong. And she could either be an unexpected ally or the threat he was warned about.

“Mine.” Antoine nods. Puts his hands around her hip and eyes everyone else down. Everyone was on edge. The only reprieve was when the fight started. Yuki, the ring girl, was on stage introducing the first round. A big white sign with the number one on it.

“Yuki. Is friend.” Antoine said. A gong rings out, and the crowd goes wild. Antoine finds comfort in the noise. It’s easier to hide in plain sight. And it lets him make his gambit. She was strong. And she was too close. Might snap him in half if this went wrong. But he wasn’t weak by any means. If he were to act first, a sucker punch might land him the means to escape backstage.

“Has trouble.” The concern is palpable. “Is you trouble?”

---

@niteshade

[Ghouligan]

“I’m just visiting the country,” Antoine replied in fluent English, but there was a noticeable Spanish accent. “Don’t plan on staying long.”

At this point, that was a lie. Antoine made the trip here to visit his brother Emile. Amid his journey, he found himself tangled in other people’s lives. First was Bernard, his boss. The man who hired him as security at Bernie’s Burgers. And then there was the budding underground network for vigilantes. He’d need help getting it off the ground, but things seemed promising. If Yoko thought his Japanese was subpar now, she should have seen him a month ago.

“I don’t even know her,” He continued in English. “She’s my boss’ niece.”

That wasn’t entirely true, either. But how believable was the actual story? Someone called in a favor, and my boss complied because he loves leverage. He has no personal stakes in this girl, but his partner does — because the partner is the uncle.

“You seem like the good kind of trouble,” Antoine was hedging his bets. While uncomfortable with the concept affection, he was only human. Now that they shared a language, and were able to talk through what was happening, he found himself enjoying the company. Here’s to the payoff. “But we have ten minutes before the bad kind gets here. And when they do…” Antoine made sure no one was listening. He took in more of the world than one might expect. You might not notice his darting eyes as he hid them between each blink.

“People will get hurt.” He sighed. “I’ve gotta get her outta here.”

The ball’s in her court. Even if Yoko with them, she might let the two escape? Antoine didn’t want everyone else here to get hurt but he had his priorities. And he could circle back once Yuki was safe. But that’s still an assumption. Yoko’s arms were already around him.

He might be a dead man walking.

---

@niteshade