Bannockburn

“Oh, yes, yes, sure you did,” Odessa would reply, in the moments before their arm wrestling match began. “Itâ€s not as if Fleming discovered penicillin in an English laboratory, or as if David Tennantâ€s entire career has been made in English productions, isnâ€t that right?”

After that, Risako began the match, and Odessaâ€s immediate surge of strength would give her an early advantage. She grinned and stared Emily down as her hand began to bends the Scotswomanâ€s backwards, pushing it down to within a few inches of the tabletop.

Emily, to her credit, did not give up. Odessa was confident that she had her foe, but a renewed effort, a sudden surge from the Scot forced Odessaâ€s hand back up, and then bent it backwards, back down towards the tabletop. Odessaâ€s grin turned into a scowl as she would be forced to put more energy into her efforts, trying to draw on the cheers of the small crowd as she tried to push Emilyâ€s hand back again.

For a brief moment, Emily was in control, slowly but surely driving Odessa's hand back down towards the table. Her moment of triumph was short-lived, however: the powerful Englishwoman soon demonstrated her strength again, and Emily gave a gasp through clenched teeth as her arm was forced back again. Giving a grunt of annoyance, Emily put more pressure in to counter Odessa, and before long the two of them were deadlocked in the centre of the table, both of their arms wavering left and right as they battled for control.

Emily felt her breath tighten in her chest as she fought against Odessa's incredible strength, a bead of sweat sliding down her brow. The crowd was hollering all around them, but Emily paid them no heed: her focus was on her opponent's face as she stared Odessa down, trying with all of her might to break the deadlock.

Emily was in control for a brief moment, but Odessa would reassume control just as quickly as her opponent had taken it from her, and with a burst of power she pushed Emilyâ€s hand back through the space above the table and would begin to bend it back down towards the tabletop. Odessaâ€s newfound advantage disappeared just as quickly as her original advantage had, however, as Emily would increase the pressure she was putting on Odessaâ€s hand and would once again force it backwards.

Odessa responded by throwing herself into the arm wrestle entirely, not holding anything back. Emily wasnâ€t holding anything back either, it seemed, and soon enough their arms began to stabilize. It was a deadlock, a stalemate, with neither one of them managing to push the other back more than an inch or two before they would lose those meager gains again. Odessa growled, a sheen of sweat forming on her forehead, a singular bead rolling down past her eye and over her cheek as she exerted herself, trying to slam Emilyâ€s hand down onto the table.

She stared into the Scotswomanâ€s eyes, unblinking, daring her to try to push harder as their deadlock went on.

Emily was breathing through clenched teeth as she exerted more and more force into her arm, partly to force Odessa back and partly to keep from being overwhelmed by the Englishwoman's sheer strength. More beads of sweat began to roll down her forehead and cheek as she and Odessa battled for control, their hands clenched so tightly that Emily felt the other woman's fingers stabbing against her hand. Around them, the crowd was yelling and screaming for one or the other, while Risako sat beside them, watching half with embarrassment and half with intrigued fascination.

Try as she might, Emily couldn't make Odessa budge, though it was a matter of pride that she wasn't backing down either. "Nnngh...give...it up...Brock..." she managed to rasp through gritted teeth. Her arm was beginning to feel sore as her muscles over-exerted themselves, and she could feel her arm wobbling as it threatened to finally topple over. But her ancestors had never given ground to the English (up until the Treaty of Union and being able to get Oxford education, anyway), and Emily wasn't going to be the first Nelson to do so.

Odessaâ€s arm was beginning to tire, but she paid it no heed as she continued to stare Emily down, putting everything she had into her efforts to defeat the Scotswoman in this contest for national honor. The cheers of the crowd were appreciated, but were wholly unnecessary. She was going to defeat Emily no matter what everyone surrounding them said or did.

More sweat ran down her face, the beads rolling down in little streams now. Her arm was sore. But she kept on flexing, kept on pushing, as she felt Emilyâ€s grip grow just a little weaker. She felt the Scottish womanâ€s arm begin to wobble. But Odessa wouldnâ€t be able to take advantage of her foeâ€s weakness, as her own arm was shaking, and wobbling. She would try to will it to stay steady for just a few seconds more, so that she might have this decisive victory for her country, but it didnâ€t seem that it was meant to be. Still, she would keep fighting, keep pushing. “Nnnrrr…why donâ€t you…lose gracefully…Nelson…” Odessa would growl in reply.

Sweat was dripping from strands of Emily's hair now as the contest reached the height of its intensity. The two women were pushing themselves beyond their limits now, straining their arms to the point where they both risked pulling muscles. Emily didn't care: this Englishwoman had had the impudence to belittle her country, and for that, she intended to have satisfaction.

If Emily's heart said one thing, however, her body was saying another. Her entire arm was stiff with compressed muscle as she poured all of her exertions into one limb. Her elbow and shoulder began to flare with pain, and she began to recognize the warning signs that she was really overdoing it. Even so, Emily kept pressing against Odessa's arm, determined to pin her to the table and settle this...

And then, abruptly, a fierce pain shot through Emily's lower arm as her extertions caused her to pull a muscle. She gasped in agony as her arm instantly went limp, and the contest was momentarily forgotten as Emily clutched her hurting arm, biting back a cry of pain. In an instant, Risako was next to her, checking over her hurt arm. "Baka, Emily!" she scolded. "Seriously, you shouldn't have over-exerted yourself over a silly little contest like this!"

Odessaâ€s arm was getting incredibly sore as she continued to push against Emily. She had no hope of regaining the advantage, let alone winning, but she refused to let go and end the contest. She wanted her Scottish opponent to be the first one to break it off. Both women were now dripping sweat, their faces shining and wet, their hair slick, some sweat even dripping onto their hands and making it difficult to keep up the contest. But Odessa kept squeezing Emilyâ€s hand and kept pushing against it, until she started to feel the pangs of a pulled muscles.

“Rrrrr…” Odessa growled, keeping herself from crying out as her muscles gave out on her. Her arm would go limp at the same time Emilyâ€s did, preventing either of them from gaining that final advantage. She would let go of Emilyâ€s hand and would grab onto her lower arm with her own free hand, trying to massage it and rid herself of some of the pain which was shooting through it. The crowd seemed somewhat disappointed by the result, though they had to respect how much energy both contestants poured into their competition for the two or three minutes that it lasted.

Emily was gritting her teeth in pain now as she cradled her hurting arm, stifling a cry of pain as Risako checked her over. Around her, she was conscious of the crowd's disappointment, the crowd of onlookers now dispersing when they saw that there was no clear winner. Across the table from her, Odessa was clutching her own arm in obvious pain. Neither of them had won over the other, and now all they both had to show for it was pain and injury.

"Damn," Risako breathed as she gently checked over Emily's arm, "I can't tell how bad it is. For all I know, you might have torn a muscle. Come on, we should get you to the infirmary--"

"I'll be fine," Emily growled, grabbing her mug of ale and chugging down the last of it, even as she kept her arm tucked under her chest. The alchohol helped a little to take her mind off of how much it hurt. "Just...give me a few minutes, aye? I 'ave things to take care of first."

Risako glared crossly at Emily, before sighing and burying her face in her palm. "Ehhhh, baka. All I wanted was to take you somewhere nice, WITHOUT getting into a random fight..."

Ignoring her friend's comment, Emily turned and glared at Odessa. "There's still unfinished business between us," she growled. "So I say let's settle this like proper ladies in the ring. You and me, an' th' loser has tae eat their words."

Odessaâ€s lower arm kept throbbing in pain, and she continued to massage it, ignoring, for the time being, the Scottish woman sitting across the table from her. Each time she pressed her fingers into her flesh she felt a small burning in her arm. She winced as she felt it. Slowly, though, the pain would dull, though it would not disappear completely. She looked back up. The crowd had disappeared, and Risako, Emily, and Odessa were once again alone at their table.

The ebony beauty picked up her own mug and guzzled down the last of her ale. She set the mug down with an authoritative clank, and would then return her gaze to Emily and Risako. Before she got into it with her Scottish foe again, she would address the Japanese wrestler. “Iâ€m sorry that your stubborn friend has gotten you all wrapped up in this. I can only hope that this one”—she would reach out a hand and grab Emilyâ€s chin, smirking a the Scotswoman—“is honorable enough to make it up to you somehow.” She would blow a little kiss, as a suggestion for how Emily might make things up to Risako.

Then, she would give Emily her undivided attention. “I couldnâ€t agree more,” she replied, when her foe mentioned that they still had unfinished business. “Weâ€ll settle it in the ring. And once Iâ€ve thrashed you thoroughly, youâ€ll get down on your hands and knees and grovel in front of the English flag. How about that?”

The grab to her chin came as a complete surprise, and Emily, startled as she was, was mere seconds away from lashing out at Odessa then and there before the ebony beauty let her go. Red-faced, Emily glared venomously at Odessa...though her face became even redder when the Englishwoman made her lewd suggestion. "I...but we're not...h-how dare ye..." she stammered, too shocked and angry to put together a complete sentence.

Curiously, Risako didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest. "Oh, I'll be keeping that option in mind," she simply replied nonchalantly.

Emily whirled around on her friend. "Risako!"

Risako glanced back at her and gave a casual shrug. "What? I didn't say I'd be going for it...[size=50:1opkysw8]yet..."

Too aghast to even dignify Risako with a reply, the Noble Fighter turned back to Odessa and glared at her much more venomously. "Fine," she growled. "An' if I win, ye have to do the same to th' flag of Scotland. An' whats more, we'll be fightin' for a verbal submission only-- not only will ye 'ave to bow to my flag, Brock, but ye'll have to do it after you say you give." She leaned closer to Odessa so that her eyes were level with the Englishwoman's. "Not too late for you t'bow out an' take back what ye said, lassie."