Business or Pleasure?

"If you say so Mamouru, but I'm pretty much an open book and don't like to keep things from anyone so whenever you are ready that's fine with me." Alaina said. She saw him look away and she felt as if he'd just been through a "once bitten, twice shy" experience.

She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but she felt like he was hurting and she hated that. Was it boring or an unrealistic goal to want to see everyone around her happy? Maybe, but she didn't care. It was just a part of her to want to help people who had been hurt, physically or emotionally. Alaina moved a little closer to Mamouru and gently put her hand on his face, moving it back so she could look him in the eye.

"As far as I'm concerned you've been a total gentleman. I know you've been through a rough patch and if you don't want to talk about specifics thats fine. However, you are going out of your way to help me, and its only proper for me to do the same for you. After all if we're going to be a team the better off one of us is, the better off both of us are."

Mamouru sighed at Alaina's words. Who was this girl, anyway? She was so naive it hurt. If he had met her two years ago, he have already been at her place, finished up and had been gone without a thought, leaving her wondering why such a horrible man had entered into her life and probably taken away her innocence. He wouldn't have cared either but right now it felt like a test. Like the universe was dangling a precious item in his face, begging him to take it, even though it belonged to someone else.

However, when her hand touched his face, Mamouru turned and looked at her. "Alaina-san." He said, smiling. "My first advice as your manager would be to quit wrestling and find another line of work." He smiled softly. "You don't belong in the business at all. It will eat you alive and, frankly, you're too good for it."

He spoke softly and his tone was gentle, as if he were just teasing her. However, he meant it, really. She didn't belong. Even if she could wrestle, she wasn't a wrestler. Anyone could harden their bodies and learn the moves. They could master the techniques and go in as great athletes. However, no one was prepared for what it required mentally to be in the wrestling profession and it was a safe bet that one had to be at least a little unhinged to survive it. And if you weren't? You were going to get bent by it if you tried to stay.

Mamouru looked into Alaina's eyes. He could see so much of Cassie in this girl. It was too eerie. But Alaina was probably even more naive to the world than Cassie. And probably less independent. Alaina was practically begging him to take her into her life and help shape her future. If she knew what kind of monster he was, she'd have regret being in the same bar as him, even if it was mere happenstance.

If she found out about what he did to Cassie, what he did to all those girls? Alaina was stupid. She was an idiot. The world was begging Mamouru to show her how vile the world was. That's what he was on the planet for right? Cassie was a woman now. She was fierce and ready for anything and all it cost was Mamouru's life. What pound of flesh did she put in? The thought was absurd, she'd sacrificed as much if not more than Mamouru ever had but he was only focused on himself.

Was he doomed to live out his life constantly destroying himself? Playing the villain? He didn't hate women at all so why couldn't he be nice? Why did he treat them like scum? He didn't WANT to be the villain but he didn't know anything else.

In that moment, his head faltered, his mind swimming with booze and regret as he stared blankly at Alaina's abdomen. A focal point, really. He was staring at nothing, but as his bangs fell over his eyes, he was surprised to feel hot tears start to drip down his cheeks.

Alaina was a bit surprised to hear Mamouru's words, and even though he sounded like he was joking it still stung. "So you don't think I can hack it huh? I can, and I will Mamouru. There's more to me than some dumb California girl who decided that nursing wasn't her calling."

Alaina waited for a response only to see him look down at her. She tilted her head a little bit and caught what looked to be tears slowly dripping down his face. she put her arms around him and he felt weak. She not only held him, but was almost holding him up. She couldn't quite figure him out. Initially he was practically selling his services, then he was telling her to get out of wrestling. It was so strange to her, and equally strange was a part of her simply wanted to work that much harder at wrestling to prove him wrong.

"Hey, hey calm down." She said in a soothing tone. "Lets go for a walk and get you fixed up ok?"

Mamouru sighed against Alaina's shoulder. He was a fool, acting like an idiot and the worst part was, Alaina was eating it up. He'd pulled the sympathetic angle before and most chicks ate it up. Alaina was acting like she was at an all you can eat buffet though!

It's not that I don't think you can make it in the business, Alaina-san." Mamouru said, sliding off his chair and standing on his feet. It was true, too. He never believed she couldn't handle things but being able to handle them would turn her into something else that she might not even realize she was until it was too late.

"Fresh air might be good." He muttered as he slowly began to step towards the exit, carefully watching his steps so he didn't fall over. "But..." Mamouru chuckled. "I doubt you'll be able to fix me up. If you can manage that then you're definitely in the wrong profession." Mamouru said slyly.

Alaina followed Mamouru outside, watching him walk and ready to keep him from falling or walking straight into something. "Maybe you've never met anyone like me so you aren't sure what to think?" Alaina said as they went outside. She took a deep breath and after the two drinks the air felt good as she took it in.

"Now, tell me why you keep insisting that you are broken." Alaina said more sternly this time. "People don't break. We feel pain and hurt but there's no such thing as broken beyond repair."

Mamouru stopped, wobbling and leaning against Alaina as she spoke. He brushed the remaining tears from his cheeks as well as the bangs from his eyes. He then grabbed his glasses and began to wipe them off while he laughed sharply.

"Oh... Alaina-san..." He said. "I have met someone like you." He insisted. Mamouru gave a weak shove and pushed himself away from Alaina, stumbling forward into a walk. "Just because something needs fixing doesn't mean it's broken. It could just be damaged." He said. "it happens to the best of us. It'll happen to you if you stick around the league, Alaina-san. The last thing I want is to see another sweet girl like you turn jaded."

Alaina watched as Mamouru half walked and half stumbled forward as he pushed off of her. She wasn't shocked that Mamouru thought what he did, but it did surprise her a bit to hear him saying it. Everyone always figured the same thing. She grew up with a good family and went to school, she didn't know what hardship was and had never dealt with anything bad or weathered any big storm in her life.

"You think just because I'm nice to people and want to help instead of stand by that I haven't seen things?!" Alaina loudly said to Mamouru as he continued to walk, with her following close behind. Frustration accounted for her tone far more than anything close to anger at this point, as she still felt bad for Mamouru. "Mamouru, for you to be acting like this you are hurting about something and you care enough to be telling me about it. I may not have done any sort of fighting up until last year, but do you think being in the E.R was any easier? I've dealt with things that would make half the women on this roster break, and while it may have taken its toll I'm still me."

"I think because you haven't wrestled a lot, that your naivety may lead you into more pain than is necessary in this job." He said truthfully. "Nursing is different. The horrors you face are people dying and you trying to save them. If you bring that attitude here, then you'll definitely get hurt. Don't you understand? There are girls in this league who ONLY care about ending your career. They really could care less if they never get an actual win as long as they hurt people forever. If you think you can reach out to monsters, you're going to end up losing an arm, so to speak."

Mamouru stepped forward and looked back at Alaina. "And, as your second piece of advice, I think you should already change your name. You're the amazon? You may be pretty, and you may have a healthy physique but there's nothing about you that screams giant or goddess or feminine perfection." Mamouru waved his hand and smiled at Alaina, his eyes lighting up as backpedaled.

"I mean," he said flipping his bangs from his hair. "don't get me wrong, Alaina-san. You're quite a specimen. Any man or woman would be lucky to have you, or be you, as the case may be physically, but in this league, your size and body shape practically border on mundane." Mamouru grinned at Alaina.

"Besides, there are already several people who claim that moniker. Do you want to stand on your own abilities or constantly be compared to someone like Rebecca Tomko? She has muscles as big as you are tall."

"Listen, I just want to do the best I can!" Alaina shouted to Mamouru. She knew that other women got off on inflicting pain, and would use whatever dirty trick they could to win. "I really try not to worry about the others because I have no control over them. How I prepare, train and all that is what I worry about because thats what I can control!"

Alaina shook her head as Mamouru mentioned her not being perfect, and when she was told to drop her nickname. Whats in a name anyway? "Drop a nickname? I could do that, its just a name anyway. But would I match up against those other women? Of course I would! I'd rather try and fail than be some prissy bitch who just ups and quits!"

All of this made her think of that first loss to Z.Z.... and think of how badly she wanted to get that rematch. She knew she had it in her to prove to people that she could wrestle in Friction, and that she did belong. "Even if you are right that I'm 'Plain Jane Mundane' that doesn't mean I can walk away. Whether you like it or not tomorrow is another day at the gym, and another day of trying to get a rematch with Z.Z"

Mamouru shook his head, his smile remained. "No, no, no." He said, waving his arms at her. "You're completely misunderstanding, Alaina-san." he said. "You're not Plain Jane Mundane." he said. "There's plenty about you that's special just from a glance. What I am saying is, that Amazons are a dime a dozen. Even if you're serious about competing, it's still important to have an identity. So..." He said as he lifted his arm and pointed a finger at her.

"If you don't stand out, your conviction won't matter at all. You'll be stuck fighting basement dwellers and psychopaths until you're old and gray. Identity's what matters in this business. There are real professionals but they are usually at the bottom." Mamouru pointed his thumb upwards and then turned it down. "Or at the top." he said before he suddenly backed into a sign post and fell down to the ground in a heap. "Ugh..." Now the back of his head was throbbing as much as the front.