The encounter you didn't see after the show

[Lady Munin]

A flickering light flashes briefly on Munin's long black hair as she walks by. Her gait while stiff is still swift and her posture straight.

The hallway is nothing special, despite what people may think there is nothing really glamorous about back stage, the damn hallway leading to the lot wasn't even heated.

Which is one of the reasons we find Munin wearing a tight fitting brown bomber jacket over her light T-shirt and grey jeans.

The other reason would be the mural of bruises that would soon be painted on her arms and neck.

To say she wasn't happy would be an understatement. Her mouth set in a hard line her face strained to stay composed and even hard click of her boots hitting the cement, give away her fury.

She should have waited to talk to Eva before leaving, but to be honest even after tearing apart the dressing room she still didn't feel able to talk about what happened as calmly as Eva would like.

She never did understand Eva's odd fondness for the man, nor the uncharacteristic amount of crap she would take from him. You would think that after the last time he had attacked her that she would be less trusting. This was Eva after all for christ sake, there was once a time when she didn't trust the mail man not sneak something in her mail.

Perhaps that was what really had Munin so furious. The fact that Eva had trusted him in a way that she had trusted so few, and he had let her down.

There times that Munin wished she was wrong more often and this was one. Why couldn't the little shit head have proved her wrong just once.

Would Eva even be angry, or try to take it as something she deserved?

At this point Munin's hand has begun to burn with the white sensation of lack of circulation. In other words she was white knuckling her duffle strap, and wishing she could punch something else. Like a-

Her thoughts are interrupted when a door rips of the hinges and crashes to floor a few feet in front of her.

"Door..."

A table clatters off the top of it, and by this point Munin has pulled out a bat and dropped her bag.

She doesn't have to wait long to see how things could get worse, as an enraged Tamer walks out of the room. He makes quite a sight with the sweat he has worked up, and his own painting of bruises that he has yet to cover up.

In all fairness judging by some of the still bleeding cuts on his face and lip he was likely the least of Munin's worries tonight, but she wasn't about to take chances.

"I am really not in the mood, so if you try anything I will beat the ever loving snot out of you."

There that was sensible and not entirely rude, or maybe it was judging by the incredulous look that Tamer was giving her and her bat.

With a roll of his eyes and a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Really?"

He chuckles unpleasantly for a moment, before making a wild hand gesture that seems to encompass her and her bat.

"You're not even on my list Munin"

After saying this he drops his his gaze away from her for a moment, as if he can't bare to look at whatever new shit storm life may have thrown his way.

Munin on the other hand had no problem glaring holes into his head, as she shoulders the bat.

"Well last time I checked I wasn't on fucking Kolic's list either. So ex-fucking-cuse me for not being overly trusting."

"And if you were paying attention he bashed my god damn skull in!"

With each word the volume of his voice rises uncharacteristically, revealing the depth of pain and anger the typically calm young man is feeling.

"So why don't you direct your rage somewhere useful!"

Munin stared at him for a moment in silence. She was not Impressed, and clearly lost capacity for any form of sympathy for the night.

"Like a door? Yes, I can see how this is an exercise in usefulness."

Scoffing she puts away her bat and shoulders her bag with barely a wince.

"Trust me, you've never seen my rage, and I am not about to get into a pissing contest with you. I have already begun to turn my energies towards more useful outlets."

Tamer looks over his shoulder at the door and shrugs.


They stare at each other in heavy silence until Tamer turns his gaze. He was just too tired for this right now. In fact he was too tired for all of it. Kolic's betrayal felt like it had sucked half the life out of him, and left nothing but rage and pain in its stead.

"Look, I don't care what happens from here."

With a tired voice he continues, weary but once again the Tamer we have come to expect. Calm and collected despite being slightly jagged at the edges.

"As far as I see it we have the exact same targets. I only have two conditions."

Munin scoffs at this with derision, but holds her tongue for the moment. Tamer magnanimously chooses to ignore the sound and continues.

"Number one Kolic may have broken his word with you but he betrayed brotherhood when he swung that chair. So you can hurt him all you want, I get to end him"

A small mocking chuckle escapes Munin before she quickly smothers it.

"Oh giving conditions are we, and what is your second condition?"

Catching her eye he gives her a hard stare.

"Leave Kate alone."

For a moment Munin just stares at him in silence, and then ever so slowly a smile spreads, but it is a far from pleasant grin.

"Its at times like this that I truly despise you would be hero types. So quick to proclaim yourself the good guy, so quick to proclaim how righteous you are in your faith and your morals. You know what usually happens to all that righteousness?"

She flickers her fingers around her.

"Walla, I give you exhibit A. Otherwise known as our current shity situation."

Dropping her hands to her sides to clench into fist, she nearly snarls her next words at him.

"Do you think I didn't try to warn Eva that this day would come? I fucking warned Eva not to trust that self righteous prick until I was blue in the god damned face!"

The smile melts away along with any pretense of hiding her rage.

"Fucking Kolic and his fucking I'm the only hero in the company!"

Holding up three fingers she begins to knock one down with each point she makes.

"Real heroes don't need to say their heroes or preach to others. They don't need to be righteous and full of morals because they have honor, and they do what they do just because its the right thing to do."

Taking a deep breath, she composes herself once more. Replacing her carefully crafted civilized mask, as she drops her hand to her side once more.

"Vitamin G was a hero, everyone else is just the face of the hour. So while I think it's adorable that another so called hero is giving me conditions I will only go with one."

Pausing for a moment she returns to Tamer the same hard look he had given her earlier.

"No harm will come to Kate. Not directly or indirectly from me at least, but to be clear. It has nothing to do with your conditions. I make no promises when it comes to Kolic."

"Excuse me if I'm nonplussed by your lecture about what makes a hero. Let's just hope your honor proves better than the honor that most of the other people around here boast"

The tension is clear between the two, as they stare off. Munin holds her ground with her head high, she was not about to let herself be talked down to.

Tamer on the other hand is finding it hard to turn the other cheek. Its not everyday that someone hits him with such a blatant slight.

They may have the same target, but Tamer seriously doubted that they could work together.

Tamer turns to walk away from Munin he was done talking. In fact he was done period he said what he wanted to say.

"I would like to think that my actions say enough about my honor. That's the niffty thing about actually living by what you say you believe. Your actions speak for you."


Those few simple words "Actions speak for you." resonate through his mind, and just like that things suddenly clear. Munin wasn't his enemy, and she wasn't the one who deserved his anger. She had no reason to trust him anymore than he trusted her. Then again she had no reason to attack him at the moment either.

Tamer stops in the hallway taking a deep breath and turns back to face Munin.

"I don't know how deep your honor goes. I have zero reason to trust you. To be honest I can't allow myself to trust you. Then again you have no reason to trust me either, we do however share the same enemy..."

Tamer looks at her and closes his eyes for a second.

"I can't stop Clan Mayhem and Kolic alone, and while you may have Eva in your corner you can still use all the help you can get."

Opening his eyes he is met with Munin's contemplative gaze. For the first time since he ran into her she seems to be taking him seriously.

"We don't trust each other but we are stronger if we fight together."

Tilting her head slightly, Munin measures the man before her, and for the first time she realized she was not dismissing him.

"Its rather obvious that we are stronger together than we are apart. I'm fairly certain that any twelve year old can snidely tell you that, however I don't know if I want another hero at my back. I will give the matter thought."

Letting out a sight she runs a hand through her hair.

"I'll admit that I'm not in that I'm not in the best of moods as you've noticed."

Chuckling slightly she toes the door had been recently unhinged.

"Then again neither are you. I think we should meet again once we have all had time to cool down."

Tamer nods his head in agreement, happy to see the encounter coming to an end.

"Fine...I guess this is goodnight then."

Mocking grin firmly back in place, Munin turns to walk away.

"Yeah sure good night, I'm sure the rest of it will be delightful."

Tamer stares at her retreating back for a moment, before returning to the dressing room to pack up the rest of his gear.