(Preshow) Preshow Facility

[Ash]

Ash’s plan was to be relentless, especially when he caught a shot of her cleavage and his control melted. The poor guy just needed a sexual outlet~! Too bad the media and someone he apparently knew more personally approached and got in the way. She was pushed to the wayside. This didn’t miff the storm demon in any way, personal conversations were to be had and she was satisfied with just listening in.

As the two were beginning to talk about someone important, but before they dropped any names for her to commit to memory, Ash felt someone grabbing at her leg. The only question that flashed in her mind was who did she know who was that bold? Because as openly sexual as the morality mirrored humanoid was, she didn’t expect anyone else in the entire omniverse to be. These were people that Omni thought were interesting and they were powerful. She expected all Primes to act more like Kanda and less like Desman. Personalities creating differing results.

She looked over her shoulder to see who it was, only to find the space behind her relatively blank. Her back facing a wall. When she considered the idea of the person being shorter than her and tried to look down. This didn’t give her anything, so she turned around completely to look down at someone perhaps the size of the woman she’d just tried to push off. With the slight bend in her back to do this, Daxter had enough leverage now to bounce off her perfect butt and climb up the dangerous weapon on her back. So when Ash straightened out he was already vaulting onto her shoulder.

“Hey there, baby~!” Daxter greeted her in his smoothest voice, straight to her ear as he touched her horn once more.

Ash’s face twisted in surprise as she glanced over and saw the bright orange furred weasel-like body, the bright yellow underbelly, his denim pants, and his animated brows wiggling excessively. There was a pause of recognition before she smiled at him. “Dax.” She purred.

Oh, he melted. He was a puddle of orange and cream popsicle ice cream in her hands - er on her shoulder. Daxter has been staring at her picture for months now, long, lonely months. He’s had every curve of this woman memorized and a list of what he wanted to do to each part of her body. That was all before she reached up and stroked his chin like he was her pet. Well… He wouldn’t mind being her pet any more than Jak minded her influence.

She leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “That must mean Jak is feeling better.” Ash pointed out and relaxed her shoulder so he had a place to balance himself. “And that he is here.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Daxter said, getting to his feet. He probably weighed just a little less than Ash and didn’t even have claws to dig into her shoulder.

“Where is he? I haven’t seen him in ages.”

The dip in her voice made him quiver, she was so hot! “In the mess hall, trying not to freak out. I tell him every year he’ll be fine. Does he listen to me? No.” Her chuckle made his knees weak.

“Let’s see if I can talk any sense into him.” She said proudly before giving Kanda another glance. He was doing everything in his power to avoid any contact with her whatsoever She could come back to him later. He was too much fun not to. Maybe when he’s less busy, more alone; More vulnerable.

The bruise-colored woman slipped away without much notice from anyone. She caught sight of the Dynamite Kid fan club and camera’s surrounding Jak. He was somewhat unsettled, nervous about the attention. He tried to hide it with a smile and rubbing the back of his head. His yellow-green hair shifting as he does. The cameras rolled and they were asking him a million more questions than the people who’d he signed up with. If she didn’t know him any better she might have left him alone and opted to meet with him after his press conference.

Instead, she walked right in on his air time, ottsel on her shoulder, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. The poor boy turned beat red as the fan club was a mixture of shock and ‘awe’. Suddenly they wanted to know who she was and why she had any right to kissing Jak Mar.

Jak, the legend, turned after feeling the kiss on his cheek. When he laid eyes on the woman, months of dread and guilt fell off of his shoulders and slammed into the floor below him. “Ash!” He cried happily, but was so stunned he didn’t know if he should punch her or kiss her! “You’re alive!?” He questioned, looking her over from head to toe. She looked more or less the same, tight and revealing clothing, Claw and Quil within reach. “Did… Did you come to watch me compete?” He asked, looking back into her blind-like eyes.

Ash laughed at his exaggerated expression and came a bit closer. Instantly Jak grabbed her shoulders, careful of Daxter’s tail, and marveled at the fact that he could feel her. “Afraid not, Jak.” She answered, then when he looked at her in a very confused manner she smiled up at him sweetly. “I'm here to kick your ass.” She teased. “I’ll be fighting in Dante’s Abyss this time.

It wasn’t his decision, but he flashed back the bedroom he shared with her at Desman’s hotel and how she handled the Dark King with both grace and power. His blush increased on his cheeks, as he lowered his chin a bit. “That’s actually scary, Ash,” Jak responded, a slight mumble on his end. Then he remembered Desman freaking out and demanding to know how a banishment circle worked. “Is… Is it true? Did you really get banished to the Underverse?”

After that, the secondaries that were filming Jak Mar suddenly stopped where they were and not even the lens of the camera zooming in could be heard. It was as if time stopped.

There was a reason that the Underverse was rumored to be a horrible place where secondaries and primes alike go to die. According to her own research, no one’s made it out. At least no one who’s willing to talk about it.

That was before Ash. She looked towards the ceiling and placed a finger against her bottom lip. “Banishment…” Then she smiled wickedly at Jak.

“Damn,” Jak muttered, then smiled. Then he noticed the handle coming out from her back. There were some parchments attached in a magic wax seal that had some strange writing on it, but what stood out was the royal blue color and gold trim. He laughed a bit to himself. “Let’s grab something to drink, I gotta hear everything now.”

The cameramen were already trying to wade through the groups of people to follow the pair as they walked to the dining hall.

Jak grabbed the drinks while Ash grabbed the grub. A mountain of food that rivaled Dust’s from last year’s competition fell upon the table. Ash slid into the seat behind it. When Jak settled down he had a bottle of scotch and two glasses, courtesy of Syntech. Daxter opted to dismount the Storm Demon and stand on the table across from the two so that he could talk, too. He couldn't’ see her over her food, so he just grinned at Jak. “Gotta love a girl who’s got an appetite.” He said, just as the cameras also settled in.

Ash was already diving in, two forks in hand which stabs or scoops the food and brings pieces of it to her mouth. It was barbaric and dismantled any illusions that she was a lady of manners. She took down a quarter of it before she was willing to talk.

“How’d you escape?” Jak asked, getting right into it.

“Claw and fanged my way through the fighting ranks,” Ash said, careful of the cameras.

“A tournament?” Jak asked, adding: “Like this one?” He pointed to the table but she knew what he meant.

“More like a colosseum.” Ash corrected, plowing through another layer of her food.

“Was it hard?” Daxter asked.

Ash chewed and thought. “Well, it wasn’t a cake walk… I got my ass handed to me a few times.”

“What were they like?” A spectator asked.

Ash smirked. “Giants… They were huge creatures. I’m lucky I only died once down there.”

“You died!?” One person was excited about this.

“I’m a prime. Dying is nothing.” Ash slapped the reality down. Then she looked over at Jak.

“Desman found you, right?” He may be just confirming at this point.

“Hm? Oh yes.” Ash said, leaving it at that. She’d rather not tell Jak she left the guy back there and she didn’t think he’d make it out in a hundred years. Even with Neujimin at his side.

“Did you meet anyone interesting down there? Has anyone a message to share?” A man asked curiously. There was a massive list of people that were lost to them all.

“Nah. Nothing like that,” Ash asked, non-committed.

“Well, I am glad to see you again,” Jak said with a smile.

“Not as glad as I am,” Daxter said, whistling a long solid note. “It must have been scary.”

Ash flashed Orange Lightning a confident smile. “Come now, do you even know me?”

Daxter blushed but smiled back.

“Fearless as ever…” Jak said, smirking and pouring her a glass, he slid it over. “I love that part about you. You’ve thrown yourself at everything.” He poured himself one.

“And you’ve only come out of it stronger,” Daxter said, returning to her shoulder, smiling a goofy grin.

“To you.” Jak raised his glass.

They tapped the glasses together, a chime echoed through the ranks. Ash grinned and took a long slow drink.

“I feel sorry for the unlucky bastard that has to take you on,” Daxter said after they enjoyed their drink. He looked over at the Eco-Warrior. “Which might be you, Jakky.”

Jak’s cheeks flushed a bit in embarrassment. “I know I’d hate to fight her.”

Ash was grinning. “I did tell you I was here to kick your ass.” She teased again, her smirk bringing a light to her face. This made the elf-like fighter laugh, rubbing the back of his neck again.