hearts of metal

vi. you know how to fight?

"Name," the bored bouncer intoned.

"Lillian Gordaina," she said, using one of her aliases. It was probably well known in bars, but unlike the name Diana Brackyn, it had no association to Arobynn. It was safer this way.

He glanced her over, and she smirked back at him.

"Password?" he asked.

Aelin leaned in. "Glass castle," she said.

He nodded and gestured for her to go ahead. She slipped past him and into the crowd, making her way to the bar and asking for a drink.

Next to her, a brown haired man smirked at her. "What's a girl like you doing here? Ordering whiskey, no less."

Aelin barely looked at him as she sipped her drink. "Enjoying the night. You?"

He slid closer to her, his smirk not falling. "Likewise. I'm Finn, Archer Finn."

She snorted at his introduction, but turned to face him anyway. "Lillian."

He nodded. "How'd you find the place?"

"Why should I reveal my secrets?" she replied, with a coy smile that usually worked on men.

Sure enough, Archer glanced at her lips for a few seconds, before meeting her gaze again. "Just wondering. Farran is pretty exclusive with who he lets in. Can't have the wrong people waltzing in," he added, with a wink.

Aelin took another slow slip. She was positive that she counted as the 'wrong people' in this scenario.

"You know how to fight?" Archer asked, glancing skeptically at her.

She weighed her options, but ended up with a simple, "Want to find out?"

Archer smirked again. Aelin observed his features, charming and boyish. If a bit annoying. He turned behind and called out, "yo, Jayne!"

A man with a straight face and wicked scar tracing his temple lumbered over.

"Sign the girl up for a fight," Archer said.

Aelin angled her face away from Jayne, leaving him to stare at the back of her hood. He couldn't recognize her by face, but she still didn't want him to get a good look.

The man must have nodded, because Archer said, "this should be good."

Aelin glanced over to find him grinning. He got up and gestured for her to follow. She did, abandoning her drink.

He led her towards a spacious back room, with a ring in the center, and a crowd crammed around it. He shoved her towards the ring, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Really?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Back out if you want to."

The way she saw it, she had options. One was to refuse and play weak, using her anonymity to find information. The other was to fight and gain some trust from Archer to find what she wanted.

In the end, it was the thrill of the fight that made the decision for her. Aelin stepped up to the ring, just as another man jumped up.

She faced him in the ring. The man was tall and built, muscles lining his arms.

They started to circle each other. Aelin made the first move, a tentative jab towards his abs, which he dodged. Immediately, she noticed that he was slow and clumsy in his movements.

He aimed a punch towards her, which she nimbly ducked away from.

The fight went back and forth like this for a while. Aelin got in a few hits, while the man got in none.

He started to get irritated, and the crowd got bored. As they started to chant and call for blood, the man growled and charged towards her.

With a sigh, Aelin ducked beneath his outstretched arm and kneed him hard in the stomach. Then she kicked at his knee, shoving him face first to the ground. Surprised, he fell with a thud.

The crowd cheered, and Aelin stalked away. She found Archer in the corner and said, "what the hell was that? He was pathetic."

He slid an arm around her and said, "sorry, doll. Jayne wanted to start you off with a beginner. We'll work you up."

Aelin nodded and followed him away. He offered her another drink, but she refused and bid him goodnight, deciding she'd done enough for today.

She got home and crawled into bed at around 3 in the morning. Although she wasn't as tired as she hoped for, sleep still came for her soon enough.