Dream Big, Live Bigger

Kameyo walked like she was in a trance, her feet shuffling along as she stared blankly ahead of her, taking little of it in. She clutched the thick coat around her ample form tightly, trying to bury her face in her scarf until only her nose and eyes peeked out from over it. Her blonde hair tumbled around her shoulders, the lustre it had during the photo shoot faded as it hung in slightly tangled strands. She looked the same way as she felt - lost, helpless and somehow betrayed by it all. Betrayed by Mia Tally Bryant, who spoke such sweet words but had shown the contempt she held her in clear enough. Betrayed by the PLUMP staff who had stood by and watched her be cruelly toyed with, all the while snapping their pictures. Betrayed by the very idea of the AFW, which had seemed such an amazing place full of wonder and potential. It had scared Kameyo a little the first time she had even seen the arena, but she also felt a thrill of excitement for the possibilities it held. Even her first dismal showing against Tally had been an eye opening experience for her, as the crowd applauded her efforts despite her lack of skill. Was all that a lie? How much of how she felt could she trust was based on something real? Kameyo had no answers.

The large woman's shuffling feet came to a halt suddenly, her eyes blinking as they became more focused, more alert. Her nose twitched slightly as it caught a scent on the chill autumn breeze, something that had roused Kameyo from the depths of her misery. Her mouth watered as the multitude of smells mingled into a sublime whole; ground beef, perfectly seasoned; onions fried to a golden shine; bacon strips that she could almost hear sizzling; and beneath it all, the subtle aroma of melting cheese giving a sweet undertone to the savoury delights.

Kameyo looked around, seeking the source, and her eyes fell upon a building tucked away on the corner of an isolated looking street. The sign was a neon burger of blazing red and searing blue, standing out starkly in this otherwise seemingly forgotten corner of the city. She suddenly realised that in her wandering, she'd wound up close to the dock district, a good distance away from the building the PLUMP photo-shoot had taken place in, and that sudden revelation made her realise just how hungry she really was, her stomach giving a muffled growl from beneath her coat. The amply large woman considered for a moment, but it was already a foregone conclusion - after her experience, a good meal would do her good.

As she approached the building, the sounds of music started to reach her ears. It was the type of 1950's American rock that tended to get played a lot in places like this, part of the chic, but Kameyo didn't mind it at all. She pushed open the door, seeing for the first time as she did so the sign above the door proclaiming it to be "Kelly's Diner", almost as an afterthought to advertisement. The interior was largely as she had expected - plush red leather seats, Americana hanging from every wall, and of course, the duke box in the corner. What surprised Kameyo was how busy the place was, until she realised why it seemed that way - the diner was long, but narrow, and only two rows of tables could be squeezed into the available space. She doubted that the place could host more than twenty people at a time, and it looked close to that already, but salvation beckoned as she saw that one of the tables had a single occupant. Kameyo chewed her lower lip thoughtfully, her innate shyness warring with her need for a damn fine burger, dirty fries and a milkshake thick enough to eat with a spoon, but it was a conflict that could only ever have had one winner. She approached the table nervously, smiling sheepishly at the woman seated there.

"Um, hello," she said in English, noting the woman was Caucasian, "I'm terribly sorry to ask, but is the rest of this seating free? There doesn't appear to be any other tables left."

Sally Brown had been having a weird day.

She had recently concluded her match with Mazzie Lashley, the busty Canadian breast fighter, and the battle had brought out a side of Sally she hadn't known even existed. An angry, mean part of her that was cold and hard and just wanted to smash a face in. She'd never ever felt anything like that before, and it scared her. Sure, she hadn't really acted on her impulses during the match--she had handled it pretty well, actually, no matter what the crowd would say--but that didn't change the fact she had felt it. Where was bloodlust, of all things, coming from?

That was only part of the problem. Brown was starting to feel worn down. The AFW was more sinister than it appeared. From its culture of ambushes which were only egged on by the establishment to the cruel and spiteful match makeup (Sally was really glad she had had the foresight to add a clause in her contract letting her pick and choose her matches; she was pretty sure she'd be signed up to get gangbanged by Chinese triplets by now if she hadn't), this place was a scum pit through and through. Some of the girls she had fought seemed nice--Miyabi came to mind. Minnie Navarre, too. But she couldn't contain the niggling feeling that there were a lot more Mazzie's than those two.

Maybe she should quit, and go home. She had joined to have fun, and she wasn't having much fun right now. Or maybe she should actually try and win? That thought was downright alien to Sally, but leaving without having won more than one match--a match she got put in by mistake practically, poor Minnie--left a sour taste in her mouth. She had never cared about what others had thought before, not really, but she was worried people would just... forget her, if she left.

It was at this point that Sally decided her thoughts were going to weird place and she needed something to eat. Something to remind her of home, which Sally was missing something fierce in her moments of weakness. Thankfully, Tokyo had exactly one novelty 1950's esque American diner, which Sally had made a beeline for late at night. The place was crowded, but Brown had managed to find an empty table. Somewhere she could collect her thoughts and eat...

Before she could do much of either, however, she was interrupted by a startingly curvaceous girl with long, flowing blonde hair. Shocking curvaceous, even. That girl had a belly. "Oh--of course, sweetheart!" Sally said, temporarily pushing her thoughts into the back of her mind, pounding on the seat opposite her with a foot. "Be my guest! Sorry, I was... just thinkin' about some things, didn't notice ya comin' in."

"Thank you very much," Kameyo said with a smile, as she started to shrug off her coat and tug the scarf free. Beneath it she was wearing the kind of clothing Kandi would have chided her for picking - thick, concealing and shapeless, although little could disguise the hefty girl's sizeable belly and rounded curves. A baggy black sweater and pants sounded sensible in the chill fall weather, but she had chosen it more to hide herself than for the practical considerations. She folded the coat across her arm, the scarf draped over the top of it, and started to wriggle her way into the seat. The high-backed leather seating was well padded, and deep enough to permit even a rump as sizeable as Kameyo's to fit, which was a welcome change - the big girl was used to her posterior's bulge leaving her hanging off the edge of most seats. Her belly however was something of an issue, as it's protrusion would almost certainly collide with the table and send everything spilling about. With a slightly embarrassed look she did her best to suck it in, using both hands to try and hold her considerable stomach back as she quickly shuffled past the obstruction of the table top, plopping herself into the seat with a deep sigh as she released her stomach, letting it cascade into her lap. The hard part over, Kameyo grinned and eagerly reached for one of the menus.

"This place seems really nice, I had no idea there was a diner like this hidden away in Tokyo," she said with a smile, attempting to make at least some pleasant conversation to the woman who had kindly permitted her to share her table. Kameyo wasn't surprised to hear from the young woman's accent that she was American, with a Southern twang to it. Perhaps she was from one of the American bases looking for a taste of home? What she did find quite surprising, as she took her in more fully now, was that she was rather tall and notably plump. Kameyo herself was far from short, and had left plump behind years ago on her way to gargantuan, but this woman would have towered over Suzu and while her younger sister carried her weight in more exaggerated proportions, her dining partner had the appearance of well-proportioned softness, with no one part of her standing out as particularly heavier than any other part. The hints beneath the clothing suggested a full chest, plush belly, and Kameyo was willing to bet flaring hips and thick thighs rounded off her figure. She was cute too, with long, tumbling locks of curly brown hair and open, expressive eyes that smiled along with her lips. She was the kind of girl Kandi would have pointed out to Kameyo as a positive example of being big and beautiful.

With a start, Kameyo realised she must have been staring at the woman across from her, and a blush exploded back onto her face - a mixture of emotions, both her usual shyness, and the remnants of the newer, more uncomfortable sensations she'd been forced to acknowledge during her debut match and the resulting photo shoot. "Um, excuse me, I haven't introduced myself," she babbled quickly, hoping to make it seem like that was the source of her embarrassment. She offered a hand as she continued, "I'm Oshiro Kameyo, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Sally, preoccupied by her thoughts, didn't really notice Kameyo's string. The tall, strong American glanced out the window, watching the quiet, serene city. It was pretty. Really pretty. It'd be nice to just sit here and try and forget about what was going on. She started a little when Kameyo spoke again. "Oh, pardon me! The name's Sally; Sally Brown. American. Came over seas for the AFW." Brown accepted her hand and shook it; her grip was firm and warm, as was her smile. Before she could say anything else, a diner employee came by, asking for an order. "Howdy! I'll have the number 4, with extra syrup and butter, a half order of the number 2, and a mug of apple juice, if you'd be so kind." She then reclined in her chair, folding her arms up above her head, feeling more relaxed already. She'd wait for Kameyo to order before she resumed the pleasantries.

As the two women shook hands, Kameyo could feel the strength in Sally's hand, firm but restrained and possessing a genuine warmth that matched the smile she gave. It felt infectious as Kameyo's own smile grew a little wider, less weighed by her own trouble thoughts, before they broke the grip just as the waitress arrived. Sally rattled off an order, and as she did so Kameyo hastily scanned the menu. Oh God, everything looked delicious! She chewed her bottom lip slightly as she considered the multitude of options, finally settling on a double bacon cheese burger, a heap of dirty fries, and a chocolate malt milkshake along with a side of deep friend mushrooms.

"Thank you very much," she said with a nod as the waitress took their order, before settling into her chair, her stomach already grumbling a little in anticipation. She hoped it wasn't so loud that Sally could hear it. Kameyo had noticed how she'd stared out of the window, and only brightened up when she realised she'd been spoken to - she looked like she was deep in thought over something, and the big woman couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Since she'd been young, Kameyo had been very empathetic, and tried to defuse a situation before it could get out of hand, although with limited success - she was simply too timid a person to stand up to most people. It had never stopped her trying though, and he she saw someone who looked just as lost as she felt, maybe even a little hurt.

She felt a tension run through her as she considered asking Sally what was troubling her. She'd been hurt already for being too trusting, to willing to assume others had the best of intentions. Did she want to risk getting hurt again? Kameyo hated herself for thinking like that, it was like a whole other person in her head putting doubts there. She pushed the feelings back - she didn't want to be that kind of person.

"Um, Sally? I'm really sorry if I'm being too forward in asking this, but is something troubling you?" she asked, a little hesitantly, "You seem like you've got a lot on your mind."

"Oh, bless your pretty little head!" Sally said, turning her attention back onto Kameyo. What a nice, cute girl, asking her if anything was troubling her! Awfully sweet of her, honestly. A little refreshing after her weird match with Mazzie Lashley--Brown still didn't understand just what had happened during that match. Did that girl literally only care about people saying she had the best boobs? Why did that even matter...

"I'd hate to drag anyone else down in my own personal issues, miss, but I appreciate yer concern! Hey, I'm feelin' generous today; why don't I buy you your food? Ain't no trouble for a big time type wrestler like myself!" Well, being popular had its perks; Sally had made a few modest bonuses based on views videos of her exploits she had gotten and tickets to her matches. She had enough to splurge a little on a whim for a friendly face, at least.

In the face of Sally's very generous offer to pay for her meal, Kameyo blinked, frozen like a deer in headlights. It was an emotional whiplash going from the haughty, domineering Mia Tally Bryant to Sally, who seemed to be all smiles and sweetness now that she was talking to someone, and Kameyo's timid nature was struggling to handle the rapid change in gear. "Oh no, that's quite alright miss Brown!" she stammered out, realising she was already midway through a bow and was addressing her in a formal manner, "I mean it's very generous of you to offer, and I don't mean to appear ungrateful at all, it's just I...well it's like..." her voice trailed off into a murmured jumble of half-formed words as her nerves got the better of her, her cheeks exploding red as she gave a helpless whine. Her mind raced as she sought to extract herself from the awkward social position.

"Um, s-so you mentioned you're a wrestler?" she said with a hesitant smile, "I'm a wrestler too actually. Well, I mean I've only had the one match, and to be honest I wasn't very good in it, but I guess that still counts, right?"

"Ah, no problem, missy!" Sally said with a big grin. This girl was downright adorable! She just wanted to hug her, actually. Maybe it'd be fun to watch a movie with her. She seemed like the kind of person who'd be fun to hang around with. "Ain't gunna force ya to get your meal paid for if ya don't want to." Had Kameyo just tried to bow to her? That was adorable. Brown giggled softly, before brushing her hair back. She turned to the patient waiter. "Lesse, I'll have a plate of pancakes, smothered in maple syrup, with a big ole' dab of butter on top, and lets throw in a side of bacon and a mug of coffee, yeah? That sounds good to me!"

Brown turned her attention back on Kameyo. "Oh, you're part of the AFW too?" She said, her expression becoming a little more neutral. "I swear, seems like that place only hires two kinda people; cute, friendly, sweet ones and crazy people who just wanna punch things. Nasty little dichotomy, don't ya think?"

While her experience was somewhat limited, Kameyo felt there was more than a little truth to what Sally was saying, and she nodded her assent as her own expression fell, memories of what Miss Bryant had subjected her to playing through her mind.

"Yes, it took me by surprise too," she said as the waiter headed off with their order, "I joined up along with my sister and my best friend - they said it would help me build up some confidence in myself. Now though..."

She trailed off, her arms draped across the table and her chin lowering down to rest atop them, "I'm not sure I was cut out to be a wrestler. My sister and my friend, they're both so confident and willing to stand up to people, and I know they just want me to be confident like they are. But when I had my first match, all I wanted to do was do my best and not disappoint the crowd," she sighed. With a gasp, she sat back upright, realising she'd been blurting her thoughts out loud, and a fresh batch of blush started to spread, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean...I've just had a rough day," she finished meekly.

"Aw, sweetheart, its alright." Sally said, with an understanding smile. She leaned back against the booth seat, arms folded over her chest. "Trust me, I know firsthand just how persuasive a roarin' crowd can be, and just how... weird stuff gets in the ring. If y'all wanna tell me about your troubles, I don't mind offerin' a sympathetic ear and a warm shoulder." Poor girl. Looked like something nasty had happened during her first match. Seemed like that was the story of the AFW, most of the time. And she was so cute! It was hard to imagine what a nasty opponent would have done to her...