Tattoos on My Mind

Prize Fight

So I actually started this back when I finished the game but I just never had the inspiration to finish it until now. Rhys and Fiona should have been more of an option in the game.

Rhys wasn't exactly excited about the idea of watching two people beat each other to a pulp as a form of entertainment but after seeing first hand what some of Pandora's less desirable rabbles enjoyed as entertainment he didn't protest when Fiona suggested that they go.

"Come on this will be fun," he remembered her saying as she grabbed his hand and started leading him towards the caravan. "You'll see."

Now he found himself with nothing to do while Fiona drove them to the site of the fight, some sort of arena which he had never heard of. He guessed that no matter how long he was here that Pandora would always have another surprise for him; he also assumed that Fiona would follow the pattern of her home world. He hardly imagined when he first met her, the reason he wasn't going to be climbing the Hyperion ladder with that smug, self-assured smile on her face, that he would be doing something like this with her but now it just seemed right.

"So what kind of fight is this exactly," he asked trying to pry more information out of her.

"Just a fight you know," she said. "Two people going after each other in a bareknuckle brawl until one of them prevails."

"That's still pretty vague," he said.

"It's not a fight to the death if that's what you're thinking though I'm sure we can find one of those if that's what you're into," she said.

"I'm not into anything," he said. "I'm only going because you want to go."

"As much as I appreciate that," she said. "I still want you to keep an open mind."

"Mind is open," he said, feeling the need to actually point to his head for reasons that completely escaped Fiona.

"I'll hold you to that," she said turning her attention back to driving. She turned on the radio and an alternative rock song that left Rhys feeling like he would never completely "get it" no matter how many times he listened began playing.

"Don't you guys do anything slightly less violent around here for entertainment," he said after a short silence. He had after all came from a place that considered shooting at each other with finger guns to be the pinnacle of both sport and entertainment.

"Like what," she queried uncertain as to what exactly he was getting at.

"Chess," he said confidently.

"You're serious," Fiona said after a short chuckle.

"Why wouldn't I be," he said. "Don't you enjoy a little mental exercise every now and then?"

"Sure," she said suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious. "It's just that I've never played that."

"Really," he said.

"It wasn't exactly at the top of Felix's parenting priorities to teach Sasha and I how to play games," she said. "I know what it is though."

"That's it,' he said, a smile spreading across his face. "I am so teaching you how to play chess once we get back."

"No you don't have to," she said nervously. "I'm sure I'm fine."

"Afraid of losing," he said.

"Hardly," she scoffed.

"Then it's settled," he said with a smug grin. "I teach you how to play and then we face each other on the glorious field of battle that is tactics and mental strategy."

"Glorious field of battle," she questioned. "Don't you think that's a little overdramatic?"

"You don't think so," he said. "It's actually really competitive once you get into it; I can picture you flipping the table in anger already."

"Did you just insinuate that I am a sore loser," she asked.

"Maybe," he said another smile on his face.

"You're on just for that," she said.

"Did something I say anger you," he said mockingly.

"Hardly, but if you don't shut up you're going to find out what happens when I am angered," she said in a warning tone.

"I'm pretty sure I already have a good idea," he said.

She shot him a glare.

"I wouldn't want to press my luck though," he said raising his hands in mock surrender.

He resigned himself to watching the Pandoran landscape race by as Fiona drove them closer and closer to their final destination. Not much of interest jumped out at him.

They finally arrived at the "arena" as Fiona had called it, to Rhys it hardly qualified as more than a large shack.

"This is really where the fight is happening," he said. "It's a little underwhelming."

"Next time I'll tell them to bring out the padded, leather seats and high end cocktails just for you," she said with a smirk.

"Much appreciated," he said.

The fight itself began almost as soon as they were inside. One of the fighters was noticeably larger than the other and clearly had the advantage; that didn't stop him from drawing out the punishment as long as possible and Rhys was beginning to think that Fiona had lied to him when she claimed it wasn't a fight to the death.

"Is that guy's eye even attached to the rest of his body anymore," he asked not sure if he really wanted to know. He could feel himself about to throw up.

"Oh come on you baby," she said. "You wore another guy's face."

That did it, he turned to the other side so that it wouldn't land on her.

"You know that I specifically asked for that never to be brought up again," he said after he was sure it was all out of his system. "You don't know what it was like."

The horror was evident on his face.

"I'm really disappointed that I wasn't there to see it in person," she said laughing at his discomfort.

"Next time there is another person's face to be worn you're so doing it," he said.

"You wouldn't really want to mess this up would you," she said pointing to her own face.

He sat thoughtful for a while before saying, "I guess you're right; one of us has to be the good-looking one."

"I don't know, I hear some people actually find cybernetics pretty sexy," she said teasingly.

"No one comes to mind," he said feigning ignorance.

"We'll have to fix that then," she said as she leaned in kissing him.

It was at that moment that Rhys decided that coming to this fight had been worth it. It may have been bloody and overly violent to the point where he was almost vomiting every five minutes but as long as she was with him it was still a good time. Now he just had to get her to sit down long enough to actually play a game of chess with him.

I do intend to do one of him teaching her chess eventually