Bodies of Flesh, Hearts of Iron

On the outside, Natasha Han seemed cool, and calm, but on the inside, she was feeling rather anxious.

With her entrance theme blasting around her, the proud Russian made her entrance into the AFW arena, gripping a microphone tightly in one hand, holding a thin folder in the other. She could hear the crowd around her, a few cheers but several people laughing and jeering at her, shouting at her about her losses to Valley Doll. She tuned them out. She tuned out everything. She wasn't here for them, and she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of recognition. She was here for one person and for one reason tonight, and she wasn't leaving the arena until she had reached the conclusion she so desperately wanted.

Once she reached the ring, Natasha slid under the ropes, climbing up to her feet and heading to the center of the canvas. She then turned back towards the arena's entrance, and motioned for her music to be cut, waiting for the crowd to die down before raising her microphone to her lips. She called into it, her voice ringing out loud and calm through the arena's speakers, her gaze focused entirely on the curtains atop the entrance ramp.

"Valley Doll..." She began, and the crowd began to shout and yell again. She paused, the Russian waiting for them to grow silent again before she continued.

"Valley Doll. I know you are being in the arena tonight. Come. Come to the ring, and let us be having a talk."

The people didn’t have to wait long at all.

The all-too familiar twang of Van Halen began to echo through the arena and the people rose, getting hyped to the sound of Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love. Sure enough, the owner of the theme came out a moment later - Valley Doll was indeed in the building, hanging out back to catch one of her girlfriend’s matches. Judging by the microphone in her hand, though, she was prepared to do a little more than spectate.

She waved to the crowd as she sashayed across the stage in her tight jeans and her Led Zepplin t-shirt, letting them get rowdy as the music died down. She took a few seconds to soak it in, close her eyes and feel the energy, before she backed away and turned her attention to the stage.

Natasha Han. Valley figured she’d try something after their last little meeting, but she didn’t quite expect it to be in front of the entire arena, on live TV. This had the potential to get ugly.

”Hey, Nattie.” She gave the Russian a frilly wave and started to walk down the ramp. ”It’s only been, what, two weeks since we met, last? You missed me that much, already?”

There was a little confusion from the crowd - Valley had mentioned her encounter with Han on Facebook, but it wasn’t exactly common knowledge. She’d fill them in soon enough.

Natasha folded her arms over her chest, watching Valley closely and carefully as she made her entrance, heading down the ramp to meet her.

She waited anxiously for the blonde to reach the ring, not once taking her eyes off of her. She had to be honest with herself: she didn't like doing this. She didn't like spending time on the microphone, much preferring to spend time in the ring fighting, not talking. Valley had forced her hand though, refusing the Russian's appeal for a third match with her, and if it took calling her out in front of the entire AFW audience to get what she wanted, then so be it.

She waited for Valley to reach the ring and enter inside, but as soon as the Slamazon had done so, she raised her microphone back to her lips.

"I will get to point, make this fast." She lifted up the folder she held in her other hand, making sure that what she wanted was clear to Valley, as well as letting the audience get a good look at it. "Inside is contract for a match at Avalanche. We have been over this. This time, you will sign." She stared at Valley, pausing for a moment before speaking up again.

"There is nothing to be losing here. I will be getting what I am wanting, and you will be getting a match at the biggest show of the year. It is win-win for both of us, da?"

Valley strolled down and made her way into the ring, pretty as you please, and slid in under the ropes. She popped up a few feet away from Natasha and casually paced back and forth as the Russian spoke. It was almost exact same thing she'd said last time, perfect verabatim, except for one criticial detail at the halfway point.

"Avalanche?"

Valley perked up at the word, and her attention became more and more focused as Natasha spoke from there. She'd heard everything was pretty well locked up for the show already, and she'd been fine with sitting out. But now that Natasha was dangling it in front of her face like a juicy steak above a starving dog...

"That's..." She drummed her finger over her lip. "That is tempting. That is. But..." She had a long inhale, then shook her head. "...no."

And, no surprise, here came the boos.

"Hey, now, come on!" She held her hands up and turned to the audience. "Han and me had two really good matches! You all saw them!" She swept her hand over the audience. "How many times are the same two people supposed to wrestle in the same year? Two should be enough." Valley spun around and pointed back to Natasha. "And despite what you or anyone thinks, the second wasn't a fluke. I don't need to redo the match to prove it, either. That's why we film everything."

She managed to get half of the crowd back, but the other half was solidly chanting "ONE MORE MATCH!" Natasha's plan was becoming achingly clear.

Natasha was starting to feel rather pleased. She had expected that Valley would turn her down again, and she had hoped to try and use the crowd to change her mind, but it seemed the rowdy audience was already getting involved. Perfect.

"You beat me twice. I will not be denying you that," Natasha continued, after the crowd had started to quiet back down. "If you are so sure of things, then you can beat me a third time, right?"

She took a step towards Valley, holding the folder towards her. "Think about it. One more match being fought at the most important time of the year. It is being your chance to get rid of me once and for all, and to prove that you are being everything that you think you are. All I ask is one more match. Surely you are having enough of a backbone for that...?"

She started to say something else, but decided against it. She still had a trump card up her sleeve, and she didn't want to throw it onto the table, not until she absolutely had to. Instead, she gestured towards the crowd with her microphone arm, and right on cue, they began to chant again.

"ONE MORE MATCH! ONE MORE MATCH!"

Valley hadn’t chewed her fingernails in years. It was a habit she had when she was a little girl, but her parents had gotten her off it after a few years. She had little control methods, ways to deal with nervousness, and they didn’t fail her here - but as Natasha egged her on and the crowd joined her, she almost went for a nibble. She had to grab her wrist to keep it from happening.

Her eyes narrowed into slits as she glared back at Natasha. ”You’re evil, you know that?” She muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Natasha to hear. She stared at the folder and chewed her lip raw, as if her entire career hung on the balance. In a small way, it almost did.  

”It’s tempting.” She shook her head and took a step back. ”The stage is right. And, you know, if we hadn’t fought a second time, I could feel it. But…” Her face scrunched up, like she’d eaten a sour grape. ”It’s nothing new, Natasha. You’re giving me something I’ve had before, twice, and the packaging doesn’t change that.”

Valley leaned back and shrugged to the audience as they showered with jeers. It sucked, but she’d gotten them back before from far worse. A couple of good performances, and they’d be with her again. "Threequels always suck, people. Sorry."

Once again, Natasha motioned to the crowd, trying to quiet the jeering audience. She had expected another refusal from Valley, and she was fully prepared to deal with it this time. She almost felt dirty for stringing things out like this, putting the Slamazon on the spot, but she was serious about getting a rematch.

"Let me be giving you something new then, kukla," she declared, taking another step towards Valley even as the blonde backed away. She held up her folder once more, meeting Valley's gaze, staring right into her deep blue eyes. "This is not same contract as last time. I knew I would have to be sweetening the deal. I talked to a few people, pulled a few strings. I am having better offer for you now."

She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves before she continued. "This contract is not for a standard match. This contract is for Iron Woman match." Another step forward, towards the Slamazon. "I do not want to fight you. I do not want to beat you. I want to prove I am being the better woman and the better wrestler."

Her voice was steel, and her gaze was iron, the Russian's words as serious as they had ever been. "We will fight in Iron Woman match. I will outlast you, and I will beat you. I will pin you. I will make you submit. I will be doing whatever I must to show you that I am the superior wrestler."

She paused for a moment, and the crowd began to roar, the AFW audience obviously in approval of the twist in Natasha's challenge. The Russian waited patiently, and once they had quieted down again, she spoke up once more, her words softer then before, but no less demanding of the American woman.

"So you will be signing contract, da? You will be signing, and we will be fighting at Avalanche. Surely, you will not be turning down my challenge again, will you?"

Natasha was starting to get genuinely creepy, and Valley was beginning to think it might be just a good idea to leave, flat out. She already had one insane woman with an unhealthy fixation on her, the last thing she needed was two.

But then she heard the words: ‘Iron Woman Match’. She almost squealed on reflex.

Valley’s face ran the gamut of emotions - confused, happy, cautious, intrigued. Extremely intrigued. She’d fought in just about every nonsexual match a wrestler could partake in - cages, straps, Queen of the Mountain, Last Woman Standing, battle royales, the trainwreck that was the reverse battle royal. But an Iron Woman Match? Not once. And, if she remembered correctly, no one had ever won one at an AFW PPV before. A first-time-ever. After her winningest year in wrestling ever, she couldn’t conceive of a better way to end it…

...damn it, she was chewing her nails.

”Let me read that.” Valley spat to the side and gingerly took the folder out of Natasha’s hand. She opened it up and inspected the contents, skimming over every line - it wasn’t that she didn’t trust the Russian, but she was making an extraordinary claim. She had to take a look. Just to be sure.

”SIGN! SIGN! SIGN! SIGN!”

Valley just rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder at the crowd, chuckling. ”Oh, come on, you guys are acting like it’s set to happen right now! At least let me read it. Sheesh.” She went back to scanning, though, at this point, she was only teasing Natasha. Her mind had been made up.

After a few more seconds of suspense building, she tucked the microphone in her armpit and held out her spare hand. ”Got a pen on you?”

There. She had her. She had her. All it took was a little persistence, and the proper motivation from the audience, and Natasha had finally gotten what she had wanted.

She brushed her hair backwards, revealing her ear, and pulled out the pen she had tucked behind it. She handed it towards Valley, then turned away from her, leaning forward to reveal her back to the Slamazon, offering her a solid place to put the contract so that she could sign it.

She closed her eyes and waited for Valley to do that, and all the while, she had to fight back a smile, feeling her breath growing faster. This was it. This was really it. With a few quick penstrokes, everything would be set.

Honestly, Natasha could barely even believe it.

And, of course, Natasha had a pen ready. No surprise.

”Thank you kindly.” Valley gave the pen a quick twirl around her finger. ”Now I just need something to write-” And, of course, Natasha had that covered, too. Valley was getting the distinct impression that her rival had been considering this moment for a while.

She planted the paper on Natasha’s back - which was hard enough to make a perfect writing surface - and scribbled off her John Hancock. Valley couldn’t help but chuckle under her breath as she felt the Russian’s mighty heart beating like a war drum with every stroke of the pen. As much as the fans were looking forward to this, she could tell that Natasha wanted it more than all of them combined. And she couldn't blame her. In fifty years, when someone looked back on their careers, this was guaranteed to be in the highlight reel. A defining moment for them both.

”Done.” Valley slipped the back into Natasha’s ear and stepped away to hand her the contract. She gave it a tight grip - not enough to tear the thing, but the Wrestle Angel would have to put a little effort into pulling it away. ”This time, I’m not leaving any doubts in your mind.” Her eyes narrowed, wild and challenging. ”100% all the way. Be ready.”