He stuck close, vigilant as the fight began. No slow circling -- Ash was pissed (fine, whatever, she could be pissed) so she probably wanted to punch someone, and leaving the lackey to her seemed a safe enough proposition. He went for a card, but it was not what he threw; the tiny mote instead flew to ping against Ash’s shoulder, dissolving with a puff of smoke so small, it might not be visible.
But now, she was moving faster. She wasn’t ever going to be a bruiser, but he trusted her to keep herself whole if she moved at twice the speed of her opponent.
And for now, that was all the attention that he could afford her.
Marek was fast, too, fast and in possession of a hard, solid punch, especially augmented with brass knuckles, rough and sharp around the edges.
Protective measure number two was resting under his shirt against his chest (The big rat is in the ceiling beams, breathing down. Smells like poison.); he felt nothing, saw the flicker of surprise on Marek’s face as he shrugged off the punch and its attendant scratches as if they would cause nothing but a bruise. He could be annoyed at the Countess, grumble at her prices, but damn if her merchandise didn’t do its job. He just had to hope that they’d had a hard enough time sneaking in treated weapons that Marek was the only one packing poison.
He went on the offensive, then, his movements not the trained smoothness of a martial artist but rather a conglomeration of quick, sharp, brutal movements meant to break bone, disable opponents, keep alive in filthy back alleys. In a moment of respite, he drew, using the card he gripped like a knife rather than a projectile.
If he could take this guy down without resorting to really desperate measures, it’d be best for everyone.
She didn’t feel the mote, but she sure as hell noticed when she sped up. It would make things a little more fair, even if it was cheating. She’d have words with Cian later - just because they were in a truce didn’t mean she couldn’t give him what-for when deserved. She just hoped that was the only surprise anyone brought, but the way Tybir was grinning at her made her think that maybe it wasn’t.
So much for checking shit at the doors.
“Shouldn’t have come down from your tower, princess,” Tybir said conversationally, lunging forward with a knife he pulled out of nowhere. “Would’ve been safer for you.”
“Because I’m the picture of good choices,” she said, dropping to the floor and sweeping her leg towards his; he jumped over them and clamped one hand on her shoulder, squeezing. She hissed and dug the butt of her mace into the top of his hand. “And I doubt my tower would’ve made you stop and go, well, gee. Maybe we should leave her alone.” He let go and she kicked up, hitting him in the groin.
The crowd that was focused on her groaned in unison.
“You,” Tybir wheezed, bending forward as Ash rolled out the way, “are going to pay for that, you fucking whore.”
Ash took the opportunity to follow up with another kick - this time to the face. “Sticks and stone, asshole.” Too cocky - he countered with a fist to her gut and she practically flew back.
Verbal taunts were a part of this place -- Cian had seen it time and again on the rare occasions that he attended. He wasn’t the sort for them, and as Ash all but flew by him and he reminded himself to focus, he knew exactly why -- they got in the fucking way.
He lost his card in the ensuing grapple with his opponent, and had just disengaged when the shout went up, horrified and eager all at once. Fuck, should’ve paid more attention to the other guy --
He took a painful hit to the jaw, felt it pop out of place, but the card he’d managed to draw in that unguarded moment flew true; there was a shout as the lackey’s forbidden gun flew from his hand and skittered across the floor to a mixture of adulation and jeers from the crowd.
How the fuck had he gotten that in here? Ash thought, quickly getting to her feet. Tybir looked confused but made to retrieve his gun; Ash was faster, scooping the thing up and turning it on Tybir who froze. He looked at her, as though he didn’t believe that she would do it.