Progress Report (for CyanDimitrick)

The typical thing would be to go for a submission from here, even Carmen knew that, but she wasn't familiar with any good ones, especially not from this position. Ground and pound? No real soft way to do that.

She got up and moved back to the ropes bouncing against them for a moment. "That's a thought, need to get those down, anyway." She came down on him with a swift elbow drop, falling on his arms instead of his chest to reduce the pain. "I can do a pretty good sidewalk slam, too. Worked great on Clyde."

Drake watches and waits. He wouldn't quite expect a submission from her - given that she doesn't know many and doesn't really strike him as the type. Elbow drops? Punches? Those he might expect more. And when he sees her bounce off the ropes, he tenses his body for the impact.

Naturally, it's nowhere near as bad as it could be. But to anyone watching, they might believe it is. "Augh!," he yelps, curling in on himself again. He rolls over onto his side, facing away from her... and asides over his shoulder, "You strike me as kind of the powerhouse type. Should play into that, definitely."

If nothing else, Carmen was impressed with Drake's ability to sell an attack, make it look like something that didn't hurt really did. That was the difference in experience coming into play, really - he was so good he could simulate it with ease.

She reached down and grabbed him by the head, lifting him up to a standing position and placing his arm behind her head while her own arm went over his shoulder, holding him place while she gazed his way from the corner of her eye. "Ready?" She placed her hand behind his back, pushing him in.

Though young by some standards, Drake's been around the block a time or two. He's dealt with things from very, very painful submission holds to some seriously hard hits. And what he hasn't dealt with personally, he's seen others put through. That's what makes him the well-rounded cruiserweight that he is. But at the moment, he's getting whipped. Kind of. Or at least, they're making a show of it.

Drake is drawn to his full height, head tucked under her arm with his arm behind her neck. His free hand sets to her waist, and he slants his dark purple gaze her way. "As ever..." He knows what's coming. And he has every intention to turn his head and not let his face get smashed on the mat. Oh, but how he'll sell it as though it did.

"All right!"

She braced herself and lifted him, holding him for a second with all the strength she could muster. The good thing about this move was that it put her arm strength to good use, one of the moves she could do without too much training for it. She fell forward and slammed him down with her weight behind the fall, landing on her knees instead of her chest to dull the impact and spare him some pain.

The other great thing was that it ended in a pinning position. She moved over and hooked his leg while she pushed down on his chest, holding him stead. "1...2..."

Drake finds himself hoisted, bundled in her arms. His legs give a mediocre little kick as he's elevated, simply for show, but to very little advantage. When she drops, he grunts out, deliberately kicking one leg out to help use the mat's springiness to bounce him from the impact. Looks more heavy thattaway. Not that it was needed. The impact was plenty jarring, and he could imagine how much more it might be if she had dropped her body over him the way she may normally.

He lies on the mat under her, leg hooked. His eyes rest shut, breathing elevated - though that isn't for show. They've been tangling a little while now, and the physical exertion is obvious. Even if pulling a hit or slam, it requires strength and effort. Maybe even moreso than normal. So with each breath, he gentle elevates and lowers her body.

The first count is heard. Then the second. And suddenly, his captured leg kicks to 'free' himself. Which is to say, he's technically free of that pin attempt, but still lying under her. His eyes open to half-mast to look up at her. "Gotta be ready for someone who's gonna push through your finisher..."

Carmen just rolled her eyes and gave him a lazy slap on the back of the head and stepped back, giving him some breathing room a he got up. She hadn't managed to pin Clyde with that, either, but she figured it would get more powerful the more she focused on the attack. Maybe focus more putting her weight into it. She had the advantage of being heavier and more solidly built than the average Tension girl, that was something she could start employing.

"Not much of a finisher if you can push out of it that easy." She folded her arms and sat indian-style. "Okay, hypothetical. You're fighting a tough opponent, fight is dragging on. You're tired. You get a lucky shot, put him down, but you can't tell just how out of it he is. Do you go for the turnbuckle, try and fly, do you play it safe and work a submission, or do you pull him up and work him over a bit more?" She canted her head a little towards him. "Go, hotshot."

With Drake lying on his back, her headslapping occurs more atop his head, or to the side. Either way, she gets a quick little jab to the ribs for it. "Pay attention. I'm tryin' to help you."

With her moving back, he pushes himself to sit up, propping on his hands. "It depends on the brand of 'tough' they are. Are they big? Bulky? Go for the splash. They don't move so fast, and they're easier targets. Are they quick'n speedy? Wear'em down with a submission. Unpredictable? Small, but tough? Work'em over a bit more, then probably go for a finisher. Your finisher's gotta be strong, anyway. So even if they're not totally out, it's gonna put you in the advantage."

From there, he lifts to his feet and leans down to grab her by the shoulders and draw her back up. If successful, the teen pushes her towards the ropes while standing his ground, obviously hoping to spring her back to himself.

Carmen did listen and listen well - Drake was dropping some decent knowledge on her, it behooved her to pay attention, and it was good advice. Wrestling and boxing were similar in a lot of ways - different tactics for different opponents. Once she got the basics down and started working on more advanced moves, she could start putting his advice to good use and work on doing some real damage.

Carmen went along with him and ran to the ropes, bounding back and coming toward him at a decent speed. She brought her arm out and tried to juke to the side, hit him with a clothesline as she passed - the sort of speedy, unusual move she was trying to get better at employing.

This time, she actually does take him by surprise. He'd expected her to play right along with it, which is really his fault. So when he puts up a knee to bump her midsection, Domino instead gets clotheslined across the collar. It isn't particularly hard, of course, but he sells it by dropping to the mat and taking the bump. His arms lie splayed out to the sides, one knee steepled, and he gives her a chance to work him over a bit more.