Contacting Le Couteau.

"джин-то́ник" said Ava, answering the old crass bartender's question of drink choice. She found herself in a dive bar in Russia. Or so it seemed. Apparently this was a major hot spot for the Russian branch of Le Couteau. Although she was starting to seriously doubt the intelligence she was given, as this place was the size of a run-down shack and the bartender had the personality of one too. Ava heard a wheeze, snort, and then a snuffle behind her. She peered to the back of the bar and was greeted with the sight of a patron slumped in a booth, confirming her suspicion the only other person in here was asleep.

"вот ваш напиток, сука," sighed the bartender, slightly spilling the gin and tonic after carelessly placing it in front of her. Ava immediately took the drink and chugged it. Not only did she need the **** to deal with the griminess of this place, she also knew this was the perfect opportunity to begin the mission. She finished the drink within seconds and slammed the drink on the counter.

"J'ai besoin de quelque chose de plus fort," proclaimed Ava, looking in the direct or the bartender. He slowly turned to Agent [last_name} with a very serious look. She no longer heard snoring behind her.

"Comme ça?" replied the previously only Russian speaking bartender, with a somber look.

"Le Couteau est tranchant," stated Ava, never breaking eye contact. The bartender suddenly turned his head to the patron previously sleeping in the back and gave a quick nod. Ava turned around to see the patron calmly stand up and walk to the back of the bar.

"English?" asked the previously sleeping man. Ava nodded in response. "Come with me," spoke the man as he opened a door that said “Staff Only.” She got up from her barstool and followed the man in, noticing the bartender quickly removing her empty glass. They walked through a very small hallway as her guide opened a door that was very difficult to notice, and easy for the naked eye to completely miss. He again led the way, walking down steps that echoed with each footstep.

Ava started to feel uneasy as they walked down the very dark hallway. While she knew that this was most likely a Le Couteau underground meet-up, she still didn't know what she was getting herself into. The guide opened the door which released an explosion of light, shouting, and music. Her guide beckoned to walk through. As she walked into the room, he closed the door behind her.

Ava found herself in a large stone basement that included a full bar, tables, and a roped off area where one very large shirtless man was beating the shit out of a much smaller shirtless man, surrounded by drunk onlookers cheering. She made her way to the bar and ordered another gin and tonic. As almost she ordered it 15 minutes ago, the bartender seemed to produce a finished drink in seconds with a sleeve of matches and three cigarettes. Our agent, knowing she was most likely being watched, light one of the cigarettes and immediately took a puff. It had been a while since she had one, but she still exhaled the white smoke like a pro. While taking a sip of her drink, Ava heard an uproar behind her and instinctually turned towards the commotion.

"FUCK YEAH! WHO WANTS NEXT!!!" screamed one of the fighters, raising both arms victoriously as his opponent writhed in pain on the ground. The crowd was going wild. Some appeared to be previous or soon-to-be fighters while others seemed to want to win the affections of either. Ava knew this could be an opportunity to make a statement and to get a reputation with Le Couteau. She just needed to pick her next move.