Moving to the Big City

Mia winced, shifting, arm outstretched as the tattooist got to work. She'd been in Star City only a couple of days. She wasn't exactly regretting her decision to run away and come here, but she was wishing she'd put a bit more effort into planning. Still, she wasn't one for regrets.

The tattoo was her way of promising she wasn't going back. A black star.

She let the tattooist do her work, focusing on that. She'd find some way to make it in Star City, some place to rest long-term, and she'd relish her life here. The hard part was getting started.

The sound of grunting and cheering reached their ears. Mia moved slightly.

"What's all that?" Mia said. The tattoo artist looked at her.

"Prize fighting," the woman said.

Mia looked down, just about catching sight of a basic looking cage. Two decently burling men were going at it, a crowd urging them on all around, the thud of flesh against flesh making its way all the way to Mia's ears. She eyed them contemplatively.

"What do you make on that?" Mia said.

"Few grand," the tattoo artist said. "If you win."

Mia smirked. "I don't lose."

Training from the former Ra's al Ghul probably put her a cut above the usual crowd. Finally, it seemed like she had a plan for how to get by.

"Interested?" the tattoo artist said. "Don't start down there."

"Why not?" Mia said.

"Won't accept anyone who's unproven," she said. "Some random getting the daylights beaten out of them isn't really what that audience wants. They want someone who can put up a fight."

"Oh, I can," Mia said.

"They won't waste time testing. You know how many wannabes they get?" she said. The woman bit her lip, continuing the tattoo. "Someone like you, ooh... Start off down the street, ask for Sinclair. Her place takes all comers. Unless you want to spend a couple of years as a mercenary which, up to you, but if you're as good as you think, a couple of weeks at Sinclair's should get you enough of a rep to join the big leagues."

Mia glanced down at the cage fight again. Amateurs. She chuckled, then nodded to the tattoo artist.

"Gotcha," Mia said. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. Not the easiest thing to get into."

Yeah, wasting her time as a mercenary didn't sound particularly fun. She didn't deal well with orders.

A little later and her tattoo was done. Mia stretched, heading back out into the driving rain of the city. She groaned, picking up her pace. Down the street...

Her eyes settled on another large building. She hurried inside, eager to get out of the rain, hair starting to cling to her skin. She looked around the open room, eyes settling on a figure who seemed vaguely like security or staff, and went over to him.

"Hey! You," Mia said. "Been told to ask for Sinclair."

"Hm?" the man turned, giving her a once-over. He gave a smile that didn't make feel entirely comfortable. "What for? Hoping I know the answer."

"What?"

"She's got her fingers in a lot of pies," he said. "What are you after?"

"Prize fighting?" Mia tried. He grinned.

"Right this way," he said. "Amateur?"

"No," Mia said. "But apparently I'm meant to prove myself."

"Sure you'll do great here," he said, less-than-encouragingly.

He led her to a wide set of double doors and went through, and Mia froze at the sight. There were two women up on stage and, ok, they were fighting. They were just rather naked too. A fit blonde seemed to be winning with ease. Mia stammered.

"I- I said I was here to fight not to-"

"Yeah, I heard," he said. "What, do you think there's a market for amateurs? Nude keeps the money coming in. If you're good, you can go pro after a few weeks. If you're not, well, easy living I hear."

Mia stared.

It wasn't a cage fight. A cage, apparently, would limit visibility too much. The two naked women were wrestling on a blocked-off stage, a knee-high barrier all that existed to mark it off. Apparently the fact the women were perfectly capable of advanced fighting dissuaded most attendees from getting handsy.

But there was quite a crowd, and a crowd meant quite a lot of money, which meant actually being able to stay in this city and make a living. It just meant being naked.

The blonde elbowed the other, then threw her to the floor. Apparently that constituted winning; finally free of the adrenaline of the fight, she looked up, cheeks going pink and started to back away.

At least she wouldn't be the only one embarrassed. But still, she hadn't found any other decent way to make a living here. And she was good, so hopefully she'd move on out of this place fast if she did, if only...

"How much is it?" she said.

"Few hundred," he said. "More if you win. Even more if your win's, ah, entertaining. You in?"