Beer and Sympathy

Taylor took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. She was early, but she didn't mind the wait. She didn't often get the chance to just go somewhere and hang out without training or publicity or business of some kind. She would have felt more anonymous, though, were it not for the gleam of recognition in the bartender's eye as her slid over her Yebisu.

She left her lightweight, black, Higurashi Dojo sweatshirt unzipped, and beneath was her white-and-red "Natural Born Killer" tank top. A thin, black choker necklace fit snugly around her neck, and varied bracelets dangled from her wrist. Her red-streaked blonde hair flowed down to her back, her bangs stayed just far enough to one side to not quite cover her eye. Her large, silver belt buckle said PUNK, and her tight denim shorts left every inch of her sleek, muscular thighs bare. She crossed her legs and let one of her half-laced black Doc Marten's bob up and down while she leaned back against the bar, cradling her beer.

It was funny to think about the turnabout in her relationship with Angel. She had liked the girl well enough when they first met, but that quickly soured when she saw what Angel had done to Nikolette. Maybe they could have talked it through, then, but they were wrestlers, and Angel had the belt. Taylor used it as fuel to drive her to Angel and to the belt, and it had worked. But after the two matches they had shared, it had become harder and harder to hold the grudge. The fights could have been cleaner, on Angel's end... But Taylor had tremendous respect for the Latina. Maybe even admiration. It was impossible to hate someone after going through an ordeal like their second match.

So Taylor sat and surveyed the small bar and waited for Angel to arrive, to continue the funny little story of their rollercoaster relationship. She needed it tonight in part because she mostly hung out with the Dojo girls, and now she had a match coming up against Nikolette. Hanging out with someone not from the Dojo was a breath of fresh air.

Angel slipped quietly into the small bar, glancing around the interior of the building as she had entered. She wore a slightly amused smile on her face, the Latina hardly believing the path that her life had suddenly gone down. A year ago, she and Taylor had been at odds, ready to rip each other apart, but now? Now, somehow, they were on good terms. It was...interesting, to say the least, and Angel couldn't help but be amused by the entire situation.

For once, she wasn't worried about staying inconspicuous. She had left the usual hoodie she used to hide herself at home, and tonight she was dressed to kill. Nothing fancy, just a tight pair of jeans and a low-cut, dark red t-shirt, but she didn't need to get fancy to look good. She was Angel. She was hot shit and she knew it.

Her smile widened into a small grin as she noticed several people glancing her way when she entered the bar. With her usual confident, sure of herself steps, she started to make her way across the room, looking for Taylor. When she finally spotted her, she headed her way, nodding at the bartender as she approached the punk.

"One of whatever she's having," she called out, sliding into the seat next to Taylor, glancing at her and looking over the girl as she made herself comfortable. "Evening, chica. Looking good," she complimented, lightly nudging her as she waited on her drink.

Taylor flashed a lopsided grin and nodded toward Angel as she made her way to the bar, and turned around to face the bar again when Angel sat down.

"Yeah, dude. You too, shit." She took a sip of her beer, and then put her arm around Angel and pulled her in close.

<Oi,> she said to the bartender in Japanese, with her killer grin. <What do you think? We make a cute couple, right?> They laughed, and Taylor released the Latina.

"So what's up, man? How's things? I haven't seen you since I got fucked up and lost the title."

Angel flashed a wink at the bartender as Taylor pulled her in, slipping an arm around the girl's waist and giving her a squeeze in return. She laughed along with the two, then slid back into the center of her seat, idly shrugging at Taylor's question.

"Oh, you know. Picking fights with gorillas that are twice my size. Kicking their ass and looking good doing it." She paused for a second as the bartender slid a beer to her, raising it to her lips and taking a long drink from it. "You know, the usual."

Taylor finished a sip and nodded. "Yeah, man, you better be winning matches. You'd make me look bad if everyone was beating you up! Ya know, like how I've been getting beaten up." She shrugged.

"Well here's some pretty cool news for you, I just got a sponsorship deal with Phenom Athletics. We're gonna shoot a commercial or something, and I'm gonna... I don't really know," she laughed. "Should be pretty cool, though. I won't lie, I do love the camera. And the camera loves me so very much..."

Angel rested her beer back onto the bar counter, and turned towards Taylor, grinning playfully at her. "Oh come on, chica. You know I win matches. This is me we're talking about." She shrugged back at Taylor, and leaned back in her seat.

She reached for her beer again, taking another sip, nodding along with Taylor's news. "It sounds pretty cool, chica. Phenom's a pretty big company, aren't they?"  While she spoke, she reached into her pocket, yanking out her cell phone, and aimed it towards the punk.

"The camera loves you, huh? Let me see! Pose for me, chica!" She teased, hovering her finger over the shutter button, as if she was going to snap a picture.

"Pretty big," Taylor nodded.

She struck a sassy pose, with her head tilted to the side and her fingers in a V with her tongue through them, and a sultry gaze at the camera until it flashed. She giggled girlishly and took another drink.

"So, I've been thinking about our matches and stuff. A lot, kinda..." She said, as her face began to sober up. "Like... I dunno. What do you think about it all?"

Angel quickly snapped the picture of Taylor, shaking her head then tucking her phone back into her pocket. She reached for her beer again afterwards and took another drink, but hesitated, just for a second, as Taylor grew more serious and brought up their past together.

She gestured to the bartender for a refill,  taking another long drink from her glass to empty it out first.

"I think we've had some good fights," she answered, looking down at her drink, her own voice growing a little quiet. "We've beaten the shit out of each other, gotten mad, and done it again. Good brawls, you know?" She glanced back at Taylor, the edges of her lips turning upwards again, back into a smile. "Why do you ask, chica? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah..." Taylor nodded thoughtfully. "I wouldn't call 'em brawls, though."

She turned around again and leaned on her side against the bar, mostly facing Angel, while she took a long drink. "Have you watched them?" She asked, and raised an eyebrow. "I have, like... a hundred times. I mean, I watch a lot of stuff. Me and mom study film together, and Akashi. Me and Cassie used to... The thing that always bothered me, though, the thing that always had me torn up inside, was that those fights were like... So hard, and so passionate, but you still did some dirty shit."

She looked at Angel with soft eyes. She wasn't looking for a fight. "I mean, the cheap shot the one time was pretty fucking uncool. And it wasn't illegal, but the shit with the chair in the rematch was just... I dunno. I fuckin' HURT, but like... It hurt my feelings, too." She laughed. It seemed so stupid, but it wasn't untrue. "But I guess I've been thinking about them so much, and I decided recently that I'm okay with all of it. Like I'm not upset about anything that happened in all that, I'm just so glad that, like... Where would we be without each other? How would you or anyone else know what you're made of without someone else to test you?"

Angel closed her eyes, leaning back in her seat again, tilting her head backwards as she listened to Taylor's words. She didn't want a fight either. She looked lost in thought too, trying to pick her words carefully as she spoke up.

"The first one," she answered softly, opening her eyes again and looking back over towards Taylor. "I watched the first one several times. I knew I'd have to deal with you again, so I wanted to be ready." She leaned forwards, propping her elbows onto the counter top, resting her forehead in her hands, the Latina looking down towards the bar. "I haven't watched the second one, though. Not yet, and probably not ever. That match was..."

She shook her head, lifting it back off of her hands, turning her gaze back towards Taylor. She gave her a soft smile, her voice taking on a teasing tone. "What can I say? You pissed me off, chica, and I was desperate. I was trying to do whatever I could to keep you down." She leaned over, and nudged Taylor with her elbow. "Besides, what about when you slammed me down into the seats up top, huh? That shit hurt like hell, chica." She kept her voice light, and soft, not wanting to sound accusing with her words.

She leaned back in her chair again, and thought over Taylor's last words for several long seconds, letting them roll around in her head before she spoke up again. She grinned, and tilted her head towards Taylor.

"I know where I'd be without you. I'd be back in my private locker room with my belt still around my waist!"

She laughed, briefly, then went quiet, looking thoughtful again. "You know, I think I've fought you more then anyone else in this company, chica..." She reached for her beer, and lifted it to her lips, taking another long drink from it.