Neo hits the floor hard. Her vision a blur of bright lights before a shadow blocks them out. She quickly rolls away, narrowly dodging her opponent's stomp at her throat. She scrambles up to her feet in time for her opponent to go for a wild haymaker that she ducks under. He keeps firing punches but Neo manages to evade all of them until he runs out of breath and stops while she takes the time to back up and make some space between them.
With a lull in the fight the crowd noise is harder to ignore. The jeers and cheers of the 'dignified' high society members and fellow criminals who shared a bond in watching this bloodsport. Their cries of bets and general screaming meshing unpleasantly. Neo tries to tune them out again and focus more on her opponent. A green-haired badger faunus, shirtless which showcased his barrage of scars. Despite his fighting skills speaking to years of combat and training he looks unwell. The faunus looks malnourished in places and his face looks gaunt, looking exhausted even back when the match started. The man's appearance in hits close to Neo.
The faunus has had his fill of his break and leaps forward for a spinning roundhouse kick. Neo tries to block it but it still hits hard. As she staggers she sees he's going for a sideway swipe, his claws glinting in the stage lights but Neo's eyes do as well. Neo leans back causing it to miss and steps forward meeting him almost chest to chest, greeting him with a smirk. The faunus is on tilt from the move but would become more when Neo's semblance activates.
Her face and upper body have now shifted to that of a Beowolf. Neo's opponent finally shows some more expression as it shifts into terror, giving Neo her chance. She spins on her feet and darts behind him. Neo grabs his arm at the elbow and yanks it back. She snakes her other arm around his throat and forces the two down. Cracking his arm against the elbow and choking him out, the fight is now over. The electronic display on one of the room's walls reads the faunus' aura draining until it's clear he can't continue and Neo deactivates her semblance.
Neo stays in position as she know what the crowd wants. They're all in anticipation for her to snap his neck or some other vicious act to cap off the fight but Neo… doesn't really see the point in it. Not mercy, just a lack in motive. She holds the choke long enough until he's passing out to cement that she's won before letting go. She rolls off his body onto her back and kips up onto her feet. The crowd starts booing, denied of more action but they might as well not be here to her. She struts out the cell as she sees Roman out the corner of her eye. Sitting in the stands, softly smiling, looking as pleased as ever.
———
Neo opens the door to Roman's office. She sees him at his deck, arranging lien until he sees her at which point he stops.
"Well if it isn't my favorite customer!"
Neo walks to his desk and bows her head slightly. Roman pushes one of the stacks to her and she quirks an eyebrow at him. Roman shrugs.
"Its called booking fees."
Neo taps a finger on the desk until Roman pushes another stack for her, still fairly jovial.
"That was great match you had out there. Course the crowds are getting a bit sick of you. Not fun seeing the same guy win with the same result each time."
Neo collects her money into her purse and then meets Roman eye-to-eye. A silent agreement as she has an idea of what she might have to do the next bout. She was wary about Roman's suggestion of pit fighting but she couldn't really deny any order he gives. The fights helped keep her on her toes and made her a better fighter. Another reason she was the ace of his group. Roman joked that soon enough she'd be able to take down a whole squad of huntsmen but she had her doubts. It was just Roman's way to heap praise and boast about bigger and better, though hearing those words didn't hurt either. She then walks to the center of the room and sits on Roman's luxurious leather couch. Then turning on the tv to some trashy program.
"*sigh* Y'know if you don't hurry up and find your own place I'm gonna have to start charging rent." Neo still has her eyes glued to the screen, not paying Roman heed. "Course there's always my place. Its got a bed, kitchen and me! What more could you want?"
Neo still hasn't moved but he's sure she rolled her eyes. Roman chuckled a bit before pulling out his scroll, 'work' still to be done. Neo for her part is tuning out the show. Keeping it on to make it look like she's not paying attention to anyone around her. She sees her jacket on the other side of the couch from where she left it and brings it closer to her. She holds it to her chest, admiring how soft it was.
Those cold nights under store-side roofs might as well be a lifetime ago. Her status in the organization keeps her rolling in dough. Hell the only reason she's not in charge of her own crew within the group is her lack of interest in others. There were ways around her inability to speak but she refrained from most of them. With her powers she could probably even ditch this group and start a new one. Leading a mafia powerful enough to bring Vale's underground to its knees and make her the kingpin of it all. But the thought rarely crosses her mind. Sitting here in Roman's office with the sounds of his work filling the room and just waiting for orders was ...enough.