On the Hunt

There had been a lot going through Natasha's head as of late but tonight she was focused with a clear objective in mind, the first time in weeks she could say that. While she hadn't been scheduled for a match that night Natasha had requested some time on the card to take care of some business regarding the hentai title, somehow mangaing to get it without telling the upper management what exactly it was she had in mind. It was moments like that where Natasha was thankful she had practically grown up inside a boardroom, compared to the executives at her family's company those in AFW were practice, well all except for Lukretia who Natasha never could quite get a read on.

Natasha was dressed for the ring in attire she had only just recieved from France a few days earlier, the outfit more conservative than what she usually wore since it consisted of pants and a top which, while still revealing a healthy amount of her breasts, was less revealing than the usual one she wore. Around her waist was the Hentai Championship belt which helped to draw even more looks as she made her way through the backstage area than she typically got. Natasha never went out to the ring without it, as proud as she was at having won it Natasha rarely let it out of her sight.

Between a recent cluster of matches and her spiteful campaign for long-awaited vengeance on Cecilia Northman, the Minerva had been quite busy as of late. Yet, not one hint of stress or worry could be found on her expression. The raven-haired Dane was in a particularly good mood today. As for the reason why, there wasn’t anyone who knew the answer save for Minerva herself, who was clad in a beautiful black silk dress with a large, matching fur coat and leather boots, and a confident grin as she strode through the backstage area of the Friction arena.

She was in search of a particular someone, who just happened to start coming right around the corner, wearing a rather lovely championship belt that looked more elegant than any mere jewelry. Acting as if she’d never even seen Natasha coming, Minerva moved close enough to the oncoming Frenchwoman that their arms bumped into each other in passing. Stopping in her tracks, Minerva turned to look at the girl with feigned irritation, only to switch to feigned delight and surprise at the “unexpected” realization of who she was looking at. If she had acting coaches, they’d be proud right now.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Hentai champion.” she said with a light chuckle, not even bothering to apologize for running into the girl, or even introducing herself. “I must say, I’m rather surprised to see you here, and dressed to compete no less. I don’t believe you were scheduled to compete tonight, no?” she asked, as if she hadn’t had sources secretly keeping her informed on Natasha’s recent actions for...certain reasons...

Natasha didn't even notice Minerva at first, her mind was so focused on what she was going to say once she got out to the ring, rehearsing each word in her head to make sure she had it down, that the woman was just another figure. Like with everyone else she had passed up to that point Natasha moved to the left to avoid the woman without a second thought about it, however unlike the others she bumped into this one yanking Natasha out of the trance she had been in. "Oh sorry about that!" She exclaimed quickly on reflex, only then truly seeing Minerva though her name escaped her.

"Yes thats me, sorry again but I wa..." Natasha tried to excuse herself as she needed to get going but the woman, without an introduction or apolegy of her own, carried on. She was stuck, if Natasha just walked off it would come off as being rude, it was fortunate she had given herself extra time to get to the ring otherwise this would have been a problem. "Well no I'm not but I reserved some time on the card for tonight." She said, deciding not to delve too deep into the nature of her business that night at the behest of a voice in the back of her head that urged caution with this stranger.

How fortunate it was for Minerva that Natasha was such a polite girl. She could tell the Hentai Champion was in a hurry, though she acted as if she had no idea. “Well, it’s quite lucky that we managed to run into each other. There’s something important I actually wanted to tell you.” she said, taking a couple steps to draw closer to the Frenchwoman. Minerva stood roughly half a foot taller than Natasha, and wanted that size difference to be well understood. Once she was close enough to practically tower imposingly over the girl, her grin spread a bit wider.

“I hope you don’t mind me borrowing just a moment of your time.” she said. Minerva held no weapon, nor made any gesture suggesting she was about to attack Natasha. Yet everything about her facial expression and how close she was standing to the girl were almost like a silent warning that attempting to leave too soon would not prove to be a good idea. Besides, Minerva was only asking for a mere moment. Surely such a price wouldn’t be so much to pay just to hear what she had to say.

That comment took the Frenchwoman by complete surprise for she didn't even know who this woman was, let alone what she could possibly have to speak to her about that was so urgent. As the woman drew closer however the picture began to take shape in her mind, Natasha becoming more than a little suspicious as to her motives as well as to whether or not them bumping into one another was truly an accident. She had learned how to speak the language of business at a young age from her father, hidden meanings, veiled threats, reading faces, Natasha had learned all of this and more. Nothing the woman had said thus far was a threat when taken at face value, but everything about how the woman was acting screamed otherwise.

"Oh of course not, I can spare you a couple minutes if the matter is as important as you say it is. You must be quite lucky to have run into me like this, how fortunate." The true meaning of her words would be clear, Natasha knew what the woman was doing and could play the same game. "I am in a rush though so go ahead, what did you need to speak to me about?"

“Indeed.” Minerva replied shortly, glad to see Natasha was seemingly as intelligent as she was polite. Many imbeciles around here likely would’ve handled this much differently, and things would not have gone well for them as a result. But cooperation was best in everyone’s interest, and Natasha realizing and understanding this would only make life easier for them both.

Minerva’s gaze momentarily fell to the Hentai Championship, and she lifted a finger to lightly graze over the gold center plate. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it? Being a princess in one life, and a conquering champion in another?” she asked in vague reference to both the wealthy family Natasha had been born into and her rise as a wrestler. But her finger then left the belt and her eyes moved back up to meet Natasha’s.

“Do you know what happens when a princess wears the crown of a queen?”

Ah so that was it.

It didn't take long to discover what it was the woman was truly after as her gaze betrayed her, though it wasn't much of a surprise as being champion meant you always had to look over your shoulder for threats. This was a woman who wanted to take her belt away from her and knowing that changed Natasha's demeanor, not so much outwardly as she looked much the same to most passerby, but the look in her eyes and the smile on her lips were one of silent challenge now. Her words were no suggestion, she was now daring the woman to speak, telling her with a single glance to choose her words carefully.

"This is where you tell me I am an usurper, no? A princess who has reached too high?" Natasha said in answer, her blue eyes turned to ice as she stared the woman down. She was used to people believing her to be some fragile doll because of her family and how she grew up, but that didn't mean she would let that opinion go unchallenged.

Minerva couldn’t help but laugh a bit when she heard Natasha’s question. Not that anything the Frenchwoman said was illogical. Everything the Dane had said and done had given the blue haired beauty plenty of reason to come to that conclusion. She wasn’t entirely off the mark, but not entirely on it either. And when Minerva spoke again, rather than answer Natasha’s question, she elected to answer her own.

“When a princess dons the crown of a queen, opposing queens will challenge the legitimacy of her reign, and try to take it from her. If the princess can put down her challengers, only then does she truly become a queen.” Her eyes then returned to the Hentai Championship belt. She hadn’t looked at it by accident the first time, nor did it matter to her that Natasha had noticed. Considering what she’d learned of the girl just in their brief conversation, Minerva would’ve been surprised if Natasha hadn’t noticed.

“No, I’m not saying you have reached too high, Natasha.” Minerva said, finally directly addressing Natasha’s question and bringing her eyes back to the champion’s again, not in the least intimidated by her icy stare. “But you are still no queen. Not yet. To this point you have fought mere peasants and common trash. But be warned, a true queen will emerge soon, more than ready to snatch your precious crown away~”

Natasha really didn't have the time to spend arguing with whomever this was, if she was late to the ring her time would be given away to the next spot on the card, but until the last grain of sand ran out she wouldn't turn away. She had far too much pride for that after all, just as it seemed this woman had. She crossed her arms over her chest and for a few moments used the precious little time she had to truly take in the woman standing in front of her, her blue gaze traveling down along her body before returning to stare into her eyes, the look on her face entirely unimpressed.

"You're right in a sense, a crown doesn't make a queen, its not something you're born into. One might claim it as a birthright but a true queen, the ones remembered as being great, those earned their title." Natasha's own eyes then glanced down to the belt around her waist, suddenly feeling the weight of it where she hadn't before. "I fought tooth and nail to hold this belt and while someone will come along and win this from me one day, I plan on making that a very distant date."

Minerva’s confident smirk never wavered, even at seeing the expression Natasha wore. It was only natural for a champion like this to feel confident, especially considering she likely had no clue who the tall Dane even was. That simply didn’t matter right now. Soon enough, Natasha would certainly know. And if all went as Minerva intended, she wouldn’t be forgetting any time soon.

Hearing the champion’s proclamation, a soft chuckle escaped Minerva’s lips. “If only life always went according to plan.” she replied, then turned her back to Natasha and began walking. “We will meet again very soon. But until then, au revoir, princess~” she called back to the Frenchwoman, and the sound of her boots’ heels clicking against the ground echoed through the hall as Minerva finally left Natasha to tend to the business she had planned for tonight.