The Oracle

Chapter 2

After the run-in with Maia, Lynne decided that she was probably too shaken to actually participate in any fights after her shift. Instead, she went to the fights and just watched.

The fights were one of Lynne's favorite pastimes, though they did more harm than good. They were held in Mickey's- a rundown nightclub-turned-boxing-ring that no one but the fighters and fans ever went to anymore. The fights had some rules- no weapons and no magic being the biggest- but other than that, they were brutal, all out fighting. Bets were always placed after the pairs were posted. Some of the money went to the winning fighter, some to Mickey, and the rest was split between whoever bet correctly. Lynne rarely won, but being somewhere where no one was showing off their magical ability made her feel like less of a failure- even if she was getting her teeth knocked in.

Lynne hesitated at the door of Mickey's- Maia had said that she had seen Lynne's fighting, what if she was inside?- but decided to stay for a couple matches anyway, stalker aside.

She walked in to see that the fights had already started. In the ring, it looked like Violet- a werewolf that had dark skin and long purple hair that she often wore in a bun when fighting. She also had green eyes and a few freckles, and she was athletically built- was fighting a newcomer, a small impish man with a blonde buzz-cut and impossibly pale skin. She walked to look at the pairs. The impish man fighting Violet's name appeared to be Michael. Looking through the pairs, she saw that there were only a few fights she wanted to see tonight. She went to sit down off the dance floor, which had been roped around and covered in mats to make a ring, and immediately located Kathryn.

Kathryn, nicknamed Kat, had been a close friend to Lynne since they were kids. She was a fairy, and specifically a plant fairy. She always wore flower crowns in her blonde hair that fell to her shoulders, and matched nicely with her green eyes. She was small, but not awkwardly so. She was always up on the latest fashions, and teased Lynne for her taste in clothes, which was pretty much limited to jeans and the nearest tee shirt. Kat's wings looked like oak leaves, and they changed colors with the seasons, being light green in the spring, deep green in summer, orange in the fall, and clear in the winter. She had a heart shaped face, and wore "hipster" framed glasses, despite not really needing them. She never fought, because she was too small; she loved to watch, though.

"Hey Lynne!" Kat said cheerfully, as Lynne sat down beside her.

"Hey Kat," Lynne replied with a hint of a smile. "Fancy seein' you here."

"Same to you! I thought you were gonna be fighting again tonight! Shame you got your ass kicked last night, though," Kat said with a shrug.

"Yeah," Lynne replied, frowning slightly. "It wasn't that bad, though. I'm only staying for a couple matches tonight, anyway."

"Aww, that sucks. Oh well, the roster's nice tonight! Are you betting tonight?"

"Nah, Kaytee'd kill me if I lost any more bets," Lynne said with a laugh. "She just lost her job, and she's hunting for a new one right now. If I can't pay the rent this month, Kaytee'll kick me out!" she chuckled, and Kat laughed with her, a high, tinkling laugh.

"You could always just stay with me!" Kat suggested.

"Kat, you live on a park bench and take showers in the lake," Lynne laughed. "There is no way in hell I'm staying with you. Some of us prefer running water and a safe haven from bugs."

"True, true," Kat laughed.

The next two fights went by quicker than Lynne thought they would, and she had to say goodbye to Kat. She walked back home in silence- well, as silent as you could get in the city, anyway.

When she got home, she used the front door to get inside, which was odd for her, considering how many nights she stayed out late and snuck in the window to avoid waking Kaytee up.

Kaytee was sitting on the couch when Lynne walked in, watching TV. She looked up when Lynne came in and smiled.

"You haven't gotten home so early since you were, like, twelve!" she joked.

"Yeah, well, I didn't fight tonight," Lynne replied, but Kaytee barely heard it.

"You would never believe this guy I met today, looking for a job. Well, let me start from the top. Okay, so I figured I could probably be a barmaid or a waitress or something, right? So I go to the Nine of Cups- that bar down on Tenth street- to see if they needed any employees, and there is the most gorgeous man I've ever laid eyes on. He was, like, six feet tall, and wispy thin. He was lanky, but somehow lanky just suits him, you know? And he had the best ass I've ever seen on that skinny a guy, right? He had shaggy dark hair and almost black eyes, and his eyes were big. Not like, creepy, bulgy big, but like gorgeous big. He wore this necklace that had a leather cord, and the actual pendant was like.. I don't know how to describe it but it just made him that much hotter-"

"What's his name?" Lynne asked absently.

"His name?" Kaytee repeated, and Lynne looked up.

"Yeah, his name. You know, me, Lynne. You, Kaytee. Names," she said.

"Are you insane? This guy was drop dead gorgeous. I couldn't just ask him his name!" Lynne shook her head.

"How are you planning to talk to him again then?" she asked.

"I didn't talk to him at all. He was way out of my league," Kaytee said, turning back to the TV. Lynne raised one eyebrow and looked Kaytee up and down. It didn't seem like anyone could be out of Kaytee's league.

"Oh whatever. Do you want takeout or something for dinner?" Lynne asked. "I was thinking of running to that one restaurant off Stroyer Road.. the one run by that werewolf pack? I think Violet might be working tonight."

"Yeah, sure. Just get me whatever," Kaytee said, pulling a blanket around herself as Lynne neared the door.

"I'll be back in like, twenty minutes or so," Lynne said.

"Alright, see ya," Kaytee said, as Lynne walked out the door and started in the direction of the restaurant.