Content Warnings: Alcohol, Smoking, Violence, a wee bit of an uncomfortable confrontation!
Armored fists clutch against each other over a wooden table, both straining to push the other down. One side begins to cave to the other, but resists the power and overcomes it. Metal clunks against the table as the gauntlets settle on the two arms. Drunken shouts roared above it all, cheers and curses alike.
A young female tauren with braided hair sits back in her chair, a pint at her other hand as she smirks playfully at her green opponent who was too far gone to attempt to stand. Two men, a tauren and another orc, retrieved the loser from the table, ankles dragging as the plastered orc slurred insults.
She lifts her drink to the man before taking a swig of it and slamming it back down. Not too sober herself, she stands and raises her arms in challenge.
“Who’s next?!” She shouts in a booming voice, the crowd around the table erupting with noise.
Another orc pushes his way past the crowd, armored in thick plate with furs tucked beneath for padding. His red eyes glared into hers, taking the stool and swinging it into position to sit. Immediately, his elbow was planted on the table as a response to her challenge. The crowd clamored, the orc raising a brow to the tauren.
Teeth flashing in a cocky grin, she settled down in her seat again and put her elbow on the table, a determined snort flaring from her nostrils. Hands made contact, gripping. Then, the onlookers began to chant a countdown. It was clear both sides were drunk beyond words, but something in the orc’s eye caused the tauren to focus up.
As soon as the unanimous count reached to zero, it was a battlefield on the table. Both sides began struggling against the other, leather and plate armor shifting in their grasp. The two seemed to be of equal force, the shouting becoming louder around them.
Sweat rolled down the tauren’s forehead, her orange eyes set on the orc’s as they wrestled. The cheers around them began to fade as blood rushed through her ears, her arm beginning to falter. The orc smirked, tusks shifting with his lip.
“Looks like you’ve met your match. Might as well let go while you can before you get hurt, little lady.” He taunted, arm pushing hers closer and closer to the table.
Teeth gritting, a surge of adrenaline pumped through the tauren’s body and began to fight back as hard as it could. The roaring drowned out everything around her— her only primal goal was to kick this dude’s ass.
Hands shaking, she brought the two of them back to a standing position before, without warning, her hand came down onto his and slammed it into the table, wood splintering from the impact. Even the orc look surprised.
She released him and settled back, panting as she took a cleansing chug of beer and stared down the orc with bleary eyes. He still looked stunned, but eventually brought his fist down on the table angrily and walked away.
She almost looked relieved as the orc disappeared from sight, and with a small huff, she got up and raised her pint in celebration. Various drinks followed, sloshing about and spilling over tankards as cheers erupted once more.
It was a cold night in the Barrens as the tauren stepped out of the pub, leaning against the wooden wall as she pulled out a cigar and lit it with the torches outside. She puffed on it, swaying with the wind as the alcohol began to wind her down.
Then, a figure moved in the corner of her eye and made its way towards her. Red eyes flickered in the light of the fire, a stagger to his step. The orc from earlier.
He stopped in front of the tauren, rearing up to stand tall and intimidating. Silence dragged between the two, the tauren’s amber gaze fixated on him as she kept working her cigar. She was too tired to care, it seemed.
The orc finally spoke, words slurred with an air of threat.
“You stupid heifer. Do you think it’s funny embarrassing me in front of my friends like that?”
She quirked a brow at that remark, tail whipping against the dirt as she took the cigar out of her mouth, responding cheekily,
“I ain’t do shit. You did that yourself, man.”
Her glazed eyes turned to her cigar again as she tried to keep it burning with another puff. But as soon as it made contact with her lips, a brutal force came across her face and sent her reeling to the ground, armor clattering as she laid sideways, dizzy.
She sat up and reached for her cigar, which was now covered in dust. Getting to her hooves, she simply brushed it off and relit it, using her hand to shift her jaw back into place as she puffed on it again.
The orc stood there, squared up, expecting her to throw a punch back. However, the tauren just leaned against the wood and stared at him.
“What, you want me to fucking do it again?” He slurred, stepping forward.
Another figure hung out the door, tusks and face illuminated by the torches.
“Ay mon, what you be smok-” He started, then looked at the situation between the two of them. The tauren’s nose was bleeding at this point as she looked over to the troll soldier.
The troll cursed in Zandali before stepping out into the open, throwing his arms up in disbelief. “What de hell, mon?! Ya beating down a woman for kickin’ ya ass? At arm-wrestling?”
The orc snorted angrily and backed down, staggering off into the night.
“Ya dats right, keep movin’, ya slimy vulture!” He shouted after him, stepping closer to the tauren. “Ya alright there Bev?”
She nods, blowing a puff of smoke from her mouth as she offered the cigar to the troll, wiping her nose of her own blood. “Yeah, ahm fine. Sobered me up right quick.” She smiled, her eyes watering from the radiating pain on the side of her face.
The troll took a puff himself, offering the smoke back to her. Bev put her hand up and shook her head. “You can keep it. I got to sleep.” She insisted.
“Ya sure mon? Ya look in pain.”
“Nothing I ain’t used to.” The tauren replied. “See ya in the morn’.”
With that, Bev walked off towards her set of tents, waving an arm in dismissal. The troll hesitated to wave back, but did so, and eventually adopted her spot against the wall to puff on the cigar in relative silence as the pub began to die down.
