A Bit of Sweat

Eka felt like collapsing. Ever since she landed in Tokyo she had been working her butt off. At wrestling, at school, at life. She didn't quite hit any new personal records at the gym today but she came awfully close. She had scraped close to her bench press record and almost hit her squat but ended up falling a little short. It didn't matter- she felt she was stronger and stronger every day and she knew she was getting better. Going to the gym helped her get her mind off things going on in her life: the little chats with Natasha and Lukretia, school, even the loss at Avalanche. She slung her towel over her shoulder and walked out of the weight room. There were a few girls in there lifting heavy things and then putting them down and Eka was happy to count herself among them. No one would have confused her for the strongest among them but she was getting there.

Her black basketball shorts and ratty Alabama t-shirt were permeated with sweat. The sweat pooling in her socks gave each of her footfalls a soft squish as she walked. Long tresses of her black hair clung to her face and to her neck. She didn't feel gross or anything- she loved the feel of sweat on her skin and the feeling of being stronger. Eka disappeared into the locker room and placed her sweaty clothes in her bag. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her slender body.

The Georgian girl grabbed one of her books: a treatise on Lenin's nationalities policy, in Russian. Her Russian wasn't fantastic but she could power through it if she concentrated. And in the steam room tucked in the arena, she could focus as much as she wanted. A smile spread across Eka's face as she tucked the book under her arm and made her way to the steam room. She loved the steam room, the sweet stickiness of the sweat on her skin.

Eka stepped in and stoked the fire a little bit. This is one of the things the Russians got right, she thought. She sat on one of the benches, opened her book and began to read.

It was one of the first time Lena was at a gym. She has always focused in other training activities, like running and training her moves and holds, but she needs to change it if she wants to adapt in the world of pro wrestling. She understood that strength is one of her main defect, and that she needed to gain some muscles if she wanted to become a better wrestler. She particulary understood the necessity of all that after her latest defeat against Aurore, who has lower submission skills than Lena, but such big muscles that she made the Russian girl tap out to a bearhug after a quick fight. In pro wrestling there are moves and holds she also never heard about in the past, so she has a lot to learn . What a frustration for her, during all her childhood she has gained medals and congratulations, and know she feels like she is slacker, and slockers are always beaten.
At the gym she knows all the machines and stuffs, so she can go there when there are as less people as possible. She would hate feeling ridiculous lifting low weight while some other girls would mock her.

After a good seance she was happy of herself, as anyone feels after a good training at the gym. Even if this time there were more people than she thought, nobody annoyed her. Lena went to the locker room, and then decided she would have a few time at the steam room . So she put her clothes in her bag, put a towel on her shoulders, and entered the steam room, wearing a beige swimsuit.

There was another girl . A Brunette, taller than her, and slightly more muscular, with developed abs. Not too muscular, but just as needed to look fit and in shape. Lena came inside and sat a bit away from the girl, and noticed she was reading a book, in Russian. She stopped being shy and asked the stranger "Are you Russian? And why are you reading such old books?" She said, a bit teasing, willing to create a small talk with the other girl as she went to sit a bit closer to her

Eka looked up at the woman who now shared the steam room with her. She was blonde and incredibly pretty. Her eyes were a very pretty shade of green and her beige swimsuit complemented her athletic figure perfectly. Eka was probably quite enchanting in her blue swimsuit but she felt like she didn't hold a candle to this woman.

"Um, yes. I mean, da. I mean, uh, hi." At least the girl wasn't shy. "And yeah I have to read it for a class. Well I guess I don't have to read it, but I think it will help." Eka sized the girl up. She had the figure of a wrestler. Lithe, strong, and ready for action. Perhaps Eka would have a chance to test her sooner or later... But for now she was happy to chat. "I am Eka Guramishvili. I go to the University of Tokyo and I am reading this for a class. Why? Are you Russian?"

Eka set the book down next to her. The girl that just walked in was far more interesting. "Do you wrestle here?" A warm smile spread across Eka's face. Maybe she would have a new friend. The Georgian girl leaned against the wall and shook her hair, letting the droplets of sweat go everywhere.

Lena suddenly felt more confident. She was happy that the other girl was nice and cheerful. Even if Lena is already here for a few time, she doesn't know a lot of people here. And she feels a bit lonely sometimes.

"Well. Yes I am. With your name your Georgian I guess?" Lena stared also at the brunette girl. Her beauty is impressive , her blue eyes and dark hair, and her fit and mature body . But Lena wasn't the type of a shy girl anyway. "A Georgian girl willing to learn Russian and loving Russia, pretty rare this day" Lena realized only a few seconds later that her straight talk could have offended the other girl, so she quickly changed of topic

"Yes I wrestle here, on you? I did sambo before, and I'm very strong at submissions" she said, leaning also her head against the wall, staring at the Georgian girl. 'And you often goes at the gym? "

"Eh. I do not really love Russia. I have only been when I was a little girl. But it is good to know for school. My parents taught it to me when I was young." Eka leaned forward and rested her head on her hands. Her smile wasn't quite as bright as it was before. This girl was a wrestler. And quite a serious looking one at that. Maybe they would have a bout eventually...

"And yes. I was born in Georgia. But I was raised in the US. And now I am here. So it looks like I am from everywhere." Eka's smile returned to her face. There was no need to be serious in the steam room. There was no need for them to fight. "Oh! Very cool. Sambo is a very useful martial art, yes? It results in too many broken bones for me."

When the sexy Russian girl leaned against the wall Eka got to see the whole profile. If this girl knew sambo she was lethal in the ring. The Georgian girl made a note of that. "I studied Greco-Roman wrestling and I am quite good at submissions as well. My wins have come through submissions!" Eka didn't feel the need to advertise her awful record just yet. "And yes, I come here quite often. I want to get better all the time."

Eka paused. "I am sorry. What did you say your name is?"

"I see" Lena answered, smiling as the other girl explained her background. "Well, my name is Lena, sorry I forgot to introduce myself" She said, looking at her. "I come from St Petersburg'

Lena felt happy to talk with this girl. However, she considered her fear about broken bones in sambo as an admission of weakness. It's both because of her Russian mentality and her childhood as a group leader. "Well it's the same for me I guess" she said, even if she was very rarely at the gym

After a few moment, Lena wanted to get more complicity, and also test the other girl . She suddenly moved a bit back, and posed her elbow on the place she was sitting in, just in front of the other girl, in an arm wrestling position
She stared at the Georgian girl and said "Well, ready to impose a last effort to your biceps? " She said, teasing , as her breasts were more exposed because of her leaned position. Lena adjusted her swimswit a little bit to try to cover it

Eka leaned back against the wall. She wanted Lena to get the full measure of her as well. St. Petersburg. One of the prettiest cities in the world. It also had a really bad underside and Eka was a little curious as to which side of the tracks she was from. Lena's face seemed to convey a little bit of something. The ravenhaired girl wasn't quite sure what it was.

The girl went to the gym quite a bit as it turned out. And she wanted to test her. Eka wasn't one to back down from a challenge. She looked up at Lena to try and make eye contact. The girl was strong looking but Eka was confident that she could carry the contest. She didn't want to bet on it, though, and she hoped Lena wouldn't throw down the gauntlet.

Eka put her arm on the table and wrapped her hand around Lena's. "Say when." Eka was ready to push for all she was worth.

Lena was happy that her opponent accepted the challenge. She also felt like there were now friends. And Lena was proud of herself.

"Ok good! " Lena says "3..2...1..Go!" After that the arm wrestle began and both girls were pushing hard. Eka was stronger than Lena was expecting, she could see her fit arm muscles as she was pushing. The struggle was pretty tied, even if after half of a minute Eka started to have a small but real advantage, as there was now an both hands were now leaning a bit toward Lena's side. Lena bites her lips and tries to push harder, even if she already was. Both girls are now sweating hard, making efforts inside if a steam rom

Lena was stronger than she looked. Eka was no slouch in the strength department but she wasn't a world beater either. Eka's arm was pushed back a little bit and Eka breathed out. She looked away from Lena as if the woman were sapping her strength from her. The Georgian girl gripped the edge of the table and doubled her efforts. The pendulum began to swing away from Eka towards Lena- the ravenhaired girl was winning.

Eka's face was concentration and she returned her gaze back to Lena. She was feeling good and looking good. The ball was in Lena's court now...

The struggle was long and painful. And Lena felt her opponent wasn't throwing the towel, and that Eka really wanted to win, even if there was nothing in the end.

Lena was pushing at her maximum. And finaly it was a bit successful, not as much as she was willing to, but she wasn't losing anymore, and now she had a small advantage on her opponent. 'Are you ok?" she tried to say Then she tried to be a bit crafty, and she slowly started to turn her hand toward her. If it worked, it would improve Lena's momentum by requiring more efforts for her opponent to push .