Scruff and Redhead Get Drunk (Kateri)

[Terrowin Guthrie]

It was 10 pm on Friday night of Spring Break, and Terrowin was determined to get drunk. He had spent the earlier part of his week off hiking, swimming, and generally relaxing as much as he could, but tonight he was ready for a fun time. He had heard La Maison Magnifique was a great new place to hang out, even for an old scruffy Australian his age, and so he had decided to give the place a try. So far he was impressed - the drinks were good, the music was pounding, and the dancers and waitresses were looking sexier by the minute. He was at the very center of the bar, chugging down his second beer. He had discovered that the drinks were less potent than the ones he had drunk when he visited his home country, but with his inhuman speed, it also made him get drunk much faster than a normal person. He was already starting to feel a bit giddier than usual.

Still, he was missing something. He thought for a long, foggy moment on what it was, and realized that he didn't have anyone to talk to or dance with. Well, that was stupid. What fun was drinking alone? He should have thought of it earlier and invited someone to come with him. He had just been too eager to get away from Hammel once more! Not that he didn't like the place. He did. Sometimes he just needed to get out and pretend like he wasn't in charge of the physical education of the students there.

An idea sprang to his drunken mind, and a lopsided grin crawled up his face. He got out his phone and searched through his contacts until he found the person he was looking for. Kateri. Maybe she wasn't the best choice for the evening, but she was one of the only people Terrowin knew who knew how to have a good time. He clicked on "Send Message" and typed: 'Hangin @ LMM. Come ASAP, Ill buy the 1st drink!" He then hit sent, a wide grin still plastered to his face. He waited for her reply as he took another long draught of beer, eyeing up the two girls that had just gotten onstage - a blonde bombshell and a redheaded babe. If his luck was good, she wouldn't be the only redheaded babe he'd see tonight...

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri hadn’t really had any plans. That was sad for a Friday night. She was only thirty years old. It was pathetic that she was home watching bad TV and absently flipping through lesson plans. But she hadn’t thought of having much to do, hadn’t’ made any other plans, so at 10 PM on a Friday night of Spring Break, she was on the couch in sweatpants. Her phone was on the armrest of the couch, and she glanced up from her papers as her phone rang. She picked it up and grinned at the text, skimming over it.

Well, who was a girl to turn down a free first drink? She sent a quick “be there in a few,” then dumped her papers on the desk, turned off the TV, and went into her room to check out what she had to wear. If he was talking about La Maison Manifique, as she suspected that he was, then she wasn’t sure what she could wear to catch any male attention. So she eventually shrugged on a tank top and some nice jeans, swiped on some makeup, and headed out. She made it into the place and took a quick glimpse around, her lips tugging into a grin. Nice. The waitresses were obviously stunning—duh, it was burlesque—but the men weren’t bad either. She allowed her eyes to skim over them, then smiled and searched for Terrowin. Ah, there he was. Looking a little like he was more than one drink in and definitely eyeing the girls onstage. Her lips tugged into a grin, and she walked up in front of him and waved her hand in front of his face.

“Earth to Terrowin. Put those eyes back in your sockets and buy me a drink. I abandoned a very exciting evening of game shows and lesson plans for you, and you better pay enough attention to me to make it worth your while.” She winked at him, then kissed his cheek and settled down in a seat across from him, looking around again. “Well, this isn’t a pub but it’ll due for now, I suppose—hello.” This was to a waiter who had just arrived. She ordered a beer, then glanced back at Terrowin. “How long have you been eyeing the ladies, my friend?”

[Terrowin Guthrie]

Terrowin blinked rapidly, as though he was trying to get something out of his eye. "Weellll, it's about time ye got here," he grinned, wrapping an arm around Kat's waist and pulling her closer. Normally he wouldn't be so bold, but they were familiar with each other, he was already a bit drunk, and there weren't any other Hammel faculty around to see it. So he was going to be as bold as he pleased.

"Wot, those fake-boobed, tiny-butt excuses for women? They're nothin' compared tae ye, my redheaded beauty." He waved over a bartender, taking the last draught of his own drink. "Two more beers please, mate," he told him, and they guy nodded before going to get the order. He glanced at Kat. "Hope that's okay with ye, love. Ye don't seem like the champagne and red wine kinda woman." A smile tugged at his lips still. "Game shows an' lesson plans, eh? Well, Oi'm honored ye would even consider leavin' all that fun behind tae come see scruffy ol' me." He tried to turn his head in time so the kiss would hit his mouth, but his timing (for once) was off, and he tried to make it look like he was rolling out his neck instead. Right.

Once the waiter returned and Kat was distracted by him, Terrowin let his own eyebrows raise. "Well, seems Oi ain't the only one checkin' out the menu tonight," he chuckles, picking up the bottle that's set before him. "An' Oi was only lookin' at them until somethin' more promisin' came along." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, grinning. "How has yer break been so far?" he ventured, deciding small talk seemed appropriate for the time being. At least, until he was too intoxicated to remember anything about the night when he woke up tomorrow. "Anythin' interestin' going on? Trips tae Mexico? A three-day cruise?" Of course, he already knew the answers to those. He was just humoring her. And wishing that he himself could actually afford those things...

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Terrowin this drunk when she hadn’t gotten drunk with him. She didn’t resist being pulled in and laughed instead, slinging an arm companionably around his shoulders and resting her hand on his chest. What? He was too drunk to care, and he had a very nice body. She should know. “I didn’t take that long,” she informed him. “But long enough for you to get drunk. How many are you in already? Should’ve waited! It’s always better for us to get drunk together. Then we really have fun.”

“Oh, you do know how to flatter a girl.” She giggled and rolled her eyes as he spoke. “But I have a tiny butt, remember? You have started out well, but that could be a problem if you keep going on that line. And you know me. I love beer.” She noticed the turn of his head and without thinking about it, caught his chin to turn it so she could kiss him right on the mouth, then smirked and slipped away.

She laughed at his accusation. “Hey. There’s nothing wrong with checking out the menu. They’re paid well because they know people will be looking along. And you’re getting better, Ter. I like it when you compliment a girl.” She winked at him, then took a swig of her beer and leaned back in her seat. “Mm. Break. Not bad. Mostly just papers and having girl time with Janice. If you know of any cruises that are affordable on a teacher’s salary, you’ll have to tell me and we can take it together.” She grinned at him. “Going to Ireland for Easter, though. And you? How is your break? Found any hot women to catch your fancy?” She was mostly joking, but it was fun to tease him.

[Terrowin Guthrie]

Terrowin stared wide-eyed at the bottle, as though he hadn't realized it was there. "How many?" he asked, his voice already starting to slur a bit. "Mmm... Maybe two. Or was it four? Could be three." He shrugged. "Doesn't matter, Oi get drunker faster than anyone Oi know." He nudged her bottle, nodding at it. "Better hurry if ye wanna catch up! Already tha' lady over there is lookin' pretty decent." He motioned to a woman that looked to be in her late 50s, with dyed pink hair, teal eyeshadow, and too much saggy cleavage showing. "But gettin' drunk together is always fun with ye, darlin'." The truth, it was.

"Well, Oi'll be durned," he replied, dropping his eyes down to her... Well, rather tiny butt. "But at least it's round," he grinned, giving it a quick tap. Another move he never would have done sober. "Oi'll have tae try an' work on that line," he agreed, taking another sip. "Mmm," he hadn't expected her to actually kiss him when she still wasn't drunk! "We need tae do this more often." And he probably would, if he didn't normally have a bunch of students waiting for him to teach them something the next morning.

"Hey, maybe Oi should work here!" he exclaimed. "Oi'd be paid and would have my choice of hot women." He halted, then continued,"But of course, ye would always be my favorite customer." He knew he was getting quite drunk now, he was normally a little bit better with words than that. Sigh. He took another swig.

"Girl time? Wish Oi coulda been in on that," he smirked. "An' as soon as Oi find that cruise, Oi will let ye know. A modern day Jack and Rose we could be.... Minus the sinking ship. An' the nude drawin'. Oi ain't good at art." He sighed dramatically. "Ireland, eh? Wish Oi could tag along, but mom an' pa want me tae visit this year. It's been a while." Another swig. "My break? Lots of sleeping. An' grading things. An'...." His memory was going foggy. "Oi can't remember anymore. But Oi did finally find a hot woman to keep me busy," he added, winking at her. "Is it just me, or is this music really catchy?" Suddenly the thought of dancing didn't seem as horrible as it usually did.

[Kateri Rivera]

“Three or four? So your superpower also means you get drunk fast? I’ll have to keep tha’ in mind just in case I ever want to get information out of you. You’d be a lousy spy.” She took another swig of the bottle and, when the waiter came by, told him to get her something a little stronger. That was the easy way to catch up. She could stay sober and enjoy the show, but then she’d have to stay sober as he pointed out frightening women. If she was drunk, it’d be much more entertaining. Everything was when you were drunk. “And getting drunk together is fun. I’ve always liked it. Then again, I’ve always liked you.”

But apparently not enough to be tapped on the butt, as she slapped his hand away and grinned at him. “Hands to yourself. And yes, you’ll definitely have to work on that line before you try that move again. Or you’ll have to buy me more alcohol. Whiskey’s a good choice.” She winked at him, and then had to laugh indignantly as he said he should work there. “Hey, aren’t you already moonlighting? That’s almost a smooth save, Ter. There might be hope for you.”

She snorted at his comment on girl time, and then her grin widened as he slowly elaborated on his idea of Jack and Rose. “You’re just saying that because I have red hair,” she said. “And no good at art? That’s it. The whole thing is over. I cannot be with a man who cannot draw me naked.” But she took another swig of the beer and went back to the more serious topics. “Grading, huh? Can’t remember? Must’ve been real fun. And that one…” She laughed. “That one was almost decent, you know.” She laughed and looked up at the music, then at him. “Let me take my shot, and then we’ll see how catchy it is, huh?”

[Terrowin Guthrie]

"Yea, people call me a lightweight, but it's not really my fault.... My blood pumps faster than theirs." And he took another chug, then began to complain,"Oi wouldn't make a lousy spy! My lips are sealed. Just try tae get infermation outta me, Oi dare ye." His accent was becoming thicker the more he drank, and his words were actually slowing down for once. "Aww, ye flatter me, lass," he grinned. "Oi'm glad ye like my company. Not everyone does, 'specially when Oi get a little... loose." When he got drunk, he tended to be much more open to physical affection, which had resulted in many a slap in the face.

And smacks of the hand. He pretended to wince and shook out the hand in question, pouting. "Hey, finders keepers. Oi saw it before anyone else in here did. An' Oi'll but ye anythin' that ye want, if it means Oi can touch ye without ye slappin' me like a perv!" Well, he supposed he was being a little pervy... But he was cute enough to get away with it. At least he thought so.

"Nah, Oi'm sayin' that 'cause Oi'd love tae save ye from a sinkin' ship and sacrifice myself. Oi think. Well, Oi'd rather not sacrifice myself. But Oi might if it meant yer survival." Whoa, had he actually managed to say something sweet? While drunk? It was a miracle. "An' Oi s'pose Oi could draw ye naked. Ye just mind end up lookin' more like an alien than a hot lass. Oi think Oi might... get the proportions wrong." He giggled childishly, finishing off his... What was this? Fourth? Fifth? It didn't matter. He simply ordered another. "Ye better catch up fast, or Oi might be dancin' by myself," he chided. He tapped his foot quickly along to the beat, itching to get up and move. He made himself slow down a bit to let Kateri catch up. After all, he needed a dancing partner so he wouldn't get made fun of too much.

[Kateri Rivera]

“That’s your excuse, is it? Oh, Terrowin, I thought you could do better than that.” But she winked at him to show that she was mostly joking, and she knocked back the drink, then laughed at his next words and set the empty glass down, waving the bartender for another. She was all for getting completely smashed with him. In fact, it sounded like a brilliant idea. “All right. Try to get information out of you, eh? How about this—when’s the last time you called your mum? Better have been soon, Ter—I take badly to that kind of thing.” She had to grin as he described himself as ‘loose.’ Yeah, that was one way to describe his affectionate self. But Kateri couldn’t comment, because she got a little handsy herself. Only difference between them was that men didn’t typically complain.

But she did choke on her next shot as he laid claim to her butt and had to put it down to gape at him. “Now wait just a minute, Ter. You don’t get to claim any part of my person until you’ve bought me at least three drinks. And then we can negotiate touching, are we clear?” Because yes, he was cute even when he was being pervy. Besides, it wasn’t as if this had never happened before.

Of course, being Ter, he had to go and say something that was actually sweet in between being pervy. She realized that she was grinning at him as his statement. “That might just be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me, Ter,” she teased. “Well, except the drawing. But we’re both small. I think we could share the board.” She finished her drink—on the third one now, then hopped off the stool, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the dance floor. “For that, I’ll give you a dance. Might even let you grope if you’re a good boy.”

[Terrowin Guthrie]

"The last time Oi called my mum? Well that's easy! It was... ahmm..." He tapped his chin as he tried to recall the date. It really hadn't been that long ago - he had a close relationship with his parents, since they were some of the only friends he had as a child growing up in his hometown - but his brain was buzzing and it was hard to think. "It couldn't'a been more then a week or two ago," he finally slurred, taking another sip. He was glad to see that Kat was quickly catching up to him in the drunk department - now maybe she would get a little looser as well! "When was the last time ye called yer mum, eh?"

Terrowin snickered at her reaction, raising his eyebrows and ordering two more drinks for Kat, just to make her happy. And maybe to make those negotiations work out. "Sorry lass, Oi'm too used tae starin' at it that Oi forgot it ain't mine," he chuckled. Of course, that wasn't really true... He didn't stare at it all the time. Just if she wore yoga pants. Or if he was drunk. Like now, obviously. "But Oi suppose that's fair. But yer free tae lay claim t' mine!" He wiggled in his seat, giggling childishly. He was definitely getting close to being over his limit.

"See, Oi can be sweet too!" he agreed, even though he had already forgotten what he had said that had been sweet. Something about the Titanic? Whatever. Kat had grabbed his hand and was now pulling him out of his chair to dance, and he gladly followed, placing his hand on her lower back possessively to let all the guys around them know that she was his for the night. Even if she didn't particularly want him to lay claim on her... But whatever. A pounding song was playing and the dancers on the stage were heating up, so he placed his best foot forward and took Kat's hands, wiggling his eyebrows. "Ye ain't ever seen me dance, have ye?" he said over the loud music, actually managing to do an impressive twirl without falling on his butt.

[Kateri Rivera]

Kat’s grin widened as he struggled to remember just when he’d called his mother, and she leaned back in the chair to watch him, arms folded over her chest and brows arched as she watched him squirm. Some might have called her cruel—and, to be honest, it was probably true—but she did enjoy watching a grown man struggle to figure out when he’d last called dear ol’ mum. And he couldn’t even answer it, which made her giggle (something she only did while tispy, because she could feel the buzz even though she wasn’t nearly at his level of drunkenness). “Shame on you, Terrowin,” she said with the severity only an Irish Catholic woman could manage. “Shame on you for not knowing. And that wasn’t the point. The point was that I wanted to try getting information out of you, and it worked. I win this one, Ter. You’ll have to try again.”

His next comment had her sitting up, gaping at him in indignation. “Ooh—Terrowin, I will get ya for that! My ass is no one’s unless they commit—and I don’t see men lining up to do that, especially you.” Mind, that would be assuming Kateri said yes to any of them. These days, she tended to laugh in their faces. But she did smile, a little. “You really stare that much, Ter? I never knew.” What? It could be considered a perverse compliment. Meant he found it attractive enough to stare at. She laughed as he wiggled and rolled her eyes. “Hell no, Ter. You’re hot, I’ll give ya that, but not that hot. Try again.”

She did notice the hand on her lower back as he followed her out, and she batted it away. “Oh no you don’t. I like the idea that a man might ask me to dance. But I’ve seen you dance. At the Valentine’s Dance, remember?” She giggled again as he twirled and caught his shoulder, half afraid he’d fall over. “Don’t tell me you’re going to try doing that here! This isn’t a place for fancy footwork.”

[Terrowin Guthrie]

".... Damn you," Terrowin growled playfully, realizing she had managed to make him squirm AND got information out of him at the same time. "Oi'm keepin' my mouth zipped fer the rest o' the night, miss detective. Ye ain't gettin' anythin' else out." Right, like he could keep that promise...

"Wot can Oi say? It's nice. And Oi was committed tae it at one point!" Back when their relationship was newer and more innocent... Ah, those were the days. Now they knew each other too well. But she was still as hot as she was back then. "Oi just try not tae make it too obvious.... Students bein' around an' all, ye know." Not that that would ever really stop him... He just needed an excuse. But then he pouted. "Oi thought he liked my arse at one point too!" he complained. "Ye know Oi look great in short shorts." Yeah.... Right.

Apparently she wasn't so drunk that she was allowing him to touch yet, and he sighed dramatically. "Well then, Oi suppose ye wouldn't mind if Oi asked someone else tae dance...?" he teased, making a point to look around for a single woman that would fit his needs. But then she had to go and remind him about the Valentine's Dance.... He had somehow managed to faceplant into the punch that night, though fortunately by that time most of the students had gone to bed and most people were just cleaning up. Leave it to him to make a fool out of himself at the last minute. "Hell yeah Oi'm gonna try!" he replied, using his unnatural speed to dart behind Kat and lift her up princess style, while he twirled her around. After a few seconds he put her down and blocked his face, expecting a slap or worse, but he was grinning from cheek to cheek. "Oi'm sure the dancers would appreciate my moves!" Before Kat could stop him, he dashed almost invisibly through the crowd until he was in front of the stage. He watched the three girls do their routine for a few moments, memorizing the pattern of movement until he knew he could do it. And then he hopped on stage and did it.

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri giggled again at that and shook her head, leaning in to kiss his cheek and then to murmur into his ear, “I wouldn’t bet on that. I’m good at getting things out of people.” And she grinned again and leaned back in the seat.

She had to agree to that—they had been committed at some point, and it was very different than it was at this moment. Now it was flirtier, less serious—taunting and not particularly innocent at all. She enjoyed it, but it was different. “I’ll take it as the compliment you meant it as, then,” she said, mock-serious, then laughed again. “Right, right, it’s all for the students.” And perhaps it was because of the alcohol going through her system, but she did pause to think about it, and she might’ve turned a slightly similar shade to her hair. “You do look good in short-shorts,” she agreed. “But that doesn’t prove anything.”

Kateri might’ve minded, but she would be damned if she said so. “’Course I wouldn’t,” she said, then grinned. “I know you’d come back to me anyways.” But she was just teasing, which was why she started giggling again. Yes, she was feeling that alcohol a little now. “Jesus, Ter--!” She clung to him as she was lifted and spun around, but didn’t slap him and instead clung to his shoulders as the world spun, half leaning into him (and no, it wasn’t because she liked the definition of his chest, what are you talking about). “Ter, what are you—oh no!” But he was on the stage before she could even manage to get out a protest, and she watched wide-eyed as he wound up on the stage with the other dancers. Was he really—he was! But out of the corner of her eye, she could see a bouncer approaching. It was burlesque—she supposed they didn’t like when someone tried to join in. She quickly moved in his direction and tugged on his pant leg.

“T-ter!” She was laughing too hard to say anything quickly. “Get down from there! Your moves are great, and I’m sure everyone knows it. Get down before we get kicked out!”

[Terrowin Guthrie]

Terrowin had no shame. He continued to dance along with the women, even after they had halted briefly to stare at him in confusion. Still, they were being paid to dance, and so they continued knowing that he would be kicked off soon. Nevertheless, it had to be distracting to them - he even began to add his own personal pelvic thrust move until he noticed the frowning bouncer making his way towards the stage. He felt Kat tugging on him and heard her urgent, if giggly, message, and knew he was done. Taking his cue to leave, he leaped off the stage and disappeared as quickly as only he could into the crowd, ducking down until the bouncer finally turned away and returned to where he had been. He managed to find Kat once more and, grinning lopsidedly, tapped her on the shoulder from behind. "Wot do ye think, eh?" he asked loudly. "Oi could work here! Those ladies ain't got nothin' on me." As if they couldn't keep up with his drunken, sloppy moves. He was, however, quite impressed with himself.

Noticing they were getting a few stares from people around them, Terrowin led Kat back to their table. The room was spinning unpleasantly, and he decided he needed a bit of fresh air. Promising to be back soon, he left the table and meandered back to the back of the club, standing next to the open back door to get a breath of the cool night air. It was a pleasant night, and even in his dizzy state, he could appreciate it. He stretched, then winced when his right leg twinged painfully. It wasn't bad, just a sudden sharp sting, but he knew it was his old wound coming back to haunt him. Hopefully it wouldn't get any worse than a small discomfort.

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri was laughing even harder as she saw his additional moves, just because they seemed so out of place along with the other dancers and they didn’t seem to know what to do with him. To be fair, she didn’t know what to do with him either. She spun as he vanished, and then whirled around as he tapped her on the shoulder and giggled.

“Keep your voice down!” she hissed, shoving his shoulder affectionately. “All right, you weren’t half bad. But let’s keep your dance moves between us, eh?” She wrapped her arm around his waist as he lead her back, and she took a seat and ordered another drink, although she was sure this would be her last one. She was five feet tall, thin, and didn’t drink heavily that often. She was just sipping on it—and this was an umbrella drink, because Kateri was female and she occasionally liked something fruity instead of straight-up whiskey—when a man came and sat next to her, leaning in.

“What’s a nice gal like you doing on her own?”

Kateri never minded the attention, but because she was here for Ter, and she had a strict rule of not ditching friends when there were only two in the party, she just smiled at the man.

“Not on my own,” she said. “He just went for some air. Sorry—maybe next time.”

The man leaned forward and put his arm on her leg, which made Kat pause. She was a tispy and so still inclined to be friendly, but there was a certain tightness of the grip that made it uneasy. “He’s stupid for leaving you alone, then.” His breath smelled even more strongly of alcohol than hers, and he swayed into her until, disgusted, she gave him a good shove. He nearly toppled over in the chair, and although Kat hoped that he’d gotten the hint, he managed to straighten up and smiled, leaning back until she was pressed up against the table.

“I like spirit in a girl.”

All good-feeling gone, Kateri wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell and the feel of his sweaty clothes on her skin and pushed at him again, making him stagger back a few steps.

“What the hell is your problem? Bugger off and find someone else to bloody grope already! I said I’m not interested!”

[Terrowin Guthrie]

Call it precognition or just a gut feeling, but Terrowin suddenly had an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach as he caught his breath. Kat was a tough little gal, but he realized that leaving her alone in a room full of drunkards probably wasn't the best idea - someone might get the wrong idea, and he knew that her flaming red hair would probably cause more attention than most. Ignoring his protesting leg, he quickly squirmed his way back through the crowd to his table, where he realized his discomfort was well deserved. Already some desperate drunkard had swooped in on Kat, and was getting far too close for comfort. Fuming, he darted forward and shoved the man away from her. He wasn't looking for a fight - he hated fights, having grown up the way he did - but he wanted to get some distance between him and Kat. Quickly. "Oy, get offa her! Can't ye see she's not interested?"

The man hadn't expected him to come flying out of nowhere, and the shove was more successful than Terrowin had anticipated. He toppled backwards out of his chair and landed hard on his back, cracking his head against the hard floor. Immediately, Terrowin knew he was in trouble. The guy was bigger than he was (no surprise there), and he was in no mood to fight, being tipsy and already feeling the pain increasing in his leg. Not to mention... He hated fighting. Nevertheless, the guy stood up slowly, anger reddening his face as he stared down in contempt at Terrowin.

"Who do you think you are!?" he demanded, spittle flying from his mouth. "You left her by herself - she was fair game!"

Terrowin made sure he was between the man and Kat, but tried to keep his stance non-threatening. "Oi invited her here tonight, mate. She's with me. An' don't treat her like she's some object to be thrown around fer yer own pleasure - Oi'm sure she has more brain cells in half o' her brain than ye do entirely." Okay.... Maybe insulting the guy was a bad idea. But he couldn't help it.

"Why you insolent little-!" The guy attacked without warning, leaping forwards and throwing a thick fist directly at Terrowin's face. Even drunk, Terrowin was quicker than the average bear, and ducked in time to avoid it. A half a moment later, he realized Kat was probably behind him and, fearing the punch would hit her instead, he did the only thing he could think of - get on the offensive. He deftly knocked the blow harmlessly to the side and spun on his heel, whipping out his right leg to hit the guy in the jaw. He managed to score a hit, but it wasn't as powerful as it would have been normally, and his thigh screamed in agony. It was all he could do to toss in a quick flurry of jabs and elbows to the guys's neck and other vital pressure points before the pain turned into a full-on agonizing attack - so much so that his body stiffened and he fell to the ground, clenching his teeth to hold back the scream of pain that was threatening to come out.

Fortunately, his attack had done it's work, and the other guy went down as well, unconscious from being hit in so many vital areas. It was one of the most effective things he had learned while practicing kung fu - where to hit someone to take them out cleanly and swiftly. But now, he gave in to the pain and groaned, wondering if Kat was okay. She had to be - he had made sure nothing had gotten past him to her. "Kat?" he managed to mutter through the throbs of pain. "Are you alright?"