Escape From Underworld Battle Arena [plot]

Starring at the screen with still eyes, Aurelia what mesmerized at Smiles fighting style and noting everything that he was doing. Hopefully we don't have to fight him anytime soon. After the fight had finally ended, she turned to the others."Well, if we get stuck in here, we will get used to it whether we want to or not." The prospect of being stuck down here wasn't exactly appealing to her for obvious reasons. It was not soon after that Smiles returned from his...venture. Three questions, huh? Thinking for a moment, she wasn't too sure what would actually be helpful to know given the situation. After a little more thought, Aurelia decided to ask, "Have there been any instances where someone has gained their freedom, organizer-approved or otherwise?"

"Nope," Smile said bluntly. "If there was a way out of here, I certainly wouldn't be stuck in this hell hole. Their precautions are flawless. They cover everything."

Matthias tossed his bowl to the side as he finished. When Smiles offered assistance, Matthias was not surprised there was a catch, although his curiosity still got the best of him. "Why only three questions?" he blurted out before immediately realizing his mistake. "Damnit. Uh, don't answer that," he bashfully added in an attempt to save face. Why do I even... His face grew bright red as he tried to act like nothing had happened.

"Are you sure? That was actually a good question," Smiles stated.

Tiru quizzically raised an eyebrow as the third wolf asked his question, then sighed ans shook his head. "Your face. I suggest you shut it for the time being." Tiru then pushed off of the wall, sauntering over toward Smiles. "We're going to add seven names to that list, MIB." Pausing, Tiru thought over the second question. "Where, exactly, is this compound? Don't answer if you don't know."

Smiles remained silent.

Matthias's blood boiled as the teen scolded him. In his anger he lost the ability to think rationally.  "Actually, you know what? Screw it. Smiles, I stand by my question," he gruffly busted out. As he said this, he locked eyes with Tiru and let out a small grin.

"Around here, we have two forms of currency," Smiles stated, holding up two fingers. "One is sponsor dollars. When a rich bastard out there happens to have a favorite gladiator, he pays money to ensure that one has some better comforts. That bit can give you an edge in the arena. The second is much trickier."

Smile brushes away some of the greasy strands of hair from his face and peeled off what looked like the skin on his right temple. It was actually a flesh colored sticker that matched his tone perfectly and had a little device underneath.

"Around here, we trade with info," Smiles stated. "If you want to know something someone else knows, you trade info that you know. So long as the other person wants that that info enough, he'll agree to the trade. Then all you need to do is keep eye contact with each other and concentrate on the info you want to trade. You can't trade false info either. The filter ensures that. If you get the right info, it could very well save your life. You can also exchange info for sponsor dollars. This may seem trivial, but trade the wrong info and you could very well die thirty seconds before you realize it. Be smart about what you do around here. You should all have this device stuck onto you just like this."

Alicia glanced back and forth halfheartedly as her cellmates argued and devised, to no avail. She highly doubted that the collars would just run out of charge, and she wasn't about to volunteer to get that punishment again to test the theory. Nor would she advise anyone else to do so.
During her period of silence, she managed to grab a bowl of... whatever it was they fed them, holding it with shaking, bloodied hands. She didn't have the dexterity yet in her fingers to use the spoon, so she just tipped the vile mush into her mouth, wincing as it mixed with the cut in her mouth, causing significant stinging. She could already feel her cheek swelling, and others could probably see it, too. Somehow she managed to stomach the food, which she took as a good sign that she would be able to keep future meals down.

When Smiles arrived, she watched him with mild curiosity, barely having the energy to be angry at the guard who called him 'animal'.
Her brow raised when he mentioned the trading of information, and she couldn't stop herself from checking her own temple. Sure enough, there was a fleshy sticker there, that when peeled back revealed the same type of device in Smles' head.
"What use is information in here?" she blurted, then quickly corrected herself, "Or rather, what kind of information do people in here even want?"

"Technique, skills, strengths, weaknesses, semblances," Smile listed off, "Whether or not that girl a few cells over is into cat ears. You see, information is a weapon. Even the smallest info can mean victory. Your past, your obsessions, your hobbies, the little details could be used against you or for you. And remember, any info you sell to others, they can sell to other people as well. Our very lives are a game children. Either you play smart... or you play dead."

Smile slid his back down the corner until he was down in a sitting position.

"That's your last question," he murmured. "... I'll give you some advice. Around here, you need friends. I suggest you all remember that."

Tiru felt his temple, also finding the device. It was somewhat fragile, and seemed like something that would overload without too much effort. Dammit, I still have more questions. When is the next fight? How much power does this stuff require to function? How easily can I wreck all of this? Is Libra a sponsor? Frustrated, the grey wolf leaned back on the wall, placing a hand on the temple. "Welcome to hell. Population: us." he muttered, shaking his head.

Alicia blinked, feeling the device on her head over and over. Half of her was wondering why people couldn't just tell others their information, and the other half was trying to convince herself to eat the remainder of her... stuff.
That was the half that won out, and she forced herself to down the last of the food, telling herself she needed to be strong and all the nonsense she needed to get her through to the last swallow. She would get used to it, sure, but it wouldn't be a pleasant process.
That done, she turned her attention back to the only other interesting thing in the room; her wings. They wereore messed up now since her shock and spasms, all raised and ruffled. She ran her fingers through them in sections, smoothing each feather expertly into place. This task required no thought, leaving her mind clear for other, more pressing issues.

Emerald sighed as they used up all three questions before saying, "Well, thanks for the free information and the advice. We do need friends in this place, so why not start with the people we're originally trapped with." He looked at each of his cell mates ending with Smile.

He finally says, "You may think that there is no way out of this place, but I've been in a worse situation then this. There is always a way out," he concludes with a confident smirk. Turning back to the group Emerald says, "To get along the best, none of us can think of them self as better than the rest. That will lead to many problems and arguments. If we are to get out of here, we need to work together."

Matthias was visibly shocked by the useful answer his seemingly stupid question received. Huh, so I guess this 'Smiles' guy is more generous than we thought. When the man finished answering, Matthias flashed a victorious smile at Tiru, twisting the metaphorical knife even more. Apparently Bird Girl's also quite curious, seeing as she, too, eagerly blurted out her question. Oh well. At least we got some info out the guy.

As Emerald addressed the group, Matthias couldn't help but chuckle. "Kid, you have this all wrong," he lectured with a toothy grin. "It's much more difficult to break out seven in--" he paused as he remembered Smiles. "--er, eight inmates from a prison than it is to break a measly total of one. I hate to be a pessimist, but not everyone will get out of here," he continued. "Besides, it isn't that bad, is it? We have all the necessities for living, and we can greatly improve our conditions if we simply cooperate. It's really not that bad of a deal if you really think about it."

Tiru rolled his eyes before responding. "Of course, being the unthinking omega that you are, you didn't take account that we'll eventually be forced to kill eachother. 'Not that bad a deal', my ass. But since you like it here so much, you can hang out with MIB and... Tall, dark and voiceless over there." he said dryly, shifting a hand to Aurora and resting it on the sheathed blade's hilt. You can never be too careful when you call a wolf 'Omega'... among other things.

Satisfied, in a way, with the answer that Smiles had given. Smiles. A name that seems to have been given to him through his finishers. There's no way that's his actual name, though. I wonder how valuable real names are in here. Aurelia wanted to ask him about it, too, but seeing as the group only had three questions, they couldn't be wasted. She took note of the idea of asking Smiles about it later and tucked it away.

She watched intently as the two faunus fired away their questions which yielded a good bit of information to her surprise, likely more so than her's. Her hand was on her cheek, a finger tapping away at the device now that it had been brought up. As the Q&A ended, she intended to sit back with the information she/they had gathered and see what she could come up with with that alone. Instead, a conversation had sparked up and the topic was basically about cooperation being the key to survival in this place. It was when Tiru spoke up that Aurelia decided to chime in. "We will be forced to fight each other is what you meant to say, not kill. Smiles said that it was our choice. And that's just an assumption, anyway. Hopefully we won't have to, but that could very well just be an optimistic view. I don't mean to sound like a, well, you know, but factuality is key if what Smiles say is true. And as for the cooperation bit, I think that would be best. For now at least." With that, she was done with her piece having purposely not mentioned the complaint levied against Matthias. She did, to some degree, agree with him there that they shouldn't be okay with being in here.

Realizing that she hadn't eaten her meal yet, she stood herself up and walked on over to the bowl that she had previously checked (if not eaten already). Taking a deep breathe, she dug the spoon off the lid and took a spoonful of the stuff. She winced as the taste started to settle. Plugging her nose, she reluctantly continued until the bowl was emptied. This food is tempting me to get some sponsors...

Jacob turned sharply to Tiru, slightly taken aback by the severity of the insult. To a lot of wolves, Omega would not have been seen as an insult but to Jacob, who was a born Alpha, and raised to command a pack, Tiru may as well have just spat in Matthias' face.
"That's enough" he growled. Seemed as though Tiru fancied himself as an Alpha, though he struck Jacob as more of a Lone Wolf, having remained silent, seemingly plotting for a good few minutes. "We can get everyone out" he asserted "granted it may not be as easy as one person escaping, we still have to try. Jacob walked over to the red hot bars, mere centimeters from the burning hot metal. If information was power, then he'd better start trying to accumulate it. Then a thought struck him. He turned around, a slight smirk appearing on his face, he gestured for Tiru and Matthias to join him near the cells exit, he knew how they could gather a little information. The way only a wolf could.

Matthias nearly snapped as Tiru insulted him. Every fiber in his being wanted to tear him a new one, but the memory of the pain the collar could issue made him rethink his course of action. "Is this the first time someone has tried to kill you, boy? Lighten up and get your head out of your ass. We aren't the first group to be imprisoned here, and we most certainly aren't the first to have considered escaping," he retorted, paying little mind to Aurelia. Oh, what I would give to meet this kid in the arena.

When Jacob gestured for him and Tiru to join him, he let out a sigh. "Whatever it is, I'm not getting shocked by this damn collar again," he replied as he approached the bars. "You're lucky we're wearing these by the way," he added, directing his remark to Tiru.

Tiru mirrored Matthias' victorious smirk as he found an obvious chink in Matthias' armor. We're people of mass destruction. Someone always wants us dead. he thought as he let Jacob, the Alpha take control of the situation. Tiru never thought himself an Alpha. Or any rank for that matter. He was a Lancer, and he existed to get things done. Tiru smirked as Matthias made a comment stating that they were lucky to be wearing those collars. Trust me, that will be remedied when I step into the arena. he thought as he sauntered over next to Jacob. "So, Alpha. What's your plan?"

"Smiles said that information was power in here" Jacob said with a smirk "information on things like; emotional state, injuries and more importantly who else is in here" he raised an eyebrow "all things that three wolves should have no difficulty sniffing out" his grin widened "if we can figure out who and what we're up against and how best to hurt them, it'll make it easier to win the fights fast and work on a way out of here."

Alicia kept her attention on her preening, running her fingers through the feathers and putting them in place, pulling out any broken or plucked segments and any other debris that may be there (which was more than normal, leading her to believe that she had definitely been dragged). She had done her best to get the blood off of her hands before she began, but her fingers were still stained, and the edges of some of her feathers were taking on the colour too. But it didn't matter much, as her mind was on different things.

You see, preening required almost no concentration, more of a reflex, muscle memory. She had her right wing opened in front and to the right of her, her left hand keeping it stretched open and her right arranging the feathers just so. Her eyes were trained solidly on the feathers, but her attention was elsewhere; the little gathering of wolf faunas by the bars.

Alicia's hearing was incredibly acute, even by faunus standards, so she had absolutely no problem eavesdropping on them. So, Jacob was going to play the game, eh? Well, whatever. She wasn't too worried, not for herself anyway. While he was the only one in here that had any previous knowledge of her, they'd only fought for a short time. She still had several tricks hidden in her sleeves, and a bit of information on him if he wanted to get dirty. Still though, better to err on the side of caution, which was why she still kept her auditory attention focused on their conversation, although there would be no outward indication whatsoever that she was doing so.

Tiru paused for a second after Jacob finished. Playing the game doesn't seem like the best idea... But you have to play in order to find out how to break it. Shaking his head, Tiru was about to interject before deciding that doing so wasn't all that worth it. He wasn't used to sniffing out... well, anything, but gave it a try anyway. "This place smells like conductive metals, blood, and death. And whatever the crap that is in those bowls is. Not much more that I can pick up..." Tiru stated, shaking his head. "I'm not the guy for this kind of thing." Conductive metals. Mental note: Using Storm will likely affect anyone in the arena, so long as they are on the ground.

Nero replayed the deathmatch he had just witnessed over and over again in his head.  Smiles was a teleporter, and while it certainly wasn't the first time he had seen someone with this semblance, Nero had never seen anyone quite as skilled as Smiles was as utilizing it.  Drawing on his experience of countless battles, he analyzed the moves and propensities of the combatants so that he himself would not make the same mistake that Muscles did.  After all, in this arena, as in all arenas including the arena of life, knowledge was power.

Jacob frowned at Tiru
"Really? That's all?" Jacob took on a more concerned look, before lifting his nose to the air and trying to pick up something useful "There's a man three cells down, Faunus, suffering from a severe injury to his... leg. Partially healed over, could be exploited if necessary" Jacob felt sick even saying the words, but the way things were, it seemed as though it was them against the rest of the inmates, one cell against a prison.

Emerald wished they had more than just three questions, but he got an idea that he needed a clarification on the information transfer devices (ITDs) for it to work. Deciding it's best to ask Smile anyways, he asks, "Smile, is it possible to send information to someone without them wanting to give information back?" Why the hell would you want to give someone all of your info and get nothing back? That seems like a terrible risk. Do you already have a plan? Dang nabbit! Plans never work. I told you to think on your feet! That's all good and well in a fight. But being reckless will not get me out of this trap. Raggeda fraggeda! Stop grumbling. Emerald waited to see if Smile would answer the question or want information for it.

"Why give away money?" Smiles asked back cryptically. He paused for a moment, his arms crossed defiantly, then he rolled his eyes before staring directly at Emerald's. A few seconds passed before suddenly Emerald felt as if water was being poured into his head for a brief moment.

Somehow in his mind he now has a clear understanding that so long as they two parties are in eye contact, one merely needs to concentrate on the info and the exchange can be made. Also, he had some rice sludge on his chin.

Once getting the message, Emerald swipes the stuff off his chin thinking, Ugh, messy eater. Hey! Afterwards, Emerald smirks and says, "Perfect. Thanks for the answer." Stepping away, Emerald walks back to the wall he had been sitting at before, and sits down once again. He goes back to his plan of escape.