For the Want of a Book...

Eka noticed that Natasha seemed to be in a bit more of a rhythm. This talk of wrestling seemed to make her open up a little bit. The Georgian girl could appreciate that as she loved talking about wrestling herself. There was maybe even a hint of a smile, or anything to break the ice queen's demeanor..and then back to the book. Oh well.

"We, uh, or I, would really appreciate it if I could hold on to the book for a little while. I would owe you a big favor..." Eka touched Natasha's arm as an overly friendly gesture. "But I am proud. I just feel the need to be humble, next to a champion. And I didn't exactly win at Avalanche or anything..." Eka held her elbow with her arm. She was feeling a bit awkward again. The Georgian girl hazarded a look over at Irene. Her companion looked indomitable and unintimidated which she admired, even if she thought it was a mistake that she said she had never watched one of Natasha's matches.

How to dislodge that expensive book from Natasha, that was the question. Eka decided to switch to a tactic that Natasha in particular might fight appealing- she fluttered her eyelashes and grinned. The Georgian girl twirled the end of her long raven hair around in her fingers. "We would be willing to do quite a bit to get it in our hands..." Eka's tone was coquettish. She had never been very good at flirting but it couldn't hurt to try.

Although she would never admit it, Natasha's kind words put a smile on Irene's face. For a girl just starting her wrestling career, having a vote of confidence from one of the greats was pretty uplifting. Alas, the issue of the book still needed to be dealt with, and Irene tried to stay focused on it.

Listening intently as Eka spoke, Irene couldn't help but notice her replacement of the word “we” with “I” in her request for the book. From the moment she had realized that her and Eka needed the same thing, she had been worrying that the two of them might wind up fighting over it. Was Eka going to try to out-compete her for Natasha's favor and take it for herself? Eka hadn't seemed like a selfish person, but Irene was still uneasy and suspicious as she prepared to join the conversation. Natasha informed them that she might be willing to let them read the book as long as it didn't leave her property. Irene was grateful for this, and expressed her humility without words, by bowing her head in thanks. However, this offer presented a new problem: it could take days for the two of them to record enough information to satisfy their academic needs. Graduate level papers were hard to write, after all, and the level of detail that needed to be gleaned from each source of information was enormous. The two of them couldn't just crash at Natasha's mansion while they were conducting their research, not without offering something in return.

“I understand your predicament, and appreciate your generosity,” the girl uttered softly. She was trying to keep her businesslike demeanor, while Eka was taking a more intimate approach. Hopefully one of them would succeed in appealing to her. Still, the girl wouldn't get anywhere without making some risky proposals, and the young scientist had a big one cooked up. “If the book can't leave this mansion, then we would need your permission to stay here while we use it. To compensate you for this...” Irene stopped for a second, choking on the embarrassing words of her proposal, “...would you be interested in employing us as servants for the duration of our stay? Both you and your manor are quite lavish, and I'm sure both of you need attention from skilled individuals. You could make use of us during daylight hours, and allow us to use the book when we are relieved of duty.”

Irene was fighting to keep her cool as she laid her cards on the table, but the girl was twitching with nervous anticipation as she spoke. “Does this sound at all interesting to you, Natasha?”

Natasha felt far more at ease with the two women than she should have been with people who were still relatively strangers to her, but all it had taken was that single connection to make her feel like she had known them for sometime before that day. It helped that so far both women had been pleasant guests in her home, Irene acting quite respectfully which she could appreciate given that she had been raised in much the same way, while Eka had been nothing but incredibly friendly even if she seemed nervous about being in Natasha's home. If they had knocked on her door just demanding the book she would have told them to leave at once, but with how kind they had been Natasha felt like she owed it to them to help however she could. So ling as helping them didn't get her in trouble with her father seeing as he had been the one to pay for the book.

"Hey just getting to Avalanche is a big deal Eka, don't let something as trivial as a loss keep you from pushing forward towards your next match and your inevitable victory." Natasha said trying to comfort Eka, knowing herself how much a big loss could mess with ones head. Her eyes glanced down at her arm where Eka was sliding her hand up and down, Natasha resting her own hand upon Eka's before looking up into her eyes and giggling as the woman flirted with her. "Oh is that so? Sounds like fun for both of us but don't think you have to flirt with me just to get to the book, I want to help you."

Natasha gently pushed the hand of Eka from her arm though not without then returning the gesture, slowly sliding her hand up along Eka's arm while smiling at the woman. She turned to face Irene when she heard the woman talk, nodding in thanks at how understanding she was of the situation Natasha was in. "Thanks, I mean I'd like to just give the book to you both but its promised already to my father." Natasha said further explaining the situation to the both of them.

Irene then had quite the proposal for Natasha, one that actually made her a little uncomfortable as she didn't like the implications of Irene thinking Natasha would employ them as servants just to read the book. "Thanks for the offer Irene but really thats not necessary, you both are free to study the book as much as you want while here in my home. But you are right, you two can't be expected to come up here everyday so why don't you just stay here? Its not like theres a shortage of space." Natasha replied, glancing between Eka and Irene to gauge their reactions to her offer. "And if you insist on repaying me I could use some sparring partners, would that be alright with the both of you?"

Irene breathed a sigh of relief when Natasha reassured her that her price for letting them use the book wouldn't be as high as the temporary servitude that she had suggested. Admittedly, it had been setting the bar pretty high for what Irene would be willing to do to for her research, and she hadn't stopped to consider whether or not Eka would have been willing to do something similar. She was going to have to apologize to the Georgian woman for speaking out of turn like that, when she got the chance.

When Natasha simply offered the two of them permission to stay as guests in her home, Irene beamed with joy and blushed a little at the offer. Her stereotypical assumptions regarding the rich were getting bent out of shape by this woman's generosity. Even the suggestion that she spar with Natasha didn't feel like a form of payment to Irene. It felt more like a perk, to be able to practice with one of Friction's best, and it only deepened her face's shade of crimson. Her only curious concern was the exact nature of their sparring, and what it would entail. Irene knew just enough about Natasha to know that she was a well-rounded fighter, capable of holding her own in just about any match type. However, her championship in Friction's hentai division gave Irene pause. When they squared off on the mats, would they wind up...doing things together? Sexual things?

It was a presumptuous suggestion, to say the least. Natasha was a classy person, and Irene had no reason to think she would be so bold with two guests that she had only just met, even if she already felt comfortable with the two of them. To even suggest it bordered on arrogance on Irene's part, but the possibility still lingered over her. She would be happy sparring in whatever manner Natasha wished, as long as she went home without broken bones. It was the not knowing that got to her.

“That sounds great!” Irene gave her slightly belated reply, tilting her body forward to give a generous bow to the woman. “I would be more than happy to practice with you if it meant being allowed to stay and use that book. Mmm...Eka, are you okay with it?” Irene turned toward her companion with a hopeful look.

When Irene made her proposal, Eka locked up completely. The idea of being a servant was wholly unappealing to her, even if the girl she was serving was so easy on the eyes- she had a fierce mountain pride to her, one that would not allow her to wait on anyone. And then Natasha gracefully soothed her nerves with a hand on her arm and some nice words. The blue haired woman in front of her thought her next victory was inevitable. That word really stuck out to her- inevitable. And it felt really good.

"Well thank you. I will try really hard." Her smile was genuine now, not even a little bit flirty. "And yes, that sounds beyond wonderful! This place is a little bit nicer than my dorm." Eka gave a wry chuckle. The place was rather spacious and her only regret was that she didn't have all of her stuff with her. Maybe she could run home and they could have a big sleepover and wouldn't that all be so lovely.

"But do not think I will go easy on both of you. Maybe one of my imminent victories will be over one of you!" Eka waved her finger around with faux haughtiness and broke into a it of a laugh. She wasn't quite sure what it was but she was feeling elated, giddy, like a little girl. In a sense, she was- after all she was going to a sleepover. The Georgian girl felt like she was 13 again. And it felt great.

Eka would be able to test her mettle against one of the best Friction had to offer. She would surely get better and maybe learn a few new moves in the process. And she was the hentai champion so maybe Eka could figure out some ways to make her matches even sexier than they already were.

Natasha could see the relief in the faces of both women when she rejected the offer of servitude and replaced it with one that was far more appealing to all of them, neither woman wasting any time in accepting her generous proposal. She could also see the gears turning in Irene's mind as the woman pondered what exactly Natasha had meant by sparring. It was a fair question given the numerous types of matches she had wrestled in but what the woman was undoubtedly worried about was if any sparring they did would include hentai. Looking over the two women Natasha couldn't help but picture how much fun they each could be in such a match but she wasn't going to force anything upon them they didn't want, that would go against the whole point of letting them stay to read the book.

"I guess it would be huh?" Natasha laughed as Eka joked about her home being nicer than her dorm, becoming happier with the solution they had found with each passing moment. "Oh I would never want you to go easy, that would defeat the purpose of sparring wouldn't it? And just in case either of you were wondering yes we can do some hentai sparring or I can even give you two lessons, but only if thats what you want."

Irene listened intently as Natasha addressed the concerns she had about the nature of their sparring. She was grateful for some confirmation as to what the three of them would be doing together, and found herself relaxing in the woman's presence as she spoke.

When Natasha confirmed that she would be interested in showing the two of them the ropes of hentai fighting, Irene was not only interested, but quite eager to practice with and learn from the woman. She was one of the most capable hentai fighters in the AFW, and the thought of the gorgeous woman taking her in that wrestling ring filled her stomach with butterflies. She couldn't keep the excitement off of her face. A grin was spreading across her face, slow but inexorable, and her cheeks were flush with color as she gave a reply to the French woman.

“It'd be great to practice hentai with you,” Irene blurted out, unable to contain her enthusiasm. “I hate to admit it, but they haven't given me any hentai matches in Friction yet, so...well...this will be my first time trying this stuff.”

Across from her, Eka was silent at the moment. “So, Eka, are you okay with the hentai stuff?” she asked shyly. Irene wasn't a selfish person, and if Eka wasn't comfortable with hentai in their sparring, Irene wasn't going to try to force anything on her, just like Natasha wouldn't. Hopefully she would be up for it, though. In fact, if the two of them had any down time after extracting the necessary knowledge from Natasha's book, Irene wondered if Eka might want to spar against her directly, in whatever capacity the Georgian woman was comfortable with. The woman didn't have Natasha's prestige, but Irene was willing to bet that she could still learn a great deal from this woman. Irene made a mental note to ask Eka about it later.

Eka tilted her head to the side. The smile was still etched on her face and she was still fairly excited. But the notion of being in a hentai match made her a bit...nervous. She had never done one and never really had the urge but there was something about these two women. Natasha's beauty was more overt while Irene was certainly far from homely and they were both quite appealing. "Hmm. Maybe not full blown hentai. But kissing is fine. As is spanking. And perhaps a few other things will be fine as well, yes?"

It was all coming together so nicely. Eka would get two new sparring partners and a palatial home for a little while. Perhaps if she was lucky she could parlay it into a longer stay. The Georgian girl cast a long glance over at Irene and the girl seemed smart. Maybe she was a technical whiz that knew a hundred holds. Natasha's skills were plain to see and maybe she could learn a thing or two from Irene as well.

"So..." Eka began, "Could you show us around some?"

Natasha was more than a little surprised to see how enthusiastic Irene was at the prospect of sparring with Natasha with hentai rules, especially when she admitted she hadn't actually been in any matches of that style so far. It made her wonder if Irene was just saying whatever she thought would please Natasha so she didn't lose out on a chance to study the book or if she truly wanted to learn how to handle herself in a hentai match to better her chances should one ever come her way. She turned towards the woman to better get a read on her but it didn't take her long, the broad grin on Irene's lips and the bright crimson hue to her cheeks a dead giveaway to how eager she was to learn from her. It was quite a pleasant sensation to know someone thought this much of her and Natasha couldn't help but blush a little in return as she reached out and patted her upon the shoulder.

"Well don't worry I'm sure they will give you one sometime soon as long as you let them know its what you want, and I'll make sure when you go into your first one you will be more than prepared for it." Natasha said while giving the girl a quick wink before turning to Eka, the woman not as eager to try out hentai wrestling as Irene. "Well with a hentai match its either all or nothing, so if you want we could just do some normal sparring." Natasha sad trying to reassure her she wouldn't be left out, though secretly hoping the woman would come around and join in on her and Irene's hentai practice.

"Well we can begin the tour now if you'd like or we can wait until you two go home and collect your stuff, I'd pack for however long you think you might need to stay in order to do all the research you need."

The grin on Irene's face got a little bit wider when Natasha winked at her. When she spoke with Eka, however, the grin faded a bit as she had some doubts about Natasha's “all or nothing” comment. “Well, actually...” Irene couldn't believe she was about to dispute the word of the hentai champion, but here goes, “...my first two matches were anything goes matches, with hentai and normal wrestling all allowed. Me and my opponents wound up combining a lot of techniques together when we fought, and even though there were no hentai falls in either match, it didn't stop us from using erotic gestures to get into each other's heads. Hell, I met my first date in one of those matches.” Irene decided to leave out the fact that they had only lasted for one date that had ended with an unfriendly breakup transpiring behind closed doors.

“There are lots of ways to combine erotic and normal wrestling together that Eka wouldn't be uncomfortable with. Since we're all trying to learn from each other, I'll try to show the two of you some of the more moderate stuff that I've used before.”

Every moment that Irene spent with these women was exciting to her, but before anything substantial could happen between the three, Irene and Eka would need to do as Natasha suggested and pack for their stay. Before they could do that, though, they would need to make the round trip to their respective homes and back, which would be exhausting and time consuming if it were done on foot. Hitching a ride might be better for them, but Irene would hate to ask Natasha for one after everything she'd already agreed to.

“I guess we'd better pack first. We came on foot, so it'll be awhile before we can lug our stuff up here, unless someone here can give us a lift,” Irene said, posing her dilemma to Natasha in a straightforward manner.