Description: Well, just one. A tiger that wants to make a deal, but fortunately not through a dance in the pale glow of a TV running Neo League reruns. No, this particular tiger has a request that only one man, as far as he can see, can fulfill.
It started as a mild vested interest. A moment where Sagat showed he is not as much of a monster as he is often believed. Quon was close to being shot dead while trying to be a hero and if not for Sagat the young man would probably be dead now. All the former emporer wanted was to watch from afar and see how Quon developed after warning of him to stay off Shadaloo's radar if he could help it. Everything seemed like it was going to work out without problem.
Then came Cammy who has turned Quon's life upsidedown. Sagat was doing his best to stay away, but he had to warn Quon of what would happen if he decided to keep seeing the assassin that had befriended him. The worst of his fears has happened. Vega has taken notice and in all honesty Sagat is pretty surprised that the lord of Shadaloo didn't kill Quon. He just seemed to make things worse. Now Quon has had to resort to being sent to prison and now Sagat will have to recapture the supplies that were confiscated from the car Quon was driving.
It also took some searching, but Sagat managed to find out there is someone that could possibly help in this case. A man that probably wants no part of Shadaloo, but probably is going to be dragged into it despite his protests. Rust Howard is someone that Quon needs in a time like this. A mentor and a man that can possibly beat some sense into the youth if need be. That is exactly why Rust is getting a soft knock on the door. A knock that doesn't seem like it would belong to a seven and a half foot tall mountain standing on the other side of Rust's door.
The Pacific Shop teacher has had a rough day. This should probably go without saying now, given how things are. Today was a day he needed to take off work to recover from a particularly vicious beating in politely volunteering to allow Ryo to demonstrate one of the more advanced techniques on him for sake of some of the more advanced students.
Most of the day is largely spent sitting on the couch watching TV, wanting to get up, move, stretch... do a couple neat tips and tricks Takuma spotted him for focus, but right now he's got to suck in a few shattered ribs and not put too much stress on them.
Imagine the stress when there's a soft knock on the door. Just when watching a rerun of a Neo League fight is getting to the climax, he has to hoist himself up off the couch with a loud grunt and the pop of an especially stiff soldier. Wheezing, he tries to put his weight off the side of his body that's been, to put it lightly, busted in.
"A minute," he urges to whoever's beyond the door as he all but limps to the front door. He sincerely hopes this isn't the neighbor downstairs complaining about the laundry again, even as beaten down as he is if that guy so much as yells at him for it again he's just going to pop him one, and God help him if that's the case.
"Hey, what can I do f--" Well, he gets his wish, all right, as he opens the front door to get a good look at a giant of a man at chest level. His head tilts back slowly, his mouth widening slightly as some suspicions mount as to what sort of super tall man he's standing in front of.
"Uh." He eloquently comments.
There is not a word spoken and Sagat waits patiently for Rust to come to the door and open it. The large fighter is dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants. His feet are bare as usual and in one massive hand he is holding a gym bag from the looks of it. He takes a step back and the cyclops gives Rust a nod. "Mr. Howard." he says and he takes a look around at the empty hall. Anyone that was out and about quickly went into their rooms when they spotted the large man coming down the hall. "May I come in to have a word?"
It is suspicious indeed, but the large man has made no movements that might seem hostile. His tone is an even and somewhat quiet one as well. "It is about Quon and I believe you might be the best person to help him right now." He hopes that bringing up the youth's name right now as well as not breaking and entering would show Rust that he is here and conducting himself in a peaceful manner. Still, no matter what he does there is only so much he can do to try and come off harmless when he is a man of such size with a not so good repuation from the past several years.
THERE IS FREAKING SAGAT.
Almost immediately there's flashbacks to the encounter at Justice High during the invasion, where Sagat and Raizo both fought to determine the fate of the most prestigious high school in the country - maybe even in the world. (Where a pink-haired girl was basically slapping the Pacific teacher around like a red-headed stepchild in comparison.)
Instinctively he lowers his stance and reaches his right hand towards his left hip to a completely nonexistent pipe - the toolbelt with it is all the way over in his bedroom. This puts immediate stress on his injury and makes him cringe, a sour look on his face to complement the innate tension that comes with a man of Sagat's power and presence just about anywhere. He can't fight him even if he /was/ in better health... or had Ol' Rusty by his side.
"Agh, one... one moment," he urges with a raised hand - his right, actually, giving Sagat a good view of that horrible scarred palm - as he tries to straighten himself up with another grimace. What can I do, he thinks, if he's here to take care of me, this has got to be over that girl, doesn't it--
That is when Sagat says it is about Quon, those words enough are of worry. So much worry, that he nearly misses some very important key words in Sagat's even tone of voice about how he - one of the greatest fighters to ever walk the Earth, disgraced as he may be - believes that the balding forty-year-old man of much more humble accomplishments is, somehow, the very best person to help him.
The grimacing stops, though the pain and aches do not as he looks Sagat in the eye briefly enough to consider if he heard what he just did. Believing him to be the very best person to help Quon right now, this mountain of a man, this legendary figure is telling him.
Reluctantly, he takes a step back, opening up the door a bit further so Sagat can fully come in.
"Don't mind me," the teacher winces again, "been... been nursing my side all day." The fear of the possibilities of Sagat's visit here are as plain as day - few people can up and tell a man like Sagat 'no.'
He wasn't sure how well things would turn out, but it seems Sagat is lucky on this day. Nevermind the fact his intimidating presence and size are probably the only real reason Rust is allowing the larger man into his apartment. He ducks and shifts his weight to squeeze through the doorway and straightens back up once inside. Disgraced he may be, but the somewhat silent and stoic way he composes himself might show how he once was or maybe it truely is an old dog learning new tricks and showing maturity that took him way too many years to get.
That single eye gazes around the place and he steps over to set the gym bag down. "I tried to keep him out of this mess as best I could. I didn't think something like Cammy would happen." he explains as he turns about and those massive arms cross over his chest as he looks down to Rust. "I believe he has promise and right now I don't believe he will be able to achieve it. He is young and needs guidance. I cannot offer that given my position." True, he did offer to train Quon if he really wanted it, but it may just further complicate the youth's life at this point. He may have gotten away with helping eventually if Cammy had never gotten involved.
He closes his eye momentarily and considers what he wishes to say. "I hate to pry, but I know you are hard up on money. Bailing Quon out would be a heavy burden. One that is already heavy on your shoulders." That eye reopens and even if he has no pupil Rust can tell that it is staring right at him. "Ten thousand dollars. It is all yours to do with what you want as long as you promise some of it goes to helping Quon."
The place is kind of a mess. A sure sign of a place that could use a woman's touch, and maybe a significantly better vacuum cleaner. Sagat may or may not be able to procure valuable intelligence for the effort against NESTS if, for some bizarre reason beyond the comprehension of all good sense, they need to figure out how to make a sturdier, more easily repaired bench, just by looking around. This man of smaller stature has been putting almost obsessive thought on the subject over the last month or so with little design sketches littered all over the place. Meanwhile, on the rerun of some Neo League fights just a ways inside, Adon gets humbled by Ibuki in a startling upset.
Howard's eyes follow where the gym bag is set down before Sagat starts talking. When he talks, the smaller man is listening even as he is inwardly fearing for his life in so much as attracting attention from forces he thought would have had nothing more to do with Southtown - let alone his life. It comes as a further surprise, despite earlier dialogue just moments before, when Sagat's choice of words almost seem apologetic about 'something like Cammy.' That girl has been bad news. His face sours at mention of her, but he softens up when Sagat crosses those arms and looks down to him - the belief of his promise, something both of them could agree with, the fear that he won't be able to achieve it. They are both older men with plenty of life experience between the two of them.
The teacher feels his throat going dry as he stretches against a table in an attempt to find some sort of way to stand straight without putting pressure on the side that's killing him, already looking the part of a man overcome by physical weakness. Those eyes don't leave the one that's looking down at him.
It's when Sagat closes his eye that he gets the slightest touch bolder, in so much as being able to rub his forehead with his free hand can be considered bold as he tries to come to grips with the fact that THERE IS FREAKING SAGAT no more than about eight feet away from him.
The talk of money comes up, at which point there's a new and entirely logical fear to be had here - is Shadaloo spying on his goddamn bank account? Because if they so much as make it so he misses a health insurance payment... Sagat sure as hell is right about a heavy burden on his shoulders. Quon is not an adult yet by the law, but if they are seriously thinking of charging him as one...
Speculation stops with Sagat's reopened eye, once again looking back at him to punctuate that offer. That generous offer with, by all appearances, a completely innocent set of strings attached that some of it goes to helping Quon.
"Ten thous--" He finally finds it in himself to talk as he clears his throat. "Excuse me, ten thousand?" He echoes that number, eyes wide at mention of this. Holy shit, the things he could do with an extra ten grand right about now! Hell, that alone could cover travel costs and lodging for four completely at a nice place, and then some!
Ten thousand from Sagat, of Shadaloo. The teacher scratches the side of his head. "She... Cammy, she broke in while I was asleep, asking 'bout how to help... how to help Quon, and, and I told her, he's afraid." He shakes his head. "I told her to just, to just get out of his life. That he'd say so to her."
Unbeknownst to him, Quon has not. In fact, the complete opposite.
"That's... that's, that's really scary, just willing to piss his life and good name away, just to, just to hide from all that. Hell, I don't know if he'll get expelled from his college over all this," and that would be one hell of a curveball life would have flung up against the poor guy's head if so.
"If, if... if I could just, ask one thing," he shakes his free hand as he tries to steel together his courage to ask something of a man already willing to give something truly generous for their sake, "how in the hell does... does Quon even relate to you people? You... Cammy... the rest of them?"
The larger of the two men remains quiet while Rust allows things to process. He figures the amount he is offering is more than enough for what is needed and that is exactly why he offered it. He had some vested interest to make sure Quon gets out of jail as well as to make sure to see this group of fighters make it to the tournament. He certainly isn't going to let on about the second part at least. He could have offered more, but he wasn't sure how high he could go before Rust would outright decline.
The question is a valid one as well and Sagat nods his head. "My interest in him was to keep him alive and let him develop as a fighter." he explains. "I do not know how Cammy got involved." He admits. All he knows is things somehow snowballed once Vega's favored toy got involved in this whole mess. "I saved his life and now it feels like I did it all for nothing."
The thought that a man with such a bad reputation would save anyone's life is a bit of an odd thought unto itself. Yet this seems like a different Sagat. Has he changed that much since Rust had last seen him? "I will do what I can to keep Cammy away, but my hands are a bit tied in the matter. Vega has gotten involved and this has turned into a nightmare I could not imagine." If someone like Sagat thinks of things being disasterous then things must truely be going to hell in a handbasket at high speed right about now. "Beat some sense into the kid. Be the mentor I cannot be for him at the moment if you do not mind." He is unsure of just how heavy of a burden he is putting on rust right now.
Could Sagat's motives truly be this altruistic? While it may have been true that Sagat was hesitant to fully exercise the brutality being a part of the invasion forces could give him - and that he held to his word about the withdrawal - the man with some remaining hair left on his head has his doubts and his fears about the bigger picture. A bigger picture he had personally thought, rather foolishly, that he had next to nothing to do with any more.
That he has no idea how Cammy got involved is in itself incredibly worrying. Was she a spy sent to ensure Sagat's interest in the child was not to conflict with the goals of whatever organization, or something? (Oh, if he only knew the truth.) His gaze is blank at the mention of not knowing, as if ready to ask, 'how in the hell can you not know.' The mentioning of saving his life and the frustration of how it feels like it was all for nothing.
Was that what some of his friends felt when he came out of the invasion with that nasty injury to his hand, having only just gotten into competitive fighting at the time and then having to face the prospect that he'd have likely had to give up?
"Vega... you don't mean, uh, the... the Vega from the Thailand incident," the teacher's face pales just thinking about the thought. Holy shit did Quon just kite the interest of one of history's most feared men onto him? He brings a hand to his face and lowers it just thinking about this, one of his elbows creaking as he visibly tenses up as a subconscious reflex to the idea. His body goes stiff as though to protect itself from the mental imagery involved of all the various news reports and eyewitness accounts described him.
Sagat wants him to beat sense into the kid. To be the mentor he can't be for him at the moment, if he doesn't mind. As though Sagat were asking him for a favor. As if he were, on some level, begging - as if perhaps the fears Howard displays may actually be better suited for Sagat in this situation.
As if this survivor of the invasion were the only one who could help /him/. The irony, for the many things that tend to pass well over the shop teacher's head, is one of the few things not lost on him. It is an irony he finds absolutely zero amusement in.
"I'm... I'm a shop teacher, not a superhero, you... you probably know that," the teacher concedes in apparent defeat, his joints making a number of obnoxious cracking sounds as he starts to move them, a brief grimace on his face as he works out the tension that had his body locked in place. To say nothing of his ribs, for that matter!
He really wants nothing to do with whatever business Quon has with them, but it seems - on some level - it's mutual even among one of the most dangerous people around. Both men want to see Quon safe. Both men want to see Quon, on some level, develop.
Mr. Rust knew Quon's master from an incidental encounter. A passing friendship. Now that the master is gone - murdered, from what Antoine told him - on some level they don't really have much in the way of guidance now, do they? And yet, fate would have it he'd run into that man's students so many years down the road. What would that guy say if the two of them could meet now? What would /he/ do?
The teacher exhales loudly. "I... I don't mind," he starts, "I don't mind finding some, some kind of way to keep him out of that mess. N-No offense, but... but after the invasion, I... I definitely had my fill of life on the edge, let me tell you."
Even through the conversation Sagat shows no real emotion. That single eye rarely blinks and he seems intent to listen and watch Rust. He only seems ready to speak once conflicting thoughts subside even if it is momentarily in this case. "That might be why you are best suited for keeping him safe. You are a stronger man than you think." If only Rust had perhaps heard the call of being a fighter at an earlier age. It would have been interested to see how me may have developed and where he would be today instead of feeling so much wear and tear on his body. "I am no superhero either. I just want to have some peace and to defeat my eternal opponent."
You have to live under a rock to not know who the large man means in that case. Thinking Vega was finally dead after all this time had made Sagat think he was finally free to be on his own again and perhaps repent for his past misdeeds and live out the last years of his life in solitude as he prepared to meet and defeat Ryu finally. Now with Vega returning and being more more ambitious than ever has put a serious wrench into things. Sagat did not want to come back, but once you are part of Shadaloo you are sadly never free to leave.
He unfolds his arms and lets a hand reach out to rest on Rust's shoulder as he leans forward and that single eye meets both eyes of the other elder fighter. "Do this not only to make sure Quon improves, but think of it as a way you too shall improve. He needs proper guidance and given where I am stuck at I cannot offer that." He then lets go with that hand and straightens up. "And yes, there is only one Vega. Thankfully there isn't anyone else that goes by that name."
Sagat believes him a stronger man than he thinks. He'd like to think he is, sometimes, when the weight of mundane life isn't bearing down on him about as hard as Takuma can leap on his back whenever the man thinks he's trying to confiscate a hammer onto the grounds so he can get the shed done to his personal satisfaction.
And yet... the call was there at an earlier age, but events in his life didn't see him living the dream of just about any fighter. Endless stardom and glory is something only a select few ever get to have. The rest... have to get real jobs, as he himself did. Years later, inexplicable opportunities present themselves. This one is just the latest in a relatively contrived series of coincidences that look to color his return a hue that would be far from frictionless.
Both men want their peace in their own ways, and there's a belated nod from the Pacific teacher about Ryu. He... has no personal objections to anything of that sort, as it fits so very neatly outside of the concept of 'making my life further hell.'
When Sagat gets one of his hands on one of his shoulders, it's somewhat disquieting. Regardless of how gentle this may be, that gesture alone is powerful and sure to command attention. The forward lean to ensure eyes are meeting is almost entirely unnecessary for delivering the weight of Sagat's following request, even as Rust finds himself leaning uncomfortably against where he's injured.
He's less thankful of the lack of other people named Vega, as there's an increased chance of mistaken identity where it /wouldn't/ be that single, diabolical, inhumane, mind-boggingly powerful Vega. Even speaking his name around these parts in the company of one of his greatest lieutenants is a thing of great fear. His chances of getting involved in his life for no reason other than to ensure total submission are, frighteningly, no longer zero in the wake of the invasion.
"I'll... I'll do the best I can with the kid," the teacher offers at last as he raises his head a little, rebalancing himself against the table as his injured side complains at him again, trying to put more weight on the leg opposite of it, "that's... that's, uh, that's all I can really... all I can really offer."
In the end the larger man seems satisfied even if it is hard to tell by his facial features. They are pretty much turned into a permanent scowl, but the nod he gives is one of appreciation. "I would not ask for anything more. I will do what I can on my end." And at the moment that isn't much. Given the fact Vega is now keeping a close eye on Quon any real interaction would only further put the likes of Rust and whoever else ise Quon's friend in danger. Minus Cammy of course.
A large hand reaches out to pat the bag he left on the table a few times before retracting. "Use the money wisely." he tells Rust then hmms lightly. "Go see a chiropractor. It may help at least a little." he adds as if trying to be helpful. Needless to say it is obvious he is not good with small talk and there might be a reason why he often keeps quiet unless he has important things to say. "I believe you both will improve from this. I am sorry things turned out so bad."
With the money accepted and his request accepted as well there is no reason for Sagat to linger any longer. He can tell Rust is uncomfortable from all of this and he wishes not to further encroach and make the man feel more ill at ease. "I wish you and Quon luck." he says while going for the door. When his hand touches the knob he pauses and looks back towards Rust. "And if it isn't too much. Do not tell him of this encounter. He has enough stress to deal with." With that being said the cyclops lets himself out and gingerly closes the door to leave Rust to ponder what just happened.
What can the two of them together do to keep the young man safe? One is one of the greatest fighters in the world who, through unfortunate events, became embroiled in one of the most dangerous organizations in history. The other, largely an ordinary joe aside from his ability to withstand physical punishment from most people. All this mess, skirting dangerous lines for both of them, just for the sake of one kid's future.
The bag is placed on the table, which pre-empts the question of where or what this money is going to come from... though, perhaps, it should have been obvious from the onset that Sagat likely was not looking to stay in this humble apartment. The teacher's face looks up to Sagat as he seems to reconsider something - no, a suggestion to see a chiropractor. He grunts in turn with some form of affirmation of the idea - maybe he could use some of that money for this exact purpose, come to think of it.
"Y'know, so am I," he replies with a certain sort of ease that belies the tension still running through the man on the thought that he has come face to face with a man like this over entirely peaceful terms. There isn't denying it, though - Quon can't participate in King of Fighters if he's in jail. If Quon can't participate, then the rest of them will be short. It is a very difficult situation.
He says nothing to Sagat's well-wishes, hesitant to even give a friendly wave given the gravity of the request and the entire situation. Who knows what Quon might do in order to try and hide himself from Cammy and whatever other goons the one and only Vega have sent to keep an eye on him.
When Sagat looks back, he has Rust's attention for that added favor. Don't tell Quon about the encounter, he says.
"Right, I, uh... I got lucky at poker, then," he struggles to think of something plausible when historically just about anyone on Pacific's staff can tell you that he is not a very good poker player, but perhaps this explanation will suffice to a young man who would hopefully know no better.
Even with the warm invitation of that couch and whatever's on TV now, he's not likely to move from where he's standing for another good hour or so, hesitant to even look in that bag.
Log created on 15:58:15 12/14/2010 by Rust, and last modified on 19:04:36 12/14/2010.