The Luck Of The Irish?

Peggy nodded intently as she listened to Julia speak. She soaked it up like a sponge. When Julia offered to show Peggy around the arena the young woman let out a squeal of joy and wrapped Julia up in a hug! "That would be amazing! I actually have all my gear in my backpack!" Peggy said excitedly as she pat the black backpack hanging off her chair.

Like the excited teenager she was, her mind changed gears quickly. "Do ya think we will run into anyone there?! It would be amazing if we did! If I saw some of these bitchy heel women that act like they owned the place I'd have a few choice words for them!" Peggy put all her things away and looked up at Julia, her confident smile back on her face. "If ya aren't scared I could show ya a sneak peek of what ya would be up against. I have seen you in action so much that its only fair."

Peggy chuckled, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Ya could have your muscle bound pal meet us there in case she wants a sneak peak ya could do that. I read in an interview that she drives like a crazed race car driver so she'd probably beat us there...."

Julia had been more of a student than a teacher during most of her time in Japan thus far. Switching the roles, even if just for a moment, felt a little strange. But she was glad Peggy seemed to be listening. Julia certainly wouldn’t have been able to win many of the matches she had if she’d doubted herself just because her opponents might’ve been more experienced. Not a good mindset to have in any match.

The cowgirl was once again surprised as the Irish girl threw her arms around her, but she giggled and lightly hugged Peggy back. “Really? Wow, that’s convenient.”Julia said when Peggy mentioned having her ring gear with her. “Unfortunately I don’t have mine. But I don’t mind goin’ with what I’ve got on.”

The blonde paused and smiled as she listened to the excited girl go on about how she’d handle some of the more notorious faces of the roster, and chuckled when Peggy proposed the friendly spar. “That’s fine with me. Long as ya don’t mind me bein’ in jeans instead of my usual stuff. And sure, I’ll text Alaina. Fortunately I haven’t ridden in a car she was driving, but between you and me I’ve heard the same thing. Just don’t mention that to Alaina.” Again Julia giggled and winked. “You ready to go now, or did ya wanna wait a bit?”

Peggy excitedly got up and began to leave with next to no prompting! It was obvious what her preference was. "Get yer are movin' cowgirl! Lets go! You can wrestle me in whatever ya like, I'll try to take it easy on ya since you aren't in yer usual attire." Peggy joked, winking at Julia as she grabbed her by the hand, practically dragging her out.

Peggy was halfway to her car when she realized one important detail.... "Shit, you got your own car don't ya girl? I can meet ya at the arena if thats the case?" Peggy said, embarrassed that her level of fangirl had really begun to override any common sense she had.

Julia laughed as Peggy took her hand and nearly dragged her right out of the building, barely managing to hold onto the bag with her new dress. Once they were in the parking lot and Peggy asked about the car, Julia shook her head.

“Nope. Got a truck back home, but nothin’ here. Didn’t feel confident I’d be able to learn how to drive on the opposite side of the car, on the opposite side of the road... Just too different, ya know? I usually just take a taxi.” she said with a chuckle.

"Worry not, I can give ya a rid in my.... ah, jalopy." Peggy stated with a bit of a sigh. Sure her old '97 escort wasn't the greatest car on the road, but it was her car damn it! "I got room in the front, and do yer best to ignore the fact that it looks like someone was living in the back seat. I have a bit o' a habit of storin' a lot of stuff in the back seat." Peggy nervously added, hoping that the clutter back there wouldn't deter Julia from accepting the ride once she saw the car.

Peggy wasn't a crazy driver, but Julia avoided the speed demon that was Alaina. Still, in Peggys mind today was like a dream come true! All they had to do was survive the ride in quite possibly the rustiest car in all of Japan....

Relieved to have saved a bit of money, especially since the dress she’d just bought had cost her more than a few yen, Julia happily followed Peggy to her car. The blonde had never been picky about cars, so the old appearance of the car didn’t bother her one bit.

“Heh. You and my sister would get along great.” Julia joked when Peggy mentioned how messy the back was, then opened the door and hopped into the passenger seat. Just out of curiosity she couldn’t help but spare a quick glance over her shoulder, and found the back was indeed every bit as cluttered as Peggy claimed, yet it still made no difference to her.

“Ya know how to get to the arena from here?” she’d ask once Peggy was in the car too.

"I sure do Julia, I have been there a few times. I caught a few sideways glances when I trained there the first time. I guess I have that 'new girl who won't make it' look about me or something. I can't wait to see those same people in the ring after I beat them!" Peggy said with a grin as she started up the car and drove.

Thankfully, the roads were as clear as they can get in Tokyo and the arena wasn't too far away. Well, relatively speaking anyway. "If ya don't mind me askin' what is it about wrestling that you love the most? Is it the whole competition aspect of it, the fame, the fortune, the atmosphere?" Peggy asked. Peggy knew her own answer to that question. She loved the sport having watched it growing up, and got a kick out of everything she mentioned although being inside the ring and wrestling was more important to her than money. Still, in Peggys mind her aunt was one of the best.... one of the best who came to Japan and struggled to win one third of the matches she was in. Peggy was going to prove to everyone that McIntyre women weren't just some joke inside the ring, they could hang with anyone.

After a short drive, the two women arrived in a slow and safe manner. Certainly they arrived much more safely than the small sporty BMW screeching around corners and pulling into the parking lot by flying into a spot nearby. Clad in sunglasses, a blue jacket, black spandex workout pants, as well as blue and black sneakers, Alaina Sanders got out of the car with her title over one shoulder, gym bag over the other. Alaina saw Julia getting out of an old car with a pretty red headed girl. Alaina waved at them and approached in the parking lot. "Heya Julia! Is this our new VIP guest?" Alaina shouted with a smile as she approached to shake Peggys hand.

“Can’t say I’ve heard of that look to be honest.” Julia replied with a chuckle as Peggy spoke. She buckled her seatbelt, then sat back and relaxed as Peggy started taking them through the streets of Tokyo.

Then when Peggy asked her question, Julia smiled, not needing any time at all to think about her answer. “The fans. Winnin’, money and the rest is great and all, but the energy ya get when those people are cheerin’ ya on is just... It’s unbeatable.” Easy to say, not as much to realistically believe, but Julia meant it. “Like, look at SummerSplash. It was my first pay-per-view match here, and it was also my first win against a champ. But it was also one of the worst days of my entire life. What Gwen did, the way that ended...” Julia shook her head. “It was a giant slap in the face of everything I stand for, and the fans, hard-working people who paid money out of their salaries to come see that show, got robbed of a legitimate ending. Then on the other side, there’s Avalanche. Another title match, but that one I lost. First time I’ve lost over here too, but it easily might be one of my favorite matches I’ve had in over half a decade of wrestlin’. The match was fantastic, and the fans... GOD, it was all just incredible! I swear, there just ain’t anything out there that beats the rush ya get when that crowd’s on fire.” She hoped she hadn’t bored Peggy with her rambling, but at least they were coming up to the arena now.

Once they parked, Julia stepped out of the car just in time to see Alaina’s BMW flying around the corner and screeching into a stop in a parking spot not far away. When the Amazon stepped out of the car, Julia put her hands on her hips, shook her head and laughed a bit. “Damn, girl. All ya needed was your entrance music blarin’ in the speakers and ya would’ve had a complete entrance there!” she joked before nodding toward Peggy. “Yep. This here’s Peggy. She’s new to Friction, so I figured we could all have a bit of fun at the gym here.”

Peggy listened intently, hinging on every work Julia said. It wasn't boring to her at all, she was fascinated from the get-go! "I hope I get to wrestle at one of the big shows someday." Peggy said, almost zoning out as she imagined herself inside the ring at such an event.

As Alaina approached and called out to the two, Peggy gave her a looking over as they started to go inside. She was even bigger in person than she was on TV! She was the same height as Julia, but had a good deal more mass to her. Peggy also noted how sculpted she was. Unlike the Irish woman, all of Alaina's mass was solid. Hitting her must have been like hitting a brick wall. "Peggy McIntyre, pleased to meet ya!" Peggy said, shaking Alaina's hand as she looked in awe at the facility. It was much bigger and nicer than anywhere she had trained before. Sure she was here before, but her being in Friction.... with these two.... hadn't fully sunk in yet.

"Hi Peggy, I am Alaina Sanders! Welcome to Friction!" Alaina said warmly as they made their way to the locker room. "I guess I will go get changed, I am guessing you guys should change too?" Alaina said as she noted what they were wearing, then chuckling when she saw that Julia had a shopping bag or two as opposed to a gym bag.

“I would, but don’t bring anything to change into. No big deal. I’m good to go like this.” she said with a shrug, before giving Peggy a playful fist bump on the shoulder. "But this one here’s got her gear with her. So y’all go ahead and get changed, and I’ll met ya in the gym when you’re ready. You guys wanna just stick to some light sparring, or do ya wanna lift some weights too?”