After having seen a poster about the 'Roller Derby', Carley figured it couldn't hurt to check it out! After all, it sounded interesting, and she was tough! Super tough! Though Carley had never heard of this.. Roller Derby before. She had asked Eddie about it, but he didn't seem to know much either. He discouraged her from it though, since the poster talked of masochism.

Pffft.

It couldn't be that bad, right? Of course not! Some consider the duels masochism, and they're not! They were fun, and a good way to keep active and in shape and tough. One had to be all of those things to live in Rhydin and not end up dead. That, or lucky... Given her record she's probably a little of column A and column B...

Bouncing her way around WestEnd (at night no less, tsk tsk) on her way home from various outings, the little elf eventually found her way to the rink on 5th Street. With a grin on her face, she ventured inside in time to see a group of people moving out on a rink in.. skates?

She inwardly groaned.

They reminded her of the ice skates at the Winter Festival. She kept tripping and slipping and that was no fun at all. Is this was Roller Derby was? Froofy skating?

Giving a long suffering sigh, the little 4'10", blonde hair and blue eyed sweet looking elf moved towards the edge of the rink, flopping against it. She may as well watch a few minutes if she was there already... With a puff of air she blew the feather in her beret out of her eyes then turned her attention towards the skaters.

When the music blared pointed ears twitched and lowered some as Carley made a face. It was horrible, just horrible! She liked flutes and violins and.. ugh, whatever that sound was she was convinced it certainly wasn't music, nor was the garble accompanying it singing. Not. At. All.

She tried not to focus on that however, and instead turned her attention back to the ladies (if one doesn't mind using it as a loose term) in the rink. Snickering some when one girl was hurled aside, she leaned further against the rink, watching with a bit of amusement. More snickering ensued at some elbowing and cursing, though it wasn't long before there was someone heading her way.

At MoChap's smile and question the little blonde elf grinned to her. "Heya! I saw some.. um.." Digging around the pocket of her shorts, she pulled out a folded up flier, sending a few errant peanut shells to fall and scatter about the floor around her feet. "This flier." She unfolded it and held it up for the woman to see it better. "I don't know what 'Roller Derby' is but it seems like it could be pretty neat. And I liked the picture on there-" Tapping a finger to said picture. "-'cept it kinda looks like a rowboat.. rawboot.. whatever those things are called. There's none of those around here is there?"

Carley didn't even await response before she was shrugging and stuffing the flier back in her pocket. "I don't really like rowboats, ya can't trust 'em..." She shook her head briefly before getting back on track. "So are ya involved in whatever Roller Derby is? The flier said somethin' about needin' to be tough, and I know I'm really tough!"

Carley beamed, not looking tough at all.

Hex had finally had a chance to return to it's shuttle and perform some maintenance and modifications to it's frame, so now it was time to go look for this Roller Derby rink.
The machine had accessed it's shuttle's database and learned that Roller Derby was a recreation sport played by organics as either entertainment or a form of competition. Quite a large amount of video and text data had been contained, so Hex had downloaded the entire entry and studied while it's frame was being upgraded.

While Hex still resembled a seven foot tall, mechanical praying mantis; there were some new additions to it's overall chassis.
First of these were a pair of more or less humanoid arms attached to the "shoulders", directly in front of the scythe-blade insectoid limbs. These would allow the machine to interact more readily with this organic-centered world.
Second of it's modifications were a set of grav-skids and retractable wheels housed within it's legs. These were added to allow Hex to participate in this Roller Derby Miss Samilee Burke had mentioned.
Finally, the scythe-limbs themselved had been modified, adding a casing that could slide out and close over the blade edges to prevent any accidental wounding of the Derby participants.

Now it was ready, so the machine checked the chrono, should still be enough time to go to this Rink that Sami had mentioned.
Flying there was fastest, so the night air over the city was broken by one flying mecha-bug as it looked for, and soon found the rink.

Setting down on it's four legs, the machine observed the "Open" sign still on, so in Hex went...

When Mochap had referred to her as a 'kid', Carley puffed up her cheeks some, crossing her arms in nothing less than a pouting gesture. She was most certainly not a kid! She was over a hundred... even if it wasn't a fact she was particularly thrilled or proud of. Sighing some to herself, she seemed to deflate for a moment but perked right back up as Sami approached. Big smile forming, she started rolling on the balls of her feet, bouncing in place as she reached out to take Sami's hand for a quick shake.

"Yah huh! I came about the derby thing. So it's done on skates huh?" Frowning, she reached up and scratched at her head around the beret on it in thought. "I've never been on skates like those before." Pointing down to the skates on Sami's feet. "I went ice skatin' once though, at that winter festival thing, with Glenny. But neither one of us were that great, but those have got to be easier, right? 'Cuz ice skates are just a little blade, and those are like wheels on normal shoes."

Convincing herself that they had to be easy, and that it was probably fun, made the little blonde grin. "What kinds of stuff do ya do in a derby?" She tilted her head one way before straightening, a look of remembrance on her face. "Oh! And I'm Carley!"

Carley didn't have a chance to ramble much more before she heard someone else at the door. Turning around, her gaze first landed on .. the robot?? "Ugh...rowboats..." She shook her head to herself, not trusting the things at all. Not since coming across her theory (ie, over thinking) the governor probably had them set up in the locker room taking pictures of girls showering only to relay the images back to him.. hmph! For a moment she wondered if that robot was the work of Matt but those thoughts soon evaporated when she spotted the familiar face of Jay! Not that she could actually remember his name...

"Hey Blue Dude!" She waved in his direction and gestured him over before turning to peer back at Sami curiously, bright blues wide.

White sneakers thudded dully on the pavement as she ran, her breathing muffled by the orange triangle of bandana that was still covering her nose and mouth as a make-shift mask. To think, most people would assume the green jogging pants she paired with her white wife beater were just for looks. Ha! Who looked stupid now!? Although, they were so baggy on her that they kept slipping down to reveal a glimpse of boxers and she had to keep yanking them back up, but that was neither here nor there!

She was weaving up and down alleyways and back streets, the cans of spray paint in her black backpack clanging around with every movement. The footsteps of the two men that were trying to catch her were faint, but still back there. Man, really, if she wasn't trying so hard to get away from them she would give them both some well deserved high fives for going at it like this. When they first shouted at her to stop where she was and put her hands where they could see them she had pegged them for the types to jog after her two minutes before heading to the bar for a brew. That's what she would do if she were in their position. But that might explain why she was the one being pursued by the Scruff McGruff Gang trying to take a bite out of crime and not a persuee.

Why did it have to happen tonight of all nights?! Sure, she didn't have to try to slip in that last bit of tagging before she was supposed to head over for derby try-outs, but was all of this really necessary? You would think that some of RhyDin's finest would appreciate a splash of color around this place, but some people wouldn't know art if it came up and sucker punched them in the snoz.

She took a sharp turn at the next intersection and another turn right into an alley. She stopped running and slunk down low, coming to a stop and crouching in the shadows. She was still as she strained to listen for the footsteps, which came and passed. When they were a comfortable distance away she exhaled a small sigh of relief. She also couldn't help but muse over the idea of being a natural when it came to this shadow lurking thing. She was going to have to try it out in some reserved booth next time she hit up the bar. She rose to her feet and brushed herself off. A quick comb of her nails through choppy chin length blonde locks and she was off again heading for the roller rink.

When she finally arrived she came barreling in through the door, skidding to an abrupt stop. Better late than never, a motto she pretty much had to live by because she was never on time. She noted the girls on the track who were glancing over at her due to the ruckus she was causing and pulled one of the fliers that canvassed the town from her pocket. Her other hand reaching up to yank the bandana down from her face as she spoke loud enough for them to hear her over the music.

"Usurpers?"

MoChaps gave a shake of her head and pointed towards the roller derby room the others had followed Sami into. With an up nod of thanks she made her way towards the doorway to peer inside. Sami was finishing up her speech and popping in a movie. Lizzie suddenly got this odd flashback of school when she would have to sneak into the classrooms so she wasn't marked tardy. As discretely as she could she moved to join the others to watch the film.

Lizzie hunkered down with the others in front of the television, but someone entering the room after she did made her heart practically jump out of her throat. Blue eyes quickly darted to the door and her relief was quite apparent when she didn't see any boys in blue. Just one boy with blue hair. After a quiet thanks to the makers she turned back to the movie.

As the instructional video played it wasn?t long before Lizzie?s attention began to wander. It wasn't that roller derby didn't interest her, quite the opposite actually. C'mon, she's here isn't she? The video was simply going over material that she already knew. Sure, she had never actually been on a team herself, but back home she was a regular at derby events. She even made an effort to help out the girls whenever she could. Either by making and passing out fliers, selling merch, or just playing the part of an enthused cheerleader. Without the fruity pompoms, of course.

She busied herself with gazing about at the others gathered and making notes in her head from what she saw. Their fearless leader was by the concession stand. She reminded Lizzie of the girls from back home that would compete. She dripped with the down and dirty derby vibes. Her gaze traveled, pausing on the little blonde and she quickly hoped the girl was quick on her skates. Though, it wasn't right to judge a book by its cover. Maybe the little blonde was as hardcore as they come. It wouldn't be the first time something surprised her in this town. Lizzie moved on to the large mechanical praying mantis or sorts. Eyes widened a bit and she couldn't help but quirk a brow while eyeing the human like arms attached at its shoulders. She didn't know exactly what to think, but was just happy he... she... it was on their team. Finally, she came to the guy who had walked in after her and was sitting with his arms folded over his chest. This was the first co-ed team she had ever witnessed and he was the first male she had ever known to try out for the team (she was still in debates over the robot). It was going to make things interesting.

When the movie finished up a bit of silence hung in the air. Couldn't have that now, could we? So, Lizzie turned to Sami giving a small wave with two fingers to get her attention before speaking. "Yeah, I got a question. Does this co-ed thing mean that we get to see bad boy blue over there in a skirt?" She jerked her head in his direction. A playful grin stretched over her lips with a waggle of her brows to match.

Jay blanched visibly, when Lizzie and Sami mentioned skirts. Skirts? Cross-dressing? That wasn't part of the bargain! Nevermind the fact that none of the details had actually been hashed out yet. He did his best to look at the rest of the ladies (and robot) in the room, without making direct eye contact. Were they...serious about that?

Deep in thought, one could almost hear the gears turning inside Jay's head. He'd been in the city for almost three months now, and hadn't really met too many people in that time. Mostly because of his bizarre work and sleep schedule; it didn't help that he worked while most people slept, and slept while most people worked. Most of those he had met got a minimum of personal information out of him: name, birth realm, occupation. All too often, meeting people was a painfully awkward experience for the skater kid, full of ?uhs,? ?yeahs,? and ?you knows.? Here, though, in the roller derby rink? Punk rock girls, as far as the eye could see. They had to have something in common with him, right? Same music, similar hair styles, similar outlooks on life. And they were kinda cute, too...

Which was why, when Jay finally piped up to respond to their suggestion that he wear a ?fancy belt,? he already half-sounded like he was going to give in to their demands. It couldn't be that bad, right? ?Do I have to wear a skirt-um, 'fancy belt'?? He punctuated his comment with a defeated sigh. This better be worth it...

She was biting at her bottom lip firmly to keep herself from laughing as Sami spoke of "fancy belts." Then she mirrored Sami's pleading expression and sent it Jay's way. The lip released so it could wobble slightly for added flair. He replied with a sigh, "Do I have to wear a skirt-um, 'fancy belt'?" It seemed like they hadn't sold him on it just yet, but he wasn't walking out the door so Lizzie considered it a victory in the making.

She chuckled now and spoke. "Aw, c'mon, Bad Boy Blue! With you showing off your gams I'm sure we'll be able to sell the place out. Ladies will be bangin' down the door to get in." She paused then decided to sweeten the deal. "Hot ladies. With... crazy hair. And piercings!" A few rapid bobs of her head followed then her gaze moved over towards Ashton as he slipped in and took a seat. "Sorry I'm late." he mumbled.

Her expression was friendly, but she didn't offer a greeting. Instead she just pointed at him and said through her wide grin, "Don't worry, man! We got enough skirts to go around. And I'm sure she's got one just your size." A thumb jerked in Sami's direction. How was that for a welcoming?

Hot ladies with crazy hair and piercings, hmm? For a moment Sami eyed herself and then had a mental image of MoChaps and the rest of the gang. Yeah, maybe not exactly "hot" by Rhydin definition (where everyone is an effin' supermodel), but some of them were on the more attractive side of things right? Right. The bit about drag shows was actually humorous enough to garnish a brief chuckle from the fearless leader as she gave an upward nod towards the new chica and the rather adorable lookin' emo-haired boy. "Sup."

"And the leggings are really just like super-tight pants, too. They're actually designed for better movement and I'm pretty sure they're similar to what the Olympic athletes wear." Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch. After all, the girls at the sportswear place had kinda given Sami a rather odd look whenever she came in to setup the general design of this year's uniforms. "Olympic athletes and David Bowie... and, let's face it folks, David Bowie was the king of Hotness in his day." Truth be told she'd still screw him in a heartbeat.

MoChaps was grumbling at something nearby and Sami was a bit surprised to see Maevis come ambling in from the other room to get a "drink". All the while she was eyeing Ashton with what could be seen as considerable interest. Okay... good... Sami just wanted to make sure she wasn't the only one who thought he was attractive. With that she addressed the group after a pause that might have made this whole internal monologue seem a bit longer than expected. "lord Whimsy is gonna be doin' a bit on the men's costu-- err... uniforms. And we aren't makin' you look too pretty."

Eyes then turned to the two latest arrivals. Sami moved to hit play on the video again just incase they needed to see it, but she decided it would be fairplay to talk over the movie for the moment."We've got about two weeks to get into heavy practicin' before we start facin' off with anybody else. No real time schedule. Everbody should probably exchange numbers if you want this to work." A few steps were takin' in the direction of the other room. "It takes five people to function on a team and who you work best with will probably be your partner throughout the season.

For a second Sami disappeared around the corner to mumble something at MoChaps and then swiveled back around to face the potential derby nuts. "Most of us do best as late nighters. Is everybody else good with that?"

His eyes grew wide as he was suddenly pointed at. Talk about a welcome alright, he scooted as far back into his chair as he could and looked around behind him. Was she pointing at him? And did she say skirts? Skirts?!! He frowned when he realized there wasn't anyone else behind him so therefore the girl had to be pointing at him.

"I, uh. Skirt?" His eyebrows quirked up a bit. Then another girl entered the room and was announcing her arrival rather loudly and he gave her a friendly smile as well. The drag show mention was taken in and he cleared his throat. He hadn't realized he would be wearing a skirt. Though it couldn't of been worse then wearing a hot pink tutu, and carrying around a fairy wand in the Inn as a dare. Not at all.

A glance to Samilee as she spoke and she mentioned leggings as well. He coughed and shrugged. "I mean, I can handle that I guess, cha. I had to wear a tutu in the Inn, so it can't be that bad. That's a long story and I won't get into it and bore you all. Though it's not a pink 'fancy belt' is it?" He looked around the room at everyone then back to Samilee.

He even noticed the girl checking him out a bit and grinned at her for a moment. Even a 'hey' thrown at her, till he looked back at the tv for the video that was playing. He kept listening to Samilee though as she talked about everything. His hands kept the flyer grasped tightly and he took it all in. This could be really cool. And of all things he didn't mind having to wear a costume, or uniform as she had put it.

"I don't have anything to write my number on though." He looked back around at everyone. "I'm cool with nights too. Name's Ashton, by the way." He added quietly, forgetting he never did tell anyone his name upon his arrival.

Samilee took a second to look for something to write numbers on and eventually produced a stack of napkins and some Sharpies. The slacker went over to lean against MoChaps as the two of them sized up the new recruits. All in all it wasn't that bad. And the men seemed to be taking to the idea of the "fancy belts" far better than the girls had planned.

Every night you are free, come on over here and we'll train. There is always at least one person here and usually three or four of us if anybody needs help. By Friday, MoChaps and I will hammer out with you guys the names of who will be starting in the first match."

Samilee shoved off her pal-io to go and pluck an old derby schedule from the wall. It was turned over and everyone's names were written down with the sharpie.

"I just need everybody's shirt and pant size. If there's anybody who needs skates, let us know. Otherwise, you guys are welcome to come and go here as you please and feel free to bring friends or whatever along for the ride." The witless wonder glanced up from her writing. "Unless there are any more questions, ya'll are welcome to go ahead and get out on the rink with the other girls. Time to get used to your sea legs."

((Momentary OOC note: I have spoken with a few of you about making this a live event, but I wanted to make sure I had everyone's opinion before I made my final decision on the matter. This would be in FC under room Marketplace. It would be Rock/Paper/Scissors like the dueling arrangement. If you could, send me a PM with your thoughts. Right now we are leaning away from it, but if anyone is super enthusiastic then it would be worth the effort. Thanks for your time.))