Just One Taste [Sadik]

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The fight was flawless, if she could say so herself. The air was moist, thick with sweat and the heated breath of competition. Nicoleta laughed at her competitor, whose face strained with a facade of toughness. In response, she took off her shirt and strewed it on the floor to expose nothing but a black sports bra. Roaring of crowds resounded, muting the very sound of her own heartbeat. Eventually, the booms and cries became her heartbeat. They were getting excited. So was she.

Nicoleta relished the cheers when she executed a clean dodge, and savored every lick of the seconds of when her fist made in contact with her competitor. It was a relentless high--the exhilaration, the testosterone, the rush of blood, the dope of adrenaline. The other competitor growled, carnal in his pitch. Nicoleta merely smiled, like a cheshire, her hazel eyes seemed to glow under the lights of the stage. But it was her hands that gave the more attention-worthy glow of a dark red, its hue so deep that it appeared black.

It was a new moon. Lovely.

There were hootings and hollers. Seconds turned into hours, and the lasting gasp of pain was masked by the cacophony of cheering. Nicoleta stood in the center of the ring, pleasing the audience with nothing more than a smirk. No waving, no beaming, no running out to the stage of the ring to feed the audience with attention. None of that. Her stature was strong, tall, and her eyes were half-lidded, smug--seductive. This was a man's world after all.

Then well... after the fight was the usual. Nothing.

Medical check ups, shit like that. She had to get her shoulder patched up from a heavy blow--a misstep, one could say. Whatever it was, Nicoleta was no stranger to pain. Therefore, procedures were dull and dragging. The longer she stayed put for them to operate on her, the faster the high began to decay. Soon enough, the crowd's shouting and yelling became nothing more than another ghost of a memory. Her heartbeat faltered, back to its lackadaisical, steady beating pace.

"Just get me back in my fucking cell," Nicoleta flipped over a tray of medical tools. "I'm fucking fine. Just let me go back, goddammit."

Well, that wasn't among the brightest things she did, but it was certainly not the worst. However it did earn her a straight trip back to her cell under the prospect of some consequence. Her 'kindly' escort took her back to her cell, shoved her in, and gave her the peace of mind in the darkness.

It was so quiet, she could hear herself think. Right, the last thing she needed was some logic. Nicoleta kicked a fallen pillow back onto the bed and then slumped on the mattress. It was night time, and her eyes were wide open. Being nocturnal, of course, it was nearly impossible to slip into sleep. Regardless, she closed her eyes, and replayed the moments of pain she inflicted in her mind.

"She's got a visitor."

Those words hit her like a bolt of electricity. Her eyes opened immediately. Nicoleta perked up but was in no haste to get out of the bed. Showing excitement was one of the most out-of-character thing to do. Sure, she knew she probably had some fan-base somewhere out there, but it was not often that a citizen could get the opportunity to visit. This one... must be special.

"A visitor? For me?" Nicoleta crooned. Still lying down on the bed, she propped a leg over the other and folded her arms behind her head. "Bring 'em in."

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It wasn't a common thing; Sadik was usually too busy or he rather not want to see how two mutants where forced to fight each other until either was unable to move, or dead. It wasn't just here it was a thing for these things to happen, it was just such a large event in this part of the world that it was almost ridiculous. But if one good client to him, that was both rich, bought a lot and had proven himself to be more than faithful, takes you out to see a game and dinner before that, you just didn't say no to it.

It had always been painful to watch those games, it was usually two small mutants, or the governments favourite; a big one with strong powers vs someone who could tilt a mango with it's powers. He was leaning in his seat, in the VIP section, where else would he sit with this kind of customer? A fancier attire was on his body, along with his famous mask, as he was watching the mutants enter the arena to fight until it wasn't much left of someone. The green eyes observed the arena, and the two participants. A short glance on his 'friend' to see that he looked so excited he might piss his pants. Some people really deserved a kick in the groin sometimes.

But as the match began and went on, one of the mutants looked like she had.. Fun.. How could someone think that this kind of fighting was fun? Hurting each other like that without any regrets.. Quite interesting, he leaned forward and stroked his chin, following the girl's movements as she took down the opponent, and the look she gave the crowd afterwards.. It amused Sadik, but it also made him curious about the lady that was down there. She had been very beautiful.. Or damn it, hot as hell, in an almost illegal way.

As the match was over, it was a few more as well, but Sadik had seen enough, and he could easily get away from watching the rest of the slaughter by visit her cell before they moved over to his nightclub once the games was done. If he was back on time, most things where usually good.

"I'm gonna go and visit her." The Turk told his 'friend', who looked fairly surprised that Sadik had shown any bigger interest in a mutant for once. Just because he liked to keep his liking to mutant a secret didn't that mean he didn't enjoy their company.

"Go ahead, I'll stay here." A sentence he knew too well, and that Sadik should be here before it was over, or else he wouldn't be too pleased.

Taking his leave, he went for the underground. Luckily it had signs, or else he would be completely lost in this big maze of stairs and hallways. He had to go deep down to get to them, wondering why they kept them at bay so much. The more restraints, didn't that also come with a price of more rebellion? The harder you hold the leash, the more the dog would pull.

It wasn't hard to pay the guards as well to let him in where he shouldn't be as well. One wasn't exactly allowed to visit the mutants unless it was to buy them, or potential buyer was interested. But if one had money or enough power, those kind of details could be overseen.

Heading to the cell that he was pointed at, as he put his hands in his pockets and approached her cell, eyes gleaming with interest behind his mask as he stopped in front of the door, looking inside the darker room to see the figure on the bed. It was a view that was much appreciated, she had a body that indeed was to Sadik's liking, too bad she was behind a cell and not outside, then he wouldn't mind inviting her home more than once, now it was a bit more of a difficult task to do so.

"You fought well." He complimented her, going in for the smoothness first, wanting to see what kind of type she was, if flattering was going to get her anywhere or if it was just a waste of time. "Quite impressed by that show you put up, it surely took my attention more than a mutant have ever done before." Arms now crossed over his chest, a playful grin on his lips as he continued to observe her, but not in a staring way, rather gentle to not threaten her. "And you seemed to enjoy yourself as well, mind telling me why? A simple human like me has little knowledge about such things.."

OOC; I am so sorry for the time it took, but now I'm back and on a roll!

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The visitor was a dandy with a mask that only covered his eyes. It was an unfamiliar combination, but she frankly did not care enough to judge. Yet her curiosity lingered around the question of his mask. It took a certain kind of person to pull that off in public—a person with a secret, with a reason. He was special. His being here made true enough.

"You fought well."

A half-smirk tugged her lips.

“Quite impressed by that show you put up, it surely took my attention more than a mutant have ever done before."

Oh, an artistic line of words, sealed with a light grin. It sounded like a real compliment.

Nicoleta felt flattered in an uncommon way, the heat of her emotions brushed a delicate color on her cheeks. Thankfully, the dimness of her cell was her veil, and her reaction was safely hidden in the darkness. She regretted that she had no control over that feeling because it caught her off-guard.

She improvised by wearing a look of amusement, then rolling to her side to slither back to her usual demeanor. While facing him, she propped her arm, supporting up her head with her palm and strategically moved her other arm right beneath her breasts.

“I’m sure you got an eyeful,” she answered archly. They say she had a way with words, and this was her twist instead of saying ‘thank you’. “I’ll make sure that it stays that way if I get to see you again.”

Nicoleta winked and then sat up when he posed a question for her. Tread carefully.

“Give yourself a little more credit, love,” she began. “You can imagine how boring it gets here. I’m hidden in this damn black cell with nothing to do. And some nights, I fantasize about certain desires. You humans know this very well.”

She snorted and stood up to saunter over toward him, her leisurely walk at almost a sashay. Nicoleta gingerly pressed her hands on the handlebars, leaning forward to reciprocate his gaze. “And when I’m out there, out of my cell, I can release all of this energy that these people fear enough to keep me here, and make still make it a show. When the lights are on me, and I can touch, and move however I want, and feel this feeling, that I can just taste it. Even simple humans know this. They call it something special,” She continued knowingly and gave the handlebars a squeeze. “Freedom.”

That word felt slick and warm off her tongue, even though the whole impromptu speech before it was a half-baked truth. Regardless, it brushed down the nape of her neck, and filled her lingering thoughts with a drop of nostalgia.

If he were close enough, she would’ve tried to whisper this upon his lips. It would make a lasting gimmick of seduction. Yet, she stamped the finality of her answer with that trademark smirk, a sort of fun cockiness that belied her imprisoned situation. As much as she hated this shithole, she wasn’t going to make herself look like a victim to anyone.

Nicoleta searched his face for any hints, but his mask made it difficult to make any surmises certain. There was a chance he could not empathize. Human, you’ll always know what freedom is as long as you’re on the other side.

She released her grip on the handlebars and then plopped back on her bed, sitting with a leg over the other. “Does that answer your question? I have room for more.”

Since you're interested.


OOC: Not a problem~

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Sadik didn't know if he should take those words as something dirty, his mind always seemed to wander to those darker parts lately, and who could resist when such a beautiful lady was right in front of him as well? Sadik was a man who was not quick to judge, unless you where the first one to pass the judgement, and if this girl was a mutant or not held little value to his thoughts, as he was one of the few people from his land that did not mind mutants with a free mind, and a free soul.

"Ah, my Lady, don't do anything for someone like me, do it for yourself and what matters to you, I'm just another piece in this game, doing my part to make the play go on." He winked at her, not wanting to give out too much, and neither did he want a mutant to fight for his sake, he found it wrong to put them together like cocks, or pitbulls in a cage. "You are interesting and beautiful enough to make me want to visit you again, especially if that's what you desire as well."

Sadik didn't back off, or even flinch when she got closer, he simply observed her, the way she moved, talked and acted. He was a master of disguise after all, he had an easier time to spot one than most other people; even if he was yet so skilled to see through most of it.

"Yes we do, but you are a human as well, just like I, the guard that gets you, and the one in the cell next to this one, you just happened to have been born with a little extra that we on this side of the bar didn't, which is more our loss than yours." Sadik had sometimes wanted powers, good ones, not those of destruction, even if he was relieved that he did not possess anyone, not when the circumstances became like this, then he'd rather stay far away from anything that the word 'mutant' provided.

He tilted his head sightly, a fake smile was on his lips, and he intended to make her see that it was fake indeed, and it wasn't out of honestly. "Just because we're on this side of the cell, that does not mean that we are free. Do you think, if I had been free enough, that I would wear this?" Tapping his mask, that was staying where it was, he wasn't going to remove it or tilt it, he liked to keep his true face a secret, that was his.. 'Freedom'.

"I have a lot of questions, but some of them are more appropriate than others, my Lady."

He winked yet again at her, showing a playful smile on his lips, observing her as she was sitting down now instead, and he took a step closer to the bars.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness as well, my name is Sadik." He did a little bow for her, out of politeness, not to mock her or anything similar, he was too proud to ever mock anything living. Sadik out of anyone here could relate to the mutants, being a slave himself when he was young and foolish made one's perspective a lot bigger. "I'm gonna begin small then, where might you be from? I recognise the name, and yet I have a hard time putting it right, would you remind an old man?" Playing it innocently, that would be the best for now, so he didn't anger her, or made sure they both ended up in trouble.

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The silk of her words was the only weapon she had whenever they smothered her powers. This vulpine nature feeds her feminine sense of empowerment, and it secured what little domination she had in this prisoner-freeman relationship. It was the only way to save face with this embarrassment behind bars.

He did have the gall to think she was doing anything for him. She was tempered to make a scowl, her lip tightening as a sign of restraint. Reanalyzing his words, Nicoleta reaffirmed that she was not the type to do anything for anyone, but he didn’t need to know that. She smoothed the onset of her ire, and reminded herself that he was speaking out of courtesy—out of… empathy or comfort, perhaps?

It was a foreign notion, owing to the fact that this was a friendless area. Nicoleta hesitated on how to respond, and in her mind, words fell of the thread like broken beads. She focused on what she could say, and it was to question what sort of ‘game’ this was.

“To make the play go on,” she echoed. “Is this an invitation?” A thin smile stretched on her lips. This sounded like the catcall of a revolution. She was not sure entirely on what he had in mind, and that was the danger.

“You won’t keep me waiting too long, I hope.”

His words are sweet and thick with honey—thick enough to be trapped in its slickness. Venomous, she surmised. There was this lurching feeling of suspicion crawling within her, like vermin or heavy slugs. It all pointed to this question: can you trust a man with a mask?

She could not discern the truthfulness of his words by tone alone. It was his very mask that kept her very own mask on, a skin of beauty to hide what ugliness she hid. There was a chance he was a liar, like her. There was a chance all those words were to beguile her, like what she had done to others. There was a chance he was just like herself, a vision of her own vices, manifested into a man who might be the death of her. Nonetheless, it irritated her to the slightest. It was easy for any outsider to say that to an imprisoned—the notion that we’re all the same, that we’re all human. If we were all the same, she’d be free out there, living a life, and falling in love.

Yet here she was, rotting in this damn cell, only to be lead out to strip her of anything she was worth. She could send him away this instant, and she was so tempted to argue. Yet in consequence, that would send her back to her own solitude, her misery’s respite. Nicoleta changed her mind; sometimes, the idealists get things done.

Enough with this cowardly shit and being a playmonkey, she thought. If she could strike a match with him and keep it aflame… there should be no losing. Yes, she’s going to be playing with fire. Let us see who burns up first.

“I don’t know your story,” she replied, addressing his statement about the mask. She was curious, in fact, but she won’t press on.

With a tone of good humor, she continued, “But you don’t know mine either. It seems that neither of us are ‘free enough’. Why, we have so much in common, they should throw you in here with me.”

She folded her arms in a ho-hum manner, though really not the slightest bored. On the contrary, she was enjoying herself now. He introduced himself and did a little bow, which earned him a slight snort from Nicoleta. Alright, she can play questionnaire.

“I come from Romania.” Her accent rolled off her tongue as she thought about the motherland. “A beautiful country.” … Full of crooks, liars, and selfish people, people who’d sell you out to gain for their own good.

There were still some good memories, like the one with the warm smell of mamaliga or the other one with a zesty bitter taste of vintage wine.

“And you must be Turkish,” she stated. It was her best guess because his accent reminded her of the Turkish vendors who stayed in Bucharest. “Our countries have a long history with each other.”

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Sadik just smiled at her when she spoke it like that, he had a fairy guess that flirting and being like this, tempting and inviting, was surely a way to make humans, people, fall for her little tricks and do as she wanted with them. He wasn't gonna fall for a beauty with a charm like that, but he could play along for as long it would take. "You take it as you like, Nicoleta, what you do is not something I can tell you, or prevent, I haven't been down here to see you, yes?" His smile turning fake now, so she could see it; by being here, he risked so much more for the both of them, and he hoped she understood that, and that her tongue was sharp, but at least the wielder thought before using it to kill.

"Would never let a lady wait, that wouldn't be very polite of me." Smile still fake, and yet it looked genuine again. It still pained him a lot to see that mutants where still treated like this, wherever he went, it wasn't just in Turkey, America or Thailand, it was everywhere. Sadik wished sometimes he was a political involved person, so he could try harder to make a change in this world for the better, for all of them, yet he didn't have the patience. And last time he tried to become involved, he strangled a man because he angered the Turk so much that he just wanted him dead.

The fact that he got his will through a few weeks later was a minor detail, and Sadik had nothing to do with that.. Or so he said.

"No, we don't know each other's story, but what difference would it make? To show pity towards each other? Would that really help?" Sadik knew how to play the pity-cards really well if she wanted to, yet he doubted she would agree on that, and hence why he didn't throw his pity on her. "The clothes you're wearing doesn't go well with my style, that is so illegal they can't keep me underground here." He chuckled for himself, Sadik was such a fashion freak sometimes. "And I would be dead in less than a week, I don't have fancy powers like the lot of you, and I would be the first one on most's wanted list to be killed, isn't that right? The fights would be very lame and short, a Turkish man, running for his life, or doing vain attempts of using weapons against someone who can avoid them, or doing something even nastier when angered by that."

He knew of Romania quite well, first by stories, from the wars they participated in, she was so right, their countries did have a history, for the better or worse. Then Romania was also famous for one of Sadik's favourite books, Dracula, but the Turk had a slight feeling she was too sick of hearing of that book whenever she mentioned her country, like it was the only thing Romania was ever famous for.

"Yes, that is correct." Quite impressed that she had gotten his homecountry right, but his looks where quite the normal one from said country, his olive skin, the dark hair, maybe the slight accent he had chosen to wear tonight. He could speak flawless English, but going down here with slight native language into it, made him feel like he showed a bit of himself for these poor souls.

"And I can agree on that, Romania is surely beautiful." But Turkey was that as well, but he hadn't been there for a long while, postponing it, not too sure he wanted to go home.. Was his family still there? Was he gonna kill half of them for betraying him as young? "For how long have you been here?" Out of politeness, not to anger her, he hoped.

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The hollow eyes of the mask accentuated the falsity of the smile. Strained, muscles tense, still--she could see it from this distance. She had not been blind to the risks he was taking; that much she knew of, but her suspicions magnified other truths instead. Nicoleta showed no shame, yet felt chided about the matter. She set aside the tinges of slight, and remained her composure. Had this been any ordinary man, the situation would have differed. There were bars between them, a nullifier, and a stringing curiosity that sired the peace between them. If his objective was to gain her trust then he accomplished some, and that itself was a feat.

Nicoleta had a complacent smile. "Of course not." The briefness of her response signified her understanding. Her understanding to what, would be the question. She had the intuition's guess, tucked behind the blacks of her heart. There was no wrong for her to hope, but all the reason for her to suspect.

"Or understanding. Some say that might," Nicoleta said, as more of a suggestion than an answer. It was uncharacteristic of her to seek a word so tender, but whatever story he tucked away could be useful information. She didn't expect him to explain, yet if he did want to favor her with a story or potential gimmick, she would not mind.

To his response, she laughed, then easing on a coquettish grin. "Not my style either. I would rather take these off, but guards get angry when they see each other's boners. I only prefer angry boners in more comfortable situations." She hummed with amusement to his story; he knew how to keep conversations colorful, and it was enough to chase away the saturnine overtones of her cell. Though it was not enough to throw off her cynicism. "Oh, they love to see your darling suffering," she assured archly. "Short, but the ringmasters would want to make it a spectacle, and you might be remembered for more than a few days."  

Such was the life of the weak ones, and those were the ones who met death the cruelest. How's the sound of a mutant ripping out your entrails and then hanging you with it for good measure? Her macabre sense of humor made a crinkle in her eyes.

They enjoyed pining the helpless against the strong. Nicoleta had seen that cat-thing mutant be pitted against stronger mutants all the time. Enjoyable at first, yes, but then it got despicable and redundant. As much as she liked watching the weak cry out, she hated what was beyond the show--the higher-ups that arranged this, with their power-playing ass on a cushion. She would love to see those creatures stripped and maimed, dying beneath her cruelty of a prolonged death.

The imagination got excited her, and when it vanished, she was left empty again. A wistful dream, a poet would say. However, it was an antagonizing ambition for her.

Romania, a beautiful but sad country. Behind its' vivid colors and humored smiles were melancholy and hardships. And betrayal.

"Oh, too long." She sighed, and for once she sounded true to her emotions. "I haven't seen the moon in awhile. But I know that there is no moon tonight."

It was the stars she missed the most. Damn the moon anyway; her powers were strongest with the thing was away. When the moon shied behind the black, its' ostentatious blue rays were tucked away, the stars shone in its' absence. A thousand little lights dappled in sky, free from opposition. At least, in her memories, that was how the stars were, but in those were a child's memories. Nicoleta was now older and jaded, but there were times when she longed for her innocence, the times when she wished to be a star herself.

Oh, how she was a star now, but not the kind she would have wanted to be.

"You lot still have a night sky, right?" Nicoleta asked as she tucked her legs closer to her body. "Haven't polluted it to some sort of shit color? It'd be funny if you see the same color we see whenever we look up: moldy black with a chance of spiderwebs and piss leakage. If that's the case, we might really be equals."

It was a jab she had overheard from two guards. Weather was the common talk when discussions about torturing mutants became bland. If Nicoleta had the child's courage, she would have asked him to describe to her how it was like outside. But a child's courage in a woman's body was naïveté, and naïveté was either a fool's line of defense or a beguiler's weapon. There was not enough information for her to decide, and this masked man provided little answers.

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In some kind of way, Sadik found it quite.. Maybe not enjoyable to be down there in the madness of the underground, but he did enjoy speaking to this mutant that had caught his interest so well while he had been watching her maul another mutant. That happening had not been on the list of things he'd enjoy watch, rather the opposite, he detested to see humans being put against each other to entertain boring humans like himself.. The world was such a boring place, but that didn't mean violence were the answer to the prayers. 

The other wall was too far away to lean against, and even if he did find something interesting in the mutant, he knew better than to get too close. He might like mutants, find them interesting and also enjoying being around them, but most of them hated humans like him, and would do anything to get their hands on him and shred him into nothing but blood and bones. Sadik enjoyed life, and a lot of his clients would be so mad if he did die and his business took over by some other mean old guy.

"It's the people who are in the most denial of their own sexuality tends to be rather aggressive towards it, I bet those guards really wants to fuck each other up badly and kinky." Smirking as his arms were crossed over his chest, the smile telling that it was a genuine gesture from his side. "Who doesn't like raging angry boners standing up so nicely for you, isn't that also even sowing that even dicks can be more of a gentleman than a lot of humans, or correct me if I'm wrong?" Sharp tongue, not even feeling a bit ashamed of his dirty mouth that spoke so openly, not even caring if he made a fool out of himself or if he was inappropriate enough.

"So they'll give me a shield too? Wow, I feel honoured and so tempted to sign up. Is there a place I can do that on!?" Pretending to look excited and looking around as if he was expecting someone to come up and draft him for those 'underground' tournaments. "You think I'll have a chance to survive for 10 minutes? I'd be honoured if I lasted 11 in.. Those living areas.." As e didn't look as happy when he pointed at the place she was living in. "Pardon me for that rudeness, but your accommodation doesn't really look too pleasing to me. The carpet does not match the curtains." And Sadik was known for his style, he was like a fashion police a lot of times among his 'friends'.

She didn't seem to be bitter, he liked that, she still had the will to fight and get out from there, a lot of the mutants he had seen was more or less dead inside, having no will to fight, and no spirit to get out of there, simply accepting their fate.. "Russia is too big to be covered in pollution. The sky is darker than your air, and the stars shines more brightly than all the diamonds in the world. The winter always make the sky seem more magical than before, and also damn colder than it should be.." He loved nights, but he hated winter, but to lay down on some soft bedding on a roof to watch the nightsky.. That was very much to his liking.

"And indeed you are right, there is no moon tonight.." Slightly impressed, but those emotions were hidden by his mask, luckily enough, and a reason why he wore the ornament over his eyes. "How did you know about that?" There was no way she could have seen the sky from the arena, the cage or the hallways, everything was underground, hence the names, the mutants got down there to never see the light ever again once they stepped inside.. Poor things. "If I could change anything, I would not have made things like this, and I apologise for the behalf of the boring part of the human race. Even I think it's wrong for people to be caged up like animals in a zoo. No one should be caged up and held against their will, not even animals." Hence why he was one of the few rich people from his own country that did not hold an exotic cat animal as his pet, he would just let the tiger be loose and he would be eaten within a month or a day by it, for having such a bleeding heart.

Taking a step closer, observing the beautiful woman behind the cage, who's true beauty was hidden behind filth and ugly clothes that even made him shiver uncomfortably, they were too horrible and was a crime itself. "The crowd liked you, do you get anything special for that? A biscuit and a bit of cheese? Or is it anything... Special you'd prefer to have delivered?" Having her on his side.. That wouldn't be so bad, now would it?