One late night at the gym...

He'd arrived in town several days before and had finally gotten himself settled into his new apartment. Things were very different from back home.. hell he might even have to take the time to learn Japanese, all things considered. It sounded like such a hassle, though. Truth be told, though, he was just glad to be back in the ring again. Even if he happened to be fighting members of the opposite sex this time. He'd trained with women before, but never actually fought one for real. Luckily, even it he found himself apprehensive to strike one of his female opponents, his competitive nature wouldn't let him just lose without a fight.

But, now that he'd gotten all moved in and unpacked, he decided to check out the facilities that were now at his disposal. After exploring for a short while he made his way to the gym. After a quick stop in the locker room to change into attire more suitable to training, he made his way back out into the main area for a good stretch before beginning. His first stop, being one of the hanging heavy bags. Striking had always been his go-to thing. Not to mention it was a bit more difficult to practice grappling against a one hundred pound leather bag of dead weight.

He went to work on the bag, firing off heavy handed combinations punching combinations that pounded into the bag with heavy, satisfying thuds. Though, he mixed a few well-placed kicks in there as well. Clearly his punches had a lot of power behind them, as well as his kicks. He'd always prided himself on being a well-rounded fighter, after all. He continued hammering into the bag for awhile, working up a good, glistening sweat. And, at this time of night, he didn't feel it was likely that he'd be disturbed or distracted. He didn't like losing focus so his tendency to be a night-owl had a way of working out in his favor.

Mako and her fellow Valkyries were pretty much knee deep in Tension at this point. They'd started shit with John Mitchell and his two little girlfriends, fucked around with Ryan Knight and made a hefty profit, and, of course, they'd utterly trashed King in front of millions - they were making themselves known, turning a few heads, and it was only a matter of time until people started bringing the fight to them.

She wanted to be ready for that day. Which meant training. Lots of training.

The plan was to sneak in some late night workouts at the gym, train when they wouldn't have to worry about someone starting shit and they'd have the whole place to themselves. The Tension gym was slim during the daytime, she couldn't imagine anyone hanging around in the wee hours of the morning.

Well, apparently her imagination needed some work, because as soon as she and her compatriots entered the gym, what did they see? Some guy working out. And working out on the punching bags, too. Where Mako wanted to start.

Stone, the Valkyrie's personal giant, was the first to speak up, hefting the gym bag up on her shoulders. "What was that about having the gym all to ourselves?"

"Oh, get off my ass." Mako scoffed as she started to make her around the machines, getting a better look at the guy. He wasn't bulky, not like some of the bigger bruisers in Tension, but he didn't seem to fight like the smaller punks, either. The faction had no shortage of small, shrimpy nerds who just wanted to have a woman dominate them in the ring. This guy didn't punch like a nerd. He was murdering that bag. "Pfft." She brushed her shoulders off and turned back to Stone. "Like I'm supposed to know who is and isn't working out in this place. It's a free gym."

Divine seemed happy to see the guy, herself, smiling down at Mako as she started to back away. "Oh, darn. Well. I guess that ruins our plans. Looks like we'll just have to go back home, maybe catch some Game of Thrones..."

"Yeah, no." She shook her head and motioned for Divine to come back. Mako had squeezed in black jogging pants and a red sports bra for this workout, things she would never wear in public. One way or another, they were doing what they came here to do. "I'm not fucking leaving just because some insomniac is getting a workout."

"I'm surprised you know what an 'insomniac' is."

"Shut up." Mako gave Stone a little punch in the hip for her sass. "Come on, we'll get him out. I got an idea, follow my lead."

She walked over to the new guy, putting on her best 'innocent schoolgirl' face. Came in handy when she needed to dodge the police. "Excuse me, sir?" She reached up and tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to bother you, but, uh...did you pay the fee before you came in here?"

He'd heard the doors to the gym open and close, followed by the footsteps and voices of a group of unfamiliar women. Though their presence, at first, warranted little more than an over-the-shoulder-glance. Never did he stop raining blows into the bag, however.

As he pounded on the bag as if it owed him money, he couldn't help but wonder if any, if not all three of them were his competition. It seemed likely, at least. The prettier of the three could just as easily be a manager, as she didn't look quite as tough as the other two.

He listened to their bantering with passing interest. Not surprising considering their voices the only other sounds in the room besides the sharp breaths he took with each strike and the deep thud of his fists crashing into the bag. It seemed his focus was unwavering. That is, until he felt the tap on his shoulder. He paused, mid-punch, and glanced over his shoulder at Mako curiously.

"Nope." He replied simply. "Plenty of gym for everyone, though. The other side of the room's all yours." He added, seeming unimpressed by the schoolyard bully tactic. He'd dealt with those types all his life. Hell, it'd been a lot of the reason he became a fighter in the first place.

Mako couldn't help a quick, wild smile as she caught sight of his scars. She had a few like them, here and there on her body. You didn't get scars like that from living a clean, healthy lifestyle. This was starting to arouse her curiousity. among other things.

"Hm." She had a little humming laugh, not even enough to make her mouth open. as she circled around and stood between him and the bag, right in the danger zone. Stone tensed up, looking ready to pounce, but Mako kept her back with a sharp glance. She didn't want any help. Not with this one.

"Hey, it's okay, you're a little confused." She folded her arms and leaned back on the bag. "Happened to us, too. See, this isn't a free gym - a lot of people think it is, but it isn't." She ran her gaze down his body, admiring the look, then looked back up. "But you're in the middle of an intense workout, I can see that. Nice and sweaty." She tapped her finger on his skin to get some perspiration on the tip. "So. Just pop out that wallet, hand over some cash - yen, if you've got any - and we'll make sure it gets to the appropriate personnel. Sound good?"

She batted her eyelashes and licked the sweat off her finger.

He couldn't help but notice her eyeing his scars, bringing a bit of a frown to his previously unreadable expression. "Been here three days and I'm already getting shaken down for money... awesome." He shook his head slowly. As he saw Stone tense up, he did as well. He'd learned early on to always be on his guard. It seemed that skill was going to serve him well here. It was made clear, who was in charge of this little group. Just a look and the large woman was pacified.

He watched her closely as she circled around him, remaining fully aware that Mako had made sure that he was now surrounded. He tensed further as his adrenaline began to course through him. "You really don't wanna do this..." He warned, glancing over his shoulder at the other two for a moment before returning his gaze to Mako as she wiped the sweat from his chest. "You're out of luck anyway. I didn't bring it. So how about you and your friend's just move along before you do something you'll regret..." Somehow, though, he got the impression that the group had no intention of doing so. His only concern then was whether or not they'd all try to jump him at once, or just one at a time.

Outnumbered three to one and he still managed to hold onto an impressive set of brass balls. Not bad. He was an American, as far as she could tell, but he seemed a lot rawer than most of the other gaijin she'd met.

"Calm down, relax." She rolled off the punching bag and slid over behind it, making it sway from side to side. Stone still looked eager, and Mako didn't blame her - this guy was willing to fight, even if it would just end up with him getting stomped flat. Shame to let energy like that go to waste. "No money? That is a problem." She peeked out from behind the bag. "But I'm creative. Pretty sure we can figure out something you can give in trade."

Mako pushed the punching bag towards him, just to see what he'd do. "What's your name, blondie?"

"It's a lot easier to relax when you're not outnumbered." He replied flatly, still keeping an eye on Stone in his peripheral vision. Of the three, he seemed to think Desire to be the least threat and paid her the least attention. Besides, Mako and Stone had been the aggressive ones so far.

He glanced back toward Mako once more as she began to move around behind the bag, watching her every move. "So, what's your play then? I don't have what you want, not that I would give it anyway. So you're pretty much just wasting your time." He continued, shaking his head slowly. Maybe what he said would convince them to move on... but he suspected otherwise. "Guess there's no point in hiding it, you'll find out eventually anyway. Adrian Knight. Do I get to know the names of the girls that are trying to rob me?"

Stone kept her eyes fixed on him, apparently not caring too much for the cut of his jib. Just her old training coming to the front - she'd survived as long as she had by being cautious, and it always paid off. Their new friend seemed about two or three sentences away from just skipping to the fight and ending the fun, so Mako would get to the point, soon enough.

There was one little matter, though. When he said his name, all six of their eyes widened. "Knight? Like, with a 'K'?" She stepped off to the side of the bag. "You're not related to a 'Ryan Knight', are you?" Unlikely - she doubted a guy like Ryan could share blood with a guy like Adrian, completely different styles. But it couldn't hurt to be sure. "Tall, poofy hair, stodgy, sickeningly British?"

He cracked his knuckles absently, a nervous habit. Stone's eyes were practically boring holes through his back and he could almost physically feel them. Their cautious natures were likely the only things they had in common. "She had her shots?" He asked Mako as if Stone might be rabid. Granted, it probably wasn't in his best interest to be taunting them... but he couldn't resist.

Seeing Mako's reaction to his name intrigued him a bit. And a hunch told him the other girls had reacted in a similar manner. "Do I really sound British to you?" He asked, an eyebrow raising curiously as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, what's it matter to you either way? Guy do something to piss you off? Or did you try to rob him too?" He asked with a smirk.

Stone didn't reply to his little remark, keeping her shit together, but Mako could see the little flare up on her face, a slight raise of the brows. She held it in well, but she really wanted Mako to let the leash loose so they could stomp Adrian into the ground.

Mako just chuckled and walked past him, then jumped up to snatch the gym bag off Stone's shoulders. "No, she hasn't, but I like her better that way." She opened the bag and fished around until she found her MMA gloves. Nice, tight, open fingers. She had planned to work on some techniques with Stone, but now she was getting a more interesting idea. "And no, it's not like that with Ryan. Complicated stuff, don't worry. Just a small world, funny coincidence." Seriously, how many guys with the last name 'Knight' could the AFW have?

"I'll tell you what." She cracked her knuckles, too, mirroring his own movement to the tee. "You and me, let's have a little spar. You keep me entertained, and maybe I forget about the fee for a little while. Give you an extension on the payment."