<strong>Malaya<br/>At her preferred bar<br/>Talking on the phone and watching tv</strong><br/><br/>Unlike her friend who had risen from his trance, Malaya had not quite recovered from last night’s trip. She was tired and irritable, but conscious, mostly. She had been debating about visiting her happy chemical haven again when Butterfly called. It had been a few days since Malaya spoke with him last, but that wasn’t uncommon. Butterfly could get as involved with his computer as she could on the street. He did like to check up on her from time to time. She could only smile when Butterfly seemed to be concerned for her safety and well-being. He would be happy to suggest the best new thing to lace into a drink or virus to bring a corporate network to its knees, but illegal pit-fights seemed not to sit well with him.<br/><br/>Unfortunately for Malaya, she didn’t fight last night, or the night before. A lack of sponsorship to get into the new tournament had radically reduced her paychecks and her stash. She was going to need to find a job, a fight, or a new contact soon to make life a little bit more pleasant.<br/><br/>She sighed into the phone, about to admit her lack of fighting defeat to  Butterfly, when she saw Nix’s face plastered up on the tv. She recognized him, even in her present hazy state of being, she knew Nix. He had orchestrated some good fights and had a lot of money, but apparently the rumors about the Brazilians were true: they finally got him. Malaya knew Nix had a thing for being flashy and rich. It might be a good move to stay away from Nix and his crew for a while. The last thing she needed to deal with was an angry Brazilian.<br/><br/>After a moment of staring up at the news report, the perfectly manicured reporter popped back on the screen with a practiced smile and moved onto other crimes in the Miami area. Malaya suddenly remembered that she had phone pressed against her ear as she vaguely recognized Butterfly trying to talk to her. “Hey, sorry ‘bout that. Saw sumthin on tv,” Malaya apologized, returning to glass for taste. “But, to answer your question—nuuuh, there’s not been much happening out here, sadly. It’s been pretty boring. How ‘bout you? Doing anything fun these days?”<br/>