He who aligned the stars
IX
He really was getting into the business of praising his allies for their abilities, though it went without saying that Peperoncino's skill should have been without peer in the art of personal beauty, he had been approached by several men - one of whom seemed to be rather drunk - and asked if he was comfortable with walking around by himself and if he wanted them to make sure he got home safely.
Wodime wasn't quite that naive when it came to the intentions of others so it allowed for a brief experiment in the art of hypnosis. A few voice words here and there and those who approached him with such blatant intentions were sent on their way. He even informed the drunk to head on back home and get some rest, reminding him to drink plenty of water when he woke up for what was obviously going to be quite a painful hangover.
Suffice to say that the nightlife of Mexico city was about what he had expected, not all that different from London but at the same time, there was a different sort of energy about it. While he was well aware that he had to keep his wits about him at all times, that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the sights of the city itself and there was quite a lot to see. Perhaps it was because walking through London was like being in your own independent bubble and watching as everyone else was much the same.
Here though? Perhaps it felt easier to say it was more electrified, like there was something much more personal about it. As though everyone was paying attention to everyone else rather than minding their own business. Again, he could have been imagining things but it didn't feel as though he was.
A few minutes of walking later, combined with a few glances towards the night sky but being unable to see anything on account of the light pollution. Though the further out he walked, the less it seemed to affect him, turning back caused the horizon to glow with the lights of the buildings. It seemed as though the venue was quite a bit out from their hotel but the route Daybit provided him with seemed straightforward enough and that was combined with his trust in the man.
Then again, one could never be too careful.
He ran his thumb over the mystic code and slipped it around his wrist, the bracelet concealing his presence from the world and effectively rendering him the equivalent of a ghost in the streets. It might have been a little bit risky if there was someone magically attuned but at the same time, it narrowed down the people he would rather encounter as only those who could see him would be the sort he wished to be seen by. He could always take it off if the moment required anyway.
Another thing he was pleasantly surprised by was how chilly tepid it was. He knew it was around ten or eleven degrees but that was considered a rather pleasant day back in England, here it seemed as though the nights were considered cold. Then again, he was certain that come the day time he was going to be seeking out shade a touch more often than anyone else.
…Perhaps he could purchase himself a sombrero?
…He could.
The mere thought brought a twitch to his lips, he'd never been to Mexico before or really on holiday for that matter, whenever he travelled the world it was usually for short business trips and little else. He was going to be here for a while, presumably, so that meant that there was plenty of time for him to take some time out of his schedule just to break up the strain of it all.
Perhaps it was fortunate he had brought Daybit along, had it been Ophelia he was certain she might have brow beaten him into keeping his attention firmly on the point. He would have been more concerned for her given that she would miss out on the chance to really socialise. As for Kadoc, he was concerned about the climate's effects on him given his origin. The nights wouldn't pose much of a problem, but it was the days especially as they approached summer.
Glancing to the side, he felt his lips pull into a pleased smile as he spotted the venue. Rather aptly named as 'Arena Mexico' which wasn't very creative but it did get the point across. No sense in complaining since it made finding the location much easier due to looking at the signs. Evidently, he wasn't the only one paying attention to the match tonight given that he could see a crowd of other people making for the door as well.
He glanced to the line, making his way there.
Evidently, despite not being able to attend, Daybit had gone through the effort of purchasing his tickets online as well. He'd caught it on a small note which said that he would have done so by the time he read it. He wasn't sure when the man would have known he was going to read over the note once again but that was just Daybit being Daybit, all in all, he could tell he was going to have some enjoyment tonight and…
Slowing to a halt, his eyes landed on one of the stalls at the side as he entered, his brows rising as he looked at them and feeling the smile bubble on his lips once more. It was a stall dedicated to selling masks, each of them more unique and colourful than the last. Glancing left and right, he hummed for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders and advanced on it, slipping his hands into his hoodie pockets and removing the bracelet.
Getting a bit of memorabilia couldn't hurt.
Adjusting himself into his seat, the atmosphere around him felt positively alive. Perhaps even contagious with how excited everyone was, there might not have been a cheering but it was on the cusp of that, he glanced left and right, his own smile not even making an effort to stay hidden as an almost giddish excitement fixed itself upon him.
Though he wasn't going to draw attention to himself, that wasn't really what he was here for. Inhaling and then exhaling, he leaned back into his chair and aimed his eyes downwards onto the little arena below. A square of arena much like a boxing ring but he felt as though making the comparison would be like saying rugby and football were played on a field of grass.
He hadn't had a chance to see who would be competing tonight but a brief glance around the room at the faces of some of the people revealed that they were all looking at the arena with rapt attention, it would explain the tension in the air, as though they were all waiting for something big to happen. Perhaps he had walked in on a rather anticipated matchup?
All the better, in that case.
His eyes snapped towards the arena as someone walked onto the centre, microphone in hand. Wodime made a small noise of realisation as he went for his phone, briefly snapping it open and glancing back at the man as he did so, just watching as they paced around with a knowing grin on their face, then back to his phone. Setting on the camera and hitting the record button. Aiming it back down just in time for them to bring the microphone to their lips and speak into it.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The voice echoed through the stadium "There is one reason and one reason only we are here tonight! The final clash! The ultimate battle! The battle to become the champion!" he leaned back with that final cry, something echoed by the crowd as they started to call out.
Wodime blinked for a moment, then joined in with his own shout of encouragement, pumping his fist into the sky as he did so. The announcer waited for a few moments, glancing around before the noise fell silent, the microphone came up once more.
"We have waited long, we have waited tirelessly! We have waited until our hearts would stop from excitement! The moment! Is! Here!" He turned and swung his arm towards the ramp leading to the entrance, Wodime instantly snapped his hand towards the large door, watching with rapt attention as a blinding light shone through it, accompanied by the gradual release of smoke.
"As sure as the sun rises! Her victories have come with every match! As sure as the summer sun heats the world! Her hunts have captured our hearts and our cheers! Her wall is lined with the trophies of her victories!"
He had to hand it to the announcer, they certainly knew how to whip a crowd into a frenzy, he was certainly finding himself swept up in all the excitement without even knowing who was coming out or what was going on. Yet he was virtually on the edge of his seat with anticipation. His eyes were positively fixed on the door with rapt attention.
"And now! The final battle to claim the ultimate prey is at last here!" The announcer swung their entire body towards the direction of the door, the light gradually dimming just enough for a figure to emerge in the doorway, the silhouette casting a long shadow that stretched from the door all the way to the arena. Hands on their hips, the light dimmed enough for the figure to be fully visible, right at the same time the announcer called out their name with a shout so heartfelt he thought the man might just cry. "The Prowling Dawn!"
He drew the name out as the shadow stepped forwards, hands placed on her hips as she moved out of the light and into a position where he could see her. From head to toe, he could certainly admit that she was quite the intimidating sight to behold, body toned with visible muscles but not absurdly built - then again, he could see the six pack from this distance - but what struck him as well was the safari hat she was wearing over the top of her brightly coloured orange mask with a pattern embroidered on it that almost looked like a cartoon sun.
The description made quite a bit of sense now.
She stepped downwards, silently amidst the cheers and hollering of support, spreading her arms wide and showing off the sleeveless leather fringe jacket she was wearing, spinning on her heels and sweeping her arms up as though to encourage the crowd further, something which worked as intended as somehow - in ways not even Wodime was sure - the crowd was thrown into an even greater frenzy than before.
He saw no reason in being left out.
Crying out as loud as he could manage, he joined in with the cheers of support as Dawn stepped into the arena, leaning their arms back and allowing the jacket to slip off and drop to the ground, revealing the crop top underneath it with a similar burning orange shade to it though this time with a much more obvious sun blazing on the front, a moment later she grabbed her hat but the rim and whipped it off as well, turning and then coiling her arm around her body before swinging it back around, the hat went launching off somewhere into the crowd accompanied by an enthusiastic cheer from Dawn herself, accompanied by the wide grin he could see under the mask which revealed…
He squinted his eyes and he would not deny that he also enhanced his vision just a bit in order to get a better view and to confirm what he thought might have been a trick of the light. Yet it did confirm that her teeth were actually sharpened, almost like he was looking into the mouth of a shark. Though it was rather brief and when she smiled again, they looked perfectly normal. Which was probably just his mind playing tricks on him.
"Gooooood evening everyone~!" Dawn all but sang as she skipped around the length of the arena, exaggerating her movements and positively radiating energy as she did so, leaping up onto one of the corner posts and spreading her arms wide as though to embrace the entire crowd. The response was as immediate as it was loud, whooping and cheering much like every other movement she had done. "Ah!"
She leaned back, pressing her hands against her chest and grinning even wider "Don't spend all your cheers for me! Even the prey needs some respect too!" and with that, she kicked off the corner post and flipped back through the air, Wodime felt his brows climb up his forehead as she performed a perfect stunt that landed her right next to the announcer with her arms crossed over her chest and a posture of pure confidence.
There was something else about her posture that caught Wodime's eye however, more than the absolute confidence she radiated, there was just something about her that seemed to be something more. There was little other way he could describe it, Prowling Dawn just gave him the sensation of being grandiose, just something nestled in the back of his mind that informed him that this woman was incredibly important or at least more than everyone else in the room. However, that feeling could also have been a result of her celebrity status.
Given that everyone else in the room was currently cheering her on as loud as they could seemingly manage, himself being no exception to this little rule, there was every possibility that he was similarly getting swept up in all of the cheering and he was just explaining away the presence in his mind. He suspected he would have had much the same sort of reaction if he had ever met someone like Bruce Lee. Celebrities being celebrities.
Waving his hand down, the commentator simmered down the crowd back to a stage where they could actually manage the chance to speak. Though his grin remained firmly plastered onto his face as he brought the microphone back up, though his expression shifted to be much sharper as he leaned forwards, pacing around the box. "And the prey for this hunter, we have seen her in action, we have heard the howls of her defeated! We have witnessed her rising prowess!"
He paused for effect, the crowd sucked in a breath as one before the man stopped and swung his arm towards the doors once more, this time there was a thundering of drums combined with other percussion instruments, the music was certainly inspired by a jungle and the backing track of a growl from some manner of big cat caught his ears. Though not nearly as much as he noticed the smile on Prowling Dawn turn a lot sharper, her lip twitched in a way that would have been impossible for anyone else other than himself to see.
Nevertheless, it was a display of clear irritation, perhaps even unconscious, but he didn't equate it to the idea of the competition. Perhaps Prowling Dawn and whomever this newcomer was, they had some sort of rivalry going on between them, it was certainly possible but he wasn't all that familiar with the rules of the sport beyond giving them a partial glance before his arrival. Something about keeping their opponent pinned down but that was about it.
"We'll see if her bite can match her father!" The man bellowed out, this time the lighting turned green as a new shadow stepped into the doorway, Dawn turned her head towards it as the figure threw the doors open at the same time the announcer called out her name. "The Jaguar's Kitten!"
Wodime suppressed a smile at the name, nodding his head up and down and rolling his lips inwards with a hum to himself. Sparing a glance around the room, he noticed that most were being far more open about their displays of mirth at the name, though clearly they had grown used to it by now. His eyes returned to the woman and he felt his brows flatten and his lips roll up.
If this was the kitten, he was rather curious and slightly worried as to what the father would be like.
The slightly tanned woman descended with the printed leopard like mask covering her face, fingers splayed wide like they were claws as her movements became exaggerated, almost as though she was prowling towards the box. Her muscles were just as visible as Dawn and she was just as tall as the woman, making her perhaps his equal in height or a touch taller. Kitten she might have had in her name, but she certainly didn't have the defenceless of one, that was for certain.
Crouching down, the woman lept up towards the ropes and flipped her body around, he had to blink several times as she performed a handstand on the top rope, then turned her body and started to walk across it the whole time without looking as though she was doing anything unusual. She stopped, then fell forwards as though she lost her balance, the concern lasted barely a moment as her body curved around into a crescent shape, her feet landing on the corner post and revealing why she had a six pack as well as she pulled her upper half straight up, her hands falling forwards and placing them flat against the post.
Assuming a position as though she was going to pounce any second now, much like the cat she had been named after.
"...Goodness me." He mumbled under his breath, not quite able to contain his awe for the sheer flexibility that the woman had in her possession, he felt his head turn slightly to the side as he observed her, then drifted his eyes over towards Dawn, the woman had remained unmoved during the performance, then slowly brought her hand up and started to clap.
It started slow at first, then picked up speed, he looked around and noticed that no one else had started so, seeing no reason not to try something, he placed his phone down on his lap and started to clap as well. Though the bracelet would prevent people from really honing in on the source of the noise - apparently cameras were banned so he had to put it on again to use the recording feature of his phone - it would still allow the sound to pass out through the crowd.
The effect was immediate, a few others started to clap, then the noise rippled through, Wodime looked around and felt the smile forming on his face as he watched what he helped set in motion, a faint glimmer of pride bubbled within him for a brief second, soon trounced my enjoyment as he nodded his head up and down, turning it back towards the direction of the box and then pausing for half a second.
Dawn was looking right at him.
They locked eyes with one another for half a second, he knew it wasn't a case of her looking at his general direction. No, she had looked directly at him. If there had been any shadow of doubt in his mind, it was banished when she flat out winked at him and pulled her lips into a pleased smirk before she turned her head away and continued to clap. She might have said something else but he remained frozen there.
He looked at his wrist.
The bracelet was still present, which meant she had seen right through the concealment. Nor was it a case of the spell being weakened by the diminished ether in the air, because he had run experiments on that and confirmed that the effects of the mystic code had remained potent enough to hide his presence. Namely by putting it on Daybit and telling him to use it, a brief experiment but it confirmed it worked.
His lips parted and he turned his attention back to dawn, giving her a more intense look than before.
Clearly there was something special about Miss Prowling Dawn and it wasn't just her agility and strength.
Getting himself more comfortable in his seat, he remained aware of the enjoyment around him but distanced himself a bit, keeping his focus on the woman as she continued to speak, then allowed her voice to filter back into his ears, her words light and playful, still speaking in that sing song fashion with a rather potent accent which added some flavour to her words, even if he could understand her. "-ways love it when the prey is extra flexible! Yes!"
Dawn swung around, the challenging grin fixed firmly upon her face "It makes the hunt much sweeter!~" she rolled her arms until there was an audible pop, cracking her knuckles and chuckling to herself in that same playful tone, though this time there was something about it that sent shivers up his spine, perhaps it was because he was now aware there was something more to her, but it could just as easily have been because of her overly friendly manner of speech.
If the room was tense before, it got even worse when Kitten pounced off the crosspost and onto the mat, landing on all fours and even prowling around on her hands and knees before she pushed herself upright, pacing around and soon sporting a sharp grin of her owns with a bit of challenge within it as she spoke, similarly having an accent as she did. "Pride comes before the fall, and this hunter shall become the hunted!"
A rather daring boast, he had to admit, and one that Dawn took in stride if the pleased look and the nod of the head she offered was any indication, pacing backwards towards once side of the arena while Kitten backed away to her own.
The announcer looked between the two of them, sucking in a deep breath as he stepped back. "You've seen it here, ladies and gentlemen! The clash between predator and prey! The hunter and the hunted! Who will feast and who will be left for carrion!? Lets! Find! Out!"
He backed away, climbing in between the ropes and dropping down, walking towards his own little table at the side as he did so and joining the other commentators, a man whom Wodime assumed was the referee entered the box, mainly assuming as such due to the black and white striped shirt he was wearing, glancing between the two combatants for a moment before he swung his hand up into the air and blew a whistle, stepping back.
"And we're here tonight with the match between the Prowling Dawn and the Jaguar Kitten!" The commentary echoed around him as he kept his eyes on the box. "These two have been the fan favourites this season, both of them going through trial after trial, this looking to be the toughest match that either of them have ever faced before!"
"That's right!" Came the reply from the other commentator "Everyone recalls how tough that fight between Prowling Dawn and Devils Tooth was last month, so close that I was sweating, I was sweating and I'm certain my ancestors were sweating as well as they watched those two fight it out. I've got extra thick towels here for how tense this match is going to make me!"
"Good, good! Looks as though neither one of them is going for the first move, the way they prowl around one another, look at it, searching for weakness. We all know how dangerous Prowling Dawn is if she gets her hands on you!"
"Uuuuaaah, yes, yes! Everyone remembers poor Salamander."
"Ooooh. Yikes, even I feel the pain from that leg lock and I wasn't even on the receiving end and-!"
It was so sudden that he very nearly missed it, the slight tensing of her leg muscles as all the warning anyone got before Kitten launched herself forwards like a rocket, an impressive burst of speed which certainly lived up to her title of being a jaguar given the blur of printed black and yellow she became.
Dawn whirled on her, crouching down low as though to take her head on, but Wodime suspected there was something more going on in regards to this. A head on charge into someone infamous - apparently - for joint locks was a bad idea-
Kitten ducked directly underneath Dawns arms, instead looking straight towards the ropes as she rolled forwards, he blinked as she pushed off the ground towards the end of the roll and extended her feet towards the ropes, they visibly tensed as her weight flew into them before recoiled back like an arrow from a bow. The move pushed Kitten back the way she came and into a flip, rolling herself through the air and throwing her legs towards Dawn as she turned sideways.
Her legs wrapped around the head of Dawn, spinning around the top of the woman several times as though she was a windmill before flipping the woman over and to the mat, her hand lashed out, clasping onto the blonde and taking firm hold of it as they did so, the pair of them bouncing.
"Hey, hey, hey! And Dawn is on the ground with a headscissor! A surprising opening move from Kitten!"
"Well, well, you know what they say about cornered animals!"
"Yes, yes, yes! The most dangerous and Kitten is showing that she indeed has some claws to her! With that spiderweb she has her in, Dawn is down but is she able to remain trapped for long!? Let's just find out!"
Indeed, a hold like that certainly looked difficult enough for one to try and free themselves out of, then again, he was rather certain that the fight wouldn't end so quickly, not when it had barely just begun. Adjusting himself, he leaned forwards and hummed with interest, eyes scanning the two of them as Dawn struggled for a moment. Something jolted and then suddenly Dawn had popped herself down so that one leg was now on top of her and one was beneath her rather than both on top, in the next moment she had flipped herself over so that she was virtually upon a rather shocked looking Kitten, quickly releasing Dawn and pulling her legs back and pushing upwards, Dawn stumbled several feet backwards as Kitten rolled up.
"And Dawn frees herself from the hold like it was just an old cobweb! Hahahaha!"
"Kitten is smart and gets some distance between the two of them, it was a bad position for her to be in with Dawn right on her so a smart move to get away as fast as she can and-ooooooooooh"
Wodime found himself making a similar face to the commentator as Dawn charged forwards like a bull, clearing the distance between herself and Kitten in a couple steps and slamming her down like a clothesline, Kitten dropped down at a ninety degree angle and bounced up, Dawn continued her run, turning and falling back into the ropes.
"And a pass-by clothesline and-is she going to-!?"
"I think she is!"
"She's going to-!"
Dawn rushed past Kitten one more time to the other end of the mat, bouncing off the ropes once again and this time rushing straight towards the downed fighter. Kicking off the ground and into the air, she spread her limbs wide as though she was trying to take off, then dropped straight to the ground.
At the last second Kitten rolled to the side, the end result was Dawn slamming into the ground front first and bouncing off the mat as Kitten finished her role into a crouch.
"Ai, ai, ai! A failed power slam from Dawn!"
"Yes, yes! That's gonna cost her because Jaguars can be scavengers and a mistake like that is going to be one that she hungers for!"
Kitten surged forwards, sweeping around behind Dawn as she picked herself up and then rushed behind her, throwing her body just underneath Dawn's right shoulder, something which briefly earned a raised eyebrow from Wodime before he watched Kitten lift Dawn into the air.
"And here it is! The Scavenger takes control!"
"I can't watch!"
Hoisting Dawn up, she then dropped the wrestler back down tailbone first onto her waiting knee before throwing her forwards and onto the mat, Wodime grimaced and turned away with a wince at the move. Dawn rolled around on the mat for a few seconds, dragging herself back around as the crowd positively roared out and the commentators similarly started screaming into their microphones.
"And there it is! Dawn is driven into an Electric Chair by Kitten!"
"That's going to be a shock for not just her but for the entire crowd so far!"
"Yes, yes! Kitten really has Dawn on the ropes at the moment but I wouldn't count her out just yet! She's taken worse blows from Devil's Tooth and she still came out on top!"
"As you say, as you say-and Dawn is getting back up! Look at her, flashing a challenging grin to Kitten!"
"She is just a kitten, after all! She'll need to land some more blows before she drives down the big game!"
"Yes, yes! But every jaguar was a kitten once! Could this be the moment when this little kitty grows up and takes down the biggest prize of all?"
"We'll need to see!"
He examined the match closely, while he still found some small enjoyment from it, his efforts were now considerably less based in simple enjoyment as they had been previously. Watching and studying the movements of the two fighters, though cursory looks towards Kitten revealed to him that she was either exceedingly skilled at maintaining a human disguise or she was human.
Which made for the actions of Dawn that much more curious, though now he had a baseline to compare her with. That being the knowledge that the Mesoamerican Gods were truly interested in immersing themselves within the culture of humans without anyone being any the wiser to their identity. If it was possible for the likes of a certain other God, then he would not dismiss the possibility of one who found value in this manner of sport.
It was certainly something that could appeal to a God depending on their chosen authority, the worship played into it with their celebrity status and given the way the crowd was cheering Dawn on earlier and how pleased she looked with their praise, it was certainly within the realms of possibility that this was how they satiated their desire for worship but in a decidedly more innocent way.
Jolting at the sudden intensity of the ring, he focused his mind back onto the fight just in time to watch as Dawn flipped over the shoulder of Kitten and then fell back into a roll, grabbing the shoulders of the tanned woman and pulling her forwards, completing the manoeuvre by flipping her opponent over the top of her and onto her back, Dawn quickly righted herself and whirled around.
One thing puzzled him.
This was actually a rather close match, if Kitten was human, then why would a God lower themselves into a position where they could actually be seen to lose. He could not attest for the career of Prowling Dawn, but given the commentators announcements earlier, it seemed as though she had won some engagements through very close margins. It might well have been for the sake of publicity but the fact remained, it was a demonstration of weakness.
"Ai, ai, ai! And Dawn has Kitten in her hands now!"
"Yes, yes, yes! This is very bad for Kitten, she's found herself in the claws of the hunter and there can only be one end for this!"
"That there is and she is-!"
"She's flipping her upside down!"
"She's going for it!"
Dawn, with Kitten in her arms and flipped upside down so her head was pointed to the ground, was bodily thrown into the ground with enough force they bounced. Wodime winced at the sound before his focus returned, the crowd was naturally exploding. If he was to professionally analyse the bout thus far, he would say that while Dawn held the edge in weight and power, Kitten definitely had the flexibility.
By all accounts, it could go either way, provided Kitten could avoid the grip of Dawn because that was where she was going to lose.
"And that is a very painful looking scoop slam from Dawn!"
"I could feel that from here!"
He could certainly attest to how it looked.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he leaned forwards with the phone still in his hand, he was now caught in a conundrum. Either he could follow after Dawn when this match ended and see if he could make contact with her, it would be simple given that she was the only one who could apparently see him, or he could return and examine his situation more thoroughly. He had no reason to suspect that Dawn was actually aware of his presence, not in the sense of there was anything different about him.
Hopefully, at least.
The rest of the match was certainly highlighted by some very acrobatic scenes, namely the type that caused him to raise his brows in surprise. That being said, he was still very much caught up in the situation as a whole. Enthusiasm was quite infectious, so naturally when he watched Kitten flip Dawn over the ropes and out of the ring after she went for a charge, he was not ashamed to admit he gave a slight cheer of surprise.
He couldn't really decide on who he wanted to win because he was not familiar with either fighter, thus he just opted to cheer for the pair of them and their own successes. It might have been a little non-commital of him but he would have preferred more information on the backgrounds of who was fighting so he could accurately form a consensus on who was the better fighter to support. They seemed to be equally loved within the ring and Dawn had already shown she was fully willing to have Kitten praised so who was he to deny them that?
And Kitten certainly did things worthy of praise and applause, that much was certain.
"And Kitten mounts the turnbuckle…I think I know what this is going to be-!"
"I do too!"
"Her ultimate finisher!"
"The make or break!"
"The-!"
""Jaguar's Paw!""
It was almost as though the room was chilled the moment the words had been spoken, a cursory glance around the room and the stands revealed that everyone looked as though this was going to be the make or break moment for them. Adjusting himself, he kept his eyes focused on the tanned woman as she stood directly on the corner of the ring and then lowered herself into a pouncing position.
She hung there for a few seconds then springboard off, Wodime felt his eyes bulge - he had seen more impressive feats than this but it was just the atmosphere around him - as he watched the woman do a corkscrew in the air as she reached the summit of her jump, then as her body went flat, she splayed her arms either side of her and curved them forwards, slamming her knees together and folding them backwards.
He could certainly see where it got the name, considering it did look like a hand in some strange capacity.
Kitten dropped down front first onto the chest of Dawn, the woman jolted and rolled onto her side after that. Wodime leaned forwards, looking over the heads of the people in front of him to get a better look. The crowd was standing so it was only his natural height that gave him an advantage, yet it was just enough to crest over the sea of heads and look down at the blonde fighter on the floor as Kitten got back onto her feet, clenching her hands into fists and swinging her arms up to whip the crowd up into another frenzy, shouting all the while.
The crowd responded in kind, in both boos and cheers from fans and foes alike, in this instance he did not participate. Instead keeping his eyes focused solely onto Dawn as she lay on the ground and pulled herself back up.
It was a strange thing for him to consider but it genuinely looked as though she was going to lose this. It seemed such an alien thought for him to consider but it was now looking like a real possibility that she was going to lose. A bewildering thing for him to consider and that left him feeling more puzzled than anything else. Perhaps it was because he did expect more from Prowling Dawn but he would admit to getting a bit invested in her at this point, he was just curious to see how far she was going to go. Everything about her from her posture to her tone just oozed confidence so to see her almost humbled in this way was actually surprising.
Whether it was from his own belief or something unconscious, he was genuinely finding it difficult to believe she was going to lose. Yet that looked to be what was going to occur.
Before he even realised what was happening, he noticed that they made eye contact once again.
He wasn't sure what expression he was making, if he was making any at all, but it must have been something given that her eyes widened for a brief moment before they narrowed. If it was possible, it looked as though they physically brightened and a pressure flooded the room. Not the sort of pressure that Hades instilled, but the type of pressure that made one turn their attention to them, like how one would instinctively look towards a loud noise.
That was it.
Dawn unleashed the roaring pressure of pure silence, coupled with her suddenly pushing off the ground, staggering to her feet and then turning her head towards Kitten and smirking playfully, it seemed as though she had found her second wind after that rather devastating attack.
Naturally, the silence of her phoenix-like return could only last so long.
The crowd cheered.
Very loudly.
His lip twitched upwards.
"And after that devastating attack, the prowling dawn rises once again like the sun she claims to be!"
"Absolutely incredible! Amazing! Unbelievable!"
"If I was Kitten I would be feeling very nervous right now!"
"Yes, yes, yes! But after a blow like that, surely Dawn cannot be at her full power!?"
"That's the thing with the dawn! Once it starts rising, they just get brighter and brighter!"
"Haha!" That actually got a laugh out of him, bringing his free hand up to cover his mouth afterwards, rubbing his hand across his face and smothering his smile as he refocused his mind once again. After that display, it could no longer be in doubt that Dawn wasn't a normal human being. No one released a demanding aura quite like that and yet it wasn't malicious or dominating. It was just like being drawn to a natural occurrence without even realising it.
Kitten seemed frozen for a moment, visibly looking as though she was debating whether or not to actually give it another go. He couldn't see her face on account of her back being turned to him but he imagined that it was very much a case of visible debate written on her features. Those seconds of thought would be liable to cost her if she let them tick by, especially considering that every second she was remaining still was another second that Dawn would be recovering.
She clearly realised it when she rushed forwards, charging down Dawn with a single burst of speed that actually seemed to be faster than previous attempts. Perhaps motivated by adrenaline, either way, it was impressive but ultimately futile. She must have telegraphed her intentions on her face because Dawn was already moving before she even took the first step, by the time she reached the blonde, her body was already angled down so that Kitten ran directly into the shoulder.
If that had been it, she would have bounced back and hit the floor, but that was not quite the end as her momentum carried her forwards, not at all helped by Dawn slipping her arm in between the thighs of the woman and wrapping it around her leg, her other arm went up and coiled around the shoulderblades of Kitten. Turning and hoisting the woman into a fireman's carry. Yet that was not quite enough, amidst the roar of the crowd, Dawn started to spin around with such speed that he was mildly curious if she was trying to become a helicopter.
The spin cycle continued on for another few seconds before she eventually released Kitten and managed to throw her directly in between the ropes and back onto the ring, the roar of the crowd drowned out whatever the announcers were saying as to that latest attack but it clearly meant very little as Dawn climbed up and back onto the ropes, flipping herself over them but not quite approaching Kitten yet. No, instead she was the one now climbing up onto the turnbuckles.
Reaching the summit, she turned back around and looked down onto Kitten, the woman rolling onto her side and visibly struggling to stand up. Likely on account of the throw, exhaustion and dizziness. If she actually managed to get back to her feet, he would have to give her credit for her endurance. Though he was somewhat sceptical of that now, even if she did manage to get back up, whatever Dawn had planned for her was likely going to finish her off.
His eyes landed on the black and white striped shirt of the referee, the man circling like a vulture and just waiting to declare a loser. A part of him wanted to at least cheer Jaguar's Kitten on just so she similarly got a 'battle continuation' moment in much the same way Dawn had received one, but he was measuring his expectations. It might have been easier for her to stay down and just let it slide…but then again, he would never have been content with something like that in her shoes so he doubted she would be fine with just giving up either.
With that thought in mind, he watched as Jaguar Kitten rolled onto her front, hands placed flat against the mat. With a visible strain on her muscles, she slowly but surely started to rise upwards. It was clear to even him that it was truly the last dregs of effort she had left in her but then again, the battle had been fairly close between the two of them for the last fifteen minutes. The only reason he was aware of the passage of time was thanks to the recording on his phone which was documenting it, else he would never have believed it. Time had virtually flown right by him.
Grunting loudly, Kitten released something akin to a roar as she pushed herself against the ground as hard as she could, propelling herself back to her feet and stumbling backwards several steps after doing so. Breathing loudly, her chest visibly pulsing in and out with laboured breaths, she turned her head towards the direction of Prowling Dawn and narrowed her eyes, turning her body side on in clear preparation for it.
In response, Dawn gradually lowered herself into as decent a crouch as she could manage, lowering her right arm and clenching her hand into a fist, the flat of her knuckles pressed against the turnbuckle. The room was so silent that he could hear it, not even the commentators had dared to speak during this moment, his ears twitched. The sharp intake of breath from Dawn was all the warning he - and anyone else - received before suddenly the woman was airborne.
She flipped forwards, bringing her left leg up and extending it outwards while her body turned, for a moment it looked as though she was going to do an axe kick but it changed right at the last moment when he watched her descent and internally calculated it. His mind moving at a million miles a second, the timing of the spin was all wrong, which meant she was doing something more in line with a drop kick.
Sure enough, her body soon reached the turn and with her foot pointing directly towards Kitten and racing towards her like a falling arrow. The tanned woman brought up her arms and took a step backwards, crossing them over her chest and looking to escape the attack. But it was too little too late, he could see it which meant she could certainly see it as well.
Dawn's foot slammed into the guard of the woman and she visibly kicked back, flipping in reverse while Kitten was launched backwards, slamming shoulder first into the ground and then rolling over onto her front. Meanwhile, Prowling Dawn completed the kick off flip and landed back down into a crouched position, then snapped her head up and focused her attention solely onto her opponent. Though Wodime doubted she was going to be getting up after something like that.
Perhaps for the sake of being certain, Dawn rocketed forwards and then spun around, flipping Kitten onto her back and then dropping down onto her chest, straddling her with her legs pressing against either side of her ribs. Likely to keep her pinned down, even if there was a chance she was going to do anything, he doubted they would have had an easy time of escaping that.
The referee stalked forwards, dropping down to her side and visibly slamming his hand on the mat for a countdown. Once three seconds had passed, he brought up his hand and gestured it in the direction of Dawn. That was that.
The crowd exploded with cheers and shouts, the referee's were screaming and hollering about something and then the applause started to flood in. Wodime might have been examining her, but he wasn't so out of it that he was going to ignore basic decency. She had won and it didn't appear as though she had used anything more than superior skill to win, it looked as though Kitten might have been in with just as much a chance. Turning off the recording on his phone, he clipped the lid shut and then tucked it into his pocket before he applauded as well.
He could appreciate the achievement for what it was and if it was a Goddess lowering herself to be on the same level as a human to meet them on an equal playing field, then this victory was just as hard fought for her as it was for the regular human in the ring as well. That being said, he quietly rose up from his seated position, making sure that he was swift enough to keep out of line of sight with Prowling Dawn. He was leaving before she could get a chance to pursue him if that was her intention. Her back was still facing him as he snuck out of the stands and quickly out of the door.
There was much he needed to think on and research.
In the silence of the room, only the tapping of fingers on a keyboard could be heard, intermittent with the gentle clicking of a mouse as a blonde man dragged his cursor along the screen. His purple eyes scanned the screen in silence as he did so, not even making a single noise and the only evidence that he was even living was the regular breathing he was giving.
That was the only evidence that he was alive and not a wax doll.
He paused, only a brief moment, but his fingers hovered above the title of a news clipping, the screen scrolled down and his eyes seemingly narrowed upon the image. Scanning it and taking in every single detail. A hum was given and the man scrolled past the picture once more, had anyone been present to witness it, there would have been no doubt that he committed the image to mind.
As he continued on, he paused at the vibration emanating from the phone just to the left of his computer. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he reached out and took the device into his hand, flipping the screen up and hitting the accept call, then brought it to his ear. Not even a moment passed before the words flew from his lips. "Complications?"
A beat, then a response from the other side. "Of a sort, yes. Though I am not quite so certain of their implications, it is enough to warrant an interest."
"I see. Before or after?"
"During."
"Spectator or participant?"
"The latter." The caller replied a moment later, the touch of amusement in their tone of voice did not so much as bring a twitch of emotion onto the expression of the blonde man, who reached up and rubbed their freshly formed beard in their fingers. A move so natural it looked as though they had been doing it their whole life. "They saw through the amulet, but I do not believe they noticed anything unique about me…the first time around at least. I cannot say for certain but I departed early to lower the chances of them pursuing me."
A hum from the blonde as he took his eyes away from the screen for the first time. "Potential danger?"
"On that front, I am not quite certain…especially considering that she seemed rather enamoured with the popularity brought forth with being a wrestler but I am certain you can imagine why they would accept that manner of profession."
"A preference depending on the God, though the end result remains the same, worship from a devoted following in some manner." A pause, then the blonde pushed himself out of his seat, pacing towards the window. The purple eyes remained devoid of emotion as he continued to speak, nothing in his tone of voice to hint at interest. "Progress?"
"She showed an interest in the ceremony after the battle. I believe she will not notice my absence immediately and by the time she does, I will be long gone. Though I have cast several further spells upon myself since to conceal my detection from scrying."
"Weakened from the texture?"
"Unfortunately, yes. On a more academic note, the difference is noticeable but at the same time, the effects of the spells are still potent enough to be considered useful. A comparison would be if I was less skilled than I was."
"...Is that so? Understandable. The problem lies in the quality and quantity of the magical energy, a human of limited skill would naturally show weaker proficiency in that range and cause a similar effect."
"Hm. On that topic, I am already making my way back but I am keeping an eye out for other beings. She was very well disguised and it was not until the end of the match that I was absolutely certain she was not human."
"Not piercing the amulet?"
"I was sat in a crowd."
"I see. Belief in mere collateral."
"The first time, yes. The second time confirmed she could see me, the others were less aware of every-"
The blonde narrowed his eyes instantly at the silence from the other end of the call, by all accounts there was no reason for them to stop speaking and yet they had done so. The expression of the man was utterly unreadable. Impossible to tell whether they were thinking or if they were even concerned with the safety, if one did not look at the slight clenching of their hand around the phone the moment they stopped speaking.
The silence stretched on for several seconds, then the feminine voice of Wodime came through once again. "It appears that I shall have to speak with you again at a later date. I will be back soon, dear."
Abruptly the line went dead, Daybit removed the phone from his ear and stared at the screen for a moment. His lips thinned, then snapped it shut. Without a word, he closed his eyes and turned towards the door. Pausing for a moment, then shaking his head and moving back to where he had been sitting before, lowering himself into the seat and placing the phone back next to the computer.
The tapping of fingers on keys resumed.
Clipping the phone shut, he maintained his outwardly stoic expression as he slowly placed the phone back into his coat pocket. Then, with practised ease, he shifted his expression into a cordial smile and nodded to the person standing opposite him, leaning against the wall and with an equally friendly expression on their face. "Good evening, Mister."
"You're a polite one, aren't you?" The heavily accented man rumbled back to him with a curious look in her eyes, it was only then he noticed something different about the orbs within his eyes as he looked him up and down. Namely the fact they almost seemed to glow under the low lighting, combined with the pressure as though he was being sized up, it did not take him long to realise there was something amiss here. The slightly tanned man glanced over Wodime's shoulder and then hummed again with a bit more interest this time around. "I see you have just come from the arena? Did you enjoy your time there?"
There was no reason to lie. "I did." the confirmed seemed to bring a pleased look onto the man - Wodime only made that assumption based on how they were dressed, tight leather jeans, a light grey smart shirt with the top button undone to expose their collar, else he might have suspected them of being a woman, as a result of the very effeminate and objectively attractive face they had - as they nodded their head up and down. "It is my first time visiting and I decided to embrace the culture of the land during a moment of respite."
"Ahaha, that's wonderful to hear, Señor" The effeminate man with dark hair stepped away from the wall and approached him, nothing at all in their tone that they were hostile but Wodime still mentally prepared himself for some manner of response. A split second later, he realised they had called him senior. Which meant two things, one they had disabled his translation spell without him realising, and two they had seen through his disguise. The former was concerning, the latter was rather shameful. "Having those of different lands come over and enjoy some of our culture is a delight to hear. Though I can't help but notice you left before the celebrations…"
Their expression visibly fell at that, shaking their head from side to side. "Those moments are just as wonderful as the sports themselves, immersing yourself fully in the spirit of victory and triumph. Not just for the winners but also a celebration for the losers who put their honour on the line and their skills to the test." slipping his hands into his pockets, he thinned his lips. "Some might think you were being a little insensitive, Señor."
"I apologise if it seemed that way, merely that I was rather caught by surprise from the…participants."
Staring at him in silence, then gradually nodded their head up and down. "Si, si. Don't worry about that, she can have that effect on a lot of people when she first meets them. Then again, not a lot go to an afternoon match and expect to run into a Goddess, do they, Señor?"
"...Forgive me if I sound blunt, but you do sound rather at ease with the situation."
They made a face at him for a few seconds, then chuckled and shook their head "Ah, I see, you're worried over nothing, Señor. As long as you don't start problems, I have no problem with you. I was just visiting because I knew she was having a match and it would be poor form if at least one of us didn't show up for her final battle…" he waved his hand with a playfully exasperated look on his face. "It's been all those two that have been going on about for a while now and I just wanted to see how it would come to an end."
He was certainly missing a lot of context here but he was quite certain he wasn't about to be let go quite so easily.
"Besides, any man who can come here and throw themselves into the culture while dressed like that on their first day is a man that I am rather interested in." He stepped closer, Wodime held his ground and kept his eyes on the man who was likely to be a God. It wasn't as though he would have enough time to do anything about him at this range, but if the God wanted him dead, they wouldn't be speaking. He blinked as they extended a hand towards him and left it there, simply going for a handshake.
He looked at him expectantly, Wodime gradually brought up his own hand and took the handshake, the man made a pleased noise as he did so. "Aha, I'm glad you're not too alarmed with my divinity. It would be rather boring to go through the trouble of changing yourself into something else as who you once were." he nodded "Is that why you are dressed as a woman, Señor?"
"...Merely a disguise to make moving around easier."
That brought a look of confusion onto the face of the man as he slowly turned his head and scanned their environment. "Señor, there are easy ways of moving about the city but dressing up as a woman and walking the streets alone is certainly not one of them."
Wodime winced. "That…it was more for the reference of entering the country and covering my tracks."
"Ah, a private man then." The God opposite him nodded their head up and down and pulled their hand back. "Though I must compliment you, Señor. Did you do this makeup yourself or did you have someone else do it?" they asked, eyes looking him up and down with the same sort of academic intensity he would see from someone studying a work of art.
"...A friend."
"You have a talented friend, Señor. I'm jealous." Chuckling to himself as though he'd been told a funny joke, he shook his head from side to side. "You have an open mind as well, I would not have thought to disguise myself as a woman to enter somewhere secretly without earning attention. I barely even noticed you until she sent me a silent look to follow you."
Well, he didn't need to ask who she was.
"...It would seem I made quite the blunder."
"Ah, don't think too harshly of yourself, Señor." Waving his hand from side to side, the man continued on. "I noticed that you were rather focused on the match, those little spells you cast on yourself were very impressive as well. It took me quite a bit longer to find you than I would have done otherwise." pausing for a moment, he shrugged. "Though I suppose if you know what I am, you'll take that praise with a grain of salt."
"A second slower than you would have done then?"
"Ooooh, close, close."
"Two?" Wodime raised his brows, then watched as the God nodded his head up and down, that drew a hum from him. "I see. Either I am better than I suspected or this diminished presence of the Gods is having a greater effect on everyone than I first imagined."
The God paused, then inclined an eyebrow. "You know about that? Ah…are you that sort of tourist then?"
"Of a sort." Another pause. "I don't suppose that when this conversation ends, we might bid one another a good night and then go about our separate ways?"
The apologetic smile was answer enough.
"No matter. I had hoped to encounter someone from your pantheon, though not before I was prepared." Exhaling, he shook his head from side to side. "This has truly been an eventful night. Though, you said you were asked to keep an eye on me from Dawn?"
"Si~"
The playful tone came from behind him, he watched the man in front jerk his head over his shoulder, Wodime turned around and found himself face to face with the woman of the hour herself, now missing the mask that had covered her and wearing a still quite revealing outfit, namely some manner of tank top with camouflage cargo trousers and black hiking boots, finished off with an orange bandana around the top of her head just underneath her hair.
The woman sauntered forwards with her hands on her hips, then looked over her shoulder and winked to the man behind him with a pleased look on her face. "Gracias for finding them, Xōchipilli. I'll be sure to treat you to something in the future!"
The now named Xōchipilli made a noise behind him of clear amusement before they responded. "If you say so, though tonight was entertaining enough. I'm surprised you let it get that close though."
Twitching the woman by the name of Prowling Dawn exhaled and pouted, the sudden switch brought a flash of amazement to him. "I thought about it but even if she's associated with that puta, they're still someone of skill and they deserved a fair fight from me." she paused for a moment, then her eyes locked onto him and the grin returned in force. "Well! As fair a fight as she could get without a certain someone cheering her on like I had!~"
"Haha! Good luck, Señor. I hope we meet one another again in the future!" Sparing a glance of his shoulder, he had expected to see the God having teleported away. Instead what he saw was them just turn around and walk down the streets as though they were an ordinary person, no fanfare, no dramatic exit, they just turned and started walking.
"Awww, you made friends with Xōchipilli before me? But I just sent him to find you…" He turned back around, Dawn was visibly pouting in force with her arms up and crossed over her chest, eyes remaining locked onto his face. Though with the same speed as before, it instantly shifted into excitement. "But we'll have plenty of time to get to know one another!"
She reached out, grabbing his hand and yanking it forwards and clasping it between her own, all while grinning in his face. "We can start off with introductions, Si? You can call me Quetzalcoatl!"
"...Oh."
Well.
That was easy.