Path to glory (closed for DormantEvil)

[DeathsKnight]

Yuri Stovak came into the coffee shop, it was a downtrodden little shop, not on the main stream and with the biker bar right next door didn't make it very alluring to other people either. But since the new girl started working here the coffee went from stain remover to tasty and the toasted sandwiches actually stopped tasting like old cardboard. It was just another slow evening, he sat in one corner, tucked away from prying eyes, the young girl standing at the counter, polishing the spotless top. He had to admit that even the overall hygiene had improved. He of course knew who she was, the former Golden Girl of women boxing, she got knocked out through two cheap shots in both her title bouts and then she disappeared, her sponsors claimed that she got injured, but Ivan knew better, as a former multiple champion and having been over thirty years in the ring, he knew that they dropped her and started sponsoring a new talent. He shook his head and went back to his coffee.

The young man came in and Ivan knew that something was up, his type never came in here, did not belong. The guy walked up to the counter, asked the coffee price and suddenly drew a pistol, demanding the money in the cash register. Ivan tensed, the shift in his mass made the table move, making the cup clink in the saucer, the hoodlum turned his head and the next thing he toppled to the ground, floored by a hook punch threw by the girl behind the counter.

 

[DormantEvil]

Sasha Hammond had worked the same shift, every day of the week (minus Sundays) for the past two years, scraping together enough money to rent the small apartment upstairs. It had been a lucky day when she had walked into the shitty diner and ordered a coffee that sent shivers down her spine. The guy behind the counter had been downright disrespectful towards her refusal to pay for the substandard, bitter brew. His accident, in the form of a broken jaw, opened up a nice little job prospect for her.

The boss had seen her punch from the office out the back, and beyond having his little fit about the loss of an employee was willing to give anyone a go. She offered, he accepted. In this part of the neighbourhood he hadn't been willing to employ a woman due to safety reasons, having learned from past mistakes. But now, with a woman of quite stunning figure and appearance behind the counter, his business had tripled. He had rented the little room upstairs, and was now sitting on a decent profit.

Sasha on the other hand was actually enjoying the work, for the most part. Sure, the guys next door would come in drunk at nights and make a mess, hit on her, and then proceed to call her an assortment of crude names when she turned them down, but it paid her bills.

Ever since her parents had disowned her for quitting school and taking up boxing, and her sponsors had dropped her after a good year of winning matches for them, she had been on her own. Like so many before her.

But now as she cleaned the stainless steel counter top, she looked at her blurry reflection. She still had her long brown hair, and her toned kick boxing physique, but she lacked the bruises and split lips. Most wouldn't see her as a prize fighter, unless they followed her on Sundays.

The door to the diner opened, and a shady looking individual walking in. Sasha put on her typical happy employee face and smiled as the customer asked about coffee prices. She had opened her mouth to tell him, she the gun was drawn. Time slowed down, and she pulled her hands up off the counter defensively. But not into a punch. It was only when the young man turned his attention from her for a split second that she closed her fist.

The punch connected with the guys left ear, probably bursting the eardum. But Sasha didn't care about his safety. Only her own. Without thinking, she slid over the counter top and landed on his back with one knee and the other pinned his gun hand down. Throwing the gun away, after prying it from his squirming hand, she pulled both his arms up behind his back and painfully restrained him.

Only then did she look up at Ivan, with that sparkle in her eyes.

"Boss!" she yelled out, calling for the older rounded gentleman's attention. When he poked his head out of his office, he started to yell at her for pinning a customer to the ground. But stopped when he saw the gun, only to head for the nearest phone.

"Two bucks fifty, that's the price of our coffee." Her sarcastic whisper to the whimpering man made her chuckle a little.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Yuri Stovak

He had to admit that he was impressed, in the ring she used to be fast, she still had the edge, clearly she was keeping in shape, so she had not given up on herself like most girls in her position would have. He got up, picking up his cup and saucer, placing it on the counter, he crouched next to the two.

"When you're done I would like another cup with a toasted chicken mayo."

He tilted the whimpering thug's head to one side,

"No ear damage. Not enough force."

He got up and took his seat, shortly afterwards the Police showed up. Taking statements and placing the thug into custody

 

[DormantEvil]

Stepping out of the way whilst the police cleaned up the scene, she kept her eye on the man who had spoken to her about her punch. Who was he? She had seen him around, he wasn't a nightly customer, but he stopped by for a drink every now and then. But he had never spoken to her before, or done much more than drink his coffee and eat his sandwiches.

Once the shop was able to work in again, she returned behind the counter and cleaned up the cup and saucer. Heading up another coffee, she placed a napkin on a clean saucer, poured the brew into a clean cup, added a spoon and sugar sachet to the little plate and took it over to his table. Placing it down in front of him, she smiled.

"That sandwich will be right out," and with that she turned and headed back behind her counter. Within two minutes a freshly made chicken sandwich with mayonnaise, toasted so that it was a golden brown was brought out. It had been cut in half and arranged on a plate nicely, a knife and fork rolled up in a napkin were also placed on the table. Some people liked to use cutlery, others just ate a sandwich like it was a sandwich.

As the shop was empty beyond the one man, and her boss had gone back to his office, she sat down across from him, sliding into the booth seat effortlessly.

For a while she was quiet, but soon she spoke up.

"What do you know about boxing, or ear damage? And beyond that, why would you care?"

 

[DeathsKnight]

Yuri Stovak

He watched as she slid into his booth, he cut his sandwich into quarters and picked up one, took a bite and when he finished chewing and washed it down with coffee, he placed the bitten piece into his plate and leaned onto his arms, looking at her.

"I know enough about boxing to know that hook punch did not have the same power when you lost your two bouts again Lucy Hollis' for her title."

He shrugged,

"Clearly Sasha Hammond is not the same anymore, you are still young, so I care about the fact that the sport had lost a great talent because of people's short sighted idiocy."

He picked up the piece of sandwich and finished it, then he grinned.

"Come to think of it, what on earth has brought Sasha Hammond, Rattlestrike, Diamondfist, The whole damn show, to this little corner booth, talking to a retired man?"

 

[DormantEvil]

She was shocked to hear her name, from this stranger, but the more he spoke the more she seemed to relax. He knew her past, and her predicament, and seemed to have known about it long before her hook punch. But at the same time, she was concerned. Several people had tried to contact her over the years, for celebrity bouts, warm up events and other money making enterprises. But she had declined, too many good boxers were ruined just because producers wanting a meat bag for a celebrity boxer to pummel.

The name Lucy Hollis brought back memories, and she instantly found herself narrowing her eyes. She remembered the fight that had sent her to the hospital for a week, her back almost snapped by the underhanded punch to the lower spine. The doctors had said she was lucky to have been discharged so quickly.

The fight had been over, and Sasha had been victorious, but Lucy had always had a bad temper, and the fight had been a passionate one. The punch had been brutal, especially because Sasha had her guard down and back turned.

She had fought the woman after she had been discharged, but something had never clicked. The power she had before just seemed to be lacking, and everyone said it was because of her back. It had only taken two defeats for her contract to be torn up.

"So you are an old boxer then, I've never seen you fight before."

Watching as he ate, she couldn't help but feel defensive.

"I was curious, you can tell who has the fighting spirit and who hasn't, and you aren't exactly subtle. But anyway, the old days are behind me. I still do some kick boxing on the side for some spare cash, but I'm a simple waitress these days."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Yuri Stovak

"You never saw me fight?"

He chuckled mirthlessly,

"Seven time World Heavyweight Champion and you never saw me fight."

He shook his head,

"Then again, without the typical boxer looks and having lost some weight I am not the same grunt I used to be."

He took a sip of his coffee,

"Behind you, yet you go on fighting."

He shook his head,

"Don't lie to yourself kid, I may be an old fart in most people's eyes, but I know when the fight is gone and you are not done. Not here..."

He tapped his head,

"And not here."

He suddenly reached out and tapped her on her heart, withdrawing before her defense reflex could kick in.

"Who did your training and rehab after that bout in the hospital? Bill Durner? Did he tell you that your punches had grown weak due to back injury?"

He saw the answer in her eyes and scoffed,

"Typical."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Withdrawing from this thread.