Notes from the Underworld

Jessica nodded and shot River a dubious look. "I will be sure to make a mental note of that somewhere." Jessica prepared an imaginary pen and paper and mimed writing with her cigar. "Easy to wield, light-weight. Just like River." She had won on her past two and made her money back with a little bit more on the side from the blackjack. Maybe a hot streak was coming on.

She looked towards the dealer. "How about you get us some drinks, honey? I want a double shot of bourbon, and I will get her," Jessica motioned towards River, "A Shirley Temple. On me." Jessica knew that the hardcore girl would guess her contumelious intent. The dealer got up with a huff and made her way to the bar. She looked back at River. "I already do what I want and go where I want anyways. If I want to bash a girl over the head, I will bash a girl over the head. No holding back, no limits, never. It is just hard to respect a girl who doesn't know how to use her fists. Or they need to whack off to some ridiculous image they have of themselves."

Jessica shook her head. "No pudding matches for me, even if you could hold yourself back from seeing me in a bikini. Just honest to goodness wrestling. And honest to goodness winning." Jessica said the words without irony. She had never won good, nor was she used to winning honest but River didn't have to know that at the moment.

Now, that got a full laugh from Styx. A harsh, raspy blurt of a laugh that made the dealer jump on her way out of the room. Lightweight?" She ran a hand through her few strands. "Pretty sure I outweight you, cornpone. And it's muscle, before you get cute."

Jessica was trying to get under her skin with the Shirley Temple, but it didn't bother her all that much. A free drink was a free drink. She let her smile die down a bit before she leaned to the side and reached behind the dealer's table, getting a little of her money back.Nothing that would be missed until she was long gone.

"But you're still missing the point. There's a big difference between needing to use a weapon and wanting to. But don't worry. I'll demonstrate soon enough." She took out a Malboro cigarette of her own and stuck it in her mouth, then started fishing around for her lighter...until a better idea occurred.

Styx leaned across the table and got in Jessica's face, close enough for their breath to mingle in the middle and blow their hair away, nearer and nearer until her cigarette met Jessica's cigar. A little touch between the two and the fire spread, leaving them both lit up. "And yeah, you can do that shit all you want...if you want to never win a match. If you do, though, you have to play by the rules. Rope breaks. Countouts. You can't even grab hair without the referee trying to screw you over. You're not free. You just think you are."

Jessica did her best to not widen her eyes or even flinch as River leaned across the table. She had been talking a big game and thought it might be the time to put it to the test but River just wanted a light. Fair enough. She blew off smoke and was mindful not to show any weakness. "What's the difference? My body is a weapon. I can break any bone. I can do any throw. Other things will just get in the way."

Jessica kept looking directly into River's eyes. They had been bantering back and forth but Jessica reckoned things were starting to get a bit serious. "Pigs are free. Cockroaches are free. No one cares how much damage they can dish out or take. If I have to give up a little freedom to get a belt around this waist of mine I will do it without blinking." And Jessica had gotten a few crotch shots in on a few different girls anyway.

Jessica tilted her head to the side. There was something wrong with this girl, she had decided. Maybe she was mentally ill. She had to be if she wanted to take on the violent violet. "Pulling hair? That is adorable. They still do that in your catfighting league?"

Jessica was trying hard not to show any kinks in the armor, and doing a good job. Styx was starting to feel the itch. The unmistakable tingle that rolled around her stomach when a fight was close. As fun as trading shots with Jessica was, she was starting to grow weary of the foreplay.

"The hair makes a good handhold when you need to drag some stubborn bitch across the ring. There's your problem, again. You think so traditional." She blew out a smoke ring, perfect form. Took months to get that right. "But you're deluding yourself if you think they'll ever let you get anywhere near any belts. Even if you win a bunch of matches, doesn't matter. You don't fit their ideal of what a champion should be. They want the beauty queens, the girls that smile and look good in all the photoshoots, not the girls who come to dirty bars and play Blackjack."

She wagged her finger and tapped the side of her cigarette, knocked off a few embers. "You have to kiss the right asses to get those belts. At best, at best, they might let you get near the Entropy Belt. But the hardcore division? They don't give a shit what we do."

She waved as the dealer came back with their drinks, gladly taking hers without a hint of shame. "But hey, maybe that's what you like. Be sure to ask Lukretia to clean her ass before you apply your lips, though."

The dealer placed their drinks upon the table. Jessica broke eye contact and maybe a little tension. She took her drink and took a long swig. It was American Bourbon and Jessica always swore up and down she could taste the rolling hills and the Kentucky bluegrass in it.

"Hair, ankles, wrists. It is all the same when they are out cold."

Jessica wasn't quite sure how to feel. There was still a bit of apprehension and Jessica began to feel the fight nerves firing. But Jessica felt a bit of mirth after seeing the perfect smoke ring River blew. And she was still conflicted about the news River was giving her. She wanted a title shot, dammit, and she was going to get one. "The only image that matters is one with me with a belt around my waist. If I take on Angel and Cecilia and all comers, they have to give me a shot." Jessica took another swig of bourbon and looked at the amber drink as she swirled it around the glass. "They have to." Jessica sounded a little less sure of herself.

"But Lukretia. She is the slutty crazy one with the Schwarzenegger accent and a million hangers on, right? I bet if I kicked her ass, she would give me a title shot. But the Entropy belt wouldn't be the worst thing."

Styx downed the Shirley Temple pretty quick and enjoyed the flavor. Sweet. Maybe a little too sweet. But the caffieene pepped her up a little bit, which would probably come in handy later on.

"No, they don't have to do anything, but it's cute that you have this whole..." She rolled her head around, searching for the right word. "...idolized version of what's happening here and all the bullshit that goes on. Case in point - the Friction World Title scene. The person in contention, the #1 contender, lost her match against the champion. In a normal, sane world, that would mean she is no longer the #1 contender...but she is. Why? Because she brings in the money. She puts the asses in seats. So when the time comes, who do you think gets pushed into the limelight?"

She shuffled her cards about looked back down, going over her choices. "But you ignore me and pretend the things I'm saying are bullshit and not, in fact, readily observable descriptions of reality. See what happens when you beat up Lukretia. That is what typically happens when you punch your boss after all. They give you a raise. Fucking A."

"Well whatever. I will beat them all anyways. I will fight anyone. And I will get a belt. Come hell or high water or both or whatever. I will have a belt. You mark my fucking words." The dealer was doing her job again and gave Jessica a five and a ten. Hit. Whatever. It was a night to be aggressive. "But yeah, that is odd, I will tell ya. She is a good fighter, no doubt. But she gets two title shots? Come on, man." The dealer gave her a nine and Jessica busted. She shot the dealer a dirty look before bringing her attention back to River. "And it isn't like I can't put butts in seats. I will make a show of anyone. And it isn't like I ain't pretty. Just a little rough around the edges."

"People would come from half a state away to see me in the midwest. I can bring people from half the world away now that I am here." Jessica had been huffing and puffing on her cigar and it was starting to show. The taste of it now clung to Jessica's mouth. "And hell yeah, I will be in her face if she doesn't give me what I earn. Title shots, money, you name it."

The dealer shuffled. "I have always found reality to be quite fluid. Especially in the topsy turvy world of wrestling." Jessica made herself sound more confident.

In another world, a more sympathetic Styx would have been worried over possibly trampling Jessica's dreams. In this one, though, she found it amusing as hell. It was the truth, though, as far as she could tell, and there was no real point in sugarcoating, especially when she was bound to taste the real thing sooner or later.

"I've always found reality to be an annoying cunt who likes to kick you between the legs when you're not looking and make you pay for the priviledge. But that's just my perspective." Styx went to six and lucked out, getting a good chunk of her money back. "But if you want to get involved in all that mess, go ahead. Just know about the shit sandwich you're biting into."

She ran a finger around the rim of glass as she set up the next hand. "But fuck it, bored with talking work. Let's talk play." Her gaze shot up, staring Jessica's way with icy blue eyes. "Pretty sure you've talked about fighting and fucking when we get through here, so give me some specifics on your plan. Unless that was all just bullshit."

The dealer dealed Jessica an eighteen. She stayed and paid the price when the dealer for to nineteen. Shit. Jessica looked back at River. "Well it is plain to see my reality is quite a bit better. But we can't all be me."

Jessica then smiled. "Well, I figured I was going to challenge your to a good old fashioned arm wrestling contest, betting a nice fat stack of those chips of yours. And then if you aren't too embarrassed when you lose at that we go all out. I would say no cheap shots but you don't seem like the type to respect that." Jessica placed her elbow on the table, ready for the first little bout.

It occurred to her that River might just punch her when they were arm wrestling but Jessica didn't ind. Arm wrestling was her MO.

Ah, finally, something physical. Cards were nice, sure, and she'd had a good time shooting the shit with someone who actually shot the shit back at her. But Styx was more than ready to fuck this bitch up, in every meaning of the phrase. Time to really get the party started.

"Yeah, we can't all be you. Pretty sure there's not enough purple hair dye in the world for that." Styx moved the cards out of the way and took over her shirt, revealing the black bandeau bra across her chest and her pockmarked body, scratched and scarred and burn and bruised from more fights and falls than she could count. Mostly because she was too drunk to remember about a fourth of them.

"And I don't believe in cheap shots, no. There are hits you see coming and hits you don't. Simple." Styx put her arm up and locked with Jessica, not putting in any strength just yet. "Make a bet. Put something on the line." She threw the dare out and gazed into Jessica's eyes, curious to see how high she'd raise the stake.

The dealer gathered her stuff and wisely left the room as fast as she could, closing the door behind her.